EDIBLE: A CELEBRATION OF LOCAL FOODS--Stories and Recipes Showcase the Rich Diversity of Locavore Culture

As a publicist, it was a privilege to work on EDIBLE: A Celebration of Local Foods by Tracey Ryder and Carole Topalian.  I wanted to feature the book on StoveTopReadings.com, but I make it a policy not to review books I'm working on, so I asked my good friend Jennifer McCord to write the review for this site. She obliged and then provided me with a gorgeous jpeg of the finished Corn Chowder she and her husband prepared from a recipe in the book.  

Growing up with a mother who was herself raised on a farm in Minnesota meant that I learned a lot about food at a young age.  This information included how food grew, was harvested, taken care of and preserved. I was back in Minnesota recently and the memories returned of picking tomatoes, corn, gathering eggs and trading butter for honey.  I still have a sensual memory of how the earth smelled when it was hot from the sun. 

My parents cared about what they ate and the sources of their fruit, meat, poultry and vegetables. We grew some of our own food but we also visited local and regional farmers to buy fresh.  We’re near The time of year for peaches to can or freeze and searching for apples and winter squash. My mother would often go out in the fields to talk with farmers about the food they were growing and selling.  We also picked our own vegetable and fruit. As a teenager it was not unusual for me to drive over to the local farm to pick up the vegetables that had been ordered by phone a week earlier.  My parents were early foodies but we didn’t know it then. They just liked to have fresh good food to serve to family and friends. 

EDIBLE: A Celebration of Local Foods (Wiley; $29.95; ISBN:  978-0-470-37108-4), embraces this expanding sense of locally sourced foods in a lavishly informative cookbook that is entertaining to read. Compiled by Tracey Ryder and Carole Topalian, cofounders of the Edible Communities Publications, the stories from each of the various regions of the country that are covered in this book offer the reader and/or cook insight from all points of view about all kinds of local food—from farmers and fisherman to chefs and food artisans. This reviewer is making a list of places to visit or foods to watch for when she travels to these regions.  It is a worthwhile endeavor to find out how this special group of people take care of and supply food. For example, I learned how Rutgers University is restoring a variety of Jersey tomato, what kind of berries make up marionberry and what university created the honeycrisp apple.

With the Seattle area having a particularly cool summer, and today with a high in the low 60’s, it was a perfect afternoon to try one of the recipes in the cookbook as the local farmer’s market is open today too.  The morning was spent at the local farmers market picking up most of the ingredients from fresh corn on the cob, to carrots, onions and potatoes. We chose the recipe called Rich Corn Chowder. It is from Robin McDermott, of Edible Green Mountains, Vermont.  The bacon we used was from a local store that specializes in double smoked bacon.  The recipe required us to cut off the corn kernels—uncooked and use the cobs to make a golden broth.  While it was bubbling away, there was an intoxicating smell of corn cooking.  My husband, Murray, and I ended up working together to cut up the other vegetables, fry the bacon and then add them in the order called for in the recipe. The aroma of the soup reminded us both how much we like to cook.  Two and half hours later, the soup was done. As we sat down to eat, there was still a bit of warmth in the air on this cool day in Seattle. The soup was an excellent meal in itself, and I will surely make this recipe again.

Jennifer McCord made her first cake when she was nine years old. Even though the cake did not turn out as she expected, the experience began a life long love of cooking. She read M.F.K. Fisher in her late teens and decided to follow her advice. Cook with the cook whose food you have found delightful. Therefore, she has cooked with a host of cooks from bakers to restaurateurs following her palate and learning how to better her own cooking.  

Jennifer has her own publishing consulting company where she operates as an editor, publishing management consultant and book packager. She and her husband Murray, live in Settle, Washington. Jennifer can be reached at www.jennifermccord.com.

Rich Corn Chowder

Courtesy of Robin McDermott/ Edible Green Mountains (Vermont)

Makes 8 servings

It is not surprising that sweet corn frequently appears on Vermont menus during the few weeks it’s in season. This luscious corn chowder uses the whole vegetable—cob and all—to create a dish that is satisfying and distinctive. If you choose to preserve some of the summer bounty for use throughout the year, frozen kernels (and cobs) work very well in this recipe.

Corn Broth, optional

4 medium ears corn

8 cups water

Chowder

4 slices thick-sliced bacon, cut into ¼-inch dice, optional, or 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped

¼ cup finely chopped celery root or celery

5 medium potatoes, chopped

4 cups corn broth (above), chicken broth, or vegetable broth

2 cups water

1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more if needed

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more if needed

½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

½ teaspoon dried thyme

1 bay leaf

1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half

MAKE THE CORN BROTH, IF USING: Stand an ear of corn up against a cutting board. Using a large sharp knife, and running the blade downward between the corn kernels and the corn cob, cut the corn kernels from the cob, rotating the cob until all kernels have been removed. Transfer the corn kernels to a medium bowl. Repeat with the remaining 3 ears of corn; set the corn kernels aside for making the chowder.

In a medium pot, add the water and the cobs from which the corn has been removed. Bring to a boil, partially cover the pot, reduce the heat, and simmer until the water has become rich and golden, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Set a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl; strain the corn broth. Set the corn broth aside; discard the solids.

MAKE THE CHOWDER: In a large pot over medium heat, add the bacon, if using. Cook until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crisp, 7 to 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and set aside. If not using the bacon, in a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat.

Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Stir in the carrot and celery root and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high and stir in the potatoes, corn broth, water, salt, pepper, nutmeg, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, cover the pot, reduce the heat, and simmer until the potatoes are soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the reserved corn kernels, bring the chowder back up to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes.

Remove the bay leaf. Using an immersion blender or a potato masher, lightly break up some of the potatoes and corn in the chowder. Do not overprocess or you will lose the rustic texture of the chowder.

Stir in the cream and the reserved bacon. Taste and adjust the seasoning; you may need to add more salt to balance the sweetness of the corn broth and bring out the full flavor of this soup. Serve hot.

RICK BAYLESS CREATES A COOKBOOK OF FIESTAS AT HOME!

Stovetopreadings announces the arrival of guest reviewer, Jennifer McCord. The Seattle resident is a publishing veteran (see below) who loves to cook and is an avid collector of cookbooks. When I asked her if she wanted to write about some of the books we cover, she enthusiastically said yes. Her first entry is Rick Bayless's brand new cookbook, FIESTA AT RICK'S.

I had just returned from a family reunion in Minnesota, where our culture includes smorgasbords. Reading Rick Bayless’ FIESTA AT RICK’S: Fabulous Food for Great Times with Friends (WW Norton & CO.; $35.00; ISBN: 978-0-3930558-99-4) reminds this reviewer of what it means to celebrate good food together with friends and family. This cookbook makes it easy to imagine creating one’s own festival with Mexican food. The pictures are so enticing that you know the food will be scrumptious. There are many interesting chapters: Guacamoles, Nibbles & Libations; Ceviches, Seafood Cocktails and Oysters, Small Dishes for Party Snacking (Mexcian Tapas); Inspirations from Taquerieas, Mexican Diners and Street Vendors; Live-Fire Fast and Slow to Sweet Inspirations from Street Stalls, Bakeries and Ice Cream Shops. Bayless provides menus for four distinctive and memorable parties each denoted under the appropriate section. Each party comes with its own complete game plan, including a music playlist.

Bayless also includes basic helpful information. For instance he writes about the various kinds of avocados and limes providing useful and effective ways to store and use them. His tips on how to heat up store-bought corn tortillas were also a hit in my household this week.

The guacamole recipes provided me with some new insights into flavors and ideas as the fall approaches, such as Grilled Garlic and Orange Guacamole. The posole fiesta really grabbed my attention. Posole is one of my favorites. My mother and I cooked this dish during my visits home. We would get out the old recipe and then decide what new additions or deletions we might make this year. Should we add a little more of this spice or a little less, or just cook like it we always did? The decision depended upon the time of year and what peppers we could get. With the local farmer’s markets showcasing the various peppers available right now, this would be the optimal time to try some of the recipes in this book. We tried Bayless' recipe for his Classic White Posole. You serve the posole and everyone gets to make their own finishing touches with such extras as cabbage, radishes, ground chilies, lime wedges and oregano. What a feast!

FIESTA AT RICK’S stimulates the eyes with many gorgeous color photos, and the palate with intoxicating tastes that have made him the go-to expert on Mexican food for three decades. Enjoy.

Jennifer McCord made her first cake when she was nine years old. Even though the cake did not turn out as she expected, the experience began a life long love of cooking. She read M.F.K. Fisher in her late teens and decided to follow her advice. Cook with the cook whose food you have found delightful. Therefore, she has cooked with a host of cooks from bakers to restaurateurs following her palate and learning how to better her own cooking.

Jennifer has her own publishing consulting company where she operates as an editor, publishing management consultant and book packager. She and her husband Murray, live in Settle, Washington. Jennifer can be reached at www.jennifermccord.com.

GLUTEN-FREE GIRL AND THE CHEF: A Love Story

About four years ago I became gluten free.  At the beginning of this journey, I started reading Shauna James’ blog, “Gluten-Free Girl.”   I became a fan.  I told a lot of people about her -- my doctors, strangers who were buying gluten-free foods at the market, and just about anyone who was interested in food.  For those not familiar with Shauna’s blog, followers have enjoyed the delight of accompanying her through dating The Chef (the amazingly talented Danny Ahern), their romance (only to be out-adored by Calvin and Alice Trillin), working together, marriage, and family, with the addition of daughter, Lucy.  Shauna may be a gluten-free girl but more importantly she’s a girl who has said yes to food and life in a way few can inspire.   

Shauna’s first book, Gluten-Free Girl, a memoir accompanied by recipes, chronicled her realization that she had celiac disease and how she dealt with it.  In the next installment,  GLUTEN-FREE GIRL AND THE CHEF (Wiley; $29.95; ISBN: 978-0-470-41971-7), Shauna is joined by Danny, giving this book a bit more of a professional cookbook veneer.   It is a wonderful story studded with mouth-watering photography and recipes.  There are many reasons people gravitate towards Shauna and Danny but for me, their approach to food encompasses so much more than gluten-free.  They are about high quality, fresh, fabulous food; sourced locally, when at all possible.  They delight in every aspect from the purchasing and the preparation, to pure enjoyment of the final product.  This book should appeal to either the gluten or non gluten- free. 

For most gluten-free people, pasta and bread products tend to be at the top of their really-missed-foods list.  I’ve always been tempted to make homemade pasta (and in fact had a long-ago-gift of a pasta maker tucked away in a cupboard) but have never done it.  I had faith that I could be successful here.  Out came the KitchenAid stand mixer, the pasta maker (with only Italian directions) and all the flours and ingredients needed for the pasta.  I defrosted some Bolognese sauce made from the end of a pork roast made earlier this summer, and had a good piece of Parmesan ready to grate. 

I had to feel my way through this recipe – but only because this was all so new to me.  The recipe itself is very straight-forward and easy to put together.   The result was lovely ribbons of summery yellow fettuccine graced with a slightly nutty flavor from the quinoa flour.  Quick to make (yes, even in my case with only Italian directions for the pasta maker) and cook (I found 3 ½ minutes to be just right), my friends and I were very happy with our dinner.  I will definitely make this pasta again.

 

I loved reading this book,  and I know I will use it a lot.  I hope in Shauna and Danny’s next book there is room for more of a traditional cookbook format, if only to make it easier to find recipes in specific categories.  I would also like to see more of their helpful notes such as the “go for a Play Dough feel consistency when mixing together the ingredients” that was part of the pasta recipe.  These are like a GPS guide for the cook especially when one is venturing into uncharted territory.  

Fresh Gluten-Free Pasta

     When you find out you cannot eat gluten, one of the first foods you worry about living without is pasta. There’s a certain mourning involved, imagining a trip to Italy without a mound of fresh fettuccine.  
     Guess what? The Italians make great gluten-free pasta, since many of their citizens have celiac sprue. You can buy a package of gluten-free pasta at the farmacia and take it to the best restaurant in town, where they will make the pasta of the day for you.

     When we first started making pasta, we tried our favorite gluten pasta recipes with gluten-free flours, without much success. It took us about fifteen different recipes and wranglings with flour combinations before we figured out the right ratio of flours to liquids. Now, at least once a week, when we want a quick meal, we pull out flours and make homemade pasta.

Feeds 4

²/3 cup (70g/2.5oz) corn flour

¹/2 cup (70g/2.5oz) quinoa flour

¹/2 cup (60g/2.125oz) potato starch

2 teaspoons xanthan gum

1 teaspoon guar gum

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

2 large eggs

4 egg yolks from large eggs

Combining the flours

Sift the corn flour, quinoa flour, and potato starch into a large bowl. Add the xanthan gum, guar gum, and salt and stir. Sift the entire mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer.

Forming the pasta dough

Put the eggs and egg yolks into the bowl of dry ingredients. Run the stand mixer on medium speed with a paddle attachment until the dough feels fully formed, about 3 minutes. The final dough should feel firm yet still pliable, a little like playdough.

Making the pasta

If you are using a pasta machine, cut the ball of dough into quarters and roll out each piece of dough to about a 1/2-inch thickness. We like to roll out each piece between 2 pieces of parchment paper. Lightly flour both sides of the dough with a bit more potato starch. Run the dough through the machine, increasing the setting each time, until the dough is paper-thin and long. If the pasta sheet starts to break, it is thin enough.

If you are making the dough by hand, we suggest you cut the ball of dough into 8 pieces, and then cut each of those pieces in half, so they are about the size of golf balls. Roll out each piece of dough as thin as you possibly can.

For fettuccine, use the fettuccine setting on the pasta machine. If you are cutting the dough by hand, you want ribbons of pasta, about ¹/4-inch wide. For spaghetti, use the spaghetti setting on the pasta machine. If you are cutting the dough by hand, you want thin strings of pasta.

For ravioli, cut the rolled-out pasta into 2-inch-square pieces. Dollop the filling in the middle of a square of pasta. Brush the edges of the pasta with an egg wash. Place another pasta square on top and press down, crimping the edges. (Having a ravioli cutter on hand helps with this process.)

For lasagna, leave the pasta in long sheets.

To cook the pasta, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Put the pasta shape of your choice into the boiling water. When the pasta rises to the surface, take a little piece and taste it. You should be able to bite into it without it falling apart. (With gluten-free pasta, it’s a fine line. One moment it’s al dente, and the next it’s one big ball of mush, so watch the pot.) Cooking times will vary for the different shapes. Fettuccine generally takes 4 to 5 minutes, spaghetti 3 to 4 minutes. Ravioli takes a little longer, about 5 to 6 minutes. The cooking times will differ in each kitchen, depending on how thin you were able to roll out the dough. Let your taste be the judge.

Variations

You have some wiggle room with different flours here. Tapioca flour works as a replacement for the potato starch, as does cornstarch. You might try sorghum or brown rice if you cannot eat corn. However, be sure to substitute by weight instead of volume.

Suggestions

You can easily double or even triple this recipe for more pasta. Work with the pasta in batches if you do.

          

Tricia Gibney comes from a family where food is very important.  Since childhood the Gibney Girls were encouraged to read about, talk about, shop, make, eat, share, and enjoy great food.  According to Tricia, "this is a book that will make you want to do all of those things.  Or as my sister Mimi summed it up:  “It’s my favorite.  It’s exactly what I wanted.  It’s the best you ever made it.”  When not in the kitchen, Tricia is a top PR professional who has worked on many high-profile products and corporate brands. 

ANTHONY BOURDAIN KILLS ME!

I haven't had this much fun reading MEDIUM RAW: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook (Ecco; $26.99; ISBN: 978-0-06-171894-6), Anthony Bourdain's latest culinary hand grenade tossed at the culinary world since...well Kitchen Confidential. It must be fun to be Anthony Bourdain. He has achieved an untouchable status in his field so that he can say anything he likes--good and bad and get away with it. He aims high in a series of blistering, withering, scornful, angry, hilariously funny and mostly well-deserved shots at Alice Waters (I think it is fair to question her chef credentials--it seems to me the only thing I've ever seen her prepare is salad), Mark Bittman, Guy Fieri ("I don't dislike Guy Fieri. I realized, after many viewings of his cooking shows, much soul-searching at my personal ashram, and many doses of prescription hypnotics. I just dislike--really dislike--the idea that somebody would put Texas-style barbecue inside a f- -king nori roll."), Sandra Lee, blogger Regina Schrambling, Alain Ducasse, Gael Greene, and other icons. The James Beard Foundation gets a Bourdain boot in the ass and deservedly so. It has to be galling for a chef to be invited to cook there, bring his staff, food, and equipment along only to find out there's no media to cover it. What's the point of this scam? He devotes an entire chapter to GQ's restaurant critic in an overly-long rant entitled "Alan Richman is a douchebag." Bourdain had me in stitches, but fifteen pages is excessive and while douchebag is a funny word, Bourdain goes too far. Did he have to cap it off by resorting to the "C" word?

On the other hand, maybe he should just hit the sheets with David Chang, the wildly popular New York chef/owner of Momofuku and others, and get it over with. Such a valentine to a chef gets a little weary. Maybe it's Chang's famous rages at his cooks (along with his talent) that appeals to a potty-mouthed bad boy like Bourdain (afterall Chang's cookbook is riddled with profanity). I left New York before I had a chance to see what all the fuss was about over Chang's meteoric rise. And Chang is too revered and respected for me or anyone who cares about food to ignore. But the avalanche of hype does make you wonder. So I'll have to take his word for it. Chang emerges here as a boring, gloomy Gus, who doesn't seem to be enjoying his success.

But let me get to the really good stuff. His hilarious opening intro about a secret gathering of chef movers and shakers to eat illegal Ortolans (disgusting is all I'll say about this ancient French culinary delicacy) that for chefs, Bourdain describes the experience as "wank-worthy, the Great Unfinished Business the Thing That Must Be Eaten..."). Funny, funny man.

"So You Want to Be a Chef," should be required reading for any toque-lusting culinary student. The work is grueling, the hours are horrible, addiction and alcoholism is common to the business, relationships and family life are challenging, and your chances of becoming the next Bobby Flay or Thomas Keller, or Emeril Legasse, are probably not going to happen. Bourdain is not being cynical. It's a brutal business, and culinary school is expensive and the pay for the first years years is rotten, and it requires a singular mind and talent to succeed. Good for Bourdain for telling the truth.

I won't argue Bourdain's list of heroes (as good as his list of villains)--he's got it right. I was especially happy to see the names of Jamie Oliver, Wylie Dufresne, Jonathan Gold, Fergus Henderson, Terrance Brennan, Ariane Daguin, Mario Batali, Eric Ripert and Jose Andres, on this list. It was also satisfying to see the name of Brooke Johnson on his list of villains. "She's a villain for being right, Bourdain declares. "--not only for the cynical, fake-ass, soul-destroying, lowest-common-denominator shit-shows she's nurtured and supported since taking the helm. She's a villain for being, clearly and demonstrably, right about everything." Since Johnson took over the Food Network, their ratings have exploded as the quality of its programming has plummeted. It's no longer about food. Its audience is increasingly made up of the coveted young male viewers who spend big to watch an endless round of competitive cooking shows, Vegas-style cake-baking contests for biggish prize money, barbecue cook-offs, and programming about how a large number of well-known food products such as Doritos and Tabasco sauce are made. Cooking shows that teach are no longer welcome at the Food Network. The network's howling success reduces us dissenters as "old school" type--whiners. Again, Bourdain is right.

Bourdain's discussion of a disappointing meal at Alinea, a Chicago-based restaurant considered one of the finest in America, is illuminating. He describes an excruciating, multi-tasting meal where with each course the waiter delivers an annoying monologue on what he's about to eat "and exactly how we should eat it. Half the time, I'd already popped the thing in my mouth and swallowed it by the time he'd finished with his act." Bourdain worries about being "the very picture of the jaded, over privileged 'foodie' (in the very worst sense of that word) that I used to despise." He describes a meal at Thomas Keller's French Laundry as "the single-best fine-dining, white-tablecloth meal of my life." But wondered why he came home from Keller's New York outpost, Per Se, "heartbroken last night." It says a lot about restaurant criticism, his own celebrity and vast knowledge of food, eating meals for free, and other baggage that must be experienced by others who spend most of their lives in pursuit of good food and writing about it for a living. I no longer care about this kind of restaurant experience--food is not religion. If that's what you're looking for, go to church. But it showed me that Bourdain, who has eaten just about anything edible, who hosts his own successful TV show, writes bestselling books that will piss off some people, breaks bread with some impressive food talent, and seems to genuinely enjoy his life, cares deeply about his profession. He enjoys knowing these creative people, and being a part of the whole circusy, pretentious, democratic, snobbish, scamming, high and low, world that he is a big moving cog in. Which brings me to an endearing quality of Bourdain's--he worries about being honest.

You would think that a guy this talented, good looking, daring, foolish, and successful would have it made. Nothing doing. His opening chapter on selling out is brilliant. By the time he had written Kitchen Confidential, he had more than paid his dues screwing up, getting hooked on drugs, and not living up to his talents as a chef. He admits that while he can dish it out he would sell out just like Sandra Lee or Rachael Ray. "Jesus, I would have given Oprah a back rub and a bikini wax, had she asked me when her people called." He knows Oprah sells books. "Who's the ho now? Me. That's Who," he admits.

MEDIUM RAW is a book to be savored in mutiple seatings. I read a chapter, put the book down and went about my business, only to return to the book ready for Bourdain's next take. It was loads of fun. He likes to project the bad boy, who drinks, smokes and has too much fun. He enjoys being hip, he loves to swear, and tell it like it is. The simple fact of the matter is Anthony Bourdain is a really smart guy with a prodigious knowledge of food, and a talented writer with a flashy prose style that is enormously appealing. He can spot a phony through the darkness of a closed mine shaft. He loves and admires chefs both high and low. A chef who cooks with his heart and technique deservedly ranks high with him. And boy can he describe it all.

Nobody kicks culinary butt like Anthony Bourdain.

PIG--The Definitive Word from a Southern Cookbook Legend

"I cant' state it any more succinctly: Pork is and has been and always will be my favorite meat. But, after all, I was born and bred in North Carolina and have yet to meet a fellow Southerner who didn't love, respect, and, indeed,understand pig like no other American. I could almost say, in fact, that pork is my birthright, that I was virtually weaned on the inimitable sight, aroma, and taste of hog, and that no childhood memories are more indelible than those connected with the mighty pig."

--James Villas, from the Preface to PIG

I can't tell you how I came across American Taste, James Villas' first book focusing on the state of cooking in the U.S. Villas, was then food editor for Town & Country magazine (1982). He was also part of the country's culinary royalty--right up there with Julia Child, James Beard, Craig Claiborne, Gael Greene and others. This was pre-Food Network days--long before Top Chef and other culinary showbiz nonsense invaded the culture. Villas was fascinating—a Southern boy, well-educated with a knowledgeable palate, and a generous expense account. While he covered the food scene, his preferences--no prejudices--were evident right from the beginning. This man loved French food, but he was Southern through and through. His highly entertaining style with descriptive "abominations" and "revoltings" recklessly strewn throughout his paragraphs was fun, and he certainly knew what he was writing about. Since then Villas has produced fifteen cookbooks, quite a few of them on Southern food. But in his last three cookbooks, mature masterpieces all, he is writing at the top of his game about food he clearly loves. I loved Bacon and The Glory of Southern Cooking, but they have served as the appetizer and first courses to the book I think he will long be remembered for, PIG: King of the Southern Table (Wiley; May 2010; $34.95; 978-0-470-19401-0).

I'm with Villas whole hog here. No other meat for me comes close to the variety and flavor of pork and how wonderful to have a book that not only celebrates hog but unequivocally demonstrates the range of recipes that use up the whole animal. There's no beating around the Disney bush here. Villas shows how practical, creative and thrifty Southerners are more like their European counterparts in France and Italy, who waste no part of the hog, cooking every part of the animal without being squeamish and making something delicious of it. I would have to go to the South to sample hog's head, pig's ears, fatback, blood pudding, boudin, livermush, mountain oysters, pickled pork, or souse. Fortunately for the rest of us, there are lots of other part of the pig that we eat: spareribs, pork loin, tenderloin, chops, ham, sausage, bacon, baby back, country and regular spareribs, and ham hocks. Villas is ardent about southern hams particularly Smithfield hams (with sources for ordering them), the distinction between barbecuing and grilling, as well as the types of sauces, dips and dry rubs used, which vary from region to region. There are plenty of fascinating social traditions that go with barbecue from how it is served to how it is eaten. Before plunging into the recipes, Villas discusses the merits of southern bulk sausage, which he states is an essential ingredient in southern cookery. He heaps scorn on "the overly lean or fatty, tough, tasteless, frozen, commercial products found elsewhere in the country," and urges readers to make their own where the cook can choose the right cuts of pork, and combine the right ratio of lean meat to fat, and just the right seasoning, which he insists should only be freshly ground pepper, powdered dried sage and red pepper flakes or cayenne.

Villas then produces and vast variety of recipes which covers everything from appetizers and salads, soups, stews, casseroles, chops, cutlets and steaks, to pies, hashes, burgers, roasts, ham, sausage and bacon, barbecue and ribs, variety and specialty meats, vegetables, rice and breads.

I want to cook my way through PIG and serve to my guests many of Villas' savory and descriptive recipes: Roast Pork Tenderloin Stuffed with Honeyed Apples and Pecans, Sausage and Leek Buffet Casserole, Slab Bacon and Mushroom Strata, Maw Maw's Mustard Pork Chops and Dumplings in Cider, Party Country Ham Deviled Eggs, Butter Beans and Bacon Salad, Country Ham, Pork, and Cheddar Loaf, Florida Mango-and Prune-Stuffed Pork Loin, Fresh Ham Braised in Beer with Mustard Glaze, Aunt Bunny's Bacon and Sausage Soufflé, Bacon Waffles, South Carolina Mustard Barbecue, Barbecued Leg of Pork with Tennessee Table Sauce, Cajun Dry-Rub Barbecued Spareribs, Louisiana Red Beans and Rice with Picked Pork and Piggy Spoon Bread. The chapter on Barbecue and Ribs includes recipes for various sauces and dry rubs, and the section on breads, muffins and biscuits--all containing pork--offer fascinating regional baking at its best.

I'm equally intrigued by the chapter on Variety and Specialty Meats, and would love to sample Miss Edna's Pork Liver and Jowl Pudding, Pork Sweetbreads, Bacon and Mushroom Skewers, and Hog's Head Stew.

We're in the midst of a great revival of interest in pork these days with restaurants that specialize in serving whole roasted pigs. There are a few farmer producing the kind of fabled, fully fatted hogs that most Americans enjoyed before the fat police descended on us, and leaned the animal up to a point of toughness where you have to brine it before you can cook it. Star chefs are restoring the "mighty hog," to the kind of culinary glory it richly deserves. In PIG: King of the Southern Table James presides over this revival with a personal, opinionated, deeply felt cookbook--just in time for us to savor the elevation of our favorite "other white meat.

Old Dominion Scalloped Potatoes with Country Ham

Makes 6 servings

Scalloped potatoes with lots of butter and cheese have been a staple in Southern homes for centuries, but only in Virginia have I encountered the dish made with the state’s incomparable country-cured ham—simply called “Virginia ham” in the Old Dominion. Do remember that you need to use dry russet potatoes for any gratin, and if the potatoes seem to be drying out after 35 or 40 minutes, just add a little whole milk, basting them slightly to produce a golden crust.

4 medium russet potatoes (about 2 pounds), peeled and sliced ¹⁄8 inch thick

1 cup finely diced cooked country ham

½ cup chopped fresh chives

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

1 cup half-and-half

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2. Butter a 1½ to 2-quart gratin or baking dish and arrange alternate layers of overlapping potato slices and ham, sprinkling a few chives over each layer and seasoning with salt and pepper. Sprinkle ¼ cup of the cheese over the top, dot with the butter, pour the half-and-half over the top, and bake till the potatoes are tender, about 45 minutes, basting from time to time with the liquid. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and bake till golden brown, about 10 minutes longer.

3. Serve piping hot directly from the dish.

North Carolina Eastern-Style Chopped or Pulled ’Cue

Makes at least 10 servings

This is the relatively dry, spicy style of pork barbecue (with a little skin crackling) for which eastern North Carolina is so renowned and that is featured at hundreds of barbecue joints and social pig pickin’s throughout the region. Traditionally, whole hogs are slowly smoked on huge grates over hickory and/or oak fires; the cooked meat is either chopped or pulled; and, unlike the sweeter, tomatoey sauces (or dips”) used for Lexington-style barbecue in the western part of the state, the vinegar moppin’ sauce here is not unlike the simple hot pepper sauces of Thomas Jefferson’s day. Given the impracticality of digging a large pit in the ground (or acquiring an enormous metal smoker) and roasting a whole pig, a very good approximation of eastern-style Carolina ’cue can be accomplished with pork shoulder and an ordinary kettle grill. Typically, this barbecue is served with coleslaw, Brunswick stew, maybe baked beans, hush puppies, and either beer or iced tea. Since the chopped barbecue freezes well in airtight bags or containers, you really should consider roasting two shoulders.

One small (1½- to 2-pound) bag hickory wood chips

One 10-pound bag charcoal briquets

2 cups white vinegar

1 cup cider vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

One 9- to 10-pound pork shoulder butt (all skin and fat left on)

1. In a pan of water, soak 6 handfuls of the chips for 45 minutes.

2. Open one bottom and one top vent on a kettle grill, place an aluminum drip pan in the bottom of the grill, stack charcoal briquets evenly around the pan (not in the center), and ignite the coals. When the coals are ashen (30 to 45 minutes), sprinkle 2 handfuls of the soaked chips evenly over the hot coals. Place the grate on the grill about 6 inches over the coals.

3. In a nonreactive bowl, combine the vinegars, sugar, red pepper, Tabasco, salt, and pepper and stir till the sugar is dissolved and the sauce well blended. When the coals are ready on the grill, position the butt fat side up on the grate over indirect heat, mop it with the sauce, close the lid, and cook for 3 hours, mopping the meat every hour and replenishing the coals and chips as they burn up. Turn the butt over, close the lid, and cook till the meat is very tender, 2 to 3 hours longer, mopping every hour and replenishing the coals and chips as needed.

4. Transfer the butt to a chopping board, remove and discard excess fat, and either chop the meat and crisp skin coarsely or pull into shreds. Transfer the meat to a roasting pan, drizzle about 1 cup of the sauce over the top, toss well, cover with foil, and keep warm.

5. To serve, mound the barbecue on plates or hamburger buns and serve with the remaining sauce on the side.

OLD SCHOOL

My Gloomy, Streak-Prone Granite Counter Tops

"I hate granite counters," I erupted as it took out one of my favorite mixing bowls. The cream-colored British-made bowl with rounded fluted sides and green piping around it's outer rim slipped off its precarious perch in my dish drain, landing top-side-down. At first it looked fine, until I picked up and saw a large, irregular v-shaped wedge of broken crockery left on that mean hard counter top. I love bowls and this beauty had been given to me by a friend many years ago. I am bereft over the loss of this beautiful vessel.

I loathe granite because its surface, like so many others in modern kitchens these days is unforgivably hard. This is the first home I've lived in with these heavy, implacable counters. I might be more tolerant of the broken wine glasses if the color of this particular granite wasn't so dark and gloomy. But it is and it has gleefully claimed a plate, a breakfast bowl, and a storage glass. I'm well aware of its' lack of kindness, and it's not like I have a heavy hand in the kitchen. Worse, it shows the most appalling streaks. I can clean with a hot sponge, wet paper towel, using Windex, a special product formulated for granite, and dry it immediately, only to watch the light reveal wet marks and cloudy streaks as if to say, "you call this clean?"

I read recently that granite has become THE material of choice in kitchens in America having recently achieved something like 67% of the market in kitchen remodels and new construction. I watch in dismay as young couples buying homes on many HGTV programs whine at the lack of granite and stainless steel in the kitchens of the houses they are considering. The building industry in league with designers has convinced consumers that granite and stainless steel are the very best (and most costly) and therefore, most status conscious of materials for the American kitchen. Along with my third and fourth least-liked kitchen surfaces--porcelain sinks and ceramic or stone floors--I'm feeling decidedly old school.

I've thought about replacing my granite counters, but that seems to be an awfully costly fix and I can't imagine how to recycle the stuff.

In my New York apartment kitchen, I had a stainless steel sink that I could dribble Baccarat crystal on and be reasonably assured it would survive. It shined up beautifully and I could stack all manner of dishes as precariously as I liked and never worry that if something toppled over, it would survive. My counter tops were a beautiful marble patterned Formica, which was as durable as it was handsome. When I sold the apartment thirteen years later, it was without a scratch and as attractive as the day it was installed. It had a matte finish, and cleaned easily with no streaks. You could roll out pastry on it as well as its harder cousins. The marketing folks tell us granite is superior because it handles heat well, but who in their right mind ever put down a hot pot without a trivet or a pot holder to act as a buffer between pot and counter top? Because I treated my Formica well, it rewarded me with long-lasting efficiency.

My New York kitchen floor was covered with linoleum tiles--and I can well imagine the shudders from people reading this. In my previous apartment, I put down gorgeous ceramic tiles in my kitchen. Big mistake. If you are doing a lot of cooking for a dinner party or baking during the holidays, those hard floors will kill your legs. Linoleum (which also comes in lots of handsome colors and pleasing patterns) is much more forgiving and you can stand comfortably on it for hours. Think of what's it's like to go to a museum and wander around on its marble floors for an hour or so, and you'll understand what I mean. Here in Portland, the only agreeable surface in my kitchen are my oak floors, which like linoleum or the recently elevated cork, make long work in the kitchen comfortable underfoot.

I took something of a beating on the sale of my apartment. My real estate agent told me too many times that my lack of an updated kitchen was hurting its sales potential. I could never understand why I should have to renovate a kitchen I was perfectly happy with and one that produced outstanding meals for me and my guests. And why shouldn't the person buying the apartment put in the kitchen of their choice, rather than be stuck, like me, with a kitchen that I like the layout of but not the choice of material (the alder wood cabinets and drawers are beautiful)? And don't get me started on my dishwasher--a poorly designed model that holds little, has a weird door storage for silverware, and has broken more than its fair share of glasses.

And yet the trend for the future is for more granite, more stainless steel appliances and more porcelain sinks (which are also harder to clean than stainless steel) and more tile on the floors. The one good trend that I've noticed is the gradual popularity of the armoire-style refrigerator over the side-by-side models, which are shallow in depth and lack adequate storage (try storing a wide platter in the refrigerator or freezing a half-sheet full of strawberries or homemade gnocchi in the even-narrower freezer side).

Please don't respond with argumentative opinions otherwise. I'm set in my ways, and not likely to change my opinions about these things. You get to be old school after years of experience.

This dishwasher deserves a special place in appliance hell and I often find myself praying for its demise--soon!

Not even the addition of this "old lady" drain from the Oxo Good Grips folks,

make my sink safer for dishes.

THE WORLD OF TAPAS EXPLORED IN A DEFINITIVE NEW COOKBOOK

Tapas was one of the highlights of a trip I made to Spain more than a decade ago. Spain hadn't become the culinary mecca it is today, in fact, much of the food I sampled in Madrid and Barcelona was disappointing. Yet tapas, those enticing little plates of food found in Spain's local bars and taverns was the exception. I remember a street full of tapas bars not far from the Prado Museum in Madrid. Each bar had its own unique personality from rustic to sleek and offered it's own delicious plates which you ordered with a glass of wine or beer or sherry. Hot or cold, tapas can be as simple as a slice of bread with oil-packed tuna, or a slice of Serrano ham, or tiny mild green olives. Tapas can be more elaborate, such as salad, or a plate of white beans with tomatoes, the wildly popular patatas bravas, fried potatoes with a spicy tomato-based sauce, or famous Spanish Tortilla (filled with potatoes and eaten warm of room temperature). Empanadas, a terrine of seafood, meat or vegetables, stuffed eggs--nearly anything that can take the edge off of your hunger without ruining your dinner, can be classified as tapas.

Simone & Ines Ortega, two of Spain's most admired cookbook writers, have created THE BOOK OF TAPAS (Phaidon; $35.99; ISBN: 978-0-71485613-1). Simone Ortega earned the gratitude of Spanish cooks by producing her bestseller 1080 Recipes, which is considered that country's Joy of Cooking, and has sold more than two million copies. Along with her daughter, Ines, the book also includes the collaboration of Jose Andres, the popular TV chef and restaurant owner credited with bringing tapas to America. The book offers a wide variety of tapas from the traditional to the most modern with contributions from famous chefs such from Spain, New York, London, Paris and Washington, D.C., as Jose Andres, Albert Adria, Albert Raurich, Jose Pizarro, Sam and Sam Clark, and Seamus Mullen.

Simple Tapas: Melon and Ham

Once past the fascinating chapters on tapas and their history in Spain, as well as a useful tapas glossary and an A-Z guide to Spanish ingredients, the authors get down to business with chapters devoted to hot and cold versions of vegetable, egg and cheese, fish and meat tapas. The sheer variety of tapas is arresting: Prunes with Roquefort, Raisins and Pine Nuts, an Olive Caviar spread, Leek Flan, Soft Cheese Sandwiches, Cheese Fritters with Tomato Sauce, Salt Cod, Orange, Onion and Olive Salad, Mussel Brochettes with Sauce, Salmon Terrine, Salt Cod and Potato Croquettes, Serrano Ham with Melon Mousse, Rice with Bacon, Sausages and Bonito, Chicken Livers with Grapes, and Chicken and Bell Pepper Empanada. Even simple tapas such as Salami and Cheese, or Melon Balls with Ham are memorable because of the fine quality of the ingredients. The chapter from guests chefs offering their own tapas is equally memorable, and include some surprisingly simple ideas with big flavors, including Anchovies in Vinegar, Endive with Oranges, Goat Cheese and Almonds, spicy Pork Skewers and Brussels Sprouts with Chorizo.

Leek Flan

The look of THE BOOKS OF TAPAS was one of the reasons I bought this strikingly handsome cookbook. From pile of books laying on a large table at Costco in Seattle, this book with its bright yellow jacket with bold red type and no illustration stood out. Phaidon kept the design consistently throughout the book with the same bright yellow pages for each recipe with red type for the recipe titles, and black type for ingredients and instructions. And there are five big photo inserts of stunningly photographed finished dishes. This may be one of the most beautiful cookbooks I've ever seen.

The 250 recipes here are just a starting point and underline how these tasty small dishes are perfect for home entertaining. This is simple, unfussy cooking that does honor to good ingredients. The cook is free to construct their own tapas party, but THE BOOK OF TAPAS is is ideal introduction to the basic concepts while adding a few more recipes to your basic repertoire.

A personal favorite: Prunes with Roquefort, Raisins and Pine Nuts