Alex Guarnaschelli - 150 Recipes for the Home Cook: A Cookbook

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The most important person in my life is my daughter, Ava. That said, this book is also a lot about two people I no longer have anymore: my dad and my aunt Aggie. I had little family growing up, and they were two of the most important people to me. The other is my mother. She is, thank God, still around and took a dark red pencil to every word of this book. She is the Quincy Jones of editors, and this is her opus.

Another important person in my life is Michael Castellon. You cut my fathers hair and gently shaved his face when he was really sick. That bought a lifetime of love and loyalty from me. You also make a great cauliflower lasagna.

My most important mentor (and friend) is Bobby Flay, who is truly like a mob boss with a heart of gold. I cant put a value on how many times he has saved me from my own choices and cooked me some incredible food, too. He brought me into Food Network, showed me the ropes, and fed me scallops on crispy tortillas with corn and avocado along the way. He also reminds me of the essentials (in no particular order):

1.Remember every time youre on TV, your daughter is watching you.

2.Believe in yourself and do the work.

3.Dont be a knucklehead.

4.Taste your food.

Thanks also to Giada De Laurentiis for being a great friend. So supportive. Such a great lover of chocolate cake and frank conversation. Great mom. Amazing restaurateur. Great TV personality and entrepreneur. You honestly inspire me.

Special thanks to Guy Fieri, who has invited me to be a part of countless shows on Food Network: from Grocery Games to Guys Ranch Kitchen to Guys Big Project, he always makes me feel like an important part of his great work. Thanks to Brian Lando. He is the reason I am on a couple of shows called Chopped and Iron Chef America. A special thanks to Steve Kroopnik and John Bravakis from Triage and to Vivian Sorensen, the Queen of Chopped, too.

The most important chef I worked for is Guy Savoy. He told this scrappy American girl it was okay to cook in his three-Michelin-star joint in Paris in 1992, and I watched six years go by in a blink. He truly taught me what flavor ishow to find it, harness it, and not throw it away. He taught me what a great ingredient is and why I should care. Okay, so he might have broken a few plates and yelled a bit along the way. The most rewarding moments were when he would make a beeline for the American girls station and take a huge ladle of whatever soup I was making. I came to expect it. I loved watching the color return to his face. Watching him dunk bread in the soup. I think it fed me more than it actually fed him.

Other than my daughter, my other great life achievement is Butter. A force of nature. Somehow a team has formed and we wont let it be broken by anything. Its mostly because we all want to be Alvaro Buchelly when we grow up. Hes our Crown Prince of Butter. Thanks go to these hooligans, too: the extraordinary chef Michael Butter is an Italian restaurant Jenkins and the incredible Jamaal Edward 40hands Dunlap. They are two incredible men whom I have watched grow, mature (somewhat), and run this great restaurant. It honestly brings tears to my eyes. Without Michael there would simply be no soul, and without Jamaal there would be no heart or food. The very special bunny Antonio la Morales Morales, pastry chef extraordinaire Kevin OBrien, Miguel Mango Angel Cruz, Flaviano Muscle Milk Sosa, Michael Inspired Vision chef Chatman, Steak Master David Rim, Jon I have Nothing! Boros, Max Castro, DJSerge1 Youre really probably fired this time Ramirez, Stephanie Cinnamon Rolls Galan, Wirt I need to take a gin break and run a juice bar because I now have ten children Cook, Diane Can I just give you a light punch on the arm, Michael? Vista-Wayne, Lucas Sniffles Marino, Alexandria Is Kevin coming in tonight? Ventrella, and Manuel Grumpypants Duarte. While general manager Lauren Basco is technically front of house, she may as well be a kitchen staff member. Lauren seamlessly rose from Dancing Queen hostess to literally running the joint. Im so proud to know you and call you a friend. Ill drive you through an artichoke field anytime. To amazing purveyors and friends: Louis Rozzo, Pat LaFrieda, Mark Pastore, and Lou Di Palo.

Thanks to my editor, Raquel Pelzel, and her staff at Clarkson Potter for painstakingly editing this book. Raquel managed to clarify my language and thoughts into recipes that make sense to people other than just me. A critical thing and the work of a great editor.

Shout-out to the copy editors, too. They never get the thanks they deserve!

Thanks to Marysarah Quinn and Ian Dingman for the stunning and unique design of the book. Thanks to Irika Slavin and Lauren Mueller at Food Network for their amazing support and patience. Special thanks to Courtney White, Kathleen Finch, Mark Levine, and Allison Page for taking a chance on me more than once!

Special thanks to Jon Steinlauf, Karen Grinthal, and Jon Sichel for their great friendship.

Thanks to Josh Bider, Jeff Googel, Strand Conover, Jon Rosen, and Andy McNichol at William Morris Endeavor.

Thanks to the farmers at the Union Square Greenmarket: Alex Paffenroth, Northshire Farms, Windfall Farms, Stokes Farms, Cherry Lane Farm, Eckerton Farms, and Keiths Farm.

Thanks to great Hamptons farmers Marilee Foster, Pike Farms, Green Thumb Organic, Balsam Farms, Amber Waves, and Mecox Bay Dairy. Thanks to Carissas Breads for inspiring me, too.

The main recipe tester is none other than the great Ashley Archer, with whom I have worked for years. She is a force of nature and brilliant. Thank you.

A special thanks to my assistant, Christina Caruana, and pastry chef, Kevin OBrien, for also testing so many of these recipes again and again. Christina: you are becoming a great cook! Thanks to Michael Castellon for his smart suggestions, skilled cooking, and patient discussion about so much of this book.

Johnny Miller is a uniquely great photographer. He mixed his own view with mine in the most brilliant and generous way. He came to my house and I didnt want him to leave. What an artist! Thanks to Luc Decker for the critically important digital piece of the images. Thanks to Rebecca Jurkevich for the transcendent cooking, gifted hands, and otherworldly food styling. Thanks to Cybelle Tondu for her amazing cooking and assistance with the food. Thanks to Sarah Smart for prop styling.

Thanks to Colleen Grapes for really being the greatest friend I have.

Thanks to Gretta Monahan, Ricky Goldin, Randy Kolhoff, Peter Cook, Karen Kiki Mullane, MP Styles, Bruce Bronster, Bruce Seidel, Annie Washburn, Emily Giske, Patti Jackson, Missy Robbins, Michael Symon, Lee Schrager, Geoffrey Zakarian, Scott Conant, Alton Brown, Mikey Bagels, Vivian Sorenson, Dave Mechlowicz, Madi Clark, and fellow chefs everywhere.

Thanks to Cobi Levy, Tony Ramirez, Tim Gunyon, and Ashley Marshal for doing nothing short of amazing work at Butter.

Lastly, a shout-out to dishwashers and short-order diner cooks. The Great American Diner is a dying art in this country. Breakfast shifts and washing dishes are the hardest stations to work in any restaurant setting. Next time you eat a perfectly poached egg on a warm, clean plate, think about it. Respect.

Alex Guarnaschelli grew up in New York City. She had her culinary training in Paris, where she worked at the legendary Restaurant Guy Savoy before returning to cook at the Michelin-starred and renowned restaurant Daniel. She is now the executive chef at Butter in Manhattan. A judge and host of numerous Food Network shows, including