Day Five - Flavor Rocco Dispirito - Jumbo Asparagus with Oyster Mushrooms & Fresh Pecorino Cheese

The last test day with Flavor, by Rocco Dispirito.  I have to say I really enjoyed this book.  Rocco, gives you so much visual information about ingredients and combining flavors that it makes each recipe a new discovery.  The beginning of the book provides menu ideas with the recipes he has written.  He encourages you to take on your creativity and focus on flavor and not the stuffiness of a technically flawless, picture perfect dinner, which I totally agree with.  I watch a lot...and I mean a lot of cooking shows, and I notice that with some competitive cooking shows that the Chef's/Cooks miss the mark on flavor, but the presentation is outstanding.  Yes I know food should look pleasant to the eye, but my tongue has the last say.

This book is so detailed with pictures of ingredients for each recipe, timing, wine pairing and difficulty level, that I don't think Rocco could have added anything more to make life easier for the average cook. There is even a directory of mail order suppliers, which I refuse to look at because I'll just go crazy and order everything.  For $12.00 I have to say I sure got my money's worth. 

Today I made the Jumbo Asparagus with Oyster Mushrooms and Fresh Pecorino Cheese.  Reading the recipe looked intimidating, but once I went step by step it was very easy and tasted amazing.  Rocco encourages you to season to your taste. So the book encourages you to be engaged in your cooking and take ownership in the end product.  What more can I say?  The book was great, and I had a fantastic week of great and easy cooking and yummy eating.

VERDICT -  Flavor Rocco Dispirito -Passed the Test!

The Cookbook Addict