Thursday, June 17, 2010

The green book of the week: Farm to Fork (or: How to eat well when you watch the World Cup)


















Just in time for the 2010 World Cup, we have a great book on local food that will make sure your mouth will be filled with delicous local food the next time you shout goalllllllllll to your TV screen.


Our book is:

Farm to Fork: Cooking Local, Cooking Fresh

Author: Emeril Lagasse

Chef Emeril Lagasse is the chef/proprietor of 10 restaurants, including three in New Orleans, Louisiana (Emeril’s, NOLA, and Emeril’s Delmonico); three in Las Vegas, Nevada (Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House, Delmonico Steakhouse, and Table 10); two in Orlando, Florida (Emeril’s Orlando and Tchoup Chop); one in Miami, Florida (Emeril’s Miami Beach), and one in Gulfport, Mississippi (Emeril’s Gulf Coast Fish House).

Lagasse is a national TV personality, has hosted over 1,500 shows on the Food Network, and is the food correspondent for ABC’s Good Morning America. He is the host of Emeril Green, a new series exploring fresh and seasonal ingredients on Discovery Communications’ Planet Green, an eco-lifestyle network. His show, Essence of Emeril, can be seen on Food Network, and Emeril Live appears on both the Fine Living network and Food Network.

Publisher: HarperStudio

Published on: June 2010

What this book is about?
In this extraordinary new book, Emeril Lagasse continues his lifelong commitment to using fresh, local ingredients in his restaurants and home kitchen. He has spent the past thirty years building close relationships with farmers, fishermen, and ranchers. Farm to Fork is his guide to help you explore the great local bounty through fifteen flavorful chapters—sweet summer in "The Three Sisters: Corn, Beans, and Squash," juicy "Berries, Figs, and Melons," sublime naturally raised meats in "Out on the Range," fresh catch in "Fresh Off the Dock," and home canning tips from "Home Economics: Preserving the Harvest."

Fill your basket with the ripest ingredients from every season at the markets (or your backyard garden) and dig into delicious recipes such as Sweet Potato Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter, Cheesy Creole Tomato Pie, Honey-Brined Pork Chops with Nectarine Chutney, Watermelon Rind Crisp Sweet Pickles, and Rhubarb Strawberry Crisp. Even learn how to make your own cheese and pasta at home. Emeril shares his love for fresh from-the-fields foods—and the heritage of the artisans who bring them to the table.

What we think about it?
I don't know a
bout you, but for me these days are all about soccer. Yes, the world cup has started and it's one big colorful festival that puts everything aside. Except food of course, because a) we still need to eat something and b) somehow watching 22 players running on the field makes me hungry..

If you add to that the fact that I joined this year a CSA program and just started receiving weekly shipments of fresh vegetables and fruits from Calvert Farm, you can understand that Emeril's book came just in time for me.

So for example, last week we got beets. I opened the index and went straight to page 183, where I had a great recipe of beet "Caviar", which looked not only creative, but quite easy to deal with. And easy it was. Just in time for a light lunch during the game between the U.S. and England last Saturday. It was really delicious and I have to admit I enjoyed it more than the game..

Next came the roasted tomato tapenade with tomatoes from Newark's farmers market and some herbs from the back yard that went pretty well with Germany - Australia on Sunday. It was a great game (or at least a game with many goals) with some great food!

But even if you're not enjoying the world cup, I'm sure you will enjoy Emeril's new book. It is a local food celebration with creative yet not too complicated recipes that even those of us who aren't natural candidates for top chef can handle.

Last but not least, I want to mention Steven Freeman's beautiful photos that make you hungry as well as get you to the kitchen to start cooking right away.

Bottom Line: If you see the world cup and enjoys food, don't think twice!

Disclosure: We received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris


Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!