By
Janet Kay Jensen
The
love of books paired with a passion for cooking has inspired a
unique book, The Book Lover’s Cookbook, featuring great
recipes paired with excerpts from celebrated works of literature.
After
reading vivid scenes involving food in some of her favorite books,
author and cook Shaunda Kennedy Wenger of Nibley, Utah began to
experiment in her kitchen in an effort to replicate some of the
dishes described in those books. Her successful results sparked
the idea of a literary cookbook containing passages from great
literature that mention food, paired with original recipes to
match--a literary cookbook that would allow readers to cook and
eat with their favorite authors and characters.
Food in Literature
Food
provides a way to share our bounties and talents, bonds families
together around the dinner table, creates traditions, forges friendships
over shared meals, and, of course, satisfies one of our basic
needs, nourishment. It’s only logical that books with
compelling characters and stories would contain references to
food.
In
literature, food speaks of home and hearth and everyday life,
celebrates special occasions, triggers survival strategies, and
sustains and comforts in times of loss and tragedy. Food can add
humor and detail to stories. It can also further define the setting
as well as the culture and personalities of characters.
The
combination was irresistible, as many readers love to cook, and
many cooks love to read. When Shaunda proposed the project to
me following a meeting of the Cache Valley Chapter of the League
of Utah Writers, she’d already thought of the perfect title: The
Book Lover’s Cookbook.
As
we considered the possibilities, we wondered:
- If we could accurately recreate dishes and meals
described in our favorite books in our own kitchens
- If we could collect enough excerpts from fine literature
paired with original recipes to create a literary cookbook,
and
- If two unknown writers could get it published.
Over
the next three years we worked on the project, juggling family,
church and other responsibilities. The process differed from one
recipe or book to another. We found passages in books where characters
cooked, ate, or thought about food, and then researched and kitchen-tested
our recipes to match the authors’ descriptions. Occasionally we
started with a good recipe and then searched for a book with a
scene containing a reference that particular food.
Utilizing
memories of great books read since childhood, searching through
our own collections and raiding the public library, we hunted
through hundreds of works of classic and contemporary fiction,
nonfiction, poetry and children’s books.
For
recipes, we pillaged our family recipe collections and treasured
ward cookbooks, checked out dozens of cookbooks from our invaluable
library, and sought advice and recipes from friends, families
and neighbors.
We
experimented with the recipes, developing original dishes from
them, sometimes after multiple trials. In the end, the most reliable
measure was whether our families liked a dish. When they sat down
to dinner, we watched with anticipation for the thumbs up or thumbs
down reaction after a thoughtful first bite. Usually, our efforts
were greeted with thumbs-ups, satisfied smiles, and compliments
for the cook.
In
the end, we compiled 198 excerpts, 191 recipes, and 149 of our
favorite quotations about books, reading and writing. In addition,
25 authors personally contributed recipes and/or anecdotes, including
Joan Bauer, Elizabeth Berg, Maeve
Binchy, Barbara Kingsolver, Sandra Dallas, Richard Peck and M.L.
Rose. We organized the recipes into a traditional cookbook format:
appetizers, soups, main dishes, etc. and included a wide variety
of recipes in each section.
All
three of our original “ifs” were eventually realized; we had collected
and organized enough passages and recipes to create a literary
cookbook, gathered a generous supply of quotes, and after numerous
rejections, we found an agent and publisher. Then permission to
use excerpts from copyrighted works was obtained from various
publishers, a lengthy and complicated task. After over four years,
our collaboration resulted in the publication of The Book Lover’s
Cookbook, Recipes Inspired by Celebrated Works of literature,
and the Passages that Feature Them (Ballantine Books, a Division
of Random House, October, 2003) by Shaunda Kennedy Wenger and
Janet Kay Jensen. The book has been well-received and garnered
a mention on National Public Radio.
Shaunda
Kennedy Wenger and Janet Kay Jensen
Photo:
Mitch Mascaro, Herald Journal 2003
Here
are a few of my favorite original recipes, their origins, and
the literature that inspired them:
Matanni’s
Butternut Squash and Apple Cider Soup
Housed
at an institution for an unknown condition thought to be related
to seizures, Icy Sparks longs for home and the warm kitchen of
her grandparents, whom she calls Matanni and Patanni, where Matanni
makes a different soup each week. Icy pictures her grandmother
cooking butternut squash and apple cider soup from ingredients
raised on their own farm. Matanni peels, dices and cooks the squash
until it’s soft and bubbling, stirs in cider and then adds cream.
Topping it with a dab or two of butter, she brings it to the table,
where Patanni eats it so eagerly, he dribbles it down the front
of his shirt. Matanni, whose mother
had taught her manners, eats hers in a leisurely, ladylike manner.
Kentucky
Author Gwyn Hyman Rubio describes this homey scene so vividly
in Icy Sparks, we can almost smell and taste the hot, nourishing
dish. In just one paragraph we learn not only how to make the
soup; the humble characters of Matanni and Patanni are further
defined by the words of their loving granddaughter.
Research
indicates that squash has been grown and consumed in Mexico in 550 B.C. A member of the gourd family,
it is hardy and a source of iron, riboflavin and vitamins. When
I read Icy Sparks, I’d already been making a squash bisque
with a chicken stock base for my family. Following Icy’s recollections
in the book, I was able to experiment with the proportions of
squash, cream and cider to replicate Matanni’s hearty soup. Ms.
Rubio approved the recipe and added a comment that in Appalachia,
the kitchen is usually the center of family life, and therefore
many scenes in her books take place during meals.
Matanni’s
Butternut Squash and Apple Cider Soup is filling and satisfying,
smooth and thick, and especially comforting when harsh weather
makes us grateful to be home. Any hard winter squash including
acorn, banana, buttercup, and butternut works well in this soup.
The lovely orange-yellow color varies according to the type of
squash used.
A
tip shared by a friend makes preparation easier: Winter squash
is very hard and can require a great deal of strength to cut open,
but pricking the skin and cooking the whole squash in a microwave
oven for 10-15 minutes or until slightly softened makes it simple
to cut, peel, seed and dice. This can also be accomplished by
baking the whole squash in a regular oven until it’s soft enough
to cut easily. Let it cool for a few minutes so it’s not too hot
to handle.
For
a lower-fat version, this soup is delicious without the butter.
Half-and half or milk can be substituted for the cream.
Matanni’s Butternut Squash and Apple Cider Soup
4
cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (other
winter squash can be substituted)
3
cups apple cider
2
cups cream
1
½ tablespoons butter
Dash
of salt
Steam
squash until tender. Drain and puree. Return to pan and turn heat
to low. Add apple cider, cream, butter and salt. Do not boil after
cream is added. Stir until butter is melted. Serve immediately.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Recipe
inspired by Icy Sparks by Gwyn Hyman Rubio.
Mrs.
Dalby’s Buttermilk Scones
Scones
Country
veterinarian and author James Herriot speaks affectionately about
Yorkshire hospitality in All Creatures Great and Small;
rarely does he visit a farm without a gracious invitation to tea
by the kindly farmer’s wife, a bountiful spread that always includes
scones.
It
is believed that scones originated in Scotland and are closely related
to bannock, a griddle baked flatbread. They were first made with
oats, shaped into a large round, scored into four into six triangles, and
cooked on a griddle over an open fire or on top of the stove. Ours
are baked in a hot oven. This allows the dough to set quickly,
producing a light scone with a golden brown floury top and bottom
with white sides. Like a traditional biscuit, the texture of the
interior of the scone is light and soft, and white in color.
My
kitchen research resulted in buttermilk scones that I think would
meet Mrs. Dalby’s approval. The possibilities for fillings are
endless. My sister came to visit, and together we made a large
batch, experimenting with various additions. Our favorite filling
was a mixture of apples, cinnamon, pecans and brown sugar; dried
apricots or cranberry raisins stirred into the dough tied for
second place.
Mrs. Dalby’s Buttermilk Scones
3
cups all-purpose flour
1/3
cup sugar
1
teaspoon salt
2
½ teaspoons baking powder
½
teaspoon baking soda
¾
cup unsalted butter or margarine
1
cup buttermilk
1
tablespoon heavy cream, for topping
powdered
sugar (optional)
Optional
fillings: orange marmalade, raisins, dried cranberries soaked
in orange to soften, strawberry preserves, dried apricots, grated
cheddar cheese, chopped golden Delicious apple mixed with melted
butter, brown sugar and chopped pecans.
Combine
the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a large
bowl. Add the butter and mix with your fingertips or press butter
into flour with a fork until crumbly. Add the buttermilk and mix
until combined.
Transfer
the dough to a floured board or counter. Tear off 2-inch diameter
portions from the dough and roll the dough out into circles that
are about 4 inches in diameter and ¼ inch thick. Place filling
of choice in the center. Fold the circle in half and seal edge.
Place on a greased baking sheet. Brush the top of each scone with
cream and bake at 400 for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar while warm.
Inspired
by All Things Bright and Beautiful by James Herriot
Wassail
Wassail
In
beloved poet Robert Frost’s introspective poem “After Apple Picking,”
he describes standing on the ladder as he picks the fruit: “My long
two-pointed ladder’s sticking though a tree / Toward heaven still.”
He inhales the scent of apples and cherishes each piece of fruit
he holds in his hand. Aching from the effort of the bountiful
harvest, he predicts that his dreams will be filled with images
of apples, and wonders if unfinished business, symbolized by the
few apples left on the trees, will haunt his dreams as well.
Frost’s
poem turned my thoughts to Wassail, a hot spiced beverage made
with cider and other fruit juices. The brew is allowed to simmer
for half an hour or longer and fills the kitchen with a wonderful
scent. A holiday favorite, it can be kept warm in a slow cooker
throughout the afternoon or evening’s events. During the cold
or flu season, wassail is a soothing, comforting beverage to ease
the symptoms of sore throat and congestion.
Though
originally associated with Twelfth Night Eve and Twelfth Night
celebrations, Wassail (“drink well!”) has become a tradition of
the entire Christmas period. Three celebrations continue: blessing
the fields, remembering the twelve apostles, and seeking predictions
from the oxen. Other customs associated with wassail include singing,
mumming (plays), guessing games and begging to enter a house.
Sometimes drink is demanded at the doorstep. On other occasions
the singers bring the drink to the home. Dozens of carols describe
the tradition. Here are verses of two favorites:
Wassail
Wassail, Wassail, all over the town,
Our bread it is white and ale it is brown;
Our bowl it is made of the green maple tree;
In the Wassail bowl we'll drink unto thee.
Come, butler, come fill us a bowl of the best;
Then I pray that your soul in heaven may rest;
But if you do bring us a bowl of the small,
May the Devil take butler, bowl and all!
Then here's to the maid in the lily white smock,
Who tripp'd to the door and slipp'd back the lock;
Who tripp'd to the door and pull'd back the pin,
For to let these jolly Wassailers walk in.
Here we Come A’Wassailing
Here we come a’wassailing
Among the leaves so green;
Here we come a wand’ring
So fair to be seen,
(chorus)
We are not daily beggars
Who beg from door to door,
But we are neighbors’ children
Whom you have seen before.
We have a little purse
Made of ratching leather skin;
We want some of your small change
To line it well within.
If you haven’t got a penny,
A ha’penny will do;
If you haven’t got a ha’penny,
Then God bless you!
God bless the master of this house
Likewise the Mistress too
And all the little children
That round the table go.
Love and joy come to you
And to you your wassail too
And God bless you and send you a happy New Year,
And God bless you and send you a happy New Year.
Wassail (hot spiced cider)
1
teaspoon whole cloves
1
stick cinnamon
2
quarts apple cider
2
cups orange juice
1/3
cup sugar
3
cups pineapple juice
1
cup lemon juice.
Wrap
cloves and cinnamon stick snugly in a small piece of clean cheesecloth
and tie it with a string. Combine other ingredients in a large
saucepan. Add the spice bag and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. Remove
from bag and serve hot. Makes 12 servings.
Inspired
by “After Apple-Picking” by Robert Frost
The Book Lover’s Cookbook
is written for readers who like to cook, and for cooks who like
to read. In its pages readers will find old favorites and sample
new works and recipes they haven’t. And, just as books can be
read and re-read, at this buffet of literature and food you can
always go back for seconds.
About
the authors: (photos and bios)
Shaunda Kennedy Wenger
Co-author
and originator of the idea for The Book Lover’s Cookbook
is Shaunda Kennedy Wenger
of Nibley, Utah. She has always enjoyed creative
cooking and writing. Her work has appeared in The Writer, Wonder Years, Family History Magazine,
ByLine,
Babybug,
Short-Short Stories for Reading Aloud,
American Careers Magazine, Seasons4Writing, and
South Valley Living, and Utah Public Radio features her
essays. Her first children's book, Bear Nests, will be
published in 2007 by Richard Owens publishers. Married and
the mother of three, she has lived in Utah for the past ten years,
but returns "home" each summer to New Hampshire for
lakeside family reunions. She regards her monthly book club meeting
as one of life's essential ingredients.
Janet
Kay Jensen
Janet Kay Jensen is published in Healing Ministry Journal,
Healing Voices Poetry Anthology, ByLine,
Family History Magazine, South Valley Living, Heart
to Heart (Intermountain Donor Services Newsletter) and The
Magic of Stories. She is on the executive board and a regular
contributor at latterdayauthors.com. She has just
completed her first novel, Don’t You Marry the Mormon Boys,
which is in the query stage. She is past president
of Cache Valley Chapter of the League of Utah Writers and serves
on the League’s State Board. A Speech-Language Pathologist, she
holds degrees from Utah State and Northwestern Universities.
She has taught occasional poetry classes to jail inmates and volunteers
as a literacy tutor. Married to Miles Jensen and the mother of
three college student sons, she is Primary President of the Lundstrom
Park Third Ward of the Logan Utah East Stake.
