Schwartz - Michaels Genuine Food

Copyright 2010 by Michael Schwartz and JoAnn Cianciulli
Photographs copyright 2010 by Ben Fink

All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
www.clarksonpotter.com

CLARKSON POTTER is a trademark and POTTER with colophon is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Schwartz, Michael, 1964
Michaels genuine food / Michael Schwartz. 1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes index.
1. Cookery, American. 2. Cookery, International.
3. Michaels Genuine Food & Drink (Restaurant) I. Title.
TX715.S1457135 2010
61.5973dc22 2010008560

eISBN: 978-0-307-95216-5

Design by Stephanie Huntwork
Cover photograph by Ben Fink

v3.1

M ICHAEL S CHWARTZ is one of my favorite chefs in the countryperiod. And as soon as I think about going to Michaels Genuine Food & Drink, I immediately start to smile since I know I am in for a great culinary adventure without pretension. From the minute I walk in the door, I feel the passionits oozing out of the restaurant from the giant stack of local seasonal vegetables on the counter to the warmth of the wood-burning ovenand know I am in for a treat.

To me, the greatest food can be recognized by what you feel when you eat it; when you can sense the personality and dedication of the chef in every dishthats truly special. This is something that Michael brings to every plate, whether his playful spin on a BLT salad with maple-cured bacon that brings you back to your childhood, his soul-satisfying grilled leg of lamb that is so delicious it would make even my Greek mother swoon, or that magical baked double-yolk egg that shows you just how connected he is to local farmers.

The thing I love about Michael is that his cooking is whimsical without being silly. At its heart, Michaels food is simple, boldly flavored, and straightforward, which makes it not only fun to cook for a chef like myself but also very approachable and foolproof for the home cook as well. It is steeped in great technique and will teach you how to cookjust as if youve worked alongside Michael. As you make your way through this book you will immediately feel a connection to Michael, whether you have met him or not. Thats a sign of a truly great cookbook.

Michaels credo towards food is one everyone should share: you are only as good as your ingredients. And as you read this book you will notice the care he puts into finding the very best. When Michael gushes over a perfectly juicy heirloom tomato, take that as a cue to head to your nearest farmers market and buy food that is both seasonal and local. It will immediately make your cooking taste better and will help put you in touch with the seasons, which ultimately will make you a better cook.

There is not much in life better than a good party. When you open this book, you feel as if you are not only part of the funjust like when dining at Michaels Genuinebut also that you can rock it out yourself at home. Here are the recipes and tips you need to get things going, from putting some snacks on the table in a hurry and making some killer cocktails to dropping down some extra large plates for everyone to enjoy. So come on in and join Michaels party where the food is fantastic, the drinks are cold, and the passion is genuine.

Michael Symon

P EOPLE OFTEN ASK ME if I cook at home and strangely theyre always surprised when I say, Yeah, of course, all the time. I find the question amusing because if I didnt love to cook I wouldnt be a chef. I do what I do because I live and breathe foodtrust me there are far easier ways to make a living!

My wife, Tamara, our three children, and I live in a great house in a residential neighborhood in Miami Beach. While our kitchen is modest to say the least (no fancy range, mammoth fridge, or granite-topped center island), its still very much the heart of our home. One of the ironies of being a chef is that I rarely get to actually cook at work. Cooking at homeand then sitting down with my family to eatis very rewarding. When you break it down, cooking done with care is an act of love. As a chef, this is my time to play and prepare a wonderful triggerfish that my friends caught while spearfishing, or celebrate the bounty of each season delivered to our door by a local farm as part of our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture).

Sunday is our family time to cook and be together. For my kids, I make either something they really love, or something to open up their palates, but never anything too, too out there. This is food we all want to eatlike a BLT salad, grilled salmon, or maybe a whole roasted chicken. As a dad I totally dig seeing food and cooking through my childrens eyes. My son, Harry, who is eight years old and my youngest, will experiment and try making anything, sometimes with reckless abandon. He is fearless and open to tasting everything. My middle one, Lulu, is a bit more of a finicky eater but loves to set the table and takes pride in her creative napkin folds. My teenage daughter, Ella, has been in the kitchen practically since she could walk so she has already developed her own palate and repertoire; she knows what she likes and what she doesnt.

Ive been cooking since I was fifteen and I know what I like and what I dont. To define my food, Id say its an East Coast version of California cuisine. This book features grown-up, clearheaded dishes that are approachable, sensible, and affordable, yet still ones I love to make and eatfood that is elegant without being fussy.

Im a believer in letting the ingredient and season dictate the dish. Ive gotten tremendous support from the Miami community, which was ready to embrace the local eating movement, and thats what Im all about. Farm-to-table is fairly new to South Florida and only recently have people discovered the great quality produce from surrounding local farms. I believe organic-regional-seasonal-sustainable is not just about doing the right thing; its about doing it beautifully. Local food is fresher and tastes better than food that has been trucked or flown in from faraway places.

Buying food locally can also help create greater variety. Farmers who run CSAs, sell at farmers markets, and provide ingredients to restaurants in the area have the demand and support from the community to raise differentand moretypes of produce and livestock. Miamis natural bounty is unique to the region; take avocados, for example. There are over a dozen varieties grown here yet often Florida avocados tend to get a bad rap. People are familiar with the rich, creamy texture of California Hass avocados, which have large-scale distribution so you can get them all over the country. But Florida avocados, which are much bigger and fruitier, have a more complex flavor than that of the ubiquitous Hass; the Wilson Popenoe variety is one of my local favorites. I buy it because I love it and I buy it loyally so that I can help ensure it remains in production and on our plates.