To the frustration of cookbook lovers, Food52’s Piglet Tournament of Cookbooks frequently pits apples against oranges. This is to say, tasking a judge with comparing two starkly different cuisines and asking for a “best of” verdict.
Day 3 of the competition demanded such a challenge. Italian cookbook “Autentico: Cooking Italian, the Authentic Way” by chef, teacher and food show personality Rolando Beramendi was pitted against award-winning food writer, blogger and traveler Leela Punyaratabandhu’s second Thai food cookbook, “Bangkok: Recipes and Stories from the Heart of Thailand.”
Comparing the validity of cuisines is futile, so this pairing cuts to the quick, taking the competition to the nitty gritty of what makes a cookbook good, useful or inspiring, regardless of the food’s region.
There are hundreds if not thousands of Italian and Thai cookbooks available. The bar has already been set high for both of these books in a battle for placement on your cookshelf.
“Bangkok” is a cultural experience with authentic recipes, tips and substitutions for the novice and holds its own as a comprehensive Thai cooking resource. “Autentico” hits the locale and travel component in a more obvious way, keeping things simple and providing a glimpse into the life Beramendi leads, complete with photo ops and treks through his orchard.
I like that “Autentico” attacks the obvious. With recipes like spaghetti with pecorino Romano and black pepper, you start with the basics. If you can’t cook pasta, you can’t cook Italian. And this is a master dish you can nail, a rampart to your Italian cooking prowess.
“Autentico” is not a bible of how to cook all things Italian, but what it is — simple, basic, approachable — drew me in. Like I’ve walked into a homey Italian cafe with an experience and food I can recreate with a teacher that will take me there without having to overthink things.
But I know a dominating contender when I see one, so I picked “Bangkok” to off “Autentico” in competition. “Bangkok” brings it. If all you have is a Williams Sonoma-style aggregated Thai cookbook that keeps you flush in pad thai and tom yum, swap it for “Bangkok.”
Punyaratabandhu brings the best Thai restaurant in town to your kitchen and will increase your Thai cooking skills to native level. Plus, she’ll do this in such an inviting and casual way, you’ll be proud of any effort you plate.
Spaghetti with pecorino Romano and black pepper
To start, get the best dried pasta you can. My favorite is Jovial, an Italian-made brand that specializes in heirloom wheat and gluten-free pastas. Beramendi recommends a pungent pecorino. “I tell my students,” writes Beramendi, ”that if they can master this dish, they are well on their way to becoming pasta experts. It may seem like a simple dish to prepare, but precise timing and attention to detail are essential to its success.”
Coarse sea salt, as needed
1 pound durum wheat semolina spaghetti
2 cups grated pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving
1 tablespoon crushed Tellicherry black peppercorns, plus more if needed
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Gently add the pasta, letting it soften and submerge itself in the water. Once the pasta is submerged, give it a stir so it doesn’t stick on the bottom. After 4 minutes, taste a strand of pasta for doneness. Continue to taste a strand until the spaghetti is almost al dente, about 10 minutes. Remove 2 cups of the cooking water and reserve. (At this point, everyone should be seated at the table.)
Drain the pasta in a colander and return it to the pot. Immediately add a handful of the cheese to the warm spaghetti. Using tongs, gently lift and toss the spaghetti to coat it with the cheese as it melts. Turn the heat to medium-low, add about ½ cup of the cooking water, and continue to mix, adding the cheese and a little more water as necessary until the spaghetti is evenly coated and creamy.
Sprinkle the pepper over the top and toss just until there are black flecks dotting the spaghetti. Taste and season with salt and pepper as necessary. Bring the pot directly to the table and serve immediately in warm pasta bowls with extra cheese and pepper on the side. Makes 4 servings.
— Reprinted from “Autentico” by Rolando Beramendi with permission by St. Martin’s Griffin.
Beef green curry
Thicker than most versions of curry, Punyaratabandhu says this is the most satisfying and delicious beef green curry she’s ever made. “It has no vegetables,” she writes, “not even eggplants, allowing the beef to take center stage with the fragrance of the paste and the sweet, creamy coconut milk sharing the spotlight.” You can source these ingredients at an Asian market.
For the curry paste:
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon white peppercorns
1 teaspoon coarse salt (omit if using a food processor)
1 tablespoon finely chopped galangal
1 tablespoon paper-thin lemongrass slices (with purple rings only)
1 teaspoon finely chopped makrut lime rind
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon packed Thai shrimp paste
5 fresh green Thai long chilies, deveined and coarsely chopped
7 fresh green bird’s eye chilies
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro stems
5 large cloves garlic
¼ cup sliced shallots, cut against the grain
For the curry:
½ cup freshly extracted coconut cream, or ½ cup canned coconut cream plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin coconut oil
½ cup coconut milk
2 pounds untrimmed boneless well-marbled chuck or rib-eye steak, thinly sliced against the grain on a 40-degree angle into bite-size pieces
2 teaspoons fish sauce, or as needed
1 teaspoon packed grated palm sugar, or as needed
4 makrut lime leaves, lightly bruised and torn into small pieces
2 green Thai long or bird’s eye chilies, stemmed and halved lengthwise
¼ cup packed Thai sweet basil leaves
For the topping:
¼ cup coconut cream
To make the curry paste, in a small frying pan, toast the coriander and cumin over medium heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Transfer to a mortar, add the peppercorns, and grind to a fine powder. Add the salt, then, one at a time, add the galangal, lemongrass, lime rind, turmeric, shrimp paste, chilies, cilantro, garlic and shallots, grinding to a smooth paste after each addition. Alternatively, combine all of the ingredients except the salt in a food processor and grind to a smooth paste.
To make the curry, put the paste and coconut cream in a 4-quart saucepan, set over medium-high heat, and stir until the fat separates and you can smell the dried spices, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the beef, the coconut milk, fish sauce, and sugar, stir well, cover, turn the heat to medium, and cook until the beef is no longer pink, 7 to 8 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more fish sauce and/or sugar if needed. Check the consistency and amount of the sauce and add water if needed. For this curry, I like just enough sauce to coat the meat— like pot roast. Stir in the lime leaves, fresh chilies and basil leaves.
The curry can be transferred to a serving dish and served right away with rice, or it can be cooled, covered and refrigerated overnight and then reheated the next day (the flavor will be even better). When you serve the curry, top it with the coconut cream.
— Reprinted from “Bangkok” by Leela Punyaratabandhu with permission by Ten Speed Press.
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