With the Internet, email and social media – does anyone get real mail these days?

Needless to say, Nutmeg was thrilled to find a copy of Judith Finlayson’s The Complete Gluten-Free Whole Grains Cookbook, buried under the innumerable junk-mail fliers for duct cleaning, roof repair and debt consolidation.

Judith took some time one spring afternoon to talk about this book, and how her career path (from keyboard to slow cooker) got her to where she is today – working on her 15th cookbook!

Her professional life began in book publishing, in her words as a “glorified secretary.” Judith moved into editing and then to well known Canadian magazines such as MacLean’s. Her career stops included freelance work, recipe development and a long running Globe & Mail column. She was always interested in food related journalism, although her articles also covered a broad range of women’s and social issues. Even while juggling a busy career and editorial deadlines over a twenty-year period her passion for food remained constant.

Judith was not classically trained in the kitchen. She spent a few years “cooking my way through Julia Child’s book” – her introduction to French kitchen methodology. Subsequently, her passion has taken her to many global regions including Mexico, India and Thailand to work with masters in these cuisines.

The first book came together by hazard; her husband who is a publisher had the idea in the late 1990s to create a cookbook focused on high-end slow cooker meals. This was at a time when slow cookers were hardly the height of kitchen fashion. He approached at least seven top chefs to ask if they would be interested in working on this project. NO – was the resounding answer. Finally, he reached the end of his list and asked Judith whether she would consider the venture.

Utilizing the basics from her “Julia Child days” – Judith determined that slow cooking is really French style braising and has nothing to do with dumping a can of this or can of that into a machine. The research and testing took about a year; before 150 Best Slow Cooker Recipes was published in 2001. The cookbook quickly sold over 400,000 copies.

The book that arrived in Nutmeg’s mailbox includes 125 mouth-watering recipes. The Complete Gluten-Free Whole Grains Cookbook is also a fabulous guide to the array of options in whole grains for those who have gluten sensitivities, or for those who want to move away from white rice and processed wheat flour. Judith worked with a registered dietician and a food photographer, to create 224 pages of tempting sweet and savoury dishes.

One lucky G&N North American reader can get a free copy of this book by sending Nutmeg the answer to the following (without using Google): Where does sorghum come from and what is another name for this grain?

The rest of you should hurry and order this gorgeous cookbook here.

Nutmeg has tried a few of the recipes, but this one for Curried Sweet Potato and Millet Soup is perfect for an Alberta “spring” day…when it is still snowing.

Food Travel Tags:
Blog Contest, Cookbook Review, Gluten-free, Quinoa, Soup, Sweet Potato, Vegan