The Mayors' Cookbook: The Favorite Recipes of 300 Mayors Across the U.S.A.: What's Cooking at City Hall?

To raise funds for the U.S. Conference of Mayors, an association of more than 300 mayors of cities large and small, as well as to educate the public about member communities, mayors were asked to provide their favorite recipes for this compilation. Some used the opportunity for some old-fashioned politicking: Barbara Fass of Stockton, Calif., held a local contest and submitted five winning recipes. Others showed off their personal culinary skills. Most, however, sent in their family favorites, which well demonstrate the rich variety of American cuisine, from Tennessee country ham and gravy, tabbouleh and jambalaya, to spaghetti al pesto, bourbon pie and patitas de cerdo (pigs' feet). The recipes have been well edited to provide consistently explicit instructions. Each dish is accompanied by a brief blurb on the city of origin, and the book is sprinkled with ""city trivia quiz''questions referring to interesting facts found in those blurbs. (January)