Good Old Food: A Taste from the Past

This homey collection by well-known cookbook writer and publisher Chalmers pays tribute to traditional American cooks and immigrants who enriched American palates. Anyone looking for hearty fare will be pleased with the selection of over 300 down-home favorites (succotash, Boston brown bread) and ethnic choices (enchiladas verde, pierogi). Recipes are generally uncomplicated; few require ingredients that can't be found in any grocery store. Convenience and prepackaged ingredients are shunned for fresh. Reminiscences from people across the country of dishes served in their childhood homes give this volume a pleasantly nostalgic flavor. But the cookbook is not always well-organized. One cannot be sure whether to look for red flannel hash in the chapter entitled ``One-Pot Dishes and Savory Pies'' or in ``Stews and Casseroles.'' And less cosmopolitan cooks may wish the national origins of the more exotic foods were included. (Oct.)