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Summary: WONDERFUL stews from a wonderful cookbook author
Review: I am a longtime fan of cookbook author Clifford A. Wright, and was delighted to get a copy of his latest, "Real Stew." Perfect just as the weather starts coming on cold, this cookbook makes wonderful leisure-time reading and is chock-full of terrific recipes to boot.Wright has set an ambitious agenda for himself here, including stews from all over the world. Hungarian Paprikash is here, as is Spicy Indian Eggplant Stew, Bedouin Lamb and Mushroom Stew, Swedish Sailor's Beef Stew, and more. I can't find one that doesn't come across as utterly mouthwatering. Stew is comfort food at its most primal, of course, and Wright gets down and dirty and primal with the ingredients. You'll find stews here calling for rabbit, for instance, and he even gives a brief overview of a Canadian specialty called Assiniboin Bear Stew (which he cautions you not to make unless you're prepared to marinate the bear meat in either wine or vinegar). Of course there are plenty of fish and shellfish stews as well. Beautiful graphic design, numbered directions (in my view, a must for when the cook must look away for a moment), and easy-to-assemble ingredient lists help to make Wright's "Real Stew" a real winner for both beginner and experienced cooks.
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Summary: Great addition to any cook's shelf
Review: I have owned this book for about a year now, and it's fantastic. The recipes are not instant, but if you have the time and inclination to make wonderful, authentic tasting (vegetarian and non-vegetarian) food, buy this book. My particular favorites are the chicken and sweet potato curry, spinach bouillibaise, and the full-length traditional bouillabaise. However, I have never made a recipe from this book that I didn't like. After buying loads of seasonal vegetables at the farmer's market - this book is one of my first stops in finding ways to use the vegetables. I'm buying a copy today for my brother; I'm sure he'll love it. I'm also looking forward to using Mr. Wright's Meditaranean cookbook which I'm buying.
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Summary: Get ready to call around town for the ingredients
Review: I thought this book sounded fabulous. I love stews, and I like authentic food. This book went too far off the deep end for me. I looked up cabbage as I had some on hand. One recipe called for 14 ingredients, including celery root (celeriac) and parsley root (try finding that ANYWHERE--it's similar to, but NOT, a parsnip). Another called for 27 ingredients, including a 1/2 chicken, a parsnip, a turnip, a small amount of a hubbard squash (they don't COME in small amounts), etc. The final straw was the recipe (with cabbage) that called for *39* ingredients, including (I'm not joking): beef honeycomb tripe, beef chuck flanken-style ribs, fresh chorizo or andouille sausage, prosciutto BONES, lamb shoulder, ham fat, ham bone, smoked slab bacon, boneless and skinless chicken thighs, goat meat on the bone, beef or veal marrow bones, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese rinds, fresh fava beans, fresh fenugreek leaves, celeriac, beef feet and pig feet. I'm serious. I flipped through the rest of the book, and things like "rendered duck or goose fat" kept cropping up along with other insane ingredients. I live in a huge metropolitan city and would have difficulty finding many of these ingredients. I'm sure there are a few good recipes in this book, but it really seems written for chefs who have unlimited access to off-the-wall ingredients through their vendors. I'm thankful that I checked it out from the library before purchasing it. I won't be purchasing it.
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Summary: For those who care
Review: I was dismayed to see that 25 of 27 readers found the panning review by "Houston TX Reader" (December 12, 2002) to be helpful. His review is seriously flawed, and very much misses the point. For one, Wright's "Cliff's No-Name Stew," which "Houston" lambastes, is clearly a tongue-in-cheek finale, a freezer-and-fridge-emptying fun project, and not one of the carefully researched ethnic recipes that Wright offers. While sometimes complex, these recipes and his notes give a clear and richly detailed account of a world of classic, authentic, and distinguished stews. "Houston" seems preoccupied with counting ingredients, and lacks the cook's common sense to omit or substitute -- there is no need to despair of parsley root or duck fat, or to vacate to "chefs with unlimited access." My concern, really, is not with "Houston," but with the 25 readers who may have given this book less than a fair look. Please try again.
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Summary: Get ready to call around town for the ingredients
Review: Organized by principal ingredient, with a list of dishes prefacing each chapter this is an international collection for everyday and special occasions. Familiar favorites - Beef Stroganoff, Cholent, Irish Lamb Stew, Hungarian Goulash, several Gumbos, Cape Cod Clam Chowder, Maine Lobster Stew , Bouillabaisse - abound, side by side with unfamiliar fare. Kuyrdak is a Kazak beef stew with a basil-dill yogurt sauce; Pot Eten is a mild Dutch-American pork and barley stew; Zarzuela is a complex Catalan seafood dish which includes fish, lobster, shrimp and squid. Others, familiar or not, just sound good: Abruzzi Lamb Stew with Egg and Lemon Custard; Chicken and Sweet Potato Curry; Croatian Sausage and Sauerkraut Stew. Brief prefaces give the dish's provenance and sometimes a hint on finding unusual ingredients. Directions are straightforward and sidebars offer tips on such things as a "game plan" for cassoulet or how to clean mussels and clams. Homey and practical, this offers much to the novice or the veteran.
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Summary: THE ULTIMATE COMFORT FOOD BOOK--THE WRIGHT STUFF
Review: This book, like all of Clifford Wright's books, is a pleasure and a treasure. The man is a genius. Most of the recipes are extremely easy and extremely delicious, like the Hungarian Smoked Sausage and Prune Stew, which has a total of 4 ingredients, including water (a garnish/enrichment adds 2 more). Wright makes the recipes easy by giving authentic ingredients but including substitutes that you can find in any market. For example, he says to use a prosciutto bone or a ham bone; goat milk or cow milk plus cream, etc. Many of the stews have only 3 or 4 ingredients after water and salt and pepper; many include ingredients that are just throw-ins that require no preparation, like olives, capers, tomato paste, nuts, or raisins. The more adventurous cook can try recipes that include things like preserved lemons--Wright tells you how to make them. He also makes the book idiot-proof with the organization: "Stews With Beef," "Stews With Pork," "Stews With Vegetables"--you get the idea. If you don't like some of the ingredients, you can substitute what you do like. You can't go wrong with Wright.
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Summary: Cooking Challenge
Review: This cookbook will definitely challenge you to think beyond the "traditional stew" of meat and potatoes. The author provides many sidebars to explain terms or to provide rationales behind certain ingredients. While the recipes call for many ingredients, it is certainly not any different from cooking by scratch where the cook simply adds a little of this and a little of that until the desired flavors are achieved. You will need to have access to a good butcher in order to make the most of this book, but any good cook should be able to make do or substitute in the recipes to get something he or she enjoys. A list of sources for many of the ingredients used in this book can be found in the back. Overall, I enjoyed reading through the book and have tried several of the less ambitious recipes. I especially enjoy the ones with African and Indian backgrounds.
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