Paisano: How to Pick a Peach

Russ Parsons' first book, How to Read a French Fry (2001, Houghton-Mifflin) was an imminently readable and entertaining (assuming the topic interested you) tome about the science of cooking. Sadly, his latest book, How to Pick a Peach: The Search for Flavor from Farm to Table (2007, Houghton-Mifflin) is less so.

How to Pick a Peach is a reference volume about fruit and vegetables. The book has 403 pages divided into four sections (Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter) and offers 31 chapters. Each chapter covers one or two related vegetables, for instance the Summer section contains a chapter on corn and another on melons. Each chapter begins with a three page description of the vegetable's characteristics and history. This text is followed by a quick reference specifying: Where They're Grown, How to Choose, How to Store, How to Prepare, and One Simple Dish. The chapter ends with a few more detailed and complex recipes. Interspersed throughout are diversions such as "What to Refrigerate" and "Flavored Syrups."

Given the book's intent, organization, and the brevity of each chapter, there's not much leeway for scintillating writing. This is not to say the book is turgid or unreadable. Parsons, a food and wine columnist for the Los Angeles Times, has been writing about food and wine for 20 years. But the format is geared toward looking things up, not linear reading.

Nevertheless, I did read it cover to cover (I also read the 800+ page On Food and Cooking cover to cover, what can I say, I'm a food geek), and I learned a few things. For instance you can't spot a ripe honeydew by it's odor -- it has none -- so I can quit trying (and failing). And I didn't know that refrigerating peaches makes them mealy. Come to think of it, I learned a lot such as the difference between "mature green" tomatoes and "vine ripe" tomatoes and that the Dutch developed almost edible winter tomatoes and since then Canada, following the Dutch example, has become a major exporter of tomatoes to this country. Tomatoes from Canada? Who woulda thunk?

As a food professional, a book like How to Pick a Peach is a must have investment for me. But anyone who considers themselves a serious cook should have a copy -- just as you should have a copy of How to Read a French Fry and On Food and Cooking -- whether you, like me, read it from beginning to end or just keep it handy for boning up on the current season's produce. Recommended.

Cucumber, Beet, and Feta Salad
Adapted from How to Pick a Peach.

1 lb beets (about 4) -- tops trimmed
1 1/2 lb cucumbers
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
2 tsp minced fresh herbs
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 lb feta -- crumbled

Place the beets in a large saucepan, cover with plenty of water, and bring to a boil. Cook at a fast simmer until tender enough to easily pierce with a knife -- about 45 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water.

Slice cucumbers about 1/4" thick.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, herbs, salt, and garlic.

Peel the beets and cut them into chunks. Add them, along with cucumbers, to bowl and toss to coat. Line a platter with baby greens and arrange beets and cukes on top. Sprinkle with feta cheese.

In an alternate life, the Paisano is Kevin Weeks: a Gather food correspondent, personal chef, cooking teacher, and writer in Knoxville, Tennessee who spends too many hours on his feet, cooking. "Paisano" the column focuses on peasant dishes from around the world, Paisano the character is fictional. To read more of Kevin's writings or connect to him click here. His blog, Seriously Good, is read by 75,000 cooks a month. Kevin is also a consultant with ChefsLine.com.