THE LADY OF SHALLOTS

Cross-posted at Rebecca's Reading Rants and Raves   Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking: A Cookbook by Toni Tipton-Martin My rating: 5 of 5 stars To categorize this solely as a cookbook would not even come close to capturing this work of art. It is an exquisitely-written history that intertwines a wealth of research, nostalgia (in the best way), and a "larger vision of African American culinary history" (311) that both embraces and expands beyond soul food and the standard narrative. Toni Tipton-Martin says: And I have tried to end dependency on the labels "Southern" and "soul," and on the assumptions that limit my ancestors' contributions to mindlessly working the fields where the food was grown, stirring the pot where the food was cooked, and passively serving food in the homes of the master class. (13) There is no clichéd history here. Instead, Tipton-Martin crafts a story of urban enclaves in Los Angeles, Lo...

Mise-en-place. Took a few hours to get here. So, during this time of global pandemic, I've been focusing my cooking efforts on shelf-stable foods that don't use special ingredients. Cabbage is definitely a great buy right now --it is versatile and will keep for awhile. It is great for soup, slaw, and....stuffed cabbage. You might know it as "cigares au chou" or "golabki/golumpki" or "halubki/holumki" or "krautrouladen" OR....cabbage rolls. I've never attempted to make these, so I texted the BFF (Katie (aka @ProfWhoCooks at Cook the Book Fridays)  and asked her if she had a go-to recipe. She texted back this recipe from Dorie Greenspan. So there's something you have to know. I'm a bit of a lazy cook. I don't tend to cook things that are overly involved, due to a lack of both time and inclination on my part. But given that options for procrastination on work-related stuff are limited these days, I read the recipe a...

First post of 2020! For Christmas, a dear friend gave me Sonoko Sakai's Japanese Home Cooking . This particular dear friend grew up in Japan, cooks Japanese food like nobody's business, and enjoys food as much as I do, so I knew this book would be a treasure. Beautifully produced, it is the kind of cookbook I love -- one that tells a story. The photographs by Rick Poon are intimate--an invitation to really value and understand the food, the culture, and the chef. I might challenge the byline a bit: "Simple Meals, Authentic Flavors."  In truth, the "simple" part really needs two things: 1) access to some of the ingredients (read: city) and 2) a basic understanding of the culture of Japanese cooking, which is NOT "on-the-go" and "short-on-time."  That said, Sonoko Sakai honors her audience and is realistic about what will be challenging, and what will be more simple. I am so enjoying her prose--she has had a rich and varied life, mak...