Beginners’ cookbooks can be daunting. One chapter explains
methods of sauce-making, and warns against all the things that
could possibly go wrong
– and how to fix them. Another tells when water is really
boiling or when a pan is truly ready to sauté.
Beginners’ cookbooks can be daunting. One chapter explains methods of sauce-making, and warns against all the things that could possibly go wrong – and how to fix them. Another tells when water is really boiling or when a pan is truly ready to sauté. By the time the beginning cook gets to some actual recipes, they’re tired and bored, so maybe they call the local pizza place and plop down in front of the TV again.
I remember the just-out-of-college student who e-mailed me a message like this: “I love your column and have been clipping it each week. I am learning how to cook and as soon as I finish the beginner’s book I’m reading, I will try some of your recipes.”
I wrote back to her that she didn’t need to finish reading the book, she just needed to get into the kitchen and try something, anything. My alma mater’s motto applies here: “Learn by doing.” No other way gets the job done.
In August, we took our oldest daughter to Chicago to move into her first college apartment. An on-campus model, it boasts two bedrooms with bunk beds, a bathroom, a nice living room/dining room and a lovely little 10-foot by 6-foot kitchen. Our assigned responsibility: get the pots and pans.
Of course, we quickly realized that she needed much more. She didn’t have any wooden spoons or a spatula, or even a mixing bowl. There was no colander, or toaster, or a handy kitchen whisk. Her toolbox stood empty, waiting to be filled with not everything under the sun, but, yes, the essentials. It seemed a daunting task, to start a kitchen with nothing and fill it with useful things without spending a fortune, but then we were saved.
I’m sure you’ve seen a Bed-in-a-Bag, which contains the sheets, pillowcases, and comforter necessary to make a bed beautiful. But have you heard about Kitchen-in-a-Box?
It contains simple and essential tools, like knives and a knife block, a can opener, a spatula, a colander, two pots, one frying pan, and a set of serving/mixing bowls. It even included four complete settings of dishes and utensils, in case friends come over. We found our huge, bulky, heavy Kitchen-in-a-Box (black enamel model) at Marshall Field’s for $80 and coaxed a cabbie to shove it into his trunk.
At home, the college roommates were suitably impressed with their new, matching black tools and immediately got down to the business of putting everything in its place.
I knew they’d be able to make meals with only the essentials because I do it all the time. I love my stainless mixing bowls, my squared wooden spoon, my chef’s and paring knives, and my four heavy Calphalon pots and pans. With those and my pig-shaped cutting board, I can turn out just about any dinner.
I learned that from my dad, the ultimate one-pot cook.
First, a disclaimer: he doesn’t cook. But he can and had to when my mom earned her master’s degree with night and weekend classes. He would put his cast-iron skillet on the stove and then look in the refrigerator to see what was available. Ground beef, chopped peppers, an egg or two, maybe some cheese, all scrambled together with a wooden spoon.
There was no name for Dad’s dinners but we ate them up, knowing that we could always look forward to his no-fail desserts: ice cream and candy bars. Not bad for a beginner.
• Artichokes & chicken: Here, for inspiration, is an easy three-pot dinner: one for the chicken, one for the orzo, and one for the veggies.
This recipe is from a year-old issue of Gourmet magazine. It was a big hit because the artichokes are tangy and the recipe takes just a few minutes, perfect for a weeknight. Serve with some tender orzo pasta boiled in chicken broth and some steamed carrots or broccoli.
Braised Greek Chicken and Artichokes
1 T. olive oil
4 chicken breast halves with skin and bones
2 6-ounce jars marinated artichoke hearts, drained, 2 tablespoons marinade
reserved
3/4 cup canned low-salt chicken broth
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
1/4 tsp. dried crushed red pepper
3 T. chopped fresh oregano
Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add to skillet and sauté chicken until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons reserved marinade, broth, lemon juice, peel, and crushed pepper. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until chicken is almost cooked through, about 10 minutes.
Uncover; stir in artichokes and 2 tablespoons oregano. Simmer until liquid is slightly reduced and chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon oregano. Season with salt and pepper; serve. Serves 4.
• RSVP: This recipe answers a reader’s request for food that diabetics can eat. This fish recipe is simple and contains very flavorful ingredients in the sauce. It’s from “Cooking with the Diabetic Chef,” by Chris Smith. This is the first cookbook ever written for people with diabetes by a chef who has diabetes. He concentrates on how to get the natural goodness out of foods, something we can all learn.
The cookbook contains recipes for pizza, burritos, sausage, a veal roast, and other tempting foods. It’s available at bookstores or from the American Diabetes Association, (800) 232-6733 for $17.95.
Halibut with Lemon Dill Sauce
4 halibut steaks, 1-inch thick
2 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp lemon rind, grated
1 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp onion, diced
1/2 tsp garlic, minced
1-1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the halibut steaks for 15-20 minutes, or until the fish is fully cooked and flaky. In a separate bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients. Serve over finished halibut steaks. Serves 4. Nutrition info: 367 calories; 30 g fat (only 5 g saturated); 1 gram carbohydrates; 22 g protein.
• Salad days: Get the last good produce you can find and make this salad as a salute to the harvest months. Chilling time is essential, as it helps meld the flavors. You can substitute canned or frozen corn; it will still taste great.
Corn, Beefsteak Tomato and Red Onion Salad
6 ears fresh corn, husked (or 3 cups canned or frozen)
5 T. olive oil, divided
1 T. finely chopped garlic
1 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup packed fresh basil, thinly sliced, divided
2 beefsteak tomatoes (about 2 lbs.) seeded and chopped
3 T. cider vinegar
2 T. Tabasco sauce
Cut corn kernels from cob. Heat 2 T. olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add corn and sauté until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; add red onion and half the basil.
Transfer corn mixture to a large bowl. Cool slightly, stirring occasionally. Stir in the tomatoes, vinegar, remaining 3 T. olive oil, Tabasco sauce and remaining basil. Season with salt. Cover and chill for 3 hours. Bring to room temperature before serving. Serves 6.
Tip of the Week:
For a quick dessert, take a page from the Cold Stone Creamery company: Soften vanilla ice cream slightly and put two scoops into each bowl. Chop up assorted leftover Halloween chocolate bars (Snickers, Butterfingers, peanut butter cups) and let your guests choose what to mix into their ice cream.
Notes from Jenny’s Kitchen
• According to an article in the New York Times, Americans are choosing frozen meals over restaurant take-out. A survey by NPD Foodworld reported that the average American ate 73 frozen meals in 2001, compared with only 56 a decade earlier. Meanwhile, restaurant take-out meals suffered a slight decline in the last two years.
• Sara Lee Bakery is offering a crustless bread marketed to kids – and their parents. The bread has the same fiber as whole wheat bread, and four times the calcium as typical white bread. The cost is about $2.59 a loaf, about double that of regular white bread. Sara Lee responded to a survey which said 40 percent of children don’t eat their bread crusts.
• Get a free booklet from Reynold’s Wrap, featuring recipes such as Chili Lime Pork and Homestyle Pot Roast, by calling (800) 745-4000 or visiting reynoldskitchens.com.
• Decadent but wonderful: fry two strips of bacon until crisp; drain all but 1 T. of the fat. Sauté spinach leaves just until wilted, season with salt and pepper, and top with crumbled bacon.
• End notes: “I feel that the greatest reward for doing is the opportunity to do more.”
~ Jonas Salk
