Gideon Glick - Give My Swiss Chards to Broadway: The Broadway Lovers Cookbook

Praise for Give My Swiss Chards to Broadway

As arguably one of the worlds worst cooks, this delightfully punny ode to food and Broadway inspired me to pick back up my oven mitts and try my hand at some Weenie Todds. Thank you to Adam and Gideon, and sorry to my friends and family.

RACHEL BROSNAHAN

Cooking gives me stage fright. But by combining my great ineptitude (cooking) with my great passion (theater), Gideon and Adam have created the perfect vehicle for meand any other theater queen with cooking jittersto rise above the performance anxiety and deliver the goods.

JONATHAN GROFF

What a truly original and innovative way into an incredibly fun cookbook. As someone who is not always adept in the kitchen, marrying cooking and musical theater makes me want to bust out my whisk, get adventurous, and belt out some showtunes while cooking!

ANDREW RANNELLS

Copyright 2022 by Gideon Glick and Adam Roberts

Illustrations copyright 2022 by Justin Squigs Robertson

All rights reserved

For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to

Permissions, Countryman Press, 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110

For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact

W. W. Norton Special Sales at specialsales@wwnorton.com or 800-233-4830

Cover design and lettering: Raphael Geroni

Cover illustrations Justin Squigs Robertson

Book design by Raphael Geroni

Production manager: Devon Zahn

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available

Countryman Press

www.countrymanpress.com

An imprint of W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.

500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110

www.wwnorton.com

978-1-68268-718-5

978-1-68268-719-2 (ebk)

From Gideon:

To Perry, who scarfed down more puns and recipes than he bargained for; and to my family, who aided and abetted my sick passion for theater.

From Adam:

To my parents, who taught me to love food and musicals; and to Craig, whos as enthusiastic about my cooking as he is annoyed by the show tunes that I blast in the kitchen.

W ELCOME TO GIVE MY SWISS CHARDS TO BROADWAY , A COOKBOOK written for musical theater fans who love to cook and vice versa. In these pages, youll find our culinary tributes to the Great White Way, with everything from breakfasts (The Muesli Man, ).

When we set out to write this book, we wanted to combine some of our favorite things: our love for musical theater, our love for puns, our love for cooking, and obviously, raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. One of us (Adam) is a food writer whos obsessed with Broadway musicals; one of us (Gideon) is a Broadway musical actor who loves to eat. As fans of each others work, the two of us became friends and cracked each other up during the pandemic, pitching musical theater recipe puns. We hope they crack you up, too, and inspire you to cook.

So saddle up that Bronco as you giddy-up to our Yolklahoma! ().

Along the way, youll learn about some of Broadways best tunes and all kinds of trivia about the shows that inspired these dishes. Did you know that when Sunday in the Park with George first premiered, it was only one act? Or that Falsettos was two separate shows? Or that parts of Cabaret were written at a dinner party?... Well now you do.

Most important, youll learn all kinds of culinary tricks thatll ensure rave reviews from the harshest critics in your house.

So the next time youre sitting at home wondering what to make for dinner, cue up your favorite musical and make the dish that goes along with it. We guarantee there wont be empty chairs at empty tables for long, so be our guest, its almost suppertime, why dont you stay for the night, or maybe a bite

Sorry we got carried away. Lets get cooking!

HAVE CONFIDENCE. Even Frulein Maria had to pep herself up before becoming a governess, and its no different in the kitchen. Take a few deep breaths and tell yourself, I can do this before tackling a recipe. Just make sure theres not a pine cone on your chair when you sit down for dinner.

LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP. You can take us or leave us with this advice, but in our experience, its always best to read the entire recipe through before making it.

BIT BY BIT, PUT IT TOGETHER. It might be tempting to jump right in and start cooking, but youll do yourself a big favor if you chop the vegetables, measure the oils, and get everything ready to go before you start.

THE SUNS A BALL OF BUTTER... SO USE IT! To be a good cook, you cant be afraid of fat or salt. Be generous with the fat (butter, olive oil) and salt the first time you make something and then, the next time you make it, cut back if youd like (but why would you do that?).

PICK A LITTLE, TASTE A LITTLE. No recipe can tell you exactly how much salt or pepper or lemon juice or olive oil to add to it: youve got to trust your instincts. For example, every soup will be different based on how large the carrots are, how big the pot is, and whether the stock you use is already salted. The only way to ensure flavorful results is to taste and season as you go.

TAKE TIME TO LEARN, TIME TO CARE. If youre in a rush, make something you already know how to make. For new recipes, think of it as a leisurely activity on a weekend afternoon... if you enjoy yourself doing it, the food will taste better.

MIX IT IN A MIXER AND PRETEND ITS BEEF. If youre a vegetarian, or dont eat red meat, dont let that stop you from making the recipes in this book. Feel free to substitute with Impossible Meat, ground chicken, turkey, etc. (Although kidney of a horse and liver of a cat are not recommended.)

TIL YOU TRY, YOULL NEVER KNOW. If youre unsure of an ingredient or a techniqueUrfa biber (a Turkish chili), charring a red pepper directly on the stove topgive it a go and see what you think. Its the only way to defy the gravity of your usual repertoire.

HAVE THE WHOLE WORLD ON A PLATE. If these recipes seem to make too much food, dont be afraid: its always better to have too much at a dinner party than too little. And whatever is left over, you can eat for lunch the next day.

WERE GONNA GO THROUGH IT TOGETHER. You know whats more fun than writing a cookbook with a friend? Actually cooking with a friend. Open up your kitchen and share the stage with someone you loveunless they hog the spotlight, in which case, kick them out.

W HATS THE BEST WAY TO LISTEN TO A MUSICAL YOU DONT know? This is a very good question that has haunted people for ages, or at least since... the gramophone? We dont have time to look that up. Were writing a cookbook here!

Where to start?

Well, first, its important to know what goes into the musical youre listening to. What are the ingredients ?

There is a composer who writes the music and a lyricist who writes the (you guessed it!) lyrics to the songs. Sometimes theyre the same person, like a Stephen Sondheim or a Jason Robert Brown. Very erudite, very fancy pants.

Theres also a book writer who writes the scenes and text between the songs and helps shape the story. Sometimes that happens to be the lyricist or composer, too. Also very erudite, very fancy pants.