2012 Challenges
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For the next challenge, I'm thinking we go further afield and try an ethnic cuisine. How do people feel about Mexican? Moroccan? An Asian cuisine? I know there are some important books available for all of these.
I'm also open to suggestions for later challenges for 2012. -
I'd be enthusiastic about any of those ideas!
I've been participating in challenges for a year or now, and I've loved them all. But the most fun have been those that really challenge me - I'm thinking the Zuni cookbook and the most recent one, the Pastry and Pie bible. For me, any challenge makes food preparation more fun because I focus most of my attention to one book, and allow myself to mostly ignore that ever-growing tower of awesome cookbooks. -
I would love Mexican or Moroccan, I haven't really explored either in too much depth. Asian is really a broad category, I was worried about soy being too prominent, but I suppose it depends on which Asian cuisine.
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ooh--Moroccan...tagines and preserved lemons and dates and oranges and olives ... yum.
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Oooh, I would love a Mexican challenge.
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Both Korean and Moroccan cookbooks were on the lists of top books of the year, weren't they? I'd lean toward Moroccan, too. I've a new jar of preserved lemons just begging to be used.
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I vote Moroccan, too!
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There were two Moroccan books in 2011 which were well reviewed. Mourad and Paula Wolfert's 'The Food of Morocco'. Paula's looks to be more wide-ranging and authentic, and I've heard that 'Mourad' is very much a restaurant cookbook, with an emphasis on recipes which require multiple steps over several days in some cases.
Paula is also famous for her original 'Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco', which was inducted into the James Beard Cookbook Hall of Fame in 2008. Perhaps we could do a challenge featuring both the original book and the new book? -
This sounds great to me! Moroccan food involves new flavors and methods - and it could be a rather interesting education.
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Sounds good! I was able to buy The Food of Morocco for $11 from the book club I belong to!
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I don't know much about Moroccan food so this would be a good education for me if I can get a copy of the book that's chosen. I love Asian food and have been hoping to cook more Korean since we enjoyed Korean food so much when we were in California a few years. I also enjoy Mexican food. I love trying ethnic dishes but only have one problem sometimes ingredients are hard for me to find here esp. Korean (and some other Asian) ingredients.
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I vote Moroccan, esp Paula's original book and later book, if we can do both. It would be interesting to compare the two versions. Other than that, any cuisine from Asia or Africa would be good.
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If you are not yet excited about Moroccan food, or even if you are, here is an interesting interview of Paula Wolfert from December.
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I second the Moroccan food challenge as well. I haven't been able to participate much in the challenges since I went low-carb a year ago, but this would be nice.
I wouldn't mind doing more ethnic cuisines after this one either. What about Japan? -
I'm starting some preserved lemons now--since Wolfert's version takes 30 days...had fun reading through the two books. The first book is a little less strict about authenticity---she gives variations of certain dishes that are easier on those of us who don't have access to all things Moroccan. Otherwise, they are very similar in terms of recipes. The photographs in the new book are really quite beautiful.
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I'll see if I can get this worked up as a challenge later this week. Definitely we'll announce it this month and it will go for the usual 6 weeks or so, so likely into early March. I should get preserving lemons too...
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How about a vegetarian challenge next? Last year it coincided pretty well with Lent.
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Just a quick update - the Morocco challenge is not dead, just postponed. I had a bit of a 'perfect storm' of work and family commitments the last few weeks and I haven't been able to get things going yet. I'm hoping for this week.
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Glad to hear this! My book is filling up with post-its!
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Whew, there's still time to make preserved lemons!
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Okay - we are good to go on the challenge. I've just launched it and I'll do a new topic on the forum about it too.
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I feel recovered enough from my latest surgery to start back in the kitchen. Getting interested in doing something- What is the next challenge-I want to give it a go!
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Glad you're back with us! We have just finished the Moroccan challenge, and I'll be working out the winners this weekend. We'll start the next challenge in a week or two - have to figure out the theme/book first!
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It was great fun--I didn't actually get to make whole recipes but played around with preserved lemons and some of the spice combos. I loved reading the books and then everyone's reviews. I'm looking forward to the next...
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Cadefael - so happy to hear from you! I hope you are feeling well.
This was a very fun challenge - and challenging. Still there are so many recipes I want to test - which always seems to happen with these fantastic challenges.
I just returned from a week in Mexico, which also has an amazingly varied and vibrant cuisine. I managed to eat huitlacoche (corn smut) and escamole (ant eggs). For these particular things, it seemed great to order, but I don't know if I'd ever prepare them myself. -
I just returned from a week in Mexico, which also has an amazingly varied and vibrant cuisine. I managed to eat huitlacoche (corn smut) and escamole (ant eggs). For these particular things, it seemed great to order, but I don't know if I'd ever prepare them myself.
Wow, those are adventurous choices! I'd definitely give them a shot if I was visiting, but yes, it would be hard to find the ingredients at Safeway...
Mexican is definitely on our list for the near future however - Rick Bayless is definitely a possibility, though if we wanted to get really adventurous we'd look at Oaxaca al Gusto, by Diana Kennedy, which includes wasp's nest sauce and beef brains! http://blogs.laweekly.com/squidink/2010/09/diana_kennedy_oaxaca_al_gusto.php -
That is an amazing article - thanks so much for posting it! I did just purchase The Essential Cuisines of Mexico by Diana Kennedy - it is our next cookbook club selection and is missing from our library. Here on cookbooker I've heard about the Bayless, and will certainly look for that. I'd be happy to just be able to make a respectable mole!
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Now that the winners of the past challenge have been named, do we have any ideas about the next challenge?
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I'm up for anything, but I must say that I really enjoyed the in depth exploration of a specific cuisine that we did in the last challenge. Mexican has been mentioned a few times now....I think that would be great fun!
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I'm also thinking Mexican - it's a cuisine I've been interested in exploring more for some time. I think we would either pick Diana Kennedy's Essential Cuisines of Mexico or one of two books by Rick Bayless. Both are highly reviewed as authentic and great communicators. The Bayless books have photographs, while Essential Cuisines does not, if that makes a difference to people.
Diana Kennedy: Essential Cuisines of Mexico
Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen
or his Authentic Mexican -
I'm definitely in the mood to learn to cook Mexican foods.
I recently purchased Essential Cuisines of Mexico - but don't let that sway your challenge choice. I want to make the Pozole, but cannot get past the 1/2 pig's head called for in the ingredient list :P -
I'd love a Mexican challenge.. I'd prefer one of the Bayless books but I could go either way.
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the 1/2 pig's head called for in the ingredient list :P
Ugh! And I thought using lard would be the worst of my problems :) -
On the plus side - the recipes appear authentic, and well researched. Next week I'll be sampling a range of recipes at our cookbook club - and not all recipes call for odd body parts.
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I'd love to do Mexican and either would be great--though I do think Rick Bayless is a little more accessible, in terms of ingredients, instruction style and the photos.
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The book "Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen: Capturing the Vibrant flavors of a World-Class Cuisine" is already owned by 32 cookbooker members, and it has excellent reviews (both here and at Amazon). Amazon also has quite a few used copies...
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That's the book I was most interested in too, QS, after perusing them all. I think we have a candidate! I'll write it all up and set up the challenge dates this week. And I'll send it in the newsletter, which I neglected to do for the last one.
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Woohoo! Off to order my book now.
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Oh great I have that one. Off to check to see what I want to make.
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When I went to check I realized I have Mexico One Plate a Time instead of Mexican Kitchen. I just went to Amazon and ordered a used copy of Mexican Kitchen for just over $8 so now I'm ready.
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I feel like such an idiot. After I ordered it I finally found my copy but the cover on mine is the older version. The cover on Mexico One Plate at a Time is similar to the newer cover of Mexican Kitchen. Thankfully I was able to cancel my order from Amazon.
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My area libraries have four copies of this book. I encourage others with either groaning bookshelves or financial constraints to look to their library -- this is a classic and I'd guess your library system might also have a copy.
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Queezle, my library has nothing. It is the size of my living room. We even have library cards to the neighboring town and it has little more than nothing. The cookbook area is about 3 shelves worth of books. It's sad really but it's just a tiny building. Interlibrary loan would only allow me to keep the book for two weeks. I pretty much always have to buy my cookbooks.
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I'm sorry, Beth - yes the library thing won't apply to everyone. And I'd trade my rich library resources for a peaceful NH village any day!
I just figure that other people might be like me, and unable to afford buying each of the challenge books. Especially for our new cookbookers, I thought reminding people about their libraries might help the challenge be more inclusive. -
Here is the link to Rick Bayless' newsletter--and thru it, to the website. Los of good recipes, etc here....
https://app.e2ma.net/app/view:CampaignPublic/id:37150.12686784858/rid:4ba32a10264306b20e076a4ff22a6a04 -
My book arrived in the mail today but I haven't even had time to open it. I can't wait until tonight when I can spend some time with my new book.
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I picked up a copy yesterday - only a brief look but so far it appears to be amazing! I'm looking forward to reading lots of interesting reviews.
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Mine has yet to arrive. I'm looking forward to next week mightily though!
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I rec'd mine yesterday and am very excited about a lot of the recipes. I checked out my local grocery store for ingredients this morning....lots of fresh and canned items but I'm going to have to go much further afield for those elusive dried chiles.
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I will have to check out the ingredients at my local grocery store also. This store serves a couple of very small towns of about 4,000 people each. The variety, especially in the ethnic areas, is lacking. I do, however, go to a couple of bigger towns twice a week and could stock up while there.
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I was lucky to make a trip into Vancouver yesterday and found a great store there with dried chilis, for those Canadians taking part. South China Seas Trading (http://southchinaseas.ca/Pages/order.html) has an amazing selection of fresh Asian and Mexican ingredients - I got some lovely looking Ancho, Guajillo, Pasilla and Chipotle Morita peppers. I don't yet have the book, so was flying a bit by the seat of my pants on these - though I saw on Rick's website that these are among his favourites, and the packages said the first three are considered the main dried chilis in Mexican cooking. They do mail orders for Canadians if you're stuck wherever you happen to live. Though shipping is not cheap, so you better be serious - or add in other items to make it worthwhile.
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