From Book to Table: Cookbook Musings from Edward (November 2021 Edition)

If you’re into Mediterranean or Middle Eastern food, then you’ve undoubtedly flipped through one of Claudia Roden’s books. Mediterranean food has been described by people smarter than me as being the healthiest in the world. Claudia Roden, the wonderful British food writer, cookbook author and cultural anthropologist, has been writing about the Middle East and the Mediterranean for over 50 years. In Claudia Roden’s Mediterranean, beautifully published by Ten Speed Press, we are treated to Roden’s philosophy of healthy eating, lovingly written and lavishly illustrated. Roden is a writer who can cook; it’s such a wonderful read! She knows how fresh, local ingredients are the key to a sumptuous repast. I love eggplants, and I tried her Eggplant in a Spicy Honey Sauce with Soft Goat Cheese that is equal parts Moroccan and French. If you’re a fan of various grains like couscous, barley or bulgur, this book is for you! Adventure awaits on November 9th. 

Cheryl Day and her husband, Griff, have been running their Back in the Day Bakery in Savannah, GA for nearly two decades. They showed the world just how good they are with their first book, a bestseller called The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook. Now they’ve amped up their repertoire with this incredible resource of Southern baking in Cheryl Day’s Treasury of Southern Baking from Artisan Books. Every so often you run into a book where every photo shows something you want to eat. I cannot believe how many recipes and photos of these delectable delights made my mouth water. Where did they all come from? Well, Day collected handwritten recipes through the years, from old and forgotten cookbooks and spent hours listening and learning from relatives. The result is a comprehensive look at cakes, muffins, breads, pies, cookies and bars with every fruit, nut and topping imaginable. I don’t know how she does it but I love EVERYTHING in this book. It would make any baker on your list happy. I’m giddy flipping through it! Coming in piping hot on November 9th.  

How many cookbooks have you read or do you own that feature Indigenous cuisine from America? My guess is “not many.” There aren’t a lot of cookbooks on the topic, so for a lot of us, they are difficult to find. The good news is that over the last few years, a number of excellent cookbooks by Native American chefs and food writers have emerged, which is part of an important trend today. New Native Kitchen is a wonderful exploration of American Indian food by Chef Freddie Bitsoie, the executive chef at the Mitsitam Native Foods Café at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. Published by Abrams, it’s a standout on so many levels. I really love the cover and interior design. It’s beautifully done and the photography is incredible. The recipes incorporate a number of ingredients you may not be familiar with like tepary beans and cholla buds, but I assure you the rest of the staples are in your local grocer. I love his celebratory menus and his creativity really shines in his desserts like the simply done Toasted Blue Cornmeal with Mixed Berries and Agave. Get your copy on November 16th. 

When we think about Mexican food, our understanding — for many of us — is limited to a tiny fraction of cuisine. If you think about the size of Mexico and its 32 states, imagine the variety of cultures, landscape and ingredients that stretch from Baja to Chiapas. Pati Jinich, who has had her own award-winning show on PBS for a decade, spent the better part of that time exploring the entire country to produce this book. Treasures of the Mexican Table, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, might be one of the best cookbooks on Mexican cuisine. There are so many good flavors here and Jinich makes sure we understand their origins, which has a major part in what makes each dish distinctive. For example, take the humble bean or frijoles: Pintos and other light-colored beans are popular in the north; black beans are popular in central Mexico; and white beans — like navy or lima — are popular in the Yucatan and Oaxaca. They all get special treatment in this book. Our intrepid chef also slips in a “secret ingredient” or two to elevate any dish. Ready to read on November 23rd.  

I can’t help myself but every time I flip through a Kim-Joy cookbook, I have a big smile on my face. She finds baking to be, well, joyful! Whether she’s finding pleasure making the cake or seeing someone eat it, for Kim-Joy, baking equals happiness. As a finalist on the Great British Baking Show in 2018, she instantly became a fan favorite for her cheerful creations. In Celebrate With Kim-Joy , from Hardie Grant publishers, we get nonstop baking merriment for every occasion. Now, I won’t lead you astray and say every recipe is easy. But if you’ve baked before, you’ll be inspired by this book. There’s so much fun on every page, you’ll want to make everything. Her creativity and sense of theater is evident in the photography and her decorating. There’s something for everyone here: Mardi Gras Cookie Masks, Lunar New Year Pineapple Cookies, Oktoberfest Smiley Pretzels and more! Ready to party on November 9th. 

I’m ending this month’s blog with Sandor Katz’s Fermentation Journeys. Who is Sandor Katz? He is THE leading voice on the subject of fermentation. I’m not kidding. So many foods these days are being fermented, making Katz in high demand. And when I say “high demand,” I’m talking about interested parties like Michelin-starred chefs, food writers, cultural anthropologists, you name it. While it’s nice to be such a draw, this is Katz’s life’s work and he’ll travel far and wide to learn more about fermentation techniques. Sandor Katz found the best partner in his career: Chelsea Green Publishing — a really great publishing company located in Vermont. They do a lot of interesting non-fiction, particularly on the subject of sustainable living, a hot topic today. They’ve been such a great supporter of Katz’s work and I wanted to shine a light on them, too. In his new book, we really see how important fermentation is to virtually every culture on earth. Beyond one of the most popular fermented items in the world — alcohol — this process protects food, improves the flavor, prolongs the life and is healthy. It’s a great recipe book but a really important reading book. Shelf-ready on November 9th.