The Cookbook Junkies

Tacolicious by Sara Deseran is a beautiful book! 

Tacolicious, the restaurant, is in San Francisco – yet another location I missed on our trip West in July.  The book is chock full of great recipes from the restaurant.

The first chapter is Salsas, Pickles and more.  The legendary orange sauce and El Jefe’s glove box recado caught my attention.  I’m a fan of tamarind — and the tamarind habanero glaze looks promising.  The lime cured cucumber, habanero and onion condiment made me wish I had a taco right now to garnish. 

Flaky potato empanadas with salsa verde, spicy tamarind glazed pork ribs with jicama salad — will soon be on the menu at Casa Hartin. 

Taco recipes include braised beef short rib tacos, taco de Guisado, lamb adobo taco with spices and orange, shot and a beer braised chicken tacos, spring booty taco (veggies),Puerto Nuevo style lobster taco, butternut squash, kale and crunch pepitas taco and my favorite Baja fish taco! 

There is a cocktails and drink chapter – because who wants a taco without a refreshing beverage.

I had to edit my post because I was reading some reviews on Amazon – – the ingredients in these recipes shouldn’t be that difficult to find anywhere – I’m in Denver – and I could find almost all of them easily.  I’m a home cook — a good home cook — but a home cook nonetheless and nothing here seemed like it would challenge me.  Reviewers were posting that these recipes would be challenging – yes, it is not Ortega taco kit recipes – they will involve some work – but reward is a product of work.   Then we have the folks who spelled palate – pallet – how can you even take anything they write seriously. 

If this book doesn’t have you craving tacos, nothing will.

Blogging for Books provide me with this copy – but all opinions are my own.

Well known Mediterranean food expert and best-selling author Michele Scicolone has a new cookbook that everyone must own, The Italian Vegetable Cookbook.  I love a cookbook that can get carnivores excited to cook vegetarian meals.  Michele’s book contains beautiful photographs and great instructions.

When I received this book – I took my pack of Post-It notes and started tabbing away:

Truffle Parmesan Bigne
Herbed Goat Cheese-Ricotta Crostini
Risotto with Basil, Pine Nuts and Parmesan
Fettuccine with Ricotta and Crushed Peas
Fettuccine with Lemon Cream
Orecchiette with Potatoes and Arugula
Baked Pasta Fagioli
Gorgonzola Cream Sauce
Pistachio-Parsley Pesto
Walnut-Parsley Pesto
Spicy Onion Marmalade
Lemon Potatoes
Hazelnut Cake with Chocolate Espresso Sauce
Golden Apple Cake with Rum Cream
Honey Walnut Crumb Tart

I made lemon potatoes Sunday night and they were a huge hit -even my potato hating husband loved them. Tangy from the lemon – mildly herbal from the rosemary – so delicious.  Andrew grabbed every really crispy one – and we fought over the caramelized lemons. (Yes, we ate them).

Melt the butter in a skillet large enough to hold all of the ingredients.  Add the cream and lemon juice, bring to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally until the sauce is slightly thickened, about ten minutes.  Stir in the lemon zest, basil, and salt and pepper to taste, remove from the heat, and cover to keep warm.

Michele suggests her Fresh Egg Pasta – but I used a pound of dried fettuccine cooked to al dente, reserving some of the cooking water. 

I have a few friends that have made the whole wheat biscotti with walnuts and raisins as well as the baked pasta fagioli and have raved.

If you love good Italian food, grab this book.  If you must have meat – we added some sliced grilled chicken from yesterday’s dinner to complete the meal for my carnivore husband.  It’s nice to have the protein as a side a couple times a week. 

Thank you, Michele, for a beautiful cookbook.

Update — Tuesday:

Took the leftover fettuccine with lemon cream – and made chicken soup today – delicious.  Served with garlic parmesan biscuits.

I use to be so horrible about wasting food.  Letting leftovers go bad, bananas were tossed, the list could go on but then you’d all be asleep.

Something changed a year or so ago, I make sure I try to re-invent leftovers and no brown bananas will ever leave this house … without being made into a bread.

Here is the recipe (I’m rushing here because someone in Long Beach is sitting on the edge of her seat…)  Hi Dana!

4 tablespoons of butter, soften
2 eggs (I beat them for a second with a fork in a small bowl)
2 bananas – very ripe
2/3 cup of sugar
1 1/4 cup of flour
3/4 teaspoons of salt
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon (optional)
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla (optional) but coconut extract would be great here
1/2 cup of flaked coconut plus — coconut to spread on top of loaf — (I did have toasted coconut for my coconut risotto the other night but decided to use the untoasted in the batter itself – don’t use toasted on top of the batter – will burn)
1 tablespoon (or more) of Malibu Coconut Rum — (1 shot for the baker)

Everyone says – there is a particular way to do things in baking – so that it turns out just right.  What do I do?  I mash the bananas in a mixing bowl, toss in the butter, then the beaten eggs and then add the remaining ingredients…mix it all together lightly with a wooden spoon  — do not over mix.

I place the batter in a loaf pan — regular sized loaf pan — I’ll measure later – then I sprinkle the top with a good amount of coconut which will toast up beautifully as it bakes for 40 to 45 minutes at 350.

Your house will smell great and that shot of rum will make you warm and toasty.

xo