Shereen Pavlides - Cooking with Shereen from Scratch: Because You Can!

C OOKING WITH S HEREEN F ROM S CRATCH

Because You Can!

SHEREEN
PAVLIDES

Creator of
the popular TikTok
Cooking with Shereen

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To my husband, Andreas, you make me laugh, everyday; my son, Costas and daughter, Isabella, you inspire me to reach higher to teach you all things are possible through hard work.

I first started cooking when I was thirteen. I was obsessed with creating through food. I began teaching myself early on by reading food magazines, watching Julia Child and the Food Network, working in restaurants and then finally going to culinary school in New York City, where I graduated with high honors. The creative process gave me life. Fast forward to later in my career, while I was working as an on-air guest on QVC representing cooking appliances. Cooking with Shereen came to life via YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, after ongoing viewer requests for the recipes I demonstrated so I could share my how to cooking videos and passion for cooking from scratch.

Cooking from scratch is empowering, builds your confidence and makes you feel happy! I want to help you cook like a chef and feel like a rockstar in your own kitchen. Throwing a frozen meal in the oven doesnt bring joy. So we wont! Youre better than that. Make it from scratch because you can! You may be thinking, I just dont have the time, and I get it; Im a busy mom of two, run a household and manage a full-time career. But if I can do it, you can do it.

This book is for people who want to eat real food and feel good preparing it, using less store-bought junk! Ill give you my chefie tips along the way to create shortcuts without compromising quality. Ill introduce you to your new friend the freezer, which makes preparing homemade foods a cinch, so youre stocked and ready to cook. Ill show you how to cook ahead when entertaining for friends or for the holidaystheres no reason to cook la minute. By cooking ahead and keeping everything warm in the oven, youll be stress free and able to enjoy your own party. I promise itll still taste delicious and youll be totally relaxed, and that energy makes for great food. I never want you to feel stressed or overwhelmed, evah!

Well make food from scratch from around the world by cooking everyday staples like . Yes, you can make pita with your own two hands! Theres no comparison and its much easier than you think. Now, if youre making a recipe but didnt prepare the stock ahead, donta you worry, you can substitute with store-bought, for now. I know when you finally get around to making the stock from scratch, itll blow your mind. And with your friend the freezer, your cooking will be taken to a whole new level.

Throughout my career, I have developed and tested recipes for Fortune 500 companies and national food magazine test kitchens. I also interned and worked on the line at the Fountain Restaurant at the Four Seasons hotel, hustling alongside Phillys finest chefs that were complete food snobs. I say that proudly! Ive bottled up those experiences to bring you the best of both worlds. Homemade food from scratch, easy enough for everyday cooking at home. When you turn into a food snob, wear the badge of honor proudly! Because youre fancy!

Grab your aprons; lets cook!

Chefie Tip:

I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt for all of my recipes. If youre using a different brand, please adjust the measurements to taste.

Soup, salad or appetizerswhich my husband, Andreas, calls snicky snacksare a great way to begin a meal, but honestly, you could make these your whole meal if you wanted. I dont believe in rules when it comes to food or cooking.

The freezer is your friend, whether you make my for dipping; its super easy to make and tastes insanely good! And yes, I freeze the pita, too.

My with grilled chicken, shrimp or fish during the week. Dont feel like you need to crank out a three-course meal every time you cook.

When cooking, go simple and fresh. Itll be delicious and it reduces stress when the prep is easy. A happy cook is everything! You can always add my or a crusty Italian bread to make a meal a little more filling.

Snicky snacks are also great to nibble on when youre hanging out at the pool or if friends pop over for a cocktail (check out the Crafty Cocktails chapter starting ). Whatever you choose to do with the recipes in this chapter, theyll be perfect!

When I was creating this recipe, I first started with fresh, ripe Roma tomatoes. It was delicious, clean and fresh but it was missing a depth of flavor, so I decided to roast the tomatoes instead. WOW! That was it! I made this with some spice for flavah, but you can adjust it to your liking. Wanna increase the heat? Add the seeds from the Serrano chile and add one to two more chipotles in adobo.

Makes 2 cups (660 g) salsa, chips serve 18 to 20

6 cups (1.4 L) peanut or canola oil

30 corn tortillas (5-inch [14-cm] diameter), quartered

Kosher salt

2 lbs (908 g) Roma tomatoes (812 tomatoes), quartered lengthwise and pulp and seeds removed

2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil

Fresh finely ground black pepper

1 cup (160 g) chopped sweet onion or white onion

1 small clove garlic

cup (60 ml) freshly squeezed lime juice

1 Serrano chile, seeded (as desired) and roughly chopped

1 chipotle in adobo + 2 tsp (10 ml) adobo sauce

cup (4 g) chopped cilantro

To make the chips, add the oil to a 6-quart (5.7-L) heavy-bottomed pot and heat to 350F (175C), using a candy thermometer to check the oil temperature.

Working in six to ten batches, fry the tortilla wedges until lightly golden, 1 to 2 minutes per batch, while maintaining the temperature. Flip if needed halfway through the cooking time for even browning. Using a wok strainer or tongs, remove the chips to a paper towellined sheet pan. Immediately season with salt. Repeat with the remaining chips. You can fry them up to several hours ahead.

To make the salsa, preheat the oven to 425F (220C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.