It's All American Food

by David Rosengarten

Reviewed by Kevin Schoeler

What exactly is American food these days? Is it spaghetti and meatballs or Southern fried chicken? Maybe it's empanadas, Baltimore crab fluffs and chicken satay with peanut sauce. How about bibimbap? David Rosengarten's answer is yes to all of the above and a lot more.

Before they fell from grace, do you remember those bubbly-skinned crunchy egg rolls you'd get with your chow mein? You'd dunk them in some duck sauce or hot mustard—and they were bursting full of steaming hot napa cabbage, water chestnuts, tiny shrimp and sometimes a little pork. Rosengarten will teach you how to make them, and they'll taste just like they used to.

Expectations are high when a food authority like Rosengarten writes another book. His Dean & DeLuca Cookbook (with Joel Dean and Giorgio DeLuca) and its exhaustive collection of "new classics," did not skimp on patient instruction, background stories and thoughtful narrative. His next, Taste, was not quite the epic but still a substantial book in which Rosengarten shared his favorite foods from around the world. His latest work is another big effort that covers so much territory I'm beginning to wonder if this guy ever sleeps.

In It's All American Food, Rosengarten tells us he "set out to write this book with the intention of discovering America all over again." He certainly did that, and more, with over four hundred recipes that travel across the country and over the Pacific to Hawaii. But this is not your ordinary collection of American recipes. It is an introspective study of the ethnic, regional and classic foods we eat in this county—how they got here, how they evolved and how they are best prepared.

As always, Rosengarten gives us plenty to chew on with his honest opinions, intellect and natural wit. He debunks food snobbery immediately. Imagine the venerated Alain Ducasse going gaga over a plate of Southern barbecued ribs. It happened in Queens in front of Rosengarten. He is not afraid to engage in serious conversations about (horrors!) the finer qualities of Hellmann's mayonnaise, Heinz ketchup and margarine. After all, they have a place in the American kitchen and they add value to the right foods.

Rosengarten is wickedly intelligent and witty. He is a prolific writer, competent teacher and somehow humble at the same time. He is also a likeable guy who can sniff out the finest truffle and still appreciate, with honest enthusiasm, a simple tuna salad sandwich. You won't use truffles in this book but you will get recipes for Tuna Salad Sandwiches, San Diego Fish Tacos, Philly Cheesesteak and Kung Pao Chicken.

Rosengarten segments the American food experience into three categories beginning with "Ethnic America." In this section, he examines how Italian, Korean, Indian, French (and you name it) cuisines landed in America and morphed into the forms we recognize today. Rosengarten gives the most attention to the obvious front-runners of Italian, Chinese and Mexican descent, but you won't lack for Lamb Tagine, Thai Yellow Shrimp Curry or Saag Paneer either. Better still, you'll finish this section not only knowing why Cuban food is the most familiar of Caribbean cuisines, but also how to whip up a crispy skinned Cuban-Style Roast Pork Shoulder and a batch of Tostones.

The second section is devoted to "Regional America" and foods with roots in places like New England, the Midwest and the South. While some of these regional dishes rarely stray far from home, you can find many of them embedded in other parts of the country. These are the real things. You'll find plenty of background and recipes for Home-Cured Corned Beef, New York Deli Style; Apple Butter; Maryland Crab Soup; Seafood and Okra Gumbo; Buffalo Chicken Wings and, yes, even Corn Dogs. What about California? Rosengarten wisely acknowledges the Golden State as the hamburger capital of the world, but also as home to Cobb Salad, great tacos and sushi. Here I thought he spoiled the fun a bit by including some highbrow recipes for Cod Steaks Poached in Olive Oil and Herbs, and Tuna Burgers with Lemon-Shallot Mayonnaise, but I guess anything goes in California.

Finally, Rosengarten gives a nod to comfort food in "Classic America." These are the familiar foods that occupy most American kitchens: Tuna Noodle Casserole, Swiss Steak, Macaroni and Cheese, and Apple Pie. There are also good, solid recipes for Creamed Spinach, Parker House Rolls and, trust him, an amazing Burned Chocolate Ice Cream.

There's little to complain about. The format could be friendlier. With its textbook style, the recipes and text run closely together. It's easy to read but tough to use. For instance, while trying to focus on Fattoush, I found my eyes wandering over to Tabbouleh in the next column. And I wouldn't want my Raita to muddle up the Mulligatawny. I guess function was somewhat sacrificed for good looks.

It's also not clear, up front, what you might be getting yourself into. Considering the generous detail throughout the book, I'm surprised that overall preparation times are not clearly stated. Read the recipe carefully because some of dishes require advance preparation and long sitting times—corned beef is a two-week ordeal that isn't disclosed immediately, and the Guacamole with Grilled Onion and Roasted Garlic needs at least an hour to roast the garlic.

But the rewards in this book are great. It's All American Food is a serious book but altogether fun, engaging and deliciously useful. It's part history lesson and part cookbook with appropriate undertones of American pride. Whether it's ethnic, regional or comfort food, Rosengarten gives thoughtful consideration to the vastness of America's culinary riches and bestows them to us in this fetching new book.

RECIPE: SALAMI AND EGGS

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(Updated: 01/26/07)