cover image Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen

Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen

Bryant Terry, Anna Lappe, . . Penguin/Tarcher, $18.95 (334pp) ISBN 978-1-58542-459-7

This smart, engaging work deftly blends polemic, lifestyle guidance and cooking expertise. The daughter of writer Francis Moore Lappé (Diet for a Small Planet ) and medical ethicist Marc Lappé, coauthor Lappé wears her pedigree well, arguing passionately and articulately for the organic lifestyle (Terry is a chef and food justice activist). Early chapters explore how the advent of commercial agriculture and mass-manufactured food has led American eaters down a path to obesity and disease while undermining the local economies of farming communities and, in many cases, encouraging the exploitation of both labor and natural resources. The answer: to adopt a "grub" lifestyle that is both healthy and ethical. The "Seven Steps to a Grub Kitchen" chapter suggests readers commit more time to cooking and eating, and use local resources like co-ops and farmers markets, while describing how to best prep a kitchen with tools and pantry supplies. The recipes portion offers seasonal, international, health-conscious menus aimed at young, hip readers, with themes like "Afrodiasporic Cookout" (Grilled Corn and Heirloom Tomato Salad, Shrimp and Veggie Kabobs, Fresh Green Beans, Good Grilled Okra, Ginger Beer) and "Straight-Edge Punk Brunch Buffet (DIY)" (Spicy Tempeh Sausage Patties, French Toast with Blueberry Coulis). (Apr.)