Books |
Comfort Food for Uncomfortable Weather (Real & Political)
By
Published: Jan 23, 2020
Category:
Food and Wine
It’s been, as they say, an icebox here. Yes, it’s a bit warmer now, but don’t be fooled — the big chill will return. And there’s no better time to cook soul-warming meals than a winter weekend. So…here are 15 useful cookbooks. And, better yet, 23 recipes that will keep body and soul together, even in a Polar Vortex. Click on the links for the recipes.
A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table
The blog that got Molly Wizenberg a gig at Bon Appetit magazine and a book contract — the blog named “the world’s top food blog” by The Times of London — led to this book.
Recipes:
Apple and Butternut Squash Soup
Stewed Prunes with Citrus and Cinnamon
At Home with May and Axel Vervoordt: Recipes for Every Season
Most of May’s recipes require just 20-30 minutes to prepare. Don’t be put off by the long list of ingredients — they’re mostly herbs.
Recipes:
Butternut Squash Marinated in Tarragon
Pears with Citrus Fruits and Cinnamon
Bistro Cooking
Patricia Wells has a trick for cooking this lamb. The pan is lined with sliced potatoes, onions and tomatoes. The lamb is set on a rack over the vegetables. The result? As it roasts, “the lamb’s wonderful juices drip into the gratin.”
Recipe:
Roast Lamb with Monsieur Henry’s Potato, Onion and Tomato Gratin
Canal House Cooks Every Day
Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer live authentic lives and cook real food and write books that are both creative and simple. Want to make deviled eggs but have no time? Split hard-boiled eggs, spread mayonnaise over them, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle salt and pepper. And… done. Spare ribs? Baste them with hoisin sauce and bourbon. Chicken in a pot needs only scallions.
Recipes:
Cleansing Ginger-Chicken Soup
Braised Beef Brisket with Onions & Currants
Claridge’s:The Cookbook
Claridge’s opened in 1853. From the start, it was viewed as “an annex to Buckingham Palace,” and travelers who require 5-star comfort have followed Queen Victoria’s lead; unlike other venerable institutions, Claridge’s has little need for “marketing” or “branding.” Still, the cookbook is perhaps overdue. “It’s only taken 164 years, so we’re a bit slow with that,” says Chef Martyn Nail, which is just what you’d expect from a man who’s had the same employer for 30 years.
Recipe:
Tea Sandwiches
Five Ways to Cook Asparagus (and Other Recipes): The Art and Practice of Making Dinner
Peter Miller: “This is a book about making dinner — about making it in real time and preparing it under real conditions. The meals are obviously important, but often there is not time to do careful shopping, planning, or preparation. There may only be time to get the meal ready.”
Recipes:
Carrots Roasted with Herbs
Cauliflower Baked in Butter and Parmesan
Head Butler’s Holiday Ham
Prep time: 5 minutes. 6 basic ingredients. Insanely good.
Julia Child and Simone Beck: Mastering The Art of French Cooking, Volume One
No need to identify Julia Child, is there?
Recipe:
Coq au Vin
Marcella Hazan: Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking
Until Hazan published her instantly classic cookbook, you went to a restaurant that featured Northern Italian cooking, had a meal that was destined for your top ten list, and returned home with a nagging question: This is “simple” food. Why can’t I cook like this? With Hazan’s book in hand, that changed. Her recipes were the essence of simplicity — her famous tomato sauce contained only tomatoes, onion, butter and salt.
Recipes:
Roast Pork with Vinegar and Bay Leaves
Bolognese Meat Sauce
Park Avenue Potluck Celebrations: Entertaining at Home with New York’s Savviest Hostesses
Don’t be put off by the title. This is about casual entertaining. There are no standing rib roasts or racks of lamb; indeed, the most interesting beef recipe is Short Ribs Bourguignon. (This time around, the meat loaf is “spiked”.)
Recipe:
Sweet-and-Sour Meat Loaf
Plenty: Vibrant Recipes from London’s Ottolenghi
Cooking from many cuisines, artfully combined.
Recipes:
Roast Chicken with Chili and Basil
Baked Tomatoes with Baguette
The Balthazar Cookbook
The recipe that you will drive you crazy — if you’re not Against Beef, that is — is Braised Short Ribs. In the photograph, they’re cooked so long that a knife is unnecessary. Yes, the recipe calls for Veal Stock, which, the authors note, is only for the “hard core.” But a substitute works well. And the preparation of the other ingredients isn’t odious. Best of all, this is one of those meals that tastes better the day after it’s made. It is, thus, a dream entree for a dinner party.
Recipe:
Braised Short Rubs
The Brisket Book: A Love Story with Recipes
Buy four pounds of brisket from the supermarket — the less you spend, the better. On a burner turned up fairly high, brown the beef in a Le Creuset 5 1/2 Quart Round French Oven. Add a bottle of red wine. Two large chopped onions. Three or four diced carrots, celery stalks, tomatoes. A tablespoon or two of tomato paste. One or two crushed garlic cloves. Salt and pepper. Set in a 350-degree oven for 3-4 hours, turning the brisket over once or twice and adding water, as necessary.
The Gramercy Tavern Cookbook
I invited two friends for a dinner at which I’d serve an entrée I’d never cooked before: Braised Lamb Shoulder with Broccoli Puree. The text described how Michael Anthony and his team prepare it. The labor is daunting, even for a restaurant staff. Then comes a simplified version for the home cook. I eliminated the broccoli puree and set to work. But it wasn’t work. Braise meat. Chop vegetables. Cook in oven. Serve.
Recipe:
Braised Lamb Shoulder
V Is for Vegetables: Inspired Recipes & Techniques for Home Cooks — from Artichokes to Zucchini
Not your grandmother’s vegetable cookbook.
Recipes:
String Beans with Sesame Sauce
Braised Radishes with Honey & Black Pepper
Kale (you knew there’d be kale) Soup With Potatoes & Leeks
And maybe you’d like wine? Let these books guide you.
Oldman’s Brave New World of Wine: Pleasure, Value, and Adventure Beyond Wine’s Usual Suspects
And while you’re waiting for the meal to cook….
Puzzle So Hard
1,000 pieces. Some easier than others.
