Cookbooks - They're More than Recipes

“… That which you will bake, bake; and that which you will cook, cook; and whatever is left over, put away for yourselves for a safekeeping until the morning.” (B’shalach 16:23)

This verse, from yesterday’s parasha, caught my attention. It’s all about collecting and cooking the manna in advance of Shabbat.

But what’s this about cooking and baking?

Rashi comments that “baking” refers to cooking in an oven, and “cooking” means cooking in water. Sounds like the beginnings of a cookbook!

Manna must have tasted better with a little help from the cook – herbs, spices and cooking technique were important if you were eating the same food for 40 years!

I’m a big fan of cookbooks. My collection includes kosher, vegetarian, ethnic, vegetables, bread, soup and dessert cookbooks. Some of them are fascinating to read for their descriptions of food history and habits. Others I use mainly as reference. And I do use many of them for their recipes.

But mainly I use cookbooks to give me ideas.

With so many of us busy with careers, family and community obligations, cooking often takes a back seat. We may manage to cook for Shabbat, but during the week, we rely on ready-made processed food – “fast-food” that’s usually high in fat, sugar and salt and low in vegetables, fruit and whole grains.

Sometimes we’re just so pre-occupied that we can’t even think of what to cook. That’s when a cookbook can help.

Keep your pantry stocked with the basics – whole-grain pasta, tomato sauce, rice, quinoa, tuna, olive oil, dried fruits and nuts. Buy fresh seasonal produce, dairy and eggs.

And then pick up a cookbook for inspiration.

Here are two of my favorite cookbooks. They both encourage creativity, with numerous suggestions for variations on the basic recipes.

Olive Trees and Honey – Treasury of Vegetarian Recipes from Jewish Communities Around the World, Gil Marks, Wiley 2005

Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, Deborah Madison, Broadway Books, 1997