Flavours of the West Coast: A Cookbook from the Celebrated TV Series
By Cedarwood Productions with Steve Walker-Duncan and guests
Touchwood Editions, 168 pages, $29.95

Seasonings: Flavours of the Gulf Islands
By Andrea and David Spalding
Harbour Publishing, 240 pages, $29.95

Reviewed by Candace Fertile

Being able to taste all the food in these two lavishly illustrated books would be quite the treat; reading about the love poured into the dishes, along with the skill of the food producers and chefs, runs a close second. And, given that the food celebrated in these books represents BC at its best, readers have some splendid taste possibilities ahead.

Flavours of the West Coast: A Cookbook from the Celebrated TV Series is the more basic book of the two. Like the TV program from which it hails, the book features the recipes of numerous chefs, along with such simple classics as vinaigrette. The ingredients are generally available, and if something special is called for — Sea Cider Kings & Spies cider in Cider Glazed Free-Range Chicken with Roasted Apples and Lemons — a note explains that a good quality dry cider will do. The recipes are unfussy, and occasionally the chef’s tip will suggest a packaged substitute, anathema to serious cooks, but a valuable aid to those short of time or skill.

From sauces to cocktails, Flavours covers a wide swath of ingestibles, and the most enticing recipes are the homey stick to your ribs and other body parts concoctions, such as Southwestern Meatloaf from Chef John Cantin of John’s Place in Victoria; the unfortunately named but apparently delicious Toad in the Hole; Moroccan Spiced Vegan Rissoles with Rhubarb Gravy; and Whole-Wheat Ricotta Gnocchi with Vodka Sauce. Seafood and fish lovers will salivate over the numerous dishes collected in the chapter “River and Sea,” and serious locavores will head out with rubber gloves to collect nettles for creaming.

The book’s divisions are somewhat arbitrary: Basic Sauces and Dressings, Forest and Field, River and Sea, Farm Fresh, and City Cuisine, but each is illustrated with pictures of the dishes or the environment. More pictures of the food would be great. But as a dip into the world of BC food and how easy it is to make wonderful meals with local fresh ingredients, Flavours does a lovely job.

Because Seasonings: Flavours of the Gulf Islands is written by a husband and wife team, Andrea and David Spalding, who have written numerous books separately and one other together (The Flavours of Victoria), it’s a little more focused in style than Seasonings. It’s also more adventurous and definitely more precise in its ingredients as the Spaldings are showcasing the food producers of the Gulf Islands. Nettles came up in this book as well. Scavenged food has its charms, and I was delighted to learn that Galiano has Nettlefest, a day-long celebration of all things nettle.

Seasonings uses the seasons as its organizing principle, and it divides each season’s recipes into Beginnings, Entrees, Sides, Finishes, and Celebrating. The book is filled with information about food producers, and the authors are keen advocates of small scale farmers and other food producers. Not only does the book offer dozens of delicious recipes, but also it is an exposition on food diversity and individual creativity. Many people are devoted to organic practices, and the Spaldings let us in on their world. Roger Pettit of Galiano grows over 20 varieties of potatoes. His nickname is “The Potato Man.” Juliet Kershaw and Michael Pierce of Saturna have developed an olive consortium. Debbie Lauzon of Salt Spring makes Soya Novu tofu, and now she can do it with soybeans grown on the island. I can hardly wait to try Mushroom, Runner Bean and Spaghetti Squash with Crispy Smoked Tofu. Or maybe I’ll just get my mitts on the tofu and see what I can do with it. The book includes sources for the specialty foodstuffs and suggestions for further reading. I’m already planning Beddis Blue (a Salt Spring Island Cheese Company product) and Fig Tart for next summer when figs ripen on a friend’s tree. And I think I’ll have to test the Salt Spring Chèvre and Cherry Clafouti with Rye Caramel Sauce. And the Caramelized Onion and Zucchini Galette.

Both of these books provided me with tons of fun, information, and inspiration. They do different things well, and they’d be a welcome addition to any BC cook’s bookshelf. The emphasis on making meals with what can be grown nearby is excellent. Both books avoid any hectoring about what people should eat, other than providing strong evidence that healthy, tasty food makes for happy people.

Candace Fertile loves to read about food and also enjoys eating.