M. Suzanne Terry

I am so excited to share some of my favorite latest foodie reads/listens with you today. I found something inspiring in each one of them, and I hope you do, too!

• A Table in Venice: Recipes From My Home by Skye McAlpine – This love story of Venice and its vibrant smorgasbord of flavors was a joy to read. There are a lot of recipes in here that I have absolutely zero interest in making myself (looking at you, duck and fish recipes), but I did enjoy learning about them, and the pictures are so beautiful. It makes me want to bake, and I heartily approve of the habit of decadent pastries for breakfast. Also, I’m 100% on board with any cookbook that has multiple recipes for risotto. This is one I want to add to my own collection.
• A Literary Tea Party: Blends and Treats for Alice, Bilbo, Dorothy, Jo, and Book Lovers Everywhere by Alison Walsh – I need this book, too, if for no other reason than it has given me some great ideas for my Alice-in-Wonderland 50th birthday party in a couple of years. As the title suggests, it has decadent recipes for all types of tea parties, only with a literary twist. I was especially fascinated with the section on making your own tea blends – perhaps I’ll give that a whirl at some point. 
• Giada’s Italy: My Recipes for La Dolce Vita by Giada de Laurentiis – I like the way the recipes are divided up between amazing things that don’t take a lot of time to make and more complicated recipes that are definitely worth the effort but maybe something to save for when you have a whole afternoon and easy evening. This book works really well with my own eating rhythms and rituals, so I think it’s another one I’m going to need to buy. I’m most excited about trying the apricot mostarda as a delicious addition to my next antipasti plate.
• Go-To Dinners: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten – I looooove Ina Garten. I love her signature kind of pickiness (“If you can’t make your own ___, store-bought is fine”), but I also appreciate how much she has mellowed over the years, and that really shows in this cookbook. It still contains well-tested recipes with high-quality instructions (e.g., notes that “The batter will look curdled” are much appreciated for second-guessers such as myself), but with a more relaxed feel. She still includes some of her more finicky tastes but also gives alternatives. The recipes in this volume are easy; in fact, some are just assembly and require no cooking at all. I love the different boards (i.e., breakfast board, dessert board, etc.) she includes. The recipes I’m looking forward to trying the most are the potato fennel soup, chipotle cheddar crackers, and easy eggs in purgatory.
• Wiser Than Me – Julia Louis-Dreyfus interviews Ruth Reichl. I did not even get past Julia’s introduction before I was tearing up. I knew it would be special. I grew up in a family that built memories around food, but it was Ruth Reichl who actually inspired me to write down my own. I don’t remember which of her memoirs I read first (see below), but it was my first experience of food writing. Combining food and story in such a tangible way forever changed the way I see both. I may never meet her (and if I ever do, be prepared for me to never shut up about it), but I am so grateful for the impact she has had on my life, and I highly encourage you to start with this interview and then proceed to read everything she’s ever written.

I don’t remember if it was in Comfort Me With Apples or Tender at the Bone where Ruth Reichl shared Danny Kaye’s lemon pasta, but I have been playing around with my own version of it ever since. Here is how I make it (currently).

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Juice and zest of one lemon
• As much minced garlic as you want (normal people would suggest something like “2 cloves” but that just doesn’t seem like enough to me)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Salt and pepper
• 1 pound pasta (I like orecchiette or shells, but a flat pasta like fettuccine is traditionally what is recommended for cream sauces)
• ½-1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (Who am I kidding – I grate a bowl of Parmesan to stir into the pasta dish and snack on the chunks that didn’t quite get grated while cooking. I don’t measure it. Buy a block of good Parmesan and just use it all. Save the rind to make soup stock.)
• Fresh herbs such as parsley or basil for serving

Instructions:

1. Put a large pot of water on to boil. Salt generously.
2. In a large skillet (I use a 10- or 12-inch), warm oil, butter, lemon juice, and zest on medium heat until butter is melted. Add garlic and cook for about 2 minutes.
3. Reduce heat to the low side of medium and add cream and pepper. Stir occasionally throughout the cooking process.
4. While the cream sauce thickens (keep stirring occasionally), add pasta to boiling water. Allow to cook until al dente (8-10 minutes, depending on the type of pasta).
5. Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet with the cream sauce. Add cheese and stir to coat.
6. Sprinkle with fresh herbs to serve.

One of my favorite things about this recipe is that, on days when I want this but am not doing dairy, I just leave out the butter, cream, and cheese. If you do it this way, you don’t need to substitute other ingredients but wait to saute the garlic with the oil and lemon until after you add the pasta to the pot of water, as that part of the process won’t take as long without the cream. It’s not quite as decadent as the creamy version, but it’s still delicious. You can’t mess it up.

I hope you have a good weekend and get time to enjoy some of your favorite recipes!

I’m writing about the food that reminds me of home – both past and present – this month.