-By James Mellgren

Cookbooks are a curious thing. There are as many ways to read them as there are subcategories of cookbooks. Some people read them for inspiration before heading into the kitchen, while others devour them as one would the latest mystery novel. Some cooks slavishly follow the instructions as if they were building a nuclear reactor, while others treat them as a guide, a road map that one can stray from as the mood dictates. While cookbook writing used to be the domain of the professional food writer, with the occasional home cook weighing in after being told for years that they should write a cookbook, today chefs are more and more at the word processor (or peering over the shoulder of their co-author) as they translate their signature restaurant creations for home usage. Retailers have gotten into the act as well, giants of the industry like Steve Jenkins and Ari Weinzweig, to which I say, it's about time. After all, who knows more about food than food retailers who work with it day in and day out? And more so than chefs, they have a finger on the pulse of what the consumer is up to. In addition, they travel, taste and cook everything in their stores, making their advice invaluable. Many cookbook authors come out of other fields, including scientists, farmers, ranchers, food producers, cheesemakers, winemakers, butchers, bakers and candlestick-makers. The range of recipes, information, history and simple advice is staggering when you consider what is on the Internet as well as in the myriad cookbooks published each year. In other words, there is simply no excuse for not cooking at home. We are at a time when the bounty in our food stores is more interesting and more diverse than ever before in history, and we have all these great cookbooks to help us muddle through in the kitchen. So pour yourself a glass of whatever makes you happy, get your reading glasses and settle in for some delicious and inspiring books about food.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cheeses of the World
Normally, I am not drawn to a book that professes to be written for idiots. Call me egotistical. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the people behind The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cheeses of the World (Alpha/Penguin Group, $18.95) are anything but idiots. Steve Ehlers is a knowledgeable and highly respected cheese man, and is also the second-generation owner of Larry's Brown Deer Market in Milwaukee, an unassuming store that happens to have -- in a state renowned for its cheeses -- one of the best cheese selections in the country. His co-author, Jeanette Hurt, is also a cheese connoisseur as well as an award-winning writer. Together, they have penned a very readable and informative reference book that should be a welcome addition to any serious cheese library. A new cheese book is always a good thing, especially one that is so up-to-date and so celebratory of American artisanal cheeses. The book amply covers the basics -- how cheese is made, the types of milk used, a history of cheesemaking and descriptions of the principal types of cheese -- and does it better than most. The chapter on "Old World Favorites" features individual sections on the major cheesemaking countries, including France, Italy, the UK, Switzerland, Spain and so on. The authors also present a chapter on America and the rest of the New World, including separate sections on the big three cheesemaking states of Wisconsin, California and Vermont. Part Four of the book has to do with more practical matters for consumers -- shopping, storing, tasting, pairing and cooking with cheese. They even include a final chapter on making cheese at home with recipes for yogurt, fresh ricotta, mascarpone and crème fraîche. All in all, this is perhaps the most practical cheese book, and certainly the most current, to come out in a long while. It will help take much of the mystery out of understanding, selecting and enjoying cheese for the average consumer, which, after all, will be a great boon for cheesemongers as well. For more information, visit www.idiotsguides.com.

Pasta and Panini
"Pasta is not simply flour and water or eggs. It is a way of life." So begins Carlo Middione in his elegant new book, Pasta (Ten Speed Press, $14.95), which, along with a companion book, Panini, offers a concise and handy guide to some of the greatest and most beloved pasta dishes ever, written by an acknowledged master of the genre. Middione's restaurant and shop, Vivande Porta Via, is a beloved fixture in San Francisco, turning out consistently great pasta and panini for more than 25 years; and his cookbook, The Food of Southern Italy, is still considered to be one of the best ever written on the subject. In Pasta, the basics of making and cooking pasta are clearly explained, and the reader benefits from the tried-and-true recipes from the Vivande restaurant kitchen. The recipes for sauces, both for dried and fresh pasta, as well as those for ravioli and lasagna, are Middione's versions of classic Italian favorites and a few modern variations. The best thing I can say is that I could eat from this book every day of the year and never tire of the delicious and comforting pasta dishes. If there is anything I love as much as pasta, it's sandwiches; and the ones in Panini are scrumptious. Middione offers more tips, history and great sandwich ideas than one would believe could be said about such a simple food, but the results are a huge variety of interesting, healthful and delicious panini, any one of which could be a satisfying meal. He even includes recipes for making the bread and advice on using any number of cooking vessels. Together, these two charming books (which I hope are the start of a series) should be very easy to merchandise to profitable results. You should keep stacks of them at the sales counter and the cookbook section, and a copy of each in the kitchen.

The Food Life: Inside the World of Food with the Grocer Extraordinaire at Fairway
Steve Jenkins chronicles it all in his new cookbook, The Food Life: Inside the World of Food with the Grocer Extraordinaire at Fairway (ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, $29.95). For people like me who can have as much fun in a good food market as in any of the world's great art museums, this book is pure pleasure. In it, Jenkins recounts his education in food, how he came to be at Fairway and the story of Fairway itself, including both Manhattan stores as well as the new stores on Long Island and Brooklyn. But this is not merely a biography of a renowned marketplace. It is a paean to good food and the hardworking people who make it and serve it, laced with Jenkins' incisive observations, passions, prejudices, wit and encyclopedic knowledge of food. The evocative black-and-white photos that appear throughout the book were taken by his lovely and talented wife, Michelle Sims; and a savory group of color shots were taken by Quentin Bacon. This is, after all, a cookbook, and the inspired recipes are from Mitchel London, an acclaimed and somewhat enigmatic cook who operates the Fairway café and steakhouse at the flagship store on Broadway and, for what it's worth, was once the mayoral chef to Hizzonor Ed Koch. The ideas and store history revealed in these pages are the essence of food retailing -- old school, new school and all the schools yet to come. As Jenkins himself describes old-school retailing (referring here to co-owner David Sneddon), "… coddle no one who works for you. You stack it high and sell it cheap. You know that no sign (on, in, or near a product display) means no sale. Get a sign on that stuff, for heaven's sake … give a raise only when it's been earned. There's no such thing as a half-day. A workday is all day." Etcetera. So I not only advise you to stock this book in your store (no cookbook department? Start one.) but to read it and visit the store when you're next in New York City. Count it among the food stores (Zingerman's, West Point Market, Dean & DeLuca are a few that come to mind) that one should see before they die or retire, which can often be the same thing.

Everything but the Squeal: Eating the Whole Hog in Northern Spain
Here is a book that will surely have legions of Spain-lovers salivating over thoughts of eating on the Iberian Peninsula, in this case, in the lesser-known region of Galicia that sits like a capital atop the country of Portugal. Author John Barlow has written a most compelling and delicious book, Everything but the Squeal: Eating the Whole Hog in Northern Spain (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $24.00), in which he sets himself the task of eating every part of the pig within the span of one year, all the while traveling with his vegetarian wife and his (he hopes) nascent carnivorous infant son. The result is not only an amusing and thoughtful journal of one man's search for meaning in pork, but also a warm look at the foods, customs, personalities and history of the Galician people, or Gallegos, as they are known colloquially. Known as "Green Spain," this region, more Celtic than Spanish, is off the tourist routes frequented by most travelers to Iberia, which is a shame because it is beautiful, and the food -- seafood, cheese and vegetables as well as pork -- is as delicious and varied as any you'll find throughout the rest of Spain. In fact, if you combine the fisheries and the forestry sector with the network of small family farms, it accounts for nearly half the region's workforce (compared to about 2 percent in the UK and the U.S.). In his quest to consume the whole hog, Barlow encounters food festivals, or festas gastronómicas, for the entire repertoire of the Galician bounty, including pigs' ears, tripe stew, cockles, lamprey eels, cheese, octopus, craw fish, cider, goose barnacles and sweet squid. This is a fine and noteworthy addition to any serious Spanish food library, and a must-read for anyone contemplating a trip into this green corner of Spain.

Cooking with Shelburne Farms
Shelburne Farms is familiar to most of our readers as one of our country's most esteemed maker of award-winning farmhouse cheddar cheese. The story of Shelburne Farms antedates its entry into the world of cheese, however, having begun in 1886 as a model agricultural estate; and although there has been a milking herd of cows on the farm continuously since 1889, they didn't begin making cheese commercially until the late-1970s. Today, Shelburne Farms, located on the shores of beautiful Lake Champlain, is a 1400-acre working farm and nonprofit environmental education center that is listed as a National Historical Landmark, whose mission is "to cultivate a conservation ethic" and to "help kindle human connections to nature and agriculture and build a sense of place and community." Toward that end, they have also entered the world of publishing with their wonderful new cookbook, Cooking with Shelburne Farms: Food and Stories from Vermont (Viking Studio, $34.95) by Melissa Pasanen with Rick Gencarelli. Arranged by foods -- milk and cheese, maple, greens, lamb, wild mushrooms, etc. -- instead of courses, the book also tells the story of the people who work the land and create many of the staple foods for which Vermont is justly famous. The book offers profiles of artisans like sugarmaker (one who taps the maple trees and boils it down into maple syrup) David Marvin of Butternut Mountain Farm, who says that "stewardship is a far greater aspiration than ownership." Cooking with Shelburne Farms also includes over 100 recipes that evoke New England and the Vermont countryside, recipes that include old-fashioned comfort food like Golden Flannel Hash and Ale-Braised Kielbasa with Sauerkraut, as well as sophisticated modern dishes like Watermelon, Tomato and Feta Salad, and Chanterelles, Corn and Goat Cheese with Tagliatelle. This is a book that will be educating and providing comfort food to American tables for a long time.

Wine Country Cooking
From the maple forests of Vermont, we now go to the wine country of California for our next cookbook, Wine Country Cooking (Ten Speed Press, $22.50), from acclaimed cooking teacher, television personality and author Joanne Weir. Through her books, such as From Tapas to Meze, and her television series, "Joanne Weir's Cooking Class," Weir has successfully staked out her territory on the 38th parallel, the latitude that runs through Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey and Northern California, a place that mirrors the Mediterranean climate and diet of the others. In Wine Country Cooking, now available in a handsome paperback edition, she has expertly captured the essence of these cuisines with recipes like Harvest Vegetable Soup with Pesto, White Bean Salad with Peppers, Goat Cheese and Mint, Oven-Crisped Chicken with Artichokes and Olives, and to finish, Fresh Cherries with Cassis Zabaglione. With lush photographs by Richard Jung and Weir's recipes, this is a good book for cross-merchandising throughout the store to celebrate the fresh and healthy flavors of the Mediterranean via Napa Valley.

Regional Greek Cooking
Keeping with the Mediterranean spirit, here is a book that delves into the intricacies and diversity of Greek cuisine, Regional Greek Cooking (Hippocrene Books, $24.95) by Dean and Catherine Karayanis. With recipes from the key regions of the mainland as well as from the islands, the authors reflect on the origins of the dishes, historic notes and family anecdotes. A unique and long-overdue facet to the book is a section on the many Greek drinks, including micro-brewed beer, regional wines, ouzo, cocktails, and tea and coffee traditions. They also offer a Greek glossary of cooking terms, wine terms and ingredients.

The Prairie Table Cookbook
As I've said before, sometimes cookbooks teach us more than new recipes. In The Prairie Table Cookbook (Sourcebooks, $29.95) by documentary producer and rancher Bill Kurtis with Michelle M. Martin, the author takes on the issues surrounding grass-fed ranching techniques vs. corn and grain-fed beef cattle. He explains how grass-fed beef, in addition to being the natural way for cattle to feed, is better for us and better for the land, and as a bonus, it tastes better, too. Kurtis runs the 10,000-acre Red Buffalo Ranch near Independence, Kan., where the cattle graze naturally on nutritionally rich grasses, and he owns the Tallgrass Beef Company. Besides being a great reference tool for anyone in the meat business, the book is loaded with recipes from some of our more well-known prairie chefs, including Rick Bayless and Charlie Trotter, as well as childhood idols Dale Evans, Gene Autry and Will Rogers.

Healthy South Indian Cooking
Normally, one would suppose that a title containing the words "healthy" and "Indian cooking" would be a redundancy, since I can think of no other cuisine that is more healthful than the cooking of India. However, authors Alamelu Vairavan and Patricia Marquardt have produced a wonderful and appetizing look at the southern region of India, with special emphasis on the traditions of the Chettinad region, in Healthy South Indian Cooking (Hippocrene Books, $24.95). In it, they offer almost 200 mostly vegetarian recipes that are relatively easy to prepare, very nutritious, and mostly low in fat and in calories. Not only do they present many traditional recipes but also suggestions on how to integrate South Indian dishes into traditional Western meals. They have also included an extensive section on nomenclature (English/Hindi/Tamil), descriptions, explanations and tips on using spices, spice blends, rice, cooking oils, dal and a glossary of names for an array of South Indian dishes. This is a worthy addition to your Indian cooking library.

The River Cottage Family Cookbook
Here is the latest in the River Cottage cookbook series that so far includes The River Cottage Meat Cookbook and The River Cottage Cookbook, both of which chronicle one man's quest to eat well in tune with the rhythms of his farm, consuming food that he has grown, raised, fished or foraged. That one man is British broadcaster, writer, farmer, educator and campaigner for real food, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and the book is The River Cottage Family Cookbook (Ten Speed Press, $32.50), featuring over 100 recipes and kitchen projects for the whole family, including such things as making butter, curing bacon and planting a kitchen garden, all the while teaching your children about the joys and values of eating real food, as well as helping them to make the connection between the earth and the food they eat.

Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient with Recipes
While we're on the subject of real food, how about that most maligned and most feared of foods, fat? Australian chef and food writer Jennifer McLagan has taken on the challenge in her new book, Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient with Recipes (Ten Speed Press, $32.50). She looks at duck fat, caul fat, lard, bacon, ghee, suet, schmaltz, cracklings and all those other yummy bits that Americans are so squeamish about but love to eat. After all, fat is where the flavor is in any food, and McLagan proves it with over 100 recipes for both sweet and savory dishes including Slow Roasted Pork Belly with Fennel and Rosemary, Duck Rillettes, and Bone Marrow Crostini. She also offers cultural, historical and scientific data on fats. With American diners finally warming up to foods that are full of high-quality fats like lardo and artisanal, European-style butters, this is an important book to know about.

New Good Food Shopper's Pocket Guide
As vice president of quality standards at Whole Foods Market since 1981, author Margaret M. Wittenberg has been called "the conscience of Whole Foods." She has put her considerable knowledge and experience together into an extremely useful guide to help American shoppers understand the sometimes bewildering array of natural food choices available today in New Good Food Shopper's Pocket Guide to Organic, Sustainable, and Seasonal Whole Foods (Ten Speed Press, $9.95), based on her previous book, New Good Food, hailed by many as the ultimate whole foods bible. Here, she gives shoppers helpful tips like how much a cup of uncooked spelt will yield, which baking mix additives should be avoided and which fish contains the highest level of mercury, as well as a host of information about buying, storing and preparing whole foods. This is an indispensable guide for every food retailer, whether your store happens to be Whole Foods or not.

Gelato!
Pamela Sheldon Johns has written a wonderful series of single-themed cookbooks on some of Italy's most cherished food traditions, including Balsamico!, Parmigiano! and Pizza Napoletana! Her latest to come out in paperback is Gelato! Italian Ice Creams, Sorbetti & Granite (Ten Speed Press, $14.95). Anyone who likes ice cream or who has eaten gelato in Italy will appreciate this book, filled with 60 great recipes; essays on the art, history and science of gelato making; and photographs depicting the gelateria culture of Florence, Modena and Verona.

The Chocolate Guide
For all the chocoholics out there, from the authors of Chocolate French comes the Western Edition of The Chocolate Guide to Local Chocolatiers, Chocolate Makers, Boutiques, Patisseries and Shops from the International Chocolate Salon, TasteTV, Chocolate Television and TCB Café Publishing ($15.95, www.cafeandre.com). This is a thorough and comprehensive guide to every chocolaty place on the West Coast of the United States, covering 13 cities and regions in California, Nevada, Utah, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. It's loaded with color photos of the establishments and their products, reviews, and addresses of everyone in the book. Presumably there are versions for other regions of the country so that one could indulge their chocolate addictions from coast to coast. From the hippy-dippy to the most sophisticated chocolate salons, this book will keep you in chocolate heaven for some time to come.

Comments? mellgren56@gmail.com