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The Magic of Fire
by William Rubel

The Magic of Fire is about the poetry of cooking with fire and as such succeeds magnificently. But hey - it makes excellent reading for tough guys too. Reading it will change you into a more proficient and inspired cook with fire, no matter who you are. Amongst other things you will learn how to cook with flames, embers and even ash.

William Rubel cooks on the hearth, a relatively new invention in the evolution of mankind, when the campfire was brought indoors and built under a chimney. Nevertheless these techniques work just as well outside, on a barbecue campfire.

The Magic of Fire, Hearth Cooking cover

The Magic of Fire, scene one...

The set
A campfire burning in the evening, the orange flames leap around, dishing out light and warmth. A leg of lamb turns on a string next to flaming logs, developing a crisp brownness that are almost unbearably delicious to watch. Smoke curls out of the artichokes that are stuck into the embers. Beans gurgle away in a bottle.
The sounds
The fire crackles, the roast sizzles, the bottle bubbles, a warm and kind voice speaks.
The smells
The smell of dry wood burning, the occasional bursts of flavoursome smoke as drops of fat escape onto the embers.
The mood
Content, happy, at peace, satisfied.
The cast
You, interested in cooking on fires. In fact, you know quite a bit about it.
Your favourite uncle, who knows so much about cooking with fire. You enjoy learning from him, he shares his knowledge in a gentle, interesting way. He patiently explains in clear detail how to do the things he knows so well, giving you a solid foundation in order to break away from the detail when you eventually gain sufficient confidence.

The Magic of Fire is that movie. William Rubel is your favourite uncle. He is the poetic professor of open fire cooking, he has taste, style, intelligence and passion. He has also traveled to the hearths of the world for many years to bring you the way to cook the food above (and 97 other meals too).

Useful and lovely

I am sure you are aware of those irritating, glossy, heavy, display pseudo-something-cuisine cookbooks littering the bookshops, shelf after shelf - feeding some fetishist food fad that is also fed by having an Aga in your abode when you can barely bake a bun.

The Magic of Fire is the opposite of that, even though it is an altogether beautiful book with regards to the presentation, the illustrations by Ian Everard, typeset and writing. It is entirely useful and informative and inspiring. Set out in a simple, logical way, it has a small, helpful chapter on how to use it efficiently, giving you choices between technique, recipes and equipment use. Then Mr. Rubel proceeds to give good, accurate information.

A hearth drawing from The Magic of Fire

Only rumours

This book became an immediate, treasured favourite of mine. By now it has lost its cover and is protected with that thick, sticky plastic that you get on library books. And it has many notes on slips of paper sticking from between the pages. It is, however, only a rumour that I sometimes sleep with it under my pillow.

Apart from hearth cooking, William Rubel is also interested in bread, wild mushrooms, kitchen gardening and homemade alcohol. It sounds like one could have a good time at his house.

The version reviewed is: The Magic of Fire. Hearth Cooking. One Hundred Recipes for the Fireplace or Campfire ( Edition 2002)
(Hard Cover)