The Cookery Book Game #8

Morning Glory

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Welcome to The CookingBites Cookery Book Game. This round has revised guidelines. The game is all about getting us to use our cookery books more. To participate, all you need to do is:
  • Choose a cookery book from your collection (digital or physical), and say a few words about it here. Please include the title of the cookbook, author and the date of publication.
  • Cook a recipe from your chosen book, that you haven’t made before.
  • Write it up as a new thread with the recipe prefix, (don't forget to tag the recipe with the ‘the cookery book game #8’ tag).
  • Write a few words about what you thought about the recipe in the recipe thread.
  • Finally post a link to the recipe in this thread, just to let us know that you've made it.
It's fine to make adjustments to the original recipe but please explain what you did and why, in the recipe thread.

We are now extending the duration of the game to 3 weeks so hopefully, more of us can find time to join in. New deadline midnight Saturday 14th December (GMT).
 
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I'm picking Autentico: Cooking Italian, the Authentic Way - by Rolando Beramendi. I hope to get in at least two recipes, but they won't probably happen until later during this challenge.

Two reasons: For my own personal challenge, since I have so many cook books, I want to have something semi-arbitrary that gets me to try things from most of them. So.. the letter B follows A (author).

Secondly, after eating GOOD Italian food last night that didn't depend on pasta, risotto, or the same-ole-same-ole identically-seasoned tomato sauces (giving me a choice at most New England Italian eateries of mussels in wine sauce followed by some preparation of salmon either hot or atop a bland salad), I want to dine on good Italian food I can prepare at home.

Yes, down in New York CIty, I've eaten in authentic and tasty places such as in "Little Italy" (which adjoins the Manhattan Chinatown) and in the Arthur Avenue area of the city -- but little of that cuisine makes it way further north (I can't speak to Boston, however. They may well have an enclave of authenticity there.)

I'd bought this book early last summer because, well, I really want MORE of an authentic experience. So far I've just drooled photos and sniffed the binder (which alas does not have the scent of old-book-binders.

Perusing right now - I see recipes for farro (I do LOVE farro). Oh and so many other things not dependent on pasta (I don't dislike pasta - but my waistline would prefer to minimize this particular sort of high glycemic carb - and who knows, maybe I'll make a pasta dish, but unlikely at this holiday time of year when just about everything is going to be geared to waistline-enhancing foods). Or dependent on risotto (which I consider "mushy rice"), but I do come from a background where rice is awesome paired with Indian, Thai, Korean and Japanese food - which, congee non-withstanding, has a drier, tastier body (TO ME). No, I don't like rice pudding, either...

(I did do the Italian Immigrant book in an earlier itineration of this - I'm planning on donating it to the local library as looking this over, the Autentico book looks so superior - and it would be nice to clear out some books here.)
 
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Yay to the rules revision! That makes it a lot easier for me, and I'll be participating. The dish is on the stove right now.


Mention potatoes and I'm interested - and I love soup.

I'm going to cook something from a recently acquired vintage cookery book, 'Beer and Vittels' 1955 by Elizabeth Craig. Its a fascinating book with international recipes using beer and suggestions for food to accompany beer. Its also very quirky indeed...
 
Ok, I'm cooking from "Cooking From Quilt Country," by Marcia Adams and published in 1989.




This book was an anniversary gift from my mom (and dad, yeah let's go with that :laugh:, 6th anniversary in 1996. It contains recipes from Amish and Mennonite cooks. My mom thought it would be a good gift because my grandmom (her mother) was Mennonite and my wife has always been cuckoo-for-cocopuffs for anything Amish.

Until today, I've never cooked out of this book. Don't know why, just never have. That changed today, and I made "Country Potato Soup." It was 39F with a cold drizzle, so soup really hit the spot.

I've eaten a fair amount of Amish and Mennonite dishes in my life, and I'd say the food is solid, heavy, not-too-complicated comfort food. This filled the bill.


Very straightforward, no surprises, and the only differences I made were throwing in a few chicken bouillon cubes in place of the salt and adding about a 1/2 tsp dried thyme.

Served with bakery rolls and leftover sauerkraut (which improved after sitting a day or two).

Recipe - Country Potato Soup
 
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Tasty, this looks very good to me! I'll have to check out that cook book.

We have a Mennonite community in the area - Mennonites built my chicken coop and run, and they have other shops in the area, including a place that sells cheese, meats and breads, and which provides quick lunches. Just discovered it recently, so I have yet to eat there, but I did buy a couple cheeses.
 
^^^ I've been raised around Amish all my life. There was (still is) a small community about 15 miles from my family home, and just a couple of hours up the road is the largest Amish community in the country (Holmes County).

We go up there a couple of times a year, because it's got the added advantage of being intermingled with a Swiss community, and there's a fantastic restaurant we like that serves Swiss, German, and Amish dishes.

We used to live in Dover, Delaware (Dela-where?) and there's a little community of Amish just outside the town there. It's only a couple of hours south of Lancaster, PA and we'd drive up there every month, but I've never liked it much around there...extremely touristy. That's why we like Holmes County - much less of that sort of thing.

Now where we live, we've got Amish about 20 minutes southwest, 30 minutes east, and an hour south. When our dog had a run outside, we had an Amish-built dog house for her - built better than my house! Fully insulated, vinyl siding, and a detachable insulated metal roof!
 
Hi all

I sometimes struggle with the term 'Italian food' as when I lived in Napes (south) I saw a marked difference in food from region to region. I saw a lot more meat and cream in the North and down South, beed was very expensive from a butcher. I was also amazed on the vegetable dishes in the South, grilled and cooled in fine olive oil, so simple . . and for some reason something I struggle to re-create (maybe its the air?!).

BUT . I think the core of all Italian food is quality and simplicity, whether its North or South,

Rich
 
Hi all

I sometimes struggle with the term 'Italian food' as when I lived in Napes (south) I saw a marked difference in food from region to region. I saw a lot more meat and cream in the North and down South, beed was very expensive from a butcher. I was also amazed on the vegetable dishes in the South, grilled and cooled in fine olive oil, so simple . . and for some reason something I struggle to re-create (maybe its the air?!).

BUT . I think the core of all Italian food is quality and simplicity, whether its North or South,

Rich

Is this post in the wrong thread ScandiBrit? This is the Cookery Book Challenge thread. I can move it if you tell me where...
 
Hi all

I sometimes struggle with the term 'Italian food' as when I lived in Napes (south) I saw a marked difference in food from region to region. I saw a lot more meat and cream in the North and down South, beed was very expensive from a butcher. I was also amazed on the vegetable dishes in the South, grilled and cooled in fine olive oil, so simple . . and for some reason something I struggle to re-create (maybe its the air?!).

BUT . I think the core of all Italian food is quality and simplicity, whether its North or South,

Rich

Yes, I think there's enough of a difference between the two primary regions of Italy. The book I am using tries to cover both. I also think southern does more with tomatoes and fish than northern?

I didn't get a chance to go shopping specifically towards this cookbook yet... so I am looking through the book right now for recipes that include ingredients I have to hand. I do have to drop out and go to the local market for more potatoes - I don't have enough for another dish I'm making for tomorrow's pot luck - it's not a full-fledged supermarket, so I won't find specialty items there... but I should find something.

Right now, I am thinking of "Savoy Cabbage Fontina Rolls" - although savoy cabbage may not be find-able. I do have regular green cabbage, and if I use the largest leaves from that, this should work. Or maybe I'll luck out and that market will have savoy.

Or, "Roasted Pork Ribs", for which I have all the ingredients in some shape or another. Except the red wine, but the liquor store is near the market.

Or... ???
 
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