The Sober Kitchen: Recipes and Advice for a Lifetime of Sobriety

Rating:
Summary: A Tremendous Service
Review: Liz Scott has done a tremendous service to those recovering from substance abuse and others who choose to cook without alcohol

Cookbooks and magazines typically give scant attention, if any, to the needs of those who forgo alcohol in cooking. Stock or water is often recommended as a substitute, despite lacking whatever flavor the wine, beer, or sherry called for in the recipe would contribute, and the results are what you'd expect: flat, dull, or off-putting.

Scott's approach to substitution is more nuanced. By considering the flavors the alcohol would contribute and the role it plays in the dish, she arrives at substitutes that truly work. Where wine plays a supporting role, as in a pan sauce, for instance, she recreates its fruitiness and acidity with a mixture of unsweetened grape juice and wine vinegar. Where the alcohol stars, she reworks the recipe entirely, like the boeuf bourguignon where she uses currant jelly to give depth of flavor and body to the sauce.

I bought the book for the discussion of substitution after I heard Scott interviewed on the radio, but I've found that it offers much more. She provides extensive information on nutrition and practical suggestions on eating better, both in early recovery and over the long haul, by eating more fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes, and, without faddishness, by starting to pay attention to food's glycemic index. I was inspired to try roasted soybeans for the first time in a "road to recovery" trail mix with chocolate chips that I liked very much.

The other recipes I've tried--iced herbal tea, granola; a leek and potato soup; pan-fried steak; a roasted pork tenderloin with cumin and apples that took only ten minutes of prep--have been uniformly good: clearly written, easy to prepare, and great-tasting.

The book is structured according to stages of early, established, and long-term recovery, and it allows Scott to be supportive and even gentle-having that ice cream probably won't kill you-while aspiring to continuous improvement. For those in AA, her recommendations about triggers, cravings, HALT, fellowship, and other concepts are mainstream program. Although stricter than some might feel necessary-she tossed out her corkscrew and won't use alcohol-based vanilla extract-her suggestions will help keep you safe.

I recommend the book highly for anyone in recovery who likes to cook, or for that matter, is just interested in taking better care of oneself.