Soups Stews & Stories

<p>First as an Army photographer then as a reporter Andy Schneider traveled the world. As he collected facts and photos so he collected recipes. Hundreds of them. Lamb in Christchurch New Zealand. Golden trout in Snake River Idaho. Sweet potato pancakes in Cochabamba Bolivia. Black ice lobster in Sherbrooke Quebec. Wild mushroom soup in the Deschutes National Forest of Oregon. Hurricane vegetable paella in Homestead Florida. Map Debat patriot stew in Port-au-Prince Haiti. Eggplant caponata in Palermo Sicily. </p><p>    When Andy cooked the air was redolent of herbs spices browning butter and searing meat. </p><p>    His descriptions of the kitchen's sounds and smells could border on the religious. You must stir the roux constantly'' he wrote never leaving the pot not to pee yell at the dogs or answer the door until the roux is a dark rich mahogany or chocolate in color. Anticipate a wonderful aroma when the roux is nearly just perfect...You could be looking at about 30 minutes depending on the heat. It seems to go faster with zydeco playing in the background.''</p><p>Bowls cutting boards pots pans jars bottles broth cans-all painted frequently in sauces and juices-littered the counters before dinner was served. Andy appeared to believe that the bigger the mess the better the meal especially if borrowing from Tom Sawyer he had friends around willing to clean up after him.</p><p>The dishes Andy collected were delicious of course. But the stories that inspired them were delectable. Although he only got around to writing down a fraction of them-he had planned to publish this cookbook later-he shared them like condiments when guests remarked on a serving.</p><p>Soups Stews & Stories: An Investigative Reporter's Global Quest to Nourish the Soul includes many of those stories along with the recipes they led to. It is your posthumous invitation to sit at Andy's table. </p><p><br></p>