In these modern times let us not forget the library! Even though the digital era has swept us from our feet, the beauty of the library still fulfills my need of endless possibility. Not all of us have the money or space to house a wall or two of cookbooks, and others might generally realize the wastefulness of cookbooks. Except for those few strangely popular home cooks that make it their destiny to prepare every recipe in a given book, most of us mortals explore initially and then stick with our favorites. I do make the effort to try new recipes, but for the most part I always like to find new sources of greater creativity.

As such, a bimonthly trip to the neighborhood library heeds its call. Now, I have to state for the record that Portland is a great city, BUT the libraries here are unequal to those in Minneapolis. I make this judgement based on the variety of books at the local book depot and the times I’ve searched for sources via inter-library loan. Nonetheless, I have found some good ones and since I mostly search for cookbooks, my snobbery should not be taken too seriously. I’m just too broke to afford some of the ethnic or specialty books I occasionally seek.

Anyways, this complaining stated, I did get myself some great books this week. Due to the lack of specific direction or theme-based planning, I claim to be ‘mixed up in the head.’ I picked up one book on Thai cooking, another devoted to recipes for eating mushrooms, and a third claiming to provide an Indian-American experience. The third book is rather boring and I don’t remember why I bothered to get it. I do want to get my hands on an Indian cookbook and since the one I seek is unavailable, I went with mediocrity. That said, if you have the opportunity, get yourself a copy of Neelam Batra’s 1,000 Indian Recipes. I found a number of great recipes there and I hope to get my hands on it again soon.

After this past week of Asian emphasis, I find myself meandering back to what I know – local produce and tasty combinations. Though, I must admit that spice is good, very good and I want to incorporate more of it in my cooking, hence the desire for more Indian. As that search continues, here is what I put together for the upcoming week:

• Roasted chicken, squash and brussels sprouts
• Hot and sour pumpkin soup
• Spinach and red pepper quiche with a side salad
• Hamburgers with sweet potato fries and homemade spicy pickles
• Thai curry with vegetables and rice
• Pan-fried catfish with spinach and mushrooms

Another exciting feature to this week’s meal is tomorrow night’s third installment of the World Cuisines potluck, as we travel to Portugal! Since I do not yet have a recipe pinned down, I cannot yet share that with you. Though I assure you, I will have photos and stories to tell. That said, looking at this week’s menu I am also excited about the soup, as it is my wife’s favorite to make and eat. The hot and sour soup represents a fusion between the Asian spice and seasonal produce – a happy medium for me. The curry on the other hand, is my attempt to use some of the same non-local ingredients as efficiently as possible. If we are to serve prepare cuisines from other parts of the world, it is best to find a way to still overlap the use of these speciality ingredients.

All in all, I think it will be a great week. What are you having for dinner?

Related posts:

1. A Fresh Perspective (weekly menu 20)
2. New York, New York (weekly menu 1)
3. The New Year (weekly menu 15)
4. Asian Madness (weekly menu 9)
5. Immersed in the Northwest (weekly menu 8)

Tags: "ethnic food", Recipes, seasonal eating, weekly menu