The Ethnic Paris Cookbook: Bringing the French Melting Pot into Your Kitchen

Taking a detour from the bistros and brasseries of Paris, this cookbook explores another side of the city's cuisine: its Moroccan cafes, phô kitchens and sushi bars. Exploring the culinary heritage of decades of immigrants, London-based journalist Kiang-Snaije and Cordon Bleu chef Puckette have solicited recipes from their favorite restaurants, along with the family favorites of Parisians from North Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Each chapter focuses on a particular country, beginning with a history of the region as well as an overview of its cuisine. The dishes here are earthy, simple and relatively inexpensive to make, like a Moroccan lamb tagine with canned artichokes and frozen peas, and a Warm Laotian Beef Salad with crisp vegetable garnishes. For the most part these are authentic recipes, and the authors assist in locating obscure ingredients—Argan oil, for example, can be obtained from a company in Michigan. The layout can be confusing, as recipe directions sometimes precede the ingredients list, but the book charms with quirky illustrations, literary quotes and personal vignettes. With listings for restaurants (including the best place to get couscous) and sidebars describing Tunisian greengrocers, Puckette and Kiang-Snaije have assembled an informative book that broadens the discussion of Parisian food while offering the Francophile home chef some alternatives to the standard croques monsieur . (Apr.)