Category Archives: Food

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, Food

Book Review: The Chili Cookbook, by Robb Walsh, photos by Eva Kolenko

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The Chili CookbookChili, chilli, chile… What is it, from where did it come, and how do I make it? What do Mexicans, Spaniards, Greeks, Hungarians, Austrians, Americans, and others the world over have in common? Robb Walsh answers these questions and more in The Chili Cookbook. Just in time to begin experimenting with different recipes for the chili cook-off among my wife’s colleagues, I found this book to be enlightening and inspiring. But it’s the cultural connections made therein that really intrigued me. It shouldn’t be that surprising to find similar dishes on opposite ends of the world when using some of the same ingredients, but it’s still pretty cool when you think about some of them (is goulash chili?!). And the ways immigrants have shaped food culture in the United States… It never ceases to amaze me how many Americans fail to appreciate how non-American “American food” really is! (Who knew that “Texas hot dogs, Texas hots, or Texas Wieners” were created by a Greek dude in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and aren’t Texan at all?!)

Along with what are typically considered both traditional and modern chili recipes, Walsh includes many recipes from around the world that may or may not be chili in the eyes of the reader, but deserve inclusion nonetheless. There are also a number of necessities for the chili aficionado: tortillas, roasting tips, spice mixes, sauces, et al. The only downside I’ve found with this book is it leaving me wanting more of the beautiful photography it already contains by Eva Kolenko (there are photographs of only select recipes). Granted, many of these are going to look the same (but with great difference in texture and flavor!), it’d still be nice to see the final product of each.

This is a beautiful cookbook that I’m glad to have in my growing collection.

 

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

Book Reviews, Food

Book Review: Donabe: Classic and Modern Japanese Clay Pot Cooking, by Naoko Takei Moore and Kyle Connaughton, photos by Eric Wolfinger

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DonabeI could live in a donabe (Japanese for “clay pot”), the vessel from which I’ve had some of the best food I’ve ever eaten. When I discovered Donabe: Classic and Modern Japanese Clay Pot Cooking was soon to be released, it took me back to my favorite noodle joint: Menkui Tei (NYC). Sure, virtually anything cooked in a donabe can be just as easily done so in another vessel, but there’s something special about these clay pots that brings flavor and comfort together in a way nothing else can—and they’re just so beautiful, even in their simplest form!

In this book, chefs Naoko Takei Moore and Kyle Connaughton bring together years of love and passion for traditional Japanese cuisine using varied styles of donabe with the inclusion of modern touches (apparent even in the front cover, where dishes surround a donabe sitting on top of a single, butane burner). Naoko begins by introducing the reader to the traditional clay pot and a specific family of artisans in Iga, Japan, from whom she imports pots and sells them globally. Photographer Eric Wolfinger provides an appetizing aesthetic for both Japanese culture and cuisine, documenting the making of a donabe and the finished product of every recipe in the book, among many other stills.

For those interested in Japanese clay pot cooking, Donabe provides styles, methods, and recipes for classics, rice, soups and stews, steaming, tangine-style (similar to a ceramic Moroccan pot), smoking, and all the necessary extras (dashi, sauces, and condiments). For those not so interested, the introduction to the history and culture thereof may pique that interest. And, of course, there are loads of recipes that can be used and adapted for one’s own kitchen, as well as a full glossary for those unfamiliar with terms used in Japanese cooking.

Until I live in a place with a gas stove, investing in a couple artisanal pots will have to remain a daydream. But until then, I’ll continue to work with what I have…and maybe get a portable butane burner…and maybe one donabe…and maybe some more earthenware… Oh, who am I kidding? I just need to move to Japan!

 

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

Book Reviews, Food

Book Review: Tacos: Recipes and Provocations, by Alex Stupak and Jordana Rothman

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TacosIn the famous words of George Tekei, “Oh, my!” Tacos: Recipes and Provocations is not your mother’s cookbook. This racy, mouthwatering, intriguing collaborative journey through food and culture by Alex Stupak and Jordana Rothamn is what I want all my future food books to imitate. Yes, simple recipe books have their place on my shelves, but none of them make me want to prepare and eat the fruit of their bullet points as does this delectable literature and makes-me-want-to-eat-the-page photography. More, please?

For those hoping for a book of Mexican dishes, we are reminded that “[Tacos] is not a sweeping study of Mexican culinary traditions. It is only about tacos—a reference point most of us share, a familiar food that we can use to explore unfamiliar flavors and challenging ideas” (15). Of course, there are things one needs to know in the making of a taco, which is why there are sections on ingredients, sauces, and the all-important tortilla. High end pastry chef turned taco aficionado Alex Stupak explains, “I’ve had three defining moments as a cook: the first time I got to touch a black truffle; the first time I made a stable foam; and the first time I tasted a freshly made tortilla at La Parrilla” (10). This reminds me of my time living in Belize and eating freshly made, white corn tortillas with caldo (soup). Until you’ve had one of these perfect tortillas, you’ll simply never understand. This is not Taco Bell. This is good.

If you want to dive head first into tacos, or if you want to want to like tacos, this book will do it for you. Seriously, I think I’m making tortillas tonight.

 

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

Book Reviews, Food

Book Review: Einkorn: Recipes for Nature’s Original Wheat, by Carla Bartolucci

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EinkornGerman for “single grain,” einkorn is considered to be the oldest form of cultivated wheat. While researching ways to alleviate her daughter’s life-altering food allergies, Carla Bartolucci discovered this ancient, unadulterated grain and began working with it to cook a multitude of foods in hopes that her daughter could not only endure, but also enjoy her food. It worked. Without years of hybridization genetic modifications, einkorn has stayed virtually the same. Though it provides lower yields and more work than other grains, it’s heartier and healthier.

In Einkorn: Recipes for Nature’s Original Wheat, Carla first provides her family’s background, what lead her to einkorn, and a brief history and explanation of the grain, comparing and contrasting it to others, as well as the differences in how einkorn is to be worked with in the kitchen. She then provides ninety-five detailed and easy to understand recipes from simple breads to desserts to empanadas! Most recipes are accompanied by some incredible photography by Clay McLachlan, which may just inspire you to cook long before looking over a recipe! The form of the book is just as beautiful as its intended function.

I only have two complaints about the book, and they are minor. First, Carla uses some baking terminology at the beginning of the book without explaining them. For those who are brand new, they’ll need to look these up elsewhere; however, I doubt this is a book people will rush to who have never worked with bread before, so this may be a moot point. I do think, however, that books like this could and should be those first, go-to books, which is why I would like to see some things further explained for the complete beginner. Second, it would have been helpful to have an estimated timeframe from start to finish for each recipe somewhere below the name and list of ingredients. As it is, one really does need to read each recipe to figure out which foods make sense with one’s schedule and preferences.

As it is, this functions as both a great cookbook and a coffee table / conversation starting book. Kudos to Carla for introducing many of us to einkorn; I look forward to working with it myself!

 

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