There’s something about spring and cookbooks: the days grow
longer and suddenly I’m inspired to try new dishes, experiment a
little bit more.
There’s something about spring and cookbooks: the days grow longer and suddenly I’m inspired to try new dishes, experiment a little bit more.
Winter means cozy and inward and familiar food. Spring asks me to break out.
In preparation for your own inner creative urges, I’ve reviewed a few of the newest cookbooks and will be sharing them with you over the next month.
My favorite, hands down: Nigella Lawson’s “Forever Summer.” This cookbook sings with exciting ideas, based on fresh food and mostly quick preparation. Nigella is a television chef on the Food Network, and though I’ve never watched her show, I feel like I’ve had a long chat with this London-based mom.
Her recipes read like a conversation between friends, filled with asides, observations and childhood memories. This is a casual cookbook with lots of flavors, including Indian, Asian and Cuban-inspired ideas. Most recipes are simple, some with everyday ingredients and others with specialty-store foreign foods.
She deftly mixes exotic (Za’atar Chicken with Fattoush) with familiar (Zucchini Fritters and Chicken Caesar Salad). You’ll find fresh ideas on just about every page and the longest dessert chapter I’ve seen in years – 76 pages. Nigella loves to entertain and includes 20 pages of drink recipes to mix with her fun menus.
Her enthusiasm for food is infectious; it even perked up Jenny’s Kitchen. Hyperion, $35. Hardback, 275 pages, beautiful full-page color photos.
Pair of home runs: Pair this tuna with the following coleslaw for the perfect combination. I bought beautiful fresh tuna steaks from Costco and made these one Sunday afternoon. Although I’d never made seared tuna before, they came out perfectly with this recipe from Nigella Lawson’s “Forever Summer.” She calls for a tuna fillet cut into a log shape, but I used two large 1-inch thick tuna fillets, instead. You’ll need about 4 oz. per person.
Pepper-seared Tuna
1 T. sesame oil
1 tsp. prepared English mustard
16 oz. sashimi-quality tuna fillet, cut in a log of even thickness
3 to 4 T. black peppercorns, crushed roughly in a pestle and mortar
Cucumber, cut into slender sticks
Scallions, cut into short lengths and then into fine strips
In a small bowl, mix the oil and mustard, and use a pastry brush to paint it on the tuna. Roll the tuna in the crushed peppercorns, but leave the ends (or the sides, if you’re using a flat fillet), bare.
Heat a dry frying pan until it’s very hot and cook the tuna on all sides, searing the fish to about 1/4-inch deep. You’ll be able to see how much of it’s cooked, because the ruby flesh will turn brown and the depth of the cooked flesh will be evident along the sides. Take out of the pan immediately and cool on a plate.
With a sharp knife, cut into the finest slices you can and serve with the cucumber and scallions. Serve soy sauce, dipping sauce and/or wasabi on the side.
Serves 8 as a starter, or 4 as the main course.
Asian flavors: I spotted this coleslaw recipe on the Food Network’s show “Food 911.” I loved the idea of wilting the cabbage slightly before mixing in the dressing. Also, the peanut butter adds a nice touch, a la John Madden’s famous Tabasco noodles. This dish is not for traditionalists who like coleslaw with just mayonnaise. It’s got good, spicy flavor for others.
Asian Slaw
1 head green cabbage, shredded
1/2 head red cabbage, shredded
1 T. salt
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 T. sesame oil
1/2 tsp. chile paste
3 T. creamy peanut butter
1 tsp. fresh ginger, grated
2 carrots, shredded
1 cup bean sprouts
4 scallions, julienned on the bias
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 T. sesame seeds, for garnish
Toss the cabbage together in a large colander and set in the sink.
Sprinkle the cabbage with salt and let stand for 15 minutes. (The salt draws out some of its moisture so that the slaw remains crunchy.)
In a bowl, whisk together the vinegar, soy sauce, oil, chile paste, peanut butter, and ginger. Toss together with the cabbage, carrots, bean sprouts and scallions; season with salt and pepper. Garnish with sesame seeds before serving. Serves 4-6.
