Aliza Libman writes on ...

The recipe that's really a book review

The hallmark of a good book (in my mind) is obvious when reading someone else's copy: finishing it is followed by resolving to own it myself, very soon. In this case, I returned the library's copy of "I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti" by Giulia Melucci and went to Booksmith to get my own.

The book is a memoir of a serious food lover, and the men she cooked for. Perhaps I feel guilty being happily married, but Melucci deserves serious kudos for turning personal heartbreak into a page-turner. The book will lead foodie romantics to alternately root for the author to find her own happily-ever-after, and note which food ideas they'd like to replicate. The book intersperses Melucci's story with dozens of recipes. There's a recipe index at the back, which makes the book more user-friendly. Though there's some variety of ingredients, the book is heavy on pastas, fish recipes, and desserts.

For Shavuot, I made a quadruple recipe of "Simple Tomato Sauce and Pasta for Two" (page 18) using whole wheat spaghetti. I mixed it in with a healthy batch of roasted veggies (carrots, red onion, asparagus, zucchini, and peppers, roasted in a 375 degree oven for about an hour with salt, pepper and oil.) Top with Parmesan, and it's fancy enough for the holiday, but healthy enough to eat the leftovers four days in a row.

Labels: book reviews, recipes

posted by Aliza @ 12:24 p.m.