Good Will Hunting

Every once in a while in the sea of cookbooks, comes one that is worth reading cover to cover and for all my foodie friends out there, this post is for you.  Barbara Lynch, one of Boston's finest chefs, has written her first cookbook called "Stir".

Aside from the fact that that she apprenticed under Todd English at Michaela's , Olive's and Figs, here is the thing that makes Barbara unique and an interesting study.  Like Matt Damon's character Will in Good Will Hunting, she was a "Southie" raised in the housing projects in South Boston. Barbara has enjoyed one of those stellar rises to the top of the food world, that are very hard to achieve given the competitve space in the culinary world and the inundation of new chefs out there.  Today she runs and own 7 successful venues around the Boston, MA area that have been critically acclaimed nationwide.

Yes my dear foodies, upon reading this post, sprint to your amazon accounts to order this book.  Overnight delivery is the only acceptable speed for getting this book into your hot little hands.  Be sure to read her introduction, which is her amazing account of eating food from a can throughout her childhood to reaching the heights of culinary delights of foie gras and truffles.  Goes to show you, that there is hope for all of us in learning a deep appreciation of good food no matter what we might be accustomed to.  As a deep food lover myself, I thoroughly enjoyed Barbara's book.  I read it soup to nuts (no pun intended) until 1am last night and cannot wait to try my hand at some of her dishes.  Her raw meets elegant southie gourmet personality is so prominent throughout the book (the f word ever present while describing the passion of a particular dish).  Upon reading it, Barbara's passion has convinced me to try my hand at making my own fresh homemade pasta (trust me, that I never thought I would say this).  Pasta making aside, most of her dishes are beautiful in their simplicity, and their use of fresh ingredients, and are not complicated to make.

Here are some pictures from Barbara's book, of receipes that I will be attempting (please remember that I am a foodie currently living in 20 degree weather in Deer Valley, so my cravings tend to be on the rich and carb intensive side).  There are plenty of light weight receipes in this book, which I will pursue when living in milder climates:

 Gorgonzola Fondue with Lamb,

Baked Cheese and tomatoes with Black Olive Crisps,

Ham and Cheese Puff Pastry Bites with Honey Mustard,

Creamy Leek and Potato Soup with Bay Scallops,

Butcher Shop Bolognese,

Prune stuffed Gnocchi with Foie Gras Sauce,

Seared Salmon with white Beans and Spinach and of course,

Vanilla Bread Pudding.

Bon appetit and here's to living the good life....