An extraordinary "bible"

Even when we were traveling a lot, staying abroad for days or weeks, we never really left our kitchen. We would leave our household help with a cooking “bible” – a list of menus and recipes for meals that they would prepare while we were away. We would fill our refrigerator and freezer with the ingredients needed.

Recently we found an extraordinary cooking bible while browsing through National Bookstore in Alabang Town Center with nothing specific to buy. Instinctively we walked to the cookbook section, looked at some new titles, examined the types of cuisine in some, and by chance or luck, there it was – a paperback copy of “Food Lover’s Companion.”

We were so happy! The 829-page book is written by two authors who are passionate about food and wine – Sharon Tyler Herbst, an award-winning author who has been cited for her user-friendly works, and Ron Herbst, a dedicated wine journalist and consultant. The eminent Julia Child referred to the book as “An invaluable help for all.” The introduction has a quote from Julia – “People who are not interested in food always seem rather dry and unloving and don’t have a real gusto for love.”

This indeed is a work of love, nurtured for 19 years when the first edition saw print. This fourth edition is a treasure trove of 6,700 items ranging from definition of terms, cooking techniques, accompanying recipes, and as expressed by the authors, “the ingredients for pleasurable dining.”

Everything one wants to know about food is here, including substitutions, measurement equivalents, oven temperatures and more. Having this at hand would save cooking amateurs from being blank-faced when queried about various terms that have surfaced in this era of more sophisticated cookery.

Amuse bouche, pronounced ah-mewz-booz, is the French derivative appetizer – small bite-sized dishes given before the meal to tease the taste buds. Mulligatawny, an Indian dish, sounds very strange. We had this initially in Cairo then found it on a menu at La Salle’s St. Benilde. Simply, it is a soup of meat and vegetables cooked with curry and spices. Mirepoix (mihr-pwah) is a mixture of vegetables sautéd in butter. Dashi is Japanese soup stock. This is a basic ingredient when making shabu-shabu. The powdered form is available in Japanese and Korean stores at P45 a packet. One outlet is Union Mart on Aguirre Street in BF Homes, Parañaque.

The book has a long discourse on organic food, which should be better understood now, especially since so many grocers, suppliers, health advisers and consumers have become conscious about healthy eating.

We received two letters, one requesting for the simplest carbonara recipe and another clarifying steps (and ingredients) of the Three-Cup Chicken we wrote about sometime ago.

For the carbonara – use 250 gms of spaghetti noodles. Cook until al dente, drain, and set aside. Sauté in a little olive oil: fresh cream; slightly beaten eggs (one or two); parmesan cheese; and bits of crispy bacon broken into small pieces using fingers. Mix well, cook for two or three minutes or until it thickens. Pour over still-hot pasta and serve at once. You may garnish sparingly with green peas. Should you desire a stronger flavor, add a dash of salt while in the process of cooking.

The Three-Cup Chicken elicited some feedback from our readers one of whom contributed the following. To one kilo of chicken (cut to pieces, blanched and pat dried), add three cloves of crushed garlic, 10 gms sliced ginger, 6 pieces of rehydrated sliced mushrooms, one half cup soy sauce, one half cup rice wine and the secret ingredient black sesame oil (one half cup as well). Cook over low heat for about 40 minutes.

Our editor, after having done some sleuthing, discovered that the famous Taiwanese chef, Lin Shangquan, adds sugar and basil. The dish is normally cooked in an earthenware pot on high heat, allowing the sauce to evaporate, leaving the chicken sizzling without being burned.

Try this today and have a glorious Sunday meal!

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