Feasting At The Tree of Knowledge

Thanks to the internet, I believe that cookbooks are going the way of dinosaurs, believable home run records and newspapers. Why buy an entire book for just a couple of recipes? Why pay any money at all when every recipe in the history of man is available for free somewhere on the net? Nope, cookbooks are well on their way to being relegated to the dustbins of history. (Whatever a dustbin is).

SeaShell Sal and I own over 45 cookbooks. This does not include cut up magazines, or stuffed notebooks. We're often asked about them. Which ones we like, which ones we hate. The truth is I've never found the perfect cookbook. Like food, some are too dry, some are overproduced and others are just plain bad.

That said, today they still have some value. For novice, expert, and everyone in between, it's always helpful to be able to quickly pick up a hard copy of something in order to inspire or inform. I mean really, who is going to go over to their computer in the middle of preparing dinner and try and find out the exact measurements for a hollandaise. No chance, you're going to have the book open to the page, ready and waiting to help.

So here are my recommendations for the books every cook should own. I've categorized them into five groups.


Group 1 The Reference Library

"The Joy of Cooking", Irma Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker and Ethan Becker. Anyone who has ever expressed the least amount of interest in cooking has been given this book. It is the reference bible of cooking. A bit like reading the dictionary, but like a dictionary, indispensable when you need it.

"Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1", Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, Simone Beck and Sidonie Coryn. Julia's version and still the best. A bit more interesting to read than Joy, and chock full of useful info.

I've also heard a lot of good things about Bitman's "How to Cook Everything", though I have no personal experience with it.

Group 2 Technique and Cuisine Specific

"Baking with Julia", Dorie Greenspan. A collection of baking recipes from Julia Child's extensive list of friends. SeaShell Sal loves this book.

"The Silver Spoon", Phaidon Press. This is the Italian "Joy of Cooking". Though really I think of it as the Mediterranean Joy. Some poor illustrations and the occasional lapse in measurement detail (probably lost in translation) keep this book from being number one on my list. You could cook from this book for the rest of your life and not be bored.

"Italy Al Dente", Biba Caggiano. Surprisingly more traditional and approachable than Silver Spoon. This book is worth it just for the risotto and pasta recipes.

Group 3 The Everyday Library

"Everyday Italian" and "Giada's Family Dinners", Giada DeLaurentiis. You all know my love for Giada. These are two books that make cooking flavorful meals fast and easy. Recipes are clear and to the point. Ingredient lists rarely get very long and, best of all, she's happy to take shortcuts to make the process even easier.

"The Silver Palate Cookbook", Julee Rosso and Shiela Lukins. SS Sal's favorite to cook from, especially appetizers.

"Slow Cooker Cooking", Lora Brody. A Crockpot book? Are you some sort of crackpot. No. I know that everything out of a crockpot tastes basically the same, wet and stringy. Not with Brody. This is a great book during the long winter months in the upper midwest.

"Weber's Real Grilling", Jamie Purviance and Tim Turner. The perfect book for the spring, summer and fall in the upper midwest. Hundreds of recipes, each one with a photo.

Group 4 The One-Offs

I'm not going to list books in this category. This is the place for cookbooks that have one really great recipe and nothing else. I have a number of these books.

Group 5 What Was I Thinking

This group is a lot like a cowboy hat bought on ski vacation, it seems like a good idea at the time, but just looks really stupid when you get home. This group is populated by books with lots of really pretty pictures with recipes written by semi-literate chefs. If you've ever bought a cookbook at a popular local restaurant, chances are you own a book in this category. I won't be sharing my shame in this category either.

That's it. In the end the true test of a cookbook is are you cooking from it. If you've tried 3 recipes from a new book and don't like any of them, chances are high that it's a loser.

If you want to jump in I recommend The Silver Spoon if you're adventurous, the Giada books if not or Weber's Grilling for the upcoming months. Just remember you can buy them through my amazon link on the left column of this page.

Talk to you soon.

Veal Stew and The Other Woman

In keeping with recent news events, the time has come for me to confess some personal failings.

No, I haven't had an affair, I mean I'm not governor of New York for God's sake.

But I am in love with another woman.

She's young, beautiful, vivacious and a wonderful cook. She hosts her own TV show while making countless appearances on other programs. If things weren't bad enough, she's married too. But our love can't be denied. I'm of course speaking of Giada. Giada De Laurentiis, the name tumbles from my lips like her bosom overflowing the top of her blouse.

Have you seen this woman's zabagliones? Of course you have, if you've watched her show for thirty seconds you are intimately familiar with her Dolomites. If the low cut tops weren't enough, have you ever noticed that everything, (and I mean everything), she uses while cooking forces her to lean over and reach across her work surface? I thought a great drinking game would be to have a shot, a double of course, every time Giada leaned forward while on camera. After watching the show a couple of times I realized you'd be in a coma by the first commercial.

Don't get Crabby wrong; I am NOT complaining! I mean really, which Italian Chef would you rather look at, crocs wearing Mario Batali or scoop-necked Giada? I am willing to watch Giada all day, every day. Now, I can hear some of you out there saying, "But Crabby, aren't you happily married to Sea Shell Sal?" Yes I am. I've been in love with SS Sal for 27 years, and if actuarial tables are to believed, I will be in love with her for approximately 27 more. Which is why I'm going to miss her terribly when I run off with Giada.



OK, all joking aside, while Food Network has turned her into the Sophia Loren of the kitchen, Giada is a hell of a cook. SS Sal and I own two of her cookbooks, "Everyday Italian" and "Giada's Family Dinners". Both are fantastic, we've never had a bad meal cooking from either. The recipes are simple and straightforward. They typically only use a few ingredients and she's very willing to employ time and work saving shortcuts. This is what cooking should be; so finish reading this post and then click the Amazon button on this page and buy at least one of these books, (I prefer "Everyday Italian" as a first choice). You'll be cooking from them for a long, long time.

Well, time for a recipe. In tribute to Giada, and in acknowledgement that sex sells, your leader Crabby Cook, will be writing the rest of this post topless. Those who may be offended should skip past this following picture and proceed directly to the recipe.













Veal Stew with Cipollini Onions (serves 4-6)
from Giada De Laurentiis', "Giada's Family Dinners"

14 cipollini onions
2 Tbsp olive oil
2.5 lb veal stew meat
salt and pepper
1/3 C flour
3 garlic cloves
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 1/4 C dry white wine
2 1/2 C chicken stock
7 or 8 oz can diced tomatoes in their juice
7 small red-skinned potatoes
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 C fresh parsley for garnish



In a pot, boil the unpeeled cipollinis for 2 minutes. Drain and let cool. Cut off the root ends and peel (this is the biggest pain of preparing this meal but worth it, expect to take about 5 minutes to peel the onions). Heat the oil in the stock pot, (preferably a dutch oven) over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the veal with salt and pepper and then coat with flour. Add veal to pot in batches and cook until browned on all sides (about 8 minutes total per batch). Set aside. Add garlic and thyme to the same pot and saute for about 30 seconds. Add the wine and deglaze the pan, scraping up all the crispy bits after the wine comes to a boil. Simmer over medium-high heat until reduced by half (about 3 minutes). Return the veal to the pot.


Add the broth and tomatoes with juice. Partially cover and simmer on low-medium heat for 15 minutes. Add the onions, potatoes and carrots and simmer uncovered for about 45 minutes, the sauce will thicken as it cooks. Stir in parsley, season with salt and pepper and serve in bowls with thick wedges of crusty bread.

This is a bit harder meal to prepare than what we've done to date, but well worth it.

Prep Time: 25-30 minutes
Active Cooking Time: 30-40 minutes
Passive Cooking Time: 45 minutes


I love this meal. You could probably try it with beef or lamb instead of veal, though a lot of the subtlety would be lost.

Serve with an Italian Barbera d'Asti; candidates that should be widely available:
Michele Chiarlo Barbera d'Asti $12-$15 (Italy), La Famiglia de Robert Mondavi $18-$20 (California) or Renwood Barbera $20-$25 (California). If you can find it, and it won't be easy outside of the big cities, Poderi Alasia Barbera d'Asti Rive 2005 $25 (Italy), a spectacular example of this type of wine.

Alright crablings, Easter's coming up so I may not post until Sunday or Monday. Enjoy the stew, and just remember, you can do it, you can cook.


P.S. Giada, when you read this, call me babe.

On Poodles, Pots and Pork Roast

My mother-in-law Jeanne has a toy poodle named Henri. Henry is approximately 8 pounds of hair and attitude.

Two years ago my in-laws were planning to spend some extended time in the Caribbean and Henri wasn't going to be able to make the trip. While the official story is that there was some confusion regarding his immunization record, there has always been a nagging suspicion that in our post 9/11 world, Homeland Security had placed Henri on its "no-fly" list. Regardless of the reason, Henri came to live with us. What made the experience interesting is that Seashell Sal has always been allergic to animals, yet for some inexplicable reason she was perfectly fine around him (I know, I know, everyone says poodles are OK for allergy sufferers).

A visit that was supposed to be a few weeks turned into nearly three months. In fact it went so well that when it came time for Hank to go home, we decided to get our own poodle. You'll be hearing about Marley in the future (by the way, he's named after Bob the singer, not that spastic dog from the book).

As a thank you gift, Jeanne bought me an oval, 6 3/4 Quart, cast iron, enamel coated Le Creuset Dutch Oven. While it took me some time to get fully acclimated to the pot, it's become one of my indispensable tools in the kitchen. The pot is versatile, heavy and retains its heat superbly. At 6 3/4 quarts it can handle a 5 lb. chicken, a 5 - 6 rib pork roast, any kind of soup and undoubtedly an eight pound toy poodle, though that would be a recipe for another day.

Le Creuset products are expensive. But it's my personal opinion that you're better off buying a few high quality pieces instead of repeatedly spending money on throw away products. You'll have this pot forever. You'll leave it to your kids. They can bury you in it. The uses are endless. I'm sure other people make good enamel coated cast iron products, but I've only had experience with Le Creuset. I'm a fan, if you get one you will be as well.

Today's recipe is from The Silver Spoon Cookbook (Phaidon Press). It's my understanding that this cookbook is the Italian equivalent of The Joy of Cooking, it's a great book and we'll be seeing a number of recipes from it.



Roast Pork with Orange
Arrosto All'Arancia

Serves 4

3 Tablespoons Butter
1 cup Orange Juice (strained)
1 teaspoon orange rind
1 garlic clove, chopped
Pinch of Red Flakes (more or less depending on how spicy you like things)
Pinch of dried oregano
4 rib Frenched Pork Loin roast (Frenched means the ends of the bones have been scraped clean)
Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 deg. Melt the butter in a pot, add the orange juice, orange rind, garlic, red pepper flakes and oregano. Rub the roast with salt and pepper. Place the roast in a dutch oven (uncovered) or in a roasting pan. Pour on the butter and juice mixture. Baste occasionally while roasting. Remove from the oven after 1 1/2 hours. Lightly cover the roast with foil and let rest for 10 - 15 minutes. Carve, serve with potatoes and steamed asparagus. Sit back and bask in your new found talent.

Wine ideas: German Riesling, California Sauvignon Blanc or California Merlot

Sorry no pictures today, if you've done it right, and you have if you've followed the directions, the roast will have a glossy brown color and the potatoes will have an almost candied flavore.

Tip 1: You can do the same thing we did with the chicken and place small potatoes under the pork and roast them together.

Tip 2: You can go half lemon juice and half orange juice in the butter for a bit more bite.

Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Active Cooking Time: 5 minutes (melting butter, come on how hard is that?)
Passive Cooking Time: 1 1/2 hours
Clean-Up: One roasting pan and the pot for the butter.


OK crablings, that's it for meal number two. Go forth and roast. You may have noticed I've added a link to Amazon on the side bar. You can get the cookbook and all sorts of Le Creuset stuff there if you're interested. See you in few days, until then...

Remember, you can do it, you can cook.