Weekend Cooking: F*ck That's Delicious by Action Bronson

Okay, so I admit was skeptical about a cookbook by a hiphop artist foodie. I was wrong to question, however, because Action Bronson grew up in a cooking/baking family, enjoying Albanian food at home and a world of flavors at friends' and neighbors' houses in his native Queens. Later he attended cooking school, worked in his father's restaurant, and of course made music.

In his cookbook F*ck That's Delicious, Action Bronson shares recipes for some of the most delicious foods he's eaten at home and around the world. We get the stories, the photos, and the cooking methods. (Note: I received this cookbook as part of the Abrams's Dinner Party; click link for info.)

Just as Bronson is not your typical chef, F*ck That's Delicious is not your typical cookbook. The three dozen or so formal recipes are interwoven with stories of Bronson's travels, descriptions of his favorite food pairings, tributes to the global cuisines of Queens (that rhymes!), colorful photographs of people and places, a graphic guide to toothpicks, the joys of an ice cream cookie sandwich, a whole section on fried chicken, and much, much more. The book is just plain fun to read.

Some of the recipes are for simple comfort food, like bagels with melted cheese (see the scan; click to enlarge), complete with an encyclopedia of bagels from around the world. Others are for more involved dinners, like the recipe for barbecued ribs, which is accompanied by tales of Jamaica.

I want to bake Chocolate Chip Cookies and Salted Honey Butter. I love it that Bronson roasts his cauliflower almost exactly like do (I add fresh whole sage leaves, which crisp up deliciously). His two-minute tomato sauce looks like a life-saver after a busy day, The oxtail topped flat bread is so on my winter dinner list, and that chocolate raspberry coffee cake from Bronson's mother looks heavenly. The spaghetti shown in the scan below was a huge hit in my house, though I substituted jalapenos for the Italian chiles called for.

A couple of points: This is a cookbook / foodie memoir to read. Yes, you'll likely want to try some of the recipes, but you'll also want to take note of Bronson's favorite pizza joints so you can try them yourself next time you're in New York. Don't expect polite language (the title of the book should have been your first clue), but do expect Bronson's sincere gushing over everything he's included between the covers, from eating cold cereal over the kitchen sink to enjoying a leisurely meal of eggs, pasta, madre de sagrantino, and wine in the beautiful Umbria countryside.

Granted F*ck That's Good is not for someone simply looking for new recipes to add to the family meal plan. It's really a book for people interested in fully savoring the food they eat—fancy to plain—and indulging in food that tastes utterly amazing. And what makes food taste f*cking good? Sometimes it has little to do with the ingredients and a whole lot to do with memories, good friends, beautiful surroundings, and a hearty appetite.

In the following 7½-minute video Action Bronson gives us a quick overview of F*ck That's Delicious and shows us how easy and quick it is to make a good chicken Parmesan. Both his engaging personality and his love of food and eating come shining through. (Warning: Contains adult language.)

NOTE: Mr. Linky sometimes is mean and will give you an error message. He's usually wrong and your link went through just fine the first time. Grrrr.

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Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page.

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