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(More customer reviews)From the blurb, Mireille Johnston was born in Nice [naturellement] and educated in France and the USA. She translated the script for the classic film "The Sorrow and the Pity" - directed by Marcel Ophuls - and also hosted a superb series on regional French cooking that was shown here in Canada on TVO (TV Ontario, a publicly-funded educational network).
This easy-to-follow cookbook includes the classic Nicoise recipes such as bourride (creamy garlic fish soup),soupe de pistou (vegetable soup flavoured with pesto (basil paste)), hors-d'oeuvres such as anchoiade (anchovy and garlic spread), pan bagna (classic sandwich with tomatoes, anchovy fillets, and a bit of tuna, etc.), pissaladiere (onion tart), tapenade (anchovy, olive, garlic, and capers spread), salads such as salades blanches (warm bean, cauliflower, and potato salad dressed with a spicy vinaigrette), salade de haricots verts (warm green bean salad with a vinaigrette composed of crushed garlic, good vinegar and olive oil, and salt and pepper), the classic "salade nicoise" (includes tomatoes, cucumbers, lima beans, purple artichokes, green or red peppers, onions, hard-cooked eggs, anchovy fillets (again!), basil or mint, radishes, and tuna - all artfully arranged (compose) on an attractive plate), sauces such as aioli (garlic mayonnaise), beurre d'anchois (anchovy butter), coulis (a warm tomato sauce, sauce aux noix (walnuts, garlic, and olive oil sauce), pistou (superb basil, garlic, olive oil,and cheese sauce), rouille (thick cayenne pepper and garlic sauce), basic vinaigrette (olive oil and very good red wine vinegar), fish dishes such as court-bouillon (fish stock), gigot de mer (fish baked with onion, eggplant, zucchini, peppers, and white wine), moules de pecheurs (steamed mussels with mayonnaise, mustard and served cold), sardines grillees (grilled fresh sardines with parsley and garlic), thon provencale (fresh red tuna cooked with vegetables and white wine).
Ms. Johnston also include recipes for boeuf mironton (boiled beef baked in vinegar and caper sauce), daube d'avignon (lamb, vegetable, and herb stew), estouffade (lamb and beef stew), pietsch (poche de veau farcie - breast of veal stuffed with vegetables and simmered in white wine), pot-au-feu provencale (boiled beef, lamb, and vegetables), poulet a la nicoise (chicken cooked with onion, tomato, olives , and white wine), roustissouns (pork sauteed with herbs and red wine vinegar), vegetables such as beignets de legumes (vegetable fritters), celeri paysanne (celery braised in white wine), courgettes rapees (grated zucchini sauteed in olive oil), farcis a la nicoise (lightly stuffed vegetables such as green peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, chopped beef, lamb, or ham, rice, garlic, parmesan cheese, etc., etc.), ratatouille nicoise (vegetable melange simmered with herbs), crespeou (tomato omelet), troucha (spinach omelet), pois gourmands a la paysanne (snow peas sauteed with lean salt pork and chives), tian d'artichauts (baked artichoke hearts).
Also included are pasta and grain dishes such as barba jouan (pastry filled with cheese,ham, rice, herbs, and pumpkin[!]), panisses (chickpea "french fries"), pates rouges et vertes (noodles with ham and herbs), polente aux champignons (corn meal mush with mushroom sauce), ravioli a la nicoise (beef and spinach ravioli), tout-nus [all-naked] (spinach, rice, and meat balls), festive dishes such as aioli monstre (rich variety of vegetables, fish, and meats served with a garlic mayonnaise), bouillabaisse [!] (superb fish and vegetable stew), desserts such as beignets de fruits (apple raisin fritter or doughnuts), cloche amandine (bell-shaped almond brittle), compote d'abricots, de peches, et de prunes (apricot-peach-plum compote cooked in lemon and orange juice), galette des rois (crown-shaped brioche with candied fruits), glace a la fleur d'orangers (orange blossom water ice cream), nougat blanc (honey, almond, and egg-white confection [candy]), petits biscuits aux noix (crumbly walnut cookies), poires au vin rouge (pears in red wine and lemon juice), tian au rhum (rum and milk custard), tourte aux noix et au miel (walnut and honey pie).
The witty and fun illustrations are by the inimitable Milton Glaser and Mireille Johnston includes a table of classic ingredients from the Nice district, a table of techniques and tools, and mail order sources.
This tremendous chef died in October of 2000 at the very early age of 65 and it is not well-known that she was a former aide to Senator Robert F. Kennedy. She is sorely missed but anybody who wants to savour the sights and smells of summer only has to refer to this cookbook and enjoy the memories. Very, very highly recommended and almost a necessity in any well-appointed kitchen. It superbly complements Julia Child's classic books on French cooking and is a joy to read and is admirably produced.
Timothy Wingate, Ottawa CANADA
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CUISINE OF THE SUN: CLASSICAL FRENCH COOKING FROM NICE AND PROVENCE (Fireside Cookbook Classics)
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