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1 comments about California Mission Cookery.

1. ... Long before someone came in and reduced the portion size, raised the price and added a dollop of leek pesto peppercorn polenta to some roasted scallop steak porcini chanterelle lavender new potato seared ahi microgreens, topping it all with a housemade smoked horseradish pineapple aioli brie vingarette, plus a drizzled-on mango-caramel lavender honey glaze and a side of empty plate.

   Whew. Check please!

   "California Mission Cookery: A Vanished Cuisine -- Rediscovered" is a great HISTORICAL cook book for anyone who lives in California and is looking for regional recipes that use local ingredients to make hearty dishes with lots of flavor that don't leave you hungry.

   Not quite American, not completely Mexican (but definitely Spanish-influenced) -- Mission Cookery is filled with vanished 19th century "Californio" recipes that were unearthed by a book cataloger for the University of California library system.

   Even though the portions (and techniques) are adapted for the modern kitchen, the recipes themselves can be rather complex -- but I can imagine kitchen workers at one of the Missions, or Ranchos lining El Camino Real spending their day roasting, marinating, baking and preparing these unique dishes in time for supper -- but the pay off is worth the labor. Inventive uses of chilis, beans, eggs, chilis, rice, chilis, meat, seafood and other local treasures (did I mention "chilis"?) combined to form new (old?) dishes. "Beef Jerky Soup" sounded kind of weird, but turned out really tasty/filling. Really.

   Only thing missing from this book is great photos of the food -- which sort of leaves presentation up to the cooks' imagination. (But i'll bet the _original_ 19th century texts didn't have photos either!)

   This is one of my favorite cookbooks (I'd file it next to the Sunset Cook Book, nearby whatever American West history book you may own) -- it's handy to reference before going to one of the local California farmers' markets -- great if you want to cook with familiar regional ingredients -- all you have to remember is to set aside plenty of time for the prep work.

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