Kitchens of the Great Midwest: The Roundup

It's time for the roundup of Cook the Books' Club June /July edition for which we read the novel Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal. 

As I've done in the past, I will present our club members' contributions as a menu organized in courses. For each dish, I will give you the official information (author, blog name and post title) and a quote from it, a taste: follow the link and read the author's take of the book and how the reading inspired the cooking. 

Cook the Books Club's Kitchens of the Great Midwest-Inspired Menu 

Main dish:

French Onion Rigatoni

Side Dish:

Succotash

Carrots, Onion and Apricot

Dessert:

Rhubarb Crumble Bars

Triple Layer Bison Bars

Cocktail:

Spicy Margarita 

Make yourself comfortable and enjoy the menu.

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Marg of The Intrepid Reader & Baker prepared French Onion Rigatoni

"Over the years, we see Eva's passion for food morph into an unrivaled food career, all of which she manages on her own terms. The other thing about Eva is that she is a collector of people, but as reader's we don't really see this all come together until the very end of the book!... So how do you decide what recipe to make when there are so many food mentions in a book. It almost happens by osmosis. I had written down a few notes, one of which was French Onion Soup, which was the subject of one of the chapters. And then I realised that I had this recipe already saved in my blog to share at some point, and that the recipe would definitely count for Paris in July and voila!"

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Claudia of Honey from Rock made Succotash

"[Lars] was pretty amusing as he prepared gourmet baby meals for little Eva in the first section... On the upside, and in between, there were many mentions of food and recipes I wanted to try, so lots of inspiration in that department. As for the meal inspiration, I was quite taken with the description of her Succotash. Luckily, it being the right season, I was able to source organic, farm fresh corn, actually the day picked! And to which I added my garden fresh, green, winged beans, rather the green beans Eva used. A truly fabulous dish! I will be making this again, whenever I can get that corn! You need to call ahead and see if it's in. ;I"

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Simona of briciole made Carrots, Onion and Apricot

"While I never wished to attend one of the dinners, I appreciated how Eva helped people in her life, family and strangers. The best moments of the novel for me were those describing kindness and generosity... The book includes many references to food... I was inspired to create something new in terms of flavor combination, but also simple, since an additional challenge was that I traveled for four weeks..., so didn’t have access to my kitchen. Thankfully, I had access to farmers markets and farm stands, and seasonal produce was once again my main source of inspiration: apricots, fresh onions, particularly walla walla, and carrots." 

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Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm prepared Rhubarb Crumble Bars

"I was inspired to make these Rhubarb Crumble Bars by a section of the book dealing with a State Fair Bake-Off competition. One of the categories included was Bars, a staple at Potlucks in the Midwest. I decided on these bars because Rhubarb requires freezing-cold winters to grow, and the Midwest has the perfect terroir. Not to mention that, living in Michigan, my rhubarb was abundant this time of year... I recommend this novel, which explores heritage, family, relationships, and coming of age. I also recommend these delicious bars while rhubarb is still available."

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Amy of Amy's Cooking Adventures prepared Triple Layer Bison Bars 

"As with his other book, the author totally nails small town Midwest and I found myself chuckling as many of the characters (and the bars! Ah! Such a Midwest staple!)... I’ve come to realize that the author’s writing style (don’t get me wrong, he’s an excellent writer) is just not my thing..., but what I’ve appreciated in both the author’s books was the spot-on descriptions of the midwest, especially Minnesota... I also knew immediately after starting Pat Praeger’s section of the novel that I was going to make bars. As in the book, “bars”, much like “hotdish” are an institution of the midwest... Are these real Bison Bars? Who knows, since I don’t have a hyper specific church cookbook. Were they delicious? Absolutely!"

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Debra of Eliot's Eats mixed some Spicy Frozen Margaritas 
and made two types of Pepper Jelly

"I originally thought (back when I was not going to re-read the book) that I would just whip up some jalapeno margaritas and call that good. But, once I re-read Kitchens, I had to make some pepper jelly in honor of Braque, Eva’s cousin. (Honestly, some of the passages with Braque were indeed the most comical)... I did include the Spicy Margarita recipe here just because... My sister introduced us to this recipe and then we basically had to buy a Vitamix. The hardest thing about this recipe is peeling the limes. I threw in the jalapeno to make this cocktail more representative of the Scoville scale heat of the first part of the novel."

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A great Thank you! to everyone who joined in this edition of Cook the Books.

I believe all the submissions I have received are presented in the roundup. If you find anything missing or in need of amendment anywhere in the roundup, please do let me know.

And now, I’ll pass the baton to Claudia of Honey from Rock, who is hosting the August / September edition in which we are reading the novel Mrs. Quinn's Rise to Fame by Olivia Ford.

Arrivederci a presto!

Simona, of briciole

Mastering the Art of French Murder: The Round-Up

It's time to round up the delicious dishes everyone made for our April/May pick, Mastering the Art of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge. Whether we were enthusiastic about the book, or less so, we all still found some good inspiration by channeling our inner Julia Childs! 

Camilla of Culinary Cam said, "I wasn't sure what to expect when Deb picked this book. But it was the perfect mix of three of my favorite genres: historical fiction, foodie reads, and cozy mysteries. Set in Paris, this post-World War II story centers on Tabitha Knight, a recent transplant from Detroit, who lives across the street from Julia Child, yes, that Julia!" For her dish, Cam decided to tackle Julia's mayonnaise problem, saying, "Homemade mayonnaise is very different from the kind you find on the shelf of a grocery store. For one, homemade mayo is not white. It's creamy, almost yellow. Its flavor is subtle; the mere fact that is has flavor sets it apart from the grocery store variety!..." Luckily Camilla's mayo was a success!

Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm enjoyed the book saying, "I just finished reading a fun murder mystery starring chef, Julia Child. The novel was purely fiction but portrayed the chef as a good friend of the protagonist in the story." Wendy mastered the art of French Hot Chocolate finding that "Drinking this cup of hot chocolate is like drinking a melted chocolate bar. It is dense and thick, like pudding that has yet to set. It is definitely comfort food, bringing back memories of scraping out the pot in which my mom made pudding and eating it before placing it in the sink for cleaning. It even started to form a skin as it cooled."

Claudia of Honey From Rock said, "I loved this truly enjoyable read, both from the mystery perspective as well as the enticing food and wine discussions." Her dish? Claudia said, "As usual with our Book Club, we take inspiration from the current reading selection, prepare a dish and post it. Mine had to be Julia's Ham with Madeira Sauce. Especially since I had a few slices left of a very good ham (organic, hormone free, humanely raised) that called for a delicious upgrade!  The cooking choices often seem so limited with ham."

Marg of The Intrepid Reader & Baker said, "When this book was announced as the current choice for Cook the Books, I was very pleased. I have been reading this author for years, following her through various identities and sub genres. I was also keen to read this because I loved the idea of having Julia Child as one of the characters." Marg went for classic Julia saying, "When it came to deciding which recipe to cook, there were so many options. I did consider trying to make mayonnaise, which I have never done before, and I considered making the omelette which Julia tried so hard to teach to Tabitha in the book. I still intend to try to do both, but in the end I decided on a classic French recipe, Boeuf Bourguignon."

*Picture borrowed from Tbsp.com

Amy of Amy's Cooking Adventures found the book okay saying, "The “cozy mystery” follows Tabitha, a (fictional) neighbor of Julia Child, as she embarks on a mission to solve a murder.  There’s lots of great Julia Child food mentioned, but overall the story is a little campy. It’s a nice little beach read." For her dish Amy boldly went for Spinach & Ham Soufflé saying, "The soufflé was a challenge, but a great one, and successful!  Especially since I realized that what I’ve always called a round casserole dish is actually a soufflé dish - perfect! The soufflé both rose to great heights, was delicious and light as a feather, silky smooth to boot!  A success in my book!"

Simona of briciole said, "In post-war Paris, a woman is found murdered in the basement of the building where Paul and Julia Child live, and the murder weapon is a knife from Julia's kitchen. If this brief introduction sounds intriguing, you'll probably enjoy the book. I'm afraid I didn't find the novel believable."  For her contribution, Simona made Mixed Vegetables with Thyme saying, "The narrator, a young woman named Tabitha, lives with her grandfather not far from the Childs and befriends Julia. He grows a variety of herbs (erbe aromatiche) in his greenhouse... Thyme is probably my favorite herb and I use it with abandon, most recently on the first summer vegetables that have made their appearance at the farmers' market.Usually, I strip the leaves, but sometimes I add the sprigs (rametti) whole, and remove the almost bare stems at the end, before serving. The tenderest ones blend with the vegetables and are undetectable when eating."

Debra of Eliot's Eats said, "So I usually don’t like mysteries and I really, really don’t care for cozies. Maybe that’s why I forgot about reading this Cook the Books selection until May 29! In my head, I thought I had another month. Luckily, the ebook was immediately available from the library. Luckily, it’s a quick read." Debra also tackled the mayonnaise problem and made Julia's Blender Mayonnaise saying, "Of course, there’s an abundance of food in the novel and the standbys are mentioned like Julia’s revelation with Sole meunière, roasted chicken, a croissants. I just kept going back the her mayo crisis. In the first chapter, she wanted to make a mayo sauce with lots of herbs and toss it with pasta. That sounded perfect to me."

Finally, at Kahakai Kitchen, I was very late to the party (Bad Host!) but I did end up enjoying the book ( cozy mysteries, post-WWII France and Julia Child are all favorites of mine! I will read the next book in the series that just published in April soon. As time caught me, for my dish I ended up revisiting Julia's (Hot or Cold) Cream of Cucumber Soup from Mastering the Art of French Cooking. As it can be enjoyed either hot or cold, it's a great tradition into summer soup. 

I think I got all of the entires posted, but if I missed anyone, please let me know. Thank you all for your delicious and inspired dishes! I'll now turn it over to Claudia from Honey From Rock for our June/July selection, Family Tree, by Susan Wiggs.

Happy Reading, Cooking & Eating!

Deb of Kahakai Kitchen

Love & Saffron: The Roundup

Happy October! I'll be rounding up our Cook the Books August/September selection Love & Saffron: A Novel of Friendship, Food & Love by Kim Fay. I'm so glad so many of you enjoyed the book and the friendship between Joan and Imogen. It certainly inspired some delicious dishes!

Amy of Amy's Kitchen Adventures said,  "This is one of those books that is simply "ok". There's nothing wrong with it (yes, Immy's storyline was very predictable and Joan's was a bit odd) but it's not a super captivating page turner either." For her dish, Amy said, "Of the more “exotic” (for the time at least) recipes mentioned in the book, Jamaican Jerk Chicken stood out. A few months ago, Hubs and I took a long overdue trip (just us, no kids) to Daytona Beach, FL. After an afternoon  of beach walking, we had dinner at a beachside restaurant with deck seating and live music and I ordered a Jerk Chicken Salad. It was delicious and perfect after walking for a few hours! With the further inspiration from the book,I decided to recreate that salad at home!"

Camilla of Culinary Cam said, "I devoured Love & Saffron in a single sitting. It had delicious prose and embodied the spirit of a true friendship between two women in a sisterhood that they chose. I figured it was the perfect opportunity to revisit a few dishes that I made for one of my very best friends." Camilla's saffron-infused dinner included Savory Ricotta Cupcakes with a Saffron Salsa,Whitefish B'stilla and Saffron-Cardamom Ice Cream. Check out all the photos and recipes on her post.

Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm said, "Let me start off this review by saying I LOVED this quick, easy read. It is perfect for the dog days of summer. It is written, for the most part, in a series of letters that span through the years. These letters foster a close friendship between Joan and Imogen even though there is a 30-year difference in their ages." Wendy made Joan's Quesadillas, saying, "As a bonus, the women share recipes with each other, and thus the author shares recipes with the readers. One of these recipes was Quesadillas provided by Joan to Imogen. These quesadillas, like the others, are easy to make, budget-friendly, quick, and delicious. I would recommend both the recipe and the novel."  

Claudia of Honey From Rock said, "It was also a reminder of the friendships in my own life, those I communicate with daily.  Particularly a good friend of many years, just recently more closely reconnected with. We now email back and forth about what we're cooking, planting, research of the various aspects of it all, and food we're experimenting with; occasionally visiting local farmers markets, and sharing meals. Claudia's Ulu and Deconstructed Kebabs came from the following, "Immy was lamenting her many trips to the big city wasted, eating Dick's burgers when she could have been relishing shish kebab at the Turkish restaurant. So, that's what I made last night with some boneless lamb sirloin steaks. Only in my version, deconstructed like my kitchen, the meat was left in largish pieces!  I believe in simplifying when possible. Also instead of the pita bread side, breadfruit was substituted."

Debra of Eliot's Eats enjoyed the book saying, "You can see there is a bit of international flair along with 1960s staples like those sad jello molds. Both Joan and Imogene are adventurous epicures who spur each other on to try new things. It was interesting that garlic, limes, tortillas and other things we take for granted as staples were hard to find. Or how very few people even knew about Mexican food." Debra chose a recipe from the book saying, "I had to try one of the Mexican recipes and I had lofty plans to make carne asada and the One-Bean Salad. Time was once again my enemy so I went only with the salad with a few modifications. This recipe is listed in the back of the novel. “The one-bean is the pinto, which is fundamental to Mexican cookery. Nopales are tender portions of cactus that are sold fresh or canned in little green dice in Mexican markets.”

Marg of The Intrepid Reader said, "I don't participate in Cook the Books all the time, but this month I was able to read the book, and it is a case of reading a book that I might not otherwise have read! When I started this book, I knew straight away that I was going to enjoy it! And I did!  There were a number of recipes shared in the text, as well as mentions of specific dishes but in the end we decided to go with a dish from a cuisine rather than a specific dish. Throughout the story, there was discussion about the influence of Mexican flavours so we decided to make a version of Beef Enchiladas from the Recipetin Eats: Dinner cookbook that we are still cooking so many recipes from!"

Cathy of Delaware Girl Eats liked the book and the mention of Julia Child in one of the letters, saying, ”This characterization of Julia and her groundbreaking program cracked me up in that it was so dead on." For her contribution, Cathy made Mini Citrusy Cheesecakes, noting, "Although the cheesecake recipe isn’t mentioned in the book, I felt Julia deserved some acclaim. So below is an adaptation of mini-cheesecakes inspired by my friend and partnered with Julia’s usual wisdom."

Simona of briciole said, "During the course of the novel, Joan starts exploring the food scene of Los Angeles and Imogen's husband learns to cook, aided, in part, by a friendship that develops between him and Angelo Pellegrini, whose The Unprejudiced Palate ("a book on bread and wine in relation to life") was a Cook the Books Club's selection some years ago. ... There are a number of foods mentioned ... and some recipes, none of which I wished to replicate. Instead, Joan's love story with Mateo and her appreciation, through him, of Mexican food, reminded me of a dish I had wanted to make for a while: chimichurri. I thought it would be great on Francis's (Imogen's husband) omelettes. Except that, once I re-read the article that sparked my interest, I realized the sauce is from Argentina, not Mexico: too late, my mind was set and Chimichurri it was."

Finally, at Kahakai Kitchen, I enjoyed this book and found it an engaging read. For my book inspired dish, I ended up going with curry. Joan wrote, "At Stanford I was drawn to students from India because they cooked up little pots of curry in their rooms." I too am drawn to the smells of a delicious curry and I love how easy it is to knock one together. I decided on an old favorite, Aloo Gobi Matar which is simple potatoes, cauliflower and peas in a dryish simple tomato curry, served with rice. 

I believe I captured everyone's entries, but if I missed anyone, please let me know. As usual, I wish we could have a Cook the Books potluck and try all of these delectable-looking recipes. Thank you for joining in this round!

For our October/November, Claudia from Honey from Rock will be hosting with The City Baker's Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller. We hope you join us!

Happy Reading and Cooking!

DebinHawaii
Kahakai Kitchen

Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies: The Roundup

Thanks to everyone who cooked along with Cecily, Kate and us this round of Cook the Books! It's time to roundup the entries inspired by Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies by Vicky Zimmerman. I think most of us enjoyed the book, and I certainly enjoyed all of the delicious food it inspired. Get your drool cloths ready, because here we go!

First up is Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm found the book  "a delightful novel about accepting yourself, taking care of yourself and believing in yourself." Kudos to Wendy for joining us this month as she finished the book in the hospital after being hit by a car on a walk. She says, "I finished this book during that stint in the hospital.  When I returned home to continue my rehabilitation, my husband who had taken over all the household duties, was the perfect caregiver of all my needs, including meals. ... One night he made these chili lime chicken skewers, steamed rice and stir fry vegetables.  It was a delicious dinner and I thought that, if I were Miss Cecily, I would add it to my cookbook as "A Meal to Serve When Someone Comes Home from the Hospital After Being Smashed by a Truck."

Next was Camilla of Culinary Cam who stoped reading the book soon after starting, annoyed by Kate. She says, ..."Then, when I saw it pop back up in my calendar to post about the book, I picked it up again. And I'm glad I persisted, but because it ended up being a delightful read about friendship. And the recipes were quite inspiring!" For her dish Camilla says, "I read more about this new-to-me dish called Sole Véronique. Oh, and before anyone screams that this isn't a traditional Sole Véronique, I know. It's my take on the recipe with what I had on-hand.I will admit it's a rare evening when all three of my food critics (that's husband and two boys) agree that a dish is fantastic. This was one of those dishes. But you really can't go wrong with fresh fish, butter, cream, herbs, and roasted grapes! "

Cathy of Delaware Girl Eats said, 'I especially enjoyed the excerpts from the Food for Thought book such as “A cookbook should be equally at home on the kitchen shelf as the bedside table.  This cookbook was written not for those heroic housewives who, having produced a cordon bleu dinner for twenty, emerge from their kitchens triumphant.  I address, rather, the more easily dismayed to whom a gastronomic occasion is a challenge and a dilemma.”" And it inspired her Cheesy Baked Pasta Casserole, "This passage spurred thoughts of what I could make for the kids and was a great lead-in for a simple dinner of roasted asparagus and a pasta casserole laden with mushrooms. As it turned out, they enjoyed the meal so much that they all took “to go” bags home with them.Yea for grandma! Hope you enjoy too."

Amy of Amy's Cooking Adventures said, "Cecily's book and recipes within are definitely the highlight of the story. In the afterward, we find that Cecily inspired by the author's own grandmother and the the (out of print) cookbook did exist. I have to wonder what the real Cecily's family thinks about this since the author admits that book Cecily is far meaner than her real life counterpart. I really wish I could get my hands on the real cookbook and that seems like it would be a worthwhile read!" For her dish Amy says, "I had several recipes marked to try, but decided to stretch myself with Potatoes Pave, which sounded fancy and delicious. I tried the recipe a couple months back and failed epically... I almost left it at that and posted my failure (by this time, the book was back at the library, so I didn’t have a back up plan for something to make). ...And yet…I just couldn’t let that failure sit and decided to give it another shot and I’m so glad I did. ...the potatoes were great! They reminded me of hashbrowns - which are always a hit in this house!"

Co-Host Debra of Eliot's Eats said, "I was a bit skeptical from the title (and I do think an alternate title would have been better) but I loved this novel. It’s a foodie book, sort of a realistic romance (meaning it’s not sappy) and a tale of female friendship that spans generations." For her book-inspired dish Debra said, "I loved how Cecily titled her menu selections and one night I was just inspired (or actually not so much). In a total homage to Cecily and partially inspired by Kate’s “Pasta on Pasta” meal, I present the following. “When there’s no protein in the house and you’re not going to the store yet you don’t want to make plain spaghetti with red sauce (and you have mushrooms to use)” Her Tomato Two-Times Easy Pasta w/ Mushrooms turned out well, "Delicious and easy. The toasted almonds just adds the right amount of crunchiness. The basil adds the right freshness."

Co-Host Simona of briciole said, "The story shines a light on the importance of mentors in one's life. Miss Cecily is not an easy one, but Kate perseveres, understanding that the elderly woman's sometimes sharp words come from a place of affection and wisdom." For her dish Simona says that ... "Kate could prepare this Avocado Salad for Ben whom in the story she scolds for buying store-bought guacamole instead of preparing it fresh. The salad was inspired by the avocado salsa cruda recipe in The Latin Table by Isabel Cruz. The main ingredient change I made is the use of arugula (rucola) instead of cilantro (coriandolo)."

Co-Host Claudia of Honey From Rock deserves kudos for posting while still recovering from a bad fall, says, "I for one was in complete sympathy with the grumpy old lady, Miss Cecily. After a bad fall in early November, spending the last few months in recovery and not able to get around as before, sob, sob. Well, I'm back at my computer at least, which is also acting wonky. And, at the absolute deadline for the book post. On the plus side, Bob has been stalwart throughout, my chauffeur and really big help and companion, as well as a great sous chef for the relatively simple meals we put together." For her dish Claudia says, "Kate, for her newly inaugurated Supper Club offers two pastas, against all tradition: tagliarini with crab, followed by pappardelle with cream, pancetta and new season's asparagus. With, Prosecco served for all. As it turns out, the grocer didn't have enough asparagus, so she subbed in green peas. There you have it. ... I was inspired to put a pasta dish together with the fresh green pea pods we had picked up from the market.Nothing too fussy, but I think in sync with the book. Especially with a nice glass of Prosecco. Meal For a Recovering Invalid and Her Sous Chef. He's very good at chopping things and stirring!"

Finally, at Kahakai Kitchen, I started out unsure of my book pick because I wasn't a fan of either Kate or Cecily, but they both won me over and I enjoyed the book --especially the recipe titles from the cookbook. Having another not-so-great couple of months with health flareups and crazy work schedule, I went for a Quick & Easy Shrimp Scampi Pasta, inspired by the fried scampi Kate cooks for the jerky Nick and the pastas Kate cooks for her pop-up dinner party. Informally this dish could be called:A Quick But Indulgent Dinner When You are Tired as Hell. I enjoyed it in a bowl with chopsticks, consumed on the couch after work while binging a new tv show. I highly recommend both the pasta and the show. 

I think I have posted all of the tasty entries for this round, but please let me know if I missed anyone. 

I will now turn things over to Claudia of Honey From Rock with our February/March selection, The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan. 

Happy Reading and Cooking!

Aloha, 

Deb of Kahakai Kitchen

Taste: My Life Through Food, The Roundup

How did June get here so soon?! It's time for our roundup of our April/May Selection: Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci. 

Mahalo friends for joining me in this read that seemed to well-liked by most of our group! I'll be recapping the entries in the order I received them, or as closely as possible.

First in was Cathy of Delaware Girl Eats who loves that "Tucci, actor, writer and all-around engaging screen personality, is a food obsessive like me, and his depictions made for very entertaining reading. He writes just like he speaks on film, and one can just hear his voice as the sentences roll off the page." She was inspired by Tucci's prose on Ragu, saying "Especially captivating are Tucci’s depictions of meals enjoyed by him over the years. Of Ragu, he says, “Ragu is eaten with fresh pasta, the reason being that the richness of the sauce needs a pasta of suitable shape and texture to absorb it properly.” Rather than make Tucci's recipe, Cathy made her grandmother's Abruzzo’s Pasta Alla Chitarra with Lamb Ragu, saying "Although in the book Tucci goes on to provide his family’s “famous” Ragu recipe, I’ve chosen to focus instead on grandmother’s take on the traditional sauce, and to provide her tutorial for the pasta chitarra as well. Enjoy!"

Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm LOVED the book saying, "This memoir had me laughing out loud from the first page. I so enjoyed getting to know Stanley Tucci and really, really want to join him for dinner, drinks and conversation." Wendy chose a cocktail for her dish, his Perfect Negroni Up, saying, "Food inspiration comes easily while reading this memoir but, just in case you don't get bowled over by Stanley's food descriptions, there are numerous recipes interspersed throughout, starting with the cocktail that I am sharing with you today. ... As for the cocktail?  I did think it was pretty perfect. Of course, I love Campari and have an affinity for bitter."

Camilla of Culinary Cam enjoyed the book finding that "Tucci writes with candor and a wry humor in this intersection of food and life." Camilla added her own flair to that so popular zucchini pasta dish, making it a Tre Colori Spaghetti con Zucchine alla Nerano and saying, "Okay, his wasn't a three-colored pasta, but it's what I had. ... My recipe is slightly adapted, but still amazing. I will definitely be making this again as summer is approaching and that always brings a glut of zucchini!"

Tina of Squirrel Head Manor said, "As soon as I started reading Taste it was clear there would be much food inspiration. Tucci had a way of describing his childhood which evoked so many memories of my own. The benefits of growing up in an Italian neighborhood were immense and I loved every bit of it.This book is humorous, engaging and sad in parts." For her inspiration Tina found that "There are many recipes included in this book and you'll be hungry as you read about his foodie experiences. ...So many wonderful recipes - here is the first one, Classic Carbonara."

Claudia of Honey From Rock said, "What an enjoyable read! And especially for us book foodies, with so many suggestions, memorable meals, recipes encountered in his full and sometimes even tragic life. I felt as though I had met and come to know the man, with his sense of humor, conversations on whatever was happening, and sometimes rather dogmatic views, as per the one on NOT EVER cutting your spaghetti. And, not combining the wrong pasta and sauce. I'm sure I do that on a regular basis. Occasionally even cut my spaghetti. OMG!'  For her dish she said, "There was absolutely so much inspiration here, every other page at least. What most appealed however, was a meal he's enjoyed a number of times at Lo Scoglio on the Amalfi coast. Spaghetti con Zucchini alla Nerano. I mean the way he raved, and the very simplicity of the dish itself.  Basically zucchini, basil, olive oil, salt, spaghetti and Parmigiana-Reggiano. And, of course, the secret ingredient, a dollop of butter, ferreted out by Stanley in the restaurant's kitchen."

Amy of Amy's Cooking Adventures felt that, "If I were to rate this book on the beginning (Mr Tucci's childhood) and the end (his battle with cancer), I would probably give it 4.5 stars. But then there's the middle bit. Parts were compelling, parts found Mr. Tucci's waxing on a bit, and parts had me full out rolling my eyes over the poor me celebrity bit. Regardless, it was an enjoyable read overall (especially his childhood.). There are several recipes added throughout, which also makes this a great foodie read!" For her dish, Amy made Tucci's Traditional 3-Ingredient Fettuccine Alfredo and said, "I was most intrigued by Mr. Tucci’s explanation of alfredo. … Well, according to Mr Tucci, the American, cream-based version that is our favorite is apparently an abomination. A true alfredo is 3 ingredients only: pasta, butter, and parmesan. Say what?!? ... The verdict: it was good, but overall, we’d prefer the cream-based alfredo or the cheater parmesan noodles instead!"

Marg of The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader joined us this month and enjoyed the audiobook, saying, "From the opening paragraphs of this book, this was a delightful audio experience. Even now that I have the book sitting here, I can hear Tucci's voice as I flick through the pages and read various paragraphs." Her inspiration? "When I was thinking about which recipe to share for this post, there really was one that jumped at me and that was Spaghetti con Zucchine alla Nerano. There were two main reasons for this. One is the the way that Tucci waxed lyrically about it in both the book and in his TV series.  The second reason is that I love cooking with zucchini, or more precisely chopping zucchini. When I am chopping zucchini I feel as though I have some knife skills which is definitely not true."

Debra of Eliot's Eats said, "Reading Taste is like having your own personal conversations with Tucci.  His tales are honest, homey, and unpretentious (even when he’s talking about dining with Marcello Mostroianni or attending George Clooney’s wedding)." Debra was going to make a frittata but said she, "wanted something a little different to celebrate Taste" and so she made his Spaghetti with Lentils. She states, "I really like this recipe and it is a pretty easy one to prep. I used a full carrot and a full stalk of celery (although they were small ones). I also used the full recipe of marinara—just dumped it all in. A little parmesan and  basil to garnish and dinner was served. I’m sharing this with some vegetarian friends."

 

Ruth of @ruth44north (her Instagram account) joins us this round saying, "Thank you ladies for the inspiration! I discovered your blog recently ( why have I just found you !?!?) and happened to have Taste on my night table. You don’t have to ask me twice to recreate the amazing Timpano served in Big Night for which I’ve been drooling for a trusted recipe for over 30 years. Very worth the bit of prep; I halved the recipe since we are a two person household and it came out beautifully in a deep Lodge dutch oven dish. The key was giving the ragu time enough to develop; didn’t hurt that we still had garden tomatoes and sauce from last summer. Prepping ingredients a day ahead made the actual assembly fairly painless. while the Timpano baked it gave me time to revisit the honest, touching and delicious words of Mr. Tucci while relaxing in the hammock (Me, not Stanley Tucci. It also helped calm my nerves that were all a flutter with anxiety about whether I was going to be able to get the Timpano safely out of the pan) We of course had to watch the film again - it’s the recipe that keeps on giving!! Graci Mille Stanley Tucci and Cook the Books!!!"

Simona of briciole liked that, "The book included a couple of interesting sections, one pertaining the history of the highly enjoyable movie Big Night (1996), in which Tucci played the younger brother, Secondo. I didn't know that he had written the screenplay. If you haven't seen it, I recommend it." For her dish Simona made a Strawberry, Fava Bean, Fennel and Radish Salad, saying, "Reading the book in the run-up to the 16th anniversary of my little blog, made me think of all the recipes I have created for it. I decided to select a recipe from the early years and update it based on my current eating habits. The recipe I chose comes from a July 2008 post and features seasonal ingredients quite representative of Italian cuisine. The salad also happens to include the colors of the Italian flag (called tricolore): white, red and green (bianco, rosso e verde)."

Finally, in a move that might get me kicked out of Cook the Books, at Kahakai Kitchen, I ordered rather than cooked my dish. A blogging/cooking slump, compounded with a case of COVID that hit my asthma and has me hitting the energy wall every early afternoon, made the thought of cooking this weekend unbearable. I adored the book--both reading and listening to Stanley and ended up bringing in one of my favorite dishes Mushroom Risotto from a local cafe. Tucci mentions it as part of a quarantine menu and risotto in general a few times in the book. I didn't even have the energy to plate it, but I enjoyed it for two meals (on the couch of course!). I did include some mushroom risotto recipes that I did actually make in my post.  

Wow! Every Cook the Books round I think of how wonderful it would be to be able to taste everyone's book-inspired dishes, and I think this roundup is one of the most delicious. Thank you all for joining me!

I believe I posted all of the entries received from the comments and/or those sent by email, but if I missed anyone, please let me know. 

I will now turn things over to my fellow Hawaii Blogger, Claudia of Honey From Rock for our June/July selection, Anthony Bourdain's A Cook's Tour: Global Adventures in Extreme Cuisines.    

Happy Reading and Eating!

Deb, Kahakai Kitchen