I have always felt that one of the best ways to get to know a neighborhood is through its restaurants and food markets. Philadelphia writers and cooking teachers Irina Smith and Ann Hazan seem to feel similarly, because they have co-written several intensely local cookbooks. Today I'm looking at their 1991 volume The Original Baltimore Neighborhood Cookbook. I don't know exactly when this book drifted into my life, but it's been on my shelf for at least five years now. It's a friendly sort of cookbook, with lots of personality in the narrative. The recipes are divided type (Meat and Fowl, Soups, Vegetables, etc.) and then by neighborhood of origin. It's a little heavy on the meat/poultry/fish recipes, I'd love to see more in the salad and baked good sections. This in-balance makes it a supplementary addition to a cookbook collection and not a must-have.
However, there are still some clear winners in this book. I've got post-it notes on recipes for Szechuan Cold Noodles, Oven Baked Veal Stew and the Casserole of Crab.
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