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More Home Cooking
More Home Cooking, like its predecessor, Home Cooking, is an expression of Laurie Colwin's lifelong passion for cuisine. In this delightful mix of recipes, advice, and anecdotes, she writes about often overlooked food items such as beets, pears, black beans, and chutney. With down-to-earth charm and wit, Colwin also discusses the many pleasures and problems of cooking at home in essays such as "Desserts That Quiver," "Turkey Angst," and "Catering on One Dollar a Head." As informative as it is entertaining, More Home Cooking is a delicious treat for anyone who loves to spend time in the kitchen.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
About the author
Laurie Colwin
33 books434 followersLaurie Colwin is the author of five novels: Happy All the Time, Family Happiness, Goodbye Without Leaving, Shine On, Bright and Dangerous Object, and A Big Storm Knocked It Over; three collections of short stories: Passion and Affect, Another Marvelous Thing, and The Lone Pilgrim; and two collections of essays: Home Cooking and More Home Cooking. She died in 1992.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 205 reviews
February 6, 2016
I have read this beloved cookbook so many times that as I skim through favourite bits they almost feel like my own well-worn stories. I associate this book, entirely, with my first year in England. I had not long been married, and I was pregnant. I knew almost no one, but I was lucky in my next-door neighbours. We lived side by side in a Victorian semi-detached cottage, divided in the front garden by a red rose hedge. The two young daughters of the neighbouring family had the long blonde hair and pink cheeks of little fairy princesses, and they seemed so sweet that I was delighted to be having a baby daughter myself. Marilyn, the mother, had an extensive collection of paperback novels that she was willing to share and I remember gorging on the novels of Mary Wesley, Joanna Trollope and Rosamund Pilcher. For an idyllic two months I had nothing to do but read, cook, take walks and contemplate my approaching motherhood. I'm sure not everyone would enjoy this state of solitary suspension, but I loved it. I probably would have felt quite alone if I didn't have all of these fictional friends, but I did -- and I also had Colwin's cookbooks, which I cooked from extensively.
I love the way Colwin writes, and her writing transports me to a world which feels safe, cosy and civilized. This is an example of a scene she creates:
"I had my first taste of black bean soup on a cold winter Saturday when I was sixteen years old. A friend, home for the holidays from a very glamorous college, gave a lunch party and invited me. Seated at her table, I felt that I -- mired in high school and barely passing geometry -- had died and entered a heaven in which people played the cello, stayed up at night discussing Virginia Woolf, saw plays by Jean-Paul Sartre, and went to Paris for their junior years abroad. But it was the black bean soup that changed my life."
We agree, entirely, on a philosophy of food and cooking. We also have many of the same comfort foods: black bean soup, fried chicken, roast chicken, biscuits, gingerbread, apple pie and rice pudding. I have bought nearly every cookbook she ever recommended, although I've never loved any of them as much as I love hers.
I love the way Colwin writes, and her writing transports me to a world which feels safe, cosy and civilized. This is an example of a scene she creates:
"I had my first taste of black bean soup on a cold winter Saturday when I was sixteen years old. A friend, home for the holidays from a very glamorous college, gave a lunch party and invited me. Seated at her table, I felt that I -- mired in high school and barely passing geometry -- had died and entered a heaven in which people played the cello, stayed up at night discussing Virginia Woolf, saw plays by Jean-Paul Sartre, and went to Paris for their junior years abroad. But it was the black bean soup that changed my life."
We agree, entirely, on a philosophy of food and cooking. We also have many of the same comfort foods: black bean soup, fried chicken, roast chicken, biscuits, gingerbread, apple pie and rice pudding. I have bought nearly every cookbook she ever recommended, although I've never loved any of them as much as I love hers.
June 6, 2022
My sister, who has always been a fan of food writing, lent me Laurie Colwin’s two volumes on home cooking many years ago, and I was just alright with them. I think this is probably because, at the time, I was somewhat inexperienced in both cooking and life and therefore did not appreciate the wisdom the books impart on both. Colwin’s brand of gentle humor seemed to land better this time around, too. I decided to read these again because I was drawn to the beautiful redesigned paperback editions; I started with More Home Cooking because I remembered preferring it last time, and because it had a new introduction by Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen fame. Having reread both books in quick succession, though, I think it would be better for the new reader to read them in order (Home Cooking followed by More Home Cooking). She does refer to the first volume occasionally in this one, and some concepts from the first book go unexplained here because she figures you already know. If you like food writing, though, both books are recommended.
July 10, 2021
Delightful and amusing essays and recipes!
July 31, 2009
I truly love Laurie Colwin, and was personally devastated when she died in 1992. I've read all of her books, and though this one is not a work of fiction, it is every bit as wonderful as the others.
The book is a series of essays Colwin wrote for different publications about food and cooking. It's a combination of stories, recipes, and life lessons, all told in her incomparable style. She writes like someone who is your best friend, and maybe doesn't live nearby anymore. It's like she is telling you what's been happening with her and her family since you last talked.
The recipes that I have tried are all really good, and for the most part, very simple.
I so wish she was still around to write more. But what she left is definitely better than nothing!
The book is a series of essays Colwin wrote for different publications about food and cooking. It's a combination of stories, recipes, and life lessons, all told in her incomparable style. She writes like someone who is your best friend, and maybe doesn't live nearby anymore. It's like she is telling you what's been happening with her and her family since you last talked.
The recipes that I have tried are all really good, and for the most part, very simple.
I so wish she was still around to write more. But what she left is definitely better than nothing!
January 29, 2024
i didn’t think this would top “home cooking” — the original is almost always better and hard to beat — but it did. i think i love this one even more. oh laurie colwin, you were gone too soon.
November 13, 2021
I came into my marriage knowing how to make easy over eggs, which Dad asked me to make him on Sunday mornings, and how to stir gravy Mom had thickened with Wondra. Otherwise, I knew how to grate potatoes for Mom’s Potato Pancakes, use the can opener, and pour milk on cold cereal. Mom gave me recipe cards with her signature dishes–spaghetti, chili, chicken and rice. Dad gave me a cookbook.
My husband was in grad school and we were poor, living on a campus in the middle of nowhere. Learning to cook and bake and ‘put up’ and garden became our hobbies. We watched the tv chiefs. I borrowed cookbooks from the local library. We took an organic gardening class. We bought armfuls of rhubarb from a farmer and made jam.
On Sunday afternoons, we made the week’s bread. We had homemade soup and salads for lunch. For dinner, we made slow cooked baked beans (in a bean pot), served with home made cornbread, stuffed zucchini in summer, and for a treat chicken stewed with tomatoes and zucchini.
After my husband’s graduation we moved to Philadelphia. We found recipes in The Philadelphia Inquirer that we still use, and clipped recipes from the New York Times.
It was in Philadelphia, in the mid-1970s and 1980s, that I read Laurie Colwin‘s novels and her articles. I am delighted that her work is being republished. And even more delighted to have a copy of her 1992 book More Home Cooking: A Writer Returns to the Kitchen, sent me through The Book Club Cookbook.
Colwin’s writing is always entertaining and delightful. Her voice is friendly. She has a sense of humor that is never mean spirited. I waylaid my husband and read sections aloud to him.
I have been reading about sourdough starters for years, but frankly, I was too chicken to start one. I never took chemistry in high school, and besides, even if by some miracle it came out right, sourdough starters sounded demanding—what with stirring them or using them once a week and taking them out for an airing and keeping them in the right place in the fridge.[…]who needs sourdough starter? You might as well get a dog.
from More Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin
Her descriptions of food and her recipes inspired me to jump up and get into the kitchen and cook. Her meals are simple but with an exotic touch. Like pan roasted beets simmered in chicken broth, with red onion, rosemary, and hot pepper flakes added, and served on Angel’s Hair pasta. Or, Cranberry Beans in a Béchamel Sauce. A simple four ingredient biscuit recipe becomes savory with the addition of Cheddar cheese or poppy seeds, while adding a dash of sugar and add fruit makes scones. Roll it out for a pizza dough topped with fried vegetables or pesto, or top with jam and sliced fruit for an easy desert.
My mouth is watering just writing about it.
If you are a Colwin fan, or new to her work, you will want to check out More Home Cooking and her other books now rereleased.
I received a free book through the Book Club Cook Book. My review is fair and unbiased.
My husband was in grad school and we were poor, living on a campus in the middle of nowhere. Learning to cook and bake and ‘put up’ and garden became our hobbies. We watched the tv chiefs. I borrowed cookbooks from the local library. We took an organic gardening class. We bought armfuls of rhubarb from a farmer and made jam.
On Sunday afternoons, we made the week’s bread. We had homemade soup and salads for lunch. For dinner, we made slow cooked baked beans (in a bean pot), served with home made cornbread, stuffed zucchini in summer, and for a treat chicken stewed with tomatoes and zucchini.
After my husband’s graduation we moved to Philadelphia. We found recipes in The Philadelphia Inquirer that we still use, and clipped recipes from the New York Times.
It was in Philadelphia, in the mid-1970s and 1980s, that I read Laurie Colwin‘s novels and her articles. I am delighted that her work is being republished. And even more delighted to have a copy of her 1992 book More Home Cooking: A Writer Returns to the Kitchen, sent me through The Book Club Cookbook.
Colwin’s writing is always entertaining and delightful. Her voice is friendly. She has a sense of humor that is never mean spirited. I waylaid my husband and read sections aloud to him.
I have been reading about sourdough starters for years, but frankly, I was too chicken to start one. I never took chemistry in high school, and besides, even if by some miracle it came out right, sourdough starters sounded demanding—what with stirring them or using them once a week and taking them out for an airing and keeping them in the right place in the fridge.[…]who needs sourdough starter? You might as well get a dog.
from More Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin
Her descriptions of food and her recipes inspired me to jump up and get into the kitchen and cook. Her meals are simple but with an exotic touch. Like pan roasted beets simmered in chicken broth, with red onion, rosemary, and hot pepper flakes added, and served on Angel’s Hair pasta. Or, Cranberry Beans in a Béchamel Sauce. A simple four ingredient biscuit recipe becomes savory with the addition of Cheddar cheese or poppy seeds, while adding a dash of sugar and add fruit makes scones. Roll it out for a pizza dough topped with fried vegetables or pesto, or top with jam and sliced fruit for an easy desert.
My mouth is watering just writing about it.
If you are a Colwin fan, or new to her work, you will want to check out More Home Cooking and her other books now rereleased.
I received a free book through the Book Club Cook Book. My review is fair and unbiased.
December 31, 2013
I love food, and I love fine writing. Unsurprisingly, I love fine writing about food. What is there not to love about Laurie Colwin’s essays? I’ve also read Colwin’s marvelous fiction, and I truly think both her collections of food writing--part recipe collections, part memoirs, and even a little bit of politics--are every bit as good. Her prose is delectable without being fussy, rather like the food she describes. She can occasionally be judgmental and snappish about food, but to me that just shows that she takes the topic seriously, and good for her. I get a bit up on my own high horse when it comes to the machinations of agribusiness and the processed food industry. My only complaint? I can’t decide whether reading this stuff makes me want to retreat to my office to write or to my kitchen to cook.
February 8, 2013
An example of more being better. More Laurie C, your best girlfriend who can march into your kitchen on a day when you've sprained your ankle and bounced a check, stare into your fridge for 2 minutes, and whip up something comforting. Recommended for the anxiety-ridden and the hungry.
March 30, 2010
Part memoir. Part cookbook. Mostly boring. Just couldn't get into this.
September 18, 2017
This was even better than the first book. But really - biscuits, butter, and roast chicken...need I say more?
October 31, 2018
More dated than the first book, and also more recipes so slightly less readable.
July 3, 2021
“You want comfort; you want security; you want food; you want to not be hungry; and not only do you want those basic things fixed, you want it done in a really nice, gently way that makes you feel loved. That’s a big desire, and cookbooks say to the person who’s reading them, ‘If you will read me, you will be able to do this for yourself and for others. You will make everybody feel better.’”
I read Laurie Colwin’s “Home Cooking” a little earlier this year, and I absolutely loved it! I’ve loved & enjoyed cooking for my whole life, so it was very fun & soothing to read about different recipes and Colwin’s own food memories and cultural background. The second book was somehow even better than the first, and very comforting to read over the last week, which was very stressful in my own personal life. It was very soothing to read a chapter or two before I went to bed every night; my favorite chapters were about coffee, down-home standbys, the harried cook’s guide to fast food, food for kids, things to eat when you have jet lag, and things that are good for picnics!
I read Laurie Colwin’s “Home Cooking” a little earlier this year, and I absolutely loved it! I’ve loved & enjoyed cooking for my whole life, so it was very fun & soothing to read about different recipes and Colwin’s own food memories and cultural background. The second book was somehow even better than the first, and very comforting to read over the last week, which was very stressful in my own personal life. It was very soothing to read a chapter or two before I went to bed every night; my favorite chapters were about coffee, down-home standbys, the harried cook’s guide to fast food, food for kids, things to eat when you have jet lag, and things that are good for picnics!
July 11, 2022
I love memoirs that are built around food and cooking. Very enjoyable.
November 24, 2022
3.5 stars
Colwin's writing is so down-to-earth and homey. I'm not really a fan of cooking, but she makes me want to do more of it.
The book is a product of its time, in the sense that "low-fat" was the prevailing wisdom of the day. Colwin doesn't make everything low-fat, but she mentions how to alter items to make them "healthier."
There are a few instances of profanity, including God's name used as an exclamation.
Colwin's writing is so down-to-earth and homey. I'm not really a fan of cooking, but she makes me want to do more of it.
The book is a product of its time, in the sense that "low-fat" was the prevailing wisdom of the day. Colwin doesn't make everything low-fat, but she mentions how to alter items to make them "healthier."
There are a few instances of profanity, including God's name used as an exclamation.
January 22, 2023
Truly enjoy the ideas about cooking and the general great conversational style.
October 1, 2021
This book was written in 1992 and it’s a little dated as far as food trends. I like Laurie Colwyn and her relationship with food, but I actually don’t like what she makes. In 2021 I don’t eat bread but I do appreciate her love of fresh foods. A lot of jams, breads chutney, fruits especially pears.
, Sad that Laurie is no longer with us to see what she would create in the time of keto.
, Sad that Laurie is no longer with us to see what she would create in the time of keto.
December 7, 2017
The table is a meeting place, a gathering ground, the source of sustenance and nourishment, festivity, safety, and satisfaction. A person cooking is a person giving: Even the simplest food is a gift.
Occasionally details date this 1992* book, e.g. how unhealthy eggs are. But overall, Colwin's writing is timeless and enduring. I love her. Though our lives are/were (she, 48, didn't wake up one October day in 1992) different in context and culture, her themes of cooking, reading, writing, family, and community are practices I cherish.
She writes about reading and I purr (not even a feline aficionado) as I vow to reread all of Barbara Pym.
Basically, all I ever do is read. I read about monastic life, polar Eskimos, arctic travel — I have no interest in ever going to the Arctic, by the way, and as I am not Christian, I can never enter a monastery — and I read English novels. One of my favorite novelists is Barbara Pym, who is an underrated writer, like Jane Austen. Everyone things she's just darling, but she is not just darling, she's really tough. One of the great things about Barbara Pym is that the food in Barbara Pym is just wonderful.
Colwin is Queen of zingers.
Black beans are the frazzled person's friend.
Biscuits are the utility infielder of the culinary world.
What is good for Mrs. [Edna] Lewis is good for the nation, in my opinion.
A world without tomatoes is like a string quartet without violins.
Lentils are friendly — the Miss Congeniality of the bean world.
It is amazing how many adults loathe beets - although puréed, strained beets are a staple in the baby-food industry.
Added to the riches of Colwin's prose, are the resources she recommends: cookbooks by Elizabeth David, Marcella Hazan, Edna Lewis, Sylvia Thompson, Jane Grigson, Margaret Costa, John Thorne, and Madhur Jaffrey. A hemisphere of food writing awaits.
The recipes look lovely, but so far they have nourished only my spirit.
*I chuckled at this: If I had a dollar for every time someone said to me "I don't have time to bake bread anymore," I would be as rich as Donald Trump used to be.
Occasionally details date this 1992* book, e.g. how unhealthy eggs are. But overall, Colwin's writing is timeless and enduring. I love her. Though our lives are/were (she, 48, didn't wake up one October day in 1992) different in context and culture, her themes of cooking, reading, writing, family, and community are practices I cherish.
She writes about reading and I purr (not even a feline aficionado) as I vow to reread all of Barbara Pym.
Basically, all I ever do is read. I read about monastic life, polar Eskimos, arctic travel — I have no interest in ever going to the Arctic, by the way, and as I am not Christian, I can never enter a monastery — and I read English novels. One of my favorite novelists is Barbara Pym, who is an underrated writer, like Jane Austen. Everyone things she's just darling, but she is not just darling, she's really tough. One of the great things about Barbara Pym is that the food in Barbara Pym is just wonderful.
Colwin is Queen of zingers.
Black beans are the frazzled person's friend.
Biscuits are the utility infielder of the culinary world.
What is good for Mrs. [Edna] Lewis is good for the nation, in my opinion.
A world without tomatoes is like a string quartet without violins.
Lentils are friendly — the Miss Congeniality of the bean world.
It is amazing how many adults loathe beets - although puréed, strained beets are a staple in the baby-food industry.
Added to the riches of Colwin's prose, are the resources she recommends: cookbooks by Elizabeth David, Marcella Hazan, Edna Lewis, Sylvia Thompson, Jane Grigson, Margaret Costa, John Thorne, and Madhur Jaffrey. A hemisphere of food writing awaits.
The recipes look lovely, but so far they have nourished only my spirit.
*I chuckled at this: If I had a dollar for every time someone said to me "I don't have time to bake bread anymore," I would be as rich as Donald Trump used to be.
May 24, 2015
This book is straight up amazing. It's one of those books that makes you wish you could invite the author over for a cup of tea or coffee, and talk about all kinds of things with her, not just cooking. But then at the same time, you wish she could come over and make jam with you, or biscuits, or her amazing spiced beef recipe, just so you could see how truly easy these recipes are. But unfortunately, Ms. Colwin died in 1992, very unexpectedly. My husband had looked it up for me, and so when I came across in one of the essays that she was writing in October of 1992 (the same month she died), it made me quite sad.
Anyone who loves food will love this book, especially those who love to cook. There are so many recipes to be found within its pages, and I've managed to cook one already (the recipe for Inez Fontenez's Succotash, which was a huge hit at my house. I also loved how Ms. Colwin insists that children will eat almost anything, that you don't have to prepare special "kid food" (ie, chicken nuggets and French fries) for every meal. The bit about how she and her daughter will eat capers straight out of the jar made me laugh, as my kids fight over the measuring spoon when I use fish sauce. Kids can be picky, sure, but they can also love foods that would surprise most adults.
I highly recommend this book. It's worth it as sort of a love story on food, but the recipes look pretty incredible as well. And the recipes are so very accessible; you won't have to go out and find some obscure ingredient or strange implement to make them. Buy this book. You will not regret it.
Anyone who loves food will love this book, especially those who love to cook. There are so many recipes to be found within its pages, and I've managed to cook one already (the recipe for Inez Fontenez's Succotash, which was a huge hit at my house. I also loved how Ms. Colwin insists that children will eat almost anything, that you don't have to prepare special "kid food" (ie, chicken nuggets and French fries) for every meal. The bit about how she and her daughter will eat capers straight out of the jar made me laugh, as my kids fight over the measuring spoon when I use fish sauce. Kids can be picky, sure, but they can also love foods that would surprise most adults.
I highly recommend this book. It's worth it as sort of a love story on food, but the recipes look pretty incredible as well. And the recipes are so very accessible; you won't have to go out and find some obscure ingredient or strange implement to make them. Buy this book. You will not regret it.
December 11, 2010
I first read this book, and its companion Home Cooking: A Writer in the Kitchen in 1997. This time around I devoured it in one sitting...and it is still a satisfying read.
Food writing as it should be..true Kitchen Table talk...full of stories, anecdotes, hints, tips, victories and flops. The recipes? some work...some don't
The favor Ms Colwin did for me was mentioning Taste of Country Cooking by the inimitable Edna Lewis...which title I recommend to anyone interested in "American" cookery...besides that, Ms Lewis is one hell of a storyteller.
MORE HOME COOKING has a chapter on what to eat whilst suffering JET LAG....the bugbear of our times. Her chapter on feeding children is a gem since she does not focus so much on the "dos and donts" as she does on the "exciting the palate" of those who are not jaded..Her chapter on Lentil Soup left me with a serious craving...and are those drool spots on the page(s)???
I love this book. It's a pity Ms Colwin died so young...we lost a good Foodie....and a Good Woman to boot.
4 Stars
Food writing as it should be..true Kitchen Table talk...full of stories, anecdotes, hints, tips, victories and flops. The recipes? some work...some don't
The favor Ms Colwin did for me was mentioning Taste of Country Cooking by the inimitable Edna Lewis...which title I recommend to anyone interested in "American" cookery...besides that, Ms Lewis is one hell of a storyteller.
MORE HOME COOKING has a chapter on what to eat whilst suffering JET LAG....the bugbear of our times. Her chapter on feeding children is a gem since she does not focus so much on the "dos and donts" as she does on the "exciting the palate" of those who are not jaded..Her chapter on Lentil Soup left me with a serious craving...and are those drool spots on the page(s)???
I love this book. It's a pity Ms Colwin died so young...we lost a good Foodie....and a Good Woman to boot.
4 Stars
January 7, 2022
I love this book so much. Laurie Colwin truly makes me feel like I'm sitting in the kitchen with a close friend sipping tea or wine, discussing our intricate opinions on potato salads, chocolate chips, and dates. I recommend keeping a notepad nearby while reading so you can record which recipes you want to make as well as the many cookbooks that she recommends!
April 29, 2014
You know how when you love something, and that love attracts all sorts of derision and mockery from others? Like when you love Miley Cyrus, and you're afraid to tell anyone you know, so you keep it inside for months and months until you meet someone you think you could call "friend"--best friend, even--so you share your dirty little secret love of MC and s/he turns to you with a look of disgust and horror and answers with "She's no Dylan!"? And you're thinking, "What do I say to that? I don't even like Bob Dylan! And I never said Miley was anything like that dude in the first place!" but instead of saying that, you reply with "Oh, I forgot I have a colonoscopy appointment in 10 minutes. See ya!"
You need not settle on secret love when it comes to this glorious little book of essays. Share that love with the world, and everyone will want to embrace you. Laurie Colwin is a writer I aspire to be, and for once, the peoples and snobs of Earth would agree she's awesome.
You need not settle on secret love when it comes to this glorious little book of essays. Share that love with the world, and everyone will want to embrace you. Laurie Colwin is a writer I aspire to be, and for once, the peoples and snobs of Earth would agree she's awesome.
January 16, 2021
So many parts of this book I want to read to other people. Foods we share, recipes we’ve tried, things we like or would like to eat. And she was so funny and down to earth, that Laurie Colwin. What a loss to the world when she died young. She reminded me of the social parts of cooking and eating, how each brings us together. (Maybe this stuck out more because we don’t eat socially these days.)Not all her writing translates over time, however. Even in just 30 years, cooking and language and roles and perceptions have changed some, as I guess they always will. But this book and the warmth and love of food she shares are timeless.
January 30, 2013
Published shortly after Colwin's unexpected death in 1992 at age 48, this book continues to delight with stories about cooking with a small child, what matters and what doesn't in cooking and the joys of finding the right accessories for your meals - chutney, lime pickle, fermented black beans just to name a few. Once again these were magazine columns so it's easy to pick up and read one or two and then put it back down, while maybe being inspired to try something she suggests. I just wish Laurie was still alive because the things she could write about today would be so interesting!
December 31, 2015
Much like the earlier book (Home Cooking, natch), this is a lovely warm tale of how Laurie Colwin feeds her family. It always makes me sad that she's not with us anymore as I would love to read her writing today in these foodie times to see how she might have evolved.
January 13, 2009
I like Colwin's writing...in her kitchen, she is human and approachable.
December 11, 2014
Love her books and her take on cooking. I would love to work my way through More Home Cooking and Home Cooking - trying each and every recipe.
Read
March 12, 2016Love this combination of cookbook and food essays. Gave me a feel good feeling about the kitchen, food and family.
July 23, 2016
The tone of this book was a problem. The combination of casual and know-it-all comes off as very condescending, and it was unpleasant to read.
October 10, 2017
Home Cooking là quyển sách dành cho những ngày mưa, khi cậu nằm trên giường nghe mưa rơi não nề và cần một điều gì thật ấm áp, nhẹ nhàng để làm dịu lại trái tim trầm cảm... Và More Home Cooking cũng vẫn đem lại cho mình cảm giác đó. Cảm ơn Colwin. Hà Nội mấy hôm nay cứ mưa rào lê thê, thật hợp.
Trong cái thời đại mà "food reviewer" một nghìn một mớ, với ba cái kiểu chụp ảnh, viết bài trăm người y hệt, mình lại càng trân trọng Colwin. Người phụ nữ này cho mình cảm giác bà thực sự yêu đồ ăn, yêu hương vị tươi ngon, đặc trưng của từng loại thực phẩm, và do vậy nên mới yêu việc kết hợp chúng với nhau, tạo thành bữa ăn gia đình. Cách bà miêu tả hương vị, cách bà nói đến Chanh, đến Trứng, đến Eggplant, Tomato rồi Broccoli. Ughh, thực sự muốn làm mình lao vào bếp, ăn vụng 1 quả cà chua (À yes, chính Home Cooking - Colwin đã thôi thúc mình đến với bếp, với lò)
Đúng là Home Cooking, không fancy phức tạp, không bao giờ đòi hỏi phải chi li đo đếm từng gam thành phần, với Colwin, khẩu vị của người nấu, người ăn mới là quan trọng nhất. Thêm cái này, bớt cái kia, thậm chí đổi hẳn công thức, quan trọng là "Trust yourself. You just have to relax. I assure you that if you keep it simple, everything will turn out just fine".
Ngoài tình yêu với vị tươi ngon giòn bổ và ăn uống nói chung, thì Colwin còn đặc biệt trân trọng bữa cơm gia đình. Rằng "Gia đình" không chỉ gói gọn trong bố mẹ con, mà mọi kiểu "gia đình", là gia đình với bà mẹ đơn thân, là gia đình của bố, dì và đứa con nhận nuôi, là họ hàng, là bạn bè thân thiết nữa chứ. Khi mọi người ngồi quây quần ăn bữa cơm tự nấu (home cook meal), cũng là lúc não chúng ta được disconnect khỏi thế giới ồn ào, và reconnect lại những mảnh thật sự quan trọng của cuộc sống.
"I know that (...) family life is never smooth, and that life ifself is full, not only of charm and warmth and comfort but of sorrow and tears. But whether we are happy or sad, we must be fed. Both happy and sad people can be cheered up by a nice meal"
Chà, mình không chỉ yêu Home Cooking và More Home Cooking. Mình yêu cả Colwin mất rồi.
(À trừ 1 sao vì More Home Cooking có kha khá đoạn lặp lại từ Home Cooking ạ haha. Nhưng suy cho cùng thì cũng không tránh khỏi, vì cả 2 quyển đều là tổng hợp essay của bà thành sách, chứ không phải bà viết full 1 quyển -> So là 4.5/5 sao)
Trong cái thời đại mà "food reviewer" một nghìn một mớ, với ba cái kiểu chụp ảnh, viết bài trăm người y hệt, mình lại càng trân trọng Colwin. Người phụ nữ này cho mình cảm giác bà thực sự yêu đồ ăn, yêu hương vị tươi ngon, đặc trưng của từng loại thực phẩm, và do vậy nên mới yêu việc kết hợp chúng với nhau, tạo thành bữa ăn gia đình. Cách bà miêu tả hương vị, cách bà nói đến Chanh, đến Trứng, đến Eggplant, Tomato rồi Broccoli. Ughh, thực sự muốn làm mình lao vào bếp, ăn vụng 1 quả cà chua (À yes, chính Home Cooking - Colwin đã thôi thúc mình đến với bếp, với lò)
Đúng là Home Cooking, không fancy phức tạp, không bao giờ đòi hỏi phải chi li đo đếm từng gam thành phần, với Colwin, khẩu vị của người nấu, người ăn mới là quan trọng nhất. Thêm cái này, bớt cái kia, thậm chí đổi hẳn công thức, quan trọng là "Trust yourself. You just have to relax. I assure you that if you keep it simple, everything will turn out just fine".
Ngoài tình yêu với vị tươi ngon giòn bổ và ăn uống nói chung, thì Colwin còn đặc biệt trân trọng bữa cơm gia đình. Rằng "Gia đình" không chỉ gói gọn trong bố mẹ con, mà mọi kiểu "gia đình", là gia đình với bà mẹ đơn thân, là gia đình của bố, dì và đứa con nhận nuôi, là họ hàng, là bạn bè thân thiết nữa chứ. Khi mọi người ngồi quây quần ăn bữa cơm tự nấu (home cook meal), cũng là lúc não chúng ta được disconnect khỏi thế giới ồn ào, và reconnect lại những mảnh thật sự quan trọng của cuộc sống.
"I know that (...) family life is never smooth, and that life ifself is full, not only of charm and warmth and comfort but of sorrow and tears. But whether we are happy or sad, we must be fed. Both happy and sad people can be cheered up by a nice meal"
Chà, mình không chỉ yêu Home Cooking và More Home Cooking. Mình yêu cả Colwin mất rồi.
(À trừ 1 sao vì More Home Cooking có kha khá đoạn lặp lại từ Home Cooking ạ haha. Nhưng suy cho cùng thì cũng không tránh khỏi, vì cả 2 quyển đều là tổng hợp essay của bà thành sách, chứ không phải bà viết full 1 quyển -> So là 4.5/5 sao)
December 2, 2022
It's been almost exactly twelve years since I read Home Cooking, Laurie Colwin's first nonfiction book about just that, home cooking. I loved that book, as shown by my lengthy review (on my blog). More Home Cooking was published posthumously; Colwin died in 1992 of an aortic aneurysm. She was 48.
More Home Cooking is about food, as well as the author's glance back on her family life. I enjoyed her anecdotes, and marked a few recipes for future possibilities, but I didn't love this book as much as I loved Home Cooking. Perhaps having just read two fantastic books (These Precious Days and House Lessons), I set the bar too high, expecting another 5-star read. Or maybe my recent lack of enthusiasm for cooking colored my response to the writing. I was entertained, but this one didn't resonate as much as her previous work.
On Roast Chicken:
There is nothing like roast chicken. It is helpful and agreeable, the perfect dish no matter what the circumstances. Elegant or homey, a dish for a dinner party or a family supper, it will not let you down.
On Shortbread:
After you have been a very good person for a very long time and are thin as a bean, you may decide to fall briefly into sin. You will want something simple and elegant that cannot be made without butter. There is only one thing that will do: shortbread.
On Coffee:
Not a day goes by that we are not given a list of things that are bad for us. These lists, which always mention coffee right away, are usually published in the health column of the daily paper, which we read as we drink our morning coffee.
I have gone without coffee. I did not get the jitters or begin to drool. Nor did I lose my memory or regain lost energy. I simply missed that wonderful taste, that sweet, pungent smell, that warm feeling in my chest.
Turns out that all the recipes I marked are desserts!
Old-Fashioned Gingerbread (page 66)
Katharine Hepburn's Brownies (page 73)
Classic Shortbread (page 97)
Karen Edward's Version of Buttermilk Cocoa Cake (page 157)
I'll let you know how they turn out and if there are any keepers.
More Home Cooking is about food, as well as the author's glance back on her family life. I enjoyed her anecdotes, and marked a few recipes for future possibilities, but I didn't love this book as much as I loved Home Cooking. Perhaps having just read two fantastic books (These Precious Days and House Lessons), I set the bar too high, expecting another 5-star read. Or maybe my recent lack of enthusiasm for cooking colored my response to the writing. I was entertained, but this one didn't resonate as much as her previous work.
On Roast Chicken:
There is nothing like roast chicken. It is helpful and agreeable, the perfect dish no matter what the circumstances. Elegant or homey, a dish for a dinner party or a family supper, it will not let you down.
On Shortbread:
After you have been a very good person for a very long time and are thin as a bean, you may decide to fall briefly into sin. You will want something simple and elegant that cannot be made without butter. There is only one thing that will do: shortbread.
On Coffee:
Not a day goes by that we are not given a list of things that are bad for us. These lists, which always mention coffee right away, are usually published in the health column of the daily paper, which we read as we drink our morning coffee.
I have gone without coffee. I did not get the jitters or begin to drool. Nor did I lose my memory or regain lost energy. I simply missed that wonderful taste, that sweet, pungent smell, that warm feeling in my chest.
Turns out that all the recipes I marked are desserts!
Old-Fashioned Gingerbread (page 66)
Katharine Hepburn's Brownies (page 73)
Classic Shortbread (page 97)
Karen Edward's Version of Buttermilk Cocoa Cake (page 157)
I'll let you know how they turn out and if there are any keepers.
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