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so what's the book??......... On 29/06/07, Simon Wistow <simon@xxxxxxxxxx.xxx> wrote: > > Over the weekend I got recommend this book which calls itself > > "vegetarian improvisational peasant fusion cuisine for the 22nd century" > > It's totally free to download but is also available as a physical copy. > > What's interesting about it is that - and this is why, from a skim > reading, I think it's brilliant, it's a cookery book, not a recipe book. > > It talks about the "pattern" of a recipe - the syntax for a particular > dish or class of dishes. For example chapter 4 has a section called 'the > pattern "how to curry anything you damn well please"' and has paragraphs > like > > > "the key with cooking dry spices is to brown them enough to release > their flavors. most spices you buy have traveled magnificent > distances and have lost much of their potency along the way. any > remaining umph can be released through heat - mix your spices > together, sprinkle the mixture over your becoming-curry after the > wet spices have been given a chance to brown, and stir constantly. > they will threaten to burn and you WILL NOT BACK DOWN. continue to > stir until you can smell every element of your spice mixture (even > the salt, dammitt) in every corner of the house. only then may you > go on. if you stop earlier you will end up with the grainy powdered > taste of weakness instead of the full mystical flavors of The > Orient." > > > and in general goes into what something should look, feel and smell like > when it's done and more importantly - Why. > > It also has variations on recipes which are, if not completely > different, then sufficently different to instil in you the sense that > There's More Than One Way To Do It. > > I have to admit I haven't read the book cover to cover yet nor have I > actually cooked anything form it but I'd like (or hope) to think that if > I wrote a book on cooking it wouldn't be a million miles from this > because form a first glance I agree with everything, even the stuff I > don't agree with. > > > > [ detached attachment ]
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