Books aren't just for reading anymore! Books make great, somewhat nutritious snacks, too. Their enviable shape--flat, with a spine--make them ideal for sandwiching cold cuts. Alternately, hold one like a taco and fill it with beans, sour cream, and shredded lettuce. We at The Stranger's kitchen have pioneered a few recipes to help you consume a little literature.

Novel Lasagna

Here's a little dish that is quick and easy for entertaining. It's a great way to share your favorite literature with some friends over wine. I've tried it with some denser, larger books (Thomas Mann's Buddenbrooks, Nabokov's Ada) and found it to be a bit too thick--a nice, lighter novel (As I Lay Dying, Breakfast of Champions) is more appropriate.

Ingredients:

your favorite medium-sized novel
1 pint milk
1 16 oz. can marinara sauce
2 bunches spinach
3 cloves garlic
12 oz. ricotta cheese
8 oz. mozzarella cheese
8 slices provolone cheese

Tear the pages from the book and set to soak in the milk (this tenderizes the pages). In the meantime, prepare the spinach-ricotta filling. Sauté the garlic in a bit of good olive oil; add the spinach and cook until thoroughly wilted. Add the ricotta cheese and set aside. Now prepare the lasagna by alternating layers of about 20 pages of the book with the ricotta mixture and the marinara sauce to fill the pan. Top with mozzarella and provolone and bake at 350° for 45 minutes.

 

Literary Salad

This is a great way to get rid of old, musty books that won't fetch a whole lot on the used shelf. With a nice book sandwich on the side, this salad can be the better part of a light, cholesterol-free meal.

1 paperback novel
handful of pine nuts
1 ripe apple
sprig of basil

Shred the book into 1-inch strips. Core and thinly julienne the apple, and shred the basil. Toss together, and drizzle with a nice olive oil and some balsamic vinegar.

Booklava

This is a bit of a treat, much lighter than the traditional dessert and more stable in an earthquake than the flaky, phyllo-dough variety. You'll be pleased at how the crackle of the paper offsets the moist crunch of the filling. And, unlike its phyllo cousin, the print stock of most books won't dry out.

1 largish novel (Schocken Books publishes a nice array of classics that are a good size, with a thin, easily digested paper stock)
1 stick of butter, melted
1 lb. walnut meats
12 oz. good clover honey
nutmeg
cinnamon

Tear out the sheets of the book and lay them on the bottom of a 10" x 13" baking pan. Grind the walnut meats in a Cuisinart and mix together with the honey, a dash of cinnamon, and a grind of fresh nutmeg. Brush with melted butter, and then place another layer on top. Add a thin layer of the walnut mixture. Continue to layer up to the pan's rim. Bake for 35 minutes at 425°. Voilà!