For 21 years, Home restaurant in West Greenwich Village has featured farm-to-table menus with local ingredients. The restaurant space is charming, the food ever interesting. In 2001, founders David Page and Barbara Shinn published this book tracing their culinary roots. There are 255 recipes here, from their Wisconsin and Ohio roots. Favorites from their parents and grandparents appear, with some adjustments for contemporary kitchens.
The result here is edible nostalgia: old friends stirred with many brilliant new acquaintances. You’ll find chapters devoted to:
- Soups, Chowders, and Stocks
- Salads, Fresh Relishes and Slaw
- Vegetables
- Grains and Beans
- Fish and Shellfish
- Birds
- Meat
- Cheese
- Breads and Muffins
- The Canning Shelf
- Something Sweet
What kind of surprises are in store for you here. Consider:
- Sweet Beet Mustard made with roasted beets, Dijon mustard, vinegar, garlic, honey and more
- Apricot Ketchup, reviving an old tradition of using “everything” on that farm
- Roasted Tomato Soup, fall’s answer to gazpacho and your companion for grilled cheese sandwiches
- Tomato Salad Dressing made with Worcestershire sauce, paprika, sugar, mustard, and other tongue tantalizers
- Smoked Trout and Jicama Slaw with a buttermilk-based dressing
- Mashed Potatoes with Roasted Mushrooms, a Thanksgiving possibility
- Baked Beans with Cider and Sausage, for the night after Thanksgiving
- Creamy Chicken and Ham Casserole with Artichokes, a speedy weeknight treat
- Cornmeal and Goat Cheese Pudding, a rich side dish to adorn a festive or weekend table
- Baked Apples with raisins, cranberries, walnuts and honey
Fortunately for us, the authors are both food professionals and loving custodians of heritage recipes. There’s a chance, especially if you have Midwestern roots, that the pages of this book enfold some old memories. If you long for recipes that are long lost but never forgotten, then Recipes from Home is destined for your home.