I received an advance copy of Homemade: Finnish Rye, Feed Sack Fashion, and Other Simple Ingredients from My Life in Food from the University of Minnesota Press in order to write my review. As always, all opinions are my own.
I'm a longtime fan of Beatrice Ojakangas. Besides writing 29 cookbooks and earning a place in the James Beard Cookbook Hall of Fame, she's a fellow Minnesotan. Much of her work reflects her Finnish-American heritage (The Finnish Cookbook, The Great Scandinavian Baking Book, Scandinavian Feasts) and skill as a baker (Great Whole Grain Breads, The Soup & Bread Cookbook, The Great Holiday Baking Book). Her latest book, Homemade: Finnish Rye, Feed Sack Fashion, and Other Simple Ingredients from My Life in Food, is a memoir of short essays interspersed with photos and recipes.
Much of Homemade focuses on Ojakangas's childhood on a farm in northern Minnesota during the 1930s and 40s. My Finnish-American grandmother grew up on a northern Minnesota farm in the same era, so I appreciated the insights into the day-to-day work of running a small family farm and the culture of the close-knit Finnish community. But even if you've never visited Minnesota or taken a sauna, the warm, conversational tone makes for an engaging read. The book goes on to trace Ojakangas's career as a home economist and food writer: earning a degree in home economics at the University of Minnesota-Duluth; working as a staff writer at Sunset magazine; developing the prototype for the Jeno's Pizza Roll (now sold under the brand name Totino's); and appearing on television with Julia Child and Martha Stewart. A gentle sense of humor and a love of food is the common thread throughout the anecdotes, from practicing a 4-H bread demonstration to an audience of cows to tricking her picky husband into eating lamb. Ojakangas is frank about some of the bumps along the road, like the college professor who refused to let her enroll in a creative writing class.
In addition to stories, Homemade includes over 40 recipes spanning a lifetime, from the Finnish rye bread that won the teenage Ojakangas a trip to the state fair to the sponge cake she demonstrated on Martha Stewart's television show. Most of the recipes rely on basic ingredients and well-described techniques, making them accessible to novices as well as seasoned cooks. As soon as I finished the book, I baked a loaf of the prize-winning Finnish rye bread. The recipe was easy to follow and even included alternate instructions for making the dough with a food processor or bread machine (I opted for the old-fashioned hand-kneading approach). I was treated to a delightfully flavorful loaf of bread that disappeared within a matter of hours. Next up? The Finnish pancakes, the cinnamon rolls with a coffee glaze, and the wild rice sunflower seed bread. And I need to reread the section about baking with Julia Child.
