The Comeback Of Community Cookbooks

We have so many cookbooks these days. There are the  glossy , almost coffee table books, and celebrity ones , more full of anecdotes than recipes. Yet there is one, one full of recipes and love that is making a big comeback this quarantine. It's the community cookbook. This classic is returning, much to the delight of home chefs all over.

Priya Krishna, regular contributor  to the New York Times Food section and author of the Indian cookbook Indian-ish wrote this in The NY Times Food section
 on Wednesday. It seems that more and more coworkers are exchanging recipes and this is an easy way to do it.The idea is far from new. In fact it goes back to 1864 in this country when Maria J. Moss. created "A Poetical Cookbook" to raise money for injured Union soldiers during the Civil War. Later in the century suffragettes produced cookbooks to spread their message. Since then, churches,libraries and local governments have relied on community cookbooks to raise money and share recipes. In recent years  the format grew less popular as platforms like Instagram and Facebook have become immensely popular. They have encouraged home chefs to use them, as well as creating  glossy magazine ready pictures of their culinary creations. Even  New York Times Cooking hosts large activities on both. However that's all changing.

For the pediatric residents at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston , it started in mid-March. They were isolated at home, waiting to be called as back up. One of the Cyrelle Fermin, started posting recipes to the residents' WhatsApp group, turning that into a spreadsheet where about twenty of her coworkers submitted recipes along with pictures of themselves making them. Then there is the Valley Ranch Islamic Center in Irving Texas which usually brings together one thousand Muslims  is creating a similar cookbook. Nye Armstrong , the mosque's creative director has asked members to email recipes and photos so she can design a digital and print cookbook. Some cookbooks have drawn in strangers. Alicia Cohn started sending a culinary newsletter to friends. Soon friends of friends were signing up for it which lead to the Quarantine Recipe Club. Strangers inundated her with recipes.  Many of these books are filled with comfort food, such as the one created by the Seattle Ladies Choir. The members have such diverse backgrounds, from Indian to Italian to Texan. The recipes reflect that. One neat idea is a family community cookbook.Justine Santa Cruz has her Filipino family contribute their favorite ones. Some cookbooks like Bone Apple Tea have a homey laid back vibe..

Creating a community cookbook within your community of friends, colleagues, family or parent groups can be a fun past time. It's also a great way to connect. Share memorable recipes that everyone can enjoy years later.

Invite To A Big Lasagna Party

We all need a big get together and party right now.Luckily there is just that thanks, to regular New York Times Food contributor, Samin Nosrat, She is hosting a gathering this Sunday 7 PM Eastern standard TIme. on Instagram. Come one, come all.

Chef Nosrat is not new to dinner parties and gatherings. Since her college days she has thrown together meals that ranged from paellas cooked on a rusted fire pit in a yard to churning out gallons of ice cream in her apartment. She has thrown parties in abandoned airplane hangars and deserted beaches and sprawling farms. Then there were the  get togethers at Tartine, the famed San Francisco eatery, where their corner bakery was set up to feed the restaurant's bakers. The group enjoyed Chef Nosrat's shrimp boils, brisket and latkes. She baked twelve layer lasagnas and billowy  souffles they all enjoyed. Now
 Chef Nosrat is coming into our homes as we go into her Southern Californian one.Her dish of choosing? An old fashioned lasagna, perfect with a bottle of red wine. For some of you novice chefs out there freaking out right now, don't worry. You can make your own creation, whether it's spaghetti and meatballs or just a sandwich. Just so long as you're there. That's what matters.

Is Chef Nosrat's recipe an easy one? It's a classic one, familiar to those who have grown up with Southern Italian recipes and big Sunday pasta dinners. The filling is ricotta along with fresh or even frozen spinach. She suggests using string cheese - fun - if you don't have Provolone or mozzarella handy. There's also grated Parmesan Asiago or Grano Padano. You can use dried Italian seasoning or fresh basil along with fresh Italian parsley and chives. There is the Bechamel sauce, an easy mix that can also go over chicken or fish. Again it's just flour, butter, milk and nutmeg mixed together. The tomato sauce can be your favorite jarred one or the one from the NY Times Simple Tomato sauce located in NYT Cooking. If you're really ambitious make the sheets of lasagna noodles yourself (again the recipe is on the NYT Cooking site). There's more cheese added. from Grano Padano to string. Assembling it may be labor intensive however if your family is joining you, then employ them to help. As for the wine, Chef Nosrat suggests Chianti or a barbera from Piemonte. The kids can have a celebratory soda or chocolate milk.

Mark  this Sunday at seven as a dinner date. Make Chef Nosrat's lush and classic homemade lasagna or not. Just be there to enjoy good food and good talk.

My Ethiopian Stew Adventure

Ethiopian food has been on my radar for a long time. I was all set to try it at an Ethiopian restaurant  in Montclair North Jersey. Unfortunately quarantine happened and that idea was shut down. I recently found a lentil rich Ethiopian stew on this website Immaculate Bites. I decided to give it a shot.

Unfortunately, since this is quarantine, I had to make do with what was out there. I could not find ANY lentils at my local Stop & Shop. I decided to use kidney beans and pinto beans. They won't have the silky taste of lentils but they will add a robustness to it.

I also used a yellow onion and fresh vine ripe tomatoes. The last isn't included but I felt they would add more flavor.

It also requires oil and spiced butter. I used olive oil, richer in taste and Country Crock. Spiced butter is butter mixed with Berbere spices which I will have the second time I make it.

The onions and tomatoes were roughly diced and added as were the beans. The recipe also calls for two teaspoons of minced garlic. I used two cloves, sliced.

I feel it adds more flavor than the minced.

There are also the spices. I didn't have the Berbere spice mix so I created my own, more or less according to the recipe.

As you can see , there's crushed red pepper for bite along with cumin,turmeric and curry powder. The recipe called for smoked paprika, I didn't have that or ginger for that matter. I used a heaping tablespoon or two of Pereg's Spanish paprika.

Also added to the mix were three cups of vegetable broth (I used Knorr's) cooked quickly in the microwave.

This is the beans added.

I realized it needed the tomato paste required.It was too soupy  without it.

I cooked it for half an hour and it came out perfectly. The texture was satiny and the taste was a well blended mix of tomatoes , onions and spices .I liked it a lot and served with with brown rice. I would have liked to have served it with the Ethiopian bread, injera. Another recipe I have to try.

Will I make this again? Most definitely and with lentils and ginger for a more authentic taste. I like this and will serve it again.It's a great week night dish that easily translates into leftovers. I can't wait to try more Ethiopian dishes!

The Art Of The New

This is the time to learn a new dish or cuisine. It gives us a chance to expand our talents and expertise. Not only that it helps us to change up the usual staying in menu.

There is a whole world out there of good recipes and interesting dishes. Many home chefs always have qualms about cooking a different cuisine. If that's the case then begin with the simplest recipes like stews and skillet dinners. Every country has easy dinners that are a snap to replicate. Another turn off is the array of strange spices, yet if you study the recipes you see that there are substitutions. A berbere spice can be replaced by that paprika you used last week or soy sauce can fill in for tamari sauce. Then there's the problem that you may not have the right pots and pans. You do. Again any pot or pan can sub in for a fancier or more specific one like a tangine or rice pot. Where can you find interesting and exotic recipes? Your library of cookbooks, of course. There is also the internet where there are literally thousands upon thousands of recipes. Just ask yourself - "what should I try?" Japanese teriyaki? Ethiopian doro wat?Svenska kottbullar or real Swedish meatballs?

Ethiopian food has fascinated me lately.It's an interesting country to begin with and the food also has a particular allure. I am going to be making the country's lentil stew. Am I worried that my Stop &Shop didn't have any lentils (and believe me I looked). Now I plan on using kidney beans. Of course there will be a slightly different taste but then I don't have some of the spices. I will improvise. I will also sub in. it calls for tomato paste but I feel that using vine ripe tomatoes may give it a fresher flavor. My Berbere spice blend will be slightly different than the one I found at Immaculate Eats where i discovered the stew recipe. Yet it's still exciting. When life and food shopping returns to normal , then I will get the appropriate ingredients. For now it's just the excitement of trying something different and not the usual tomato sauces or chilis.What will I try next? Maybe  chicken barbecue sandwiches with Morningstar Farms chicken strips and Acme's barbecue sauce, served on soft rolls.Or something French from Brittany or Normandy?

This is the time to try new recipes and taste new dishes. Be creative. Be curious. it will lead you on a culinary adventure to a new country with exotic flavors and delicious tastes.

Treats From Your Kitchen

Now, more than ever, our kitchens are the most important rooms in our house. We can create good meals and fun snacks for ourselves. We can also brighten up others' lives with our creations. It's time to uses those ovens and stove tops for culinary gifts.

A hot meal is always appreciated. If you know someone , whether family or friend, who is struggling to put food on the table, then treat them to a full meal. It doesn't have to be anything fancy. Think crockpot or Instapot sauce with pasta. Include a loaf of crusty Italian bread and a container of a lovely mixed salad, chock full of such veggies as broccoli and cauliflower. If you're a whiz at dough making, then make dough for pizza and calzones. Include sauce and cheese along with ricotta and ham for the calzones. Chili is also an easy make that can be doubled and even tripled. This is a great gift because the dish can be stretched with more meat or beans, allowing it to last and be repurposed for several meals. Any pasty or empanadas would be a nice change up. Cornish pasties can be filled with meat, veggies and cheese. A fun combo anyone would like is a filling made up of cheddar and onion. You could also create feta and spinach puffs using phyllo dough.

A fruit plate is a tasty and healthy choice. You can create your own Edible Arrangement. You just need cookie cutters , wooden skewers and chocolate chips. To get the chocolate as glossy and smooth as what Edible Arrangements uses, add coconut oil  to the chocolate for a shiny finish. If you're not that creative , then think about a homemade fudge. Fudge recipes can be as simple or elaborate as you want. You can whip up one that only requires chocolate chips, butter and condensed milk. Make it yummier with walnuts or chopped almonds added. For a sophisticated cook a white chocolate caramel fudge laced with pecans. Haystacks are another fun treat and it's an easy microwave make of melted chocolate chips mixed with toasted coconut. Then they're just dropped by the spoonful onto waxed paper or a greased cookie sheet. A tin of homemade cookies is always appreciated. Of course chocolate chips are the preferred favorite but if you can, vary them with some peanut butter and sugar cookies too. A box or container of cupcakes is always welcomed. Have the kids decorate them with cheery notes and decorations. These are the perfect leave on the step surprise for any first responders in your neighborhood.

A creative gift from your kitchen is much appreciated these days, it could be a got meal or a sweet treat. Any food is wanted and given from the heart.

A Good Old Fashioned Sunday Meal

Is it still possible to carry on with traditional cooking during these times. Yes. You can put a relatively traditional Sunday dinner on the table. It does take planning and smart shopping yet worth it. Nothing is as calming as a proper meal together.

It may be hard to get some main course meats, thanks to meat  processing plants being rife with Coronavirus breakouts .Many poultry plants have closed throughout the US and production is down twenty-five percent throughout all plants that even process beef and pork. Now the best bet is to do what our grandparents and great-grandparents did  - buy locally sourced meat at local farms. If you're wondering where to go , visit the website Eatwild.com and click on your state. The site will give you the names and directions of farms near you where you can get the main course for your Sunday meal. If the farms are too far away, there is always the vegan alternative. Gardein has excellent turkey cutlets that taste like the real thing. The plus comes with a sage infused gravy that's heated and poured over the cutlets later.Beyond Meat has a kind of chopped meat called Beyond Beef that could be fashioned into a Beef Wellington. Add a mushroom gravy to it for extra flavor. Another vegan idea is a plain risotto that can be flavored with anything from chopped veggies, saffron or just butter and Parmesan.

As for sides, these are a little easier to find and cook. Asparagus is a Spring staple right now and it is the perfect accompaniment. You can grill it for a smoky, sweet flavor or just boil it for a few minutes for a fresh green taste. Then there's the sauce . You could do just a simple melted butter with sliced hard boiled eggs and Parmesan cheese on top of the stalks.  A lusher sauce is Hollandaise. This easy to make one is simply a combination of egg yolks or yolk substitute. melted butter, lemon juice and Dijon mustard. It elevates the asparagus to a sophisticated level. If you're into foraging then think about a dish of wild ramps. This is an onion , grown in the wild and has the tangy taste of shallots and garlic combined. They are best grilled with only olive oil and a sprinkling of sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Ramps can be added to risotto for a different kind of side dish.A light dish is a salad made of grilled peppers. Different colored bell peppers can be grilled and dressed with a garlicky balsamic dressing. Another lovely Sunday side dish is tomatoes Provencale, sliced tomatoes topped with breadcrumbs and sauteed in a garlic infused butter and oil sauce.

These times call for tradition and comfort. A Sunday dinner is just that. Create a sit down meal that's a bit more elevated than the average one.

Scavenger Hunting For Food

Does it feel like going to the grocery store these days like a never ending scavenger hunt. It's hard to maneuver through all the protocol only to find what you want gone. What's to do? Order on line or head to another store. Better yet  - make it yourself.

That's the dilemma shoppers the world over are facing right now. Home chefs around the globe are snapping up the basics at alarming rates. Our truckers and shelf stockers can't work fast enough here in the States. What should we do when something we need like milk or eggs are not there? Forget ordering from companies like Peapod. They're booked for the next month it seems. You could go through Amazon if you really need eggs for cooking. It may take a week or two. Another idea is spending one day visiting different stores in your area. One may have what the others don't have. Doing such would also mean stocking up on a variety of different foodstuffs and essentials that can last you weeks. The only problem is overexposure to three groceries full of people. There's also the problem of stores having limited access. A trip to three stores that would usually take two hours may last up to four or five. If you leave the house at seven AM you may be home by lunchtime, tired , hungry and on your last nerve.

Another idea , sadly, is hoarding. If you have a big fridge along with a freezer, you may have to double buy. It looks selfish. After all we glare at those toilet papers hoarders with utter contempt. Yet, we may have to do that with basics such as bread and meat, frozen veggies and beverages. What could lessen it is that two people from the same household go to two different stores and update each other about what the other store has and doesn't have. One, that means your grocery list can be fulfilled and two , you can stock up on the basics without looking too greedy. We could also follow our grandparents and great grandparents leads and make it ourselves. Breads can be made. Even if you're not much of a baker, there are plenty of yeast free recipes anyone can make. Make rolls too , which again are easy. One you've mastered dough you can make pizza and pot pies  as well. Apple sauce is easy to make , especially if you have a crockpot or Instapot.  Another idea is cooking fresh vegetables first with your favorite sauces and spices and then freezing them. This way you have your own frozen food - and ones you know your family will actually like.

Food shopping is a scavenger hunt these day. There are ways to lessen the headache of it, making the experience less unnerving. Do what you have to do, over stocking, shopping at different stores or just make the food yourself .