Cooking With Ideas

Thich Nhat Hanh and Food

Sometimes there are books I think i should love and then do not. And, alas, this is one of them. I have loads of respect for Thich Nhat Hanh, a buudhist leader and thinker whose work impresses me in many ways. So, of course, as a foodie, I was thrilled to see that he had a book, together with Dr. Lilian Cheung entitled Savor: MIndful Eating, Mindful Life. The cover is lovely -- just a segment of orange calling out for the total immersion in the moment of savoring it. So, I bought it -- or it was bought for me, I cannot recall. We may in fact of purchased two copies, one for each of us. And yet, when I discovered it today in picking up around the house, all I could think was that it was not the read I wanted when I started it months ago -- nor am I tempted today. Now, part of this (admittedly written long before you see it on the web) is because the sun is shining in that totally great fall way. Part of it is because the book feels/felt more admonishing than I feel like. The focus is on nutrition and health, with a set of dietary and buddhist focuses on weight control. Somehow it feels weird.

The book begins by saying it teaches how to eat. And it offers mindful actions plans associated with weight loss and living well. The tone is kind of a how to book, and . . . well, it feels weird. And it is not because I do not want to be mindful about my eating (though sometimes I do not). Nor is it because I do not like reading how to books (sometimes I do). And, I definitely like reading about buddhism and/or books by buddhists like Thich Nhat Hanh. So, no diagnosis here.

For more on Thich Nhat Hanh, click here or here. For more on Dr. Lilian Cheung, click here. And for more on the book and its related community, click here.

Kitchen Alchemy

So, I am havong a day of re-ordering an increasingly disorderly life -- piles of paper, piles of books, piles of things I ought to be doing rather than procrastinating. And, among the things I have discovered in doing so are some books that are about. . . . food. So, there will be reviews coming up of books that are not new -- but surfaced and are worth a few comments.

The first one? Kitchen Alchemy, by Ann Bowen-Jones and Phillipa Lee. They have a website which is focused on similar matters. I suppose there is a vague possibility I have already written about this lovely book -- but who cares? Repetition is not always bad. This is a book that weaves personal and edible together in ways that move beyond the creepy parts of the new age -- to be honest, it is a really kind feeling book. The recipes are light and lovely, and the commentary focuses on transformation -- of people, of foods, and of lives more completely. I think the emphasis on slowness -- slowing down for breakfast and for moments that allow you to see what you are doing and eat what you are eating. There is a certain mindfulness here that is neither heavy-handed nor trite.

And, by the way, this comes from Spirituality and Health books, and here's their website.

This is most definitely not a book about kitchen chemistry (see here for a related interview) but alchemy -- transformative powers of hope, for example. Made my day. Made me smile. GIngered sweet potato mash. Really.

Mark Bittman

Kindle singles are fun, and sort of dangerous because they are the perfect bit of magazine-ish length. And this one argues that cooking will save the world. And gives a list of very good reasons to think that.And it is by Mark Bittman whose work has always interested me but I never got around to purchasing before. He writes cleanly and lucidly -- and clearly thinks that those who love cooking -- and in his view everyone who tries it will learn that it is an intrinsically rewarding enterprise -- will move in the direction of better food -- fewer calories, environmentally better, tastier, and eventually not only will they be happier but so will the planet. It feels utopian. It feels just a tad naive. And yet, it is persuasive.

By cooking he does not mean taking processed foods and tossing them into an oven or boiling them in a bag or . . . he means cooking. And yet, he thinks those who start with processed are likely to get sucked in -- a sort of bait and switch. And he thinks those who cook are economically better off than those who head off to casual fast dining. They'll be socially better off too -- taking the time to talk, to build community, to make a better world.

He argues, as he does here, that local food is not elitist. He does so in a chatty way, with bits of evidence, and lots of moral suasion hidden beneath a clear passionate love affair with cooking.

The title: Cooking Solves Everything. And yes, he truly argues that it does. The subtitle is -- how time in teh kitchen can save your health, your budget, and even the planet. Quite amazing.Quick read. Persuasive. Smart. And . . . yes, you shoudl read it.

More Free Mail or, Put Another Way -- Some Cookbooks

Cookbooks are a wonderful - they are tempting, and colorful and recipe laden and . . tempting. At their best, they make you salivate. They make you itch for the kitchen. They make you want to eat, to cook, and to share food. And, getting them free in the mail is even more fun -- because some fo them are ones I might be inclined to buy and others well, not so much. And these are -- not my cup of tea.

The two under review here are not ones I would buy. In fact, the Robin Miller cookbook Robin Takes Five (500 recipes, 5 ingredients or less, 500 calories or less, 5 nights a week at 5 pm) just didn't do it for me when it arrived. It feels like just the wrong balance of frugality, diet-ishness, unduly feminine --or do I mean twee? --  framing of food or a not-so-pro-woman stance, and well, practical (given the 5 pm and 5 nights a week). It just felt weird. Here's her website. And yes, she's the Robin MIller of Quick Fix Meals on the Food Network. Here is a site with multiple recipes from Robin Miller. I may even try the risotto with bacon and. . . .

The second cookbook is Simply Fresh: Casual Dining at Home from Jeff Morgan. Yes, this is the one I said comes with a Ruby Tuesday coupon. Weird. Am I overdoing it with that word today? Maybe. Here are more details: the cookbook is filled with recipes inspired by . . . you guessed it, Ruby Tuesdays. The restaurants are what are labeled "casual dining" and among the top places Americans go when they dine out. Yep -- it is called a "fast casual" -- here it ranks fairly far down in numbers, but still. . . . that's what it is. It may just be prejudice -- the cookbook itself is attractively packagesd and the recipes are diverse. And yet. . . .

Ok, so not my most enthusiastic reviews. Fun books in some ways, but just not ones that rise up t the level of temptation and salivation

Bistro Wonders in Wellfleet

A while back, on a trip to Wellfleet, we tried a new place, a bistro with wonderful food. In the morning, they have delightfully light criossants, some of the best I have ever had, and bread and much much more. (I love their raisin croissant-y bits.) And then, we went to dinner -- for Canadian thanksgiving -- where we had a wonderful wonderful meal. The place: PB Boulangerie which is a lovely french-ish place right along Route 6.The chefs are Philippe Rispoli and Matt O'Neil, both french natives.

While I cannot quite recall the entire menu or even what we ordered, I can say we had a tart aux endives  (puff pastry and endive and roquefort) -- something I ordered -- and Rissotto a laCourge Musquee (butternut squash risotto with  a lovely brown butter and. . . . ) ordered by my favorite co-diner -- and Poullet  Roti a la Broche which is amish chicken and was totally the best chicken ever. Lovely desserts -- frothy parfait-like and chocolate-y. Also, the wines were dandy. definitely dandy. And the service was wodnerful, informed, and not too intrusive.

We sat beside some interesting women, whose conversation well, we overheard, and then we got into a very interesting chat about the state of women in Massachusetts. Not to mention the nation.

And the setting was wonderful -- fall-like, with leaves of a sort of coppery color, dangling from the ceiling, with a warm environment, lovely smells, and a nice line of sight into the kitchen.

For more on this choice tidbit of Cape Cod food check out the urban spoon or this youtube or this bloggish review.

PS: I will definitely, most definitely go there again. And, I will buy croissants and enjoy every single self indulgent bite.

Cucina Povera

So, a while back I mentioned a wonderful book that arrived via mail, and . . . I somehow misplaced it. The book: Cucina Povera by Pamela Sheldon Jones. The wonder of it all -- they saw right here at Cooking with Ideas that I misplaced it -- and a new copy arrived! Thanks!

Tuscan peasant cooking in a book with the following opening sentence (to its preface): "My mother grew up on a farm in the Midwest durign teh Great depression" (p. 1). And hten some paragraphs later: "This attitude was reinforced when I moved to Tuscany" (p. 1). And hte relevant attitude: frugality with food and other things. Here's what else Pamela Sheldon JOnes about the attitude: it is "the mentality of no waste" (p. 1). Sustainable, green, connecting poverty to. . . . environmentalism. . .to wonderful food with an emphasis on local and seasonal. This book connects memories to food, something perhaps we all do, both in this preface and in opening essays as well as throughout the book. Tales of pickign wild greens, communal overns, breakfast described as "a ladle of milk and a prayer" (p. 6) and hard times -- and recipes that feel like nothing but richness of life. Economia rurale (a rural economy) and hte simple life meet in the tales and pictures of the first pages of the book.

On page 43 the book gets to recipes, form farro soup and fried zucchini blossoms, from meatloaf to stewed chickpeas, peas and eggs to wild greens and stuffed figs (rendered less familiar by their italian names), the recipes are simple, ructic and enticing. One of the major temptations are uses for chestnut flour. Yep, expensive. But not necessarily in its origins. Including chesnut cake. And I do intend to make a cornmeal, kale and bean soup. Hmmmmmmm.

Also, the book has dandy photographs from Andrea Wyner. This is part of what makes for a lovely book -- good recipes and views of food, landscape, and the people who make both real.

All in all thanks for the second copy, and you all should check this one out. Dandy, beautiful Andrews McMeel book.  

 

Coming Soon . . . .

So, what might you read about here on Cooking with Ideas in coming days or weeks? Here's a look forward:

*The publishers of the Tuscan cookbook I mentioned a while back - and had lost -- have snet along another copy! Hurrah, how kind! So, I shall be reviewing it here -- and not just because they are so kind! The book is Cucina Povera.

*Also: a few other books have arrived on my doorstep, including Robin Takes Five (500 recipes, 5 ingredients or less, 500 calories or less, 5 nights a week at 5 pm) by Robin Miller and Simply Fresh: Casual Dining at Home by Jeff Morgan. My question about the first: is it all about 5 fingers secretly? And my question about the latter: why a coupon for Ruby Tuesday is the goal is . . . dining at home? (Yes, the book comes with a coupon.) For a bit of a blurb on this cookbook, try this blog which is a blog with one of my favorite names. . . . And yes, I failed to put a link in to Ruby Tuesdays; figure they get enough press?

*I ate at a lovely place in Wellfleet which went unreviewed and merits just a tad of reflection. And, Geneva's own homage to Wellfleet, Opus, has opened for dinner(s).

And the usual -- more!