Well-Nourished

Jennifer McGruther's cookbook feels like a book of love.  Her approach to food mirrors mine so I was quite excited to read her cookbook.  Instead of advising you to swear off carbs or meat forever, she encourages you to eat local, nutrient dense, and focus on quality over quantity.  Just say no to processed foods.

The Paleo diet forbids legumes so I found the section where she lists the nutrients legumes offer quite informative and helpful.  I enjoyed reading her recipes for sardines, bone marrow, elk and anchovies -- ingredients often overlooked.  

As someone who strives to be a fit foodie and is a fitness ambassador, I wish some of her recipes used less butter, less cream, less sugar (albeit honey, maple syrup).  The art of fermentation chapter is useful for any gardeners facing an overabundance and worried about fermenting vegetables safely.  There is a fine line, and McGruther guides you.

The photographs are lovely, but the book could've used more.   Some of the most delicious sounding recipes, sadly, had no photos.  And some photos like the chicken foot broth were thumbnail.

The Nourished Kitchen makes you feel warm and fuzzy all over.  The recipes are well-written, not difficult, and with a few exceptions (e.g., dulse) ingredients are not obscure.   Nourish yourselves and your loved ones.  You only have one body, embrace your health.

 "I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."

All directions point NORTH

NORTH
The New Nordic Cuisine of Iceland
by Gunnar Karl Gislason & Jody Eddy
foreword by Rene Redzepi of Noma

If I thought I wanted to visit badly before, and I did(!) thanks to New Scandinavian Cooking on PBS,  -now it's imperative.  This cookbook is a gorgeous cookbook and travelogue.  The photos are stunning, stories gripping and recipes loving.  Many of the recipes, however, are too time-consuming, and call for many hours of smoking, brining/pickling, refrigeration, rehydration.   So, I doubt I will be making many of the recipes verbatim.  But you know what they say, never say never.

The chefs do make suggested substitutions for those of us unlucky to live outside of Iceland.  Bay leaf for birch, tarragon for angelica, regular thyme for arctic thyme, et al.  I love how the cookbooks include interviews with the farmers, the fishermen, the smokers -- Restaurant Dill's providers and suppliers -- it makes you feel even closer to the food.   Certainly whets the ole appetite to know a few of them welcome tourists as well.

Some of the artistically plated masterpieces and heartfelt stories make you feel close enough to taste the love, the history and the culture.  It's so palpable that you will want to book the next flight so you can eat at Gunnar's table, and tour the country.  Damn those active volcanoes.  Then again, maybe that's how you'll get to extend your stay in Iceland.

Until I can afford to travel to Iceland, I do expect these stories and recipes to inspire me as I push my culinary boundaries and imagine an untouched natural landscape.

"I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."

You Gonna Use That Pickle?

Who doesn't love a good pickle?  

I'm not sure I want to know that person.  Then again, that person would give me their pickle :-)

Karen Solomon has put together a collection of her favorite pickles from China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia.  It is not exhaustive, nor is it meant to be.  It amazes me how many things you can pickle, and how good they taste.  I especially love her recipes are completely devoid of preservatives, artifical colors and flavorings.  Some of the pickles take weeks, others take an hour.  As an organic gardener, I love having this guide so I can preserve the bounty and extend the season.  

The photographs are beautfiul and look fresh, like you can reach out and taste them.   I was pleasantly surprised to see a spinach with sesame recipe -- it fit the pantry and the palate.   Simply delicious.  Plus the spinach keeps for four days  in the refrigerator, if covered and refrigerated.  My garden is long on long beans, so I also enjoyed her salt-cured long beans with ginger. 

This book is a wonderful resource and guide for the pickle lover.

"I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."