“The Minnesota Homegrown Cookbook”
I’d be lying if I said photography isn’t important in a cookbook for me. The truth is that I enjoy savoring the photography of a good cookbook almost as much as I enjoy savoring the recipes. The Minnesota Homegrown Cookbook delivers beautiful photography, interesting stories, and tasty recipes.
This coffee table-worthy book is presented by Renewing the Countryside. Quoting directly from their website:
Renewing the Countryside strengthens rural areas by championing and supporting rural communities, farmers, artists, entrepreneurs, educators, activists and other people who are renewing the countryside through sustainable and innovative initiatives, businesses, and projects. We do this by sharing stories of rural renewal, building awareness and support for sustainable endeavors, connecting people interested in sustainable rural development to each other, providing practical assistance and networking opportunities for those working to improve rural America, and fostering connections between urban and rural people.
The cookbook features local restaurants and merchants who live close to the land of Minnesota and are all about keeping it local. The book gives a marvelous travel tour across the state via the various communities and restaurants featured in the book. You’ll learn many interesting factoids, including: why the trout is so angry and just what the Scandinavian link to Minnesota’s cuisine is.
The recipes range from exotic and fairly difficult to very basic and simple. I tried 3 recipes from the book. All were a success. My family especially enjoyed the Tourlou recipe from page 129 (which is pictured above). But we also enjoyed the Salsa and the Hummus recipes from page 99!
I’ve never been to Minnesota. But after reading this local cookbook, I think I’ll be planning a trip soon! The photography alone makes the book worth it’s $29.99 price. You can purchase the book by clicking here.
Recipe for Tourlou
Serves 4-5
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, sliced
1/4 cup sliced garlic
1 fennel bulb plus the fennel fronds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup fresh basil chopped or 1 tsp. dried basil
2 bay leaves
4 cups peeled and diced eggplant
4 cups zucchini, thinly sliced
4 cups fresh green beans, with the ends trimmed
2 cups fresh diced tomatoes or 2 cups canned diced tomatoes
Preheat the oil in a dutch oven on medium and cook the onions and fennel with all the seasonings until the onions are tender. Add eggplant and cook about 5 minutes. Stir the eggplant to coat with the seasonings and oil. Add zucchini and green beans, stirring to coat with seasonings, and cook until the green beans start to change color. Add tomatoes and stir gently. Let the mixture simmer until it’s to the consistency that you prefer. Serve immediately and sprinkle with feta cheese and serve with crusty peasant bread.
