Stevens - All about braising : the art of uncomplicated cooking

Color Photographs by Gentl & Hyers / Edge

Black-and-White Illustrations by Yevgeniy Solovyev

Wine Notes and Selections by Tim Gaiser

ALL ABOUT BRAISING

The Art of Uncomplicated Cooking

MOLLY STEVENS

W. W. NORTON & COMPANY | NEW YORK LONDON

This book is dedicated to Chef Chambrette

who taught me so much more than I ever dreamed

PARIS, 1986

CONTENTS

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A few years ago, my sister called and asked me to retrieve several storage boxes I had left in her attic and forgotten about. They had been sealed since 1982, when we moved out of our family house sometime after I graduated from college. Most of the boxes contained childhood memorabiliababy book, report cards, class picturesbut there was one item that uncannily prophesied what I would do with my future. It was a cassette with no label and no case. When I plugged it into my tape player, a world of memories flooded back.

I recorded the tape when I was about nine years old. At the time, I was completely obsessed with Harriet the Spy, the feisty heroine of a 1960s childrens book. In my role as Harriet, I would go around the house recording conversations, and on this particular occasion, I had taped the entirety of my fathers birthday dinner. As I listened to the recording more than thirty years later, I heard the young voices of all six members of my familymy parents, my two brothers, my sister, and myselfengaged in animated discussion about the day, our lives, and whatever else each of us wanted to share. There was some teasing, some scolding, and requests for seconds, but most of the hour-long recording is taken up with a lively exchange of thoughts and feelings among the six of us around the table. My father tells about an incident at his office that day, my older brother goes on about wanting to get his drivers license, my sister recites the words to a new cheer she learned, my mother tells us how someone we know is adopting a baby, and my little brother asks why anyone would give away their baby. Theres also an off-key but spirited rendition of Happy Birthday, but what is remarkable about the conversation is not the fact that it was my fathers birthday, but that it represented what occurred at our house most every night of every week.

As far back as I can remember, my entire family sat down together for dinner. My parents believed strongly in the sanctity of the dinner hour, and they decided early on to commit to bringing us all around the table, no matter how busy our lives became. Its the way theyd both been raised, and they were convinced that it was key to building a strong family. To this day, I have no doubt that this is why all of us remain close in spite of geography, careers, and families of our own. Its also why we still end up congregating around the table whenever we get together, and why we rarely get up from one meal until weve decided on where and when the next will occur. Its where we connect.

Ours was a traditional household, with my father working hard as a lawyer to support a big family and my mother assuming the care of the children and the house, as well as many volunteer activities. There were only six years age difference between the oldest and youngest of us four kids, so things were hecticschool, homework, sports, music lessons, Boy Scouts, friends, and chores, as well as a dog, a cat or two, and a neighborhood full of other families. Yet somehow, in the midst of all this coming and going, my mother managed to put a hot meal on the table every night and gracefully wrangle us all to sit down together to eat.

In addition to the six of us, there were frequent guestsfriends from school, foreign students from the university, colleagues of my fathers, a stray cousin or neighborhood kid. My father always sat at the head of the table and served the main course, which often meant carving. Then we passed the plates to my mother at the other end of the table, who served up the vegetables. Once everyone was served, my father would call on one of us to say a quick grace, and then the eating and conversation would begin. Everyone was expected to contribute to the discourse, even if it was as simple as sharing something that happened that day.

I think now that pursuing a career in cooking has always been the means to get back to the feeling of closeness and sharing that I experienced around the dining room table of my childhood. For instance, when I first lived in Paris in my twenties after college, my friends and I would gather for a meal and end up sitting at the table for hours, eating, drinking wine, telling stories, debating, laughing, and carrying on. I remember thinking, This is it. This is how I want to live my life. This is where I am at home.

By cooking, I know that the dining table is never far from the kitchen, and there is always the chance to invite others to share in a meal and conversation. In spite of the many rewarding years Ive spent cooking in professional kitchens, Im happiest at home (mine or someone elses) when everyone takes the time to sit down to eat together and to engage in some kind of discourse. Im also happiest when the food that we sit down to share is tasty and satisfying, which is why I took the time to learn how to really cook in the first place and why I devote myself to teaching others today. Knowing how to cook gives you the means to bring people together.

After years of cooking everything from burgers and pizza to bouillabaisse and tournedos Rossini, Ive learned that the technique of braising produces food that draws people together like no other. Sharing a meal from one pot, as you often do with a braise, creates a feeling of communality that leads to sharing a congenial meal. The warmth of the pot from the oven, the concentrated aromas of slow-cooked meat (or poultry or fish or vegetables), the tender textures, and the deep flavors all contribute to set people at ease. Plus, the uncomplicated nature of braising is easy on the cook. Once you master a few basic techniques, theres little that can go wrong. Everyone feels more at home than they would if you were to fuss with a fancy, individually plated meal. Its the kind of food that makes us remember the comfort of childhood, whether we ate braised foods or not.

In writing this cookbook, Ive looked for inspiration in all corners of the world, from near and far, from humble to elaborate, and from the classic to the exotic. Some of the ingredients and recipes may not be ones youve seen before, but the satisfaction of the finished dishes will be as familiar as your mothers pot roast. I invite you to cook your way through my book, to improvise as inspiration strikes, and to gather your friends and family around your table to share the results.