Worthington - Seriously simple: easy recipes for creative cooks

For Denny, who survived my first cooking experiment of deviled eggs and shrimp Louis at the age of eleven and is still my best friend

Text copyright 2002 by DIANE ROSSEN WORTHINGTON .
Photographs copyright 2002 by NOEL BARNHURST .
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any
form without written permission from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available.
ISBN 978-0-8118-3194-9 (pb)
ISBN 978-1-4521-3698-1 (epub, mobi)
Food and prop styling by GEORGE DOLESE
Designed by AZI RAD
Typesetting by JANIS REED

The photographer wishes to thank
Photographers assistant NORIKO AKIYAMA
Food and Prop Stylist GEORGE DOLESE
Food Stylist assistant ELISABET DER NEDERLANDER

Chronicle Books LLC
680 Second Street
San Francisco, California 94107

www.chroniclebooks.com

ETHAN ELLENBERG , my agent, who smoothed the way for this book through the tricky publishing process and is always there with a creative thought

BILL L E BLOND , who is as good as it gets when it comes to a supportive editor

AMY TREADWELL , for her supportive and helpful editorial input

DENNY LURIA , whose support and involvement made this a better book

CATHI RIMALOWER , for her computer expertise, for our endless talks on walks, and for helping me sort out culinary dilemmas

JANICE WALD HENDERSON, LAURE BURROWS GRAD, ANDY and KATHY BLUE, JAN WEIMER , and CIJI WARE , my cooking colleagues and dear friends, for all of their input on a moments notice

CONNIE ENGEL, JUDY MILLER, LISA and STEVE HILLMAN, MARY BETH ROSE , and GEORGE and HARRY RIMALOWER , for being great tasters and critics

A ND FINALLY, MY HUSBAND, MICHAEL, AND MY DAUGHTER, LAURA , my biggest critics and my biggest fans.

Last nights meal at my house was the essence of seriously simple. I raced to the market in the late afternoon to pick up some groceries for the weekend, replenishing the usual basics. As always, I checked to see what was fresh and caught my attention. I eyed a luscious halibut steak that looked too good to pass up. The baby Brussels sprouts and green beans seemed particularly appealing. The raspberries were just coming into season. I grabbed a wedge of blue cheese and a container of mascarpone cheese. My dinner menu was taking shape. I would decide which tastes to accentuate once I started to cook.

With dinnertime approaching, I focused on a plan. Simple was what I was thinking; tasty was my husbands request. All my daughter cared about was that dinner be ready as soon as possible. She was hungry. Simple. Delicious. Fast. This seems to be the direction my cooking has taken for some time now.

I turned the oven to 450F because Ive found that high-heat roasting is a technique that is fast and produces flavorful results. A quick and easy marinade followed: a mix of extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, minced garlic, a good grind of black pepper, and some sea salt. Not much to it, but I knew this marinade would nicely season and brown the fish. The halibut roasted while I sauted the baby Brussels sprouts, lightly glazing them with some chicken broth and a touch of sugar.

My dinner was ready. To start, a crisp lettuce wedge was drizzled with a blend of olive oil, mustard, vinegar, and blue cheese, then sprinkled with store-bought candied nuts. Next came the roasted halibut steak, moist and thinly glazed with the garlic and balsamic, accompanied by the lightly browned Brussels sprouts. A colorful plate of crostini, those little Italian toasts, finished the meal. They were topped with mascarpone and fresh berries. It was simply spectacular.

This sophisticated meal came together in a short time without laboring in the kitchen. It was easy, it was creative, and it was satisfying. It brought pleasure to me and to my family. This is what I hope to bring to your family and friends in the pages ahead.

Over the years, I have developed hundreds of recipes for people who love to cook. From The Cuisine of California to American Bistro , my mission has been clear: to help the home cook create delicious food with fresh ingredients and to offer recipes that have as much to do with lifestyle as they do with taste. Following in the same tradition, the recipes in this book focus on flavor, quality of ingredients, and presentation, but the emphasis is on simplicity. These recipes have been designed to reduce prep time and streamline cooking techniques while retaining the same high quality of the finished dish.

How do you minimize the amount of time spent in the kitchen? How do you cook delicious food without using lengthy recipes? What ingredients should you keep on hand so you can pull together a meal short on time and long on flavor? And how do you create a memorable dish?

Sophisticated simplicity is my underlying philosophy. To me, this means using an array of the freshest ingredients and pantry-ready flavor enhancers along with time-saving cooking techniques. Here are some of my guiding principles:

straightforward cooking techniques are fail-safe

High-heat roasting, grilling, braising, high-heat reduction, and hand blending are the techniques I use again and again.

simple shortcuts save time and cleanup

Blend a soup in a pot, add vegetables to braised dishes without sauting them, cook polenta in the oven instead of constantly stirring it on the stove, use a lock-top bag for marinating, or roast a whole fish that has been filleted ahead of time.

whats in my pantry is crucial

I keep my pantry well-stocked with the basics so I can throw together sauces, rubs, marinades, or relishes as the spirit moves me. I can create a stir-fry at a moments notice or make a pesto vinaigrette, a sun-dried tomato salad dressing with capers, or a spicy curry rub for chicken or pork. You can do this too if you follow my ideas for stocking your pantry.

my homemade basics are trusty standbys

There are a number of homemade flavor enhancers that I rely on daily to perk up my food. These are easy to make and well worth the effort. My Seriously Simple Seasoning Salt will surprise you with its silky texture and savory taste. Try it once on pasta, fish, or chicken, and like me, youll want to keep a jar on hand.

less is more when it comes to flavors

Relying on one or two bold flavors to create a dish is a key strategy for cooking seriously simple but memorable food. A pinch of cumin gives split pea soup new punch. Maple syrup infuses traditional coleslaw with an unexpected sweetness. A touch of soy sauce intensifies the mushroom flavor in mushroom-barley soup. And diced yams and a drop of balsamic syrup give a new twist to a classic osso buco.

meal-in-one recipes are indispensable for simplifying life

Seriously simple cooking doesnt mean just speedy preparation. On some days, I need to have dinner ready in advance. Friends might be coming over, and I want to spend more time with them than on the food preparation. Or my husband or I might want to pop something in the oven at the last minute. Youll find some meal-in-one recipes that take a few more minutes to prepare but can be made well ahead of time. Two of my favorites are California Fish Stew with Chipotle Aioli .

Its been great fun creating the recipes in this book. With my guiding principles in mind, Ive experimented with new and familiar ingredients, making some unexpected discoveries along the way. Ive refined some international favorites in order to import ethnic flavors and pungent aromas right into the everyday cooks kitchen. Youll find recipes such as Grilled Chicken Breasts with Chimichurri Sauce . Ive also included some menu suggestions, recommended accompaniments to serve with most dishes, provided my usual advance-prep notes, and added some hints to inspire you.