Common Theme: One book is an ode to California wines; another fetes Mediterranean wine bars

Credit: Photo Courtesy of Ten Speed Press

Author Joanne Weir suggests wines to pair with her seasonal dishes.

By: JournalNow Staff | JOURNAL STAFF AND WIRE REPORT
Published: September 10, 2008

■ Wine Country Cooking by Joanne Weir. Ten Speed Press, $22.50.

Wine Country Cooking is a revised and expanded edition of Joanne Weir's popular but out-of-print Weir Cooking: Recipes from the Wine Country. It is also an addendum to her first TV show, Weir Cooking in Wine Country, which is no longer on the air.

Weir, whose latest public-television show is Joanne Weir's Cooking Class, returns to her San Francisco roots here. But if Wine Country Cooking is an ode to California, it is just as much an immersion into the foods of the sunny Mediterranean.

In fact, when Weir talks about California food, she tends to focus on such items as tomatoes, garlic, olives and figs that are hallmarks of Mediterranean cuisine

This book includes the recipes from Weir Cooking as well as 50 new ones, for a total of about 150. They include everything from soups to desserts, each with wine pairings.

Though Weir thoughtfully recommends drinking a chablis with her lemon-and-shrimp risotto, or a Cotes du Rhone with the veal chops, the plate itself is clearly what thrills her.

She is interested in seasonal cooking and incorporating into recipes the lemons, nuts and herbs thriving near vineyards.

Her Feta-and-Olive Crostini lent an earthy, fresh start to a light, summer dinner. She suggests sipping a prosecco alongside, a refreshing choice.

■ Wine Bar Food: Mediterranean Flavors to Crave with Wines to Match by Cathy and Tony Mantuano. Clarkson Potter, $27.50.

Speaking of wine and Mediterranean food, check out the new book, Wine Bar Food: Mediterranean Flavors to Crave with Wines to Match.

The Mantuanos are not only husband and wife, but also chef-partners of the Spaggia restaurant in Chicago.

Here, they take readers on a tipsy bar hop through Europe, stopping for snacks in Milan, Italy; Barcelona, Spain; Athens, Greece; and Lisbon, Portugal.

The concept of pairing is an afterthought here. The authors mainly want readers to taste wine-bar menus from city to city.

Recipes include whipped baccalà with polenta crostini, black pasta with scungilli. limoncello martinis, and lemonade made with ouzo. The book even has recipes for such desserts as mascarpone-filled dates with chocolate and lavender-ice-cream sandwiches.

With this book, readers could arrange an Italian, Spanish or Greek cocktail party with ease.