FRC: Heat by Bill Buford

[elaine]

I am reading this book about Buford's "internship"

under Mario Batali and my mouth is watering. I

am ready to go run away and cook.

A quote about Batali's first time learning in Italy... "It was a month before anyone prepared a Bolognese, the traditional meat sauce of Emilia-Romagna. "They'd got bored of it,"Mario said, "but then they taught me how to make it, and that became my weekly task: veal,pork,beef and pancetta, cooked slowly with olive oil and butter. Just browning and browning although it never turns brown because of the fat that seeps out of the meat - which you leave there, it's part of the dish- and add white wine and milk, and, at the end, a little tomato paste, so that it's pink-brown."

This is the least of them -- I am still reading but highly recommend the book - just don't read it when you are hungry!!

 

[steve2-in-la]

I read it a year or two ago. While I thought it was kind of interesting, it seemed like a thinly

veiled brag-fest. You know "I HAD to have dinner with Mario Batali and all the other GREAT Chefs of the world . . . again!". I came away from it wanting to smack Buford within and inch of his over sized ego. Otherwise, I have no opinion.

 

[elaine]

I am just enjoying the food descriptions and especially Italy. I get there about 2-3x a year and try

to add new excursions every visit so finding an
interesting corner here and there is fun.

 

[traca]

I just finished the audio version. Very good. If you like Heat, you may like Knives at Dawn. Lots of

cooking talk there, at the high-end level.