Well-known North Fork chef and restauranteur John Ross kicks off his book launch for his latest cookbook at Macari Vineyards on Thursday, October 22 from 4 – 7 p.m. The Poetry of Cooking is John Ross’ third cookbook, and it combines not only some of his best recipes from his column for “The Suffolk Times/Riverhead News Review,” but it contains 21 full-length food poems by famous and not so famous authors.
The 275 page, hardcover cookbook has 80 color photos and more than 200 recipes. Unlike Ross’ other cookbooks, The Poetry of Cooking is divided into 12 chapters: January through December.
“Each chapter begins with a poem and a prime meal of three courses complete with pictures and recipes,” says Ross. “Both the poem and the meal are intended to capture the month that they are in, and hopefully inspire the reader. The prime meal is followed by about a dozen recipes that also capture the tenure of the month. The book is aimed at the North Fork, but not exclusively.”
During the growing season, the chapters reflects the seasonal availability of all the bounty of the area, and it also includes holidays, events and celebrations.
Ross has been a professional chef since 1965, and was the chef/owner of Ross’ North Fork Restaurant in Southold for 27 years and a pioneer of the “farm to table” movement. A graduate of the Cornell Hotel School, Ross was the director of the restaurant management program at Suffolk County Community College for 14 years, and he was club manager of the North Fork Country Club in Cutchogue for six years. Since 2008, he has been the food columnist for the Times/Review News Group, and is the author of two previous books, The Food and Wine of the North Fork (2005), and The Story of North Fork Wine (2009).
Macari Vineyard in Mattituck is looking forward to hosting the book launch where Ross will be making duck sausage sliders, salmon sliders and eggplant sliders, all served on mini brioche rolls. A wheel of grana cheese will also be served, along with a bushel of local apples, and of course, lots of Macari wine.
Trevor Davison, a friend of Ross’, will play the piano, and one of the poets in the book will read her poem and others. Books will be available for purchase and signing and sell for $29.95. All the recipes in the book are basic and simple, but are all cooked from scratch using fresh local ingredients when possible.
