What I’ve Read: Maman’s Homesick Pie by Donia Bijan

If you’ve ever read a food memoir or food travelogue or any book by Anthony Bourdain, you may have come to expect certain things from the book. I know I do. I’ve read so many of these types of books that even the outstanding ones seem to blend into all the rest, what with their similar discussions of homemade cheeses or offal or France or great restaurants. It’s hard to write about food in an original way, and even those who do (Bourdain) are now being mimicked by hundreds of others eager for a book deal.

When I saw that the promotional description for Maman’s Homesick Pie called it “heartfelt,” I thought I knew exactly what kind of food book this was going to be. I had it pigeon-holed somewhere between Ruth Reichl and Madhur Jaffrey.

To my delight, I was completely wrong. I should note that once I started this book, I put it down once—to make sugar cookies because it was making me hungry—and then picked it back up and didn’t stop until I finished in the wee hours of the morning. It WAS heartfelt. It was moving. It was beautifully written. It was hunger-inducing. It was so many wonderful things and I wished it had kept going.

Maman’s Heartsick Pie is comprised of chef Donia Bijan’s personal memoirs of growing up in Iran, moving to the United States, being transported to Paris to study at Le Cordon Bleu and then opening her own restaurant. Tying all of this narrative together are Bijan’s memories of her mother’s cooking and of the tastes and smalls of her native Persian food. (There are 30 recipes sprinkled throughout the book, by the way.)

It’s not a long book or an exhausting read. Despite the sometimes heavy subject matter, it always feels light, thanks to Bijan’s fantastic writing. By reading my short synopsis above, you may be thinking the same thing I did: that you’ve read this kind of thing before. Seen it, read it. But, if you’re like anything like me (you love to eat, love to read about food) and have a strong sense of nostalgic to childhood tastes and recipes and food, there is no reason this book should not resonate with you as well. I started reading expecting one thing, and emerged at the other side without a negative thing to say. It stole my heart (and stomach) so thoroughly, I’m considering a re-read…and also considering making an accompanying dinner from the recipes inside.

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Book provided for review.

It’s interesting the way things come full circle sometimes. Brandon and I were both raised vegetarian, and now we seem to be cooking and eating more and more vegetarian food ourselves after years of incorporating meat into our diets.

For the most part, we were always vegetarians at home and carnivores at restaurants and that’s still more or less the case. I rarely cook meat, and now do so less than ever. What’s interesting is that we are starting to crave recipes we both ate and loved as children, some of which use gluten or tofu-based meat substitutes.

We had similar upbringings, as both our parents raised us vegetarians and cooked meals that are popular in Seventh-day Adventist households. However, his family has remained vegetarian to this day, while mine has strayed a bit and now eats meat occasionally. (I should note that my sister has reverted back to a completely vegetarian diet, though!)

Because of these similarities, we have a lot of crossover in what a nostalgic, childhood-favorite meal means to us. It’s actually really exciting when I mention to Brandon that I loved a particular recipe and he says, “I loved that one too!”

The other day we drove into Silver Spring to go to the Adventist Book Center there which boasts a pretty impressive health food store component. We wanted to stock up on some of our favorite gluten/soy meat substitutes. Neither of us had been there in years, and we were sick of buying the substitutes from Safeway at 50% higher prices. (I’m not kidding. A product priced at $4.50 at the book center costs about $10 at Safeway.)

On our way to the check-out line, I noticed that they had some vegetarian cookbooks on a shelf and I went over to take a look (I’m a sucker for a good cookbook, what can I say?). I got super excited when I noticed they had two cookbooks I’ve been wanting to buy for a really long time: An Apple A Day (Volumes 1 & 2).

These cookbooks are old: Volume 1 was first published in 1967 and is in its 16th printing with 135,000 copies sold throughout the U.S. Keep in mind that’s how many copies have been sold a completely word-of-mouth basis. This is a really great vegetarian cookbook. The second volume (there are three total) is newer and was published in 1983.

The recipes were compiled by the National Auxiliary to the Alumni Association of Loma Linda University in California and are mostly original or adapted recipes from doctors’ wives there. Although these older recipes sometimes reflect a dated view of vegetarian food (featuring dishes high in fat, salt, sugar, etc.), the newer additions provide substitution hints and frankly, it’s easy to adapt these recipes on your own into lower fat versions.

Tonight we’re having Potato-Cheese Soup, after Brandon mentioned last night over corn on the cob that it was one of his favorites soups his Mom made when he was young.

Here’s the original recipe (from An Apple A Day Volume 2):

Potato-Cheese Soup

• 2 tablespoons margarine
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup finely chopped green pepper
• 2 tablespoons floor
• 7 cups low-fat milk
• 1/4 teaspoon curry
• 2 teaspoons McKay’s chicken-style seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 cup small curd cottage cheese
• 6 oz. hash brown potatoes

Saute the onion and green pepper in margarine until tender. Blend flour in. Add milk, curry and chicken seasoning. Mix well. Add the salt and lemon juice. Cook, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and comes to a  boil. Stir in the cottage cheese and hash brown potatoes. Cook covered for 10 minutes.

It sounds kind of funky as older recipes tend to be, but I guarantee it will be tasty. (Cottage cheese is used in the recipe to produce a thick, creamy soup without heavy cream, and also provides a bit of extra protein.) And, as I said before, it’s easy to make simple substitutions—for example, using non-fat cottage cheese to make the recipe even healthier.

I’ll let you know how it turns out!

Brandon and I had a wonderful Thanksgiving with friends. My dad gave me a few turkey tips via phone this morning, and thanks to him and Martha Stewart, it came out better than I could have imagined. (All 18 pounds of it.) I cooked almost everything I wanted to (I left out a couple dishes because I realized that I was running out of room to put it, and that there was no way we’d be able to eat it since our guests also brought food.)

And everyone was included in the fun: even Molly and Milo got a little tidbit of turkey on top of their dinner tonight.

This is the first holiday in a long time where I haven’t felt anxious, stressed or overwhelmed, and I thank God that my life seems to be coming to happier, more relaxed place. It’s due to a lot of things: a fortuitous job opportunity that allowed me to leave another, the constant support of a great guy who I feel lucky just to know (let alone be married to) and the most wonderful, understanding family and friends. I feel like for the first time the thoughts of starting our own family aren’t as scary or ridiculous as they used to (but don’t get any ideas, Brandon!) and that our house isn’t just a place where we live—it’s becoming our home too. And, each day, I’m thankful to have this blog. I could never have guessed that such a fun hobby would lead me to some of the most special friendships I’ve had in years.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving meal (or maybe you’re just sitting down to eat!) and that you survive Black Friday shopping tomorrow. (I think I’m going to skip it this year and just sleep in. Blasphemy, I know, but I’ve got almost all my Christmas shopping done!)

Oh, and before I forget! Here are a few shots of the pies and turkey:

I’m just getting started on cooking my way through 11 dishes (pies first!), so I thought I’d share what I have on the docket for tomorrow. We’re spending Thanksgiving with two close friends and their kids and I want to have some new stuff and some traditional stuff, but nothing too crazy or hard. I’m relying heavily on about 20 old issues of Martha Stewart and Food & Wine to make this happen, so don’t let me down, guys! (I know they won’t. If anything goes awry, I have only myself to blame!)

1. Pumpkin Pie

2. Pecan Pie

3. Maple-Glazed Sweet Potatoes

4. Brussels Sprouts with Lemon and Walnuts

5. Simple Stuffing

6. Roast Turkey with Herb Butter

7. Brandon’s Mashed Potatoes

8. Roasted Garlic-Parmigiano Broccoli

9. Relish Tray

10. Kale

11. Layered Salad

Phew! I’m most nervous about the two pies and the turkey. The other stuff will be pretty fast and simple. If you have any turkey tips, please pass them on!

What are you making for Thanksgiving?

How I Became a Rachael Ray Convert

After reading Anthony Bourdain’s scathing jabs at her and personally witnessing her borderline manic behavior on her cooking show, I never bothered to buy a book or try any of her recipes because, for one, I can’t stand the abbreviation “EVOO.”

But, while at my local library about a week ago I spotted a couple Rachael Ray cookbooks and on a whim (I’ve been feeling uninspired while cooking lately), I grabbed a few. If they didn’t work out, it would only be 30 minutes of my time, right?

Well, first, let me just say that the 30-minute-meal thing is horribly misleading. The recipe I made last night, Green Minestrone, took about 45-50 minutes from start (cutting, dicing vegetables) to finish (ladling the soup into bowls).

But, before you think I’m jumping on the hate-Rachael train, I have to point out that this soup (and a few other recipes I’ve tried) are pretty darn delicious. They are easy to make, relatively quick to execute (although not 30 minutes across the board) and fairly inexpensive/approachable where ingredients are concerned.

Sometimes, especially where cooking and baking is concerned, I can feel intimidated or scared to try new things, or on the other hand, feel pressure to cook innovative, creative recipes as opposed to my favorite comfort foods, like mashed potatoes. But, as I’ve become more comfortable in the kitchen and as I’ve learned that cooking for me is fun and relaxing and not so much about the finished product but about the process, I’ve started to move away from cooking what I think I should be cooking and instead just making what looks good, what fits the time I have, making do with what I have in the fridge.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that I don’t really care if I’m cooking Rachael Ray recipes or trying something from Food & Wine magazine or even (gasp) heating up some Ramen noodles. I can appreciate expensive, gourmet food, I can identify it, I can even sometimes cook it—but I’d really rather just have some really good soup and bread or steak with a side of mashed potatoes most nights, whether it’s Rachael Ray or just some invention of my own.

(But I’ll never, ever say EVOO.)

P.S. The Green Minestrone recipe is fantastic. It’s easy, delicious and incredibly healthy and filling. The recipe says it makes 4 servings, but that’s just not true. It makes about 12 servings. I have enough leftovers to last us a week.

(See my last set of favorite things.)

I love my ruffled hoodie from Old Navy. I got it on sale for around $10, I think, and it’s got a bit more pizazz than your traditional heather gray hoodie. (Here’s a similar, fancier one from Anthropologie for $78.) 

I’ve been using my watermelon-colored ecosystem notebook for everything. Making to-do lists, jotting down post ideas, writing down what I need to buy at the grocery store. If I need to write it down, this is where it goes.

I’ve been using our Williams-Sonoma Cafe Mugs everyday for my hot or iced coffee. If it’s iced, I just stick a straw in it. I love using clear glass to serve coffee and these just look so classy and elegant compared to a standard coffee mug.

(I’ve written about these before, but will mention it again: we received these as a wedding present and just love them. If you’re out of ideas for a wedding gift, but know you want to buy something kitchen-related—these mugs are a safe bet.)

There is a place near our house that has the most delicious pho. (They even have a vegetarian option with tofu—something I don’t usually see at pho restaurants.) I’ve been craving this lately…and why not? It’s hot, soothing and delicious. This is my comfort food—not mac and cheese. (Although I won’t turn down mac and cheese either.)

This cookbook is everything to me. I hoard this cookbook above all others. I could lose every recipe in my kitchen, and if I had this book, I’d be set for life. I’ve made a huge percentage of the recipes both in this book and on Ree’s website and I’ve never once had a complaint or bad outcome. I attribute this not to my cooking skills, but Ree’s step-by-step photos and delicious (read: fattening) ingredients.

What are your favorites these days?

I received this bamboo cutting board as a wedding gift and it is one of the few wedding gifts that I use every single day.

I love having a cutting board out on the shelf so it’s handy and within reach. I don’t want to dig around in a drawer for a cutting board when I’m trying to juggle tomatoes and garlic cloves in my hands. This one looks great sitting out and cleans up in the dishwasher, so you don’t have to do it by hand.

It’s on sale right now at Crate & Barrel (until July 4, I believe) for $13 and I highly recommend it if you do a lot of cooking!

Crate & Barrel Bamboo Cutting Board, $13

Photo via Slashfood.com

Chili Lime Corn on the Cob is kill-yourself kind of good.

I don’t really follow a particular recipe—I just kind of wing it, but I know that there are tons of variations. Some people use garlic or garlic powder, others like to coat the ear with mayo.

On Friday night, I made corn on the cob, vegetarian black bean burgers and sliced heirloom tomatoes for dinner and it was so good I almost peed my pants. (Not really.) Corn on the cob is, without a doubt, one of my top favorite things about summertime.

Here’s how I do it (for two) without a grill handy:

• 4-8 husked corn cobs—or more, depending on how hungry you are!. Boil water in a large pot on the stove. Plop in the ears once boiling and leave for about 9-10 minutes. Brandon and I like our corn with a bit of a crunch (you should hear a “crunch” sound when you bite into it), so I don’t overdo it on the heat.
• Remove from stove, set aside.
• Cut a stick of butter, REAL butter, in half. Place one half on each plate.
• Take an ear of corn, place a corn cob holder (I like these) on each end.
• Roll the corn on the stick of butter. Do it. Don’t be scared. Roll that mother.
• Shake a generous helping of sea salt on the cob.
• Sprinkle chili powder, to taste, on the cob as well.
• Cut a lime in half and squeeze the juice onto the cob. Don’t worry about the mess.
• Eat it.
• Eat another one.
• Okay, why not? Another one.

If you prefer to grill your corn, try this recipe from Epicurious!

Do you have a favorite summer recipe or snack?

I promise I am usually a good cook. Cross my heart.

But, last night, I was short on time, energy and ingredients, so I found some random pasta recipe on AllRecipes.com on the way home in the car and knew I had enough stuff on hand to crank it out.

Wrong.

I was already cooking the pasta when I realized I had no chicken broth. Okay, no problem, I had some cream of chicken soup and could improvise.

Okay, no sour cream. Dammit. No choice but to keep going at that point. I tasted it. The cayenne burned my life. Brandon asked how it was going. I whimpered a reply and kept going, hoping I had imagined how hot it was.

So, I got the asparagus ready (thank god I had something other than the pasta) and then dished the pasta up, handed Brandon his plate and looked away pretending like all was normal.

“WHOA! What is IN THIS?!” He said, choking. I shrugged.

“A little cayenne pepper.”

I took a big bite—it was all show—and tried to hide the sweat and tears dripping down my face. He gamely ate it all, but we sat there laughing and sweating and drinking water like it was going out of style. He coughed several times, but still ate it.

I asked him if he wanted seconds, but he turned me down. I have no idea why. It was…so delicious.

Brandon and discussed dinner on the phone a bit ago and we settled on haystacks.

How I will focus through the rest of the day with this on my mind is yet to be determined: