I have many books on my shelf but few that I turn to over and over again. There are some books one can just trust… knowing that the recipes will be simple, delicious, and always work! Like you, I have followed many recipes and been annoyed by errors, especially when costly ingredients have been used and company is expected. And then there is Marcella Cucina, a book of  pure magic. This book came out in 1997, when I was first married and I was learning how to cook for more than one and on a slightly higher budget than my student days.  It is filled with solid practical advice and hints on shopping for basic pantry ingredients. Marcella’s price analysis of investing on a good finishing olive oil, for example, changed the way I shop and eat!.  I cooked many recipes from it and they are all brilliant. Beautifully written, very accessible, always delicious and they always worked! There are a handful of dishes that I have cooked so often that they have become ‘family’ recipes. They are part of my kitchen just as they are part of Marcella’s.

This is a recipe for cauliflower tossed with olives and tomato. It is no longer exactly Marcella’s recipe but it is! So simple and delicious. I love making it in the summer, when I fill my refrigerator with a variety of vegetable and grain dishes… perfect for a quick lunch for one or company.

This can be quickly prepared and keeps well. Core and separate the florets of one cauliflower. Drop into boiling salted water. Cook until just tender. When ready, remove from heat and drain. Heat a large skillet, and add a nice splash of olive oil. Add a couple of thinly sliced garlic cloves and about 2 cups of  cherry tomatoes, cut in half. When the tomatoes are soft, add 1/3 cup of good olives (black or green), also cut in half. Add the cooked cauliflower and gently toss. Finish with salt and pepper,  finely chopped Italian parsley, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. So very good…

the Elder

The Elder is  commonly used in the urban landscaping where I live. This time of year, the clouds of small creamy flowers are easily seen from a distance. The bark, inner bark, leaves, flowers, and berries have a long tradition of medicinal and culinary use. Today, I want to focus on the flower. The delicate scent and flavor of the elderflower has haunted me these past few weeks. While in Las Vegas, of all places, I had  the pleasure of a brilliant meal (food and company) that began with an amazing foie gras terrine on an elderflower infused aspic. A thing of beauty. Such delicacy, sweetness, and subtlety of flavor, aroma, and texture was not lost in that big, bold, and obvious environment. I knew that on my return home, the Elder tree would begin it’s beautiful blooming season…

Elderflower Syrup

1. 

   Elderflower Syrup, day 2

   Gather as many elderflowers as possible!

2. When home, dampen a clean kitchen towel and place elderflower clouds on top. Wrap and gently shake, goal is to remove dust.
3. Make a simple syrup, 1 cup sugar to 1 cup water.
4. Wash your glass jar(s).
5. Remove the zest of two lemons, cut lemons in half, and set aside.
6. Start packing your jar, layer by layer. I started with a layer of elderflowers (about 1/3 of the jar), added strips on lemon zest, and the juice of half a lemon.
7. Continue until the jar is full.
8. Add the prepared syrup and fill to the top. Cover.
9. Let stand at room temperature for 3 to 4 days.
10. Put mix through a fine-haired sieve and jar the syrup.

The following recipes and uses are from A Modern Herbal by Mrs. M. Grieve.

“Eau de Sureau: Fill a large jar with Elder blossoms, pressing them down, the stalks of course having been removed previously. Pour on them 2 quarts of boiling water and when slightly cooled, add 1 1/2 oz of rectified spirits. Cover with a folded cloth, and stand the jar in a warm place for some hours. Then allow it to get quite cold and strain through muslin. Put into bottles and cork securely.”

“Elder flowers, if placed in the water used for washing the hands and face, will both whiten and soften the skin – a convenient way being to place them in a small muslin bag. Such a bag steeped in the bathwater makes a most refreshing bath and a well-known French doctor has stated that he considers it a fine aid in the bath in cases of irritability of the skin and nerves.”

“Tea made from Elder flowers has also been recommended as a splendid spring medicine, to be taken every morning before breakfast for some weeks, being considered an excellent blood purifier.”

“There be nothing more excellent to ease the pains of the haemorrhoids than a fomentation made of the flowers of the Elder and Honeysuckle in water or milk for a short time. It easeth the greatest pain.”

“Elder flower ointment, made by infusing the flowers in warm lard, is useful for dressing wounds, burns, and scalds, and is used as a basis for pomades and cosmetic ointments.”

“Elder flowers, with their subtle sweet scent, entered into much delicate cookery, in olden days. Formerly the creamy blossoms were beaten up in a batter of flannel cakes and muffins, to which they gave a more delicate texture. They were also boiled in gruel as a fever drink, and were added to the posset of the Christening feast.”

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portrait of Isabella d'Este by Leonardo da Vinci

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1. The Oxford Companion to Italian Food by Gillian Riley

2. The Original Mediterranean Cuisine, Medieval Recipes for today by Barbara Santich

3. The Home Creamery by Kathy Farrell-Kingsley

4. Tapas, The Little Dishes of Spain by Penelope Casas

5. The New Book of Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden

The leek originated in Spain and is cultivated throughout all the temperate parts of Europe. Poor people eat it raw with bread; and it is used in all households to give taste to soups, for it is endowed with diuretic properties which can be of use in the diet.

It is rare for the leek to have any use except for seasoning in French soups, and in court-bouillons of foreign provenance. But there are countries in which people make ragouts of leeks, and a certain meat soup, made with white leeks, which merits particular attention.

Leek tarts are made in Lorraine.

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Dumas on Food, recipes and anecdotes from the classic Grand Dictionnaire de Cuisine, translated by Alan and Jane Davidson

Achilleus, on a black figure vase, circa 530 B.C.E.

For the past 23 Summers I have read Homer’s Iliad, and it is often my Winter reading, but not religiously. I am always shocked, yes SHOCKED, by the number of people who have not read the Iliad. It is a great work of literature, and Richmond Lattimore’s translation is exquisite. So I had this idea, to share Homer with my friends. As of yesterday, June 6, I will be dedicating my Facebook status to Homer. I hope my friends will read the words slowly, throughout the day. Unlike what is on Twitter, I will not abbreviate the Iliad or any other work of literature. Since there is a limit to the length of what I can post, I wonder how long it will take me to get through the Iliad and how many friends I may loose in the process…

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The process of building a new library is always a great intellectual and emotional exercise. It is a time to get reacquainted with old loves and discover new ones. Every Monday I head to my local used bookstore, Logos, to do some serious gleaning. This Monday I found a book I haven’t seen in years but was my first food book, Why We Eat What We Eat, How Columbus Changed the Way the World Eats by Raymond Sokolov. I read it as a young thing of 23, while flirting with the idea of going to culinary school. It has been so long since I’ve seen it, probably taken by one of many housemates, I had no memory of it being written by Raymond Sokolov. This book has probably influenced me the most, food wise. I always always think about why I’m eating what I’m eating. Always. It is a topic that shapes my day, the food I shop for, and how I nourish my daughter. A culinary tradition is as important as any, especially now when everything and anything is so readily available. 

If you haven’t read this book, it is a must for your library. It is a great read and a real education on the relationship between ingredients and the development of a national cuisine. What would the Italian or Chinese kitchen be without the existence of the New World ingredients such as tomatoes and capsicum peppers? I shudder at the thought…

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Last night I was reading through several cookbooks in search of a recipe for the Medieval Cerulean Blue Sauce. Though I have not found the book I was hoping to reference, I did come across Charles Perry’s “A Nuanced Apology to Rotted Barley” in The Wilder Shores of Gastronomy, 20 Years of the Best Food Writing from the Journal “Petits Propos Culinaires.” 

I am very intrigued by the idea of making a barley dough, wrapping it in fig leaves, and setting it aside for 40 days. I am slightly monomaniacal when it comes  to preserving. Is this yet another way to preserve the harvest. And are there any caloric and nutritional benefits to the fermentaion, excuse me, I mean rotting process?

Also, curious about the change in language. When did  the descriptor change from “rotting” to “fermenting?” Will wait for leaves on fig tree to get a little bigger before I try this…

For more information please consult:

Charles Perry, Medieval Arab Cookery, published by Prospect Books

Coquinaria

Saudi Aramco World: Cooking with the Caliphs

David Friedman’s page on “An Anonymous Andalusian Cookbook of the 13th Century”

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I love Chinatowns, the one in Bangkok seems to be the size of the city I live in! The nearest Chinatown is in Oakland and though it is quite small, it still hits the spot. A short trip satisfied my craving for porridge and allowed for some shopping. Two things I find absolutely irresistible are the kitchen supplies and bags of greens (and the ginger, Green Gourd beverage, dried kumquats, fresh wonton wrappers, dried fish, smoked dates, Chinese celery…). Did I just write out my shopping list? Oh well!

Yes, bags of greens! Bags of bok choys in varying sizes, pea shoots, garlic greens, onion greens… I always buy too many, they are so good, so easy to prepare, and so well priced! This time I decided to eat the pea shoots and preserve the baby bok choys. I love to preserve everything I can and lactic fermentation seems the appropriate choice for the choys. I have always been slightly intimidated by the process though it is one that has been practiced for millenia, almost as old as drying, around the world.  I do love sauerkraut and kimchee so I decided to satisfy my curiosity and not let inexperience get the better of me!

I recommend visiting a Handmaiden’s Kitchen or consulting Harold McGee’s great book on kitchen science. I will keep you posted…  

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The tradition of patchwork is as old as the production of textiles. In the pre-industrial era, textiles were either too expensive or labor intensive to discard when torn. When they tore, they were saved and mended or torn apart for use in another projects.  And since necessity is the mother of invention, patchwork became a form of personal expression. This is true in every culture, and every culture developed it’s own distinct style. The Amish quilt, the Dervish coat from Persia, the Molas from Central America, the patchwork costumes of Rajasthan and China, and the kesas of Buddhist monks. These pieces gained value as family heirlooms and honor for the time and dedication taken in their making.

I take great pleasure in patchwork. I love sitting on my workroom floor surrounded by silks (I mostly work in silk) of all colors, patterns, weights, from all over the world. Silk of all sizes strewn together haphazardly, and my job is to design by mixing and matching. I really love sitting in the middle of my pile and dreaming, always with a sketch book by my side. As I study the fabric, my eye starts to connect one with the other. Soon I have a pile, and a design magically pops from my head to sketchpad. And while I’m there, surrounded by a cloud of silk, why not design one or two others?

Time and time again my design preference is drawn to the Amish and Japanese tradition. The simple geometric designs in bold colors work beautifully with silk. And since I draw from my collection of handwoven Cambodian silks, I prefer designs that are not constructed of too many small pieces. This allows for the piecing and construction of the quilt in one day. Once the three layers of the quilt are basted, I can begin to stitch or tie at my leisure. I always encourage friends to use a batting made of natural fibers. Organic cotton is wonderful for smaller quilts, and wool and silk for larger ones. Make sure you follow the recommendations for stitch spacing. I love to hand tie quilts with wool or silk batting because it creates a wonderful baffled fluffy affect!

There are great textile museums out there so, when traveling, consult your guidebook. My favorite textile museums are the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Silk Museum in Lyon, and the various textile and craft museums of Delhi. If these aren’t possible anytime soon, visit your local fabric store, I am sure you will get inspired and leave with some fabric and a project!

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Quilting the World Over by  Willow Ann Soltow

For Purpose and Pleasure by Sandi Fox

Japanese Country Textiles by Anna Jackson

Japanese Country Quilting by Karen Kim Matsunaga

Pique de Provence by Ross J. Francis

The Cook’s Library, Vol. 1

These are the books I consider essential in the kitchen and reference often. They provide a solid platform for my cooking style and attitudes toward food. I have yet to find a recipe that has not worked, always a good sign! Reviews to follow…

• The Virginia Housewife by Mary Randolph

• The Art of Eating Well by Pellegrino Artusi

• Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan

• Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1 & 2 by Julia Child and Simone Beck

• The Joy of Cooking, 1943 edition by Irma Rombauer

• The Greens Cookbook by Deborah Madison and Edward Epse Brown

• The Time Life Good Cook Series edited by Richard Olney (especially Preserving, Candy, and Cakes)

• The Book of Jewish Food by Claudia Roden

• The Cooking of Southwest France by Claudia Roden

• The Magic of Fire by William Rubel

• Cooking by Hand by Paul Bertolli

• On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee