Christie's Corner: I'll show you mine if you show me yours

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

I'll show you mine if you show me yours

How far will you go to get an out of print cookbook you know only by reputation? If Nigel Slater is the author, I'm willing to Google until my mouse dies and my fingers ache. It took more than a year to find Slater's Appetite (for less than four times the original hard cover price), but it arrived this week and I've tried two of his "recipes". They were both wonderful. The writing and food philosophy are nothing short of inspirational. I agree with celebrity chef Jamie Oliver on this one. "Nigel is a genius!"

Slater begins the book (why, oh why is it out of print in North America?) by setting the record straight on rigid recipes. I quote, "It it worth remembering that in its purest form a recipe was simply a cook's receipt written in a ledger to show where the housekeeping money had gone. At best, it was an account of someone's meal, an aide-memoire for the cook who might want to make a successful supper again. To use either as an unshakeable chemical formula is surely missing the point." Slater then goes on to give tips and techniques to make you a more inspired, less recipe-dependent cook.

One of the sections talks about seasoning and ingredient combinations that go together so well he believes that's why they were put on earth. Some I agree with, others I don't (usually because I don't like the ingredients). So, here is a short list of some of my favourite taste combinations. Be a sport and tell me yours. In return, I'll see if I can find a not-too-strict recipe to match.