The Food of Campanile: Recipes from the Famed Los Angeles Restaurant

In this collection, Silverton (Breads from the La Brea Bakery) and Peel, chef-owners of L.A.'s celebrated Campanile restaurant, share cooking techniques and secrets and, rather than just present dishes from their menu, frequently rhapsodize about the important foods in their lives. Variety is the spice of this eclectic compilation of appealing recipes: from risottos to speciality ravioli made from scratch (e.g., Roasted Garlic and Potato Ravioli with Chanterelle Sauce) to Eloy Mondez's Albondiagas Soup, which is created with fresh tomatillos and garlic and served with tiny beef and pork meatballs. Look here, too, for simple dishes with special twists and touches, such as Arugula and Belgian Endive Salad with Concord Grapes and Cabrales Cheese. Peel and Silverton love fish; Sauteed Salmon with Red Onion Vinaigrette requires some blanching and cold-soaking of onion and fennel for the sauce. Old favorites like Rustic Cherry Pie, including the dough, are even more labor intensive. But the authors' passion for cooking will mobilize serious home cooks willing to use all their kitchen toys for one meal. Detailed instructions for making stocks, speciality sauces (e.g., shiitake mushroom sauce) and vinaigrettes are especially helpful. Steven Rothfeld's photos not seen by PW; Good Cook book club selection. (Nov.)