cooking | Book Girl & Little Bear

The Editor: How Publishing Legend Judith Jones Shaped Culture in America by Sara B. Franklin

Editor Judith Jones lived to be 93 and didn’t retire from Knop until she was 85. She edited many, many books and enjoyed many lunches with her authors. A couple of years in Paris as a young adult just after World War II inspired a love of food, cooking, and travel. Judith joined Knopf when it was rare for a woman to work in publishing as anything other than a secretary. When she became an editor, she worked very long hours, and became known as a passionate editor with a firm but delicate touch. She specialized in editing literary fiction, poetry, and food writing.

She married Dick Jones and they lived in New York City and Vermont. Dogs, swimming, music, poetry, and books filled their days. Infertility was a lifelong grief, though two stepchildren and later two older foster children expanded their family. Julia Child, Claudia Roden, Edna Lewis, and James Beard were some of the authors she worked with on bestselling cookbooks. The changing tastes in America for food and cookbooks is a major theme in this book. Also, quite a lot about being an underpaid woman in publishing, as well as growing old gracefully. Quite an interesting read, especially for foodies or avid cooks.

Brenda

The Weekday Vegetarians by Jenny Rosenstrach

Cookbook author and blogger Jenny and her husband Andy have 2 teen girls. One day Jenny texted Andy “Should we become vegetarians?” And if so, how would that work? They decided to cook and serve vegetarian dinners during the week, and Jenny and Andy also decided to eat vegetarian for breakfast and lunch on the weekdays. It wasn’t an easy switch and Jenny and Andy needed more vegetarian recipes the whole family would enjoy. Eventually Jenny came up with this family friendly cookbook. Many of the recipes have options for vegans and/or suggestions to make any holdouts happier with some meat.

I’ve made three recipes so far – all warmly welcomed. Spicy-Tangy-Smoky Pinto Bean Bowls, served with rice. I skipped the cayenne to go tangy-smoky. Smoked paprika and tomato paste with a splash of red wine vinegar made canned pinto beans delicious, and leftovers were good.

Wheat Berries with Crispy Tofu, Grapes, Arugula and Feta was also a hit. I made 2 substitutions. I cooked farro instead of wheat berries, and served butter lettuce instead of arugula. The small tofu cubes baked on a sheet pan were delicious. Pistachios are also included for a nice crunch. The only criticism I have is that this recipe took me a full hour of active food prep and cooking, plus time to cook the farro. This was excellent leftover, and we look forward to variations. I’ve made the tofu again, served with a peanut sauce.

Finally, I made Roasted Butternut Squash and Black Bean Tacos. I followed the recipe, but also added half a sliced yellow onion to the sheet pan with the squash and roasted both for 35 minutes, instead of the recipe’s suggested 20-25 minutes. I also added 4 ounces of cubed halloumi cheese for the last fifteen minutes. When I added the roasted onions to the black beans and mashed them as directed, it tasted like refried beans. As suggested, I served them with both crispy and soft taco shells, though I skipped the Cilantro pesto for a jar of mild salsa.

This cookbook, which was published in 2021, is full of fresh, appealing, and healthy dinner ideas, with great food photography by Christine Han. I was happy to learn that a new cookbook, The Weekday Vegetarians Get Simple, will be published in late August.

Brenda