The Splendid Table's How to Eat Weekends: New Recipes, Stories, and Opinions from Public Radio's Award-Winning Food Show [Hardcover]

Lynne Rossetto Kasper (Author), Sally Swift (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 20, 2011

In this enticing James Beard Award-nominated follow-up to their first book, Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift, host and producer of The Splendid Table public radio show, celebrate Saturday and Sunday—those two days of the week when the pressure is off, time becomes your ally, and you get to slow down and dig into cooking in a different way.

In The Splendid Table's How to Eat Weekends, Lynne and Sally take you on escapades for a deeply pleasurable experience. They want you to head to different neighborhoods and markets, gather up ingredients, and embrace new cooking techniques and flavors that will carry over into your everyday meals. They include backstories about the rituals and reasons behind particular dishes (such as why lettuce figures into southern Chinese New Year celebrations) and take you deep into the aromatic aisles of ethnic markets and neighborhoods.

Loyal listeners to The Splendid Table radio show know Lynne and Sally's insatiable curiosity about the intersections between food and life and their belief that what goes into our mouths transcends taste. Their curiosity fires exciting flavors and new takes on dishes we'll want to eat every day of the week.

Here are 100 recipes for weekends, when you can enjoy the journey of cooking rather than just the destination. The recipes are accessible and their directions easy to follow whether you're a rookie or more experienced in the kitchen. Begin a meal with Rice Paper Rolls of Herbs & Shrimp or Mahogany-Glazed Chicken Wings. Try Scandinavian Broth with Scallop–Smoked Salmon Drop Dumplings; Barley Risotto with Saffron, Corn & Chives; or Sichuan-Inspired Pickled Vegetables. Main courses include Yucatán Pork in Banana Leaves; Timbale of Sweet Peppers, Greens & Hominy; and Leg of Lamb with Honey & Moroccan Table Spices.

Readers will also find lots of variations and ideas for leftovers in "Work Night Encores," expert wine pairings, and musings—plus the stories, quips, and history that Splendid Table fans have come to love. The Splendid Table's How to Eat Weekends in an essential addition to any cookbook shelf.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

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Featured Recipe: Slow-Roasted Pork with Glazed Orange Slices

Serves: 8 to 12
30 minutes prep time; 3 days seasoning time; 2 1/2 hours oven time; 10 to 15 minutes rest time
So forgiving, you can calibrate this roast around your needs instead of the usual other way around. It will hold happily in a low oven (180ºF. or so) for 1 hour.

Seasoning
6- to 7-pound boneless pork shoulder or Boston butt, well marbled
1 generous teaspoon whole cloves, or 1 level teaspoon ground
1 generous teaspoon whole allspice, or 1 level teaspoon ground
1 generous teaspoon coriander seed, or 1 level teaspoon ground
1 generous teaspoon black peppercorns, or 1 level teaspoon ground black pepper
2½-inch cinnamon stick, broken, or 2 teaspoons ground
1 tablespoon kosher salt
6 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
¹⁄³ cup good-tasting extra-virgin olive oil
1¹⁄³ cups orange juice
1½ cups dry red wine

Roasting and Finishing
2 tightly packed tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
½ medium onion, chopped
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 thin-skinned orange, such as Valencia, Temple, or Hamlin, unpeeled, sliced into thin rounds

1. Marinate the meat: Three days before cooking, make deep wide cuts into the meat. Then grind the whole cloves, allspice, coriander, peppercorns, and cinnamon stick in a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle, or blend the ground spices. In a medium bowl, mix the spices with the salt, garlic, oil, ²⁄³ cup of the orange juice, and ½ cup of the wine. Stuff the mixture into the slits and the meat’s crevices and rub into the pork on all sides. Tuck the roast into a shallow dish, cover, and refrigerate for 3 days, turning three or four times.

2. Roast the meat: Take the meat out of the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 400ºF. Purée the rosemary, onion, salt, and oil, and stuff the mixture into the roast’s crevices.

3. Roll up the roast into a loose cylinder. Put it in a large shallow pan, fat side up (we like a half-sheet pan), scrape any remaining marinade over it, and scatter the orange slices around the pan. Roast for 30 minutes, then pour in the remaining 1 cup wine.

4. Turn the heat down to 325ºF., pour in the remaining ²⁄³ cup orange juice, and roast for another 90 minutes, basting the pan juices and the orange slices over the meat several times. If the pan juices threaten to burn, blend in a little water. You want them to end up being syrupy, but not burned.

5. Test the internal temperature of the meat with an instant-read thermometer. Once it reaches 145ºF. to 150ºF., reduce the heat to 200ºF. for another 30 minutes, or until the meat’s internal temperature is 155ºF. Remove the pork from the oven and let it rest in a warm place for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

6. The pan juices should be syrupy. If needed, set the pan over two burners, skim off a little excess fat, and cook down the juices, stirring with a wooden spatula.

7. To serve, thinly slice the pork across the grain, moistening the slices with the pan sauce and bits of roasted orange. Don’t be put off if the meat is a pinkish beige; it is safe and so succulent. Serve the pork hot.

Cook to Cook: Why recipes still call for pork loin as a celebration roast we can’t imagine. Over-priced and underperforming, the typical commercial loin comes off dry and tasteless. Much cheaper shoulder cuts, like the pork in this recipe, have the essential marbling for succulent eating, and no roast is as easy on a cook. Short of blasting (and toughening) them in too hot an oven (keep the temperature at 350°F. or lower), you can’t ruin a shoulder roast.

Start the roast 3 days ahead with the seasonings.

Wine: Try a Chenin Blanc from South Africa with this dish. They tend to be more reliably dry than those from the Loire and have a bit more fruit, yet are not overtly sweet.

Work Night Encore
Pan-Browned Pork with Mom’s Apple Sauerkraut: Slice the leftover pork roast into sticks about 3 inches long by 1 inch thick. Coat a big skillet with a thin film of olive oil, get it hot, and quickly brown the pork. Take the meat out of the pan and set aside.

Wipe out the pan, coat it with a thin film of olive oil, and heat it over medium-high heat. Brown a chopped large onion and a sprig of rosemary in it along with a cut-up large apple. Blend in 2 minced garlic cloves, several cups rinsed and drained sauerkraut, and a generous splash of white wine. Stir up the brown glaze in the pan as you cook down the wine. Blend in any pan juices left from the pork and the pork pieces. Have the dish hot and serve it with boiled potatoes or toasted, chewy dark bread.

About the Author

LYNNE ROSSETTO KASPER, host and cocreator of The Splendid Table radio program, has explored food for more than forty years as a teacher, researcher, writer, and lecturer. Author of The Splendid Table, winner of both the James Bead and Julia Child/IACP Cookbook of the Year awards, she also wrote The Italian Country Table and coauthored The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper with Sally Swift. Lynne is a member of Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America and a longtime advocate of organic and sustainable foods. She and Sally have worked together for nearly twenty years and still get a kick out of each other.

SALLY SWIFT is the managing producer and cocreator of The Splendid Table radio program and coauthor of The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper. She is an avid gardener, bicyclist, and public radio aficionado. After nearly two decades of working with Lynne, her only complaint is that they rarely have time for a real lunch.

THE SPLENDID TABLE is produced by American Public Media and is heard nationwide on more than 300 public radio stations. The program has received multiple broadcast awards over the years, including two James Beard Awards for Best National Radio Show on Food, the Gracie Allen Award for Best Syndicated Talk Show, and four Clarion Awards from the Association for Women in Communication for Best National Radio Talk Show. For more information, visit SplendidTable.org.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Clarkson Potter (September 20, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307590550
• ISBN-13: 978-0307590558
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 1.1 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #165,506 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #82 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > International

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 34 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Saturday to Sunday October 15, 2011

By wogan TOP 50 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

This is a cookbook for those who wish to have some complex flavorings and offerings and have the time to prepare the recipes that are described with great detail. This is why this is a weekend cookbook; you will definitely need the hours that a weekend provides for many of these dishes. There is plenty of help and guidance, but this is certainly not for the beginning cook or those who just want simple comfort food or have simple tastes.

A section of menus is provided using recipes that are included in the pages. Menus are for the following meals: Mexican, Vietnamese, Italian, Indian, Chinese, Winter Holiday, Potluck Thanksgiving, and Vegan Thanksgiving - that alone will be a reason for some to buy this book.
However do not think these are the simple menus they might sound like. The Mexican Comida is an example of what all these menus have...an introduction, a schedule of days in advance preparation a picture of the feast with dishes labeled, kitchen tools and supplies needed and unique culinary techniques. Then the food consists of: tomatillo salsa with fresh cheese from El Cardenal, Jicama & mango sticks in chili and lime, Yucatan pork in banana leaves, black beans & rice, corn tortillas, chili-spiked Mexican wedding cakes, watermelon water.

There are suggestions for wine throughout the book, information given includes, serving size, prep time, cooking time, how long it can be refrigerated or frozen. Culinary tips are also incorporated. Recipes included are: starters, snacks and small plates, soups and salads, pasta and grains, casseroles, vegetarian and vegan main dishes, poultry, fish and seafood, pork, lamb, beef, sides and sweets. There are many pictures of the dishes throughout and there is an index.

We have tried and enjoyed the saffron tomato sauce - it's absolutely wonderful, as is the five-nut caramel tart. However, if you have someone in your family who cannot eat or has an aversion to chilies, as we do, there are many recipes in here that contain them. These dishes are designed for the modern taste of `kicked up' flavors.
Your family or guests will need to have the desire for some complex, but good quality dishes and you will need the time and energy to prepare them. Hopefully you will have some help so that you might enjoy this adventure in cooking. Just know that nothing is as simple as it seems, sit down and read the recipe and you can be successful.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars love the radio show, disappointed by this book. March 11, 2012

By tg seattle

Format:Hardcover

I love to read cookbooks like books, and will say that this a book that is good for that with silly quotes, beautiful pictures and some great tips. That being said I've made 2 things from this book; 1) the ricotta gnocchi with saffron tomato sauce. Besides making my own ricotta for it which was scrumptious, this dish was a lot of work and really underwhelming. While the gnocchi had a decent texture, it seemed like a waste of delicious homemade ricotta. The tomato sauce was just, meh. My own homemade sauce without using expensive saffron would've been better. 2) I was scratching my head at the two hour cooking time for farmhouse potatoes but trusting that she wouldn't recommend it otherwise, I went ahead with it and ended up with slightly blackened salted and fenneled rocks. Again, a lot of work and a waste of some good potatoes that I could've done more simply.

I doubt I'll try any more recipes. Most of them would require several errands to specialty stores and I am cautious about going through the effort if the end result is anything like my previous two tries.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Modern Day Classic!!! February 14, 2012

By A.Francis

Format:Hardcover

Yet another great book from the Kasper/Swift duo of Splendid Table fame.
This book is full of great ideas and really delicious recipes. Some are complex, but the majority are quite simple and in all honesty no one writes recipes better than this team. There is a great section on shopping ethnic markets and an entire menu section with lots of cultural information included. The recipe for Lamb with Smoked Romesco is sensational as is the Ricotta Gnocchi and the Playboy Steak with Preserved Lemon Gremolata. Wine suggestions are included as well and the reasoning behind the choices nicely explained. Lots and lots of vegetarian options too and even some vegan things. I will cook from this book for years.