Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant

by Ferrari-Adler, Jenni

• ISBN13: 9781594489471
• ISBN10: 1594489475
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-07-19
• Publisher: Riverhead Hardcover

Summary

A delightful and unexpected collection of pieces by writers, foodies, and others-including Nora Ephron, Marcella Hazan, and Ann Patchett-on the distinctive experiences of cooking for one and dining alone. If, sooner or later, we all face the prospect of eating alone, then Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplantprovides the perfect set of instructions. In this unique collection, twenty-six writers and foodies invite readers into their kitchens to reflect on the secret meals they make for themselves when no one else is looking: the indulgent truffled egg sandwich, the comforting bowl of black beans, the bracing anchovy fillet on buttered toast. From Italy to New York to Cape Cod to Thailand, from M. F. K. Fisher to Steve Almond to Nora Ephron, the experiences collected in this book are as diverse, moving, hilarious, and uplifting as the meals they describe. Haruki Murakami finds solace in spaghetti. Ephron mends a broken heart with mashed potatoes in bed. Ann Patchett trades the gourmet food she cooks for others for endless snacks involving saltines. Marcella Hazan, responsible for bringing sophisticated Italian cuisine into American homes, craves a simple grilled ham-and-cheese sandwich. Courtney Eldridge, divorced from a fancy chef, reconnects with the salsa she learned to cook from her cash-strapped mother. Rosa Jurjevics reflects on the influence of her mother, Laurie Colwin, as she stocks her home with salty treats. Almost all of the essays include recipes, making this book the perfect companion for a happy, lonely-or just hungry-evening home alone. Part solace, part celebration, part handbook, Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplantoffers a wealth of company, inspiration, and humor-and, finally, recipes that require no division or subtraction.

Author Biography

Jenni Ferrari-Adler is a graduate of Oberlin College and the University of Michigan, where she received an MFA in fiction. She has worked as a reader for The Paris Review, as a bookseller, as an eggseller, and as an assistant at a literary agency. Her short fiction has been published in numerous magazines.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant	p. 15
Dinner for One, Please, James	p. 23
Beans and Me	p. 31
Single Cuisine	p. 39
Asparagus Superhero	p. 51
Thanks, but No Thanks	p. 65
The Legend of the Salsa Rosa	p. 89
Eating Alone	p. 101
Making Soup in Buffalo	p. 109
Que Sera Sarito: An (Almost) Foolproof Plan to Never Ever Eat Alone Again	p. 119
The Year of Spaghetti	p. 129
Out to Lunch	p. 137
Dining Alone	p. 145
A Is for Dining Alone	p. 151
Eggs Over Uneasy	p. 159
Protective Measures	p. 167
Table for One	p. 179
Wild Chili	p. 187
White-on-White Lunch for When No One Is Looking	p. 197
Luxury	p. 207
My Favorite Meal for One	p. 219
The Lonely Palate	p. 225
How to Cook in a New York Apartment	p. 233
Potatoes and Love: Some Reflections	p. 241
Instant Noodles	p. 247
Food Nomad	p. 255
Contributors	p. 261
Permissions Acknowledgments	p. 269
Acknowledgments	p. 271
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