"Perhaps the most impressive of all the cookbook blogs are the three devoted to the 2004 edition of Gourmet magazine's "The Gourmet Cookbook" -- all 5¼ pounds and 1,300-odd recipes of it. Befitting this culinary Everest, all three writers are overachievers in their professional lives."

--Lee Gomes, The Wall Street Journal, May 28, 2008
"I should have told you before how much I've been enjoying reading your thoughts. You seem like such a great cook."

--Ruth Reichl, Editor-in-Chief of Gourmet Magazine, June 8 2008, comment on "Chocolate Velvet Ice Cream".

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Stuffed Peppers




It's rare that I come across a recipe in The Gourmet Cookbook that I just...hate.

I'm sorry to say this is one of them.

It's not that it's inedible. And it's true I substituted green peppers for the red/yellow/orange peppers the recipe called for.

It's just that it's bland. There's nothing about the filling--texture or flavor, to recommend it.

Now, there are a million ways one could enhance this recipe, and if you look at the reviews online you'll see lots of suggestions...ground beef or lamb, olives, tomato sauce, goat cheese, etc. Including any of those would have been a vast improvement.

But as it is...sorry, Gourmet. This one's a dog. Leave it out of the next edition.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi, Melissa-

Just wanted to let you know that I enjoyed listening to you talk about short stories on the recent The Writing Show podcast. I hope you had a great Labor Day weekend!

cheers,
Rachel

Melissa Bach Palladino said...

Thanks, Rachel! That show was a lot of fun--I'm glad you enjoyed it too.

I labored on Labor Day, but at least the weather was spectacular. No complaints. :-)

Melissa