Michael Smith - Chef Michael Smiths Kitchen: 100 of My Favorite Easy Recipes

CHEF
MICHAEL SMITHS
KITCHEN

100 OF MY FAVOURITE EASY RECIPES

CHEF MICHAEL SMITH

Photography by James Ingram

PENGUIN CANADA

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700,

Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4P 2Y3 (a division of Pearson Canada Inc.)

Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, U.S.A.

Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

Penguin Ireland, 25 St Stephens Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd)

Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia

(a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd)

Penguin Books India Pvt Ltd, 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi 110 017, India

Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632, New Zealand

(a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd)

Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd, 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa

Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

First published 2011

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (CR)

Copyright Michael Smith, 2011

Food Photography: James Ingram, Jive Photographic

Food and Prop Styling: Patti Hetherington

Additional Photography: Loretta Campbell, vi, viii, 24, 48, 6263,

72, 98, 112113, 122, 136137, 168, 200201, 232, 256257

istockphotos by Henk Badenhorst, 34-35; Jim DeLillo, 88-89; and Sandy Jones, 252

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this
publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any
form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without
the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

Manufactured in the U.S.A.

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Smith, Michael, 1966

Chef Michael Smiths Kitchen.

ISBN 978-0-14-317763-0

1. Cooking. I.Title.

TX714.S59582011 641.5 C2011-901637-0

Visit the Penguin Group (Canada) website at www.penguin.ca

Special and corporate bulk purchase rates available; please see www.penguin.ca/corporatesales

or call 1-800-810-3104, ext. 2477 or 2474

This book is for everyone

who gathers, prepares,

and shares food.

And to whoever cleans up the mess!

ALSO BY MICHAEL SMITH

Open Kitchen

The Inn Chef

Chef at Home

The Best of Chef at Home

CONTENTS

Introduction

Breakfast

Sandwiches

Salads

Soups

Fish

Meat

Vegetables, Grains, and Sides

Treats

Thanks

Index

INTRODUCTION

Food is for sharing. Its ingredients, its creation, its flavours, and its stories are all at their best when experienced with our family, friends, and community. For many cooks, though, their food begins with words shared, with written recipes like the ones in this book.

Food is for creating. My goal is not for you to precisely duplicate how I might cook a dish but to share my ideas and insight so you can confidently create your own version of a dish. Your food doesnt have to look or taste like mine to succeed. When you cook a dish it becomes yours, whatever its inspiration or outcome, because as home cooks, success lies simply in going for it.

Food is fun. Over the years Ive always enjoyed cooking. Letting yourself gosimply allowing your ingredients to guide youis empowering and enjoyable. You can relax, smile, laugh, and stay in the moment. Thats how your cooking becomes peaceful and gratifying and leaves you open to discovery.

Food is for exploring. I rarely cook the same dish the same way twice, but I often stumble onto variations that I find memorable. There are many ways to interpret an idea, but inevitably we all discover favourites. Those are the flavours I have chosen to share with you in this book.

Food is personal. It helps us be our best. Its anchored in time and place and always tells a story. Each of the following dishes was inspired by many stories, but the best is yet to come. Join the fun by cooking them and making them yours. Thats the inspiration for all of the flavours in this book. Theyre for you. For your table. For your stories.

BREAKFAST

Brown Butter Scrambled Eggs,

Bacon Breakfast Taco with Cheddar Scrambled Eggs,

Potato Bacon Cheddar Breakfast Bake,

Smoked Salmon Quiche with Gruyre and Dill,

Apple Pie Pancakes with Caramel Syrup,

Caramel Apple Flipjack,

French Toast Sandwiches Oatmeal Crusted with
Blueberry Stuffing and Marmalade Mint Butter,

Buttermilk Waffles with Cinnamon Apple Stew,

Extra-Blueberry Muffins with Brown Butter,

Vanilla Yogurt Muesli with Ten Fruits, Nuts, and Seeds,