Book Review 7 "Cold-Weather Cooking"

Winter arrived in Key West, believe it or not, last week one day. We actually set a record low one night of 45 degrees. The lizards were slow, the iguanas were stuck in trees and one of my succulent plants is about ready to bite the dust because of it. So with our little cold snap that occurred, I hit the bookshelf for the perfect book “Cold-Weather Cooking” by Sarah Leah Chase.

A few months ago when I decided to start reading and cooking from my collection of cooking and wine books and reviewing them for you, one of the first ones I reviewed were her books on Pedaling Through Provence and Pedaling Through Burgundy. "Cold-Weather Cooking" is one of her earlier books that I acquired back in the early 90’s and have enjoyed since. Sarah is an excellent writer and “Cold Weather Cooking” provides us with interesting recipes and stories that celebrate the foods that keep us warm! This book came together from Sarah’s stay during winters on Nantucket while she owned her food shop “Que Sera Sarah”. Her business boomed during the summer while all the tourists were enjoying her soups and salads, but the question put to her by many tourists was “what do you do during the winter on this island?” That is when “Cold-Weather Cooking” was born. I just want to list the names of the chapters in Sarah’s book as I think they are very creative!

So Long Summer
Recipes to straddle the seasons, combining foods for summer’s
grand finale with autumn’s chilly beginnings.
Finger Foods For Frosty Weather
Warming little morsels for a chilly evening’s cocktail party.
Thinking Thanksgiving Part 1 – Savories
Thinking Thanksgiving Part 2 – Sweets
Soups For The Solstice
Hearty Soups to fortify body and soul against deep freezes and
other inclement ills.
December Dazzle
Great culinary extravagances that are integral to the holiday
splurge.
Holiday Cheer
Winter’s warm libations accompanied by favorite cookies and
sugarplums.
Cold Weather Comforts
Breakfast fare to provide the incentive to face the world on
the chilliest mornings.
Stormy Weather and Magic Mountains
Simmering stews, crackling roasts, and mounds of carbohydrates
that can be guiltlessly indulged after an invigorating day outdoors.
The Brumal Fire of the Viands
Hearthside grilling to dispel epicurean doldrums and set the soul
on fire again.
Piscean Platters (My favorite as I also am a Pisces’)
Fish dishes from a cook with a taste for astrology.
The Tease of Spring
Recipes that signal the first signs of spring, yet allow for the chill
of fickle March winds.
Easter Feasts
Our last eclectic and ethnic extravaganza.

Sarah starts out each chapter with a story regarding the dishes in that chapter. Also within the chapters she highlights in a box a dinner she would prepare for let’s say “A Harvest Night To Remember” or “January Enthrall”. Sarah also includes “helpful hint” boxes throughout like “Chestnuts Not Roasting On An Open Fire” where she finally makes friends with her microwave on preparing fresh chestnuts!

"Cold-Weather Cooking" is a delightful easy cookbook of which I have some of my favorite recipes. She has a recipe for “Grilled Tuna with Florida Avocado Butter” that has pleased many a dinner guest in my house. And in the spring when we can get our hands on the first harvest of asparagus, I have prepared her “My Very Favorite Asparagus Vinaigrette” and “Oven-Roasted Asparagus with Minced Mushrooms” with much success. But since I am on a salad kick this week, I thought I would try her “Warm Mushroom and Arugula Salad” and share it with you.

Sarah Chase’s “Warm Mushroom and Arugula Salad”

7 tablespoons fruity olive oil
8 oz shitake mushrooms, stems discarded, caps thinly sliced
8 oz domestic white mushrooms, prepared the same way
(I used baby portabella mushrooms instead)
2 cloves of garlic minced (I used 4 as we LOVE garlic in our house)
2 anchovy fillets, minced
¼ cup pitted Nicoise olives, finely minced
2 tablespoons of capers
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
2 bunches of arugula, trimmed, rinsed and patted dry
Salt and Pepper to taste
4 oz crumbled Gorgonzola Cheese (I used Maytag Blue)

1. Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic, anchovies, olives, capers, lemon juice and vinegar. Simmer a few minutes to blend the flavors.
2. Toss arugula with remaining olive oil in a large salad bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the warm mushroom mixture to the bowl and toss until thoroughly blended. Mix in the cheese and plate. Serve at once.

This is such a great salad for a cold evening as the warm mushrooms slightly wilt the salad and the cheese just sets it off! Oh Yum!
I served this with a nice light red wine and crunchy bread. A meal in itself!
Later this week, I will highlight another one of Sarah’s recipes from her "Cold Weather Cooking" book that is extremely simple and very soul satisfying on these “cold winter” evenings.
Cheers!