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Tag: Clifford Wright

  • More Cookbooks that Are Great to Read Beyond the Recipes!

    Last week we posted Reading Cookbooks Can Be Simply for Pleasure. Here are a few more books that fall into that category.

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    Try These!

    Here are few great reads to recommend if you would like to begin reading cookbooks for pleasure. “A Mediterranean Feast” by food historian Clifford Wright will give you great background on foods you may think you know. “Marcella Says…” by Marcella Hazan is like taking an informal cooking class with the great master. 

      

    Diana Kennedy’s “The Art of Mexican Cooking” was my first exposure to authentic Mexican cuisine. “Hot Sour Salty Sweet” by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid told me the stories of Southeast Asia recipe-by-recipe.

      

    “The New Portuguese Table” by David Leite gave me updated insights to a food culture I only knew from a Rhode Island Portuguese immigrant population, while “Dishing up Maine” by Brooke Dojny taught me more about the culinary roots of an often visited state.

      

    “Pok Pok” by chef Andy Ricker is in my ebook collection. That makes it handy when I visit a Thai restaurant and want to remember details of some tidbit he taught me about this cuisine in its pages.

     

    If you love food culture, add a few cookbooks to your reading list. They are relaxing and educational. Audition before you buy and add to your collection by borrowing, either in physical or ebook format. And don’t forget Boston’s great used bookstores and library book sales. I check out the cookbook section every time I visit one.

    What's on your Food Lover's shopping list?

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photos: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino (Adapted for BostonZest from one of our Fresh & Local newspaper columns.)

  • March 19th Is Zeppole Day!

    When it comes to Saints' Days, March 19th, Saint Joseph's Day has corned beef and cabbage and green beer beaten by a mile with a great Italian pastry, Zeppole or Zeppole di San Giuseppe. Some bakeries will keep selling these until Easter but check before you make a special trip.

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    Many of the delicious Zeppole we've found in Boston (like the one above from Modern Pastry in the North End) are big enough to share. 

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    Photo by Kyle Bruggeman, Nebraska News21 used under this creative commons license.

    When we lived in Providence, we would buy much smaller Zeppole by the dozen like donuts (which is sort of what they are) from Federal Hill bakeries. 

    Here's a video that shows one way these little beauties are made. This smaller, baked version is the style that Penny, a native Rhode Islander, first knew. Today, we both enjoy the giant Boston-style and are most willing to get out and try your favorites if you'll let us know where to find them.

    What is your source for Zeppole and what style do you love? Add your thoughts in the comments below. Tweet them to @BostonZest or send us an email and we'll add your suggestions to this post as an update.

    And, if you want to know more about the history of this pastry, I refer you to one of my favorite food writers, Clifford Wright. I'd rather call him a food scholar. His cookbooks are amazing reference manuals.

    Related Posts:

    Zeppole from Modern Pastry

    It's Zeppole Season!

    Details:

    Words: Penny Cherubino
    Photos: © 2011 Penny Cherubino and as credited

     

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