Good cookbooks are like favorite clothes: you can use them to death, enjoy the heck out of them because they make you look good, and then one day, you're done with them and want to move on to another cookbook or a different outfit.
There's one thing you need to know: the day after you give the cookbook or the outfit to Goodwill, you will suddenly NEED them back because you just realized they would be perfect for that one more thing - one more party, one more meal, to copy that one recipe you forgot that's only in that cookbook! It happens every time. And it drives me CRAZY!
I just went through this cookbook purge cycle and gave away this very slim little volume called "Mediterranean Cooking" or something mundane and unmemorable like that. Then, last week, I was dying to make this certain Greek salad and I couldn't find that cookbook. Alas, I realized, it was already at Goodwill and I could not remember the title. So I can't buy it again.
What was I thinking? My only hope is that I included that recipe some year in my column, and so possibly if I go back through my computer files I can find it again. I should have just kept the *&?! book.
Anyway, through the years, there are mainstays: sequined dresses that have to stay in the closet because they are just too fabulous and dog-eared cookbooks by great writers that have to stay in the shelves because there are too many good recipes in them to give away. Here are my nominations. I'd love to have yours:
'John Madden's Ultimate Tailgating' by John Madden with Peter Kaminsky
This is a classic barbecue cookbook, with recipes gathered from John's travels as an NFL commentator. He and his bus-mates stop at roadside diners and pilfer recipes, score tips from the wives of team equipment managers, and join tailgaters all over the country for great meals.
Two of my favorite recipes: John's wife Virginia's Chocolate Cake, the best I've ever made, and Charcoal-Grilled Prawns with Jalape'o Marinade. I have changed the following recipe slightly and doubled it, because you won't be able to stop eating it.
Charcoal-Grilled Prawns with Jalape'o Marinade
2 dozen jumbo shrimp, raw, peeled
Juice of 3 lemons
Juice of 3 limes
6 jalape'o peppers
1⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1⁄4 cup white wine
4 cloves garlic, pressed or diced
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1⁄2 tsp. fresh ginger, chopped
Salt to taste
- Marinate peeled shrimp in lime and lemon juice for 20 minutes. Save juice.
- Grill shrimp over medium heat 3 minutes per side. When done (opaque and firm), cut into three chunks each. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, split jalape'os in half, remove seeds, and roast on grill. When blackened slightly, chop fine and mix with lemon-lime juice, olive oil and white wine.
- Mix jalape'o marinade, garlic, cilantro and ginger in flat saucepan. Heat to boiling and let boil for 1 minute, then lower to a simmer and add shrimp.
- Heat just until shrimp are hot. Salt dish to taste.
- Serve in a bowl with toothpicks for eating and tortilla chips on the side. However, it's so good I often want to eat it with a spoon.
'Farm House Cookbook' and 'Italian Farmhouse Cookbook' by Susan Herrmann Loomis
At this point, after years of using and modifying her recipes, I'd probably buy any cookbook Loomis put together. She gathers recipes from farmers, winemakers and garlic-growers like Don Christopher and then puts her own twist on things. Some of my favorites include The Dufner's Favorite Meal (long-baked chicken with onions) and Grandmother's Green Beans.
'Barefoot in Paris' and 'Barefoot Contessa Family Style' by Ina Garten
Her recipes are simple, inventive and delicious. I've hardly tried a recipe from her books that I don't like - no, make that, love! She's got a whole set of books chronicling her many years of testing recipes for her gourmet food shop. I'll probably have them all, eventually. For now, try the following recipe, adapted from one of hers:
This dinner has been tested, then re-tested on the toughest critics: my extended family. It passed on all accounts. It's so fast, so easy, and looks so elegant. It's adapted from one by Ina Garten in "Family Style." It's especially great for summer because there's such a beautiful contrast between the salty, crunchy chicken and the fresh and cool lemon greens on top. Please do yourself a favor and try it.
Parmesan Chicken with Arugula Salad
2 lbs. chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
2 cups flour
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
4 eggs
1 Tbsp. cold water
2 cups bread crumbs
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Butter
Olive oil
Block of Parmesan cheese
- Pound chicken to 1⁄4 inch or use thin-sliced chicken breast steaks (Foster Farms makes a good version).
- In one pie pan, combine flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder. In second pie pan, beat eggs with water. In third pie pan, combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.
- Dip each chicken breast into flour, then into eggs, then into bread crumbs, pressing the bread crumbs into chicken breast on both sides with your fingers. As each chicken breast is finished, put onto a cookie sheet (put parchment between layers).
- At this point, either refrigerate breaded chicken breasts or you can allow to sit for a few minutes while you gather diners. You don't want to start cooking the chicken until everyone is ready to eat, because it takes no time at all and you want to serve it piping hot. In the meantime, mix up the salad (recipe follows).
- When everyone is ready to eat, heat up two cast-iron or other heavy skillets. Put one pat of butter and 2 Tbsp. olive oil in each skillet. When butter is sizzling, add your first chicken fillets. Pan fry for about 2 minutes per side, or until golden brown with some flecks of dark brown.
- Remove to a platter, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and keep warm in a pre-heated 350-degree oven. Repeat, adding more butter and oil as necessary, until all breasts have been cooked.
- To serve, put one hot chicken breast on each plate. Top with salad, then shave a little Parmesan on top of salad. Serve absolutely immediately - do not delay. Serves 6.
Arugula Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
2 small bunches arugula
1 head frisee lettuce
1/2 head butter lettuce
2 cups olive oil
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (do not substitute bottled)
1 tsp. salt (or to taste)
1⁄2 tsp. pepper (or to taste)
- Mix all dressing ingredients together. Toss with lettuce shortly before serving.
Happy cooking!
Jenny Derry Jenny Midtgaard Derry is the owner of Jenny Derry Design Inc., a residential design firm specializing in remodels. She lives in Gilroy with her husband and daughters. Write: Jenny's Kitchen c/o The Dispatch, P.O. Box 22365, Gilroy CA 95020. E-mail: jderry@garlic.com.
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