Weekend Cooking: Matty Matheson A Cookbook

Remember when I encouraged you all to apply for the Abrams Dinner Party for this coming year? I also applied, and I'm so excited to have been asked to participate again.

I had so much fun sharing Abrams cookbooks and great recipes with you last year, and I have every reason to believe this year will be just a good or even better. Here's a little bit about the  program, and if it sounds familiar, that's because I borrowed from last year's post.

Here's how the Abrams Dinner Party works: I'm being given the opportunity to share Abrams's entire food and drink catalog for their fall, winter, and spring seasons. I won't necessarily be posting a detailed review of every book, but each one will be featured here, on Twitter, on Instagram, on Facebook, and/or on Litsy. I have permission to share scans of photographs and recipes from the books, and I'm looking forward to a year of learning and discovery.

So how does this affect my opinions and reviews? Don't worry, I'm not getting paid, and I fully intend to provide you with my honest opinion of any book I review. Because of FTC rules, whenever I write about an Abrams Dinner Party book or post a photo on any social media platform, I am required (by law) to disclose my association with Abrams. I've decided to use the hashtag #ad because it's small and unobtrusive.

Remember: #ad means I received the book because I'm a member of the Abrams Dinner Party program. I'm not getting paid, and I will always give you my true opinion.

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 Just in time for cooler fall temperatures, I've received my first few cookbooks from Abrams. I've already cooked from two of them, and everything I made was delicious.

The first cookbook from this year's Abrams Dinner Party I want to talk about is Matty Matheson's A Cookbook (Oct. 9). Have you ever heard of Matheson? I only know him because his cheeseburger was named best in Toronto on a show called Burger Wars (the recipe is in the book).

Since getting a copy of A Cookbook from Abrams, I've learned that Matheson's been associated with several restaurants and is also well known for his television shows on Viceland. Now that I've learned more about the chef, his family, and his food, I'll be following his career.

So what did I like about Matheson's cookbook? The first thing that caught my eye were the drop-dead gorgeous photos of the Canadian coast, the food, his family, and his friends. Next, I love the organization of this book: the first part is a collection of family recipes and inspirations and includes such diverse foods as lobster pie, curry casserole, and Sunday spaghetti with meat sauce. The second part contains restaurant recipes--for example, cassoulet, vegetarian club sandwiches, and venison stew.

Each recipe and chapter is introduced by a personal story, often about Matheson's family and friends, sometimes about his travels, and sometimes about the origins of the dish itself. The chef is very much himself in this book and speaks from the heart and without censure. Among my favorites is the introduction to the famous cheeseburger -- and I love the final photo in the book. I won't spoil it; you'll have to read and see it for yourself.

Here's what I've made from Matty Matheson's A Cookbook so far. The Green Olive Dressing is, according to the book, Matheson's very favorite salad dressing, which he learned from his mother-in-law. I followed the directions exactly and served it (as suggested) on a delicate lettuce. The recipe made quite a lot, but we ate the leftovers on crackers, which I recommend trying. The Sausage and Potatoes were easy and good and perfect for fall. This is a sheet pan dinner made by Matheson's wife. I did not make my own sausages (I don't have the equipment, plus I'm lazy), and instead followed the chef's advice: "If you don't want to make sausage you don't have to. Just buy good Italian sausage from a butcher like a normal human being."

Finally, the crisp temperatures put me in the mood for homemade tomato soup; to go with it I made Matheson's recipe called Mom's Cheesy Things, and I even used his mother's recipe for the bread. The only thing I did differently was to cut the bread recipe in half because I wanted only one loaf. The basic method is this: you slice the bread into thick pieces, sprinkle on grated cheese and spices, bake until melted, and drizzle with a little Worcestershire sauce. We loved these -- a nice change from regular grilled cheese, and I could totally see cutting the toasted breads into strips and serving them with drinks. (Note: the food photos in the collage are all mine; the cheeseburger is from the book.)

A few things to know about Matty Matheson A Cookbook: If you live near the coast or can get fresh seafood and shellfish (of all kinds), you'll find some great family recipes in this book. If you're a vegetarian, you'll have less luck. If you're a hunter or have access to game and game birds, you'll find some new ideas. If you're somewhere in between, you'll find a number of dishes to add to your regular rotation. If you like to read cookbooks, you'll be in heaven.

Instead of recipe, I'm going to share a short video clip of Matty Matheson making sausages. The recipe he's using in the clip is a little different from the one used in the dish shown above. I have to say, he makes the whole process look pretty easy -- if you have a sausage-stuffer machine, that is. I think I can buy an attachment for my stand mixer . . . hummmmmmm.

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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.

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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