If you’ve read my profile you may recall that I learned to bake in Canada by reading magazines and that I learned to cook in England by reading books. My cookbook addiction started innocently enough with the purchase of Margaret Costa’s Four Seasons Cookery Book and Marcella Hazan’s The Classic Italian Cookbook. Soon cookbooks were piled up in the kitchen, on the coffee table and on my bedside table…
I now have a rather large collection of cookbooks which I have amassed over the years, some from joining a book club (a mistake) many from scouring second hand bookshops and others that I have received as gifts. I have many tried, tested and loved recipes from these books which I make over and over again. I also have some newer books from which I haven’t had the chance to make anything. I thought that it would be rather nice to start a regular post to feature recipes which I have cooked from my embarrassingly extensive collection, noting any changes or suggestions along the way – I have named this series of recipes, Cook the Books.
If you have a favourite cookbook or recipe from one, please do drop me a line in the comments box below. It’s always a pleasure to discover new books and recipes.
I too had a page something like “Cooking the Book” because I have just a ridiculous number of cookbooks, it’s kind of an addiction . . . . but I realized I have such a hard time following recipes . . . I’m just a little deviant or something but I always am short 1 or 2 things and I want to use up something else in my kitchen that isn’t in the recipe, so I put my own personal stamp on it. Marcella Hazan, though, I must say I have actually cooked many recipes to the T in that book and they are just foolproof . . . especially the Tomato Sauce with Butter and 1/2 an onion; the pesto with green beans and potato . . . and on and on. Can’t wait to see what else you’ve done in this series.
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Thanks so much – I have only just started the series so there’s not too much to see yet! I too, always seem to deviate from the given ingredients or even techniques but the inspiration is always there! Marcella Hazan was so instrumental in my cooking education – thank goodness I found her and not Fanny Craddock!!
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Okay thanks for the reply, I was wondering. I was wondering if your blog was really new, or just the series new but then I saw the 900+ followers :) Marcella was old school, no foo-foo b.s., no trends, just a flat out literate, whip-smart good cook . . .
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I have tons of cookbooks I have also collected over the years! I love the ones from volunteer organizations with tried and true recipes!
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