Admittedly, I don’t often put much thought into what I’m making for lunch – it’s usually leftovers from yesterday’s supper or something quick (think: noodles, peanut butter sandwiches, etc.). What I appreciate about Meike Peters’ latest book, Noon, is that she encourages home cooks to take a bit of time to enjoy lunch and, part of that enjoyment includes what we’re putting on the table. As she tells us in her introduction: “…what we all have in common at noon is that we are looking for a meal that is nourishing, comforting, and healthy, a meal that gives us energy for the rest of the day and that is good for our body and soul.” (9) The recipes she offers us are perfect for lunch but, as she suggests, can also fit into other parts of the day – enjoying the meals at breakfast or dinnertime.
Throughout the 8 chapters – 1) Salads, 2) Vegetables, 3) Soups, 4) Sandwiches, 5) Pasta, 6) Seafood, 7) Meat, and 8) Grains and Bakes – Peters offers a variety of different options to enjoy. I found as I cooked through Noon, I gravitated towards recipes that relied on ingredients I already had in my pantry. I found that some of the ingredients used in the book are what I would consider “specialty” items: mozzarella di bufala, persimmon, juniper berries, burrata, etc. This could just be the difference between what’s available to me at my local grocery store here in Nova Scotia, Canada and what’s common for Peters to have in her kitchen (Peters is based in Berlin, Germany). However, I did find enough recipes to fit with what ingredients I had and, her recipes are adaptable enough to accommodate ingredient substitutions.
I like the way she thinks! For example, her recipe for Gnocchi w/ Sauerkraut and Juniper Butter, she draws inspiration from a favourite German meal combination: sauerkraut and mashed potatoes. Since I always have gnocchi and sauerkraut on hand, I was excited to give this recipe a try (I don’t have juniper berries, so I used her substitution suggestion of using bay leaves). It was a quick dish to make and, it’s one my husband and I have enjoyed for lunch a few times since.
It’s getting to be late autumn which prompts me to make all the coziest meals – soup always being at the top of the list. So, one Saturday afternoon I made Peters’ recipe for Red Lentils w/ Spinach and Spiced Feta. While not quite a soup, this brothy, stew-like dish felt warm and comforting. Chunks of feta are marinated in a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, cinnamon, and cardamom – the spiced oil and feta is then used to garnish the dish.
If you’ve never enjoyed a carrozza sandwich (an Italian classic, which Peters characterizes as “a savory French toast…usually filled with mozzarella”), then I urge you to give Peters’ version a try. Her Apple and Taleggio in Carrozza Sandwich uses sauteed apples and taleggio cheese for the filling (since I didn’t have any Taleggio – or the other suggested subs: fontina or Robiola – I used some mozzarella that I already had on hand). Once the carrozza is fried golden-brown, there is something so satisfying when the cheese melts and pulls apart in long gooey strings (one of life’s simple pleasures right here!). The combination of the buttery, tender sauteed apples and cheese is such a good one – definitely one of our favourite recipes from the book!
Taking Peters’ suggestion to enjoy her Noon recipes during other daily meals, I made her Crêpes w/ Lemon and Cinnamon (one of our favs from her last book, 365) as an afternoon snack for my daughter. Based on the first crêpe au citron Peters enjoyed on a mother-daughter trip to northern France, my daughter really enjoys these. Another great afternoon snack is the recipe for Tahini Oats w/ Roasted Rhubarb. Since I had some frozen rhubarb I’d saved from last summer, I made excellent use of it making this recipe. The tahini is mixed into the oatmeal as it cooks and, I loved the creaminess it added to the texture as well as the warm, nuttiness to the flavour. Roasting brings out a bit of the natural sweetness in the rhubarb and, a nice, warm compote-esque topping always pairs so well with oatmeal.
As with Peters’ other cookbooks – Eat in My Kitchen and 365 (review here), she looks to share more delicious recipes from her Berlin kitchen in Noon. Something Peters said in 365 continues with her latest book – she wants to take the pressure off home cooks because “…the kitchen isn’t a place where we have to perform.” Her desire is for meals to be meaningful and something home cooks can look forward to both making and eating. While sharing her thoughts and connections on pausing for a delicious midday meal, she offers inspiration and recipes for preparing flavourful, simple dishes.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Raincoast Books and Chronicle Books for providing me with a free, review copy of this book. I did not receive monetary compensation for my post, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
Shipshape Eatworthy 