Books Mediterranean Grains and Greens: A Book of Savory, Sun-Drenched Recipes
Books and Publications Average Rating:

Rating: - 10 star delicious book
A Book of Savory, Sun-Drenched Recipes says it so well.

Various studies show that Americans compared to their European, Middle Eastern and Asian counterparts eat far less vegetables and far fewer types of vegetables and our health and obesity rates show it.

Fortunate for me, I grew up savouring vegetables of all kinds and pass this love onto my son. Which is why I love giving this book to friends who don't know vegetables beyond potato, tomato and corn.

Some of my friends have discovered that their child(ren) love as an example the authors recipe on page 304, Tender Young Greens with Tomato and Onion from Greece, which is stuffed in warm pita bread. The recipe calls for young salad greens found in most American produce sections, some herbs, tomato and garlic with virgin olive oil and salt.

Or the Sorrel, Spinach, and Artichoke Ragout recipe of France on page 308. Which calls for baby artichokes, fresh lemon juice, thin sliced onion, and carrots, whole cloves spices and white wine with a bit of diced salt pork for seasoning. Her bean section should make any serious eater happy, since the recipes are easy and delicious, as well as economical.

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Rating: - a disappointment
Possibly because I had been led to expect that this would be a wonder, I found it lacking when I bought it through mail order, sight unseen. I found it to be annoying in several ways. 1) There was an irritating amount of self-promotion in naming other cookbooks of Wolfert's along with other recipes not in this book. 2) I prefer a book that isn't so big on the big type. I'd rather have had more IN the book. 3) The recipes seem more California than Mediterranean, but that might be an unfair criticism. I don't live in California, but have experience with Mediterranean food. Perhaps I'm jaded, too, having other cookbooks from the region that perhaps are just too hard to compete with, though a new good one is something I'm always ready to treasure.
All round, though, I was disappointed. But I gave this book to an English friend who likes to cook, but who had never seen a dried fig till I showed her, and she loves it.

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Rating: - Rare Intelligence, Well Told, by a Major Food Writer
One of my greatest pleasures is to read a book by an author whose reputation has gained my respect even in advance of my having read any of their works. This was certainly the case when I started this book by Paula Wolfert of whom I have been reading for several years. With Elizabeth David and Claudia Roden, she is one of the three great distaff writers of Mediterranean cuisine. This is just appropriate because, as Ms. Wolfert says early in the book, the cuisine of the Mediterranean is the cuisine of women. Even so macho seeming an authority as Mario Batali confirms that most of his recipes he steals from Italian mothers and grandmothers.

This book is a pure delight for foodies to read. The depth of personal research and understanding of the material is palpable. At the same time, Ms. Wolfert exercizes one of the most valuable traits of the knowledge business in that she liberally shares with us the sources of understanding. I have no knowledge of her middle eastern sources, but names like Harold McGee, Shirly Corriher, and Nancy Silverton grace the pages with their contributions to Paula's treatise.

As the subtitle `A Book of Savory, Sun-Drenched Recipes' indicates, this is primarily just that, a book of recipes where the primary ingredient is either a grain or a green or both from a Mediterranean cuisine. But, Paula spends a considerable amount of room on introducing her subjects with valuable information, all of which is helpful and some of which is surprising. Three of my favorite discussions are:

1. Catalogue of greens by taste and by the best way to prepare them. Even books dedicated to the topic of vegetables do not give as good a precis on how to approach leafy green foods as a class. An added attraction is anechotes on episodes where Paula has accompanied people on wild greens collecting excursions.
2. Description of how to make couscous and the debunking of myths about the preparation, lead by the statement that couscous is not a pasta.
3. Essay on Spanish rice dishes grouped under the heading of arroz OTHER THAN the famous paella Valenciana. It is no surprise to learn that a true Spanish arroz must be made with a Spanish rice such as Calasparra, which can absorb up to two and a half times its weight in liquid. The Italian arborio and carnaroli rices will come close, but they are not the real deal.

Another intellectual virtue in this book is that Ms. Wolfert makes a significant effort to not repeat material from her other books, but to refer the reader to them instead. When she does, she specifically quotes the earlier volume.

The chapters in this book are:

A Bowl of Leafy Greens
Bread and Pastries
Soups
Appetizers
Salads
Light Meals
Main Course Dishes
Side Dishes
Sweet Greens and Grains
Sauces, Condiments, and Seasonings
Plus notes on wild edible greens and a generously long mail order sources appendix.

One little serendipitous encounter was when I discovered the John Cope and Company in the list of mail order sources. This was a great surprise, as Cope produces but a single product, the PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH speciality, dried corn! It turns out this is an excellent substitute for toasted corn kernels in a Turkish dish of chard stuffed with veal, corn, and mint. Who knew!

As always, Ms. Wolfert's recipe narratives are highly detailed, giving the reasons for doing each step along the way, and run the fine line between recreating the authentic dish without putting too great a strain on resources available to the typical American chicken.

In thinking about all the things the Food Network has been neglecting to tell me in their programming, it just occurred to me that it would be absolutely delightful to see a short series on major American and British food writers such as Wolfert, Ruth Reichl, Jim Villas, Diana Kennedy, and many more. Just give them 30 minutes to discuss anything they want. I cast that idea on the waters.

This book belongs on the shelf of anyone who is seriously interested in food.

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Rating: - Not quite what I expected
I was quite excited to get this book, but when I looked through it I found that it was very wordy and not so big on substance as far as recipes go. Alot of fluff with not much in terms of recipes to try. I dont know- Im not an expert, I am just glad that I only paid 4 bucks for it.