Cooking Up a Storm: Recipes Lost and Found

From destruction comes the new. There’s lots of ways to say that, some more poetic than others. There’s even more ways to see that. Hurricane Katrina was heavy on the former before even a trace of the later was anywhere in sight. During the aftermath, rebuilding and rebirthing, The Times-Picayune became a post-hurricane swapping spot for recipes that were washed away. Marcelle Bienvenu decided to take 250 of these salvaged gems and create Cooking Up a Storm: Recipes Lost and Found. Not only does this book champion one of the greatest cuisines on the planet but it chronicles one of the most devastating events to hit the United States through the stories of the recipes creators.

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Culture | Books

Food and the City Book

With the every exploding foodie craze devouring New York, a book like Ina Yalof ’s Food and the City is a peephole into the minds of those on the front lines. Cutting through the clutter of food tweets, Instagram gasto-sensational pics and verbose bloggers (present company included) Ina interviews New York’s pro chefs, restaurateurs, line cooks, street vendors, and purveyors getting to the root of their passion for their daily grind. In a lot of ways, this will reground us all to why we care so much about this newly crowned food lifestyle popularity in the first place.

Culture | Books

The Mad Feast

We’re going to let the book jacket write this one for us because it’s succinctly so many things we live for. The Mad Feast is a richly illustrated culinary tour of the United States through fifty signature dishes, and a radical exploration of our gastronomic heritage. We’re kinda obsessed with dishes that define cities and states. Matthew Gavin Frank does just that and digs in the history of each to boot. If you follow the Drool List, you know we’re entering travel season. This one makes us want to dust off the luggable loo and mount up the truck for an epic cross country zig zag…again.

Culture | Books

A Confederacy of Dunces Cookbook

We left New Orleans with a copy of John Kennedy Toole’s a Confederacy of Dunces in our digital back pocket. We were inspired to read the comedic, novel depicting Ignatius J. Reilly’s exploits because of Cynthia LeJeune Nobles’ cookbook of the same name. The Confederacy of Dunces Cookbook is a series of dishes inspired by 1960’s New Orleans and Ignatius’ favorite foods. The research that went into this book is incredible. I’m not sure which one I suggest you read first. Maybe read them both and cook simultaneously for a real immersive trip.

yakitori recipes from Chicken on Charcoal

Culture | Books

Chicken on Charcoal is your quick Tokyo trip

The world’s most popular meat sizzling on a skewer over a smokey high end charcoal fire. Yes and YES. We’ll take our chicken yakitorized any day. Originally popularized in the 1950’s after Americans introduced broiler chickens to Japan, (Leave it to us to blow up portions and popularize the American food dream) this street food was initially shamed because the smell and act of cooking meat was shunned in much of Japanese culture. Thankfully the tasty sticks proliferated and once popular enough on Tokyo corners they moved into restaurant setting and spread beyond Japan. Our first encounter with the delicious, and often obscure, chicken parts was at, now shuttered, Yakitori Torys, a semi-secret second floor spot off a random street in Hell’s Kitchen. The second feasting came shortly after on a quick 48 hrs pitstop in Tokyo. This provided us the authentic experience we craved after our NYC introduction. A decade later chicken on sticks have become much more popular and prevalent. When we saw Yardbird Chicken on Charcoal published by chef Matt Abergel we jumped on it. Having never been to his famed Hong Kong spot YardBird, we brought the restaurant to us through his award winning recipes. This bird bible is packed with easy moves to grill all summer long. Quick recipes, many with that weird stuff we mentioned before, make for goodness on any page. Chicken hearts, butts you name it, Matt cooks beak to tail. He explains more here. Most of you won’t be on your way to Hong Kong anytime soon so turn your backyard or balcony into a 1950’s Tokyo street stall for a night with the help of Matt and his cookbook. It’s as close to international travel as you’ve been in months. Enjoy the trip. And, if you jump to Yardbird’s site you can grab one of these awesome souvenir shirt.

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