Many people write cookbooks, but few write the kind of books we turn to over and over again. Abby Mandel writes those kinds of books.
Now, Mandel, author of “Abby Mandel’s Cuisinart Classroom,” the ground-breaking book that taught people to use (and love) their food processors, has released another appealing book, “Celebrating the Midwestern Table: Real Food for Real Times” (Doubleday, $30).
Her first book in 8 years, this attractive collection of almost 200 recipes perfectly suits today’s tastes. But it also seems likely to become a trusted companion for years to come, partly because of Mandel’s knowlege of what Americans are really cooking and eating these days and partly because her recipes are well written and reliable.
She leaves little to guesswork; her recipes are concise yet thorough, challenging yet rewarding. This is a cookbook a novice can use with confidence and an experienced hand with pleasure.
Mandel’s common-sense, savory recipes and indulgent desserts are familiar to Tribune readers–her column appears in the Home section on Sundays. Several of our favorites from that column are reprinted in this volume, including family baked steak, fresh blueberry lemon bundt cake, harvest ratatouille and apple salad with Belgian endive and watercress.
Other recipes display the same combination of familiar tastes sparked by a fresh approach. Meatloaf with greens, for example, pairs lean ground beef with flavorful breakfast sausage and a good amount of fresh spinach and mustard greens. A sweet corn salad gets its crunch from diced jicama, and tarragon mustard flavors baked whitefish.
Mandel, a cooking teacher, also is the founder of the Best of the Midwest Market, an annual September farmers market at Ravinia, highlighting local produce and specialty products. The book includes a resource list of those producers and suppliers.
Familiar Midwestern fare and a few Chicago favorites are sprinkled throughout the easy-to-read pages. There’s shrimp de Jonghe, for example, sweet and sour red cabbage, Chicago deep-dish pizza, chicken vesuvio and barbecued ribs. Midwestern produce treasures, such as wild rice, cranberries and corn, appear in many recipes.
“Because Midwestern cooking draws on food from many areas around the world,” Mandel said from her Glencoe home, “I have included many recipes that reflect the book’s subtitle, “Real Food for Real Times.”
Indeed, there is meatless vegetable polenta, quick-cooking orzo with goat cheese, and full-flavored couscous vegetable salad. Celery root vichyssoise and farm stand gazpacho mix classic recipes with local ingredients.
Mandel also includes a good number of basic recipes that strongly reflect the subtitle as well–no-yolk mayonnaise, vegetable stock, garlic oil and roasted peppers, for example. She also admits to the occasional use of convenience products such as canned tomatoes when fresh are out of season and refrigerated pie crusts when time is short.
Cooking advice, such as cleaning and crisping fresh greens and the basics of a good hamburger, are interspersed among the recipes. Discussions of unusual ingredients, such as wheat berries, celery root and morel mushrooms, are included as well.
We tested four recipes from the book in the Tribune test kitchen. Each was enjoyed by tasters. We grumbled a bit when making the Amish scramble because she calls for odd amounts such as 1 1/2 potatoes and only 4 ounces of sausage (we had to buy a 1-pound package) but quickly forgave her when the recipe turned out perfectly balanced and delicious.
Here are recipes from her book, with preparation and cooking times added by the Tribune test kitchen. Nutrition information was calculated by dietitian Jodie Shield.
AMISH SCRAMBLE WITH POTATOES AND SAUSAGE
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Yield: 2 to 3 servings
“Mounds of these browned potatoes slices cooked with onion, sausage and some wisps of egg come to the table at Das Dutchman Essenhaus restaurant in Middlebury, Ind. … Serve with toast and a side of warm applesauce for morning meals.”
1 1/2 medium russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/3-inch thick slices, about 3 cups
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus a pinch
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 small onion, minced, about 1/2 cup
1 piece (4 ounces) smoked thuringer sausage, skinned if desired, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 large egg
2 large egg whites
1 tablespoon water
Minced parsley or snipped fresh chives, for garnish, optional
1. Put the potato slices in a colander. Toss them with your hands under cold running water to wash the surface of the slices. Dry them as thoroughly as possible with paper towels.
2. Heat the oil and butter in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. When very hot, add the potato slices, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Cook, covered, over medium-high heat until the potatoes are almost cooked through and browned, about 9 minutes, turning every 3 minutes to avoid burning. Add the onion and sausage. Gently toss them together. Cook, uncovered, until the potatoes are dark brown on the edges, about 5 to 6 minutes more.
3. Put the egg, egg whites, water and a pinch of salt in a small dish. Froth with a fork. Add the egg mixture to the skillet. Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to move the eggs between the potatoes. Cook until the scramble is well set, about 2 more minutes, stirring it often. Serve hot, garnished with minced parsley or snipped fresh chives, if desired.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories……………..405 Fat………….26 g Cholesterol……110mg
Sodium…………….940 mg Carbohydrates…30 g Protein………..14 g
LEMON ANGEL CAKE
Preparation time: 40 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Yield: One 10-inch tube cake, 12 servings
“According to food historian Meryle Evans, the Dover rotary beater, patented in 1869, should be credited with the boom in popularity of angel cakes. It reduced the amount of time it took a cook to beat egg whites.”
1 1/2 cups superfine sugar
3/4 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons cake flour
2 cups egg whites (about 16 large), at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Grated zest (colored rind) of 2 large lemons, removed with a zester or fine grater, about 2 tablespoons
Lemon yogurt glaze, recipe follows (optional) or 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar, for sprinkling
1. Put a rack in the center of the oven; heat to 375 degrees. Set aside an ungreased 10-inch tube pan.
2. Divide sugar in half. Sift one half 3 times. Sift the other half with the flour 3 times.
3. Use a mixer on low speed to beat the egg whites in a 4-quart grease-free bowl until they are frothy. Add the cream of tartar and salt. Increase the mixer speed to medium and slowly add the lemon juice. Beat until the whites are thick and hold their shape but are still soft and moist, about 3 minutes.
4. Add the plain sifted sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. Increase the speed to high and beat until the whites have increased in volume about fivefold, hold their shape and are very thick, shiny and smooth, about 1 1/2 minutes more.
5. Gently but thoroughly, in 3 batches, fold in the sugar-and-flour mixture and the lemon zest. Transfer batter to the tube pan and smooth the surface with a spatula. Use a sharp knife to cut through the batter in 10 places to break up any large air pockets.
6. Bake until the surface is very brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. If the top of the cake is getting too brown, gently tent a piece of foil over it during the last 5 minutes of baking. Invert the pan on the counter, or if it has risen beyond the cake pan prongs, invert it onto a funnel or an empty wine bottle. Let it cool completely.
7. Use a sharp, flexible knife to loosen the cake from the sides, tube and bottom of the pan. Invert it onto a rack. The cake will keep at room temperature up to 2 days, well covered, or it can be frozen, wrapped airtight, for up to 3 months. Thaw the cake in the wrapping at room temperature.
8. To serve, frost with lemon yogurt glaze, or press 1 tablespoon of confectioners’ sugar through a fine sieve over the cake.
Lemon yogurt glaze: Combine 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar (sifted) with 2 tablespoons plain non-fat yogurt, 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (removed with a zester or fine grater) in a small bowl until smooth. (Glaze adds 50 calories per serving.)
Nutrition information per serving (without glaze):
Calories……….145 Fat…………….0 g Cholesterol………0 mg
Sodium………120 mg Carbohydrates…..32 g Protein…………..5 g
