Eat Well Food Tour: MCC cookbooks as culture making

[Kirstin Vander Giessen-Reitsma]

One of the things that’s accompanied us these 1,300 miles so far is a crate of food-related resources, including two cookbooks created by the Mennonite Central Committee. One is Extending the Table, featuring recipes from around the world and stories to connect cooks to other cultures in meaningful ways. Another that we have with us is Simply in Season, which organizes recipes according to vegetables that are in season simultaneously. Simply in Season has been getting rave reviews by everyone we know who owns it.

The original in the MCC trilogy is More With Less, which we don’t have in our crate because we don’t own it, though we really should. Released in 1976, More With Less has been hugely influential for people of faith who seek to cook simple, healthy dishes not just for health reasons, but for reasons of Christian stewardship. We’ve heard from many folks who refer to their tattered 30-year-old copy or have bought a second copy because the original was falling apart from so much use. It’s amazing how the creation of these cookbooks, beginning with More With Less, has proven such a subtle, powerful act of culture making. Blessings, stories and tips help contextualize a way of cooking that values a fully formed sense of justice. I think it would be great to see more cookbooks from churches, Christian schools and other faith-based groups reflecting the holistic Christian consciousness of the MCC cookbooks, as opposed to just random collections of easy, overly processed foods.

If you don’t have these cookbooks yet, I’d highly recommend them. They make wonderful wedding, graduation and housewarming gifts as well. You can purchase them online or at your favorite local fair trade or independent bookstore. By way of whetting your appetite, here’s one of my new favorites from Simply in Season that I made this afternoon for our dinner tonight. Admittedly, it’s slightly out of season, as this one is from the winter section, but in Grand Rapids, we can still buy Michigan apples from last fall at our local grocery store.

Apple Lentil Salad

* 1 c. lentils

Soak 15 min. in hot water.

* 1/4 c. olive oil
* 2 Tbsp. curry powder
* 1 tsp. salt

In large sauce pan, heat olive oil. Add salt and curry powder and heat until bubbly. Drain lentils, add to saucepan, and fry briefly.

* 2 c. water

Add and cook until absorbed (adding more water if needed to cook lentils until tender), about 20 minutes. Drain any excess water. Cool.

* 2 tart apples (cored and diced)
* 1/4 c. lemon juice or cider vinegar

Combine to prevent browning. Mix with cooled lentils.

* 2 potatoes (cooked, cooled, peeled and chopped)
* 1/2 – 1 small onion (thinly sliced)
* handful of fresh or frozen parsley (chopped)

Mix in with salt to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.

My notes:
* Leave the extra liquid in the lentils when done cooking, which makes the salad a little more saucy and eliminates the need for extra salt at the end.
* Definitely go with the cider vinegar.
* Forego the potatoes to save a little time. Replace their bulk with things like fresh, chopped asparagus, zucchini or summer squash depending on the time of year.
* Instead of or in addition to the parsley, use a handful of fresh cilantro.
* Can substitute green onions for white or yellow.

[Catherine Cooper]

My mother introduced me to her tattered 30-year-old copy of More with Less a few years ago, and we coincidentally discovered Simply in Season the day before I read this blog post. I can't wait to get a copy, especially after reading that apple lentil salad recipe!

[Wendy H.]

I have More with Less and Simply in Season. I use SIS more but I do enjoy reading both. Yes, I'm a cookbook reader :-) I might have to put Extending the Table on my Christmas list to complete the trilogy.