Monthly Archives: December 2015

Book Reviews, Food

Book Review: The Hot Bread Kitchen Cookbook: Artisanal Baking From Around the World, by Jessamyn Waldman Rodriguez

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The Hot Bread Kitchen CookbookJessamyn Waldman Rodriguez is the founder and CEO of Hot Bread Kitchen, originally established in New York City to help immigrant women get established, learn a trade, and prepare them to move on into their own businesses and/or culinary endeavors. The Hot Bread Kitchen Cookbook: Artisanal Baking From Around the World is a culminating work of all these bakers, including bread recipes from their respective cultures of origin, as well as other recipes that often go alongside the bread recipes (e.g., hummus for pita, carnitas for tortillas, iced Vietnamese coffee with bahn mi, etc.). Unleavened breads to stuffed pastries; this is a treasure chest of recipes from around the world unlike any other bread book I’ve found thus far.

For those interested in more about the story and bakers of Hot Bread Kitchen, there are spotlights on individuals who have provided specific recipes and significant contributions to the company, which lends a much appreciated authenticity to the book and brings the reader into HBK’s story and mission.

What I appreciate most in the book’s organization are the references to other recipes and their respective locations therein. For example, many recipes call for a pâte fermentée to begin the fermentation process, for which there is a recipe in the book to which all other relevant recipes point. The same goes for many recipes that build on the foundation of a particular type of dough. Rather than unnecessarily replicating the recipe over and over or requiring the reader to search for it in an index, all are referenced. This also applies to relevant tips and means of procuring some hard to find ingredients. Basically, there’s an embedded map to keep the reader from getting lost.

The biggest drawback I found, which isn’t necessarily that bad if the text can be reasonably followed, is found in sequential photographs intended to demonstrate some method. They are virtually unhelpful due to a step missing, poorly organized, or simply ill captured in a way that would make sense to someone who doesn’t regularly work with these steps (which would be anyone for whom they are provided). The most obvious of these examples is that of braided challah bread, where there are several photos demonstrating how to fold two lengths of dough over one another from an “x” shape immediately to a fully braided and tucked shape. There’s definitely something missing there.

Overall, I think it’s a wonderful book that will definitely benefit those who want a culturally eclectic collection of bread recipes rather than one particular type or one that uses one particular flour base.

 

*I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Book Reviews, Food

Book Review: Asian Dumplings: Mastering Gyōza, Spring Rolls, Samosas, and More, by Andrea Nguyen

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Asian DumplingsAndrea Ngyuen’s Asian Dumplings: Mastering Gyōza, Spring Rolls, Samosas, and More had me reminiscing of my time living in China, eating stuffed steam buns for breakfast and fried dumplings late at night from a street vendor that hung around when everyone else had cleared the roads outside my apartment. Nguyen does an excellent job describing different kinds of dumplings, buns, rolls/wraps, and pastries from East, Southeast, and South Asia. Actually, it made me a little homesick.

There are some beautiful pictures here, but a whole lot of text. I hesitated in picking this one up because I wasn’t sure it would bridge the cookbook/coffee table book gap I enjoy, but I got it anyway. I’m glad I did! (After all, one can only have so many pictures of the same dumpling wrap—the camera doesn’t capture the varietal tastiness inside!) The number and variety of recipes reminded me of a dumpling house I used to frequent. The first time I went I was handed a six-page menu with scores of dumplings—only dumplings! The restaurant served nothing else—well, they did have water and tea. It took me back to times when my students were so excited to take me to a “dessert store” to try Chinese sweets, none of which qualified in my mind as “dessert.” (You can find a recipe for the famous red bean paste used in these “desserts” in this book, which I appreciate, but still won’t be preparing myself.) And then there are my favorite Vietnamese spring rolls, filling wonton soups, sesame seed balls, and…and… Seriously, there’s a lot here.

Perhaps most important lessons found herein are the teachings of how to prepare the dough (wheat, rice, tapioca, legume, tuber, etc.) and foundation for each theme. (There are “Lazy Day Tips” provided for those who wish to use store-bought varieties, though it is strongly encouraged to work from scratch for best results.) With these, all one needs is a little imagination and inspiration and these can quickly become Italian, Mexican, Hungarian, Polish, or whatever ethnic flavor palate one desires. Of course, one can choose from the scores of amazing recipes herein, too!

A small cherry on top of this dish is a final chapter on dips and sauces that are invaluable when looking for that final bit of authenticity with a number of these recipes, but you’ll likely find yourself wanting to use them well beyond these borders!

Now I just need to figure out which to cook first!

 

*I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Book Reviews, Theology

Book Review: When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty without Hurting the Poor…and Yourself (New Edition), by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert

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When Helping HurtsThere was a time when I felt alone in my thoughts on the damaging effects and arrogance of many short-term mission trips. While working as a full-time missionary in a rural area of Central America, I’ve even been pushed to the side and encouraged to keep quiet about the perpetuation of a welfare state and divisiveness of a community by those visiting from my supporting congregation in the US. Once I was eventually completely silenced and pushed out of that work, I began to discover others outside of my own tradition had been wrestling with these things, too. We were (are) concerned with the long-term impact of short-term mission trips and were seeing a wake of cultural and theological devastation in the way things have been going. “White is right” and “money heals” has often been the practical approach, even if it is denied and described in other terms. Most of the people and teams I’ve come across do not lack good intentions; they do often lack humility and effectiveness.

Why did I begin with this specific experience? Most American church “missions” are focused on “the poor” (as perceived by the churches), and it is to this end (and further) that When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty without Hurting the Poor…and Yourself by economists Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert has much to offer. Emphasizing an holistic approach to helping those in need, Corbett and Fikkert take into account the much disregarded economic factors in the way we “help” others, noting that we are often blinded to the reality of our doing more harm than good. Leaving behind the method of paternalism, the reader is encouraged to come alongside and work with others (not doing things for or to them), as well as recognizing that not all “poor” is created equal.

One of the principle equations used to demonstrate the harm done to both parties follows thusly: Material Definition of Poverty + God-complexes of Materially Non-Poor + Feelings of Inferiority of Materially Poor = Harm to Both Materially Poor and Non-Poor. The authors help the reader see the distinctions between relief, rehabilitation, and development, as well as the time and place for their relevancy and proper implementation, though always encouraging participation of the one being aided (if that’s even the right word to use for a given situation). Of course, the authors want to be clear of their intentions and note the following in this new edition:

Some of our readers have misunderstood the message of the first edition of this book to be: “Individuals and churches with financial resources should stop writing checks.” That is not our message. We do believe that individuals, churches, and ministries should rarely be simply “writing checks” or handing out cash or material resources directly to materially poor people. However, we also believe that individuals and churches that have been blessed with financial resources…should dramatically increase their financial giving to churches and ministries that pursue gospel-focused, asset-based, participatory development. The churches and ministries that are engaged in development work have a very difficult time raising the funds needed to pay for this highly relational, time-intensive approach, an approach in which there are not always clear measures of success or of the “return on the investment.” Development ministries need financial supporters who understand what poverty alleviation is really about—reconciling the four, key relationships—and who are willing to fund the long and winding process that must be used to get there. (233, emphasis original)

My wife had already read the first edition of this book, but I’m thankful Fikkert recently provided her with the latest edition and that it was passed on to me. It doesn’t provide all the answers, nor does it make such a claim; in fact, it should be used as an introduction to further processing and discussion among churches and religious organizations. For more information, the authors encourage checking out www.chalmers.org.

 

As an added plug, I was blessed to be able to participate in a private showing of the new documentary “Poverty, Inc.” while reading this book. They have much in common and I highly recommend it for both religious and non-religious institutions. The film has yet to be fully released, but you can look at hosting a showing in your area by visiting www.povertyinc.org.