14 best chronicle books mediterranean cookbooks

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Quinoa and grilled sourdough salad

This summery bread salad isn't much short of a whole meal. I have taken the traditional Arab fattoush, changed the bread and bulked it up with quinoa, which is the only grain I dare to use in this salad as it's very light and delicate. A lot rests here on the poor tomato. If your tomatoes are sweet and juicy you may not need as much dressing to perk them up. If they are 'dry' and bland you may want to add a bit more. Leave the prepared salad to sit a little so the bread croutons can soften up - unless you want them mega-crunchy.

Serves 4

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the quinoa in a saucepan of boiling water and cook for 9 minutes, or until tender. Drain in a fine sieve, rinse under cold water and leave to dry.

Brush the bread with a little bit of olive oil and sprinkle with some salt. Lay the slices on a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, turning them over halfway through. The bread should be completely dry and crisp. Remove from the oven and allow to cool down, then break by hand into different-sized pieces.

Cut the tomatoes into roughly 3/4-ince dice and put in a mixing bowl. Cut the cucumbers into similar-size pieces and add to the tomatoes. Add all the remaining ingredients, including the quinoa and croutons, and stir gently until everything is mixed well together. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

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The Tartine Way

The bread at San Francisco's legendary Tartine Bakery sells out within an hour almost every day. At 5 P.M., these rugged, magnificent loaves are drawn from the oven. The first cut yields steam and room-filling aroma, exposing an open and tender interior underneath the burnished, substantial crust. This distinctive bread was developed by renowned baker Chad Robertson over a decade of working with one of the finest artisan bakers in the United States and France, followed by another decade baking solo in a small wood-fired oven on the coast of Northern California. The following for this singular bread far exceeds the bakery's limited daily production.

Only a handful of bakers have apprenticed to learn the techniques Chad has developed.

Now it's your turn to make this bread with your own hands. Clear instructions and hundreds of step-by-step photos put you by Chad's side as he shows you how to make exceptional and elemental bread using just flour, water, and salt.

Chad then explains how it all works and shows how variations from this master recipe lead to wonderfully diverse breads. Soon you will be able to create your own unique and personal loaf. Also included are more than 30 sweet and savory recipes using the day-old bread to make sandwiches, classic soups, puddings, delicious baked French toast, and an addictive Kale Caesar.

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Sweet, Salty, Spicy Pecans

These Nuts Are Madly Addictive. They’re perfect to serve with cocktails, toss over salads, or just keep around the house over the holidays.They also make a delicious homemade gift. The best part? You only need four simple ingredients to make them—and, if you start right now, you’ll be done in 15 minutes.

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F [180°C] and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a rimmed 13-by-18‑in [33-by-46‑cm] baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, salt, and cayenne.

3. Add the pecans to the sugar mixture, along with 4 teaspoons of water. Stir until the sugar is dissolved into a sticky glaze and all the nuts are evenly coated. (If the mixture is still too powdery after stirring for a while, it’s okay to add a few more drops of water—just don’t add

too much).

4. Transfer the pecans to the prepared baking sheet and arrange in a single layer. Scrape every last bit of glaze from the bowl and drizzle over the nuts. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the pecans are crusty on top and caramelized and golden on the bottom. Immediately slide.

the parchment off of the hot baking sheet and allow the pecans to cool completely on the countertop. Once cool, remove the pecans from the parchment, breaking apart any clusters if necessary, and store in an airtight.

container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. (Do not freeze).

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Forget Your Pasta Machine

A sfoglia, the heart of this book, is a sheet of pasta rolled by hand. Some people form it with a pasta machine. If you follow Evan Funke on Instagram already know his feelings on that...

Being a sfoglino, or pasta maker, in Bologna is a position of honor, deeply rooted in the city’s cultural history, traditions, and lore. For hundreds of years, bolognese pasta makers have practiced their daily ritual of rolling pasta by hand in laboratori (workshops) and homes all over the city. Sfoglini are the very foundation of bolognese cuisine.

The recipes in this book include traditional, centuries-old pasta forms such as Tagliatelle and Lasagna, as well as some creative ones, such as the Smeraldine. In accordance with the customs of Bologna, pasta shapes are paired with specific sauces. Buon appetito!

CESTINI AGLI ASPARAGI

This filled pasta unites a favorite spring vegetable with Parmigiano-Reggiano. Each spring, they appear together across the Italian peninsula in a variety of ways, including in pastas and risottos. The asparagus and salty cheese contrast beautifully.

MINESTRA DI VERURDA CON SORPRESINE

Bologna’s cold winter months are dominated by hardy vegetables, such as bitter leafy greens and sweet heads of cabbage. What is nice about this soup is that it’s warming and filling without being heavy.

GARGANELLI CON RAGÙ DI AGNELLO

This braised lamb ragù is an Easter specialty in Emilia-Romagna, marrying the Christian symbolism of the sacrificial lamb with the natural rhythms of nature. In Bologna, suckling lambs are slaughtered in spring just as peas come into season. The tender meat is simmered with herbs and sweet seasonal peas, resulting in a soulful sauce with deep flavor.

STRICHETTI ALLA ROMAGNOLA

Romagna is the often-overlooked neighbor to the east of Emilia. While it is home to beach resorts, such as Rimini and Riccione, its cuisine is definitely overshadowed by the globally revered food of Bologna, Modena, and Parma. That said, the dishes of Romagna are simple, satisfying, and easy to prepare, and this pasta is no exception.

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Nominated for a 2020 James Beard Award: Vegetable-Focused Cooking

Ruffage focuses on the simple techniques that help any cook prepare a variety of delicious vegetables in a number of ways. This vegetable focused cookbook tackles the question home cooks ask themselves about vegetables: How do I cook this? How do I make this exciting? Do I store this in the fridge? How do I make this into dinner?

Ruffage offers new strategies and practical advice from Abra Berens, an exciting new chef and farmer in the Midwest, and features 100 straightforward recipes, each with 3 or more variations, organized alphabetically by vegetable.

Asparagus: Pan Roasted

My mother was a wonderful cook, mastering everything from spit-roasted woodcock to the perfect cream sauce. But she cooked asparagus all to hell. The asparagus of my childhood was microwaved until it turned the color of 1970s bathroom tiles—and was simultaneously limp and stringy—naturally I looked askance at any mention of asparagus on a menu. The first bright green, just-cooked, and still-crisp stalks, rolled in butter and salt, stole my heart; I’ve never been the same since.

The key to a good pan roast is to give it the time and space to cook. Overcrowding the pan will steam the vegetable or at least make it cook unevenly. Caramelization won’t happen if you insist on stirring every 5 seconds. Trust yourself and your pan. Allow it to brown a bit, then give it one good turn to sear the other side. Transfer to a plate, garnish, and eat.

Heat oil in a skillet over high heat until just about smoking. Add the asparagus so that they all lie in a single layer. Allow the asparagus to get a good sear on one side. Roll the spears over and brown the other side. Turn off the heat. Add the butter and let it melt. Roll the stalks in the butter until coated.

Serve sprinkled with crunchy salt and chopped herbs.