Julee Rosso - The New Basics Cookbook

BY JULEE ROSSO & SHEILA LUKINS

ILLUSTRATED BY SHEILA LUKINS

WORKMAN PUBLISHING NEW YORK

In order to make all of our dreams come true, some of our very favorite people have been working with us from the beginning of Basics to the end. Were forever grateful to Sidney Burstein and Ellen Gibson White for their magic in the kitchen; Nancy Nordstrom and Ann Bloomstrand for their thorough curiosity, Kathie Ness for her recipe diligence, and Barbara Ottenhoff for her more than smooth style.

We sincerely thank the talented Susy Davidson, RenaCoyle, Fran Snyder, Stephanie Lyness, Lauren Jacobs, Candace Strong, Kathy Kelsh, Hadassah Gold, Sally Brazil, and Tess Platt for the terrific support and contributions. And thanks, too, to Steve Connolly, who taught us the way to make perfect pizza.

Our heartfelt gratitude goes to our creative colleagues and friends in the food business for sharing their favorite recipes with us, and who have inspired and encouraged us through the years; our cohorts, who were with us or there for us during so many of the Silver Palate years, especially Michael McLaughlin and Sarah Leah Chase; and our old and dear friends, who lovingly saw us through it all.

With love, we especially thank our friends at Workmanour very wonderful editor, Suzanne Rafer, whos seen us through thick and thin; art directors Paul Hanson and Charles Kreloff; designer Lisa Hollander, who with her crewespecially Lori Malkin, Marcia Bujold, and Regina Dalton-Fischelmade the book dance; Shannon Ryan, Mary Wilkinson, David Schiller, Cathy Dorsey, Amy Robbins, Ruth Hochbaum (and her staff at BPE) and Wayne Kirn for their help in moving the book along; Bert Snyder, Janet Harris, Andrea Glickson, and Annie Brody for seeing to it that all the work wasnt for naught; and of course to Peter and Carolan Workman. And, to Arthur Klebanoff, our dear friend. Thank you all, from the bottom of our hearts.

JULEE AND SHEILA

Since The Silver Palate Cookbook and The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook were published, weve had a great time traveling around the U.S. and have been fortunate to meet and become friends with so many of you. Its been a real joy for us to share our passion for and curiosity about food, as well as our love for gracious entertaining.

Were often asked how we work together. Very, very well is our answer. In fact we have a creative relationship that just seems to keep getting better with age. Ideas for recipes sometimes come from an ingredient, a texture, a need to update a classic, or a dish weve tasted. But often a good idea arrives free-formin the shower or during a walk. We talk it over and improve the concept, cook it, taste and critique it together, and decide which flavors, if any, need emphasizing; then we make the adjustments and taste it again. If we come up with something we can say we really love, we gamble that you will too.

Weve become great friends over these past twelve years. We respect each other, finish each others sentences, have ideas simultaneously, and have been known to show up in almost the same outfits. We just clicked long ago, and were blessed with similar timetables, expectations, curiosities, and standards of taste.

But we are two different people, even though were often confused one for the other. Sheila is married to Richard, and their teenage daughters, Annabel and Molly, hardly remember a time before The Silver Palate food shop. They live in Manhattan during the week and on weekends they retreat to a farm in Connecticut that has a rushing trout stream. Sheila loves her art, the opera, tending her garden, and scouting flea markets. Julee, recently married to Bill, divides her time between Manhattan and a cottage on Lake Michigan. She loves her herb and rose gardens, playing golf, grilling, sculpting, and collecting antique cookbooks.

Over the years, together and separately, we have been on the road again and again, both for business and for pleasure. Weve given countless numbers of cooking classes and lectures on entrepreneurship, have signed thousands of books, and have worked with stores of every size and style to merchandise Silver Palate products. As the business expanded and the books were published in other countries, we traveled to Japan, France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, and the Caribbean. With our professional colleagues, weve been lucky to be part of a renaissance in the food business in America.

Eventually, however, we determined that it was time to shift gearsnot by any means to stop, but to reevaluate lifes priorities, and to take time to smell the basil, not just pure it. It seemed the right time to sell The Silver Palate. For too long our schedules had kept us away from the people we wanted to share meals withnot just on weekends or at a special work-night dinner, but all of the time. We began to take a long, hard look at our own kitchens, rethinking and restocking them in keeping with all we had learned over the years.

Even without The Silver Palate, our schedules are still hectic, but were in our own kitchens, setting our own moods, and cooking in our own styles. And meals with our families and friends have become the most rewarding and satisfying part of our day.

Selling the company also has freed us to do something that we have been wanting to do for the last few yearsto write a basic cookbook that combines the information todays cooks need with irresistible recipes for the foods they want to prepare. THE NEW BASICS COOKBOOK reflects the exciting things weve learned over the years, as well as including our latest, and we think, greatest recipes. We hope you enjoy it.

JULEE ROSSO AND SHEILA LUKINS

After being caught up in a whirlwind the past twenty years, with food fads and lifestyles changing faster than you can run a marathon, many people say that it is now time to take a breath, slow down, and hark back to a simpler time in Americato go back to basics. And were all for it. At least in part. You see, after more than two decades as food professionals, and with all the exciting changes we have seen in the food world, we have no desire to take a step backward after coming so far. Instead we think a new and exciting version of those basics is what is needed.

Stimulated by this need plus our love for foods with strong, vibrant flavors, our concern for health and fitness, and our insatiable curiosity, we have delved into the newest ingredients, cooking techniques, and magical time-saving equipment. As we evaluated our pantries, it became clear that the best of the past two decades have become our staplesbut the shelves are never so full that there isnt room for the latest find.

The true joy of cooking well for family and friends is no longer a weekend pastime. During the 1970s and 80s we spent our time in restaurants, take-out food shops, and more often than not, picking up fast food. Now we luxuriate in the search for the best and freshest of our bountiful ingredients. We want to know and be in control of what were serving. The vast cornucopia of ethnic, exotic, and regional cuisines have become so accessible to us all, that borders are easily crossed and the most eclectic menus emerge. Were using more herbs, spices, garlic, lemon, and vinegar for colorful dishes with clean clear taste. We may still break rules, but thats the fun!