Given the growing popularity of warehouse stores, bulk sizes and farmers markets, Elissa Altman’s “Big Food: Amazing Ways to Cook, Store, Freeze and Serve Everything You Buy in Bulk” (Rodale, $18.95) is timely indeed.
Altman leads us through the dreaded deep freezer sort and pantry review. Various strategies are offered, with recipes detailing what’s getting put to use – say, two big eggplants and a 10-pound bag of onions (Sicilian eggplant salad) or three whole chickens (Jewish-style chicken soup). Handy lists run down the side of the pages, with tips for “What to do with it,” “How long it will last” and “Secondary dishes.”
Sometimes recipes create more leftovers in the process, but the one we tried (spicy Southwestern corn, crab and black bean salad) was gold. The book is sold at some Barnes & Noble stores and online at amazon.com.
