No one knows just what makes the Mediterranean shores so white, the sun so golden, or the sea so blue. But thanks to award-winning author Georgeanne Brennan, we now know what makes the cuisine so delicious. Olives, anchovies, and capers are the secret ingredients behind the magical flavors of the Mediterranean. Toss a few tangy olives and capers, or a savory anchovy or two into these over 50 dazzling recipes and instantly capture the fresh, sun-drenched flavors of Italy, France, Greece, Tunisia, and Morocco. Enhanced by vibrant color photography, Brennan reveals the basic techniques for salting, brining, curing, and seasoning these delicacies and also explores their history and common uses. Bring the Mediterranean home with these simple, flavorful accents and add intensity and depth--with minimum effort--to any dish.
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
What gives Mediterranean food its characteristic savor? Olives, anchovies, and capers, asserts Georgeanne Brennan, whose eponymous book explores these fundamental ingredients as "secret" dish enhancers. Add chopped green olives to dishes like Almond Couscous with Carrot and Cumin Chicken, for example, and the subtle sweetness of the dish is delightfully complemented; anchovies do similar wonders in a potato salad with tuna; and capers add depth and nuance to a lamb stew with tomatoes and sweet peppers. The book explores the unique power of these humble ingredients, providing over 50 simple recipes that utilize the title ingredients to add flavor, or that feature them in delightful ways. Cooks at all skill levels should find the book a welcome key to a much-beloved culinary repertoire.
Beginning with short essays that explore the characteristics of olives, anchovies, and capers, and also providing instructions for home-curing (you may never put up olives or anchovies, but it's fascinating to know how it's done), the book then offers recipes in chapters devoted to appetizers and salads; main dishes and spreads; sauces and breads. There are many treasures, including Penne Salad with Three Herbs, Capers, and Tuna; Omelet of Tomatoes and Black Olives with Gorgonzola; and Roast Chicken with Mustard Anchovy Crust. Small in size, but not in the wealth of its information or fine taste, and illustrated with color photos throughout, Olives, Anchovies, and Capers brings the flavors of the Mediterranean home in new and exciting ways. --Arthur Boehm
From Publishers Weekly
Winner of the Julia Child Award for Aperitif and the James Beard Award for The Food and Flavors of Haute Provence, Brennan focuses her fourth book for Chronicle on "this pungent pantry trio." She explains how the colors of olives vary with their picking time, how the anchovy is caught at night ("by lamplight") and how capers, "a heat-loving, drought tolerant shrub," should be rinsed of packing salts before using. But the bulk of the book, and of the many full-page color photos (carefully composed, if shot in trendy half-focus by Leigh Beisch), is given to more than 50 recipes highlighting this trio's complex tastes Terrine of Layered Goat Cheese and Olives with Fresh Thyme, Catalan-Style Anchovies and Swordfish with Capers and Fresh Tomatoes. Simple dishes like Roast Cod Larded with Anchovies (from Seen Lippert, formerly of Chez Panisse) can be a revelation with the right ingredients. The convention of setting the title ingredients in boldface every time they appear is annoying, and the introductory chapters have a slapped-together feel. Experienced cooks will be attracted to the book's specificity and focus, however, and it should also appeal to pasta-boilers who worry about controlling these briny basics. Agent, Susan Lescher. (July 15)Forecast: Brennan's previous titles will attract fans to this book.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Short, simple, easy, & delicious,
By DTC# "ROP" (ROP) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Olives, Anchovies, and Capers: The Secret Ingredients of the Mediterranean Table (Hardcover)
The recipes are simple and delicious. If you're an amatuer like me, you'll appreciate the simplicity and beauty of these recipes. You can plan a multi-course meal from this book.The book is sturdily bound and well indexed. It's small enough that it doesn't get in the way sitting on a kitchen shelf. It's beautifully photographed (over 2 dozen photos). The first 30-or-so pages discuss the production and nature of the basic ingredients (olives, anchovies, and capers). Then there are 3 sections: appetizers and salads; main dishes; and spreads, sauces, and breads. There is a metric/English unit conversion table at the back of the book. Most of the ingredients are available at any fine market; nevertheless, the book also includes a list of sources for exotica.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Watch Out for the Fresh Tomato Tart Recipe!,
This review is from: Olives, Anchovies, and Capers: The Secret Ingredients of the Mediterranean Table (Hardcover)
Great book obviously if you like olives, capers and anchovies. A word of advice: watch the directions on the Fresh Tomato Tart - one whole cup of heavy cream plus one whole cup of half & half equals TWO CUPS of liquid going into your 9-inch tart pan, which will then escape through the cracks of your pan and make a giant mess. I started over, and used something less than one cup of liquid - I mean you're only using three eggs, so I should have seen this coming.
The tapenade is delicious.
5.0 out of 5 stars
GREAT LITTLE BOOK,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Olives, Anchovies, and Capers: The Secret Ingredients of the Mediterranean Table (Hardcover)
If you like olives, anchovies and/or capers this little book is for you. Lots of good recipes and ideas. Go for it.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
The secret of using olives in cooking is to exploit not only the complexity of flavors that comes from the character of the individual olive variety itself, but also from the manner in which the olive was cured and seasoned. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
brined green olives, slide under the broiler, dried bay leaf, broiler tray, teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, red sweet peppers, table olives, anchovy fillets, fresh anchovies, warmed platter, add the capers, slit lengthwise Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
The secret of using olives in cooking is to exploit not only the complexity of flavors that comes from the character of the individual olive variety itself, but also from the manner in which the olive was cured and seasoned. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
brined green olives, slide under the broiler, dried bay leaf, broiler tray, teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, red sweet peppers, table olives, anchovy fillets, fresh anchovies, warmed platter, add the capers, slit lengthwise Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
North African New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
2
books
cite this book:
- Northern Spain: The Collected Traveler (An Inspired Anthology and Travel Resource) by Barrie Kerper on page 534
- Fodor's Athens: The Collected Traveler by Barrie Kerper on page 447
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