Cookbook Heaven

Two weeks ago I spent a couple of days in New York with family visiting from Germany. While researching our itinerary we came across an entry about a bookstore specializing in cookbooks which sounded intriguing. Late in the afternoon on our first day in New York we took the metro to Greenwich Village and went in search of Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks.

Tucked away in a quiet street off bustling 7th Avenue is a gem of a bookstore dedicated to cookbooks, food writing and cooking implements.

Categorized by region are vintage, gently used and antiquarian cookbooks. Since I am moving to Kyiv next summer I was specifically looking for books on Ukrainian cuisine. High up on a shelf I came across Bonnie's collection of cookbooks covering Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. After perusing several of them I finally settled on The Georgian Feast by Darra Goldstein and Festive Ukrainian Cooking by Marta Pisetska Farley. I am looking forward to trying out some of the recipe soon!

If you like books and are interested in cooking, visit this treasure trove on your next visit to New York!

Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks
163 W 10th St
(between Waverly Pl & S 7th Ave
New York, NY 10014
Tel: 212|989|8962
bonnieslotnickcookbooks.com

Please call ahead before visiting as her day off changes from week to week.

Chekich - Uzbek Bread Stamps

During one of my trips to Uzbekistan I found these interesting stamps – they turned out to be bread stamps used to stamp patterns on flat breads. Chekich, as they are called locally, are most often made out of plum wood. I bought mine in Bukhara and Samarkand, but you will see them in bazaars all over the country.

A chekich made out of plum wood which is showing its grain beautifully. Plum wood is one of the finest European woods and is recognizable by its beautiful dark brown color.

The designs on the stamps range from geometric shapes for floral pattern.

Since I don’t bake flat breads, I have found another use for them – I use them to decorate my shortbread before baking it. Just make sure that you dip the stamp lightly into flour before pressing it into the dough. To clean, use a small brush and remove any traces of dough and flour. Oil the wooden part of the stamps regularly (I use olive oil) so that the wood doesn't dry out. 


And here are two variations on a basic shortbread recipe:

Ingredients:

Rosemary Shortbread

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1/4 cup vanilla extract
1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary

• Preheat oven to 325 degree F.
• Beat together butter, powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Gradually add flour until mixture is well combined. Add finely chopped rosemary.
• On a floured surface, roll out dough until 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. With a cookie cutter cut the dough into rounds. If desired, use a cookie stamp (or a chekich) to decorate your shortbread.
• Place on an ungreased baking sheet (I use a Silpat) and place into oven.
• Bake for 20 - 30 minutes until bottoms are golden brown and the top is light in color. The baking time will depend on your oven. Please check regularly so that you don't burn your cookies.
• Cool cookies on wire racks.

They are best eaten fresh, but can be stored in an airtight container for a day or two.

Makes 20 cookies


Variation:
Use the same resume but replace the rosemary with one tsp chopped fresh lavender blossoms.