Praise for SIMPLY ANCIENT GRAINS
Washington Post, a highly recommended cookbook of 2015
Huffington Post, holiday gift guide for the food lover
Sweet Paul, 24 favorite cookbooks
WBUR, Boston’s NPR news station, Here & Now, favorite cookbook of 2015
Fresh New England, top New England cookbooks
Take Part,sustainable food gifts you want to buy
Award-winning Canadian blogger Aimée Bourque, favorite international cookbooks
Maureen Abood’s Rose Water & Orange Blossoms, 2015 favorite cookbooks
Bundt Lust, top cookbook 2015
Praise for ANCIENT GRAINS FOR MODERN MEALS
The New York Times – A notable cookbook of 2011
Ms. Speck’s skill as a researcher, and her dual heritage in Greece and Germany, enrich the text… Refreshingly, she covers — and then dismisses — the subject of eating whole grains for health in the first half-dozen pages. She’s interested in flavor first, texture second and history along with both.
The Washington Post – A Top Ten Cookbook of 2011
The author fits healthful ingredients into the foods we crave without, as she writes, “taking the pleasure away from eating.”
Cooking Light – Top 100 Cookbook of the Last 25 Years
Because this is the most joyful book about whole-grain cookery we’ve seen, we take Maria Speck at her word when she says, “I don’t eat whole grains because they are healthy, or wholesome, or to reap their nutritional benefits.” She simply loves them.
The Wall Street Journal – Against the Grains No More!
If you’ve turned up your nose at the likes of barley, wheat berries or the unappetizingly-named spelt because of their reputation for being the stuff of hippies or health-nuts, you’ve been missing out on an entire category of good eating. …Greek-born food journalist Maria Speck…shines a light on these misunderstood ingredients…
Joanna Rothkopf, Epicurious
Grain guru Maria Speck’s new cookbook Ancient Grains for Modern Meals has shown me the proverbial light… Pick up a copy of the book, and you’ll find ideas for breakfasts, dinners, desserts, and breads from Speck’s rich heritage alongside beautifully vibrant photography of select dishes. The breadth and variety present in the collection also reinforce the idea that with the recipes come entire culinary traditions condensed, refined, and recorded for your own gastronomical pleasure.
GO AirTran’s Inflight Magazine – July 2013 Tastemaking: Ancient Grains
Once staples of ancient societies, heirloom grains have become the foundation of a food trend— and not just in the crunchy, hippie, healthy culinary circles. The new grain is from the Old World.
Wine Enthusiast – April 2013 Feature Story Grainy Goodness
Whole grains are popping up on restaurant menus and in home kitchens, and this piece includes tips on pairing grains with grapes, in addition to recipes for Fish and Fennel Stew with Ouzo over Couscous and Lamb Burgers with Bulgur and Mint.
The Wall Street Journal – Recipes for a Better Book Club
A reporter visits “cook the book” clubs. One of them serves a colorful menu from Ancient Grains for Modern Meals, reminding the writer of a “veritable Cézanne painting”.
WBUR – Cream of the Crop Cookbooks 2011
Here & Now’s Chef Kathy Gunst chooses her four favorite cookbooks of 2011, including Ancient Grains for Modern Meals.
Aaron Kagan, The Boston Globe
[Maria] recalls her Greek grandmother hanging phyllo dough to dry on the back of the living room furniture. Her culinary style reflects a Greek enthusiasm for fresh herbs and a German precision…
Anna Lee Boschetto, Clean Eating
As more Americans incorporate farro, quinoa, and spelt into their daily menu, Ancient Grains for Modern Meals, arrives just in time… Author Maria Speck peppers helpful culinary guidance and recipe variations throughout this book while also offering a handy shopping guide to source these grains in your area.
Sonja Groset, Seattle Weekly
Now that Speck lives in the U.S., she understands that cooking at home is a task most people rarely have time for… Thankfully, many recipes in Ancient Grains for Modern Meals include advice for busy people such as “To get a head start”, pointing out the parts of a recipe that you can make ahead, and give storage recommendations.
Jennifer Bain, Toronto Star
American food writer Maria Speck says “whole grains have cast a spell on me.” She eats them because of their “lively textures, vivid colors, and rich flavors,” not because theyʼre healthy or wholesome. This passion is reflected in Speckʼs new book…
Jen Garbee, LA Weekly
[Maria] considers herself “lucky” for never having been introduced to whole grains as a health food via food pyramids, celebrities and newspaper Health sections. She learned to love them simply as part of a really good home cooked meal growing up in Greece and Germany. Lucky indeed.
Nina Simonds, Hungry Beast on the Daily Beast
In this inspirational book, author and cook Maria Speck draws from her Greek mother’s cooking and the foods of her European upbringing to offer a sumptuous and alluring selection of recipes that would appeal to any cook.
Editor’s Picks, Today’s Diet & Nutrition Magazine
“Whole grains have cast a spell on me” are the first words in this excellent cookbook from Speck. Read on and they will cast a spell on you, and, like me, you’ll look forward to her next book.
