The Pleasures of Slow Food: Celebrating Authentic Traditions, Flavors, and Recipes - Hardcover

Kummer, Corby

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0811833798 ISBN 13: 9780811833790

Publisher: Chronicle Books, 2002

Synopsis

In a world increasingly dominated by fast food, The Pleasures of Slow Food celebrates heritage recipes, artisan traditions, and the rapid evolution of a movement to make good food a part of everyday life. Slow Food is defined by how it s made: if it s allowed to ripen before it s harvested, prepared by hand and enjoyed among friends, it s Slow Food. It s a philosophy, a way to farm, a way to cook...a way to live. It s also the name of a 65,000-strong international movement, numbering among its members some of the most distinguished names in the food world. The Pleasures of Slow Food showcases over 60 recipes from the world s most innovative chefs for dishes that feature local handmade ingredients and traditional cooking methods. Premier food writer Corby Kummer also profiles Slow Food s luminaries, such as Italian cheese maker Roberto Rubino and Canadian Karl Kaiser, who makes sweet ice-wine. Pairing fantastic recipes with engaging stories, The Pleasures of Slow Food brings the best of the food world to the kitchen table.

About this title

Review:

As its name suggests, the Slow Food movement, founded in Italy, is dedicated to preserving and promoting traditional foodways--to protecting artisanal food producers and the pleasures of eating well. Corby Kummer's The Pleasures of Slow Food introduces readers to the movement and its goals, while acquainting them with some of the producers worldwide who embody its spirit and objectives. Thus we meet the likes of Cindy and David Meyers, whose Vermont dairy makes exceptional cheeses, and Germany's Torshen Kramer, producer of fine cured meats and sausages. The artisans also share with Kummer the stories of their work (of their early cheese-making efforts Cindy Meyers says, "The bleu wouldn't turn blue ... I buried a lot of cheese in the manure pile").

Most excitingly, perhaps, Kummer has included 40 recipes from chefs and everyday cooks whose approach to food and cooking also represents the Slow Food ideal, and in this Kummer has excelled. Not meant for weekday cooking, but easily doable if, in line with the Slow Food ideal, people will put aside time to produce truly gratifying food, the recipes are hits that just keep on coming. Whether it's a simple Chicken Cacciatore with Baked Potatoes from the Piedmontese farm of Elena Rovera; Fried Plantains with Chipotle Ketchup, courtesy of Steve Johnson at the Blue Room restaurant in Cambridge, Massachusetts; an extraordinary lamb stew from master chef Daniel Boulud; or Alice Waters's caramelized Apricot Tart, the recipes are universally superb. With an introduction by Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation, and marvelous color photos by Susie Cushner, the oversize book offers a thoughtful introduction to the movement, as well as culinary thrills to those willing to take it slow. --Arthur Boehm

About the Author:

Corby Kummer s work for the Atlantic Monthly and Gourmet has established him as "a dean among food writers" (San Francisco Examiner). A media commentator on food topics, he lives in Boston.

Susie Cushner is a Boston-based photographer whose work can be found in Viva la Vida (0-8118-3184-1), as well as Gourmet and Saveur magazines.

Eric Schlosser , author of the best-selling Fast Food Nation , lives in New York City.

Carlo Petrini , a food writer, is the founder and president of Slow Food. He lives in Italy.

About this edition

• Publisher: Chronicle Books
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0811833798
• ISBN 13: 9780811833790
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 176