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From the Ground Up

Name: From the Ground Up
Author: Villas, James
ISBN: 9780470571651

by Villas, James

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Overview

A world tour of beloved ground meat recipes from award-winning author James Villas

Ground meats are easily affordable and amazingly versatile—and common in almost every cuisine. Ground beef, pork, poultry, and seafood are staple ingredients across continents and cultures, but they've rarely been given the respect they deserve.

With favorites like the classic American hamburger and steak tartare, croquettes and crab cakes, From the Ground Up collects 200 recipes that span the globe, all presented with the passion and style that make James Villas one of the world's most admired food writers. Here, he pays loving tribute to this underappreciated culinary wonder, letting it take its rightful seat at the head of the table. With delectable dishes from far and wide, this fantastic collection is stuffed with inspiration.

James Villas was the food and wine editor for Town & Country magazine for 27 years and is the author of Pig, The Bacon Cookbook, and The Glory of Southern Cooking
Features 200 ground meat recipes from all over the world, including British meat pies, Jamaican patties, and American meatloafs and chilis
The perfect cookbook for families, with affordable, tasty comfort foods galore

For home cooks looking for quick and delicious dinner solutions, From the Ground Up offers classic dishes the whole family will love.

About the Author, Villas, James

JAMES VILLAS’s work has appeared in Esquire, Food & Wine, Gourmet, Bon Appétit , and the New York Times . He won James Beard Awards for Journalism in 2003 and for Pig: King of the Southern Table .

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly

As any homemaker knows, Villas, the former food and wine editor for Town & Country magazine, drives home the point that once a food substance is ground up, there is very little that cannot be done with it. Here is a sweeping survey of 200 recipes, covering the highs and lows of minced chicken, beef, pork, and seafood. Villas employs dips, loaves, patties, casseroles, and sausages to create a multicultural mosaic that includes everything from gefilte fish to Scottish deviled kidney spread, from Russian salmon croquettes to Cincinnati chili. Along the way, some lost history is also unearthed. It turns out that the original Coney Island dog was actually a bun filled with chopped frankfurter, pickle, eggs, bacon, and sauerkraut, and that a truly authentic croques monsieur calls for the ham to be coarsely ground. Each two-page recipe starts off with a brief paragraph in which the author conveys some historical notes or serving suggestions. This is followed by a succinct ingredients list, and then the preparation instructions, which rarely consist of more than four or five steps. Like a fine batch of hamburger, the book itself is of uniform simplicity and composition throughout. (Oct.)

From the Publisher

As any homemaker knows, Villas, the former food and wine editor for Town & Country magazine, drives home the point that once a food substance is ground up, there is very little that cannot be done with it. Here is a sweeping survey of 200 recipes, covering the highs and lows of minced chicken, beef, pork, and seafood. Villas employs dips, loaves, patties, casseroles, and sausages to create a multicultural mosaic that includes everything from gefilte fish to Scottish deviled kidney spread, from Russian salmon croquettes to Cincinnati chili. Along the way, some lost history is also unearthed. It turns out that the original Coney Island dog was actually a bun filled with chopped frankfurter, pickle, eggs, bacon, and sauerkraut, and that a truly authentic croques monsieur calls for the ham to be coarsely ground. Each two-page recipe starts off with a brief paragraph in which the author conveys some historical notes or serving suggestions. This is followed by a succinct ingredients list, and then the preparation instructions, which rarely consist of more than four or five steps. Like a fine batch of hamburger, the book itself is of uniform simplicity and composition throughout. (Oct.) (Publishers Weekly, June 2011)

Library Journal

This cookbook is a bible of economical ground-protein recipes for canapés, loaves, croquettes, patties, forcemeats, hashes, and more. After introducing the meats (beef, pork, fish, shellfish, poultry, and offal), Villas (Pig: King of the Southern Table) shares practical tips on equipment, shopping, and food safety. The recipes are intended for beginners, who will find it helpful to own a food processor and a meat grinder. Without photos, it's hard to imagine the visual appeal of a recipe like Scandinavian Jellied Veal Loaf; however, there are plenty of other choices that will please meat enthusiasts.