Upsides to the Down Economy/ Food for Thought

I heard a shocking statistic at the Key West Literary Seminar on Food Writing from Ruth Reichl. Most people use only two recipes from the cookbooks they buy! Mon dieu! Julia Child would roll over in her grave. So, much as I'm tempted, I'm going to resist the urge to buy a new cookbook (although I did just buy one at the Seminar- At Home with Madhur Jaffrey) and rediscover (or discover for the first time) recipes in the many cookbooks I already own. My friend Martha introduced me to the cookbooks of Ina Garten, aka The Barefoot Contessa. I had been somewhat put off by her show on the Food Network "This is the way we do it in The Hamptons", and that sort of elite snobbiness, but I have to admit, her recipes are good. Another one of her favorite expressions is "How easy is that?", which is also the title of her latest cookbook, which Martha gave me for my birthday. Martha invited me over for a birthday dinner, where she cooked the whole meal from recipes from the cookbook and I made sausage-stuffed mushrooms, also from the cookbook. So far, I have made five recipes from the book (I'm above the average already!) and tonight I'm making her Beef Barley Soup for the family. At another dinner at Martha and Luis's last Saturday night, she made Salmon Tartare and Creamy Parmesan Polenta, both delicious and from the same cookbook. While I'm not a big fan of salmon, this version, kind of a mix between ceviche and smoked salmon, is a keeper. So the next time I need a recipe, I'm going to go visit my old friends Julia Child, Jacques Pepin, James Beard, Fannie Farmer and even the Barefoot Contessa, sitting on the shelf in my den. How easy is that?

Fresh Salmon Tartare

Serves 6

1 lb. skinless fresh salmon fillet (Martha got hers at Cotsco)

1/2 lb. smoked salmon, thickly sliced

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (3 limes)

1/3 c. minced shallots (2 shallots)

2 T. good olive oil

1/4 c. minced fresh dill

3 T. drained capers

2 T. Dijon mustard

1 T. whole grain mustard

2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper

1 loaf seven grain bread, thinly sliced and toasted for serving (Martha used Italian country bread)

Cut the fresh salmon and the smoked salmon in a 1/4 inch dice. Place the salmon in a mixing bowl and add the lime juice, shallots, olive oil, dill, capers, two mustards, salt and pepper. Mix well, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours for the salmon to marinate. When ready to serve, toast the bread and taste the salmon for seasonings. Serve the tartare with triangles of toast.