CLARIFICATION

Cookbook author Bobby Flay has canceled his appearance at the Baltimore Book Festival this weekend, citing unexpected travel conflicts. Notification was received too late for inclusion in an article about the festival in today's A La Carte section.

Visitors to the 3rd annual Baltimore Book Festival this weekend will find a smorgasbord for the mind and for the palate, with chefs and cookbook authors whose specialties cover the globe, from Maryland to Italy and from Asia to South America.

Among the culinary and literary lights will be the well-known and well-established, such as chef and restaurateur Lidia Bastianich, who shares her expertise on the cooking of Northern Italy, and the new and up-and-coming, such as Rafael Palomino, who specializes in the cuisine of Latin and South America.

"I think it's going to be a lot of fun," said Judith Benn Hurley, a Philadelphia writer who focuses on natural health and herbal remedies, and whose book is "Healing Secrets of the Seasons" (William Morrow, 1998, $27).

Her work emphasizes new knowledge about the content of foods - their chemical makeup - and its relationship to human well-being. Hurley is bringing along a big basket of herbs and vegetables and plans to offer festival-goers "plenty of generous information" about them, which she picked up while studying herbal and culinary lore in China, India, Indonesia, Egypt, Hawaii and the American Southwest.

Despite the diversity of her travels, she said, the consensus was clear: "People say the same thing. It's all about balancing your body" with natural substances. That means using purple cone flower (echinacea) to strengthen the immune system, thyme tea to relieve a stuffy head, and the strengthening compounds in broccoli to ward off autumn blahs.

The book festival takes over Mount Vernon Place Saturday and Sunday for two days of book-signings, author talks, poetry reading, storytelling, sales of books of all descriptions, live entertainment and talk about and demonstrations on preparing food, among other things. The cook and cookbook section of the festival, called Food for Thought, is one of three themed areas. (The others are Maryland's Children, and the Book Festival Cabaret and Brew Garden.)

Hurley, Bastianich and Palomino are all newcomers to the event, as are Giuliano Bugialli (one of the staunchest proponents of traditional Italian cuisine), James Peterson, known for his deeply researched and exhaustive books on single topics, and Bobby Flay, who will be championing the Mediterranean cuisine featured at his New York restaurants Mesa Grill and Bolo.

Bastianich comes from the far northeastern part of Italy, bordering Austria and the former Yugoslavia. That's the area she focuses on in her new book, "Lidia's Italian Table" (William Morrow, 1998, $26), and in her new public television series based on the book, set to begin airing soon. It's an area that's less familiar to most Americans, she said, so she wanted people to "know a little bit of the land, the people, the history."

Bastianich plans to demonstrate the art of making risotto, the creamy Italian rice dish, in the book festival's demonstration kitchen. She devoted a whole show in her series to each of the great Italian grain dishes - risotto, polenta and pasta. She didn't want to be locked into a format, she said, but she did insist on one thing: that the series be taped in her home.

"It's comfortable," she said of the setting. "I know the temperature of the oven, I know the distance from the sink to the stove." Being assured of her surroundings, she said, freed her to talk to viewers about the food.

In addition, she said, she made sure the recipes were invitingly simple, with few steps. "I want people to make my recipes, to capture some of my flavors."

Palomino, who's from Bogota, Colombia, has an evangelist's zeal for spreading information about the cuisine of Latin and South America - favorite foods such as aji, a hot pepper sauce, seviche, fish that is "cooked" in an acid marinade, and chimichurri, "South American pesto."

These are the flavors featured in his new cookbook, "Bistro Latino" (William Morrow, 1998, $25), and at his New York restaurant Sonora.

"I believe very much that this is the cuisine of the 21st century," he said. "It's light and full of flavor."

Flay, whose previous experience with Baltimore consists of one trip to the Preakness (he liked it), said he's looking forward to introducing people to the family-style meals featured in his new book, ("From My Kitchen to Your Table: Bold Dishes for Casual Entertaining," Clarkson Potter, 1998, $32.50). His goal is to provide menus for which many dishes and steps can be done in advance, so the cook gets out of the kitchen and joins family or friends at the table.

"It's almost like a buffet table, but it makes for a very festive occasion," said Flay, who has perfected his crowd technique with two shows on the Food Network, "Hot Off the Grill With Bobby Flay" and "Grillin' and Chillin'," with Jack McDavid.

Simplicity is also an attraction for James Peterson, (fish and sauces were two previous subjects) and whose latest book is the encyclopedic "Vegetables" (William Morrow, 1998, $35).

"The vegetable books that are out there are all vegetarian. I wanted to do a book that was about the traditional way most people eat, with vegetables as side dishes," Peterson said. "It was a challenge for me to come up with something simple."

One of his simple dishes is creamed corn. "Most of us grew up eating it from a can, and the canned stuff is vile," he said. His recipe uses fresh corn kernels, cream and salt and pepper and cooks in 10 minutes. "It's celestial," he said.

For his demonstration, he plans to do a series of French crudites - not the chopped-up carrots and celery Americans usually think of, but a series of five or six small salads. "You serve them on a plate with a little bit of each. It's a great way to start a meal - and it's beautiful."

Bugialli, whose new book is "Bugialli's Italy" (William Morrow, 1998, $28), will be flying to the festival directly from Italy, where he teaches gastronomy and wine at his school, Cooking in Florence. For the festival, he'll be preparing pasta "packages" with prosciutto, and a wrapped chicken loaf.

Although he's also new to the book festival, Mario Batali is familiar to Food Network viewers from his two shows, ("Molto Mario" and "Mediterranean Mario"), and to New York restaurant crowds from his restaurant Po, where he blends old and new to create his own style of Italian cuisine.

Among other noted chefs and cookbook authors at the festival are D.C. chef Joe Randall ("A Taste of Heritage: New African-American Cuisine," Macmillan, 1998, $27.50) and Linda West Eckhardt, author of "Entertaining 101" (Doubleday, 1997, $27.50), who'll be offering tips on successful dinner parties for every season.

There will also be some local culinary specialists on hand, among them Sun columnist Rob Kasper, whose new book is "Raising Kids and Tomatoes" (The Baltimore Sun, 1998, $11.95). He'll be mixing food and humor in a cooking demonstration Saturday evening.

One book festival favorite returning for the third year is Baltimorean John Shields, whose new show based on his Chesapeake cuisine is running on Maryland Public Television, and who is getting ready to open his new restaurant, Gertrude's at the Baltimore Museum of Art, next month.

"I'm a veteran book fair guy," he said. "It's really great to see people from all over coming to Mount Vernon to celebrate books."

Shields, whose new book is "Chesapeake Bay Cooking With John Shields" (Broadway Books, 1998, $27.50), hasn't decided what he'll do for his demonstration, but it's likely to involve crabs or oysters. Whatever, he's looking forward to another year. "It's a great crowd," he said. "People are so excited about the food."

Shrimp Risotto

Serves 6

1 (about 25) pound medium shrimp

1 28-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup minced onions

1/2 cup minced shallots

1 1/2 cups Carnaroli or arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

5 to 6 cups hot, lightly salted water

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tablespoons minced fresh Italian parsley leaves

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Peel the shrimp. (You can leave the tails on 6 shrimp if you like, and leave these shrimp whole to place as a decoration on top each bowl of risotto. Sear the whole shrimp along with the cut-up shrimp as described later in the recipe.) With a small knife, make a shallow cut down the back of the shrimp to remove the dark vein. Cut the shrimp crosswise into thirds.

Drain the plum tomatoes and remove their seeds. Puree the tomatoes in a blender until smooth. Pass the puree through a sieve. Set the puree aside.

In a heavy, wide 3- to 4-quart casserole or pot, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Cook the onions and shallots together until golden, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat with the oil. Toast the rice until the edges become translucent, 1 to 2 minutes.

Pour in the wine and stir well until evaporated. Add the tomato puree and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. The tomatoes should be simmering at this point. Add 1 cup of the hot water. Cook, stirring constantly, until all the water has been absorbed. Continue to add the hot water in small batches - just enough to completely moisten the rice - and cook until each successive batch has been absorbed. Stir constantly and adjust the level of heat so the rice is simmering very gently.

Meanwhile, about 10 minutes after adding the tomato puree, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Remove and discard the garlic, then add the shrimp pieces and whole shrimp, if using, to the skillet and cook until they are bright pink on both sides and firm, about 2 minutes. Remove the whole shrimp and set aside.

Add the contents of the skillet to the rice. Mix well and cook, adding more water as described above, until the rice is creamy and al dente, 3 to 4 minutes longer. (The total cooking time for the rice after adding the tomato puree is about 18 minutes.)

Remove the casserole from the heat and stir in the chopped parsley. Adjust the seasoning with salt, if necessary, and pepper. Serve immediately, ladled into warm shallow bowls. Place one of the whole shrimp on top of each serving, if using.

-- From Lidia Bastianich

Quick Chicken Stew With Corn

Serves 2

12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast, preferably free range, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch thick strips

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 large ripe tomato, diced

L 8 shiitake or large cremini mushrooms, trimmed and quartered

4 medium-sized boiling potatoes, quartered lengthwise

12 ounces cooked yuca, cut into 1/2-inch dice, or additional potatoes (see note)

3 cups chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth

1 large bay leaf

2 ears fresh corn, husked and sliced 1-inch thick

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves

Season the chicken strips with salt and pepper. In a large, heavy, nonreactive pot with a lid, heat the oil over high heat. Add the garlic and stir, then add the chicken strips and cook, stirring occasionally, just until golden brown on all sides, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato, mushrooms, potatoes and yuca, and stir.

When the mixture is dry and heated through, add the stock, bay leaf and corn. Cover, bring to a simmer and let simmer for 15 minutes. Uncover, season with salt and pepper and cook until the mixture has the consistency of a stew, about 10 minutes more. Just before serving, stir in the cilantro.

Note: Yuca is a mild-flavored, starchy root vegetable also known as manioc or cassava. It that can be found in the frozen- food section of some supermarkets or in Latin, Caribbean or African specialty stores. The frozen form is preferable in this recipe. To prepare, place the frozen yuca in a saucepan, cover with boiling water and let simmer until soft all the way through, about 30 minutes. Drain, pull or cut out the tough, stringy core, and dice the yuca as specified in the recipe. Or, you can use additional boiling potatoes.

-- From Rafael Palomino

A full plate of activities at book fest

The 3rd annual Baltimore Book Festival will take place this Saturday and Sunday at Mount Vernon Place, in the 600 block of N. Charles St. There will be 150 exhibitors and events ranging from readings and storytelling to literary walking tours and a poetry contest.

Food for Thought, the cook and cookbook section of the fair, will be on East Mount Vernon Place near St. Paul Street. It will include a demonstration kitchen where chefs and cookbook authors will offer cooking demonstrations on the hour from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

All festival events will be free, including parking at the University of Baltimore garage at 1111 Cathedral St. There will be a free shuttle bus from the garage to Mount Vernon Place.

The festival will take place rain or shine. For more information, call 410-837-4636 or 800-282-6632.

Pub Date: 9/23/98