by Sam Tackeff | Jul 13, 2009 | Books
As one might expect, I’m an avid reader cookbooks, food magazines, food writing, and food blogs. Infact, I spent so much time (and most of my paycheck) at Omnivore Books on Food, I’m finally working there part time as a bookslinger! What a treat! Come in and visit me! We are located in sunny Noe Valley (San Francisco) at Cesar Chavez and Church.
Here are a few of the books I’m reading right now (and recommending to everyone):
The Kitchen Diaries, by Nigel Slater: British chef Nigel Slater takes us on a years journey through his dinners, full of recipes, photographs, musings on food. The book reads like a journal, some days with elaborate entries, and other days just a sentence or two on take out bento boxes – it’s a nice study on seasonality, and a good reminder as to how easy it is to be creative in the kitchen and not sticking to the same recipes over and over. I’ve cooked several things out of here, with much success.
The Gastronomical Me, by M.F.K. Fisher: M.F.K. Fisher is the queen of food writing – She was one of the inventors of the genre, and is a delectably witty and progressive woman who can really, really write. I’ve been reading through it steadily, finding myself engrossed, in awe, and giggling an awful lot.
Ratio, by Michael Ruhlman: I’ve been reading this one with my moleskin in hand, taking notes – the basic concept of the book being that the majority of cooking requires the knowledge of a series of ratios rather than recipes. It’s a more scientific approach to cooking that I appreciate as a foundation for my own experimentation in the kitchen.
A Platter of figs, by David Tanis: David Tanis lives part of the year cooking at Alice Water’s Chez Panisse, and the other part of the year in Paris, living the good life, hosting dinner parties in his underground dinner club “aux chiens lunatiques“. His cookbook is a collection of seasonal recipes and menus catered towards a small party of six to eight friends.
How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, by Mark Bittman: A few years ago, I purchased Bittman’s How to Cook Everything, after several years of using his Minimalist recipes from the New York Times. I still use that book almost every day as a reference point, and have been overjoyed to have this Vegetarian version inspiring me similarly.
On my to read list for the next few weeks: The River Cottage cookbooks, Mark Kurlansky’s The Food of a Younger Land, David Lebovitz’ The Sweet Life in Paris, The Big Sur Bakery Cookbook, and the Ripailles cookbook, to name a few.
And I’m always looking for new suggestions. What have you been reading? Which books abut food or cookbooks do you love?
by Sam Tackeff | Jul 6, 2009 | Uncategorized
Doesn’t this fruit look absolutely delicious? Alice Waters brought it to us at Omnivore Books, and my god they were good.
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by Sam Tackeff | Jul 5, 2009 | Farmers Market, Salads, Vegetables
Summer squash is upon us at farmers market! And it’s cheap cheap cheap! I’ve been getting it for a dollar a pound or less, and using it baked, in salads raw, in soup, or just sliced thinly and sauteed with a little bit of olive oil, lemon juice, thyme, salt and pepper.
Today I decided that I’d go for it baked with potatoes and cheese in a little gratin – enough substance for a main meal, served with a little fresh salad of tomatoes, roasted peppers, and fresh herbs. I’ve been trying to make a good amount of my meals vegetarian, and this combo was both tasty and quite satisfying, even for the omnivores.
The trick to this gratin is slicing the potatoes and squash really thinly, so they cook up speedily and the whole dish is cooked through. And for the tomato salad, you want to use really ripe tomatoes, preferably heirloom tomatoes, that haven’t been refrigerated, otherwise you won’t have the burst of flavor that is so delicious in this salad.
Summer Squash and Potato Gratin – serves two as a main course
:: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On a mandolin or with a peeler, very thinly slice a pattypan squash, a summer squash (or zucchini), and a russet potato into a medium bowl. You want to make sure your potato is paper thin, or else it won’t cook all the way through. Thinly slice a shallot, and add it to the mix. Coat mixture with several good glugs of tasty olive oil, add in a few sprigs of fresh thyme, a good pinch of Maldon or other coarse salt, some fresh black pepper, and a half a cup (or more) of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Toss well, and somewhat evenly layer into an 8-inch cake pan, lined with foil, cover with another layer of foil, and bake for about 40 minutes. Take the foil cover off, and bake an additional 15-20 minutes until top is slightly browned and crispy.
Summer Herb and Tomato Salad
:: In a bowl, slice a few really good heirloom tomatoes, about a cup of roasted red peppers, and a good handful of chopped basil, parsley, and mint. Dress with a simple balsamic vinaigrette – one part balsamic to about three parts olive oil, and a dash of salt and pepper. You can add some green lettuce, optionally. If you don’t have roasted peppers – make some – preheat the oven to 400, and pop the peppers onto a foil lined baking sheet, turning every 10 minutes or so until they have charred slightly on the outside. Let ’em sit for ten minutes or so until they are cool enough to peel, then peel, and remove the inner seeds and the stem. If you still don’t have peppers – just add a few more tomatoes, and maybe a few cubes of fresh bread if you want. Almost like panzanella. That’s about it.
