Book Review

BOOK REVIEW BY LINDA GARSON

tawâw

Progressive Indigenous Cuisine

By Shane M. Chartrand with Jennifer Cockrall-King House of Anansi Press $34

O YOU GET EXCITED TOO WHEN

you see cookbooks from local chefs and people you know? We’re already warm to their recipes and we’re expecting to like them, but that’s a total understatement for how I feel about tawâw.

There is so much more to this book than the recipes and good looking photographs of beautifully plated dishes. They’re certainly all here too, and lots of them. More than that though, this book is the personal journey of one of Alberta’s most creative chefs, a completely honest account of his search for identity, his fears and self-doubts, his influences and inspiration, and where he and his food fit in a contemporary culinary world.

Where he fits is pretty much at the top; Chef Shane Chartrand is at the forefront of Indigenous cuisine, and he inspires us to source and use local products. I’m feeling the need to rush out and buy beets now, and can’t decide which of his glorious beet dishes to make first. Will it be Beet-Stained Potatoes with Horseradish Cream (p.267) or Chocolate Beet Cake with Saskatoon Berries (p.194)? Probably both!

Then there’s bison – must try his Skewered Bison Strips on page 114 (and we hope his dream of being able to get them at pow wow is realized soon!) and OnePot Spaghetti Squash, Bison, and Corn on the following page. His elk and wonderful salmon dishes also have my name on them… Salmon Three Ways – cured, salmon and egg salad, and ‘stained glass’ (p.89) are high on the list for my next dinner party!

D

More and more we’re looking for emotional attachment to our food, and Chef Chartrand’s stories are captivating; we gain a great insight into this creative mind – the vulnerability and anxiety, as well as the beauty and artistry – and tattoos! He explains ingredients and how to use them, such as bee pollen (p.94) and wild rice (p.166), and we’re fascinated by his story about chum salmon (p.97), and the truths in “On Emotion and Risk” (p.241) leading into his signature dish, “War Paint’ (p.245), also pictured on the cover.

If it isn’t already included, add tawâw to your wish list this season.