Over the years of writing about food I have amassed a ridiculous number of cookbooks. Some I refer to several times a week. Others I’ve opened just once. With so many diverse recipe collections right at my fingertips it seems a crime not to share the outstanding ones with you. So, starting this week and hopefully every Tuesday onward, I’ll crack open some longtime favorites and recently published gems and offer a brief review.
To kick off this cookbook commentary, I’ve pulled out my faded copy of Nigella Lawson’s “How to Eat” (John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2000). For close to 10 years “How to Eat” has been my go-to book for creative yet uncomplicated soups, vegetable dishes, entrees and desserts. Featuring the British food writer’s breezy, humorous anecdotes and her well-crafted recipes, this book invariably delivers great meals and lavish praise for the cook.
Pick up “How to Eat” and it will fall open to page 175. Printed there in red type is Lawson’s recipe for roast cod with pea puree. I’ve lost track of the number of times that I’ve boiled 5 1/2 cups of frozen peas with 10 to 12 cloves of garlic and then blitzed the duo in my food processor with butter and creme fraiche. It’s an amazingly simple and satisfying vegetable dish. It’s also one that my friends and family repeatedly request for holiday dinners and special events.
Along with chanting “more peas please!” my dinner companions often ask for Lawson’s gooey chocolate puddings. Think of them as the best molten chocolate-chocolate lava-chocolate volcano cakes that you’ll ever eat. Warm, velvety soft and with a rich, oozing chocolate center, this easy dessert never fails to please.
That’s one of the many things that I love about this cookbook. Lawson provides readers with seemingly effortless, crowd-pleasing foods. You don’t have to spend hours tracking down rare ingredients or fiddling around with complicated techniques to delight your family.
Likewise, the recipes in “How to Eat” work as written. Any adjustments that I’ve made have been due to personal tastes, not disastrous results. That cannot be said for all cookbooks.
Ultimately, when I reach for Nigella Lawson’s “How to Eat,” I feel as though I’m embarking on a culinary journey with a bright and trusted friend. Good foods. Witty cooking tales. Well-written, accessible recipes. Cookbooks don’t get much better than this.
NEXT WEEK . . . Caz Hildebrand’s and Jacob Kenedy’s “The Geometry of Pasta” (Quirk Books, 2010)