Summer food is fresh from the garden.
Or it’s gathered at farmers’ markets. Maybe we stop during day trips to taste the delights offered by inviting roadside restaurants. It could be we barbecue seasonal meals on our backyard grills and serve them to guests on our patios.
“The Barbecue! Bible” by Steven Raichlen softcover, Workman Publishing Co., 1998, 556 pages, $22.95). This full-color edition was updated in 2008. The publisher calls it a “500-recipe celebration of sizzle and smoke.” Foodies will find Raichlen’s effort the standard for grilling cookbooks — truly their bible for barbecue.
“The Big Book of Barbecue Side Dishes,” by Rick Browne (softcover, Sellers Publishing, 2009, 160 pages, $16.95). Browne, the host of public television’s “Barbecue America,” presents more than 125 recipes for food that will complement your grilled entree. “Crisp salads, savory beans, flavorful fruits, pungent grilled breads, bowls of al dente pasta, and fresh-from-the-garden veggies done up right over hot coals,” lists the publisher. Read on and salivate.
“Cheater BBQ,” by Mindy Merrell and R.B. Quinn (softcover, Broadway Books, 2008, 214 pages, $17.95). With “terrific recipes for indoor cooking,” the publisher promises, “ ‘Cheater BBQ’ makes it easy to serve up pit-style barbecue classics year-round.” It brings the weekend grill into the weeknight kitchen. Slow cookers and ovens can become “grills” with everyday ingredients and a little liquid smoke.
“Farms & Foods of Ohio: From Garden Gate to Dinner Plate,” by Marilou K. Suszko (hardcover, Hippocrene Books, 2007, 240 pages, $24.95). “Wonderful foods and flavors” can be found close to home, and the Vermilion author of this source book spent a year traveling the state to find ingredients for dozens of recipes, along with the information offered in profiles of Ohioans who grow and serve those tasty fruits and vegetables.
“Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives: An All-American Road Trip ... with Recipes!” by Guy Fieri, with Ann Volkwein (softcover, William Morrow, 2008, 250 pages, $19.95). Food Network star Fieri takes readers on a tour of some of the country’s most interesting eating establishments — complete with recipes, photographs and images of memorabilia.
