safoodie

I must admit that I am very lucky, you see, due to the fact that I talk about cookbooks during my radio segment, here on my web site, I get the opportunity to read some of the world’s finest. 
Now ever since I was a young child growing up in a military family, back when the military moved you around constantly, I have used reading as a way to escape for a little bit and relax even when everything was in turmoil around me.  I remember when one year that I went to school in Illinois, then Turkey and then Germany - what a busy third grade that was.  So I quickly learned that no matter where I was, I could read and for those moments the world settled down.
As I have gotten older I have started using this gift of reading to take me on mini adventures, from my comfortable chair I can visit a Beach Luau on Maui, or be cooking in the Hunan Province of China or BBQ on a ranch in Texas.  It is amazing because mix that imagination with real life experiences and I not only see myself in different cooking scenarios but I can imagine the aromas and the flavors.  Reading –a calorie free way to enjoy food.  Of course, after a good read, I become so hungry I have to try my hand at some of the recipes.
It is amazing how cookbooks have developed; they have gone from cut and dry volumes of recipes to History books that tell us the political and cultural climates that surround different types of cuisines or adventure tales about finding exotic spices and unique ingredients.  You will read stories of families and people, of their struggles, their victory and how food played a part.  It is now not enough to tell you how to prepare a meal, but why you prepare that meal and what it took for that meal to be.
So join me as I embark on this cookbook adventure:

Note: Please remember that I am not a fan of negative reviews.  This means that the books that I review, on this web site and on my weekly Radio segment are the cookbooks that I feel would be a valuable addition in anyone’s kitchen library. 
My wife, who is also a culinary professional (She is the executive chef and F&B for Retama Park and the Turf and Field Club) and I enjoy studying cookbooks and trying their recipes.  I hope that my simple reviews will help you choose that cookbook you have been looking for and that you will get as much pleasure as I do out of these wonderful works of culinary literature.  
Ron Smith
Living life like I cook – with SPICE!

My style of cooking is very much Pacific Rim, I enjoy working with exotic spices/ingredients and I love to study the regional cuisines across the World.  With that said, I almost have to believe that Nirmala Narine wrote this book for me, but since we had never talked to each other till after the Book I guess I was just lucky to get a copy of her book – “In Nirmala’s Kitchen”.
This is like a culinary travel guide with great little anecdote about locations and ingredients plus it is very well illustrated and Nirmala’s smile on the cover just lets you know that this is going to be fun.  I really enjoyed the breakdown by region/country and how she showcases the local cuisine.  It is also a nice touch that each region/country recipe is designed in menu form so that you can experience a full local meal from start to finish. Then Nirmala has also included a great guide to exotic and ethnic ingredients.  From start to finish this is a wonderful cookbook both to read and to take a culinary cooking journey in your own kitchen.

Melissa Guerra has delivered a cookbook that combines Texas Pride and Texas Taste.  Having spent a good part of my life here in San Antonio, I must confess that her book “Dishes from the Wild Horse Desert” strikes home with the recipes and ingredients that I have come to love.  With recipes covering the basics such as “How to render chile puree from dried chiles” to old favorites such as “Menudo” and “Barbacoa” this book allows the reader a glimpse inside the flavorful world of Tex-Mex cuisine and is a valuable guide to the world of South Texas and Mexican ingredients.  “Dishes from the Wild Horse Desert” also take a heroic leap in validating a regional cuisine that has been overshadowed by fast food and cheap imitations.  Texans are proud of their heritage, culture and food – and now there is a cookbook that embodies that. Melissa – Thank you.

What an unbelievably gorgeous cookbook, almost reminiscent of a coffee table book but that would be a horrendous injustice.  This is first and foremost a cookbook that is beautifully illustrated with photographs that cause my stomach to have pangs of hunger.  I have been a fan of Chef  Kwong since the first time I saw her on television and after looking through her cookbook my respect just continues to grow.  The book is very well laid out, starting with the ingredients then moving to stocks and even covering “Eating Chinese Style”.  On certain recipe there are step by step black and white photograph covering the technique. Chef Kwong’s artistry and passion along with her pride in her heritage come out in all her dishes, from “Prawn Wonton Soup” to “Chilli-Salt Duck Breast with Lemon”, Chef Kwong show elegance in simplicity.  There are just so many extras in this book that I know it will be a strategic part of my Asian cooking repertoire.  I have been told that she will have another cookbook out this winter and judging from the Promotional materials I have received - there is no question what I want under the Christmas tree. Kylie Kwong’s “Simple Chinese Cooking”  is simply soigné.

Fuchsia Dunlop has written a cookbook that covers the cuisine of H
unan Province while at the same time tying in a lesson about the history and culture of this ancient yet little explored region.
The Hunan province has been the birthplace of political leaders and a rich, spicy cuisine.  Ms. Dunlop throws open the culinary borders with such dishes as “Numbing and Hot Chicken”, “Chairman Mao’s Red-Braised Pork” and “Steamed Fish with Chopped Salted Chiles”.  The photographs and commentaries keep you wanting to see what is on the next page.  The beginning of the book is a great resource and introduction into the world of Hunan Style cooking.  This cookbook has quickly made its way to my “Go To” shelf.  This is one of the books that anyone who is into Chinese cooking should have.