KITCHEN NOTES

Published Wednesday, May 9, 2007

On the bookshelf

"Cooking with Max" (Little Five Star, 2007, $14.95)

It’s hard not to admire the sort of pluck involved in a 8-year-old boy publishing a cookbook. A vegetarian cookbook at that. And Max Nania, author of "Cooking with Max: 45 Fun and Kind of Messy Recipes Kids Can Make," demonstrates plenty of pluck.

Max’s book - assembled with help from mom Sienna Nania - feels one part family scrapbook, one part kid-friendly cookbook. It’s a formula children will relate to and enjoy - and that’s reason enough for parents to embrace it.

Max has the potential to be a great role model for children. He demonstrates not only that food and cooking can be fun, but also that boys, as much as girls, can and should get in on that fun.

The recipes are simple, and most can be completed with just a bit of adult help - the Tarzan Wraps, for example, are whole-wheat tortillas slathered with peanut butter and covered with sunflower seeds and banana slices.

An especially nice touch: Each recipe includes suggested reading, a children’s book loosely tied to the theme of the recipe.

That said, here’s hoping Max’s mom steers him away from processed foods in his next book. Too many recipes rely on packaged items, which can be loaded with sodium and fat.

Sure, given the intended audience there is a necessary emphasis on ease. But children can be just as happy playing with food made from scratch as from a box.

That aside, Max is a cute kid with a good idea. It’s just a matter of time before he’s on a morning show near you.

Associated Press

Oven roasting

Q: I would like to oven-roast cherry tomatoes, but I can’t find any instructions. Do you have any ideas?

A: Oven roasting tomatoes is a great thing to do in summer when the tomato vine runneth over. I’ve never done it with cherry tomatoes, but I don’t see why you couldn’t.

Try this method: Halve each tomato - that might not be necessary with really small tomatoes - and toss in a bowl with olive oil, some minced garlic, salt, a little freshly ground pepper and a tiny drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

Place the tomatoes cut side down on a jelly roll pan and roast at about 300 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes, until they’re soft and the skins are a little wrinkled. Pour them into a container, including the oil left in the pan, and refrigerate.

The cooking time is approximate; smaller tomatoes would take less time.

McClatchy Newspapers