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Cook Books I Enjoy

I often sit down with a cook book and page through it while I am eating lunch or breakfast. There aren’t many that I don’t enjoy to some degree. The ones with pictures are nice, but can sometimes be misleading. Even though I have followed the recipe exactly (okay – almost exactly) the final result doesn’t always look the way it is pictured. And I like cook books that give some sort of history to the recipe. Suggestions of alternate ingredients or accompaniments are nice also. Not that I always pair things they way suggested, but it does let me know if someone else is thinking along the lines that I am for a meal.
Here are some of my favorites and why I like them:
· “Hot Wok”, “Hot Pasta”, “Hot Barbecue”, “Hot Chicken” – Carpenter & Sandison. I started with “Hot Wok” in ’96. The authors have a great way of blending tasty ingredients from different ethnic cuisines. I lean toward the recipes that don’t use a lot of oil and even then I reduce the called for amount without sacrificing the quality of the dish. Since then I have added the other books to my collection and use them all. Great pictures!
· “ Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites” – good introductions to the recipes. This became a member of my collection in 1998. The Italian Fish Stew only needs some crushed red pepper to make it perfect.
· “Conscious Cuisine” - Cary Neff . This cook book is a great one for putting together an elegant meal. Some of the recipes require some extra effort – but it is well worth it. I have been using this cookbook for entertaining since 2003. Fabulous pictures, but my dishes don’t always look the same.
· “Complete Grilling Cookbook” – Williams-Sonoma. Another collection of recipes that won’t let you down when you want to impress the guests. Their menu for a Mediterranean Feast is a staple for summertime entertaining. I discovered this cook book in a library when I was visiting my best friend and she asked me to cook for some guests that evening. That was 2004. We are using it again for the same reason this coming weekend.
· “Favorite Recipes from Around the World” – The Meatless Gourmet, Bobbie Hinman. I found this in a used book store in 2002. Divided into seven different regions, I always fall back on this book for a dish or two when I am doing an ethnic meal. The recipes are simple, tasty and often very creative in the use of ingredients to prepare healthy versions of popular ethnic dishes.
· “Mexican Light – Healthy Cuisine for Today’s Cook” – Kris Rudolph. The left hand page is in Spanish, the right in English. Each recipe suggests alternatives for lower fat or lower carbohydrate versions of the dish. It has been in my collection since 2007.
· “India with Passion” – Manju Malhi. Updated Indian cooking that is healthy and tasty. Also added in 2007, this gives me a reason to visit the Indian grocery store.
· “Arabesque – A Taste of Morocco, Turkey & Lebanon” – Claudia Roden. I received this as a present from one of the members of my book club this past year. It is the source of most of the recipes I am using for the Artists’ Reception at Art & Framing at Stapleton next month.
· “Cooking Light “ – Between 3 dozen or so magazines and 6 of their books compiling a year’s worth of recipes, I can always find something to inspire me!