McCauley - Danas Top Ten Table: 200 Fresh Takes on Family-Favourite Meals

Danas
TOP TEN TABLE

200
fresh takes
on
family-favorite
meals

DANA McCAULEY

Dedicated to the memories of two good cooks,

my grandmothers Vilda McCauley and Mary Badiuk.

Thanks for sharing your recipes and allowing me to lick the spoons!

THE COMFORTS OF HOME

Our lifestyles have changed significantly in the last 50 years. While today most mothers work outside of the home and families spend as much time together in the car as they do around the dinner table, our culture still equates home with comfort and family. Evidence of this can be found all around us. From the expansive granite and stainless steel kitchens that are the centerpieces of designer homes, to the fact that although we spend more money at restaurants than ever before, many of the meals we purchase are delivered or taken home to be eaten in familiar surroundings. A recent study of Canadian eating behavior revealed that on average people are eating dinner at home 245 times per year. American figures reveal a similar pattern. Does this mean that North Americans are preparing home-cooked meals each night? No, its just that more often than not, wed rather eat at home.

Unfortunately, even on the days when we want to make a meal from scratch, many of us increasingly find that we dont have the cooking skills necessary to make a basic dinner with confidence. And so, when we try to recreate restaurant foods weve enjoyed at home and abroad, we discover that our ambitions are bigger than our culinary talents!

One reason that so many people lack basic cooking skills is that for the last two and half generations the rising number of working mothers has meant that many women dont have the time to teach their children how to cook (and lets face it, its usually the woman of the house who does most of the cooking, even today). It shouldnt come as a surprise then to learn that 94 percent of children aged 10 to 17 can access the Internet but only 42 percent can cook a spaghetti dinner. This state of affairs isnt helped any by the removal of home economics programs from many school systems. When you add it all together, its no wonder were quickly becoming a society of people who are lost, and sometimes even nervous, in the kitchen.

The encouraging news is that many people still want to cook. Of the group of computer-savvy, kitchen-challenged kids mentioned above, 64 percent said theyd like to help more with cooking at home. Likewise, the proliferation of cooking schools, food-oriented websites and cookery shows on TV indicates that a desire to prepare tasty, home-cooked meals still abounds.

THE TRUTH ABOUT FOOD TRENDS

As a food trend expert its my job to suss out the latest new flavors and analyze changes in eating patterns. While doing my research Im often surprised not by how much things change in the food world, but by how much they stay the same. Although flavors and cuisines come and go, and panini makers, fondue pots and other appliances may alter our cooking habits for a short time, consumer research repeatedly reveals that people want dinnertime solutions that deliver inspiration for new and better ways to prepare their favorite foods. In fact, there are basically ten main meals that we make in various ways over and over. Although the percentages of what is more or less preferred change slightly each year, the top 10 foods North Americans say they eat regularly have remained the same since at least the early eighties. In alphabetical order our favorite entres continue to be:

• burgers

• casseroles and one-dish meals

• chicken

• fish and seafood

• pasta

• pizza

• pork

• sandwiches

• soup

• steak

This insight about the top 10 favorite foods people eat most often provides the framework for Danas Top Ten Table. Each chapter contains 20 recipes for the foods we love. Some are classic versions of foods that never go out of style such as macaroni and cheese, while others are adaptations of exciting restaurant flavor trends such as chimichurri steak that are written especially for home cooks who want to try something new.

This collection of recipes reflects the trends that are currently influencing restaurant menus, packaged product development and food writers. As a result, although this book delivers your food favorites, the recipes are stylish and now. When the classics are presented, Ive strived to make them the ultimate version of the original. And, in many cases, Ive found faster, easier, and healthier ways to prepare them than before. The result is a collection of 200 recipes that are sure to please many palates.

Because our lives are so busy, cooking dinner often loses out to restaurant meals or a prepared frozen entre. To help you budget your time, each recipe includes approximate preparation and cooking times so that you can choose recipes to fit your schedule. Many of the recipes also include tips for making and storing prepared food so that you can create your own homemade frozen entres.

Finally, realizing that cooking can be intimidating for people with little experience, each recipe has been written with an eye for detail. Directions include not only what to do but how to do it and have been carefully tested by professional recipe testers. As a result, you should easily be able to match closely the samples we created in our test kitchen, regardless of your level of cooking experience.

MEAL PLANNING

Ask anyone what they had for dinner last night and more often than not the main course will be the food they mention. Danas Top Ten Table contains recipes for entres only since these are the cornerstones of the meal (and usually the first thing that comes to mind when many people think about what to make for dinner). I do offer a few side dish suggestions here and there to help you along, however, some of the most popular and best side dishes are so simple they dont require recipes: steamed green beans; lightly buttered, boiled new potatoes; steamed, fluffy long-grain rice.

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

Although Id be very pleased to come to your house and find the pages of this book splattered and torn at the edges from nightly use, Id truly be gratified if the margins were crowded with your handwritten additions and changes. I hope that youll view Danas Top Ten Table as a resource designed to give you good, dependable recipes but also as a book of inspiring ideas that you can use as a launch pad for your own creativity. Feel free to customize these wonderful recipes and make them your familys very own!

A FEW LAST (IMPORTANT) WORDS BEFORE YOU BEGIN COOKING

Like other cookery writers, I always work using a set of assumptions about the ingredients and equipment that are to be used to prepare my recipes. Please take a moment to read the following list of guidelines before you prepare any of the delicious recipes from this book. Familiarizing yourself with these basic rules will ensure that the time you spend in the kitchen produces great results! That said, dont be afraid if you do have to make substitutions for any of the items listed. The results will still be good. I want you to enjoy cooking. My guidelines are meant to take the guesswork out of cooking and save you time and frustration so that you can prepare healthy and nutritious home-cooked meals for your family with confidence.

• Eggs are large.

• Milk is 2% unless otherwise stated.