Beard on Pasta

by James Beard, Karl Stuecklen (Illustrator)

Classic pasta dishes from America’s 1st and most beloved master chef

Whether you’re entertaining guests or simply cooking for 1, pasta is sure to delight. The ultimate comfort food, it can be found in the cuisines of nearly every culture. James Beard, heralded by the  New York Times  as “the dean of American cookery” enriches our understanding of this culinary staple with his collection of recipes and commentary on store-bought versus homemade pasta, wine pairings, choosing the perfect cheese, and other insights.
 
From familiar spaghetti entrées to more adventurous fare, such as udon noodle soup and spätzle, Beard brings meals from all over the globe into the home chef’s kitchen. Under the guidance of America’s original gastronomic genius, the basic noodle is elevated in dishes such as basil lasagna, Portuguese fish stew with orzo, and cheddar angel hair soufflé.  Beard on Pasta  is full of easy-to-follow recipes, along with tips on preparation, sauce, and serving that you’ll be eager to try. This comprehensive cookbook provides all the tools you need to make delectable and unforgettable pasta for any occasion.

From the James Beard Foundation:
Sometime back in the 1970s “macaroni” morphed into “pasta.” We were eating a lot more of the stuff, too. Beverly Bundy’s The Century in Food reports that pasta consumption in America “ballooned” in 1981 to 13 pounds per person per year, from less than half that amount a dozen years earlier. Beard on Pasta, which contained pasta recipes from around the world, capitalized on the trend.

note about the author:
Books would be released not only as "James Beard", but also "Jim Beard" and "James A. Beard". "Jim Beard" is what his books were first published under.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Reference, Nonfiction, Gastronomy

236 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Please see: James Beard.


James Andrew Beard, an expert, wrote several authoritative cookbooks, focusing on American cuisine.

James Andrews Beard, a chef, teacher, and television personality, pioneered shows, lectured widely, and taught at his namesake school in city of New York and in Seaside, Oregon. He emphasized preparation with fresh, wholesome ingredients to a just aware country of its own heritage. Beard taught and mentored generations of professional chefs and food enthusiasts. He published more than twenty times, and annual awards of his foundation honor his memory.

source: Wikipedia

He published his first books under Jim Beard.

Reviews

[Nick Grammos · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had my copy published by Michael Joseph since the dark ages of cookbooks. All cookbooks show their age this one has its credentials in prehistory. And I probably found it at a church fete for 5 cents thirty-five years ago. But it has a few recipes that are gold and I still use them and they sustained weekday family meals for many years.

The other day the book came off the shelf so that my youngest could make macaroni cheese. He'd just finished university exams and needed something high fat, high carb to celebrate. 'Mac n cheese' fitted the mood perfectly. His older brother returned home after 18 months working in another city and they piled on it serving themselves several times. It brought good cheer and closer bonds between the two of them than I'd ever seen. Well the food helped, as did the absence. For anyone interested in Mac n Cheese, and you should be, Beard's recipe elevates this humble staple as close as possible to haute cuisine for such a dish.

The Portuguese fish soup of chopped up swordfish, broth, a little tomato, orzo and a little lemon is so good, it helped us through many winter nights as the kids were growing up. The only way I could get fish on the menu.

The pesto, fettuccine with courgettes, light tomato sauce, tomato with mushrooms, fried aubergine, gnocchi formed the backbone of domestic consumption during the early years. The carbonara is distinctly regional, meaning American, by fielding ham instead of guanciale or pancetta (or bacon). So I never used it.

For the retro-stylists among us, cold pasta salads instantly transport anyone back to the 1980s, if not the 1970s. I may try one or two of these one day.

There's a nod here to the other regional pasta users - the Greeks with Orzo and Roasted lamb tomato (yiouvetsi) and the big hitting pasticcio, noodle recipes from the east, spatzle from Central Europe. Authentic? Who cares!

It's a lot of fun, of its time, worth looking at when you're tired of the various food ideologies around these days. It's lifestyle, sure. But of another era. Look for it in church fetes and charity shops. I'm looking out for a copy for each of the boys, for their dowry. It's true, Beard was a big man and he probably ate too much (it comes through in the writing that he ate what he researched) that it probably led to his medical downfall. But, hey, we live once, I bet Beard lived well. He got an award named after him. Not many of us get that!

[Tessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was a narrative work on pasta; actually, it's mostly made up of recipes. Beard's writing is fun to read and he never takes himself too seriously. Recommended.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful pasta book! Explains with illustrations and in thorough detail every way to make pasta with a machine, by hand and with other technical information clearly spelled out. I followed the clear instructions to make my first batch of egg pasta with a machine, threw in some garlic and black pepper for flavor, and the first batch was so tasty!

There are lots of recipes for making pastas and many sauces as well. There is advice on buying cheeses, flours, sauce ingredients and suggestions for drying pasta and tips along the way. A thorough yet humorous book. Great and so tasty and easy!

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have used this cookbook as many times a almost any other in my kitchen--partly because I've had it 25 years, but also because it is a competent and short compilation of the very basic sauces you need in recipes that are simple to do and work. Which is a big key to how Beard was as a cook

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

yum yum yum. making pasta for dinner tonight. his mac and cheese recipe, very traditional, can't be topped. beard is king.

[K.]

The Recipes Are Exotic and Not in a Good Way

I was sorely disappointed in this book, Beard on Pasta. I bought it hoping for recipes for pasta dishes to incorporate into family meals. There are perhaps 2 to 3 recipes I will try. To begin, the first third of the book deals at length with kitchen equipment, the making of the pasta itself, selection of cheeses, etc., etc. The recipes in the remainder are, let’s be polite and say exotic. The vegetable recipes include one for pasta and potatoes. The section on pasta dishes with meat was covered in about 15 brief pages (partially filled with numerous line drawings and narrative). The meat recipes included recipes for pasta with tongue, with duck and with chicken livers and pasta stuffed into a roasting chicken and very few beef (maybe 2) and 1 pork. Then there is the unhealthy amount of butter used in these recipes. Overall, a 1970s cookbook for the 21st century. I was there for the 1970s and don’t wish to repeat them.

[Aimee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m probably never going to make my own pasta, unless it’s in a class or at a frou frou party (feel free to invite me if you’re throwing one!). But it’s’ worthy, remembering that in 1983, Ragu jarred sauce was the standard and Americans thought pasta only came in “spaghetti” (Unless you had an actual Nonna to disabuse you of that notion). And having read a few of his books before, they are surprisingly down to earth, considering that the most prestigious award bears his name. He freely throws out substitutions with his recipes. The goal is not rigidity, it’s balance. Some of the points he makes seem remedial, like “of course I know that, it’s a standard.” But keeping in mind that when it was published, they were fantastical. HE made them standards. So…reading through his ideas, I’ve still found a couple of recipes that I’m eager to try. God bless our pioneers.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pasta Bible

Seriously this cookbook has everything you could want to know about pasta. Easy to follow instructions to make pasta as well as he talks about buying ready made pasta ..

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s James Beard and pasta. How could it be anything but good?

[SD Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

A True Must Read

A true must read for anyone who enjoys pasta dishes. I would recommend this book for both home and commercial cooks.

[Kerwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Required reading.

[Brien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beard goes well beyond the typical Italian and American dishes. He describes many different approaches to the product itself, from udon noodles to gnocchi to distinguishing between spatzle and spatzen. The discussion of various ingredients is very helpful, the rundown of the various kinds of cheeses that typically accompany pasta particularly so. The book is full of simple illustrations, fine for showing a cheese tray, but not quite up to the task of helping a novice master the art of homemade pasta. Full of inspiring recipes.

[Dan Kugler · Rating 5 out of 5]

But, if you do use paste, by all means look for the kind that comes in tubes. The number of servings will depend on the place in the meal, the quality of the sauce, and the appetites of the eaters.

[David Frazzini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked Beard's writing a lot, but most of the recipes weren't that interesting/appetizing. Loved the idea of avocado pasta, and there are a couple others I might try, but that's about it.