Tantalizing, Exquisite, And Remarkably Original Dishes From A Talented And Imaginative Master Chef Ismail Merchant Draws On His Childhood Memories Of Exquisite Indian Food To Create Quick, Delicious Meals. Included Here Are Hors D'Oeuvres And Drinks (Mustard And Chive Prawn Bites, Beer And Lemon), Soups (Ginger Broccoli Soup In Just Twenty-Five Minutes), Fish, Poultry And Eggs, Meat (Lamb With Onion And Tomatoes In Less Than Forty-Five Minutes), Vegetables, Salads, Rice, Lentils, Sweets (Cinnamon-Brandy Baked Pears, Sweet Saffron Rice), Pickles And Chutneys-Tasty, Fast-Cooking Meals Delivered In Clear, Easy-To-Follow Recipes, Along With Ismail'S Insider Anecdotes About Films And Stars. A Wonderful Book By A Brilliant And Passionate Cook. 'It Is An Exemplary Work And One Of The Most Original Departures From What You Normally Expect A Book On Indian Cooking To Be. It Is Not National. It Does Not Deal With Traditional Concepts. And It Is Not Regional. It Is Simply One Man'S Inspired Notion Of What His Native Land'S Food Should Taste Like. It Is Tailored To His Own Sophisticated And Remarkably Original Palate. And The Recipes Are Easy To Follow.' -Craig Claiborne

His partnership with director James Ivory has yielded a succession of acclaimed and award-winning films, including A Room with a View, Howard's End and The Remains of the Day. But Merchant's talents extend into the culinary world as well, as evidenced by this exquisite collection of over 100 recipes from his native India.

The New Indian Cuisine for Fearless Cooks and Adventurous Eaters Ismail Merchantýs Indian Cuisine, the celebrated producerýs first collection of recipes, was hailed by the New York Times as one of the ten best cookbooks of the year. Now, in Ismail Merchantýs Passionate Meals, the author leads fellow cooks further along on his odyssey, offering over a hundred new, tantalizing recipes. The collection opens with a series of delicious appetizers to whet dinersý appetites, from refreshing lassi to spicy vegetable fritters. Main courses, including meat, poultry, or seafood, represent the author at his most creative, lending American staples like veal, turkey, and even hamburgers exciting new dimensions. Passionate Meals closes with a selection of Indiaýs superb breads, pickles, chutneys and sweets, which Merchant, following Indian custom, shares as a gesture of goodwill and friendship. For grand entertaining, as well as for casual and delicious cooking out of the ordinary, Ismail Merchantýs Passionate Meals is a welcome reminder that food still has the capacity to nourish and be an adventure.

The film director describes his time spent in Paris as a student and his subsequent trips there to make movies, and also includes recipes for forty French dishes

It was when traveling on assignment in India that journalist Stephen Henderson first learned of soup kitchens operated by Sikh houses of worship (or gurudwaras). After volunteering for a week at the Gurudwara Bangla Sahib in Delhi—which feeds 20,000 men, women, and children every day—Henderson became curious to research global gastrophilanthropy, or the very different ways in which hungry people are served free meals around the world. When newspaper and magazine work dispatched him to places across America and abroad, Henderson would add days to his itineraries to learn about local customs of charitable cookery. This intriguing series of field reports reveals the clamor, chaos, and compassion of kitchens in places such as Iran, Israel, and South Korea, as well as those in Austin, Los Angeles and Pittsburgh. While the recipes, culinary methods, and clientele may vary, all the soul-stirring experiences share a common theme: a great way to show love to the needy is through the gift of food. Written with a huge heart, and an even bigger appetite, these chapters—sad and funny, sometimes both—may inspire you to embark on your own acts of gastrophilanthropy. Now released in paperback, Stephen Henderson's revised edition adds two new chapters reflecting on the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on food insecurity and homelessness. His latest perspective demonstrates even further the necessity for all to step up in any way they can. After all, someone, somewhere, is always hungry.

John Thorne's classic first collection is filled with straightforward eating, home cooking, vigorous opinions, and the gracefully intelligent writing that makes him a cult favorite of people who like to think about food. "Incisive, hilarious and occasionally nostalgic, this volume will delight many readers, reminding them why they enjoy the pleasures of food and cooking."--Publishers Weekly