OP: Culinary Classics and Improvisations

Alfred A. Knopf, 1967. Hardcover. Very Good in Good jacket. First printing.

One of the more interesting culinary figures of the 1960s was Michael Field (1915–1971), an accomplished pianist who left that career to start his own cooking school, publish several books, and become general editor of the landmark, 27 volume Foods of the World series, published by Time-Life books, before an untimely death at 56. 

This book, his second, takes on the challenge of using leftovers, offering lessons in improvisation, with cooked food transformed into lively new creations. Starting with a classic dish, such as a braised shoulder of lamb, he spins off six or eight variants that could be made from whatever may not have been consumed: dill lamb croquettes, Madras lamb curry, lamb alla cacciatore—and several others. 

To be sure, the “improvised” recipes here are no less demanding than their “classic” counterparts. Indeed, Field’s strength in this, and all his books, was to challenge his readers to become better, more creative cooks.