Well Fed Network

Posted by Alex Prichard on Paper Palate

The title refers to southern American cooking - something about which I know next to nothing. But if someone has written about a love affair with it, it must be pretty good and I was full of high hopes for the book.

Written by Jean Anderson, winner of a James Beard award and contributer to Bon Appétit, Food & Wine and Gourmet (among others), this is a hefty tome, which promises both recipes and recollections, and there’s no doubt that there’s genuine passion for the food of southern America.

You can sense the “but” coming, can’t you?

My primary gripe comes in terms of the layout and design of the book. In my opinion, it is singularly bad. Very close to awful. While the typeface used for the actual recipes is quite readable, recipe titles are mock wild west which is difficult to read, serving sizes are in another typeface and the book is so cluttered with dividing lines, motifs and multi colored type that it would require the patience of a saint to sit down and read it through, let alone enjoy it.

And this is a great shame. There are all sorts of interesting tidbits throughout, including a timeline which runs in the right margin and contains diverting trivia for each year, from 1513 through to 2006. For example, did you know that Mississippi did not repeal Prohibition until 1966? There are snippets of history about various products, individuals and traditions of the South and there is a handy glossary at the end.

The book begins with ‘How to Use This Book.’ I found this incredibly patronizing. For example, “Do not use one ingredient in place of another unless a recipe suggests substitutions.” Novice, or inexperienced, cooks are unlikely to do so as they are so hesitant, so unsure (this is from personal observation), whereas people comfortable in the kitchen are unlikely to heed this warning. And a cookbook that suggests that one buy powdered or liquid pasteurized egg whites for making meringue?! The prize for condescension goes to: “If you still make your own pastry, good for you.” Yes, actually, good for me. In my food processor, a batch of pastry takes about 5 minutes to produce. It need contain nothing, no E-numbers, no trans fats, other than flour, butter and/or lard, free range eggs and a splash of water. And the last thing I want is a pat on the head about it! Encourage your readers to get their hands dirty - to find out that it’s not difficult or scary, don’t patronize them into the supermarket.

Most of the recipes tend to be on the large size: six portions seems to be about average, but with one recipe weighing in at 25! Things like sauces and dips seem to make between 3 and 4 cups. As a good reader, I’d already been told not to meddle with the recipes, so it was with some trepidation that I chose to make the jambalaya. But we were only 2 and not 6! Wickedly, I substituted chicken marylands for the whole 3.5lb chicken, I used our own, spicy homemade sausages instead of buying andouille (or chorizo), I had no idea what converted rice is (let alone where to buy it) so I used basmati and I used a red pepper instead of a green one. The recipe is supposed to prove that the cooking of ‘British Louisiana’ is not bland, but this dish was not particularly flavorsome, either. We were underwhelmed, with most of the flavour coming from the sausages. It did reheat very well and made an excellent lunch the next day, however I’d never make it again without some tinkering (garlic and perhaps a bit of chili, for starters).

Having said all of that, the recipe did work, and I’ll definitely return to this book, as I would like to try out the Brown Sugar Pie and there are plenty of interesting bean and fish recipes. But, even though A Love Affair with Southern Cooking contains far more history and anecdotes than most cookbooks, it just does not lend itself to a leisurely read.

A Love Affair with Southern Cooking is available from Amazon UK (RRP around £16) or Amazon US (RRP $32.50).