How to Cook Everything—Completely Revised Twentieth Anniversary Edition: Simple Recipes for Great Food

By Mark Bittman

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Introduction

• Moving forward: This third edition of How to Cook Everything, again completely revised and updated, designed to satisfy home cooks hungry for photographs and streamlined content, remains my most important book. And this time around, I focus even more on the most important aspect of my cooking philosophy: flexibility.

• I’ve had the good fortune to travel all over the country (and the world!), talking to people who cook regularly as well as to those who wish they cooked more, and I’ve discovered that one of the most important differences between those who enjoy cooking and those who treat it like a chore is the ability to be spontaneous.

Cooking Basics

Chapter at a glance: What Ingredients Should I Buy? What Equipment Do I Need? What Techniques Do I Need to Know? The Importance of Heat

• Spend your money on the best ingredients you can afford, invest in some pantry staples, and skip the Himalayan pink salt and black truffles.

• If you can garden—even just some herbs—go for it. Choose local vegetables from a conscientious farmer over organic vegetables from a multinational corporation. Buy the best food you can find when you can’t find local. Avoid overly processed anything, organic or otherwise. And be flexible; there may be times when the best vegetable you can find is not only not local and not organic but might even be frozen.

• Never put cooked food on a plate, cutting board, or surface that previously held raw food. Change sponges frequently. Change your kitchen towel frequently also—at least once a day. Keep plenty of extras handy.

• Many foods should be washed just before cooking or eating. For produce, rinse away visible dirt and (we hope) pesticide residue, bacteria, fungi, and by-products of handling either with water alone or with the help of a little mild soap if necessary.

• Mollusks (clams, mussels, oysters) must be scrubbed really clean;

• Sturdy, functional cookware need not be expensive. Bargains are out there, even with first-rate products, especially at a restaurant supply store or at clearance sales online. Upscale “culinary” stores are mostly for show, and big-box stores sell a lot of junk. Look for tools—and tableware—at tag sales and thrift stores; some of the most useful utensils are old-school anyway. And let your cooking style dictate how you expand your collection.

• A good knife is worth the investment, and it’s better to buy fewer good quality blades than more junk. High-carbon stainless-steel alloy blades, which are what chefs and experienced home cook often use, are the best choice.

• And don’t be fooled by sets. Unless you’re regularly butchering meat and fish, you only need the three knives below.

• An electric sharpener is the best, easiest, and most expensive way to keep knife blades sharp. The alternatives are to learn to use a whetstone (not that difficult, and very effective, but time-consuming) or to take them to a hardware store to have them sharpened professionally

• 1. Chef’s knife: The all-purpose knife. An 8-inch blade is what most home cooks like; go to 10 inches if you have especially big hands and like the feel, or 6 inches if your hands are small. Make sure the handle feels good when you hold it; the grip is almost as important as the blade, and only you can judge whether it’s a comfortable fit.
• 2. Paring knife: You can buy expensive paring knives, or pretty good ones that are so cheap you could almost consider them disposable. It’s nice to have a couple in slightly varying styles. Use for peeling, trimming, and other precise tasks.
• 3. Long serrated knife: Sometimes called a bread knife. A must for bread and other baked goods; for splitting cakes into layers; for ripe tomatoes; and for large fruits or vegetables like melons and squash. They’re trickier to sharpen, but the best ones hold their edges for many years.

• Here are your options, with my preferences up top. In all cases, those with an ovenproof handle are the most versatile.

  • Stainless steel: This is a nonreactive metal, meaning you can cook anything in it, including foods high in acid, without worrying about discoloration or off-tastes. It’s better to buy a few high-quality pots and pans—the kind with heavy bottoms where the steel encloses an aluminum or copper core to conduct heat well—than cheap, thin-bottomed cookware. Be willing to use some fat and properly heat them; not adding enough butter or oil will make food stick.
  • Cast iron: The old-school staple conducts heat nearly as well as stainless steel at a fraction of the cost of other materials, and is pretty much nonstick once it’s properly seasoned. I now cook almost everything (except boiled foods) in well-seasoned cast iron. But cast iron is heavy, and the iron itself can react with acidic ingredients or porous vegetables (like eggplant) and discolor them. Enameled cast iron is a good solution since it’s heavy enough to brown foods, and also nonreactive; but it can be expensive.

• Seasoning Cast Iron: Until a cast iron pan is seasoned with a combination of heat and fat, food will stick to it. You can now buy preseasoned cast iron, or you can season it yourself: Heat the oven to 350°F and use a brush or towel to spread a tablespoon or so of vegetable oil (anything but canola) around the inside of the pan, sides and all. There should be no excess, but the entire surface should be shiny. Bake the pan for about an hour, then turn off the oven and leave it inside to cool. To maintain newly seasoned cast iron, it helps if you use the pan for sautéing or frying the first few times you cook in it. The more oil, the better. Once the iron is seasoned, you can use a mildly abrasive scouring pad to wash it; mild soap is fine too. I dry my cast-iron skillet on the stovetop over low heat. When the water begins to evaporate, I wipe it out with a towel, use the towel to smear around a little oil, let it sit over the heat for a few more minutes, then wipe it out again. Proper care can avoid the need for major reseasoning, and even fix legacy and thrift-store cast iron (after you scrub off any existing rust).

• As a general rule, I favor wooden spoons and spatulas to prevent scratching. But a metal spatula on a metal pan is often the only way to get desired results. With nonstick or enamel coatings you must use nonmetal utensils. You can wash all materials in the dishwasher except cast iron and black steel, which are porous and will rust.

• Whether you’re chopping an onion, mincing a clove of garlic, or cutting slices from a pork tenderloin to throw on the grill, you want all pieces to be approximately the same size and thickness so they cook in the same time.

• Note that meat and poultry should be sliced against the grain; if raw, it’s almost always easier to slice after freezing first for about 30 minutes.

• Food generally responds best when it comes into sudden contact with something hot. Whether you’re plunging spaghetti into boiling water or a steak into an almost-smoking skillet, this heat impact is what will get you tender (not mushy) pasta and a crisp brown crust on the steak. Occasionally you might start with cold ingredients in a cold pan or a cold oven or a cold pot of water, but those exceptions are always noted.

• Residual heat will cause what’s called “carry-over cooking,” which you can stop by immediately shocking boiled food in ice water (see page 238), or at least by draining it in a colander under cold running water.

• Braising is a two-step cooking method: You first sear the ingredients, then add liquid to the pan, cover, and simmer. You can simmer in the oven, with low heat (300°F or lower) or on top of the stove. As the dish cooks, both the cooking liquid and the solid ingredients develop lots of flavor and a luxurious texture. Braising is often used to slow-cook tough pieces of meat—short ribs, brisket, veal shank, and so on—but you can also make delicious braised fish, chicken, and vegetables.

• Though deep-frying is easy, it’s a bit of a production, so I consider it special-occasion cooking. But the rewards are worth the work, especially if you don’t mind people hovering around the kitchen to get their food while it’s at peak crispness. Use a large, deep, heavy-duty pot. The best oils are grapeseed (neutral and clean), peanut (especially for Asian-type dishes), and olive (best for European-type frying; just be careful not to overheat it). Put at least 2 inches of oil into the pot (3 if there’s room); there should be several inches left to allow the food and oil to rise without overflowing.

• Plan to have leftovers by cooking extra of basic ingredients like plain beans, rice or grains, tomato sauce, roasted meats or chicken, or simply cooked vegetables. At the very least they can become salads.

• Don’t be afraid to turn the last bit of stews and sautés into impromptu pastas, rice bowls, and soups.

Spices, Herbs, Sauces, and Condiments

Chapter at a glance: Salt and Pepper Spices Chiles, Peppers, and Chile Pastes Herbs Flavored Oils Fresh (Uncooked) Sauces Cooked Sauces

• When baking, use kosher salt; sea salt is less uniform and might have overpowering mineral flavors.

• Sunlight, moisture, and heat are the enemies of all spices. Keep whole spices in tightly covered opaque containers or in jars in a dark place. The cooler, the better, though the refrigerator is too humid.

• Whenever possible, toast whole spices just before grinding. If they’re big, like cinnamon sticks or nutmeg, break them up—with your fingers, the back of a knife, a hammer, the bottom of a pan, whatever. If they’re encased in pods, like cardamom, lightly crush the pods to remove the seeds; discard the husks. Put a dry skillet over medium heat. Add the spices and cook, shaking the pan or stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until they smell really good, just a minute or 2. Immediately remove them from the pan and let them cool a bit. Whir the spice or spices in a coffee or spice grinder; purists use a mortar and pestle. Unplug the grinder, empty out the spices, then wipe it out as best you can. (If you’re feeling really energetic, grind a little rice to a powder after removing the spices; the rice powder will remove the seasonings when you dump it out.)

• Spice, Description, Uses:

  • Allspice
    • Jamaica pepper; myrtle pepper; newspice; pimento
    • Berries of the aromatic evergreen pimento trees (not to be confused with pimientos, the peppers; see page 42). Small, hard, rough-skinned, they look like large peppercorns, smell a bit like a combination of cloves and nutmeg, and taste slightly peppery.
    • Ground, by the pinch; a little goes a long way. Particularly delicious with grains (bulgur, couscous, rice, polenta) and vegetables (beets, carrots, parsnips, winter squashes, sweet potatoes). Extremely useful in pies, puddings, gingerbread, some chocolate desserts.
  • Amchoor
    • Amchur; green mango powder
    • Made from unripe green mangoes that are peeled, sliced, dried, and ground. Tangy sour taste; used much like lemon juice.
    • Sift if necessary to remove lumps. Used primarily in Indian cooking—curries, chutneys, pickles, and especially in the spice blend Chaat Masala (page 34).
  • Anise seeds
    • Aniseed; sweet cumin
    • Tiny crescent-shaped greenish-brown seeds with a sweet licorice flavor. Star anise or fennel can usually fill in for these and vice versa.
    • Most common in desserts. Also work well in sweet and savory dishes with apples, cucumbers, carrots, turnips, cabbages; in fruit salads, salad dressings, pickles, stuffings, sauerkraut.
  • Annatto
    • Achiote
    • Hard, triangular brick-colored seeds; sometimes available as prepared paste. Earthy or musky smell; slightly peppery but subtle taste. Traditionally used in Latin American dishes, mostly for color and a touch of nutty flavor.
    • Whole seeds usually heated with oil to color and flavor it; strained out before cooking. To grind, soak for 10 minutes in boiling water, drain, then grind with mortar and pestle or in spice grinder.
  • Asafetida Hing; devil’s dung; stinking gum
    • Made from the dried resin of carrot family plants. Waxy brownish-black lumps; beige powder. Its unfortunate high-sulfur odor (like rotten garlic) can overcome your kitchen, but with a bit of cooking it transforms into a haunting flavor that smells a bit like onion. Powder is easier to use but generally less pure, so go for lump form if you can find it.
    • Indian cuisine primarily, especially vegetables, beans, potatoes, chutney, pickles, sauces; usually in spice mixtures like sambar powder. Very potent, so use only by the pinch. Try adding a tiny amount to plain boiled rice. To minimize the smell, double-pack powdered asafetida in a jar inside another jar. Lump will keep indefinitely; pulverize a bit just before use.
  • Caraway
    • Slender, ridged brown seeds from a parsley-related plant, with an anise-cumin flavor.
    • Traditionally used in rye bread; delicious in cabbage and potato dishes and other hearty soups and stews.
  • Cardamom
    • Whole pods may be green, brown-black, or whitish. Each contains about 10 brown-black, slightly sticky seeds with a rich spicy scent, a bit like ginger mixed with pine and lemon. Available as whole pods, “hulled” (just the seeds), and ground; ground is the least potent. A staple in Middle Eastern and Indian cooking (a key ingredient in many spice mixtures); also used in pastries, especially in Scandinavia. Gently crush pods with the flat side of a knife to free seeds; grind or crush as required. (Sometimes pods are cooked whole, especially in braised dishes, where they soften.
  • Celery seeds
    • Tiny tan seeds. Usually from lovage, a related plant with an intense celery flavor. Can be bitter.
    • A little goes a long way. Often used in pickling brines, cheese spreads, and salad dressings.
  • Cinnamon
    • Canela; Ceylon or Sri Lanka cinnamon;
    • The aromatic bark of a tropical laurel tree. Cassia, cinnamon’s less expensive cousin from a laurel tree native to China, often sold as cinnamon. Ground cinnamon is handy, though it’s easy enough to grind sticks or use whole in liquids. Cassia is redder with a more bitter flavor, so it’s better in savory dishes than sweet ones.
    • Use whole cinnamon sticks or pieces of cassia in soups, stews, chiles, curries; add to rice or other grains. True cinnamon is excellent in pastries, rice puddings, and other concoctions featuring sweet cream. Delicious paired with apples or in mulled cider.
  • Cloves
    • The unripe flower buds of an evergreen native to Southeast Asia. Pink when picked; dried to reddish brown, separated from their husks, then dried again. Whole cloves should be dark brown, oily, and fat, not shriveled. Sweet and warm aroma and piercing flavor
    • Use cloves sparingly; remove whole cloves before serving (or at least warn people to look out for them!). To make this easier, wrap in cheesecloth or put in a tea ball. A pinch ground cloves is good in spice blends, batters and doughs, some pie fillings, stewed fruit.
  • Coriander
    • Seeds of the cilantro plant (see page 47). Small, round; color varies from pale green when fresh to light or dark brown when dried. Lemony flavor somewhat like cilantro leaves, but more nuanced, with hints of cumin, fennel, and even cloves.
    • Seeds can be cooked whole into dishes (and - are quite pleasant to eat) or ground first. Most often used with other spices, especially cumin and cardamom; an important part of many spice mixtures or alone in Asian- and Latin American-style stews and soups.
  • Cumin
    • Comino.
    • The highly aromatic dried seed of a relative of parsley. Often confused with caraway, though they don’t taste alike at all. If you find cumin bitter, seek out black cumin, which is more peppery and sweet; it can usually be found in Indian markets.
    • Like coriander, frequently included in spice mixtures (garam masala, kebsa, chili powder). Also used solo, especially in Latin American and Middle Eastern cooking.
  • Dill seeds
    • Light brown, oval, and flat. Stronger taste than the fresh herb;
    • Often used whole; occasionally ground. Excellent with cucumbers, radishes, potatoes, and sauces made with sour cream, yogurt, or mustard.
  • Fennel seeds
    • Sweet cumin.
    • From bulbless fennel these seeds are small, pale greenish brown ovals with tiny ridges. Aromatic, warm, sweet taste reminiscent of licorice. Not as strong as anise, and a bit more useful.
    • Delicious in salad dressings, yogurt sauces, and pilafs. One of the five ingredients in Five-Spice Powder (page 35). In some curry powders; a popular flavor in India, Italy (think sausages), and southern France. An interesting addition -. to spice cookies, shortbread, quick breads.
  • Fenugreek
    • (the leaves are Methi)
    • Distinctive small, rectangular, brownish- yellow seeds; very hard. Pungent aroma, faintly reminiscent of maple earthy, somewhat bitter taste
    • Used mainly in the cuisines of India and northern Africa in chutneys, dals (lentils), and curries. An essential ingredient in many curry powders. Especially good with eggplant and potatoes.
  • Ginger
    • Pungent, spicy, almost hot flavor. Yellowish tan and powdery when dried and ground. May be sliced and candied (crystallized), preserved in sugar syrup, or pickled
    • Ground ginger is often used in sweets (cakes, cookies, quick breads) very convenient for spice mixtures. Candied and preserved ginger are delicious out of hand and can be used in cooking; you know pickled ginger from Sushi.
  • Juniper berries
    • From the cones of the evergreen tree of the same name. The size of dried peas, blue-black in color. Very pungent taste like a mix of pine, fruit, and lemon peel; the dominant flavor in gin
    • Use in moderation. Toasting brings out the aroma; crushing releases flavor. Or use whole in a cheesecloth bag or tea ball, then remove before serving. Classic in stuffings, sauerkraut, sauces, and pickling.
  • Mace
    • The hard, lacy coating (aril) that covers the pod that contains the nutmeg kernel. Bright red when the fruit first opens; yellow brown after drying and pressing. Flavor very similar to nutmeg, though more bitter. Available in whole blades or ground. Nutmeg is almost always an adequate substitute
    • Commonly used in cakes and other sweets; traditional in doughnuts and pumpkin pie. Add ground mace directly to savory dishes toward the end of cooking. Whole blades work in soups or stews as long as you remove them before serving.
  • Nigella
    • The teardrop-shaped seeds from a plant in the same family as buttercups. Look very similar to black sesame seeds. Taste like mild onions. Usually found whole in Middle Eastern and Indian grocery stores
    • Seeds don’t need to be toasted. Add a sprinkle as a savory finishing touch, especially on flatbreads and mild cheese.
  • Nutmeg
    • The egg-shaped kernel inside the seed of the fruit of a tropical evergreen tree. (Its covering is mace, above.) About 1 inch long. Dark brown; sometimes whitish, the result of being dusted with lime to discourage insects. (Wash this off before grating or grinding. Sweet and warm; strong and slightly bitter. Available ground, but there’s nothing quite like grating your own at the last minute
    • Use sparingly: grate directly into the dish or break into pieces first (use a hammer); put the unused portion back in the jar or bag. Lovely in fruit dishes, custards, cakes, other sweets; also vegetables, especially spinach. Works well as a finishing touch to cream and cheese sauces.
  • Paprika
    • Pimentón
    • Bright red-orange ground dried chile, anything turning brown is too old. Spicy-sweet aroma. Varying in heat from mild/sweet (usually from Hungary or increasingly California) to hot. Also smoked, called pimentón in Spanish (see page 42)
    • Use the same way as dried chile: delicious with grains, eggs, cheese, many vegetables, in soups, stews, sauces, rice, potato dishes. Ground mild chile (like ancho) can substitute for paprika with no problem.
  • Poppy seeds
    • From the same plant as opium; the pinhead- size seeds come from inside the flower’s pods. Most of the seed we use in the U.S. are slate blue, but those used in India are usually smaller and yellow-white. Adds a nutty favor and subtle crunch to foods. Available whole or crushed into a paste
    • Used in Europe and the Middle East in or on sweets and baked goods. Good in salad dressings, fruit salads, with Eastern European- style noodle dishes. In India, poppy seeds are toasted, ground and used to flavor and thicken curries. Paste is often a filling for strudel-type pastries and breads. Very finely ground almonds or almond paste is a good substitute.
  • Saffron Zafran
    • asafran
    • Expensive by the ounce, but you don’t need much at any one time and it’s worth having around. Be sure the source is reputable. Threads should be strong, long, and brilliant orange- red; don’t bother with ground. Highly aromatic, warm, and spicy; slightly bitter taste. Gives food a distinctive and lovely yellow color and incomparable flavor
    • Use sparingly (a good pinch is usually right); too much can give food a medicinal taste. Add threads directly to the dish or steep them in some of the cooking liquid or oil for a few minutes first. Used in many traditional breads and cakes, as well as rice (like Yellow Rice, page 436), pasta, cheese dishes. To approximate its color, use annatto or turmeric; but nothing tastes like saffron.
  • Sesame seeds
    • Benné
    • Small, flat, and oval with a pointed tip. Powerful nutty, somewhat sweet flavor, especially when toasted. (But pretoasted sesame seeds sometimes have an off flavor.) Available whole, as paste (tahini), or as sesame oil (see page 5). White (most common), red, and black varieties: also unhulled white seeds which are slightly bitter and harder to digest.
    • An important flavoring in the cooking of China, Korea, Japan, India, the Middle East, and Europe. Toasting before use (see page 309) mellows the raw flavor (which is why they’re perfect for sprinkling on cookies). Also delicious as a coating for fried foods, as a garnish, sprinkled into sauces, dressings, on salads. Store in the freezer to prevent them qoing rancid.
  • Star anise
    • Chinese anise
    • The fruit of an evergreen tree native to China. Pods are a dark brown, eight-pointed star, about 1 inch in diameter, with seeds in each point. Perhaps the strangest looking spice you’ll ever buy and quite lovely. Licorice-like flavor, but botanically unrelated to anise
    • Whole stars make an attractive garnish. If less than a whole star is required, break the star into individual points. Wrap the points in cheesecloth to remove them before serving. Use in soups, marinades, spice mixtures; part of Five-Spice Powder (page 35) Common in Vietnamese cooking, especially pho.
  • Sumac
    • Summaq
    • Ground dried berries from a sumac plant. Usually found ground. Brick-red spice lends a bit of color
    • Used as a souring agent (much like lemon) in the Middle East. Add to seasoning rubs; use as a final seasoning during the last few minutes of cooking. Use with grilled items, on salads, in dips like hummus or baba ghanoush.
  • Turmeric
    • Indian saffron
    • A rhizome like ginger but darker-skinned with thinner fingers and bright orange-red flesh. Increasingly available fresh. Ground is the most common form; its color is more golden than red
    • Most frequently used dried and ground in spice blends. If you see it fresh, try adding to pickles (see page 228) or with ginger to stir- fries. Use sparingly; too much tastes bitter Typical in Indian vegetarian cooking, especially dal; also good with rice and other grain dishes like couscous.
  • Vanilla beans
    • The seed pod of a climbing orchid, grown in tropical forests. The best are 4 to 5 inches long, dark chocolate brown, tough but pliant, and sometimes covered with white crystals (called givre”frost”-in French). Inside, hundreds of tiny black seeds. Good vanilla is expensive, so be suspicious of cheap beans. Available in whole pods (superior) and extract (convenient, and fine for most uses)
    • It’s usually best to split the pod lengthwise and scrape the seeds into a liquid, although you can steep pods whole in sauces or syrups. Make vanilla sugar by burying a couple of whole beans in a jar of sugar, which will absorb their aroma after a few days; replenish the sugar as you use it. Exceptional with chocolate and coffee. Used to flavor all kinds of desserts. Good with fruits: try poaching pears, apples, figs, or pineapple in a syrup flavored with vanilla. Surprisingly great with lobster. Wrap tightly in foil or seal in a glass jar and store in a cool place or the refrigerator.

• Chili Powder

• Curry Powder

• Garam Masala

• Jerk Seasoning

• Chaat Masala

• Five-Spice Powder

• Seaweed “Shake”

• Mustard

  • Yellow and white mustard seeds
  • Brown mustard seeds
  • Black mustard seeds

• Grainy Mustard

  • Pickled Mustard Seeds

  • 14 Ways to Flavor Grainy Mustard: Start with ½ cup mustard and stir in the following ingredients. Note that using fresh herbs, fruit, or vegetables will reduce the mustard’s storage time to a week. 1. Mustard Relish: Add ½ cup chopped sweet pickle and ¼ cup each chopped red onion and red bell pepper. 2. Tarragon Mustard: Add 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon. 3. Rosemary Mustard: Add 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary. 4. Tomato Mustard: Add 1 tablespoon tomato paste. 5. Honey Mustard: Add 2 tablespoons honey. 6. Horseradish Mustard: Add 1 teaspoon freshly grated or prepared horseradish, or more to taste. 7. Molasses Mustard: Add 1 tablespoon molasses. 8. Balsamic Mustard: Add 1 to 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, to taste. 9. Creole Mustard: Add ¼ teaspoon cayenne, or more to taste. 10. Roasted Garlic Mustard: Add 2 or 3 cloves Roasted Garlic (page 294), mashed with a fork. 11. Peach Mustard: Add ¼ cup fresh peach purée (1 medium peach, peeled, pitted, sliced, and puréed or mashed with a fork). 12. Mango Mustard: Add ¼ cup fresh mango purée (½ medium mango, peeled, pitted, cubed, and puréed or mashed with a fork). 13. Brewhouse Mustard: Instead of the red wine or water, use ½ cup strong-flavored beer, like stout, porter, bock, or dark or amber ale. 14. Mock Mostarda: For a shortcut to the fruity Italian sauce (usually served with rich meats), combine 1/2 cup mustard with 1/4 cup orange marmalade or cherry or apricot preserves. Add 2 tablespoons cider vinegar.

• Capsaicin, the thing that gives peppers their heat, releases “feel good” endorphins in the brain and chiles are high in vitamin C and contain some antioxidants. But really, the taste is what we love.

• Look for firm, smooth fresh chiles with shiny skins and fresh-looking stems. Keep them in the fridge for a week to two, maybe even longer. For years I’ve been keeping small Thai chiles in the freezer; by the time I’ve finished chopping them, they’ve thawed. Dried chiles that are still pliable are ideal—there’s no need for them to be bone-dry—and they should never be dusty, dank, or moldy. When you get them home, put them in an airtight container and tuck them away in a dark corner of your pantry or spice shelf. Soak, grind, or crumble as needed.

• Chile Paste, Nine Ways

  • Mexican-Style Chile Paste: Use all guajillo or other dark chiles: In Step 2, purée in 1 teaspoon chopped garlic, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, and 2 tablespoons fresh epazote (see page 48), Mexican oregano, or oregano (or 2 teaspoons dried). Proceed with the recipe.
  • Chipotle Paste: Hot. Hot. Hot. Use some or all dried chipotles. Or skip Step 1 and just use 1 small (7-ounce) can chipotles with their adobo sauce (about ⅓ cup).
  • Thai-Style Chile Paste: Quite complex: Use 2 or 3 Thai chiles along with the mild chiles. In Step 2, purée in 1 inch lemongrass, peeled, trimmed, and chopped, and ¼ cup fresh cilantro or Thai basil.
  • Vietnamese-Style Chile Paste: Use 2 or 3 Thai chiles along with the mild chiles. In Step 2, add 1 tablespoon chopped garlic and 2 tablespoons fish sauce, 2 tablespoons sugar, and ¼ cup fresh mint. After cooking, squeeze in the juice of 1 lime.
  • Indian-Style Chile Paste: Useful if you want to add heat to Indian dishes: In Step 2, purée in 1 tablespoon garam masala (to make your own, see page 34), or more to taste.
  • Harissa: The flavor is quite complex: In Step 2, purée in 1 tablespoon ground coriander, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, and 1 teaspoon chopped garlic. Use olive oil instead of vegetable oil.
  • Chile and Black Bean Paste: In Step 2, purée in 2 tablespoons fermented black beans. Omit the salt until you taste for seasoning in Step 3.
  • Chile-Garlic Paste: Much longer-lasting, and tangy from the vinegar: Use 1 cup dried red chiles; don’t bother to toast and soak. Heat ½ cup cider vinegar until just boiling. Combine the chiles and vinegar in a blender with 4 cup chopped garlic, 2 teaspoons sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt. Purée as directed, adding more vinegar if necessary to make a paste. Refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.

• Red Curry Paste

  • Green Curry Paste
  • Red or Green Curry Sauce

• Fresh herbs should be stored in the refrigerator. Most need simply to be wrapped in damp towels and slipped into a plastic bag. Put those with fragile leaves—like basil, chervil, dill, mint, and parsley—stem down in a jar of water (like flowers) with a plastic bag loosely covering the leaves; trim the bottoms and change the water every day.

• Herb, Description, Uses:

  • Basil
    • Bright green Italian varieties with cupped leaves taste like licorice and cloves; smaller, slightly sturdier Thai basil is peppery and minty. Sold everywhere; easy to grow in warm weather.
    • Best raw or cooked only briefly. Use leaves whole or tear them (chop if you don’t mind them turning black). Sharper- tasting edible flowers are gorgeous in salads.
  • Bay leaf Sweet bay; sweet laurel; bay laurel
    • Glossy, green, and sturdy when fresh; gray- green and brittle when dried. Flavor is subtle but multifaceted. Fresh are much stronger than dried, though both are good. The best whole dried leaves will always be quite fragrant and are preferable to ground. Sold everywhere. Laurel trees grow in warm climates.
    • In stocks, soups, sauces, and poaching liquids; to flavor vinegar; with roasts of all kinds-throw in a few leaves the next time you roast vegetables. Remove whole leaves from dishes before serving.
  • Chervil
    • Looks like smaller, lacy- leafed parsley. Anise- basil flavor. Easy to grow in not-too-hot climates, but so delicate you only really see it in farmers’ markets or specialty stores.
    • So delicate it’s best used raw or added at the end of cooking. Delicious in omelets, creamy or light sauces, salads, and with vegetables.
  • Chives
    • Mild onion flavor in bright green blades like grass but giant and hollow. Garlic chives have bigger, wider, and flatter leaves and a more garlicky taste. Fresh are sold everywhere; easy to grow.
    • Best raw or cooked only briefly. An assertive addition to soft cheese spreads and compound butters.
  • Cilantro Coriander; Chinese parsley; Mexican parsley
    • More tender than parsley but similar in appearance; lighter green and more serrate leaves. Aroma and flavor are distinctive and assertive (those who don’t like it say it tastes soapy). The seeds are the spice coriander (see page 29). Sold everywhere and easy to grow; if you do, the flowers and green seeds are delicious.
    • Like basil and other soft herbs, best added at the last minute. Widely associated with Mexican, Thai, and Indian flavors. Unlike other herbs, you can-and should-eat the leaves and tender stems. Roots are excellent in stews, curry paste, or other long-cooked dishes.
  • Curry leaf
    • A flat, shiny leaf used in Indian and Southeast Asian cooking. Complex vegetal flavor, a little like cumin and eucalyptus. The curry plant is in the same family as citrus, thus the similarity to lime leaves. Can be purchased fresh or dried, which is a fine substitute.
    • Cook curry leaves in fat to draw out the complex flavors, then add them to stews, soups, or pilafs. Whole dried leaves should be removed (like bay leaves), but fresh leaves can be eaten.
  • Dill Dill weed
    • Blue-green feathery, tender leaves on long stalks. Familiar flavor. Sold in most supermarkets; easy to grow in not-too-hot weathe.
    • Add at the end of cooking, as its flavor is diminished by heat (though tying stems in a bundle and cooking with stews imparts nice flavor). Super in dishes made with sour cream, yogurt, mustard; or tossed into green salad.
  • Epazote Mexican tea; wormseed; pig weed
    • Bright green, narrow, jagged, pointed leaves with green stems, usually sold in bunches when fresh. Its powerful and unusual aroma and taste contribute a lot to Mexican dishes. Fresh leaves are better, but dried are acceptable and easier to find. Look in Mexican and Latin American markets, or grow as an annual.
    • Use chopped or whole fresh or dried leaves in small quantities. Traditionally used with beans and in some moles; good with corn and other summer vegetables, in quesadillas and scrambled eggs.
  • Lavender
    • Narrow gray-green leaves with long purple or pink flower spikes. The scent and flavor is minty and floral -you’ll recognize it immediately. Can be grown as a perennial in any moderate climate.
    • Fresh leaves and flowers can be chopped and tossed into salads and fruit dishes or cooked in sauces, candies, and pastries. Great with roasted or grilled meat, especially lamb. Works well in infusions (see page 900).
  • Lemongrass Citronella root; sereh
    • A stiff, narrow stalk of Overlapping fronds; like sugar cane or a tough Scallion. Strong citrus flavor and aroma; think citronella candles. Sold in supermarkets and Asian markets. Easy to grow in warm climates, or as an annual in temperate Zones.
    • Cut off woody tops and peel off tough outer layers; mince or pound white interior pieces to release flavor and aroma.
  • Lime leaves Makrut lime leaves
    • Tough, shiny green leaves. Very aromatic, with unusually floral and limy flavor. Fresh is best, though dried and frozen are good. Sold in most Asian markets; can be grown wherever citrus will grow.
    • In Southeast Asian dishes of all types. Chop or toss in whole leaves during cooking; use double the amount of dried leaves for fresh. Or substitute 1 teaspoon grated or chopped lime zest for each leaf.
  • Marjoram Sweet marjoram; knotted marjoram; wild marjoram
    • Light green, fuzzy, oval leaves on short, square stems. Often confused with oregano, but more nuanced. Sold in most supermarkets; an easy- to-grow perennial in most climates.
    • Add fresh toward the end of cooking. Wonderful with green salads, vinaigrettes, eggs, beans, all sorts of vegetables, and especially tomato sauces.
  • Mint
    • Bright green, wrinkled leaves (spearmint) or smooth ones (peppermint, other varieties) on square stems. Best fresh, though dried is the required option in certain dishes. Sold in most supermarkets; easy to grow (invasive, in fact).
    • Chop or crush fresh leaves to release their flavor. Traditional with peas or potatoes; goes well with many vegetables and fruits; perfect in yogurt- based sauces, chutneys, many Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern dishes. Ideal in herbal teas and cocktails.
  • Oregano Greek oregano; Mexican oregano sometimes wild marjoram
    • Dark green, fuzzy, spade- shaped leaves on square stems. Stronger and spicier than marjoram. Fresh is infinitely better, but dried is acceptable. Sold in most supermarkets; an easy- to-grow perennial in most climates.
    • Fresh and dried can be cooked or used as a garnish in small amounts. In rare cases when specific varieties are listed, substitute whatever you can find. Good with tomatoes, cheeses, pizza, vegetables, beans, and vinaigrettes.
  • Parsley
    • Dark leaves with a pleasant grassy flavor, on crisp stems. There are two varieties: curly and flat-leaf (Italian) parsley; the latter is better, but it’s not worth making a big deal about. Sold everywhere.
    • Use only fresh. Impossible to overstate its importance -used in just about everything: soups, salads, vinaigrettes, sauces, vegetables, eggs, pasta, and as a garnish. Its freshness is especially valuable in winter.
  • Rosemary
    • Grayish-green needles on woody branches. Crisp, piney aroma and flavor. Fresh rosemary is sold in nearly all supermarkets; easy to grow as a perennial in warmer climates or an annual elsewhere.
    • Wonderful with beans and roast meats, most vegetables, egg dishes, pasta, and breads. Woody branches make perfect skewers for broiling or grilling.
  • Sage
    • Soft, woolly, oval grayish-green or multicolored leaves. Sharply flavored, slightly bitter, and very aromatic. Can be grown as a perennial almost anywhere.
    • Use fresh leaves whole or chopped. One of the most important herbs for Thanksgiving cooking. Wonderful with pork, chicken, beans, stuffings, breads, biscuits, and pasta.
  • Shiso Perilla; beefsteak plant
    • Flat bright green or reddish-purple heart-shaped leaves with a jagged edge. Combination of basil, mint, and cinnamon flavors. Sold fresh in many Asian (especially Japanese) and some Mexican markets; easy to grow inside or out (invasive, like mint; spreads like mad).
    • As you would use basil or mint. Traditionally served with sashimi and sushi, cucumbers, pickles, tempura; in salads, soups.
  • Tarragon
    • Narrow, lance-shaped, bright to dark green leaves, with strong, complex flavor and aroma, faintly licorice- like. Often sold in supermarkets; easily grown as a perennial in most climates.
    • Whole or chopped fresh leaves can be cooked; flavor is not at all tamed by heat, so use sparingly. Good with seafood, chicken, or eggs.
  • Thyme
    • A small shrub with tiny green or grayish-green leaves. Minty, lemony, and earthy. Fresh is more pungent and aromatic than dried, though dried is useful. Sold in supermarkets; easily grown as a perennial in most climates.
    • The classic French cooking herb, often used in long- simmering or braising recipes. Use fresh leaves and tips as a garnish, but very sparingly- its strong flavor easily overwhelms everything else. Perfect teamed with olive oil and garlic at the beginning of many sautés.

• Pesto, Herb Purées, and Herb Sauces: Vibrant green and intensely flavored, oil-based herb sauces scream freshness. They’re easy too. They’ve obvious in summer, when herbs are abundant, but everyday supermarket parsley will bring welcome brightness to heavy dishes in the depths of winter. Whatever the season, use the best oil you can find and make sure there’s no hint of rancidity before you begin.

• Traditional Pesto

  • Pesto with butter
  • Mint or dill pesto
  • Arugula pesto

• Parsley (or Other Herb) Purée

  • Cilantro, Dill, Basil, or Mint Purée
  • Chimichurri
  • Zhug
  • Green olive mojo
  • Cilantro sauce

• The Basics of Flavored Oils: Flavored oil is one of the remarkable cooking ingredients that is more than the sum of its parts. Use as a finishing oil to give anything an extra kick, in dressings, or even as a dip. The first thing to consider is the oil itself: Do you want olive oil? Another flavorful oil like peanut or coconut oil? Or something neutral like grapeseed, sunflower, or safflower oils? This is a judgment call you make on a case-by-case basis, based on common sense and some knowledge of regional flavors: bundle together Mediterranean ingredients like rosemary and olive oil, for example, or tropical ones like coconut oil and lime. Whenever you’re in doubt, reach for neutral oil; you can’t go wrong flavoring it with ginger, chiles, garlic, or herbs. Just be sure to save your best olive oil for simple drizzling; it won’t make a flavored oil noticeably better. Infused oils can taste rancid after a while and even cause food poisoning. But you need not worry about this if you make the small batches (½ cup) that follow, just enough to store comfortably in the refrigerator and use within two weeks. Most oils will solidify in cold temperatures, but melt as soon as they warm up—or you can use them as a spread.

• Flavored Oil

• Fresh Tomato or Fruit Salsa

  • Puréed Tomato or Fruit Salsa

• Fresh Tomatillo Salsa

  • Green tomato salsa

  • Green chile salsa

  • Pepita salsa

  • Corn salsa

  • Jicama salsa

  • Avocado-tomatillo salsa

  • 12 More Fresh Salsas

    • Chilean salsa
    • Bean salsa
    • Mexican cheese salsa
    • Papaya salsa
    • Citrus salsa
    • Summer fruit salsa
    • Chipotle-cherry salsa
    • Radish salsa
    • Cucumber salsa, Thai style
    • Green papaya salsa, Thai style
    • Watermelon salsa
    • Avocado-cucumber salsa

• Tahini Sauce

  • Yogurt tahini sauce
  • Coconut tahini sauce
  • Minty tahini sauce
  • Anchovy tahini sauce
  • Chile tahini sauce

• Simplest Yogurt Sauce

  • Raita (Cucumber yogurt sauce)

  • Blue cheese dressing

  • 8 Additions to Simplest Yogurt Sauce:

    • 1. 1/4 Cup chopped fresh herbs like mint, parsley, dill, cilantro, or basil, or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon or thyme
    • 2. 1 tablespoon chopped shallot or scallion
    • 3. 1 tablespoon (or more) good-quality olive oil
    • 4. 1 tablespoon chopped or grated fresh ginger or candied ginger
    • 5. Red chile flakes, cayenne, or chopped fresh chile (like jalapeño or Thai), to taste
    • 6. A pinch ground cumin, curry powder, paprika, dry mustard, saffron, or other spice
    • 7. A spoonful of honey
    • 8. Fresh lemon, lime, orange, or grapefruit juice, plus a teaspoon of the grated zest for more intensity

  • 4 More Uses for Simplest Yogurt Sauce:

    • 1. As a salad dressing: thin with a little fresh lemon juice or sherry vinegar, plus olive oil
    • 2. Alongside any simply grilled, broiled, roasted, steamed, or sautéed meat, fish, or poultry
    • 3. Stirred into cooked rice or other grains for extra creaminess, body, flavor, and protein
    • 4. Cooked on top of roasted vegetables, poultry, or meat as you might cheese; to avoid separation, brush or drizzle on top during the last 5 or 10 minutes of cooking

• Coconut Chutney

• Raw Onion Chutney

  • Hot or Mild Pepper Chutney

• Cilantro-Mint Chutney

• Dried Fruit and Nut Chutney

  • Real Garlicky Nut Chutney

• Ginger-Scallion Sauce

  • Chile-Scallion Sauce

• Soy Dipping Sauce and Marinade

  • Sesame-soy dipping sauce and marinade
  • Tahini soy sauce
  • Sweet-and-sour sauce
  • Shortcut sweet-and-sour sauce

• Thai Chile Sauce

• Vinaigrette:

  • 1. Drizzle over chopped fruit, vegetables, or both and toss for an instant fresh salsa.
  • 2. Serve as a dipping sauce for crudités, fritters, or other finger foods.
  • 3. Use as a base to build other dressings or dips by adding mayonnaise, yogurt, sour cream, or tahini.
  • 4. Drizzle or brush on plain roasted, broiled, grilled, or steamed vegetables toward the end of cooking or just before serving.
  • 5. Ditto the above with fish, meat, poultry, or thickly sliced tofu.
  • 6. Brush on thickly sliced bread before grilling or broiling.
  • 7. Use as a condiment to drizzle on sandwiches.
  • 8. Use sparingly as a bright garnish for soups and stews.

• Miso Dipping Sauce

  • Miso-herb dipping sauce
  • Miso-citrus dipping sauce
  • Miso-soy dipping sauce

• Miso-Carrot Sauce with Ginger

  • Miso-carrot sauce with citrus

• Demystifying Mayonnaise: Mayonnaise is an emulsion, in which oil is dispersed in the water in eggs and vinegar or lemon juice through vigorous stirring, to produce a thick, pale yellow cream. A few basic seasonings balance the flavors. That’s really all there is to it. Homemade mayos go south when you add the oil too quickly or (less often) you add too much oil. To help you add the oil in a slow steady stream, you could put it in a squeeze bottle or a liquid measuring cup with a spout. Or use a teaspoon to add a few drops at a time. If you’re using a food processor, note that many have a small hole in the feed tube, put there specifically for this purpose; you put the oil in the tube and it drips out. (I have drilled holes in feed tubes without them, which also works.) For general purposes, I like grapeseed oil best because of its neutral flavor, especially if I’m planning on adding other flavorings. Use olive oil if you want a particularly Mediterranean taste, which is often the case, especially with the Aioli variation. But note that mayonnaise made with 100 percent olive oil tends to break more easily; go for a mix of grapeseed and olive. Asian ingredients go better with a mayonnaise made from grapeseed, corn, or—for a more pronounced flavor—peanut oil. For vinegar, I like sherry vinegar or white wine vinegar, but try lemon or even lime juice for a brighter flavor. All of these decisions should be based on how you plan to use the mayo.

• Homemade Mayonnaise

  • Eggless mayonnaise sauce

• 13 Sauces to Make with Mayonnaise

  • Aioli
  • Chile Mayonnaise
  • Green Sauce, French Style
  • Cold Mustard Sauce
  • Saffron Mayonnaise
  • Tartar Sauce
  • Rémoulade
  • Thousand Island
  • Soy Sauce Mayonnaise
  • Wasabi Mayonnaise
  • Miso Mayonnaise
  • Miso Mayonnaise
  • Spiced Mayonnaise
  • Anchovy Mayonnaise

• Real Ranch Dressing

  • Parmesan ranch dressing
  • Bacon ranch dressing
  • Green goddess ranch dressing

• Salsa Roja

  • Red enchilada sauce
  • Charred salsa roja
  • Salsa sofrito

• Salsa Verde

  • Green enchilada salsa
  • Green chile salsa
  • Pumpkin seed sauce
  • Super-hot chile-garlic salsa

• Traditional Cranberry Sauce

  • Frim cranberry sauce or cranberry jelly
  • Cranberry relish

• Barbecue Sauce

  • Curry barbecue sauce
  • Mustardy barbecue sauce
  • Chipotle barbecue sauce
  • Bourbon barbecue sauce
  • Korean-style barbecue sauce

• Peanut Sauce

  • Southern-style peanut sauce

• Teriyaki Sauce

  • Roasted garlic teriyaki sauce

• Dashi Dipping Sauce

• Brown Butter

  • Black butter sauce (Beurre Noir)

• 5 Simple Additions to Brown Butter

  • Finely ground nuts (1/4 to 1/2 cup)
  • Chopped fresh herbs
  • Mustard
  • Vinegar
  • Anchovies

• Béchamel Sauce and 6 Other Creamy Sauces

  • Mornay (cheese) sauce
  • Brown sauce
  • Veloute (white sauce)
  • Shallot sauce
  • Nut sauce
  • Beurre Noisette sauce

• Hollandaise Sauce

  • Blender hollandaise

• The Basics of Pan Sauces: After you roast or sauté something, you can build a sauce on what’s left behind in the pan, the drippings and cooked bits known as the fond. (Turkey Gravy, page 649, is a perfect example.) Add some liquid (like stock, wine, cream, or water), then thicken it by boiling—or use it as is. Sometimes the “reduction” is finished with butter or cream. The result is a flavorful sauce that naturally enhances the food instead of being added as an entirely separate component. The process is straightforward and foolproof: Deglaze Once the meat, chicken, fish, or vegetables are done, remove them from the pan. Add about twice as much liquid as you would like sauce. Turn the heat to high (if you’re working with a large roasting pan, put it over two burners) and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to release any solids left from cooking. Reduce Keep the liquid bubbling vigorously until it is reduced by about half. If you’d like a smooth sauce, strain the solids out before proceeding.

  • Enrich: To finish the sauce, stir in some softened butter, Compound Butter (page 78), Flavored Oil (page 53), olive oil, or cream.
  • Season: Taste and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and some chopped herbs if you like and you’ve got them. To serve, you can pool the sauce underneath your food, pour a little on top, or pass it at the table.

• Five-Minute Drizzle Sauce

  • Sesame-Soy Five-Minute Drizzle Sauce
  • Miso Five-Minute Drizzle Sauce
  • Ten-Minute Drizzle Sauce

• Reduction Sauce

  • Lemon-caper sauce
  • Ginger reduction sauce
  • Mushroom sauce

• 12 Ways to Flavor Reduction Sauce

  • 1. Aromatic Reduction Sauce: Add ½ cup or more chopped aromatic vegetables (onion, shallots, mushrooms, celery, carrot, or a combination) to the fat before adding the wine. Cook, stirring, until soft, then proceed with the recipe.
  • 2. Creamy Reduction Sauce: Substitute cream for half or all of the stock.
  • 3. Boozy Reduction Sauce: Substitute sherry, Madeira, port, vodka, bourbon, or vermouth for the wine.
  • 4. Herbed or Spiced Reduction Sauce: Add chopped fresh herbs or ground spices at the beginning, the end, or both if you like. Those added at the beginning will be better incorporated; those added at the end will retain more of their flavor. Add them twice if you like.
  • 5. Piquant Reduction Sauce: Add chopped anchovies, dried tomatoes, or olives along with the shallot.
  • 6. Tart Reduction Sauce: Add 1 tablespoon or more fresh lemon juice or any vinegar, to taste, at the end of cooking.
  • 7. Tomato Reduction Sauce: Add chopped or crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce in place of or in addition to some of the stock.
  • 8. Jammy Reduction Sauce: Especially good with broiled meats. Whisk in 1 tablespoon or more marmalade or jam at the end of cooking.
  • 9. Dried Mushroom Reduction Sauce: Add reconstituted dried mushrooms (see page 304) along with the shallot or onion. Use the mushroom-soaking liquid to replace some of the broth.
  • 10. Juicy Reduction Sauce: Use fruit juice—especially orange, tomato, or anything fresh—in place of some of the stock or water.
  • 11. Mustardy Reduction Sauce: Add prepared Dijon mustard or Grainy Mustard (page 37), along with some cream if you like, in place of or in addition to the oil or butter.
  • 12. Spicy Reduction Sauce: After you pour off the excess fat in Step 1 but before you add the wine, stir in a tablespoon or so of any spice mixture, like curry powder, chili powder, or garam masala (to make your own, see pages 32–35) or any single ground spice. You can also stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped or ground nuts at this point if you like. Cook and stir for about a minute, until just toasted. Then add the shallot and wine.

• 4 Ways to Thicken a Sauce

  • I’ve got the same attitude about thickening sauces as I do about thickening soups: If you want them less watery—and sometimes you do—use less liquid or cook them a little longer. But here are some other ways you can add body and sheen to many of the cooked sauces.
  • 1. Puréeing: Chunky sauces turn smooth and luxurious when puréed. An upright blender will give you the best results (always cool food to a safe temperature before putting it in a blender); an immersion blender is easier but not as powerful. A food processor or food mill will give you a little rougher texture.
  • 2. Enriching: Adding cream, sour cream, yogurt, egg yolks, or small bits of very cold butter will add body to cooked sauces. But beware of excess heat: Cream and butter are relatively stable even if the sauce bubbles a bit, but boiling will curdle sauces made with yogurt or eggs. (Eggs are best tempered before being added to sauces: Stir a bit of the hot sauce into beaten eggs to warm them, then stir that mixture back into the sauce.)
  • 3. Starting with a roux: A pan sauce made with roux is gravy. To make a roux, cook butter or oil and flour in equal proportion, stirring constantly, over medium heat, until the flour begins to toast. The darker you cook the roux, the deeper and nuttier the flavor; just be careful not to let it burn. You can cook the roux first and then whisk in a liquid like stock or milk (the technique used in Béchamel Sauce, page 79). Or you may add the cooked roux to an already simmering sauce. Either way, let the sauce cook for a few minutes to thicken fully.
  • 4. Adding cornstarch: When you dissolve cornstarch in water or a bit of the sauce you want to thicken, the result is a cloudy mixture known as a slurry, and it works brilliantly. A general formula is 1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in ½ cup of liquid to thicken 2 to 4 cups sauce. Whisk it smooth with a fork or spoon, then incorporate into the sauce, which will thicken and get shiny as it is gently heated, without vigorously boiling. (You can use other starches, but cornstarch is most common.)

Appetizers and Snacks

Chapter at a glance: Quick Bites*,* Dips and Spreads, Sizzled Starters, Party Food

• My style of entertaining is almost always casual and low pressure. My secret: Serve as many room-temperature dishes as possible. You can do this by either preparing recipes ahead and pulling them from the fridge a little before guests arrive, or cooking things shortly before guests arrive and just not worrying if they’re piping hot.

• Roasted Nuts with Oil or Butter

  • Sautéed Buttered Nuts
  • Spiced Buttered Nuts
  • Dry-Roasted Nuts
  • Roasted Pumpkin, Squash, or Sunflower Seeds
  • Roasted Beans with Oil

• Caramelized Spiced Nuts

  • Fiery caramelized nuts
  • Rosemanry caramelized nuts
  • Miso caramelized nuts

• Popcorn

  • Salty-Sweet Buttered Popcorn
  • Parmesan Popcorn

• Edamame (or Any Bean) in Their Shells

  • Spicy Stir-Fried Edamame
  • Edamame-Style Shell Beans

• 16 Flavor Boosters for Popcorn, Roasted Nuts, or Edamame:

  • 1. Chopped fresh herbs
  • 2. Curry Powder (page 32)
  • 3. Chili powder (to make your own, see page 32)
  • 4. Chaat masala (to make your own, see page 34)
  • 5. Five-spice powder (to make your own, see page 35)
  • 6. Seaweed “Shake” or any of the variations (page 35)
  • 7. Cayenne, paprika, or red chile flakes
  • 8. Ground sumac or za’atar
  • 9. Togarashi seasoning
  • 10. Finely ground nuts
  • 11. Toasted sesame seeds
  • 12. Sesame oil
  • 13. Soy sauce
  • 14. Chile oil
  • 15. Any grated citrus zest
  • 16. Nutritional yeast (best for popcorn)

• Marinated Olive

  • Marinated Olives with Citrus

• Deviled Eggs

  • Herb-stuffed eggs

• Deviled Eggs, 9 More Ways

  • Curried Deviled Eggs: Yogurt with 1 teaspoon curry powder and Cayenne or paprika
  • Miso Deviled Eggs: Mayonnaise with 1 teaspoon any miso; 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard and Toasted sesame seeds
  • Jalapeño Deviled Eggs: Sour cream with 2 teaspoons or more minced jalapeño; ¼ teaspoon cumin and Chopped fresh cilantro
  • Pesto Deviled Eggs: Olive oil with 1 tablespoon pesto (page 51) or any of the variations and Small basil leaves
  • Deviled Eggs with Shrimp, Lobster, or Crab: Mayonnaise with Up to ¼ cup chopped cooked shrimp, lobster, or crabmeat; 1 teaspoon mustard and Chopped fresh tarragon
  • Smoky Deviled Eggs: Sour cream with Up to ¼ cup crumbled cooked bacon, chorizo, or smoked sausage and Chopped fresh parsley
  • Deviled Eggs with Anchovies and Capers: Mayonnaise with 2 or more mashed anchovies; 1 teaspoon chopped capers or olives; 1 teaspoon mustard and Chopped fresh parsley
  • Deviled Eggs with Feta: Olive oil with Up to ¼ cup crumbled feta and Chopped fresh dill
  • Parmesan Deviled Eggs: Softened butter with Up to ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese; 1 teaspoon minced garlic and Lots of black pepper

• Marinated Celery and Carrots, Chinese Style

  • Any Sturdy Vegetable, Chinese Style
  • “Carpaccio”-Style Vegetables

• Bruschetta

  • Crostini

  • Bruschetta or Crostini with Parmesan

  • Bruschetta or Crostini with Tomatoes and Basil

  • 25 Toppings for Bruschetta and Crostini

    • 1. Traditional Pesto (page 51)
    • 2. Fresh Tomato or Fruit Salsa (page 55)
    • 3. Any of the spreads in this chapter (starting on page 99)
    • 4. Corn Salad with Avocado (page 201)
    • 5. Any bean salad (pages 212 to 215)
    • 6. Traditional Chicken Salad (page 223)
    • 7. Crab Salad (page 223)
    • 8. Seafood Salad, Mediterranean Style (page 227)
    • 9. Virtually any puréed vegetable (see pages 240 to 242)
    • 10. Sautéed Eggplant with Basil (page 290)
    • 11. Braised Endive, Escarole, or Radicchio with Prosciutto (page 292)
    • 12. Roasted Garlic (page 294)
    • 13. Sautéed Mushrooms (page 306)
    • 14. Caramelized Onions (page 315)
    • 15. Spinach with Currants and Nuts (page 339)
    • 16. Oven-Roasted Plum Tomatoes (page 347)
    • 17. Oven-Baked Ratatouille (page 352)
    • 18. White Bean Purée (page 392)
    • 19. Beans and Tomatoes (page 396)
    • 20. White Beans, Tuscan Style (page 402)
    • 21. Beans and Greens (page 403)
    • 22. Lentils, Six Ways (page 408)
    • 23. Gravlax (page 550)
    • 24. Sardines on the Grill (page 573)
    • 25. Shredded Pork (page 697)

• 17 Other Ideas for Finger Foods:

  • 1. Quick-Pickled Vegetables (page 228)
  • 2. Kosher Pickles, the Right Way (page 230)
  • 3. Three-Day Pickles (page 230)
  • 4. Grilled Vegetables (page 251), especially on skewers
  • 5. Beet Rösti with Rosemary (page 265)
  • 6. Grilled or Roasted Chestnuts (page 282)
  • 7. Sautéed Olives (page 313)
  • 8. French Fries or Potato Chips (page 333)
  • 9. Grilled or Broiled Tofu (page 419)
  • 10. Nori Chips (page 338)
  • 11. Falafel (page 415)
  • 12. Indian-Style Split Pea Fritters (page 416)
  • 13. Any frittata (page 731), cut into small squares
  • 14. Paratha (page 780)
  • 15. Breadsticks (page 800)
  • 16. Virtually any hot or cold sandwich (starting on page 803), cut into small pieces
  • 17. Any focaccia, pizza, or calzone (starting on page 816), cut into small pieces

• Marinated Mozzarella

• Chickpea Flatbread

• Shrimp Cocktail

  • Shrimp Louie Cocktail

• Classic Creamy Dip, Five Ways

  • Caramelized Onion Dip
  • Beet and Horseradish Dip
  • Smoked Salmon or Trout Dip
  • Watercress or Arugula Dip

• Herbed Goat Cheese

  • Honied Goat Cheese
  • Rosemary-Honey Goat Cheese
  • Goat Cheese–Stuffed Figs
  • Flavorful Cream Cheese Spread
  • Anchovy Spread

• Crudités: If you’re going to put out crudités (cut-up raw vegetables), make sure they’re more exciting and attractive than merely carrot and celery sticks.

  • 10 Interesting Vegetables to Use as Crudités

    • 1. Real baby carrots (not the nubby kind sold in bags) with the green tops, tops trimmed to 1 inch, carrots peeled
    • 2. Asparagus spears, trimmed and very lightly cooked so they’re still crunchy and bright green
    • 3. Green or wax beans, cooked until crisp-tender
    • 4. Sugar snap peas, raw if very fresh or lightly cooked
    • 5. Belgian endive leaves
    • 6. Jícama, peeled and cut into sticks
    • 7. Purple or other heirloom potatoes, cooked until just tender and cut into long wedges
    • 8. Small new potatoes, cooked whole, then halved
    • 9. Red or white radishes, whole or halved
    • 10. Lightly cooked wedges of winter squash with edible skin like acorn or delicata

  • 18 Dips to Serve with Crudités

    • 1. Traditional Pesto (page 51)
    • 2. Parsley (or Other Herb) Purée (page 52)
    • 3. Any Flavored Oil (page 53)
    • 4. Tahini Sauce (page 56)
    • 5. Simplest Yogurt Sauce (page 59)
    • 6. Blue Cheese Dressing (page 59)
    • 7. Creamy Cilantro-Mint Chutney (page 62)
    • 8. Ginger-Scallion Sauce (page 64)
    • 9. Miso Dipping Sauce (page 66)
    • 10. Thai Chile Sauce (page 66)
    • 11. Aioli or any mayonnaise-based sauce (page 70)
    • 12. Green Goddess Ranch Dressing (page 71)
    • 13. Real Ranch Dressing (page 71)
    • 14. Peanut Sauce (page 75)
    • 15. Any bean dip (starting on page 103)
    • 16. Hummus (page 103)
    • 17. Nearly any salad dressing, especially Vinaigrette (page 188)
    • 18. Any well-seasoned vegetable purée (pages 240–242)

• Hummus

  • Herbed Hummus
  • Miso Hummus
  • Spicy Hummus

• Bean Dip

  • Bean and Salsa Dip

  • Creamy Bean Dip

  • Cheesy Bean Dip

  • 8 More Bean Dips

    • Black beans + 1½ cups chopped Roasted Red Peppers (page 318); 2 teaspoons chopped garlic + 1 tablespoon ground coriander
    • Pink beans + 1 cup chopped Caramelized Onions (page 315); ½ cup diced tomato + 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
    • Red lentils or yellow split peas (no need to drain) + 1 tablespoon each chopped fresh ginger and garlic; 1 cup yogurt + 1 or 2 tablespoons chaat masala; ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
    • Lima beans + ½ cup toasted pine nuts; ½ cup grated Parmesan; 2 teaspoons chopped garlic + 1 cup chopped fresh basil
    • Edamame + ½ cup white or yellow miso; ½ cup chopped scallions; 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
    • Fava beans (green or mature) + 1 tablespoon chopped garlic; ½ cup fruity olive oil + 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest; 2 tablespoons lemon juice; lots of pepper
    • Black-eyed peas + 2 teaspoons chopped garlic; ¼ cup chopped scallions + ½ teaspoon cayenne, or to taste; ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
    • White beans + 4 cloves Roasted Garlic (page 294), or more to taste; ¼ cup olive oil + 1 teaspoon minced rosemary; 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• Guacamole

  • Crunchy Corn Guacamole
  • “Guacasalsa”
  • Guacamole with Fruit
  • Avocado-Crab Spread or Dip
  • Un-Avocado Guacamole

• Grilled or Roasted Eggplant Dip

  • Baba Ghanoush
  • Grilled or Roasted Vegetable Dip

• Artichoke Dip

  • Parmesan Artichoke Dip

  • 7 Ways to Use Any Dip or Spread

    • 1. On sandwiches or wraps, either alone or in combination with other ingredients
    • 2. Thinned with a little of the pasta-cooking water if necessary and tossed with hot pasta for a quick sauce
    • 3. As a topping for baked potatoes
    • 4. Served alongside simply grilled or roasted meat, fish, or chicken
    • 5. As a topping for Bruschetta or Crostini (page 95)
    • 6. Spread or dolloped on top of pizza instead of a sauce
    • 7. Alongside Corn Bread (page 769) or other quick or yeasted breads (pages 781–800)

• Tapenade

  • Green Olive Tapenade
  • Dried Tomato Tapenade

• Fried Tortilla Chips

  • Baked Tortilla Chips

  • Fried or Baked Pita Chips

  • 6 Sprinkles for Tortilla, Pita, Plantain, or Vegetable Chips Season chips when they’re piping hot, tossing gently with a spatula. Even if it all doesn’t stick, it will lend a little extra flavor.

    • 1. Lots of black pepper
    • 2. Chili powder or any ground dried chile (to make your own, see pages 32 and 40)
    • 3. Red chile flakes or cayenne
    • 4. Grated lemon, lime, or orange zest
    • 5. A little lime juice, right after frying, and then some chopped cilantro
    • 6. Grated Manchego or Parmesan cheese, or finely crumbled queso fresco

• Nachos

  • 8 Ideas for Topping Nachos
    • 1. Chopped cilantro
    • 2. Mexican crema or sour cream
    • 3. Chopped tomato
    • 4. Chopped red or white onion
    • 5. Cooked ground beef, seasoned with chili powder (to make your own, see page 32)
    • 6. Spicy Grilled or Broiled Shrimp (page 542)
    • 7. Strips of Grilled or Broiled Boneless Chicken (page 599)
    • 8. Shredded Pork (page 697

• Plantain Chips

  • Beet, Yam, or Other Vegetable Chips

• Vegetable Fritters

• Tempura

  • Eggless Vegetable Tempura

  • Pakoras

  • 10 Excellent Dipping Sauces for Tempura and Pakoras For tempura:

    • 1. A mixture of soy sauce and rice vinegar
    • 2. Soy Dipping Sauce and Marinade (page 64)
    • 3. Miso Dipping Sauce (page 66)
    • 4. Wasabi Mayonnaise (page 70)
    • 5. Dashi Dipping Sauce (page 76) For pakoras:
    • 1. Simplest Yogurt Sauce (page 59) or any of its variations
    • 2. Coconut Chutney (page 62)
    • 3. Cilantro-Mint Chutney (page 62)
    • 4. Cilantro Purée (page 52)
    • 5. Spiced Mayonnaise (page 70), made with curry powder (to make your own, see page 32).

  • 7 More Vegetable Fritters: Follow the directions for Vegetable Fritters on page 111. Season the batter well with salt and pepper.

    • Broccoli or Cauliflower Fritters: 1½ pounds broccoli or cauliflower florets, boiled and shocked (see page 238), drained well, chopped + 1 egg; ½ cup bread crumbs, preferably fresh (page 801), or all-purpose flour + ½ cup chopped fresh parsley; ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese; 1 clove garlic, minced; pinch cayenne
    • Greens Fritters: 1½ pounds chard, collards, spinach, watercress, Asian greens, or cabbage, boiled and shocked (see page 238), squeezed dry, chopped + 1 egg; ½ cup bread crumbs, preferably fresh (page 801), or all-purpose flour + ½ cup chopped fresh parsley; ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese; 1 clove garlic, minced; pinch cayenne
    • Celery Fritters: 1½ pounds celery and celery leaves, chopped, raw or boiled and shocked if you like (see page 238) + 1 egg; ½ cup bread crumbs, preferably fresh (page 801), or all-purpose flour + ½ cup chopped fresh parsley; ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese; 1 clove garlic, minced
    • Bean Sprout Fritters: 8 ounces bean sprouts, raw but drained well, chopped + 1 egg; ½ cup panko or all-purpose flour + ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro; 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger; 1 chopped fresh chile (like Thai or jalapeño) or to taste
    • Cheesy Chayote Fritters: 1½ pounds chayote, pitted, grated and used raw like zucchini + 1 egg; ½ cup bread crumbs, preferably fresh (page 801), or all-purpose flour + ½ cup crumbled queso freso; ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro; 1 tablespoon chili powder
    • Corn Fritters: 2 cups corn kernels (preferably fresh off the cob, but thawed frozen also work fine) + 1 egg; ¾ cup cornmeal; ¼ cup all-purpose flour; 2 teaspoons baking powder; milk to thin batter if necessary + ¼ cup chopped scallions; cayenne or hot sauce to taste
    • Eggplant Fritters: 1½ pounds grilled or broiled eggplant (page 252), lightly mashed + 1 egg; ½ cup bread crumbs, preferably fresh (page 801), or all-purpose flour + ½ cup chopped fresh parsley; ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese; 1 tablespoon minced garlic; pinch cayenne

• Fried Wontons or Egg Rolls

  • Vegetarian Wontons or Egg Rolls

• Potato-Filled Samosas

  • Beef- or Lamb-Filled Samosas
  • Lentil-Filled Samosas
  • Baked Samosas

• Cheese Fondue

  • 12 Ways to Add More Flavor to Fondue
    • 1. 1 cup chopped tomatoes
    • 2. Pinch cayenne
    • 3. Large pinch smoked paprika
    • 4. Splash or two of Worcestershire sauce
    • 5. 1 tablespoon chopped chipotle in adobo sauce, or to taste
    • 6. 1 tablespoon chopped jalapeño or other fresh hot chile
    • 7. 1 to 2 tablespoons prepared or freshly grated horseradish
    • 8. ¼ cup or so prepared mustard, or 2 to 3 tablespoons Pickled Mustard Seeds (page 37)
    • 9. ¼ cup Traditional Pesto (page 51), stirred in just before serving
    • 10. 4 to 8 cloves Roasted Garlic (page 294), mashed
    • 11. 2 to 3 ounces dried mushrooms, reconstituted (see page 304), or 1 cup finely chopped fresh
    • 12. 1 cup minced Caramelized Onions (page 315)

• Stuffed Mushrooms

  • 10 More Stuffings for Button Mushrooms: Fill the mushroom caps with any of these stuffings. Or if you’ve got leftovers, add a spoonful to the stuffing in the recipe:
    • 1. Crumbled blue cheese, goat cheese, or feta cheese, with chopped nuts and/or fresh herbs if you like
    • 2. Cooked crumbled sausage or chorizo, alone or added to the main recipe ingredients
    • 3. Chopped raw or cooked shrimp, lobster, or crabmeat, alone or added to the main recipe ingredients
    • 4. Classic Creamy Dip (page 99) or any of the variations—great with goat cheese
    • 5. Herbed Goat Cheese (page 100)
    • 6. Artichoke Dip (page 105)
    • 7. Tapenade (page 109)
    • 8. The raw meat stuffing from Fried Wontons or Egg Rolls (page 115) or Pot Stickers (page 124)
    • 9. Meatballs, Three Ways (page 127); fill the caps with the raw meat mixture and bake until firm and no longer pink inside, 25 to 30 minutes
    • 10. Risotto, Five Ways (page 440)

• Stuffed Grape Leaves

  • Lamb-Stuffed Grape Leaves

• Lettuce Cups and Wraps:

  • The idea to eat food in fresh, crisp lettuce leaves is undeniably fun and addictive. I usually let guests wrap their own, so I serve a plate piled high next to a bowl of whatever goes inside. Iceberg, Bibb or Boston, endive, and radicchio are ideal, since they’re naturally cupped like bowls to hold fillings; broad and sturdy green and red leaf lettuces are better for folding and rolling like burritos (see page 812). Romaine tends to break when you try to fold it.

  • And remember the garnishes: chopped scallions, fresh herbs, olives, capers, nuts, seeds, crumbled or grated cheese, a dollop of sour cream, yogurt, Guacamole (page 105), or any salsa or chutney (see pages 61 to 64), depending on the filling.

  • 16 Dishes to Spoon into Lettuce cups and Wraps: Use at room temperature or lightly chilled, and chop into small pieces if necessary:

    • 1. Basic Bean Salad (page 212)
    • 2. Any chicken salad (page 221)
    • 3. Grilled Beef Salad with Mint or any of its variations (page 223)
    • 4. Stir-Fried Vegetables or any of its variations (page 244)
    • 5. Any stir-fried shrimp dish (page 246)
    • 6. Roasted Vegetables (page 247)
    • 7. Stir-Fried Tofu with Snow Peas or Sugar Snap Peas (page 420)
    • 8. Any rice pilaf (pages 431–437)
    • 9. Any fried rice (pages 443–447)
    • 10. Broiled Shrimp or Squid (page 534)
    • 11. Deep-Fried Seafood (page 538)
    • 12. Aromatic Poached Fish (page 565)
    • 13. Any stir-fried chicken dish (pages 603–606)
    • 14. Stir-Fried Beef with Green Peppers or Green Beans (page 671)
    • 15. Any stir-fried beef dish (pages 671–672)
    • 16. Any stir-fried pork dish (page 692)

• Spinach-Cheese Triangles

• Vietnamese Summer Rolls

• Pot Stickers

  • Steamed Dumplings
  • Vegetarian Pot Stickers or Gyoza
  • Bean and Cheese Empanadas
  • Chorizo and Cheese Empanadas
  • Shredded Pork Empanadas

• Meatballs, Three Ways

  • Spanish-Style Almond Meatballs
  • Meatballs, Vietnamese Style
  • Skewered and Grilled Meatballs, Three Ways

• Chicken Wings

  • Grilled Wings

  • Honey Mustard Chicken Wings

  • Smoky Chile Lime Chicken Wings

  • Spicy Peanut Chicken Wings

  • Lemon-Garlic Wings

  • 8 Other Sauces to Use on Wings: Use 1 cup of any of these sauces to toss with the cooked wings in Step 4:

    • 1. ¼ cup any Chile Paste (page 40), or more to taste, thinned with ½ cup melted butter or olive oil
    • 2. Red or Green Curry Sauce (page 46)
    • 3. Simplest Yogurt Sauce (page 59) mixed with 1 tablespoon curry powder (to make your own, see page 32)
    • 4. Soy Dipping Sauce and Marinade (page 64)
    • 5. Thai Chile Sauce (page 66)
    • 6. Miso Dipping Sauce or any of its variations (page 66)
    • 7. Barbecue Sauce or any of its variations (page 74); Korean-Style Barbecue Sauce is especially good
    • 8. Teriyaki Sauce (page 76)

• Chicken or Pork Satay

• 13 Other Fish, Poultry, and Meat Dishes That Work as Appetizers

  • 1. Any kebabs
  • 2. Shrimp (or Crawfish) Boil, Louisiana Style (page 545)
  • 3. Gravlax (page 550)
  • 4. Fish Escabeche (page 564)
  • 5. Fish Kebabs (page 566)
  • 6. Seared Scallops with Pan Sauce (page 577)
  • 7. Baked Clams with Wasabi Bread Crumbs (page 580)
  • 8. Bare-Bones Crab Cakes (page 585)
  • 9. Chicken MarkNuggets (page 630)
  • 10. Roast Quail with Honey, Cumin, and Orange Juice (page 660)
  • 11. Slow-Roasted Spareribs or its variations (page 698)
  • 12. Homemade Breakfast (or Any Other Meal) Sausage (page 703)
  • 13. Tuna Salad (page 804)

• 30 Other Dishes You Can Serve as Sit-Down Appetizers: Obviously, you can make small portions of almost any savory dish and call it an appetizer. And of course virtually any pasta or soup qualifies as well. These are some of my personal favorites to serve at the start of a meal.

  • 1. Any vegetable soup (pages 137–150)
  • 2. Any green salad (pages 197–198)
  • 3. Any artichoke recipe (pages 258–262)
  • 4. Beet Rösti with Rosemary or its variations (page 265)
  • 5. Any leek recipe (pages 301–303)
  • 6. Chiles Rellenos (page 319)
  • 7. Crisp Pan-Fried Potatoes, Spanish Style (page 332)
  • 8. Potato Rösti (page 332)
  • 9. Rich Spinach Pie (page 339)
  • 10. Zucchini Pancakes (page 343)
  • 11. Pan-Fried Green and/or Red Tomatoes (page 347)
  • 12. Crisp Vegetable Pancakes, Korean Style (page 355)
  • 13. Any Bean Burger, Fritter, or Griddle Cake (pages 413–417)
  • 14. Falafel (page 415)
  • 15. Any risotto (pages 440–441)
  • 16. Fried Rice Balls (page 441)
  • 17. Any polenta (see pages 460–461)
  • 18. Any pasta (see the chapter starting on page 473)
  • 19. Deep-Fried Seafood (page 538)
  • 20. Any shrimp dish, really (pages 541–547)
  • 21. Fish Fritters (page 564)
  • 22. Sardines on the Grill (page 573)
  • 23. Steamed Clams, Mussels, or Other Shellfish (page 579)
  • 24. Boiled or Steamed Crab or Lobster (page 584)
  • 25. Sautéed Soft-Shell Crabs, Four Ways (page 587)
  • 26. Octopus with Tomatoes and Red Wine (page 590)
  • 27. Duck Confit (page 655)
  • 28. Roast Quail with Honey, Cumin, and Orange Juice (page 660)
  • 29. Grilled or Broiled Squab, Vietnamese Style (page 661)
  • 30. Any quiche or baked custard (pages 732–736)

• Ceviche

  • Sashimi
  • Poke

Soups

Chapter at a glance: Vegetable Soups Bean Soups Grain Soups Noodle Soups Seafood Soups Chicken Soups Meat Soups Stocks

• Soups are “built” via a process that’s rarely laborious or precise. My attitude toward measuring is more casual than with other dishes—there’s lots of room to improvise based on what you’ve got handy (see page 140), and the timing is always flexible.

• Using Water Instead of Stock: All stocks are basically infused water. In the rare cases where you really need stock to do the trick, I say so, or only include stock as an option in the ingredient list. So you can use water in all the other soups, as long as you add sufficient aromatics and other flavorings—wine, extra vegetables, soy sauce, dried mushrooms, or herbs, for example—and cook the mixture long enough for a flavorful liquid to develop. It won’t be quite as rich as with stock, but it will still be much better than anything dehydrated or canned.

• The Basics of Building Soups

  • Preparing foods for soup: Cutting vegetables or other ingredients to about the same small-ish size allows them to all cook at the same pace to produce a soup that cooks quickly and is easy to eat.
  • Heating stock (or water) in a separate pot before adding to soup: I used to advocate this as a way to save a few minutes—and it will—but then you’ve got another pot to wash. Your choice.
  • Using Leftovers in Soup: One of my first cooking teachers made cream-of-something-or-other almost every night with puréed leftover vegetables. Use any cooked food with a flavor that doesn’t conflict with the basic seasonings of your soup: pasta, rice, bread, meat, fish, poultry, vegetables—even mashed potatoes—can contribute mightily.
  • Puréeing Soup: The best tool to use is an immersion blender, which works right in the pot. Transferring the soup to an upright blender is second choice; just be careful to work in batches so the container is never filled more than halfway, to avoid the hot liquid bursting out of the top when you turn the machine on. If the soup is too thick after puréeing, stir in some water, stock, or half-and-half to add flavor, enhance texture, and thin the soup all at the same time. If the results are too thin, see “Giving Soups More Body” on page 146.
  • Storing soup: Most soups freeze brilliantly for a few months, so it’s handy to double or even quadruple a recipe to save some for a rainy day. Some advice for those times you know you’ll have leftovers: It’s better to avoid freezing—or even refrigerating—a soup once you’ve added starches like rice and pasta, which continue to absorb liquid, even when cold; if possible store these foods separately and add them when reheating. Nor should you freeze soups based heavily on dairy; they’re likely to curdle during reheating. They’re fine to eat but might look a little funny.

• “Boiled Water”

  • Roasted Garlic Soup

  • Tomato-Garlic Soup

  • Lime-Garlic-Coconut Soup

  • Super-Easy 4-Ingredient Soups: The simplest soups need no recipe. Just work through the columns from left to right, adding the next ingredient after the previous becomes tender or cooks through. Taste and season with salt and pepper as you go.

    • Miso Soup: 4 cups Dashi (page 179) or water, hot but not boiling 1 tablespoon sesame oil ⅓ cup any miso, thinned with some of the dashi before adding ¼ cup chopped scallions; 1 cup sliced shiitake mushroom caps 4 ounces chopped soft or silken tofu; 1 cup rehydrated wakame or other seaweed (see page 336)
    • Potato and Leek Soup: 4 cups chicken, beef, or vegetable stock (pages 174–178) or water, boiling 2 to 3 tablespoons butter 3 potatoes, any type, peeled and chopped 3 leeks, white and light green parts only, rinsed well and sliced 1½ cups drained canned or cooked chickpeas or white beans (page 390)
    • Egg Drop Soup: 4 cups any stock (pages 174–180), at a slow bubble 1 tablespoon sesame oil 4 beaten eggs, slowly poured in while stirring so the eggs “scramble” in the stock ¼ cup chopped cilantro or scallion 1 tablespoon soy sauce, or more to taste
    • Stracciatella: 4 cups Chicken Stock (page 176), at a slow bubble 1 tablespoon chopped garlic; 2 tablespoons olive oil 4 beaten eggs, slowly poured in while stirring so the eggs “scramble” in the stock ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese ¼ cup chopped fresh basil or parsley
    • Wonton Soup: 4 cups any stock (pages 174–180), boiling 1 tablespoon each minced ginger and sesame oil 2 cups sliced cabbage or bok choy 12 to 24 freshly made or frozen wontons or gyoza ¼ cup chopped cilantro or scallion; 1 tablespoon soy sauce, or more to taste
    • Split Pea and Ham Soup: 6 cups chicken stock (page 176), or water, boiling ½ cup each chopped carrot, celery, and onion 2 cups green split peas, rinsed and picked over; 1 smoked ham hock 2 tablespoons butter Real or Cubed Croutons (page 801) for garnish
    • Beef and Barley Soup: 8 cups beef or veal stock (page 176), boiling 2 tablespoons chopped garlic; 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 cup chopped carrot or parsnip; 1 cup pearled barley 8 ounces sirloin steak, chopped into small cubes Worcestershire sauce, to taste

• Cream of Mushroom Soup

  • Robust Cream of Mushroom Soup

• Puréed Vegetable Soup Without Cream

  • Puréed Turnip or Celery Root Soup
  • Vichyssoise

• 7 Terrific Combinations for Puréed Soups:

  • 1. Puréed Broccoli-Basil Soup: Use chopped broccoli. Add ½ cup chopped fresh basil when you purée it. Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and some shaved or grated Parmesan.
  • 2. Puréed Butternut Squash–Coconut Soup: Use peeled and chopped butternut squash and substitute 2 cups coconut milk (to make your own, see page 372) for 2 cups of the stock. Add 2 tablespoons chopped garlic and 1½ tablespoons curry powder (to make your own, see page 32) in Step 1. Garnish with fried sliced shallots or garlic and chopped fresh cilantro.
  • 3. Puréed Roasted Red Pepper Soup: Use 5 or 6 Roasted Red Peppers (page 318) and 1 large all-purpose potato, peeled and chopped, for the vegetable. Add 2 teaspoons smoked paprika and 1 tablespoon chopped garlic in Step 1. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley or cilantro.
  • 4. Puréed Winter Vegetable Soup: Use equal parts peeled and chopped turnip, rutabaga, and parsnip for the vegetable. A small piece of fresh horseradish along with the other vegetables would be a welcome addition. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley or thyme.
  • 5. Puréed Sweet-and-Sour Beet Soup: Use 12 ounces trimmed, peeled, and chopped beets and 12 ounces peeled and chopped all-purpose potato. Add 3 tablespoons good red wine vinegar, or to taste, when you purée it. Garnish with some crumbled goat cheese or a dollop of sour cream and chopped fresh chives.
  • 6. Puréed Carrot-Ginger Soup: Use carrots. Add 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger in Step 1. Season with soy sauce and sesame oil or drizzle a bit of cream or yogurt into each bowl before serving.
  • 7. Puréed Cauliflower-Saffron Soup: Use chopped cauliflower. Add 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads to Step 1 and 1 cup cream when you purée it. Garnish with pomegranate seeds or toasted pine nuts.

• Soup on the Fly: Follow your gut, choosing an ingredient or two from each step. Taste as you go, season with salt and pepper as needed, and soon you’ll have soup. To use raw Main Ingredients—like lentils, vegetables, or meat—let the soup boil until they’re cooked through, up to 30 minutes.

• Cream of Something Soup (and a Note on Puréeing):

  • 1. Choose the vegetable or vegetables you want to become soup. For a nonvegetarian soup, note that poultry and meat aren’t particularly appetizing puréed, but seafood is—as in lobster, shrimp, or crab bisque.
  • 2. You can cook aromatics in a little oil or butter before adding the stock. Combine the stock, vegetables, and grains or potatoes (if using for thickness), and bring to a boil. Cook at a gentle bubble until the vegetables are quite tender.
  • 3. Purée the soup. You can use various tools to purée your soup; The smoothest purées are done in a blender, in the pot with an immersion blender, or with a food mill; a food processor or ricer does a good job but doesn’t get the soup velvety smooth. A potato masher or fork gives you the lumpiest results. For the ultimate smooth soup, you can pass the purée through a fine-meshed strainer, but the trade-off is that you’ll strain out all the fiber and body.
  • 4. Reheat and add enough cream to smooth the puree and lighten the soup, up to 1 or so cup; use water or stock to thin it further. Taste and adjust the seasoning, and garnish with fresh herbs. Serve right away or chill for a few hours and serve cold.

• Tomato soup

  • Summertime Fresh Tomato Soup
  • Wintertime Tomato Soup
  • Tomato-Garlic Soup
  • Smooth Tomato Soup
  • Tomato and Bread Soup

• Onion Soup

• Corn Chowder

  • Roasted Corn Chowder
  • Cheesy Corn Chowder

• Giving Soups More Body:

  • Potato: If you’re going to purée the soup after cooking, peel and dice an all-purpose or baking potato and add it at the same time as the stock or water. To thicken a chunky soup, mash cooked potatoes a bit with a fork first (leftover mashed potatoes will do the trick). A few minutes before serving, stir them into the pot until completely dissolved and heated through.
  • Pasta: Cooking small amounts of noodles in soup releases thickening starches. Be sure you have a little extra liquid and room in the pot to accommodate the noodles as they swell, and serve the soup immediately; the noodles will continue to absorb liquid and eventually turn to mush.
  • Grains: White rice is the obvious candidate, but any whole grain will do. To increase body and richness, add a small quantity of grain at the beginning of the recipe; cook until it’s falling apart, then purée (or not).
  • Legumes: A flavorful way to thicken soup without using dairy, especially if you purée them first. White beans are the most versatile and creamy. Like grains, cooked legumes can be added to already-made soups as an afterthought, or cooked along with the other ingredients until tender, then puréed or mashed. Silken tofu puréed with the soup will thicken it quite a bit. And on occasion, I like to make a roux (see page 83) with chickpea flour.
  • Bread: If possible, use stale bread, which absorbs broth without disintegrating. Croutons are ideal, but bread crumbs work well too. And few things are simpler or more satisfying than slipping a piece of good toast into a bowl and pouring a ladleful of soup over it.
  • Butter: For unsurpassed velvety texture and heightened flavor, cut up a tablespoon or two of cold butter. When the soup is ready to serve, turn off the heat, add to the pot, and stir until melted.
  • Eggs: A convenient way to add both creaminess and richness to soup. You have two choices: Stir beaten eggs into bubbling soup and you’ll get egg drop soup. The eggs scramble softly and remain visible, adding a distinct meatiness to many soups, especially brothy ones. Or use eggs strictly as a thickener: First beat a couple of yolks, whisk in about a cup of the hot soup, then gradually stir the yolk mixture back into the soup. Treated this way, the eggs add body to the soup with a smooth texture.
  • Nuts and seeds: A spoonful of peanut butter, tahini, or another type of nut butter adds distinctive flavor and body. Obviously use your judgment when to avoid clashing with the seasoning, or use cashew butter, which is pretty neutral.

• Minestrone

  • Pistou

  • Pasta e Fagioli (Pasta and Bean Soup)

  • Ribolitta (White Bean and Bread Soup)

  • Mulligatawny (Spicy Indian Vegetable Soup)

  • Cabbage-and-Something Soup

  • 5 More Takes on Minestrone: The tomato is a given, but other vegetables are completely flexible.

    • 1. Summer Minestrone: Use fresh corn kernels, zucchini or summer squash, and garnish with chopped fresh basil, mint, or thyme.
    • 2. Autumn Minestrone: Use mostly cubes of butternut or other winter squash, and garnish with chopped fresh sage and chopped toasted hazelnuts.
    • 3. Green Minestrone: Use peas, asparagus, green beans, and ¾ cup mixed chopped fresh herbs like parsley, basil, dill, mint, chervil, and chives.
    • 4. Spicy Chile Minestrone: Use roasted, cleaned, and chopped poblanos (see page 43), minced jalapeño, a mix of potato, corn, and chayote or any summer squash, and cilantro. Garnish with crumbled queso fresco.
    • 5. Sausage and Lentil Minestrone: Replace the prosciutto with 8 ounces hot or sweet Italian sausage, casings removed and crumbled; in place of the hard vegetables, add 1 cup brown or green lentils, rinsed and picked over.

• Frozen Vegetables in Soup: Yes you can—and should. Especially when they’re going to cook for a long time. The frozen vegetables that work best in soups are: artichokes, broccoli, butternut squash, cauliflower, collards and kale, corn (except in the corn chowder on page 145), peas, and spinach. Stock a few bags in your freezer, complement them with fresh vegetables if possible, and you can put together a meal with little time and effort.

• Gazpacho, Fast and Simple

  • Chunky Gazpacho

  • Gazpacho, 7 More Ways: Take the simple blend-and-serve formula from the main recipe—which is perfect for hot summer suppers—into some different directions. For the ingredient prep, peel, seed and chop everything as necessary, collecting any juices as you work.

    • 1. Spicy Gazpacho: Use 2 pounds fresh tomatoes, or 1 28-ounce can (include the juices); 1 cucumber; 2 or 3 slices bread; ¼ cup olive oil; 1 teaspoon minced garlic. Garnish with minced fresh hot chiles (like jalapeño).
    • 2. Creamy Avocado Gazpacho: Use 2 avocados, pitted and peeled; 2 cucumbers; 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice; and 1 cup water. Garnish with chopped fresh mint and grated Parmesan.
    • 3. Grape Gazpacho: Use 2 cucumbers; 1 pound green grapes; 1 thick slice bread; ½ cup toasted hazelnuts; 3 tablespoons olive oil; 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar; ½ small shallot; and 1 cup water. Garnish with chopped toasted hazelnuts and halved green grapes.
    • 4. Melon Gazpacho: Use 2 pounds honeydew melon; 1 cucumber; 2 thick slices bread; ¼ cup olive oil; 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar; ½ small shallot; and 1 cup water. Garnish with chopped fresh mint and chopped toasted almonds.
    • 5. Strawberry Gazpacho: Use 1 pound fresh tomatoes (include the juices); 1 pound ripe strawberries; 1 cucumber; 1 cup blanched almonds; ¼ cup olive oil; 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar; 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice; 1 clove garlic; and 1 cup water. Garnish with chopped fresh basil and grated Parmesan.
    • 6. Soy-Spiked Gazpacho: Use 1½ pounds fresh tomatoes; 2 cucumbers; 2 thick slices bread; 2 tablespoons sesame oil; 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice; and 1 cup water. Garnish with chopped scallions.
    • 7. Radish Gazpacho: Use 1½ pounds fresh tomatoes; 8 ounces radishes; 1 cucumber; ¼ cup good-quality vegetable oil; 3 toasted tortillas; 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice; 1 jalapeño, or to taste; 1 clove garlic; a dash hot sauce; and 1 cup water. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro and a dash of hot sauce.

• 7 Soups You Can Also Serve Cold

  • 1. Puréed Vegetable Soup Without Cream (page 140) 2. Vichyssoise (page 142) 3. Puréed Carrot-Ginger Soup (page 144) 4. Puréed Sweet-and- Sour Beet Soup (page 144) 5. Smooth Tomato Soup (page 145) 6. Summer Minestrone (page 148) 7. Green Minestrone (page 148)

• Universal Bean Soup

  • 9 Additions to Universal Bean Soup
    • 1. 1 or 2 mild chiles like anchos, stemmed and seeded. Add at the beginning of cooking.
    • 2. A ham bone, 2 or 3 ham hocks, or about 8 ounces chopped bacon or pancetta. Add at the beginning of cooking.
    • 3. 1 to 2 cups chopped potatoes, turnips, or other root vegetables. Add about 20 minutes before the end of cooking.
    • 4. ½ cup or so any whole grain like brown rice, barley, or farro; reduce the beans by the same amount. Add at the beginning of cooking.
    • 5. At least 1 tablespoon chopped garlic. Add with the aromatic vegetables.
    • 6. About 2 cups chopped greens like kale or collards. Add during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
    • 7. About 2 tablespoons butter, stirred in at the end of cooking.
    • 8. Extra virgin olive oil, about 1 tablespoon per serving. Add at the table.
    • 9. My Kind of Croutons (page 801). Put a couple in the bottom of each bowl before serving.

• Smoky Black Bean Soup

  • Smoky Black Bean Soup, from Scratch

• Lentil Soup, Six Ways

  • Spiced Lentil Soup
  • Lentil Soup with Lemon and Dill
  • Lentil Soup with Bacon
  • Lentil Soup with Caramelized Onions
  • Lentil Soup with Harissa

• Mushroom-Barley Soup, My New Way

  • More Traditional Mushroom and Barley Soup
  • Mushroom and Other Grain Soup
  • Chicken and Barley Soup

• Rice Porridge with Fresh Garnishes

  • Rice Porridge with Vegetables
  • Rice Porridge with Meat
  • Rice Porridge with Seafood
  • Creamy Whole Grains with Fresh Garnishes

• 10 Unexpected Soup and Grain Combinations

  • 1. Tomato Soup (page 144) with couscous, steel-cut oats, or kasha
  • 2. Onion Soup (page 145), with wild rice, cracked wheat, farro, or kasha
  • 3. Corn Chowder (page 145) with millet, Israeli couscous, or long-grain white rice
  • 4. Minestrone (page 147) with Arborio or short-grain brown rice, farro, or Israeli couscous
  5. Universal Bean Soup (page 151) with bulgur, long-grain white rice, or cracked wheat
  • 6. Lentil Soup, Six Ways (page 152) with couscous, freekeh, or wheat or rye berries
  • 7. Lightning-Quick Fish Soup (page 161) with red or white rice, millet, or Israeli couscous
  • 8. Basic Chicken Soup (page 164) with quinoa, millet, or hominy
  • 9. Beef and Vegetable Soup (page 168) with wild rice, wheat berries, or barley
  • 10. Lamb Soup, North African Style (page 171) with wheat berries, cracked wheat, or freekeh

• Noodles in Broth

  • Chicken and Noodles in Broth
  • Pasta and Pesto Soup
  • Pasta and Chickpeas in Broth
  • Fusilli and Roasted Garlic Soup
  • Orzo and Fresh Herb Soup with Yogurt
  • Chinese Noodle Soup with Cabbage and Ginger

• Garlic Fideo Soup

• Pho-Style Noodle Soup

• Rice Noodle Soup with Pork

• Lightning-Quick Fish Soup

  • Lightning-Quick Fish Soup, Chinese Style
  • Lightning-Quick Fish Soup, French Style
  • Lightning-Quick Fish Soup, Mexican Style
  • Lightning-Quick Fish Soup, Thai Style

• Bouillabaisse

• No-Holds-Barred Clam Chowder

  • Fish Chowder
  • Manhattan Clam or Fish Chowder

• Chicken Soup, Many Ways

  • Chicken Soup with Vegetables
  • Chicken Soup with Rice, Mexican Style
  • Chicken Soup with Rice, Chinese Style
  • Chipotle Chicken Soup
  • Chicken Soup, Thai Style
  • Tortilla Soup

• Chicken Soup with Matzo Balls

  • Chicken Soup with Passatelli
  • Chicken Soup with Butter Dumplings

• Beef and Vegetable Soup

  • Spicy Beef and Vegetable Soup
  • Beef and Mushroom Soup

• Hot-and-Sour Soup

  • Vegetarian Hot-and-Sour Soup
  • Hot-and-Sour Soup with Shrimp

• 19 Whole-Meal Soups

  • 1. Tomato and Bread Soup (page 145)
  • 2. Cheesy Corn Chowder (page 147)
  • 3. Minestrone and its variations (pages 147–148)
  • 4. Universal Bean Soup (page 151)
  • 5. Smoky Black Bean Soup (page 152)
  • 6. Lentil Soup (page 152)
  • 7. Mushroom-Barley Soup, My New Way (page 154)
  • 8. Rice Porridge with Fresh Garnishes (page 155)
  • 9. Pasta and Chickpeas in Broth (page 158)
  • 10. Chinese Noodle Soup with Cabbage and Ginger (page 158)
  • 11. Pho-Style Noodle Soup (page 160)
  • 12. Rice Noodle Soup with Pork (page 161)
  • 13. Lightning-Quick Fish Soup (page 161)
  • 14. No-Holds-Barred Clam or Fish Chowder (pages 162 or 164)
  • 15. Bouillabaisse (page 162)
  • 16. Chicken Soup, Many Ways (page 164)
  • 17. Beef and Vegetable Soup (page 168)
  • 18. Hot-and-Sour Soup (page 168)
  • 19. Lamb Soup, North African Style (page 171)

• Lamb Soup, North African Style

• The Basics of Stock

  • Stock is the liquid that results from cooking foods in water, then straining them out. The solids may be vegetables, meat, fish, poultry, herbs, spices, or any combination. Is stock essential for every soup? No. Will it improve almost any soup? Yes. Even the simplest vegetable stock—an onion, a carrot, a celery stalk, a few other scraps, cooked together for 20 minutes—can make a difference in most soups. And a grand, full-flavored chicken, meat, or fish stock is good enough to serve on its own. In fact, the popular “bone broths” are nothing more than stock cooked for hours—and sold at a quite a markup.

  • The meaty raw bones of a single chicken, combined with a few vegetables, provide enough flavor for a pot of stock. Same thing with seafood in the shell, whole fish, or any other meat on the bone. Figure about a pound of bits and pieces per quart. So if you keep containers going in the freezer, you can use just about every butchering scrap except fat, chicken skin, and fish gills and innards. Bones are an integral part of many stocks, since their components lend body to long-cooked stocks (again, the origin of “bone broth”). But a stock made only of bones tastes like bones rather than meat. Most raw bones are quite meaty, so that isn’t so much of a problem. But if you are making a stock with leftovers and are using bones that have been completely stripped of meat, buy a few chicken wings, backs, or necks and add them along with the meat bones; you’ll improve the flavor significantly.

• Stock-Making Techniques

  • Browning: If you roast stock ingredients before adding water, you get a darker, more complex stock (see “How to Make Any Stock Darker and Richer” on page 178). Stocks that don’t begin with browning are brighter and cleaner in flavor. So both ways are useful, depending on your taste and how you’re going to use the stock.
  • Straining: When you strain a stock—usually through a fine-meshed strainer, lined with cheesecloth if you like—you have two options: If you press on the vegetables and other ingredients, you intensify flavors. If you do not, your stock will be clearer. I opt for flavor, especially since making a stock perfectly clear requires extreme measures best left to the pros.
  • Reducing: The less water a stock contains, the more intense the flavor and the less room it takes to store. Concentrated stock, undiluted, makes a wonderful, low-fat flavor addition to stir-fries, sauces, and plain steamed vegetables. Remember, though, salt doesn’t reduce, so if you’re planning to reduce a stock by more than half, don’t season it until you’ve boiled off the extra water. To reduce stock, begin by straining and defatting it. Then boil it down, stirring now and then and watching to prevent burning, which can occur when the liquid becomes very thick. Be aware that reducing takes a while; reducing a gallon to a quart can take a half-hour or longer. To speed the process, use the widest pot you have, or divide the stock between two or more pots so more of the liquid is exposed to the air, which will help it evaporate more quickly.
  • Removing fat: There are two considerations about fat and stock. First, don’t allow stocks to boil vigorously. Rapid boiling can so thoroughly disperse fat that it becomes difficult to remove it. This makes for a fattier stock (obviously), one that can taste greasy. To cook stock, bring it just to a boil, skim any foam that rises to the top, and then turn the heat down so it bubbles gently. On some stoves it helps to turn the heat down and partially cover the pan at the same time or move the pot partially off the heat. You cannot rush the process. Removing the fat from the finished stock, however, is simple enough, if you make it a day or two before you need it. After cooking, strain the stock (see below) and let it cool just until the fat rises to the top. Refrigerate it; when the fat solidifies—as long as a day later, depending on the quantity of stock and the temperature of the storage place—skim it off with a big spoon and discard it (or if it’s from chicken, duck, or pork, save it for cooking). If you don’t want to wait that long, simply spoon off the liquid fat as it rises to the top during cooking, or use a degreasing pitcher.

• If you must buy packaged stock, however, here are some pointers: Low-sodium canned stock sometimes has more flavor than regular varieties. Sometimes, however, it tastes like water. I used to say that packaged stock can benefit from doctoring. But so will water, and it’s almost free. As for bouillon cubes, forget them. You’re always better off with water and a few vegetables.

• 6 Quick Broths

  • 1. Cheese Broth: Several rinds Parmesan cheese, combined with a sprig of fresh rosemary and a little ham or prosciutto if you have it.
  • 2. Miso Broth: Any kind, whisked in a little at a time, tasting as you go.
  • 3. Tea Broth: ¼ cup loose tea or 4 bags, especially a smoky tea like Lapsang Souchong; try green tea for a pleasant grassiness. Mint, chamomile, nettle, and other herb teas can be quite pleasant as soup broth.
  • 4. Dried Mushroom Broth: You make this every time you reconstitute dried mushrooms. Figure 1 ounce dried porcini or shiitake mushrooms. Soak until the mushrooms are pliable (then use them in the soup or refrigerate for another time), about 20 minutes. When you pour off the broth, be sure to leave any grit behind.
  • 5. Tempeh Broth: Sort of shocking, I know, but 8 ounces is enough. (Crumble or chop it first.) You’ll get a remarkably nuanced, un-beany broth.
  • 6. Umami Broth: ¼ cup or more soy sauce and/or fish sauce, or several mashed anchovies.

• Vegetable Stock

  • Mushroom Stock

• Quickest Chicken Stock

  • Full-On Chicken, Turkey, or Duck Stock

• Beef, Pork, Lamb, or Veal Stock

• How to Make Any Stock Darker and Richer: Roasting the ingredients—whether meat, poultry, or vegetables—before adding water yields a darker, more deeply flavored stock that’s ideal for hearty soups, stews, braises, and rich gravies or sauces. The technique is simple and universal: Heat the oven to 400°F. Put the ingredients in a roasting pan, drizzle with at least 2 tablespoons good-quality vegetable oil, and sprinkle with salt. Toss to coat evenly, then spread into a single layer. Roast, turning occasionally, until everything is well browned on all sides. Beef and veal bones will take the longest, 30 to 60 minutes, while thinly cut vegetables may take as little as 5 minutes. Transfer the solids to the stockpot. Add some hot water to the browned bits in the pan (the fond), set it over two burners, and bring to a bubble, scraping up every last browned bit off the bottom. Pour this into the pot and proceed with the recipe. Some other ingredients that will darken stock and make it richer: Tomato paste: Mix it with the browned bits in the roasting pan, cooking and stirring until it turns a deep rust color. Then add the water. Red wine: Add after removing the browned ingredients; stir it into the pan, scraping up the bits on the bottom. (You can also use it in combination with tomato paste, after cooking the paste a bit.) Once that’s done, add the water as you normally would. Garlic: Sometimes I put a whole head of garlic right into my stockpot, but once it’s in I can’t take it out, so I do it only when I’m making a relatively small amount and know that the garlic will be a welcome flavor. Dried mushrooms: The distinctive flavor of mushrooms is almost always a fine addition, and I usually throw some directly into the stock as it’s bubbling away. In fact, there’s almost no reason not to do this, unless they’re gritty; then reconstitute them separately as described on page 304 and add the strained soaking liquid to the stock. Use dried porcini (expensive) or dried shiitakes (cheap, especially when bought as black mushrooms in Chinese markets). The trimmings from fresh mushrooms are also good, of course.

• Fish Stock

  • Full-Flavored Fish Stock
  • Shrimp Stock
  • Lobster Stock

• 6 Stock Variations

  • You can easily enhance any stock. Here’s how:
    • 1. Garlicky Stock: Add 1 whole head garlic (unpeeled) to the pot along with the other ingredients. Or you can make Roasted Garlic (page 294) in the oven at the same time you might be roasting the other ingredients then peel and use that.
    • 2. Soy-Ginger Stock: Add five ⅛-inch-thick slices unpeeled ginger, 4 trimmed and roughly chopped scallions, ¼ cup soy sauce, 2 tablespoons sesame oil, and 1 star anise pod if you like to the other ingredients.
    • 3. French-Style Stock: Add 2 or 3 sprigs fresh thyme, 2 or 3 whole cloves, 5 to 10 peppercorns (fewer for lighter stocks, more for richer stocks), and ½ cup dry white wine if you like with the other ingredients.
    • 4. Southern-Style Stock: Best with chicken, beef, or veal, especially when roasted: Add a ham hock along with the bones.
    • 5. Southeast Asian–Style Stock: Add 1 stalk lemongrass, chopped, four ⅛-inch-thick slices unpeeled ginger, 3 smashed cloves garlic, and a few sprigs fresh cilantro instead of parsley. Omit the bay leaf.
    • 6. Indian-Style Stock: Add 4 or 5 smashed cloves garlic, two ⅛-inch-thick slices unpeeled ginger, 1 tablespoon curry powder or garam masala (to make your own, see pages 32 and 34), and a few sprigs fresh cilantro instead of parsley.

• Dashi

  • Vegetarian Dashi

  • 5 Ways to Use Dashi (besides as stock for soup)

    • 1. Serve it chilled in small bowls for dipping cold soba or ramen noodles (page 522)
    • 2. Substitute dashi for water when cooking rice.
    • 3. Poach fish in dashi instead of water.
    • 4. Reduce it to a glaze for dipping grilled shrimp.
    • 5. Combine reduced dashi with miso to make a glaze for grilled chicken.

Salads

Chapter at a glance: Oil Vinegar Vinaigrettes Green Salads Vegetable Salads Fruit Salads Bean Salads Grain Salads Salads with Chicken, Meat, or Fish Pickled Fruits and Vegetables

• Extracting and Refining Oil

  • The term extra virgin refers to the first cold pressing of the fruit (olive, coconut, avocado, and more). When I call for olive oil throughout the book, what I mean is extra virgin. This process was once done basically by hand, but is now done by machine. When I call for “good-quality vegetable oil” throughout the book, the oils I mean are labeled cold- or first-pressed fruit, nut, or vegetable oils. Soy oil and some seeds—canola and safflower, for example—are ones I avoid for their flavor and stickiness, though some people like them.

• Storing Oils

  • To extend shelf life, keep the oil in a dark, cool place, preferably not in clear glass containers. Delicate and expensive finishing oils like those from walnuts, avocados, or hemp seeds and large quantities of olive oil should be stored in the refrigerator. If they solidify, just let them sit out for a few minutes until you can pour off what you need.

• Oils, Fats, and Health

  • There is debate about the right balance among these types of fats, but for most people it’s enough to know that you should not overeat saturated fat, and should even watch your consumption of polyunsaturates. The bulk of the oil you eat should be monounsaturated.

• The Basics of Vinegar

  • Always store vinegar in nonreactive glass or ceramic containers, preferably with corks, or glass or lined-metal lids. Kept in a cool, dark place and used regularly, it will be gone before it ever goes bad. You might see a cloud of sediment drifting around the bottom of the bottle; that’s called the mother and is harmless evidence of fermentation.

• The Oil Lexicon

  • Olive oil
    • Mostly monounsaturated. High-quality olive oils are readily available at a fair price. The best balance the fruity flavor of olives with a little acidity. They range from pale gold to radiant green. You can spend a fortune on them, but need not. The expensive stuff for last-minute drizzling is akin to fine wine; some brands, growing regions, and years are better than others. Don’t bother with more refined or “lite” olive oils. Dressings and cold sauces, sautéing, even some frying. Make Flavored Oil (page 53). Substitutes: Niente. None. You’ve got to have it.
  • “Good-quality vegetable oil” (grapeseed, sunflower, safflower)
    • Mostly polyunsaturated My go-to oils for high-heat cooking or when I want neutral flavor. Grapeseed oil has a velvety smoothness and often a green color that reminds me of olive oil; the others are a little nuttier and always golden. Buy minimally processed and refined kinds. Sautéing, pan-frying, grilling, roasting. Substitutes: Any of these three are fine.
  • Peanut oil
    • Almost balanced: slightly more polyunsaturated than monounsaturated, and a teeny bit of saturated I often use peanut oil for deep-frying since it can withstand high heat, a characteristic that also makes it ideal for stir-fry cooking. It has a distinctively peanutty flavor, perfect for many Chinese, Thai, or Vietnamese dishes. As with other oils, cold pressed is best. Deep-frying, pan-frying, grilling, roasting, some baking. Substitutes: Good-quality vegetable oil, as listed above.
  • Sesame oil
    • Almost 50/50 mono- and polyunsaturated, with a little saturated The toasted dark oil is what I mean by “sesame oil” throughout the book. It’s the quintessential Asian condiment, full flavored with a distinctive sesame taste and aroma. A little goes a long way. You might see this seasoned with chile (hot oil), though I prefer to flavor it myself while I’m cooking, or by making Flavored Oil (page 53). If you’re cooking with it, watch it well—it has a low smoke point. Salads, dipping sauces, drizzling, seasoning. Substitutes: None, though toasted nut oils (below) come close.
  • Coconut oil
    • Just over 90% saturated fat, with monounsaturated and just a little polyunsaturated An intensely flavored oil that’s a darling of the health crowd, since it supposedly has the potential to raise metabolism despite the fact that it’s nearly all saturated fat. It’s solid at room temperature though, so it won’t work for salads. Sautéing, stir-frying, baking Substitutes: Nothing has the same taste, but light sesame oil is good for added flavor, or peanut oil.
  • Nut oils
    • These vary: Almond and hazelnut contain predominantly monounsaturated fats; walnut is mostly polyunsaturated. Nut oils are super-flavorful, which makes them fun to use, especially on salads. Almond, walnut, and hazelnut are the most common; all are delicious. There are also roasted nut oils (check out pistachio oil if you see it), but their strong flavors limit their use. Salads and drizzling; more-refined nut oils work well for low-heat cooking and baking. Substitutes: Fairly interchangeable within this category but otherwise utterly distinctive.
  • Not-so-everyday oils (apricot kernel, hemp seed, palm, avocado)
    • Varies depending on the oil, so read the labels. Apricot kernel oil is amazing for high-heat roasting and cooking. Avocado oil is tasty on salads. Hemp seed oil is nutty and rich and great as a garnish. Like coconut, palm oil is high in saturated fat, but has a more neutral flavor and works for high-heat cooking. Look for sustainable brands, as the palm oil industry has many environmental issues. Varies, depending on the oil. Substitutes: These are one-of a kind, special-occasion oils.
  • Not recommended oils (mass-market “vegetable oils,” soybean, corn, canola)
    • Varying combinations of mono- and polyunsaturated fats. The most common supermarket oils; if the bottle just says “vegetable oil,” there’s an excellent chance it’s soybean oil, but check the fine print; it could be cottonseed, sunflower, or safflower oil, or a combination. Canola is made from rapeseeds, which are not edible; I find its flavor off-putting, though many people do not. All-purpose, though I prefer other oils for everything. Substitutes: Buy “good-quality vegetable oil” (see above) whenever you can.

• The Vinegar Lexicon

  • Sherry vinegar (8%)
    • The best and most flavorful vinegar for the money, and increasingly available; the genuine stuff must say vinagre de Jerez. It is very acidic, so start by using less than you would of other vinegars or cut it with a little water. Wherever you’d reach for balsamic, from salads to cooked dishes. Substitutes: White wine vinegar or champagne vinegar
  • Rice vinegar (4.5%)
    • A must-have for Japanese and other East Asian cooking, as well as light-tasting vinaigrettes. Being low in acid has its advantages. Virtually any Asian-style salad, cooked dish, or sauce; anytime you want to use less oil/more vinegar) in a salad. Substitutes: No good ones, but in a pinch, white vinegar diluted with water; lemon juice
  • Balsamic vinegar (about 6%)
    • Some inexpensive balsamic has a pleasant flavor and is fine in salads. Just read the label and avoid distilled vinegar flavored with caramel syrup. Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena (real balsamic vinegar) is expensive, but if you want to upgrade to something rich and nuanced, look for one made from wine vinegar and aged at least a little while in wood barrels. Vinaigrette (page 188); in Italy it’s used for garnishing, glazing, and saucing meats or chicken; macerating fruit; even in pasta sauces. Substitutes: Sherry vinegar or Chinese black vinegar
  • Red wine vinegar (6%–7%)
    • Unless you’re going to splurge on a good one from Spain or California, go with sherry vinegar. Salads and cooked dishes, though remember it turns brown when cooked. Substitutes: Sherry vinegar
  • White wine vinegar; champagne vinegar; white balsamic vinegar (5%–7%)
    • Buy neither the cheapest nor the most expensive. Like white wine, white wine vinegar can be dull or delightful. Some is sold as “champagne vinegar,” but few are actually made from Champagne; when they are, they’re among the best. Vinaigrettes; refrigerator (not preserved) pickles. Substitutes: White balsamic is a legit choice; rice vinegar; fresh citrus juice
  • Malt vinegar (4%–8%)
    • Made from malted grain, this actually tastes malty. Get real brewed malt vinegar—not a “nonbrewed condiment,” which is nothing more than water, acetic acid, and caramel coloring. Pickling; splashing on fried or roasted foods. Substitutes: Cider vinegar
  • Chinese black vinegar (usually about 5% but may vary)
    • Made from glutinous rice, this has a delicious, almost haunting flavor. Look for one with Zhenjiang, Zhejiang, or Chinkiang on the label (the (the province in which it’s traditionally made). Stir-fries and cooked A mixture of rice dishes like Simplest Fried Rice (page 444); as a dipping sauce or dressing by itself. Substitutes: A mixture of rice vinegar, soy sauce, and brown sugar (but it just won’t be the same).
  • Cider vinegar (5%).
    • Made from apple cider, juice, or by-products of cider making; can have a distinct fruity flavor. The quality varies from flavored white vinegar to small-batch, imported, The best make rich White or malt vinegar dressings and sauces; others are good for pickling, chutneys, glazes and domestic vinegars worthy of the best salads and vegetables. The best make rich dressings and sauces; others are good for pickling, chutneys, glazes. Substitutes: White or malt vinegar.
  • Cuisine specific vinegars; cane; coconut, palm (acidities vary).
    • Cane and palm vinegars, which are often quite cloudy, are used throughout the Phillipines. Coconut vinegar is used in Southeast Asia. They are slightly yeasty and bring a certain flavor to dishes that American vinegars can’t provide. Great for Adobo (page 616); chutneys; pickling; any Thai or Indian dishes. Substitues: White or cider vinegar.
  • White vinegar (distilled vinegar) (5%)
    • Acetic acid and water; no flavor, just acidity. Very, very inexpensive. Pickling; acidulated water. Substitutes: Use for cleaning the house and choose another vinegar to eat.

• The Mother of All Dressings: Vinaigrette

  • The standard ratio is three parts oil to one part vinegar, but many people prefer more oil; a ratio of four to one can be quite nice, depending on how you use it. Adjust the ratio according to the strength of the components. You may prefer two parts oil to one part vinegar or something even a little sharper. And that’s the key: Taste your vinaigrette, add a few drops of one or the other, then taste it some more. Variations might swap out the oil or vinegar for additional flavors. You can skip the vinegar entirely and use citrus juice or even wine or sake. Spices, herbs, solid ingredients like tomatoes or chopped pickles, creamy ones like mustard or egg or roasted garlic—all of these are possible options. And best of all, even the most complicated vinaigrettes take no more than five minutes to make.
  • The process itself is called emulsification: forcing oil and water to combine.

• 5 More Salad Dressings

  • 1. Tahini Sauce (page 56)
  • 2. Blue Cheese Dressing (page 59)
  • 3. Miso-Carrot Sauce with Ginger (page 66)
  • 4. Real Ranch Dressing (page 71)
  • 5. Peanut Sauce (page 75)

• Vinaigrette

  • Vinaigrette in a Jar

  • 21 Variations on Vinaigrette

    • Mustard or Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
      • ½ cup olive oil + 3 tablespoons or more good wine vinegar + 1 heaping teaspoon any good mustard or about ½ teaspoon dry mustard, plus 1–2 tablespoons honey (optional)
    • Herb Vinaigrette
      • ½ cup olive oil + 3 tablespoons or more fresh lemon juice or good wine vinegar + ¼ cup tender, milder fresh herbs like parsley, basil, or dill; 1 teaspoon stronger, tougher herbs like oregano, rosemary, tarragon, or thyme.
    • Creamy Vinaigrette
      • ⅓ cup olive oil + 3 tablespoons or more good white wine vinegar + 3 tablespoons heavy cream, sour cream, yogurt, mayonnaise, or puréed silken tofu; 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, or to taste; 1 small shallot, chopped
    • Parmesan Vinaigrette
      • ⅓ cup olive oil + 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or good wine vinegar + ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese. Or try Manchego with sherry vinegar.
    • Lemon or Lime Vinaigrette
      • ½ cup olive oil + ¼ cup or so fresh lemon or lime juice; 1 tablespoon warm water + Zest of 1 lemon or lime, grated or chopped (optional); lots of pepper
    • Soy Vinaigrette
      • ½ cup good-quality vegetable oil; + teaspoon sesame oil, or to taste + 3 tablespoons or more rice vinegar or lemon or lime juice + 1 tablespoon soy sauce
    • Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette
      • ½ cup olive oil + 3 tablespoons or more balsamic vinegar + 2 or more cloves roasted garlic (see page 294); 1 tablespoon honey
    • Bacon Vinaigrette
      • ¼ cup olive oil; 2 tablespoons rendered bacon fat + 3 tablespoons sherry or balsamic vinegar + 1 large shallot, chopped; ¼ cup minced cooked bacon, stirred in just before using
    • Ginger Vinaigrette
      • ½ cup good-quality vegetable oil + 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar; 1 tablespoon lime juice; about 1 tablespoon warm water + 1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and chopped; lots of pepper
    • Tomato-Basil Vinaigrette
      • ½ cup olive oil + 2 tablespoons or more good wine vinegar + ¼ cup chopped seeded fresh tomato; 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
    • Nut Oil Vinaigrette
      • ½ cup walnut, hazelnut, or other nut oil + 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar + 1 large shallot, chopped (optional)
    • Nutty Vinaigrette
      • ½ cup olive oil + 3 tablespoons sherry, balsamic, or good wine vinegar + ¼ cup almonds, hazelnuts, pine nuts, pecans, or walnuts, ground in a food processor; 1 clove garlic
    • Maple Vinaigrette
      • ½ cup olive oil + 2 tablespoons cider, sherry, or white wine vinegar + 1 tablespoon maple syrup, or to taste
    • Avocado Vinaigrette (discolors after an hour or so)
      • ¼ cup or more fresh lime or lemon juice + ½ avocado (mashed if using a jar); 1 teaspoon chopped garlic or 2 tablespoons chopped onion (optional)
    • Dried Fruit Vinaigrette
      • ½ cup olive oil + 3 tablespoons sherry, balsamic, or good wine vinegar + 3 tablespoons dried fruit, chopped if necessary, soaked in the vinegar for 15 minutes; 1 small shallot, chopped
    • Roasted Pepper Vinaigrette
      • ⅓ cup olive oil + 3 or more tablespoons good wine or balsamic vinegar + ½ Roasted Red Pepper (page 318), chopped
    • Anchovy-Caper Vinaigrette
      • ½ cup olive oil + 3 tablespoons good wine vinegar + 4 anchovy fillets with a bit of their oil; 1 teaspoon capers with a bit of their brine; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
    • Coconut Curry Vinaigrette
      • 1/2 cup coconut milk, + 3 tablespoons or more rice vinegar or coconut vinegar + 1 tablespoon curry powder
    • Miso Vinaigrette
      • 3 tablespoons good-quality vegetable oil + 3 tablespoons rice vinegar; 2 tablespoons warm water + 3 tablespoons white or light miso; 1 tablespoon soy sauce
    • Pomegranate Molasses Vinaigrette
      • 1/2 cup olive oil + 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses; 2 tablespoons or more warm water + 1 or 2 teaspoons honey.
    • Fish Sauce Vinaigrette
      • 3 tablespoons good-quality vegetable oil + 2 tablespoons rice vinegar plus 2 tablespoons lime juice + 3 tablespoons fish sauce; 2 teaspoons sugar, 1 clove garlic; 1 small red chile (more or less), seeded.

• Green Salads

  • My baseline for green salads is one or more greens, drizzled with oil and a little lemon juice or vinegar and sprinkled with salt and pepper (see Simple Green Salad, page 194).

• The Basics of Salad Greens

  • The difference between an average green salad and a great one is determined by just three things: the greens, the oil, and the vinegar.
  • The range of flavors, textures, colors, and versatility of this huge group of greens—radicchio, Belgian endive, curly endive, escarole, frisée, and more obscure greens like Treviso and puntarella—is unmatched.
  • Dandelion greens—among the most vitamin-packed foods on the planet—are mild flavored when young, incomparably bitter when mature. Super-peppery cresses—now often sold with the roots intact to keep them fresh longer—deserve more attention than mere garnishing.
  • Dandelion greens can be eaten in salads when young but quickly become too bitter to eat raw and are then best when steamed or stir-fried with soy sauce or garlic and lemon.
  • Packaged greens are theoretically washed, but I rinse them anyway—until the water runs clear—and I recommend you do too.

• Buying, Preparing, and Storing Salad Greens Buying:

  • In all cases, look for leaves without discoloration or wilting. For loose heads, try to peek inside and see how the center looks.

• Storing:

  • Rinsed, thoroughly dried salad greens are good to have on hand and often keep better than in the bag from the store. If you have a salad spinner, pour the water out of it after spinning and pop it into the fridge, greens and all.

• Simple Green Salad

  • Green Salad with Fresh Herbs

  • Watercress and Sesame Salad

  • Endive Salad with Nut Oil Vinaigrette

  • Greek Salad, Simplified

  • 15 Ideas for Simple Green Salad: Choose one or at most two additions, to keep your salad simple. See the following recipes for heartier, more complicated salads.

    • 1. Omit the oil or minimize the vinegar; either way, it’ll still be good.
    • 2. Substitute any good, flavorful oil like walnut, hazelnut, or sesame. Use less at first, because these are stronger than olive oil.
    • 3. Add tomatoes, in quarters or eighths; you might want to remove their seeds first (see page 345), but it isn’t essential. Or use halved cherry or grape tomatoes.
    • 4. Add grated or shaved Parmesan cheese. This is probably the easiest upgrade you can make to many salads.
    • 5. Add chopped vegetables; see Chopped Salad (page 197).
    • 6. Add chopped pitted olives.
    • 7. Add chopped shallot, onion, scallion, or leek, or just a little bit of minced garlic.
    • 8. Add chopped or sliced Hard-Boiled Egg (page 721), or top with one or more Poached Eggs (page 725) or peeled Soft-Boiled Eggs (page 721).
    • 9. Add crumbled blue cheese or any other cheese.
    • 10. Add any toasted nuts or seeds, chopped if necessary.
    • 11. Add sliced pears, apples, oranges, or other fruit.
    • 12. Add about ¼ ounce seaweed, soaked and drained as in Sesame Seaweed Salad (page 209). Or add 1 sheet nori (laver), toasted briefly over a hot flame and crumbled as on page 448.
    • 13. Add chopped Roasted Red Peppers (page 318; or yellow peppers), capers, or anchovies.
    • 14. Use more intensely flavored greens: arugula, watercress, endive, radicchio, frisée, escarole.
    • 15. Sprinkle with crumbled cooked bacon or top with anchovy fillets.

• Caesar Salad

  • Chicken, Shrimp, or Vegetable Caesar Salad

• Chopped Salad

  • Chopped Salad, Southwest Style

  • Chopped Salad with Coconut

  • Chopped Salad with Peanut Dressing

  • 12 Other Ingredients for Chopped Salad

    • 1. ½ bulb fennel, or so, trimmed and chopped
    • 2. About 1 cup chopped haricots verts, or green or wax beans, boiled briefly and shocked (see page 238)
    • 3. About 1 cup small chunks steamed waxy potatoes
    • 4. ½ cup chopped radishes
    • 5. About 1 cup peeled and chopped raw beets; use cooked if you prefer
    • 6. About 1 cup corn kernels, cooked any way (grilled is excellent)
    • 7. ½ cup grated or crumbled cheese, like Parmesan, blue cheese, or feta
    • 8. ½ cup chopped pitted olives
    • 9. ½ cup toasted nuts like almonds, pistachios, or peanuts, chopped into large pieces
    • 10. 1 apple, cored and chopped
    • 11. 1 cup cooked grain like farro, quinoa, or rice
    • 12. 1 cup mixed fresh herbs like parsley, mint, dill, or cilantro

• Warm Spicy Greens with Bacon and Eggs

  • Warm Spinach Salad with Bacon and Eggs
  • Warm Kale Salad with Bacon and Eggs
  • Salade Lyonnaise
  • BLT Salad

• Tomato, Mozzarella, and Basil Salad

  • Peach, Mozzarella, and Basil Salad
  • Melon, Feta, and Mint Salad

• Cherry Tomato Salad with Soy Sauce

• Simple Radish or Jícama Salad

  • Radish-Celery-Mint Salad
  • Celery-Cucumber-Mint Salad
  • Celery-Parsley-Parmesan Salad

• Corn Salad with Avocado

  • Corn Salad with Arugula
  • Corn and Noodle Salad with Chile
  • Corn Salad with Tarragon
  • Corn Salad with Feta and Mint

• Spicy No-Mayo Coleslaw

  • Cabbage and Carrot Slaw, Mexican Style
  • Apple Slaw
  • Cumin-Scented Carrot Slaw
  • Red Slaw

• The word salad comes from the Latin word for salt, so it’s no surprise that the two concepts go hand in hand: salting vegetables, even briefly, can maximize their crispness and flavor by causing them to release their water. Specifically: Cabbage: When slaws are made with salted cabbage, they are noticeably less watery and stay crisp and fresh for a few days longer. Put sliced cabbage in a colander, sprinkle with salt (about a tablespoon for 6 cups cabbage), and let sit. After about an hour, rinse and drain. For extra crispness, rinse, then wring dry in a towel after salting; if that’s not your goal, just pat dry after rinsing. Cucumbers: Ordinary cukes benefit a lot from salting. First peel, seed (see page 287), and slice them. Then use the same procedure as for cabbage. Radishes: Sliced radishes may be salted like cabbage and cucumbers—they become milder and crisper—but only for an absolute maximum of 45 minutes, or they will become limp. Tomatoes: Lightly salting tomatoes always improves their flavor and tightens their flesh, but they are fragile. Use less salt (about 1 teaspoon per pound) and leave them for only 15 minutes or so. Put salted chopped tomatoes in a colander (and set a bowl under it if you want to trap the tomato water for using in stocks or sauces). Sliced or wedged tomatoes work best put directly on towels before salting. Onions: Onions become milder and crisper after salting, either directly or in a saltwater bath (about 1 tablespoon salt per 4 cups water). Let sit for a half hour or longer, then rinse and dry before using. Kale: Treating raw kale this way makes it less tough and much tastier. Put chopped kale leaves in a colander and sprinkle with salt. “Massage” the salt into the leaves to start the process of breaking down the cell walls; let stand for up to an hour. Rinse and dry before dressing. Salad greens: Avoid salting or dressing these in advance. You’ll end up with a watery mess.

• Fennel and Orange Salad

  • Fennel, Orange, and Olive Salad
  • Red Onion and Orange Salad
  • Cucumber and Orange Salad

• 8 Shaved Vegetable Salads: Cut raw vegetables paper thin and you have an elegant “shaved” salad. A mandoline is an ideal tool—or easier still, use a food processor with an adjustable slicing disk on the lowest setting. Toss the shards with a little of the dressing, transfer to a serving platter—spread out on a big plate, it looks gorgeous—and garnish. Serve right away with the remaining dressing on the side. Just don’t let any of these salads sit for more than 30 minutes, or they’re apt to become soggy and watery.

  • Celery Rémoulade: 1 celery root, peeled and sliced + Creamy Vinaigrette (page 190) made with mayonnaise + Chopped fresh celery leaves or chives
  • Shaved Mushroom: Salad 1 pound button mushrooms, sliced + Lemon Vinaigrette (page 190) + Shaved Parmesan cheese; chopped fresh parsley
  • Shaved Beet Salad: 1 pound beets, peeled and sliced (golden beets make a lovely salad) + Pomegranate Molasses Vinaigrette (page 191) + Chopped toasted pistachios; chopped scallions
  • Shaved Kohlrabi Salad: 1 pound kohlrabi, peeled and sliced + Ginger Vinaigrette (page 190) + Chopped fresh basil; toasted sesame seeds
  • Shaved Root Vegetable Salad: 1 pound mixed root vegetables like parsnip, carrot, turnip, and/or rutabaga, peeled and sliced + Maple Vinaigrette (page 191) + Chopped fresh parsley
  • Shaved Asparagus Salad: 1 pound asparagus, sliced + Miso Vinaigrette (page 191) + Chopped fresh cilantro
  • Shaved Zucchini Salad: 1 pound small zucchini, sliced + Nut Oil Vinaigrette (page 191) with hazelnut oil + Chopped fresh mint; chopped toasted hazelnuts
  • Shaved Artichoke Salad: 4 artichokes, trimmed, cleaned (see page 258), sliced + Lemon Vinaigrette (page 190) + Grated Parmesan cheese; chopped fresh parsley or basil

• Cold Cooked and Dressed Greens

  • Cold Bok Choy and Ginger Salad
  • Cold Escarole, Garlic, and Parmesan Salad

• Potato Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

  • Classic Potato Salad
  • Grilled Potato Salad
  • Roasted Potato Salad

• 17 Simple Additions to Potato Salad:

  • 1. Chopped fresh herbs, like chives, chervil, dill, oregano, rosemary, or sage, to taste
  • 2. Chopped sweet or dill pickle
  • 3. Chopped celery or fennel
  • 4. Chopped red bell pepper, raw or roasted (page 318); or canned pimientos
  • 5. Capers or chopped olives
  • 6. Chopped shallots, raw or lightly cooked in olive oil
  • 7. Cooked fresh peas, or thawed frozen
  • 8. Chopped Hard-Boiled Egg (page 721)
  • 9. Cayenne, smoked paprika, or chopped fresh chile (jalapeño, Thai, serrano, or habanero)
  • 10. Curry powder (to make your own, see page 32) or other spice mixtures (start with a teaspoon)
  • 11. Chopped or mashed anchovies
  • 12. Crumbled cooked bacon or bits of ham or prosciutto
  • 13. Grated hard cheese like Parmesan, cheddar, or Manchego, or crumbled feta, queso fresco, or ricotta salata
  • 14. Sliced or grated radishes
  • 15. Cooked and chopped greens like escarole or kale, or raw tender greens like spinach, arugula, or watercress
  • 16. 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard or Pickled Mustard Seeds (page 37), mixed into the vinaigrette
  • 17. Green beans, blanched, shocked (page 238), and chopped

• Sesame Seaweed Salad

  • Miso Seaweed Salad

• 12 Additions to Sesame Seaweed Salad: You can add these singly or in combination.

  • 1. 8 ounces to 1 pound cucumbers, peeled and seeded (see page 287) if necessary, thinly sliced, then salted and squeezed to remove excess water (see page 203)
  • 2. Several radishes or a piece of daikon, peeled if necessary, thinly sliced, then salted and squeezed to remove excess water (page 203)
  • 3. A tablespoon or two of Dashi (page 179) or Vegetarian Dashi
  • 4. About 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger, to taste
  • 5. 1 fresh tomato, cored, peeled, seeded, and chopped
  • 6. ½ to 1 cup peeled and chopped Granny Smith apple or Asian pear
  • 7. ½ cup chopped nuts like walnuts, almonds, cashews, or pecans
  • 8. ½ to 1 cup julienned or chopped carrot
  • 9. ½ to 1 cup peeled and julienned or chopped jícama
  • 10. A 2-ounce bundle of thin rice noodles (vermicelli), cooked (see page 520)
  • 11. 1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and chopped
  • 12. 1 cup shelled cooked edamame

• Green Papaya Salad

• Mixed Fruit Salad

  • Mixed Fruit Salad with Mint
  • Salty Mixed Fruit Salad
  • Mixed Fruit Salad with Coconut

• Basic Bean Salad

  • 10 Simple Last-Minute Additions to Bean Salads: Depending on what you add, you may need more dressing and seasoning: For every extra tablespoon oil, add a teaspoon or so vinegar or fresh lemon juice; taste and up the salt, pepper, and spices accordingly.
    • 1. Chopped fresh, dried, or oven-roasted (page 347) tomatoes
    • 2. Chopped raw or roasted (page 318) bell peppers or chiles
    • 3. Chopped or torn salad greens like romaine, mesclun, arugula, spinach, radicchio, or frisée
    • 4. Chopped cooked vegetables like asparagus, kale, chard, spinach, watercress, broccoli, broccoli raab, bok choy, or green beans
    • 5. Chopped cooked mushrooms
    • 6. Grated, shaved, or cubed cheese like Parmesan, blue, feta, queso fresco, Jack, or cheddar
    • 7. Crumbled or chopped crisp bacon or pancetta, or chorizo or other sausage
    • 8. Chopped cooked shrimp or squid, or canned tuna
    • 9. Any cooked grain (see page 450)
    • 10. Traditional Pesto (page 51) or any other Herb Purée (page 52)

• Warm Chickpea Salad with Arugula

  • White Bean Salad with Tuna

• 10 Variations on Bean Salad: Use the bean quantities and instructions in Basic Bean Salad on page 212, but change the extras, seasonings, and garnishes and as described here. The specific beans in the first column are little more than a suggestion; try any cooked dried or canned beans you like.

  • Lentil Salad with Herbs: 2–4 tablespoons chopped red onion or shallot; ½ cup chopped fresh parsley; ½ cup mixed chopped fresh chives, dill, basil, chervil; 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, tarragon, or rosemary + Good wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice; olive oil + Thin slices of lemon
  • Chickpea Salad with Chutney: Any chutney (pages 61–64), ½ cup or more as needed to coat beans + Something crunchy: toasted coconut, chopped scallion, or sliced radishes
  • Garlicky Red Bean Salad: 2 tablespoons minced garlic, 2 tablespoons chopped red onion, shallot, or chives; or cloves from 1 head Roasted Garlic (page 294) + White wine vinegar; olive oil + 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary or ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
  • White Bean Salad, Tabbouleh Style: 1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes; 1 cup peeled, seeded (see page 287), chopped cucumber; 3 tablespoons minced red onion + Fresh lemon juice; olive oil + 1 cup mixed chopped fresh parsley and mint
  • Spicy Black Bean Salad: 2 teaspoons minced garlic; ½ cup chopped red bell pepper; 1 cup pan-roasted corn kernels (for the method, see page 286) or plain fresh or frozen corn; 1 or 2 canned chipotle chiles, chopped with some adobo sauce + Red wine vinegar; olive oil + ¼ cup each chopped fresh cilantro and scallions
  • Lemony Green Lentil Salad: 1 lemon, peeled, chopped, and seeded; 1 tablespoon capers + Fresh lemon juice; olive oil + ¼ cup chopped fresh chives, shallot, or red onion
  • Curried Black-Eyed Pea Salad: 2 teaspoons each minced fresh ginger and garlic; 3 tablespoons chopped red onion; 1 tablespoon curry powder + Rice vinegar or fresh lemon juice; peanut oil + ¼ cup or so chopped fresh cilantro
  • Three-Bean Salad: Use 1 cup kidney beans; 1½ cups cooked edamame or chickpeas; 1½ cups green or wax beans, trimmed, chopped into ½-inch pieces, cooked and shocked (see page 238); 2–4 tablespoons chopped red onion or shallot + Red or white wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice; olive oil + ¼ cup or more chopped fresh chives or parsley
  • Gigante Salad with Pesto Dressing: ¼ cup chopped dried tomatoes; 2 cups chopped spinach leaves ½ cup or more + Traditional Pesto (page 51) thinned with lemon juice or white wine vinegar + Chopped toasted walnuts or pine nuts
  • Cannellini Salad with Balsamic Dressing: 1 cup shredded radicchio and the white part of 1 large leek + 2 tablespoons or more balsamic vinegar; ⅓ cup olive oil + 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

• Fava Bean and Mint Salad with Pecorino

• Rice Salad with Dried Apricots

  • Rice Salad with Grapefruit and Pistachios
  • Rice Salad with Tomatoes
  • Wild Rice Salad with Dried Fruit and Pecans
  • Wheat Berry Salad with Apples and Walnuts

• Tabbouleh

  • Tabbouleh with Lots of Tomatoes

• Farro Salad with Cucumber and Yogurt-Dill Dressing

  • Farro and Cress Salad
  • Farro Salad with Peas and Yogurt-Dill Dressing
  • Farro Salad with Cucumber and Smoked Salmon

• Picnic-Perfect Salads: With a little forethought, even tender green salads travel well; pack them and the dressing or other ingredients separately and toss on the spot. But most of the following salads can be finished at home and packed for an adventure—ideally in a container that protects them and the picnic basket—without loss of quality.

  • 1. Tomato, Mozzarella, and Basil Salad (page 199), assemble on the spot
  • 2. Simple Radish or Jícama Salad (page 200)
  • 3. Cumin-Scented Carrot Slaw (page 205)
  • 4. Fennel and Orange Salad (page 205)
  • 5. Cold Cooked and Dressed Greens (page 206)
  • 6. Any of the salads in the charts on pages 206, 214, and 224
  • 7. Potato Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette (page 207)
  • 8. Sesame Seaweed Salad (page 209)
  • 9. Green Papaya Salad (page 210)
  • 10. Basic Bean Salad (page 212)
  • 11. Fava Bean and Mint Salad with Pecorino (page 215)
  • 12. Rice Salad with Dried Apricots (page 217)
  • 13. Tabbouleh (page 217)
  • 14. Farro Salad with Cucumber and Yogurt-Dill Dressing (page 218)
  • 15. Quinoa and Sweet Potato Salad (page 219)
  • 16. Chicken Salad with Olive Oil and Fresh Herbs (page 221)
  • 17. Seafood Salad, Mediterranean Style (page 227)

• Quinoa and Sweet Potato Salad

  • Southwestern Millet and Sweet Potato Salad

• Fattoush

  • Crouton Salad
  • Grilled Bread Salad
  • Corn Bread Salad

• Chicken Salad with Olive Oil and Fresh Herbs

  • Traditional Chicken Salad
  • Lobster Salad
  • Crab Salad

• 12 Poultry Dishes That Are Perfect on Greens: Almost any leftover or just-cooked poultry turns a salad into a meal. If the dishes are still hot or warm, the greens will soften and mingle with the juices, which can also be a nice touch.

  • 1. Chicken or Pork Satay (page 130)
  • 2. Broiled Boneless Chicken, including its grilled variation (page 596), or the variations in the chart on page 599
  • 3. Simply Grilled or Broiled Chicken Parts (see the chart, too; pages 617–620)
  • 4. Chicken MarkNuggets (page 630)
  • 5. Simplest Whole Roast Chicken or its variations (pull the meat from the bones; page 633) 6. Chicken Under a Brick (page 641)
  • 7. Grilled or Broiled Split Chicken (page 642)
  • 8. Basic Roast Turkey Breast, on the Bone (page 650)
  • 9. Roast Duck (page 654)
  • 10. Fast “Roast” Duck, Chinese Style (page 654)
  • 11. Duck Confit (page 655)
  • 12. Grilled or Broiled Squab, Vietnamese Style (page 661)

• Grilled Beef Salad with Mint

  • Grilled Chicken Salad with Lemongrass
  • Grilled Shrimp Salad with Chile and Basil

• 10 More Fish, Chicken, or Meat Salads:

  • Chicken and Daikon Salad: 3 cups shredded cooked chicken breast + 2 cups peeled and grated daikon + Ginger Vinaigrette (page 190); 2 teaspoons each black and white sesame seeds, toasted, and chopped scallions
  • Pulled Pork and Mango Salad: 2 cups shredded No-Work Smoked Pork Shoulder (page 695) + 2 not-too-ripe mangoes, peeled and chopped; ½ small red onion, thinly sliced + Lime Vinaigrette (page 190); ½ cup or more chopped fresh cilantro
  • Steak and Roasted Pepper Salad: 2 cups thinly sliced grilled or broiled steak (see page 670) + 2 Roasted Red Peppers (page 318), cored, seeded, and chopped; 3 cups chopped radicchio; 1 cup crumbled Gorgonzola + Vinaigrette (page 188) made with balsamic vinegar; ½ cup chopped fresh chives or parsley
  • Pesto Shrimp Salad: 1 pound peeled large (21–30 count) shrimp, grilled (see page 535) or steamed (see page 545) + 1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes ¼ cup + Traditional Pesto (page 51), thinned with olive oil or water
  • Curried Chicken Salad: 4 cups chopped or shredded cooked chicken breast + ½ cup peeled, chopped apple; ½ cup chopped cashews + 3 tablespoons mayonnaise or yogurt, or to taste; 1 tablespoon curry powder; ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • Duck Salad with Dried Cherries: 2 cups chopped or shredded cooked duck meat + ½ cup dried cherries; ½ cup toasted hazelnuts (see page 309); 3 cups chopped frisée (optional) + Vinaigrette (page 188), made with sherry vinegar; ¼ cup chopped fresh chives or parsley
  • Beef and Avocado Salad: 12 ounces beef tenderloin, grilled or broiled to medium-rare and cubed + 1 avocado, pitted, peeled, cubed; 1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes; 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, chopped + Lime Vinaigrette (page 190); ½ cup chopped scallions
  • Buttermilk Chicken Salad with Corn Bread: 3 cups chopped or shredded cooked chicken breast + 1 cup crumbled Corn Bread (page 769) or My Kind of Croutons (page 801), made with Corn Bread; ½ cup dried cranberries + 1/4 cup Real Ranch Dressing (page 71) with 2 teaspoons chopped garlic; 1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans
  • Miso Salmon Salad with Snow Peas: 3 cups flaked cooked salmon + 1 cup thinly sliced snow peas + ½ cup Miso Vinaigrette (page 191); ¼ cup chopped scallions
  • Spicy Pork Salad with Green Beans: 2 cups chopped cooked pork tenderloin + 1 cup chopped cooked green beans (see page 297); 1 cup shredded napa cabbage; 1 tablespoon chopped jalapeño or other fresh chile + ¼ cup Soy Vinaigrette (page 190); ¼ cup chopped mint

• 8 Meat Dishes to Serve on Greens: As with poultry, you can use any unsauced meat dish, hot or cold, to top a bed of greens.

  • 1. Any of the steaks as described in Many Ways to Cook Steak (page 667), sliced
  • 2. Grilled or Broiled Flank Steak (page 670)
  • 3. Grilled Beef Kebabs with Lots of Vegetables or any of the kebabs on page 673
  • 4. Grilled or Broiled Pork Chops (page 689)
  • 5. Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Lots of Herbs or any of its variations (page 694)
  • 6. Any of the hams as described in the sidebar on page 704
  • 7. Roast Leg of Lamb, 5 Ways (page 709)
  • 8. Grilled or Broiled Veal Chops (page 713)

• Salade Niçoise

• Seafood Salad, Mediterranean Style

• 11 Seafood Dishes That Are Perfect on Greens: For an impressive light meal, cook some fish, put it on mixed salad greens, and dress with one of the vinaigrettes on page 190. Here are some possibilities.

  • 1. Broiled Seafood (page 534)
  • 2. Grilled Seafood (page 535)
  • 3. Roasted Seafood (page 536)
  • 4. Deep-Fried Seafood (page 538)
  • 5. Still the Simplest and Best Shrimp Dish (page 542)
  • 6. Fish Kebabs (page 566)
  • 7. Roasted Tuna Steaks (page 567)
  • 8. Sardines on the Grill (page 573)
  • 9. Broiled or Grilled Scallops with Basil Stuffing (page 579)
  • 10. Bare-Bones Crab Cakes (page 585)
  • 11. Sautéed Soft-Shell Crabs, Four Ways (page 587)

• The Basics of Pickling Fruits and Vegetables: Acidity can inhibit the growth of harmful microbes in food. There are two basic ways to get acid into foods: by directly using vinegar, or by salting, using straight salt or a saltwater brine. Vinegar penetrates by replacing the natural water in the food. Salting is a less direct and more complex process where the salt draws out the food’s natural water and allows just enough good bacterial growth to produce lactic acid, which pickles the food. Salt is also used when pickling with vinegar, to draw out water and crisp the vegetables so the vinegar that permeates the vegetable or fruit remains undiluted. Though vinegar and salt help create pickles, seasonings—spices, herbs, garlic, onions, and other aromatics—are often added as flavorings. Dill is a favorite with cucumbers in the United States, as are garlic, mustard, black peppercorns, and chiles or red chile flakes.

• There are a few guidelines: Use the freshest foods for pickling; food that has blemishes or soft spots will start with more of the harmful microbes you want to avoid. Consider the size and density of the fruit or vegetable; smaller and softer pieces pickle more quickly than larger pieces. Think about timing—the pickles here can take anywhere from 20 minutes to several days to cure.

• Quick-Pickled Vegetables

  • Spicy Quick-Pickled Vegetables
  • Quick-Pickled Vegetables, Mexican Style
  • Quick-Pickled Corn Coins with Sichuan Peppercorns
  • Quick-Pickled Mango or Papaya
  • Quick-Pickled Relish

• Shortcut Kimchi

• Kosher Pickles, the Right Way

• Three-Day Pickles

  • Pickled Peaches, Afghan Style (Tershi)
  • Pickled Watermelon Rind

Vegetables and Fruit

Chapter at a glance: Buying and Handling Fresh Produce Cooking Vegetables The Vegetable Lexicon The Nut and Seed Lexicon Mixed Vegetable Dishes Stuffed Vegetables Cooking Fruit The Fruit Lexicon **

• The Basics of Buying and Handling Fresh Produce

  • Pay attention to the little stickers to see where the produce came from, keeping in mind that miles traveled indicate the age of the fruits and vegetables and their stage of ripeness when harvested. Soon you’ll naturally gravitate to what’s seasonal locally or regionally, since what’s grown closer to home will be freshest.
  • The vast majority of everyday vegetables—broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, eggplant, mushrooms, lettuce, greens, green beans, carrots, celery, beets, radishes—last longest in the refrigerator. If there is visible moisture, remove them from plastic and keep them in bins; if they tend to dry out—like broccoli or carrots—keep them loosely wrapped.
  • Most fruit is best left out at room temperature until ripe, with the exceptions of grapes, cherries, oranges, and apples.
  • Wait until you’re ready to use vegetables and fruit before rinsing them. While water helps remove both pesticide residues and other possible contaminants, it also washes away the plant’s natural defenses against rotting, and storing moist produce can promote growth of mold or bacteria. I rinse almost all fresh vegetables and fruits before cooking and eating. Even when the peel is inedible, it’s a good idea; any bacteria or dirt on the outside can spread to the inside with handling. A soft scrubbing brush is perfect for potatoes you don’t want to peel, cucumbers with little spines, and other, more rigorous jobs. You can also use a mildly abrasive dishwashing pad. To rinse greens and other loose vegetables, put them in a salad spinner or a colander inside a large pot or the clean sink. Fill the vessel with water and swish the veggies around, then lift them out and let them drain in the colander, or transfer to a clean towel. Or for big fruits and vegetables like apples and tomatoes, simply run them under cold tap water, then drain and dry.

• When to Refrigerate Fruits and Vegetables

  • NEVER REFRIGERATE Garlic:
    • Onions (unless they’re spring onions or scallions)
    • Peaches and nectarines
    • Plums
    • Potatoes
    • Sweet potatoes and yams
    • Tomatoes
    • Tropical tubers like taro, cassava, boniato, and malanga
    • Winter squash
  • OKAY TO REFRIGERATE WHEN RIPE
    • Apricots
    • Avocados
    • Bananas and plantains
    • Berries (try to eat within a day)
    • Figs
    • Grapefruit
    • Kiwis
    • Mangoes
    • Melons
    • Papayas
    • Pears
    • Persimmons
    • Pineapples

• The Basics of Cooking Vegetables

  • Despite what enthusiasts of raw diets contend, cooking generally increases the bioavailability of the nutrients in vegetables. For example, the starch in potatoes is not absorbed by the stomach—and can cause gastric distress—unless the potatoes are cooked until just soft. And vegetables high in fiber and protein, like beans, benefit from some heat for the body to digest them efficiently. Many vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients migrate out of the vegetables and into the surrounding liquid during cooking. Submerging vegetables for a long time in boiling water is the least nutritious way to cook them; steaming is a better alternative, especially if the vegetables remain above the steaming liquid or you can incorporate the steaming liquid into the dish. The solution: Cook vegetables just enough to unlock the nutrients but not long enough to allow the bulk of them to escape. If you want the vegetables cooked beyond al dente for puréeing, mashing, or blending into soups or sauces, you might consider cooking them in a way that uses little or no water like roasting, stir-frying, or microwaving, or include the cooking liquid in the finished dish. And if you really love boiled vegetables, consider saving the cooking water and using it for soups or beverages.
  • Frozen vegetables can be “fresher” (meaning brighter in color, more distinctive in flavor, and more consistently pleasing in texture) than their out-of-season produce-section counterparts. They can also be more convenient and are often less expensive. And since the quality of vegetables is pretty much preserved at the stage they’re frozen, the nutritional value may be superior. Plus they’re handy and easy to prepare—so you might eat vegetables more.
  • Cooking vegetables above—not in—a small amount of gently bubbling water is fast and efficient and preserves water-soluble vitamins. (See Boiled or Steamed Vegetables on page 238.) This method is ideal for plain vegetables to either eat right away or marinate in a dressing as they cool. There’s no need to buy a fancy vegetable steamer; a fold-up basket that fits in the bottom of a pot does the job, as does a metal colander or even, in a pinch, a heatproof plate (see “Ways to Rig a Steamer,” page 20). Fill the steamer with vegetables, set it over an inch or so of water (see “Steaming,” page 17), cover, and turn the heat to medium-high. Check frequently to prevent overcooking and to make sure there’s still water in the bottom of the pot. To capture steamed vegetables when they’re perfectly crisp-tender, shock them immediately in ice water (see page 238).
  • And the term parboiling really means “partial boiling,” in which vegetables are intentionally left underdone so they can finish cooking by another method.
  • If you’re parboiling before cooking with another method—on the grill or in a stir-fry, for example—your goal is for all of them to finish cooking at the same time, so try to parboil each to the point where it is barely getting tender.

• Shocking Vegetables: After microwaving, steaming, or boiling vegetables, you can “shock” them to stop the cooking process and capture an exact degree of doneness—and their vibrant color. It’s easy: Immediately plunge them into a bowl of ice water. Shocking works brilliantly for virtually all vegetables; eggplant, bell and chile peppers, and mushrooms are the notable exceptions.

• Boiled or Steamed Vegetables

  • Greens
  • Tender vegetables
  • Sturdy vegetables

• Puréed Vegetables

  • Rich Vegetable Purée

• 10 More Vegetable Purées:

  • Broccoli or Cauliflower Purée: Olive oil + Ricotta cheese + Pinch nutmeg + Grated Parmesan
  • Butternut Squash Purée: Good-quality vegetable oil + Coconut milk + Curry powder + Toasted shredded coconut
  • Puréed Carrots: Olive oil + Orange juice + Chopped fresh ginger + Grated orange zest
  • Puréed Chestnuts: Butter + Heavy cream or crème fraîche + Honey or maple syrup + Chopped roasted chestnuts (see page 283)
  • Corn Purée: Butter or olive oil + Sour cream + 2 teaspoons chili powder + Queso fresco, chopped fresh tomato, chopped cilantro
  • Eggplant Purée: Olive oil + try 1 head Roasted Garlic (page 294) + Any Middle Eastern spice blend or a large pinch saffron + Chopped fresh parsley or mint
  • Puréed Peas: Melted butter + Heavy cream or half-and-half + Chopped fresh tarragon + A spoonful of Dijon mustard, stirred in
  • Pumpkin, Other Winter Squash, or Cassava Purée: Olive oil + Cooking liquid + Lots of garlic, roasted (page 294) or fried + Paprika or lots of pepper, a squeeze of lime juice
  • Puréed Bell Peppers or Mild Chiles: Olive oil + Chopped fresh cilantro or red onion
  • Puréed Parsnips, Turnips, or Rutabagas: Melted butter or olive oil + Dab of sour cream + Chopped red onion + Chopped fresh parsley, chopped toasted nuts

• Sautéing Vegetables:

  • I wish there were another word for sautéing, since it sounds much more intimidating than it is: nothing more than cooking food quickly in hot fat. Stir-frying is a subset of sautéing;
  • The only potential downside is that you must check the vegetables frequently while sautéing and anticipate doneness, since they’ll continue to cook even off the heat. The recipe that follows walks you through the process so you get the hang of what to look for. If you’re comfortable boiling or steaming (or microwaving) vegetables—or want to prepare them in advance to finish easily at the last minute, then try the variation.

• Sautéed Vegetables

  • Parboiled or Steamed Vegetables in Butter or Oil

• Stir-Fried Vegetables

  • Shrimp, Chicken, or Any Meat and Vegetable Stir-Fry
  • Tofu and Vegetable Stir-Fry
  • Stir-Fried Vegetables, Vietnamese Style

• 5 More Vegetable Stir-Fries:

  • Stir-Fried Asparagus: 1 tablespoons minced garlic; 2 small dried chiles (optional) + 1½ pounds asparagus, trimmed, peeled, and cut into 2-inch lengths (parboiled if thick; see page 237) + 2 tablespoons water; 1 tablespoon soy sauce; 1 teaspoon sesame oil (optional)
  • Stir-Fried Bean Sprouts: 1 pound bean sprouts (about 4 cups), trimmed if you like; 1 tablespoon each minced ginger and minced garlic + 2 tablespoons any spice mixture like five-spice powder or curry powder + Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
  • Gingery Stir-Fried Broccoli and Shiitakes: 1½ pounds broccoli, trimmed, stems cut into pieces no more than ½ pound sliced fresh shiitakes; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger (all at the same time) + 1 cup stock or mushroom soaking liquid (cook until the liquid evaporates) + 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • Curried Stir-Fried Potatoes: 1 tablespoon cumin seeds; 1 small red onion, chopped; 1½ pounds all-purpose potatoes, peeled and grated (cook until the potatoes are lightly browned) + 1 tablespoon garam masala; pinch cayenne; salt and pepper + ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • Seaweed and Celery Stir-Fry: 1 tablespoon minced garlic; 1 tablespoon minced ginger; ½ cup chopped scallions or onion + 2 celery stalks, sliced; 1 ounce seaweed like arame, hijiki, dulse or wakame; soaked, drained, and sliced (if necessary); ¼ cup water + 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 1 teaspoon sesame oil

• Braising Vegetables: A combination of sautéing and simmering, braising allows you to cook vegetables until they’re fully tender—or even slightly mushy—and take advantage of all their flavor and nutrients since you eat the cooking liquid too. Root vegetables, cabbages, sturdy winter greens, and alliums (garlic, shallots, leeks, and onions) are all good candidates for braising.

• Braising and Glazing Vegetables: Put oil or butter in a large skillet and turn the heat to medium. Sauté chopped or sliced garlic, onion, shallot, and/or ginger, or other aromatics if you like, for 30 seconds or so. Then add the vegetable—like carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, or any root vegetable, sliced or chopped as you like—with a little water and a sprinkle of salt. The longer the vegetables need to cook, the more water you’ll need, but generally ¼ to ½ cup will do. Now cover the pan. Cook, uncovering only to stir occasionally and check the water level, until the vegetables are just tender, 5 to 15 minutes depending on the vegetable and how large the pieces are. The goal is to keep just enough water in the pan to steam the vegetables until they’re cooked, without letting the pan go dry. To glaze, uncover and raise the heat to cook out virtually all the remaining water; the combination of the fat and the starches and sugars from the vegetables will create a glossy coating.

• Roasting Vegetables: The dry heat of roasting in a hot oven intensifies the flavor of vegetables by driving out their internal water. Depending on the vegetable, the results range from slightly chewy to completely tender on the inside and crisped on the outside, with good color.

• Roasted Vegetables or Fruits

• 7 Examples for Roasting and Seasoning Vegetables:

  • Roasted Carrots with Cumin: 1 to 1½ pounds baby carrots, green tops trimmed, or full-sized carrots, cut into sticks + 3 tablespoons olive oil; salt and pepper; 2 teaspoons cumin seeds + Roast at 425°F until the carrots are tender and browning, about 25 minutes.
  • Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Garlic: 1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved + ¼ cup olive oil; 5 cloves garlic, peeled; salt and pepper; 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar for serving + For the crispest sprouts, put the oiled baking sheet in the oven as it heats to 450°F. Add the garlic and Brussels sprouts. Roast, stirring the pan once or twice, until the sprouts are tender and browned, about 30 minutes. Drizzle with the vinegar.
  • Roasted Cauliflower with Raisins and Vinaigrette: 1 large head cauliflower, trimmed and separated into florets + 3 tablespoons olive oil; salt and pepper; 2 Roasted Red Peppers (page 318), chopped; 2 tablespoons balsamic or sherry vinegar, or to taste + Roast the cauliflower at 400°F until just starting to soften and brown, about 15 minutes. Add the peppers and roast until browned, 10 minutes more. Stir in the vinegar.
  • Roasted Onion Halves: 4 onions, peeled, halved around the equator + 2 tablespoons olive oil; salt and pepper; 2 or 3 sprigs fresh thyme (optional) + Rub the onions with the oil. Roast cut side down at 400°F until starting to brown, about 20 minutes. Turn and brown on the other side.
  • Roasted Scallions: 2 bunches scallions or spring onions, trimmed but with a lot of the greens remaining + 2 tablespoons olive oil; salt and pepper; 1 or 2 limes; chopped fresh cilantro for garnish + Roast at 400°F until lightly browned and tender, about 20 minutes. Drizzle with the juice of 1 lime and mix, adding more lime juice if you like. Garnish with the cilantro.
  • Winter Squash Slices: 1½ pounds winter squash, peeled if necessary and cut into ¼-inch-thick slices (if the skin is thin, don’t bother to peel) + 4 tablespoons olive oil or melted butter; salt and pepper + Toss the slices with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the oil, spread on the pan, then drizzle with another 2 to 3 tablespoons. Roast at 400°F until tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
  • Savory Roasted Apple Slices: 1½ pounds apples, peeled if you like and cored, cut into wedges + 4 tablespoons butter or olive oil; salt and ½ teaspoon cardamom + Toss the slices with the butter or oil and seasonings, spread on the pan, then roast at 400°F until tender, 10 to 20 minutes.

• Grilling or Broiling Vegetables: When you expose the surface of vegetables to intense heat, the outside will cook much faster than the inside. So with grilling and broiling the goal is to balance that browning or charring outside with tenderness on the inside, while adding a smoky flavor. Sturdy vegetables—eggplant, onions, mushrooms, squash, corn on the cob, and potatoes—are the most obvious candidates to grill or broil, though tomatoes, green beans, and asparagus work great too. Some small vegetables, like mushrooms and radishes, you can grill whole; other large ones, like cauliflower and eggplant, work as “steaks” when thickly sliced; others like Brussels sprouts, cherry tomatoes, or onion wedges, are best cut into bite-sized pieces and skewered or tossed in a perforated grilling basket.

• To ensure perfect doneness, you can parboil vegetables that take a long time to cook—potatoes or winter squash, for example—and finish them on the grill with shorter-cooking vegetables. Broiling is a good substitute, though you’ll have just one heat source. Try to avoid overcrowding the pan so the vegetables brown in places; if necessary work in batches. The best thing about these cooking methods is that the vegetables are excellent warm or at room temperature, as well as hot, so it’s okay if they sit for up to an hour before serving. Coat the vegetables all over lightly with a little oil or a marinade and grill, or broil about 4 inches away from the heat source. You don’t even need to parboil really hard vegetables like squash or potatoes; either slice them thin or grill them part of the time over indirect heat with the lid of the grill closed. Then move them over direct heat to finish browning.

• Grilled Vegetables

• 11 Ways to Jazz Up Simply Cooked Vegetables:

  • 1. Fresh lemon or lime juice
  • 2. Chopped fresh herbs
  • 3. Grated citrus zest
  • 4. Chopped nuts
  • 5. Toasted bread crumbs
  • 6. Nut or seed oil like sesame, walnut, hazelnut, or pumpkin seed oil
  • 7. Flavored Oil (page 53)
  • 8. Compound Butter (page 78)
  • 9. Spice mixtures, especially chili powder or chaat masala (to make your own, see pages 32 and 34)
  • 10. Vinaigrette (page 188)
  • 11. Any croutons (see page 801)

• Broiled Vegetable Gratin

  • Richer Broiled Vegetable Gratin

• 13 Recipes for Grilling Vegetables:

• Grilled Artichokes: Halve, remove chokes from large artichokes, or use baby artichokes or hearts (see page 258); parboil in salted water until just tender; shock (see page 238). Skewer baby artichokes and hearts. Brush with oil. Grill over direct heat, turning occasionally, until browned and tender when pierced with a skewer or knife tip, about 10 minutes. Serve with Aioli (page 70) or any other flavored mayo for dipping; Traditional Pesto (page 51) or its variations for topping

• Grilled Asparagus Trim but leave whole; brush or toss with oil. Grill over direct heat, turning occasionally, just until the thick part can be pierced with a skewer or knife tip, 6 to 12 minutes. Serve with Compound Butter (page 78) or Five-Minute Drizzle Sauce (page 81) for topping; or sprinkle with grated Parmesan

• Grilled Chiles or Bell Peppers Core and seed; halve or cut into wide strips and skewer; oil is optional. Grill over direct heat, turning occasionally, until the skin is blistered, dark brown, and tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve with Mint or Dill Pesto (page 51), Simplest Yogurt Sauce (page 59), or Creamy Cilantro-Mint Chutney (page 62)

• Grilled Corn Remove silk; keep the cobs in their husks or remove them. Oil is optional when husks are intact. Grill over direct heat, turning occasionally, until some kernels char and others are lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes with husks on, 5 to 10 with husks off. Compound Butter (page 78) or Ginger-Scallion Sauce (page 64) for topping. Or sprinkle with chili powder or sumac. Grilled Eggplant Peel if you like; cut into ½-inch-thick slices or 1½ inch cubes and skewer; brush with oil. Grill over direct heat, turning occasionally, until browned and tender, 5 to 20 minutes. Serve with Peanut Sauce (page 75) or Thai Chile Sauce (page 66) for topping; or sprinkle with Seaweed “Shake” (page 35).

• Miso-Marinated Grilled Mushrooms Remove stems from portobellos or shiitakes; trim small mushrooms; slice thickly, cut into cubes, leave whole, or skewer or use a grilling basket if small. Brush with oil. Grill over direct heat, turning occasionally, until browned, juicy, and tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Immediately toss the mushrooms in Miso Dipping Sauce (page 66) and serve hot, warm, or chilled.

• Grilled Leeks Vinaigrette Trim; rinse thoroughly; brush with olive oil. Grill over direct heat, turning occasionally, until browned all over and very tender, 5 to 15 minutes. Mustard Vinaigrette (page 190) to serve hot, or to marinate for up to an hour after grilling

• Grilled Onions Unpeeled and halved through the root end, or peeled and cut into wedges or ½-inch slices; brush with oil. Grill over direct heat, turning once with a spatula to keep together, until browned and tender, about 15 minutes. Serve with any raw or cooked salsa (pages 55 or 71) or Teriyaki Sauce (page 76).

• Grilled Potatoes or Sweet Potatoes, Use waxy red or white potatoes; parboil in salted water until just tender or start raw and cook longer; sweet potatoes don’t need parboiling. Cut into long wedges or 1/2% inch slices; brush with oil. Grill parboiled potatoes over direct heat, turning occasionally, until browned and fully tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Start raw or sweet potatoes over indirect heat, turning occasionally and moving over direct heat for brief spurts, until golden and very tender all the way through, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve with compound Butter (page 78), Barbecue Sauce (page 74),or Miso Dipping Sauce (page 66).

• Grilled Balsamic Radicchio, Core; halve or quarter, depending on size; brush with olive oil. Grill over direct heat, moving the pieces to the indirect side to prevent burning, just until the edges begin to crisp and char. Brush on 1 tablespoon brown sugar mixed with Va Cup balsamic vinegar while grilling, taking extra care to prevent charring. This makes a terrific warm salad; chop the radicchio and toss it with cooked pasta or rice, some more olive oil, and squeeze of lemon.

• Grilled Squash or Zucchini, Trim; cut into - inch lengthwise slices or long diagonal slices; brush with oil. Grill over direct heat, turning occasionally, until browned and tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve with Cilantro, Dill, Basil, or Mint Purée (page 52) or Pepita Salsa (page 56).

• Grilled Tomatoes, Use slightly green or not fully ripe tomatoes; halve, cut into -inch slices, or leave whole and skewer if small; brush with oil if cut. Grill over direct heat, turning once, until browned but not falling apart, 5 to 10 minutes.Serve with Traditional Pesto (page 51) or a variation, or Miso Five-Minute Drizzle Sauce page 81).

• Grilled Winter Squash, Use butternut, acorn, or pumpkin. Peel if you like; split and remove the seeds. Cut into 1- inch-thick slices or 1/2-inch cubes and skewer; brush with oil. Grill over indirect heat, turning occasionally, until very tender all the way through, 20 to 25 minutes; finish by browning over direct heat if you like. Serve with Brown Butter (page 78) or Chile Tahini Sauce (page 59)

• Frying Vegetables: Messy, and you need a lot fat, but frying is popular for a reason, right? Whether you coat the vegetables or not, you can pan-fry them in shallow oil (½ inch deep or so) or deep-fry in enough oil to submerge them (2 to 3 inches oil in a large pot).

  • To pan-fry: Put a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat and add the oil. It should be hot but not smoking before you add the vegetables (test a small piece first; the vegetable should sizzle immediately and vigorously).

  • To deep-fry: The oil should maintain a temperature between 350°F and 375°F, depending on the recipe (see “Deep-Frying,” page 22). Be careful to allow enough room to add the vegetables without the oil overflowing. Work in small batches so the vegetables can properly crisp.

• Battered and Fried Vegetables

• 14 Dipping Sauces for Battered and Fried Vegetables:

  • 1. Traditional Pesto (page 51)
  • 2. Parsley (or Other Herb) Purée (page 52)
  • 3. Avocado-Tomatillo Salsa (page 56)
  • 4. Simplest Yogurt Sauce (page 59)
  • 5. Cilantro-Mint Chutney (page 62)
  • 6. Soy Dipping Sauce and Marinade (page 64)
  • 7. Miso Carrot Sauce with Ginger (page 67)
  • 8. Aioli or almost any flavored mayonnaise (page 70)
  • 9. Real Ranch Dressing (page 71)
  • 10. Salsa Roja (page 71)
  • 11. Salsa Verde (page 73)
  • 12. Teriyaki Sauce (page 76)
  • 13. Dashi Dipping Sauce (page 76)
  • 14. Fast Tomato Sauce (without the pasta, page 478)

• 9 Broiled Vegetable Gratins:

  • Asparagus or Green Bean and Gruyère Gratin: Steamed asparagus spears or whole green beans. Top with the Béchamel and Gruyère as described in the variation. Instead of the bread crumbs, use ½ cup chopped hazelnuts or pecans. Garnish with a sprinkle of paprika
  • Winter Squash Gratin: Roasted winter squash, sliced or cut into wedges or chunks. Top with the Béchamel and Gruyère as described in the variation. Instead of the bread crumbs, use ½ cup chopped nuts like walnuts or almonds. Garnish with 1 teaspoon minced fresh sage
  • Spinach or Other Greens Gratin: Steamed spinach or other greens; whole leaves or ribbons. Top with the Béchamel and bread crumbs as described in the variation, only use Parmesan instead of the Gruyère. Garnish with lots of pepper and a sprinkle of nutmeg
  • Tomato Gratin: Fresh raw tomatoes, sliced crosswise. Follow the main recipe; instead of the Parmesan you can try any grated melting cheese like cheddar or asadero. Crumbled tortilla chips are a good switch from the crumbs. Garnish with chopped fresh basil, dill, chives, or cilantro.
  • Sweet Potato Gratin: Roasted sweet potatoes, sliced or cut into wedges, or cooked and mashed (see page 344). Instead of the Parmesan in the main recipe, dot on 1 cup softened cream cheese and sprinkle with ¼ cup turbinado sugar along with the bread crumbs. Garnish with ¼ cup chopped toasted hazelnuts or pecans
  • Baked Chard in Béchamel: Stalks from chard, cooked as in Boiled or Steamed Vegetables (page 238), drained and sliced. Top with the Béchamel, Gruyère, and bread crumbs as described in the variation. Garnish with a pinch of nutmeg
  • Summer Squash and Salsa Gratin: Zucchini or yellow squash, halved or quartered lengthwise and grilled, roasted, or steamed. Drizzle the vegetables generously with olive oil and omit the bread crumbs. Instead of the Béchamel and Gruyère in the variation use 2 cups Salsa Roja or Salsa Verde (pages 71 and 73). Garnish with crumbled queso fresco, chopped roasted pumpkin seeds, and chopped fresh cilantro
  • Scalloped Potatoes: Boiled or baked starchy or all-purpose potatoes, peeled if you like, thinly sliced crosswise. Instead of the Béchamel and cheese in the variation, use enough hot half-and-half to come most of the way up the potatoes; top with the bread crumbs.Garnish with chopped fresh chives for garnishing.
  • Braised Leeks au Gratin: 1 recipe Leeks Braised in Oil or Butter (page 302; omit the lemon juice). Top with the Béchamel as described in the variation; whisk in 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard at the end of cooking. And use Emmental cheese instead of the Gruyère. Garnish with a light sprinkle of chopped fresh tarragon to garnish.

• How to Add Meat, Fish, or Poultry to Almost Any Vegetable Dish: The easiest way to turn a vegetable side into a one-pot meal is to simply add pieces of cooked meat, fish, or poultry. You can break the protein into chunks, chop it, or shred it to enhance the overall texture. Obviously this is an excellent use for leftovers. Stir-fries and braises are easily adapted to this approach. Add the protein as the vegetables finish cooking; give them just long enough to heat through. Or cook the protein first, then remove it from the pan before proceeding.

• Artichokes and Cardoons

  • Preparing: You want the most tender interior, fully edible leaves, and the saucer-shaped firm bottom. Cut off the tops of the leaves then halve the artichoke lengthwise. Use a paring knife to peel the base; scrape out the choke with a spoon. Then cut away all the outside leaves. Leave in halves or quarter or cut into wedges. Small or baby artichokes, if tender enough, can be eaten whole, but sometimes they benefit from removing the exterior leaves and trimming the tops of the rest. Otherwise, halve, quarter, or slice lengthwise. Remove the choke if necessary. Canned and jarred artichoke hearts are already cooked. I’m not a fan, but you can add them to pastas or stir-fries—whole, chopped, or sliced—during the last few minutes of cooking. Always rinse them first to remove the brine or marinade, then squeeze and pat them dry. Thaw and dry frozen artichoke hearts and use as you would fresh, but cut the cooking time roughly in half; they’re already partially cooked. Cardoons: Carefully strip off the spiny leaves and discard them. Use a knife to remove the tough fibers that run down the vegetable lengthwise (like celery), then chop into 2-inch pieces.
  • Best cooking methods: steaming (whole, hearts, or cardoons), sautéing (baby artichokes and hearts), braising (baby artichokes and hearts, cardoons)
  • When are they done? Whole artichokes are done when the outer leaves pull off easily and the meat in them is tender. Artichoke hearts are done when very tender; pierce with a skewer or thin-bladed knife to check, then taste to be sure. Cardoons should be tender enough to pierce easily with a skewer or thin-bladed knife.
  • Other vegetables you can use: artichokes and cardoons are interchangeable in terms of flavor. There is no substitute for artichoke hearts, but you have lots of options for how to buy them.
  • Step 1 Peel off tough outer leaves. Step 2 Trim around the bottom of the artichoke. Step 3 If you want to cook only the heart, cut off the top half of the leaves, then trim off the remaining leaves until you’re left with only the very pale ones. Step 4 Scoop out the choke if necessary. Put artichokes in acidulated water to keep them from browning. If you want to leave the artichoke whole but remove the choke, trim the leaves less, force them open, then scrape out the choke.

• Steamed Artichokes

• Braised Artichoke Hearts

  • Roasted Artichoke Hearts
  • Braised Artichoke Hearts with Potatoe
  • Braised Artichoke Hearts with Ham, Wine, and Lemon

• 13 Terrific Stir-Ins for Braised Artichoke Hearts:

  • 1. Pitted green or black olives
  • 2. Chopped dried fruit, especially golden raisins, currants, cherries, or apricots
  • 3. Chopped nuts, especially walnuts, almonds, or hazelnuts
  • 4. Herbs, especially chives, basil, tarragon, mint, or chervil
  • 5. Arugula or spinach leaves
  • 6. Oven-Dried or Oven-Roasted Plum Tomatoes (page 348 or 347) in slices or bits
  • 7. Chopped fresh tomato, when you add the artichokes in Step 2
  • 8. Crumbled cooked bacon or sausage
  • 9. Virtually any Crouton (page 801)
  • 10. Grated or crumbled cheese, especially Parmesan, feta, blue, or Fresh Cheese, the Easy Way (page 756)
  • 11. Anchovies
  • 12. Roasted Garlic (page 294)
  • 13. Sherry vinegar, instead of the lemon juice

• Asparagus

  • Preparing: Snap off the bottom of each spear; it will naturally break in the right place. I recommend peeling asparagus (use a vegetable peeler) to remove the fibrous skin from just below the tip to the base; this step isn’t necessary if the spears are pencil thin.
  • Best cooking methods: Steaming, sautéing, roasting, grilling
  • When are they done? When you can easily insert a skewer or thin-bladed knife into the thickest part of the stalk. Undercooked asparagus is crisp; overcooked asparagus is mushy.
  • Other vegetables you can use: Green or wax beans, sugar snap peas, broccoli raab

• Steamed Asparagus Spears

  • Boiled Asparagus
  • Microwaved Asparagus

• 10 Ways to Serve Steamed, Boiled, or Microwaved Asparagus:

  • 1. Drizzle with olive oil or melted butter; Brown Butter, page 78, is super. Any Compound Butter (page 78) or Flavored Oil (page 53) is also good.
  • 2. Squeeze lemon or lime juice over it, or drizzle with vinegar.
  • 3. Douse with any Vinaigrette (page 188).
  • 4. Serve with a dollop of mayonnaise (to make your own, see page 69) or Hollandaise Sauce (page 81) alongside.
  • 5. Top with chopped or finely crumbled Hard-Boiled Eggs (page 721).
  • 6. Serve with a hefty topping of Sautéed Mushrooms (page 306).
  • 7. Garnish with chopped Hard-Boiled Egg (page 721), toasted bread crumbs (see page 801), or chopped Roasted Red Peppers (page 318).
  • 8. Wrap room-temperature or cold cooked spears in thin, narrow slices of prosciutto or other good ham.
  • 9. Melt butter or warm olive oil in a small saucepan. Off the heat, stir in a big pinch minced fresh herbs like tarragon, chives, mint, or chervil. Drizzle over the asparagus.
  • 10. While the spears are still hot, sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.

• Avocados

  • Preparing: Buy them still hard if you can and have patience; they’re less likely to be bruised and overripe. They’re ready to eat when they’re uniformly slightly soft. Halve avocados lengthwise around the pit; twist apart the two halves; gently strike the pit with a knife and lift it out. Peel off the skin or scoop out the flesh with a spoon. If you want to store half, leave the pit intact, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate. Avocados discolor quickly when cut; sprinkle with lemon or lime juice immediately after cutting to minimize darkening.
  • Best cooking method: Best when sliced, mashed, or puréed and eaten raw; but can be peeled, then halved or quartered and lightly grilled.

• Bean Sprouts

  • Just about every bean, seed, or grain can be sprouted, but we most commonly see mung and soybean sprouts.
  • Preparing: Don’t bother trimming them unless you see some funky bean kernels you want to pluck; just rinse and drain well.
  • Best cooking method: Stir-frying (add at the last minute); some people like them raw in sandwiches or salads but I only do if they’re marinated to soften a bit.
  • Other vegetables you can use: If it’s bland crunch you’re after, bamboo shoots or water chestnuts.

• Beets and Beet Greens

  • Despite a reputation for muddiness, beets are actually one of the sweetest root vegetables you can find, especially some of the heirloom varieties. They also happen to have some of the best leafy greens on top.
  • Preparing: Scrub well; leave on an inch or so of the greens to minimize bleeding. If you’re roasting or boiling the beets, peel them after cooking. Rinse the greens well and chop the stems.
  • Best cooking methods: Baking in foil, roasting, braising and glazing (beets); steaming, sautéing (greens and stems).
  • When are they done? Beets: when tender all the way through; pierce with a skewer or thin-bladed knife to check. Slight overcooking is preferable to undercooking. Beet greens: when wilted, stems when tender.

• Beets Baked in Foil

• Beet Rösti with Rosemary

  • Beet Rösti with Parmesan
  • Carrot and Onion Rösti

• Bok Choy and Other Asian Greens

• The Cantonese word choy can be translated loosely as “cooking greens,” and there’s a slew of choy to choose from, especially at Asian markets. To keep things simple, only the most common are included here. Since you cook them all virtually the same way, what I like to do is grab a bunch of what looks best, even if it’s not labeled, and take it home for dinner.

• Preparing: Rinse and remove any damaged or yellowing leaves. Bok choy: Cut off the root end and the inch or so above it; slice or chop as you like. If the stems are thick, separate them from the leaves and start cooking them for a couple of minutes before the leaves. Shanghai or baby bok choy can remain whole. Gai lan: Trim any dried-out or tough stems and separate the leaves from the stems, since the stems take longer to cook. Tatsoi: Cut the stems from the root end if they are still attached.

• Best cooking methods: Steaming, sautéing, stir-frying.

• When are they done? When the stems are tender but still crisp (especially gai lan) and the leaves are wilted.

• Other vegetables you can use: These are interchangeable; cabbage, kale, or broccoli can replace any of them.

• Seared Baby Bok Choy with Bacon Vinaigrette

  • Seared Baby Bok Choy with Chile Vinaigrette
  • Seared Baby Bok Choy with Black Vinegar

• Restaurant-Style Greens

  • Restaurant-Style Greens with Thickened Soy Sauce

• Broccoli, Broccolini, and Broccoli Raab

  • Broccolini, a hybrid of broccoli and gai lan (see “Bok Choy and Other Asian Greens,” page 265), is like a more delicate broccoli. Broccoli raab has slimmer, longer stalks, with more leaves than flowers, and a fairly bitter overall flavor.
  • Preparing Broccoli: Strip the stalk of leaves, if any (these are perfectly edible; cook along with the florets if you like). Cut off the dried-out end of the stalk and use a vegetable peeler or paring knife to peel the tough outer skin as best you can without going crazy. To peel with a paring knife, hold the broccoli upside down; grasp a bit of the skin right at the bottom between the paring knife and your thumb, and pull down to remove a strip of skin. Cut the stalk into equal-length pieces and break the head into florets. Broccolini and broccoli raab: Trim the dry ends of the stems. Pull off any yellowing or wilted leaves off the broccoli raab.
  • Best cooking methods: Steaming, microwaving, boiling, braising, braising and glazing, sautéing, stir-frying (broccoli); some people eat broccoli raw but I like it at least lightly cooked to take the edge off. Sautéing, stir-frying until tender, braising until quite soft (broccolini, broccoli raab). Parboil and shock all (see pages 237 and 238) to preserve the green color or for quicker cooking later.
  • Other vegetables you can use: Broccoli and cauliflower are almost always interchangeable, or use broccoflower, Romanesco, or broccoli raab. For broccoli raab and broccolini: broccoli, asparagus, gai lan, turnip or mustard greens.

• Crunchy Broccoli or Cauliflower

  • Crunchy Broccoli or Cauliflower with Onion and Olives
  • Crunchy Broccoli or Cauliflower with Garlic, Vinegar, and Capers
  • Crunchy Broccoli or Cauliflower with Almonds, Raisins, and Saffron

• Broccoli Raab with Sausage and Grapes

  • Broccoli Raab with Garlic and Pecorino
  • Broccoli Raab with Anchovies

• Brussels Sprouts

  • Preparing: Trim the hard edge of the stem and remove any loose leaves. Cut, slice, or leave whole. Thinly slice raw Brussels sprouts for salad (a food processor makes this easy).
  • Best cooking methods: Roasting, sautéing, braising, grilling.
  • When are they done? When just tender enough to pierce easily with a skewer or thin-bladed knife; they tend to get bitter if overcooked.
  • Other vegetables you can use: Any cabbage, cut into 1- to 2-inch chunks.

• Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

  • Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Hazelnuts
  • Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Caramelized Onions

• Burdock

  • The root of a thistle plant—and related to artichokes—burdock is sweet and earthy; in Japan, where it’s most popular (and known as gobo), it’s often braised with carrots or other vegetables.
  • Preparing: Scrub the dirt off the root just before using; peeling is optional. Trim and crush with the flat side of a large knife; and/or chop, slice, or shred. Raw burdock discolors very quickly when cut; rub with half a lemon or dip in water with a couple of tablespoons lemon juice or vinegar (“acidulated water”) immediately after cutting.
  • Best cooking methods: Braising, stir-frying, roasting.
  • When is it done? When either crisp-tender or soft enough to mash; in between is less interesting.

• Quick-Braised Burdock and Carrots

• Cabbage

  • Few vegetables are as versatile, inexpensive, and ubiquitous all over the world. And even though cabbages are technically leafy greens, they grow in tight, firm heads so they keep for weeks. You’ll use them year-round, for sure.
  • Preparing: Trim the bottom to remove the first layer or two of exterior leaves. Then use a thin-bladed knife to remove the core: Cut a cone-shaped section out of the stem end wider than the area of the core and pull it out. To shred the head, cut the cabbage into quarters or eighths, depending on size, and cut crosswise into thin strips, or use a food processor or mandoline. Napa cabbage can be cut crosswise whole to shred it.
  • Best cooking methods: boiling, sautéing, stir-frying, braising; also raw in salads and slaws, pickling or fermenting
  • When are they done? When crisp-tender to soft, but not mushy
  • Other vegetables you can use: Brussels sprouts, collards, bok choy (especially for stir-frying)

• Buttered Cabbage

  • Spiked Buttered Cabbage
  • Mustardy Cabbage

• Sauerkraut with Juniper Berries

  • Sauerkraut with Juniper Berries and Ham
  • Sauerkraut with Cabbage

• Carrots

  • Preparing: Many carrots only need scrubbing. Remove the outer layer with a vegetable peeler if they seem tough or overly dirty. Trim off the greens and stems and the pointy ends. Chop, slice, or grate as you need.
  • Best cooking methods: Steaming, braising, braising and glazing, roasting, grilling.
  • When are they done? When tender but not mushy, unless you’ve going to purée them; then you want them quite soft. Taste and you’ll know.
  • Other vegetables you can use: Parsnips, beets, turnips, celery root.

• Shredded Carrots with Chiles and Chives

  • Shredded Curried Carrots
  • Shredded Gingered Carrots
  • Shredded Cumin Carrots With Golden Raisins

• Cauliflower

  • Even normal white cauliflower is striking looking, and cooler still are the orange or purple varieties, the chartreuse-colored broccoflower, and the outlandishly spiky, small, lime green variety called Romanesco.
  • Preparing: Remove the outer leaves and if necessary, scrape off any gray or brown spots. You can cook it whole or separate it into florets before cooking. To separate into florets, begin at the base of the head and cut florets from the core, one after the other. Then break or cut the florets into smaller pieces if you like and chop the core.
  • Best cooking methods: Steaming, braising and glazing, roasting, grilling.

• Basic Steamed Cauliflower

• Manchurian-Style Cauliflower

  • Roasted Cauliflower, Manchurian Style

• Celery and Celery Root

  • Celery is ubiquitous, but rarely cooked; when it is, it’s always with something else, which is a shame. Celery root (also known as celeriac) has a mellower flavor and is better for long cooking methods. Celery root has knobby, gnarled skin with a slightly green tinge and a porous ivory interior. It can range from fist size to bulbs weighing more than 1 pound.
  • Preparing: Trim the leaves from the celery—reserve them for use as a garnish if you like—and cut off the bottom core or remove as many stalks as you need.
  • Best cooking methods: Braising (celery); boiling, sautéing, braising and glazing, roasting (celery root); both also excellent raw.
  • Other vegetables you can use: Celery and fennel are almost always interchangeable for texture; for celery root: parsnips, kohlrabi, or turnips.

• Pan-Roasted Celery Root with Rosemary Butter

  • Pan-Roasted Celery Root and Croutons
  • Pan-Roasted Celery Root with Hazelnut Butter

• Chard

  • Preparing: Rinse well and tear or chop the leaves. Some recipes direct you to strip the leaves from the thick stems, chop them separately, and give them a head start in the cooking process.
  • Best cooking methods: Steaming, braising, sautéing. Regardless of method, it often makes sense to cook thick stems longer than leaves; start them a minute or two earlier.
  • When is it done? When the leaves are wilted and the stems tender.
  • Other vegetables you can use: Chard and beet greens are almost always interchangeable; dandelion greens, turnip greens, spinach.

• Chard with Oranges and Shallots

  • Chard with Olives and Feta

• Chestnuts

  • Sweet, starchy, and mealy, chestnuts have smooth shells, dark brown and rounded with a flattened side, and are sold fresh in their shells (the best way to get them) in the fall and early winter (or in jars or packages all year long). They look a little like nuts but eat more like a root vegetable.
  • Preparing: Chestnuts must be precooked, and their shells and skins removed.
  • Best cooking methods: After peeling: boiling if you’re going to mash or purée them; roasting or grilling for eating out of hand, sautéing, or stir-frying.
  • When are they done? They’re tender and edible when the shell is easily removed; or cook a little longer if you want to purée them.

• Boiled Chestnuts

  • Grilled or Roasted Chestnuts

• Corn

  • Preparing: Shuck the corn just before cooking it. Always remove the silk from the ears before cooking, even if you’re cooking in the husk: Peel back the husk, remove the silk, and fold the husk back over the corn. If you want kernels only, cut them from the cob with a knife.
  • Best cooking methods: Steaming, roasting, grilling, stir-frying.
  • When is it done? When it’s hot; there’s no point in cooking it any further.
  • Other vegetables you can use: For cooked corn kernels: green peas or green or wax beans; for raw corn kernels, diced jícama.

• Sort-of-Steamed Corn on the Cob

• 10 Flavorings for Hot Corn

  • 1. Grated Parmesan or pecorino cheese or crumbled Cotija cheese
  • 2. Fresh lemon or lime juice, especially with a few dashes hot sauce
  • 3. Red chile flakes or cayenne
  • 4. Chopped toasted pumpkin, sunflower, or sesame seeds
  • 5. Chopped nuts like hazelnuts, almonds, cashews, or peanuts
  • 6. Chopped fresh herbs like parsley, mint, chervil, cilantro, or chives
  • 7. Any Compound Butter (page 78)—or simply more butter!
  • 8. Any flavored mayonnaise (to make your own, see page 70)
  • 9. Any spice mixture (to make your own, see pages 27–35), especially chaat masala or chili powder
  • 10. Roasted Garlic (page 294), mashed

• Creamed Corn

  • Creamed Corn with Onion
  • Creamed Corn with Cheese, Possibly Gratinéed
  • Creamed Corn with Clams or Other Seafood

• Pan-Roasted Corn with Cherry Tomatoes

  • Pan-Roasted Corn with Poblano Chiles
  • Pan-Roasted Corn with Stewed Tomatoes

• Cucumbers

  • Preparing: If you can only get waxed or oiled cucumbers, always remove the peel; otherwise peeling is optional. Halve the cucumber lengthwise and use a spoon to remove the seeds if they are large. Consider salting (see page 203) to remove excess water if you’re looking for extra crispness or less bitterness, or if you’ll be cooking the cucumber.
  • Best cooking methods: Best raw or pickled (see “The Basics of Pickling Fruits and Vegetables,” page 228). Cucumbers are rarely cooked, though sautéing in butter or oil can be a nice change, especially if they’re less than perfect.
  • Other vegetables you can use: Celery, jícama, fennel; almost any vegetable can be pickled.

• Eggplant

  • Preparing: Trim the stem end. Peel if you like; if the eggplant is good, the skin is sometimes the best part. Slice it crosswise or lengthwise between ½ inch and 1 inch thick or cube it any size. Salting eggplant to remove bitterness is optional: slice or chop it, sprinkle it liberally with salt, and let it rest in a colander for up to an hour; rinse, pat dry, and proceed with the recipe.
  • Best cooking methods: Roasting, grilling, broiling, sautéing, stir-frying.
  • When is it done? When it’s tender, almost creamy, and there are no dry spots.

• Dry-Pan Eggplant

• Breaded and Fried Eggplant (or Any Other Vegetable)

  • Coconut-Fried Plantains
  • Grain-Fried Butternut Squash
  • Fried Onion Rings, Streamlined
  • Fried Okra

• 3 Ways to Vary Any Breaded and Fried Vegetable

  • 1. Change the breading: For the bread crumbs, use panko. Or replace up to half of the crumbs with cornmeal, unsweetened shredded coconut, chopped nuts or seeds, pulverized raw whole grains like rice, rolled oats, barley, or kasha (pulse in a food processor to grind any of these), or grated Parmesan cheese.
  • 2. Skip the breading: Omit the eggs and bread crumbs and simply dredge the vegetable in flour or cornmeal before frying. Note that this works best for vegetables with a decent amount of moisture for the flour to stick to; hard vegetables like carrots or winter squash won’t take a flour coating as well as onions or zucchini.
  • 3. Go eggless: Instead of the eggs, use milk or buttermilk.

• Sautéed Eggplant with Basil

  • Sautéed Eggplant with Basil and Chiles
  • Sautéed Eggplant with Greens
  • Sautéed Eggplant with Walnuts

• 5 Additions to Sautéed Eggplant: Eggplant is so distinctive it can stand up to many different flavors. A lot of these can be used in combination.

  • 1. Make the dish creamy with the addition of thick yogurt, which goes especially well with spices.
  • 2. Make it more substantial by sautéing the eggplant with chopped tomatoes, sliced bell peppers, lots of onions, zucchini or other summer squash, chopped potato (which will take at least as long as the eggplant to cook), cauliflower, whole shallots, and so on. Any combination of these vegetables will make a simple ratatouille.
  • 3. Make the dish crunchy by adding some fresh bread crumbs (see page 801) or a handful of toasted pine nuts, sunflower seeds, or any toasted nuts near the end of cooking.
  • 4. Make it more fragrant with the addition of parsley, mint, cilantro, or other strong fresh herbs.
  • 5. Make it sharper by increasing the amount of garlic; adding chiles, chili powder (to make your own, see page 32), or Chile Paste (page 40); capers or olives; or chopped scallion, shallot, or onion toward the end of cooking.

• Curried Coconut Eggplant with Potatoes

  • Curried Eggplant, Southeast Asian Style

• Endive, Escarole, Radicchio, and Chicory

  • The important thing to know about these related but totally different greens is that everything in this group is bitter and leafy but firm and crisp. Endive can be white or shades of purple. Escarole is thick-leafed with light green-to-white shading. Chicory is similar-looking only with curlier leaves, and radicchio looks like a small red and white cabbage. All add good texture and structure to salads and are a real treat when cooked, which mellows their flavor.
  • Preparing: Trim and rinse as you would any lettuce
  • Best cooking methods: Sautéing, braising (endive, chicory, escarole); grilling (endive, radicchio).
  • When are they done? When crisp-tender if sautéed or grilled; when soft but not mushy if braised.
  • Other vegetables you can use: Within this group, the varieties are interchangeable. For cooking, dandelion, turnip, mustard greens; when raw, any lettuce, arugula, watercress.

• Braised Endive, Escarole, or Radicchio with Prosciutto

  • Braised Endive with Orange Juice

• Fennel

  • The flavor of fresh fennel is way less intense than its cousin anise seeds, but even that still gives people pause. Give it a go: This celery-like vegetable—but with fewer fibrous strings—is wonderful served raw, braised alone, or combined with other vegetables.
  • Preparing: Trim off the stalks; reserve the fronds for garnish if you like. Cut off the hard bottom and slice the bulb vertically into quarters. Or after trimming, cut the bulb in half first, then slice lengthwise or crosswise.
  • Best cooking methods: braising, roasting, sautéing
  • When is it done? When tender enough to pierce easily with a skewer or thin-bladed knife
  • Other vegetables you can use: Even though the flavor is different, celery and fennel are almost always interchangeable in recipes.
  • Preparing: Fennel Step 1 Trim the hard, hollow stalks from the top of the bulb and cut off the hard bottom. Save the feathery fronds for garnish if you like. Step 2 Slice the whole bulb vertically. Step 3 Alternatively, cut the bulb or quarters in half first. Step 4 Then slice lengthwise or crosswise.

• Fennel Baked in Stock

  • Fennel Baked in Orange Juice
  • Fennel with Onions and Vinegar
  • Oven-Braised Celery

• Garlic

  • Preparing: Don’t bother to peel garlic before roasting it whole; the cloves will slip easily from their skins when they’re done. For raw garlic, peeling is easiest after half-smashing the clove with the flat side of a knife blade. For larger quantities, blanch the garlic (see page 237) for 30 seconds or toast it in a dry pan over medium heat, shaking the pan frequently, for about 5 minutes; either of these treatments will loosen the skin and make it easy to slip out the cloves. To chop large quantities, put whole cloves in a food processor. You can crush garlic through a press, but chopping is no more difficult and the flavor is more nuanced.
  • Best cooking methods Roasting, sautéing, braising.
  • When is it done? Roasted: when very, very tender, almost mushy; the cloves will squeeze easily out of their skins. Sautéed or fried: It’s up to you but generally the more you cook it—gently, without browning—the milder it becomes. Don’t let it get darker than golden brown or it will be bitter.

• Roasted Garlic

• 8 Ways to Use Roasted Garlic: You could start and end like this: Spread it on bread and eat. But roasted garlic is so useful there’s no reason to stop there.

  • 1. Stir into any cooked sauce or soup in which you’d use garlic, usually toward the end of cooking.
  • 2. Spread on any pizza (see pages 814–822) before adding other ingredients.
  • 3. Add to any vegetable purée (see page 240) or Mashed Potatoes (page 329).
  • 4. Add to Vinaigrette (page 188), mayonnaise (to make your own, see page 69), Traditional Pesto (page 51), Compound Butter (page 78), gravy, or almost any other sauce.
  • 5. Add to cooked grain or legume dishes.
  • 6. Toss with cooked vegetables.
  • 7. Mash with olive oil or softened butter and spread on cooked meat, poultry, or hearty bread.
  • 8. Mix with olive oil and butter and toss with hot pasta, using a little of the cooking water to make a sauce. Add chopped parsley, lots of black pepper, and some grated pecorino Romano to put it over the top.

• Ginger

  • Spicy, aromatic, and essential in cuisines all over the world, this gnarled tropical plant is often called a root but is actually a rhizome—basically an underground stem. So it’s more delicate than a true root.
  • Preparing: Scrape off the papery skin with the blunt side of a knife or the edge of a spoon, or peel with a vegetable peeler or paring knife, which are faster if less economical. If the skin is thin and moist enough, you don’t even need to peel it. Grate the ginger (a Microplane is best), julienne and mince it, or cut it crosswise into coins.
  • Best cooking methods: Stir-frying, sautéing, adding to soups and braises; grating raw in salads; slicing for pickles.

• Pickled Ginger

  • Citrus-Pickled Ginger

• Green Beans

  • Preparing: Snap or cut off the stem end with a small knife or scissors; leave the bean whole or cut into any length you like. To French-cut larger beans, halve them lengthwise. It’s a lot of work with high payoff in both an appealing look—with the seeds exposed—and texture.
  • Best cooking methods: Steaming, boiling, microwaving, stir-frying, sautéing, roasting, braising.
  • When are they done? A matter of personal preference: crisp-tender, just tender, or meltingly soft.

• Slow-Cooked Green Beans

  • Slow-Cooked Green Beans with Bacon
  • Green Beans with Yogurt and Dill

• Horseradish

  • Though it’s most often sold in a jar—sadly, often junked up with cream sauce or other additives—fresh horseradish is quite wonderful—and surprisingly mild and delicious when cooked. If you find a brand of prepared horseradish that’s basically just pickled in vinegar that can be a pretty good substitute for fresh.
  • Preparing: Peel with a sharp paring knife, not a vegetable peeler, and acknowledge from the outset that you will lose some of the flesh; it’s hard to peel. Grate for use as a condiment, or chop or slice it as needed. Beware: This will make you cry.
  • Best cooking methods: Boiling, braising; roasting, usually in combination with other vegetables.
  • When is it done? When it’s soft.
  • Other vegetables you can use: Radish, parsnips, and celery root all lend their unique flavors to a dish; fresh horseradish can be cooked in any recipe calling for those vegetables, though it will almost always be spicier.

• Jerusalem Artichokes

  • Not artichokes and not from Jerusalem, and often called “sunchokes,” these are actually tubers from a sunflower native to North America. They’re versatile and delicious, though I’m obligated to mention that Jerusalem artichokes contain a type of sugar, inulin, that can cause quite severe flatulence in people with sensitivity to it; you’ll know soon enough whether you’re among them. Cooking helps mitigate this issue a little.
  • Preparing: Peeling is optional; I prefer just to rinse and scrub well. Chop or slice as needed.
  • Best cooking methods: Sautéing; braising and glazing; shaved raw in salads but you’ve been warned; roasting or mashing with other vegetables like potatoes is a happy compromise.
  • When are they done? When quite tender; taste one.
  • Other vegetables you can use: Raw or cooked: radish, jícama; cooked: parsnip, turnip, potato.

• Crisp-Cooked Jerusalem Artichokes

• Jícama

  • The root of a tropical vine, jícama has a turniplike shape and light tan, thick, papery skin; the flesh is white, delicately sweet, and crisp, like raw potato or a crunchy pear only better, making it excellent for eating all sorts of ways.
  • Preparing: Peel with a vegetable peeler or paring knife, then chop, slice, or shred.
  • Best cooking methods: Best raw; broiling, sautéing, stir-frying are an interesting change.
  • When is it done? When just heated through and still crunchy. Other vegetables you can use Radish, cucumber, water chestnuts.

• Broiled Jícama with Chile-Lime Glaze

• Kale and Collard Greens

  • Preparing: If the stems are thick, strip the leaves, chop the stems, and start cooking the stems a couple of minutes before the leaves. To cut the leaves easily, stack a few, roll them up, then cut across the roll (see below).

  • Best cooking methods: Boiling, steaming, stir-frying, braising; adding to soups and stews. Raw kale is best when chopped or thinly sliced and “massaged” with a little salt to tenderize it (see page 203).

  • When are they done? When the stems are tender enough to pierce easily with a skewer or thin-bladed knife, unless—and this is sometimes the case—you want the stems on the crunchy side. Note that collards take longer to become tender, but are also excellent a little shy of tender, as in the recipe that follows.

  • Other vegetables you can use: Cabbage, chard, beet greens, turnip greens.

  • The easiest way to cut ribbons is to roll large leaves and cut across the log. Then you can chop them by cutting the opposite direction.

• Flash-Cooked Kale or Collards with Lemon Juice

  • Flash-Cooked Kale or Collards with Feta and Tomato
  • Flash-Cooked Kale or Collards with Fermented Black Beans
  • Collards or Kale with Tahini
  • Collards or Kale with Peanut Sauc
  • Collards or Kale with Yogurt

• Kohlrabi

  • A funny-looking root—sometimes with a few leafy stems attached—with a sweet, slightly piquant flavor and crisp texture that can be treated as you would turnips in any recipe.
  • Preparing: Peeling is optional for small kohlrabi and recommended for large ones. Slice or chop as necessary.
  • Best cooking methods: Steaming, sautéing, roasting; raw: excellent sliced thin and served as a crudité or a crisp, fresh foil for charcuterie.
  • When is it done? When tender but still crisp (steamed or sautéed); when soft (roasted).
  • Other vegetables you can use: Turnips.

• Leeks

  • Mild and sweet, silky when cooked, leeks have only one downside: their cost. If you’re paying by the pound, make sure there is plenty of white on the stalk; you’ll trim off most of the green.
  • Preparing: Rinse well; leeks usually contain sand between layers. The traditional process: Trim off the roots and any hard, dark-green leaves. Make a long vertical slit through the center of the leek, starting about 1 inch from the root end and cutting all the way to the green end. (Leaving the root end intact helps keep the leek from falling into pieces when you rinse it.) Rinse well, being sure to get the sand out from between the layers. The easy way, which works only if you don’t want the leeks whole: Trim, chop, and rinse in a salad spinner, as you would greens.
  • Best cooking methods: Sautéing, braising, roasting, grilling.
  • When are they done? When soft, almost melting.
  • Other vegetables you can use: Onions, shallots, scallions.

• Leeks Braised in Oil or Butter

  • Leeks Braised in Red Wine
  • Braised Leeks with Tomato
  • Braised Leeks with Olives
  • Braised Leeks with Mustard
  • Crisp Sautéed Leeks
  • Spiced Crisp Leeks

• Mushrooms

  • Button or white: The most common and most bland cultivated variety. White to tan; thick caps and stems with gray to dark brown gills. Tender and brown when cooked.

  • Chanterelle: Wild Delicious and usually expensive. Light to golden yellow; shaped like fat trumpets, with ruffle-edged caps. Flavor is earthy and nutty.

  • Cremini (Baby Bella): Immature cultivated portobello mushrooms. Tan, with dark brown gills; shaped like button mushrooms but more robust in flavor.

  • Enoki: A delicate Asian mushroom, often used as garnish. White with toothpick-sized stems and tiny round caps. Very mild in flavor; best used raw or barely cooked.

  • Morel: One of the treasures of cooking, this wild-only mushroom is available fresh in the spring and fall. White or brown, cone-shaped with a honeycomb-textured cap and hollow center. Wonderful, earthy flavor, both fresh and dried (you should have dried morels in your pantry). Make sure you rinse thoroughly, as they’re usually sandy.

  • Oyster: Available wild and cultivated. White to dark gray, and sometimes pink or yellow. They grow in clusters with thick stems and a round or oval leaflike “cap.” Mild mushroom flavor, slightly chewy texture.

  • Porcini: Dried porcini should be in every pantry; fresh are seasonal, and pretty pricey. They have the most robust and earthy flavor and the meatiest texture of all mushrooms. Very plump, tan to dark brown caps and fat, off-white stems when fresh. Buy dried porcini from a reputable purveyor in quantities of at least 4 ounces at a time; the ⅛-ounce packages often sold are rip-offs. Portobello A supermarket staple. Tan to brown, with giant flat caps, thick stems, and dense, dark brown gills that darken whatever dish they’re cooked with, so scrape them out first. The flavor is earthy. Excellent grilled. Shiitake The most flavorful cultivated mushroom. Available fresh and dried. Flat tan caps with off-white gills and tough stems when fresh; brown with fatter-looking caps when dried (usually whole). Dried shiitakes, sold inexpensively in Chinese markets, where they may be called black mushrooms, are excellent for stock but have a rubbery though not unpleasant texture when reconstituted and cooked. Texture of fresh is meaty with a hearty, earthy flavor. Always remove stems when preparing; they’re good in stock.

  • Preparing: You can brush or wipe them clean if you like, but I usually rinse fresh mushrooms as lightly as possible; they absorb water like a sponge if they sit in it. Either way, make sure you get any dirt out of hidden crevices. It’s easier to trim some mushrooms before cleaning; morels are easiest to clean if you cut them in half lengthwise, but they don’t look as nice afterward. Cut off any hard or dried-out spots, usually just the end of the stem. The stems of most mushrooms are perfectly edible. Clean the stems well, cut them in halfif they’re large, like portobello stems, and cook them with the caps. To reconstitute dried mushrooms, see page 304.

  • Best cooking methods: Sautéing, stir-frying, roasting, grilling; raw if marinated.

  • When are they done? When tender, though you can cook them until they’re crisp too.

  • Reconstituting Dried Mushrooms: A brief soak in boiling water and most dried mushrooms are ready to use, leaving you with a flavorful liquid as a bonus. Soak the mushrooms until they’re soft, anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes; for very tough or thick mushrooms, you’ll need to change the water if it gets cold before they’re soft. When they’re tender, lift the mushrooms out of the soaking liquid with your hands or a slotted spoon. Carefully pour the soaking liquid into another container, leaving any grit in the bottom of the bowl. Use the liquid as stock in soups, stews, and sauces; it has intense mushroom flavor. Trim away any hard spots from the mushrooms, and use just as you would fresh. Chinese dried shiitakes are a slightly different story. They must be soaked in boiling-hot water, you’ll likely have to change the water once to get them soft, and they need to be trimmed assiduously. One way to deal with all of this is to cook them in stock or Dashi (page 179), then cool, trim, and use them; the process will enhance both stock and mushrooms.

• Sautéed Mushrooms

  • Sautéed Mushrooms, Dry Style
  • Sautéed Shiitakes with Soy Sauce

• 8 Additions to Sautéed Mushrooms

  • 1. Any chopped fresh herb you like, but especially chives (a handful), chervil (a handful), tarragon (a few fresh leaves or a pinch dried), or thyme (a teaspoon or so fresh), along with the garlic and parsley.
  • 2. Finish with a teaspoon or more lemon juice or any vinegar (sherry vinegar is especially nice).
  • 3. Substitute about ¼ cup chopped shallots, or about ½ cup chopped scallions or onion, for the garlic, cooking for 2 or 3 minutes longer after adding.
  • 4. Instead of using oil, cook 2 ounces chopped bacon or pancetta until the fat is rendered; cook the mushrooms in the bacon fat.
  • 5. Finish the dish with ½ to 1 cup heavy cream or sour cream; let it bubble very gently. This is best if you cook the mushrooms in butter from the start and use scallions in place of the garlic.
  • 6. In the shiitake variation, stir in 1 tablespoon Chile Paste (page 40) or curry paste (to make your own, see page 46), or to taste, along with the garlic.
  • 7. In the shiitake variation, stir in 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (see page 309) with the garlic; finish with a teaspoon or more sesame oil.
  • 8. In the dry-pan variation, marinate the mushrooms in any Vinaigrette (page 188) after cooking.

• Mustard, Turnip, and Dandelion Greens

  • These are the so-called spicy greens: tender, peppery, and extraordinary when young; potent and potentially bitter and tough once mature. So when young, they’re great raw; when old you gotta cook ’em.
  • Preparing: Rinse well; they’re often sandy. Remove the stems if they’re tough. tear or chop the leaves.
  • Best cooking methods: Steaming, braising, sautéing.
  • When are they done? When wilted and tender.
  • Other vegetables you can use: Mustard, turnip, and dandelion greens are interchangeable; broccoli raab, kale, collards, spinach; beet greens and chard will work as well.

• Spicy Greens with Double Garlic

  • Spicy Greens with Double Ginger
  • Collards with Pot Liquor

• Nuts and Seeds

  • Preparing: All kinds of good-quality nuts are available now. Make sure they’re fresh; and ideally unsalted. I like to buy them in bulk, raw, and roast or toast and season them myself. In-shell nuts are usually fresher than shelled. To get at the meats, a nutcracker certainly makes things easier, but a hammer, mallet, or meat pounder works too. Covering them with a towel first minimizes the noise and mess. And some are just harder than others.

  • Best cooking methods: Roasting: Heat the oven to 350°F. Spread the nuts or seeds in an even layer on a baking sheet. Bake until they are just starting to turn golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes, stirring every so often. Toasting in a dry pan on the stovetop is a good idea for the smallest seeds like sesame, poppy, or pepitas and for small quantities of larger nuts: Heat a pan over medium heat and add the nuts or seeds. Cook, shaking the pan and stirring often, until they’re just starting to turn golden brown (pepitas will puff slightly), 5 to 10 minutes. Whether roasting or toasting, immediately remove the cooked nuts or seeds from the pan and let cool. They will continue to cook for a bit afterward and will crisp as they cool. Blanching nuts lets you remove the sometimes bitter skins. Roast or toast as above first if you like that flavor. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the nuts, and turn off the heat. Let soak until you see the skins start to loosen, typically a couple minutes. Drain and pick out the skins. If the skins are stubborn, rub them in a towel until they loosen. (Note that the hazelnut skins are best removed by simply roasting and rubbing in a towel.) Grinding: Nut meal and nut butter are easy to make. (Nut flour, finer than meal, requires special equipment.) All you need are nuts—raw, roasted, toasted, or blanched—and a food processor. Figure you’ll end up with about half the volume of the whole nuts. For meal, pulse the nuts in the food processor until they are finely ground and look like moist flour. Avoid overprocessing or the mixture will quickly turn into nut butter; if there are still larger bits of nut, either leave them in for texture or sift them out. If you see any bit of the meal clumping, stop processing; it’s about to turn into butter. To make nut butter, just push the “on” button and stop it once the butter reaches the consistency you like; you can add some water if you want it to be on the thin side. Most nut butters are made from roasted nuts—the flavor is richer; raw or blanched nuts are milder. Refrigerate both meal and butter in airtight containers and use within a week or so.

  • 10 Ways to Season Nut Butters: As long as you’re grinding your own, you may as well customize the taste. Adding liquids or fresh ingredients like garlic or chiles will make the nut butter potentially thinner and more perishable, so keep it in the fridge. The following quantities are guidelines for about 1 cup butter; but really, add to taste.

    • 1. Salt: ¼ teaspoon
    • 2. Sweetener: 2 tablespoons sugar, brown sugar, honey, molasses, or maple syrup
    • 3. Spices: ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, cardamom, coriander, cumin, or asafetida (to name a few) or any spice mixture (to make your own, see pages 27–35)
    • 4. Chile: ¼ teaspoon cayenne, red chile flakes, or any chopped dried or fresh chile (see pages 39 and 40 for how to prepare), including chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
    • 5. Garlic: 1 clove raw or 1 head roasted (page 294)
    • 6. Ginger: about 1 tablespoon grated fresh or chopped candied
    • 7. Coconut: 2 tablespoons of either milk or shredded
    • 8. Tamarind paste: 1 to 2 teaspoons
    • 9. Vanilla: 1 teaspoon
    • 10. Cocoa powder: 2 tablespoons, any kind

  • As far as storage, I usually keep almonds, peanuts, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds (pepitas), sesame seeds, walnuts, and pecans in the freezer, which more than covers the basics. I buy other nuts and seeds in small quantities as I need them for specific uses.

  • Almonds:

    • Originally Middle Eastern, now from California and Spain. Sweet and delicate. Used in desserts and sweets; also for adding texture, richness, and light flavor to savory dishes. Forms: Shelled and unshelled; blanched or skin-on; sliced, slivered; roasted and sometimes salted or otherwise flavored; processed into a paste (almond paste, marzipan); ground into flour, meal, or butter; pressed into oil; processed into milk

  • Brazil nuts:

    • The majority are harvested in Amazon rainforests. Large, oblong, odd-shaped nut in a very hard dark brown shell, with meat more tender than crunchy. Forms: Shelled and unshelled; roasted and sometimes salted

  • Cashews:

    • Originally South American, now grown primarily in India. Shaped like fat commas; shells are toxic (they are related to poison ivy!) so always sold shelled. Super-rich and slightly sweet. Cooked, they soften a bit and acquire a somewhat meaty texture. Can be soaked in water and puréed for a dairy replacement for vegans. Forms: Shelled; roasted and sometimes salted; ground into butter; processed into milk and vegan cheeses

  • Flaxseed (Linseed):

    • Small, shiny, flat, and nutty-flavored seeds that range in color from tan to dark brown. Their incredible nutritional profile includes lots of protein, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids, but nutrients are less accessible when consumed whole. Forms: Whole; ground into meal or flour; pressed into oil; sometimes processed into milk

  • Hazelnuts (Filberts):

    • Small round nuts; in their shells they resemble chestnuts, but smaller and lighter brown. Crunchy, with a mild nutty flavor (perfect with chocolate). Lower in fat than most nuts. The slightly bitter skins can be removed by rubbing the nuts between towels or your hands while still warm after roasting. Often used in European pastries. Forms: Shelled and unshelled; blanched or skin-on; roasted and sometimes salted; ground into flour, meal, or butter; pressed into oil; processed made into milk

  • Macadamia nuts:

    • Native to Australia, a rich, calorie-laden, high-fat nut. Medium-size, round, creamy white. Shells are almost impossibly hard. Forms: Shelled; roasted and sometimes salted; pressed into oil

  • Peanuts (Goober, groundnut):

    • A native South American legume eaten like a nut. Virginia and Spanish are the two most common varieties; Spanish are smaller with a reddish brown papery skin. Forms: Shelled and unshelled; oil- or dry-roasted and often salted or otherwise flavored; boiled; ground into butter; pressed into oil. Occasionally raw (in natural food stores), fresh (at farmers’ markets, Chinese groceries, and online)

  • Pecans:

    • Native to North America; used extensively in Southern cooking, like pecan pie. Similar to walnuts but flatter, with dark brown skins and a milder, sweeter buttery flavor. Forms: Sometimes unshelled, more commonly shelled, in halves or pieces; roasted and sometimes salted

  • Pine nuts (Pine kernel, Indian nut, pignoli):

    • The seeds of various types of pine trees. These days China produces the most, though Native Americans have used them for centuries. Slightly golden, slender shape, with a delicate flavor. Commonly used in sweet baking and savory dishes like Traditional Pesto (page 51). Forms: Shelled; raw or roasted.

  • Pistachios:

    • Originated in the Middle East; now California is the largest producer. A pretty green nut often sold in its split tan- colored shell, which cracks naturally as the nuts ripen. Forms: Shelled and unshelled; roasted and sometimes salted or otherwise flavored; ground into a paste; pressed into gorgeous deep-green oil.

  • Pumpkin and squash seeds (Pepitas):

    • The seeds of pumpkins or nearly any hard winter squash. Medium-size, oval with a point, flat, and ranging from green to tan to white. The flavor is like a cross between peanuts and sesame seeds. May be ground and used as a thickening and flavoring agent, as a coating like bread crumbs, tossed into salads, breads, muffins, or eaten out of hand. Pepitas is Spanish for “little seeds.” Forms: Fresh (right out of a pumpkin or squash) or dried; hulled or unhulled; roasted and sometimes salted; roasted and ground into butter; and pressed into oil.

  • Soy nuts:

    • Dried and roasted soybeans; small tan oval “nuts” (actually legumes) that are quite crunchy and loaded with protein. Eaten as a snack or tossed into salads, granola, or trail mix. (For more on soybeans, see page 388.) Forms: Roasted and sometimes salted.

  • Sunflower seeds:

    • From the gigantic sunflower plant, native to North America. Used in baked goods like breads and muffins, on salads and other dishes as a crunchy and flavorful garnish. Forms: Shelled and unshelled; roasted and often salted; processed into butter; pressed into oil.

  • Walnuts:

    • One of the most common and oldest known nuts, used almost everywhere. Shells are tan, round with a point, and ridged; nuts are fairly large and brain-shaped. They bring a rich, slightly bitter flavor to sweet and savory dishes. Less common black walnuts have harder shells and are even more flavorful. Forms: Shelled and unshelled in pieces; ground into meal, flour or butter; pressed into oil.

• Okra

  • Well-loved in the South and underappreciated elsewhere, okra is a green—or sometimes purple or crimson—pod with little round white seeds inside. Its polarizing sliminess also makes it useful for thickening stews.
  • Preparing: Rinse; cut off the stems. Chop or sliver okra before cooking if you like, but that releases the mucilaginous properties of okra’s interior. Large pods must be cut into rounds no more than ½ inch thick, or they’ll be too fibrous to enjoy.
  • Best cooking methods: Cut or whole: deep-frying, sautéing, stewing (either gently or for a long time; in between is problematic); whole: roasting, grilling.
  • When is it done? When tender and no longer viscous.
  • Other vegetables you can use: Green or wax beans, asparagus (these won’t have okra’s thickening power).

• Okra Gumbo with Spicy Sausage

  • Vegetarian Okra Gumbo
  • Okra Gumbo with Roux
  • Okra Gumbo with Seafood

• Olives

  • Black or Mission: Most often pitted and canned—and nearly tasteless. Picked when unripe or green, they’re cured in lye and then oxygenated, which turns them black.
  • Castelvetrano: These bright green olives can now be found pretty easily, which is great for us. They’re buttery, mellow, and a little sweet. They are grown in only one area of Sicily and are the most popular olive in Italy for snacking. They are picked when young and cured in a light brine.
  • Kalamata: Widely available, salty, and sometimes mushy, though not unpleasantly so. Dark brown, purple, or black. Picked when ripe or almost ripe, then cured in saltwater or red wine vinegar. A decent standby.
  • Manzanilla or Spanish: Big, green, rather crisp, and often stuffed with pimientos or garlic cloves. Usually picked young; cured in lye, then brined for 6 months to a year. Can be delicious.
  • Moroccan: Also called oil- or dry-cured. Shriveled, shiny, and jet black. Picked ripe, then cured in oil or salt. These are an excellent staple, as they keep forever and can be plumped up by marinating in oil.
  • Niçoise: From Nice, France. Dark red or brown, small, with a slightly sour flavor. Picked ripe, then cured in saltwater. Flavorful, but a lot of pit for a small bite.
  • Picholine: From France. Green, almond-shaped, and crisp. Picked green, then cured in saltwater or lime and wood ashes, finally brined, sometimes with citric acid to give them a tart flavor. Delicious.

• Preparing: Remove the pit by slicing the flesh lengthwise and digging it out with your fingers, or crush with the side of a knife and pick out the pit, or use a pitter. It’s also acceptable to leave the pit in; just be sure to warn your guests. If you like, you can reduce the saltiness by rinsing or soaking in water for 20 minutes or so or boiling for 30 seconds.

• Other vegetables you can use: Caper berries, capers.

• Sautéed Olives

  • Sautéed Tomatoes with Olives
  • Sautéed Olives with Croutons

• Onions

  • Preparing: If you have a lot of onions to peel, drop them into boiling water for 30 seconds to 1 minute, drain, and rinse in cold water. See the illustrations for slicing and chopping onions below. A properly sharpened knife also mitigates the amount of tear-inducing chemical released into the air. This substance, called lachrymator, combines with the moisture in your eyes to form a weak solution of sulfuric acid. No wonder it burns! Leave the root end on onions you will cook whole; they’ll stay together better.
  • Best cooking methods: Caramelizing, roasting, grilling.
  • When are they done? The texture softens dramatically and the color darkens the longer they cook.
  • Other vegetables you can use: Shallots, and leeks and scallions in many cases.

• Caramelized Onions

  • Caramelized Onions with Bacon or Pancetta
  • Sweeter Caramelized Onions
  • Sweet-and-Sour Caramelized Onions
  • Caramelized Shallots

• 10 Uses for Caramelized Onions

  • 1. Thicken, color, and add subtle sweetness to soups and sauces.
  • 2. Garnish grilled meats, poultry, seafood, or other savory foods.
  • 3. Fill omelets, sandwiches, and burritos.
  • 4. Stir into dips and spreads, or use as a spread by itself.
  • 5. Toss with pasta or add to pasta sauce.
  • 6. Top pizza, bread, or rolls before baking.
  • 7. Fold into bread doughs and batters.
  • 8. Use to flavor meat loaf, meatballs, or burgers.
  • 9. Make Pissaladière (page 822).
  • 10. Toss with plain noodles, pasta, rice, or whole grains.

• Creamed Onions

  • Creamed Spinach
  • Creamed Cardoons
  • Creamed Whole Scallions

• Parsnips

  • A longtime favorite in Europe, it’s a shame that they’re not more popular here. Parsnips are sweeter than carrots, and their slightly grassy, earthy flavor also helps distinguish between the two. But the differences are subtle to be sure.
  • Preparing: Just treat them as you would carrots. If large (more than 1 inch thick at the broad end), it’s best—though not essential—to remove the woody core: Cut the thinner portion off and set it aside. Cut the thick portion in half and dig out the core with the end of a vegetable peeler, a paring knife, or a sharp spoon; the procedure is neither difficult nor time consuming (which doesn’t mean I always do it!).
  • Best cooking methods: Steaming, braising, braising and glazing, roasting, puréeing.
  • When are they done? When tender enough to pierce easily with a skewer or thin-bladed knife, but not mushy.
  • Other vegetables you can use: Carrots.

• Peas

  • Peas, which are pulses in the legume family, come in a variety of forms: shell peas (green or English peas), snow peas (mange-touts), sugar snap peas. Some must be removed from their inedible pods; others are entirely edible (pods and all); and many can be shelled and dried to be eaten as beans (think black-eyed peas and chickpeas—see page 387).
  • Preparing: You’ll almost always use frozen peas for shell peas. They’ll thaw quickly so there’s usually no need to thaw them first, but if you do, put what you need in a strainer and run under cold water. Open the pods of fresh shell peas at the seam and run your finger down the inside to release the peas. For snow peas and sugar snap peas, pinch the flower end of the pod and pull the string down toward the other end to remove it.
  • Best cooking methods: Steaming, quick-braising in butter, stir-frying; adding to rice or risotto.
  • When are they done? When they’re hot and bright green, usually less than 5 minutes. Frozen peas heat through in just a minute or 2.
  • Other vegetables you can use: Green or wax beans, asparagus, edamame.

• Anything-Scented Peas

  • Peas with Bacon, Lettuce, and Mint

• 15 Flavor Possibilities for Anything-Scented Peas

  • 1. Grated lemon, orange, or tangerine zest
  • 2. Chopped light herbs like mint, tarragon, parsley, basil, chives, or chervil
  • 3. Grated fresh ginger or chopped candied ginger
  • 4. Black or white sesame seeds
  • 5. Minced garlic
  • 6. Fermented black beans
  • 7. Shredded coconut and/or coconut milk
  • 8. Chopped shallot
  • 9. White wine or sake
  • 10. Any miso paste
  • 11. Chopped flowers, like thyme, lavender, rose petals, or anise hyssop
  • 12. Curry powder; start with ½ teaspoon
  • 13. Chopped reconstituted dried mushrooms (see page 304)
  • 15. Traditional Pesto (page 51) or any other herb purée

• Pea Shoots

  • The tender shoots and leaves of the pea plant are a sure sign of spring, the vine’s new growth. Vibrant green in color, with a taste between that of fresh peas and spinach.
  • Preparing: Rinse well; trim away any dried-out stems or yellowing leaves.
  • Best cooking methods: Stir-frying, sautéing; only super-tender ones are good eaten raw.
  • When are they done? When just wilted, no more; they’re usually perfect in just a couple of minutes.
  • Other vegetables you can use: Spinach, snow peas, sugar snap peas, green peas.

• Roasted Red Peppers

  • Roasted Red Peppers on the Grill

• 10 Things to Do with Roasted Red Peppers

  • 1. Toss with chopped fresh or mashed roasted garlic.
  • 2. Splash with balsamic or sherry vinegar.
  • 3. Sprinkle with lots of chopped fresh herbs like parsley, mint, basil, or chervil or a little bit of oregano, thyme, or rosemary.
  • 4. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan, Asiago, pecorino Romano, or Manchego cheese.
  • 5. Use to fill sandwiches or top bruschetta, pizza, and salads.
  • 6. Scramble with eggs.
  • 7. Chop or purée to make a sauce or spread or to mix with other sauces, dressings, dips, and spreads.
  • 8. Coarsely chop and use to flavor meat loaf, meatballs, or burgers.
  • 9. Toss with sautéed onions and serve with grilled sausages.
  • 10. Pulse in a food processor with garlic, nuts, and herbs to make a new spin on pesto. (With almonds and parsley, this is called romesco sauce.)

• Chiles Rellenos

  • Grilled Chiles Rellenos
  • Chiles Rellenos with Meat or Poultry Stuffing
  • Chiles Rellenos with Corn And Pumpkin Seeds

• My Mom’s Pan-Cooked Peppers and Onions

  • Pan-Cooked Peppers with Vinegar
  • Pan-Cooked Peppers with Paprika

• Plantains

  • The versatile plantain is a type of banana used much like a potato when starchy and green or as a sweet side dish when fully ripe and black. Unlike our familiar breakfast fruit, they are always cooked.
  • Preparing: Plantains require a special peeling technique. Begin by cutting off both tips of the fruit; then cut the plantain crosswise into several sections, unless the recipe directs otherwise. Make three vertical slits in the skin of each section, then peel off each piece of the skin (see below). Trim any remaining skin from the plantain with a paring knife.
  • Best cooking methods: Sautéing, pan-frying, deep-frying (green plantains); sautéing, braising, stewing, roasting, grilling (black ripe plantains).
  • When are they done? When golden brown and slightly tender (green plantains); when caramelized and very soft (ripe plantains).
  • Other vegetables or fruits you can use: Potato, yucca, boniato, taro, sweet potato, yam, green to green-yellow bananas, as long as they’re not too ripe (for starchy green plantains); ripe bananas (for ripe plantains).

• Sautéed Ripe Plantains

  • Garlicky Sautéed Ripe Plantains
  • Fried Plantains

• Potatoes

  • All potatoes fall into one of three basic categories: starchy, waxy, or all-purpose. Starchy potatoes These cook to a dry, fluffy, mealy texture that’s ideal for baked, fried, and mashed potatoes, but not boiled—unless you want to exploit their crumbly quality in stews and soups, where their starch thickens and adds body. Russet potatoes, which include Idaho but are also grown elsewhere, are the archetypal starchy potato and are often called baking potatoes. They are large and oval-shaped with sandy-feeling, brown skin and off-white flesh. Waxy potatoes Sometimes called new or boiling potatoes, have a low starch content; their texture is moister, creamier, and firmer. They are typified by their smooth, thin skin, which may be a rosy-red or yellowish-white color, depending on variety. They hold their shape well during cooking and are ideal for boiling, steaming, and roasting. All-purpose potatoes In between starchy and waxy potatoes. They’re good mashed, fried, and baked, whenever you want potatoes with some fluffiness that don’t fall apart easily; they contain too much starch to make them ideal for boiling. Yukon Gold potatoes are the classic all-purpose potato.
  • Preparing: Rinse. Peel if you like. Remove any eyes, dark spots, or greening. If the potato is largely green or has rot, discard it.
  • Best cooking methods: Baking, frying, mashing (starchy); boiling, steaming, roasting (waxy); frying, baking, mashing (all-purpose).
  • When are they done? When a skewer or thin-bladed knife inserted into one meets almost no resistance.
  • Other vegetables you can use: Sweet potato, taro, cassava, boniato, green plantains, or malanga.

• Using Potatoes in Recipes

  • Starchy Potatoes:
    • Potato and Leek Soup (page 138)
    • Baked Potatoes (below)
    • Mashed Potatoes (page 329)
    • Scalloped Potatoes (page 256)
    • French Fries (page 333)
  • Waxy Potatoes:
    • Potato and Leek Soup (page 138)
    • Potato Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette (page 207)
    • Boiled Potatoes or Steamed Potatoes (pages 326 and 327)
    • Crisp Pan-Fried Potatoes (page 331)
    • Oven-Roasted Potatoes (page 329)
    • Scalloped Potatoes (page 256)
  • All-Purpose Potatoes:
    • Potato and Leek Soup (page 138)
    • Potato Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette (page 207)
    • Boiled Potatoes or Steamed Potatoes (pages 326 and 327)
    • Potato Rösti (page 332)
    • Scalloped Potatoes (page 256)

• Baked Potatoes

  • Salted Baked Potatoes
  • Bay- or Rosemary-Scented Baked Potatoes

• 16 Toppings for Baked Potatoes

  • 1. The classic: butter, sour cream, and/or chopped chives
  • 2. Crumbled cooked bacon, sausage, or chorizo
  • 3. Cottage cheese
  • 4. A few dashes hot sauce
  • 5. Ketchup
  • 6. Worcestershire sauce
  • 7. Goat cheese or cream cheese
  • 8. Grated cheese like cheddar, Parmesan, Asiago, or Jack
  • 9. Whipped cream (unsweetened and lightly salted or seasoned)
  • 10. Olive oil or Flavored Oil (page 53)
  • 11. Soy sauce or Soy Dipping Sauce and Marinade (page 64)
  • 12. Aioli or other flavored mayonnaise (page 70)
  • 13. Any cooked salsa (pages 71–74), raw salsa (pages 55–58), or chutney (pages 61–64)
  • 14. Barbecue sauce (to make your own, see page 74)
  • 15. Any Vinaigrette (page 188) or variation, especially Mustard Vinaigrette
  • 16. Any filling from “Building Hot Sandwiches” (page 810)

• Boiled Potatoes

  • Steamed Potatoes

• Twice-Baked Potatoes: Bake the potatoes as on page 326. Let them cool a bit, cut in half lengthwise, and scoop the flesh into a large bowl, leaving the skins intact as a shell. Mash the flesh, adding other ingredients to jazz them up (see the list below), then pile the works back into the skins. Put them on a rimmed baking sheet and pop them back into a 400°F oven; most will take only 20 to 30 minutes to reheat. (Or you can put them in an airtight container and refrigerate them for up to a few hours first if you like.)

• 15 Fillings for Twice-Baked Potatoes:

  • 1. Chopped fresh herbs (great with a little olive oil, butter, or sour cream)
  • 2. Chopped olives, red chile flakes, chopped parsley, and olive oil
  • 3. Grated hard cheese or mashed soft cheese like Brie, goat cheese, or cream cheese
  • 4. Crumbled cooked bacon or sausage
  • 5. Puréed or chopped cooked vegetables like eggplant, carrots, broccoli, or spinach, with lots of butter or olive oil
  • 6. Any spice mixture (pages 27–35) or Chile Paste (page 40); best with a little butter, flavorful oil, or dairy or nondairy milk
  • 7. Chopped shrimp with any pesto or herb purée (pages 51–52)
  • 8. Any pesto or herb purée (pages 51–52)
  • 9. Any chutney (pages 61–64)
  • 10. Cold Mustard Sauce (page 70)
  • 11. Salsa Roja (page 71)
  • 12. Compound Butter (page 78)
  • 13. Hollandaise Sauce (page 80)
  • 14. Coconut milk (to make your own, see page 372) and curry powder, garam masala, or chaat masala (to make your own, see pages 32 and 34)
  • 15. Fast Tomato Sauce (page 478)

• Mashed Potatoes

  • Mashed Baked Potatoes
  • “Smashed” Potatoes
  • Garlicky Mashed Potatoes
  • Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
  • Joël Robuchon Mashed Potatoes

• Oven-Roasted Potatoes

  • Oven-Roasted “Fries”
  • Oven-Roasted Hash Browns

• The Many Ways to Flavor Mashed Potatoes

• 8 Other Vegetables to Mash Along with Potatoes:

  • 1. Cabbage or kale, cut into ribbons or chopped
  • 2. Brussels sprouts, quartered
  • 3. Celery root, turnips, or rutabagas, peeled and chopped
  • 4. Carrots or parsnips, peeled and sliced or chopped
  • 5. Peas (frozen are fine; no need to thaw them first), added to the butter and milk in Step 2
  • 6. Winter squash like butternut or pumpkin, peeled, seeded, and chopped
  • 7. Beets, peeled and chopped (they’ll turn the mash fuchsia but taste delicious)
  • 8. Cauliflower or broccoli florets, chopped

• Crisp Pan-Fried Potatoes

  • Last-Minute Crisp Pan-Fried Potatoes
  • Crisp Pan-Fried Potatoes, Spanish Style (Patatas Bravas)

• Potato Rösti

  • Latkes

  • Potato Pancakes with Scallions and Kimchi

  • 8 Garnishes for Potato Rösti or Latkes

    • 1. Sour cream or crème fraîche
    • 2. Chopped chives or other fresh herbs like parsley, mint, dill, or chervil
    • 3. Traditional Pesto or other herb purée (pages 51–52)
    • 4. Any flavored mayonnaise (to make your own, see page 70)
    • 5. Salsa Roja (page 71) or Salsa Verde (page 73)
    • 6. Real Ranch Dressing (page 71)—outrageous, but excellent
    • 7. Caramelized Onions (page 315) or any of the variations
    • 8. Applesauce (to make your own, see page 364)

  • Turning Potato Rösti or Any Large Vegetable Pancake: Step 1 To turn this or any large pancake, slide the half-cooked cake onto a plate. Step 2 Cover with another plate, invert, and slide back into the pan.

• French Fries

  • Potato Chips

• Radishes

  • There are so many choices: red, white, purple, French breakfast, black, daikon. The small, red varieties are the most common in supermarkets, but radishes come in a striking array of colors, shapes, and sizes. All taste sharp, to varying degree. Black radishes, for example, can be as hot as horseradish. And when the greens are in good shape, you can eat them, too.
  • Preparing: Trim; peel if you like (black radishes should always be peeled); slice or chop as necessary.
  • Best cooking methods: Sautéing in butter, braising and glazing; the tender greens, raw in salads; the sturdier greens, in stir-fries.
  • When are they done? When crisp-tender to fully tender but not mushy.
  • Other vegetables you can use: Jícama, water chestnuts (raw); turnips (cooked).

• Braised and Glazed Radishes, Turnips, or Other Root Vegetable

  • Braised and Glazed Radishes or Other Root Vegetable with Miso
  • Braised and Glazed Carrots
  • Braised and Glazed Butternut Squash
  • Braised and Glazed Brussels Sprouts

• Seaweed

  • Seaweed has become one of my favorite vegetables. It tastes like the ocean, for starters, and the textures are varied and interesting. It’s also incredibly nutritious. Seaweed is almost always sold dry, which makes it ultra-convenient too. And it’s not expensive when you remember that the volume and weight multiply during soaking.

  • Preparing: Arame, hijiki, kombu, wakame, and alaria: Use a damp towel to wipe kombu, but don’t rinse. For all of these, soak in warm water until tender, 5 to 10 minutes; save the water for another use. Chop or slice as you like. Use dulse straight out of the package or just give it a rinse in cold water. Nori requires no soaking; cut it with scissors as needed. It’s often toasted before use (see page 448). Rinse and chop sea beans only if necessary.

  • Best cooking methods: Boiling and sautéing or stir-frying with other ingredients (arame, hijiki, alaria, and wakame); sautéing, stir-frying (dulse); steeping into Dashi (page 179), braising (kombu); parboiling for 30 seconds, then stir-frying or adding to a frittata, also good raw, as in slaws (sea beans).

  • When is it done? When tender.

  • These are the most common seaweeds available in supermarkets, natural food stores, and, of course, Asian markets.

    • Arame and Hijiki: Different varieties but similar in look and use; both have slender, almost hairy strands. Arame is finer, milder, and lighter in color; hijiki is black, briny, and expands massively when rehydrated. Use in salads, soups, and stews or add to sautés or stir-fries.
    • Dulse: Dark red, crumpled-looking, and relatively soft; sometimes sold as flakes. Can be eaten straight out of the package or added to salads, sandwiches, or soups.
    • Kombu (Kelp): A main ingredient in Dashi (page 179). Kelp contains a substance similar to MSG that enhances flavors. Best cooked with slow-cooked foods like beans, grains, soups, and stews. Sold in large, thick, hard, dark green pieces. Occasionally sold fresh on the West Coast.
    • Nori (Laver): The familiar thin, shiny sheets used to wrap sushi. Deep greenish purple, almost black; brittle when dry, chewy when moistened. Nori dissolves in liquid. Has a mild, nutty flavor. It’s excellent toasted (see Nori Chips, page 338).
    • Sea Beans (Samphire, Glasswort): These small, delicate, thin green branches with nubby ends are lovely in salads, stir-fries, and egg dishes or chopped used as a garnish. Their flavor is as fresh and “sealike” as you can imagine, and the texture is crisp and delightful. If you see it fresh, buy it; when sold pickled, in jars, it’s less exciting.
    • Wakame and Alaria: Used interchangeably; the former is harvested in Japan, the latter in North America. Both are dark green when dried and nearly transparent; they turn emerald green when rehydrated. Their flavor is mild, and they’re nice in soups and stews or with grains or added to salads.

• Nori Chips

• Shallots

  • Related to onions and garlic botanically (all are alliums), but shallots have a milder, more nuanced flavor. Preparing Peel, slice, and chop them like onions. (See the illustrations on page 314.) Best cooking methods Sautéing, roasting; deep-frying for garnish when sliced thin. When are they done? When tender and translucent. Other vegetables you can use Scallions are closest; onions (especially red or white), leeks.

• Sorrel The flavor of these spinach-like leafy greens is deeply lemony (it’s sometimes called sourgrass) and can be mild or intense, depending on the variety and maturity of the plant. And like spinach, it has a slight chalkiness when raw. Preparing Rinse well and trim any tough stems; no need to chop it unless you’re using it raw. Best cooking methods Stirring into soups, stews, and braises; sautéing for omelets; puréeing and stirring with butter, cream, yogurt, or milk for a sublime sauce. When is it done? When the leaves are melted and grayish green in color. Other vegetables you can use Spinach, arugula, watercress; add a squeeze of lemon juice just before serving.

• Spinach

  • Spinach is among the most convenient vegetables to prepare, especially in its prewashed, packaged form. But more important is where it’s grown: Local is better. It’s in season in spring and fall—spinach likes cool weather—but supermarkets carry it year-round.
  • Preparing: If it’s in a bunch, either chop off all the stems (if you’re in a hurry) or untie the bunch and pick off only the tough stems, leaving the tender ones attached. Rinse very thoroughly in several changes of water, especially if it was bunched, as there may be clumps of mud or sand between the leaves. After cooking squeeze it between your hands to extract as much water as possible, then chop or slice it if you’d like.
  • Best cooking methods: Steaming, sautéing.
  • When is it done? As soon as it wilts, though you can cook it longer if you like for extra tenderness; spinach cooked long and slow in butter is dreamy.
  • Other vegetables you can use: Arugula, beet greens, chard.

• Spinach with Currants and Nuts

  • Spinach with Oven-Roasted Tomatoes
  • Sushi-Style Spinach

• Rich Spinach Pie

  • Spinach-Feta Pie

• Summer Squash

  • Beyond the commonplace yellow squash and zucchini, there is the flying saucer–shaped pattypan with its cute scalloped edge and vivid greens and yellows, and the pear-shaped gourd chayote, called mirliton in the South. And squash blossoms—sometimes with baby squash attached, sometimes not—are a rare treat.
  • Preparing: Yellow squash and zucchini: Trim the ends and slice or chop as you like. If the squash is flabby, salt it as you would cucumber (see page 203). Leave pattypans whole if tender enough, or halve. Chayote: Peeling is optional. Halve the broad way through the stem end and remove the seed. Leave as halves or chop or slice as you like.
  • Best cooking methods: Steaming, sautéing, braising (chayote), roasting, frying, grilling; blossoms can be battered and deep-fried (see page 112).
  • When are they done? When tender but not falling apart; pierce with a skewer or thin-bladed knife to check.

• Summer Squash and Herbs in Parchment

  • Summer Squash and Shrimp in Parchment
  • Shiitakes in Parchment

• Zucchini Pancakes

• Sweet Potatoes and Yams

  • There are so many more varieties of sweet potatoes and yams available now that it hardly matters what you call them, though they are different botanically. For eating, the most important distinctions are their colors, textures, and intensity of flavor. Neither is related to potatoes, and their flesh is quite different. Depending on the variety, the color of yams and sweet potatoes can range from ivory to golden to deep orange to nearly crimson. All have unsurpassed, slightly sweet creaminess, covered in skin in all stages of the sunset.
  • Preparing: Peel if the skins are thick or beat-up (though it is edible and delicious after roasting). Slice or chop as you like.
  • Best cooking methods: Baking, braising, roasting; cut small or grated and stir-fried.
  • When are they done? When tender enough to pierce easily with a fork.
  • Other vegetables you can use: Potatoes, carrots, parsnips, winter squash, any tropical tuber.

• Baked Sweet Potatoes

  • Boiled or Steamed Sweet Potatoes
  • Microwave-Steamed Sweet Potatoes
  • Mashed Sweet Potatoes

• Tomatillos

  • A distant relative of the tomato, this green fruit is widely used in Mexican cooking. It’s best when slightly firm and bright green. The tangy and herbaceous flesh turns yellow, more sour, and softer when overripe.
  • Preparing: Tear off the husks and rinse off the sticky resin. No need to core. Slice, chop, purée, or leave whole.
  • Best cooking methods: Raw; any way you’d cook tomatoes.
  • When are they done? From raw to cooked down into a pulp, and anywhere in between.
  • Other vegetables you can use: Green tomatoes; in a pinch, fresh tomatoes.

• Stewed Tomatillos and Tomatoes

• Tomatoes

  • Iconic tomatoes—the big, fat, red beefsteak kind—now share the limelight with a colorful array of heirloom varieties. Even cherry tomatoes now come in all different sizes and shapes. Tomatoes need hot sunny weather to thrive and just don’t travel well. The vast majority of supermarket varieties—in season or not—are either picked green and ripened off the vine or grown in hothouses. Either way, the end result is the same: They’re bland and not juicy enough. So in the off-season, I usually reach for canned tomatoes. During peak summer, I try to seek out those grown locally.
  • Preparing: See the illustrations below. Note that I’ve included directions for peeling, but the only time I ever bother anymore is when I want big pieces free of the tough skin, or a super-refined sauce. Otherwise I chop them small enough—or purée them before or after cooking—to retain all the tomato flavor.
  • Best cooking methods: Roasting, grilling or broiling, pan-frying; raw in sauce and salsa.
  • When are they done? Whenever you want them to be, from raw to cooked until just soft to a mushy sauce.

• Pan-Fried Green and/or Red Tomatoes

• Oven-Roasted Plum Tomatoes

  • Oven-Roasted Whole Cherry Tomatoes
  • Oven-Roasted Canned Plum Tomatoes
  • Oven-Roasted Everyday Tomatoes
  • Oven-Dried Tomatoes

• Tropical Tubers Taro, Cassava (Yuca, Manioc); Boniato (Batata); Malanga (Yautia, Tannia)

  • The tubers popular predominantly in Caribbean, South American, Polynesian, and West African cuisines, these are quite starchy, and are generally handled the way you would potatoes.
  • Preparing: Peel with a vegetable peeler, or for the tougher cassava, a paring knife. Note that some may be waxed, so they must be peeled, but otherwise peeling isn’t necessary when you’re baking others. You can chop, slice, or grate the flesh as you like. Raw boniato flesh discolors very quickly when peeled or cut and darkens quite a bit when cooked; immediately immerse in cold water after cutting and be sure to keep it covered with liquid while cooking to minimize darkening.
  • Best cooking methods: Taro and malanga: boiling, frying. Cassava: baking, frying, braising. Boniato: boiling, baking.
  • When are they done? When a skewer or thin-bladed knife inserted into one meets almost no resistance.
  • Other vegetables you can use: Potatoes, sweet potatoes.

• Turnips and Rutabagas

  • These cabbage-flavored root vegetables, also known as Swedes or yellow turnips, deserve a place in your repertoire even if you think you don’t like them. They’re versatile and easy to cook, and are perfect when you’re tired of potatoes or carrots.
  • Preparing: Peel and leave whole (if small enough), or slice or chop as you like; rutabagas must be peeled with a paring knife because of their wax coating.
  • Best cooking methods: Boiling, braising and glazing; puréeing.
  • When are they done? When tender or very soft.
  • Other vegetables you can use: Turnips and rutabagas are interchangeable; otherwise, parsnips, carrots, kohlrabi.

• Water Chestnuts

  • This flat, small tuber from an Asian water plant might look a little like a chestnut but that’s where the resemblance ends. It’s mildly sweet and crunchy and is probably most familiar from its presence in Chinese restaurant stir-fries and fried rice. When fresh, they have a dark brown skin that covers the off-white, crisp flesh. Canned is always a decent option, since they’re still a little crunchy.
  • Preparing: Peel (if fresh) and slice or chop as necessary
  • Best cooking methods: Stir-frying, added at the last minute.
  • When is it done? When just heated through and still crunchy.

• Winter Squash

  • The most noteworthy and accessible of the many varieties of so-called hard squashes are the butternut, acorn, pumpkin, spaghetti, delicata, kabocha, Hubbard, crookneck, and calabaza. You’re bound to see others too. Preparing All get the same treatment. To peel, use a sturdy vegetable peeler or a paring knife for butternut if you’re more comfortable; but for tougher, ridged squashes, set the squash on its flat end or cut off an end to create a flat, stable bottom. Use a sharp knife (the larger the squash, the larger the knife) and cut off slices of the skin starting from the top where the vegetable starts to curve, slicing down to the cutting board; cut off strips around the entire vegetable, then chop off the unpeeled ends. Split open and scoop out the seeds and stringy fiber; discard or roast the seeds (see page 309). Spaghetti squash is a slightly different animal because its flesh is super-stringy. Though you can peel and prepare it as you would other winter squashes, it’s best—and easiest—to cook it whole (see Roasted Whole Winter Squash, page 349), then split, remove the seeds, and scoop out the flesh.
  • Best cooking methods: Boiling or steaming, braising, braising and glazing, pan- frying, roasting; puréeing.
  • When are they done? When very tender and nicely browned (if pan-fried or roasted); when tender but not waterlogged (if boiled).
  • Other vegetables you can use: Except for spaghetti squash, winter squash are interchangeable; otherwise, sweet potatoes, yams, carrots, waxy potatoes.

• Roasted Whole Winter Squash

  • Whole Winter Squash, Steamed
  • Roasted Squash Pieces in the Shell

• Winter Squash Curry

  • Winter Squash, Thai Style
  • Winter Squash, Afghan Style
  • Winter Squash with Mirin

• The Basics of Mixed Vegetable Dishes

  • Most vegetables go quite well together, so I’ve only got a few rules for combining them. Try to stick to what’s in season where you live. Pay attention to proportions—same-sized pieces cook at the same rates—and to the pliability test (see “Controlling Doneness in Vegetables,” page 236). Hard vegetables take longer to cook than softer ones, of course. To compensate, either precook the hard ones a bit or hold out the soft ones until near the end of the cooking time. More is not necessarily better. Too many vegetables will muddy the flavor. Usually three or four vegetables per dish is just right. If you’re looking for a “bigger” dish, see “How to Add Meat, Fish, or Poultry to Almost Any Vegetable Dish” (page 257), or toss the dish with noodles, beans, or cooked whole grains to turn it into a main course.

• Oven-Baked Ratatouille

  • Stovetop Mixed Vegetables with Olive Oil
  • Oven-Baked or Stovetop Mixed Vegetables with Beans

• Thai-Style Mixed Spicy Vegetables

  • Indian-Style Mixed Spicy Vegetables

• 8 Additions to Thai-Style Mixed Spicy Vegetables

  • 1. 1 to 2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes (or 1 14-ounce can diced), after the eggplant begins to soften
  • 2. 1 to 2 cups peeled and chopped potato (preferably a waxy variety), in addition to the eggplant, added at the same time. Or replace the eggplant with potatoes.
  • 3. 1 to 2 cups peas, snow peas, or sugar snap peas, when the eggplant is just beginning to get tender
  • 4. ½ to 1 cup chopped carrots or bell pepper, along with the onion
  • 5. 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger, along with the garlic and chile
  • 6. ½ cup or more shredded fresh basil (preferably Thai), cilantro, mint or a combination, just before removing from the heat
  • 7. About 1 pound boneless chicken, cut into thin shreds; chopped boneless pork (preferably from the shoulder—Boston butt or picnic); beef (preferably sirloin, cut across the grain); or peeled shrimp, in addition to the eggplant, at the same time. Or replace the eggplant with the protein.
  • 8. 1 to 2 cups firm or extra-firm tofu (blotted dry, cut into ¼-inch cubes), just before adding the coconut milk

• Crisp Vegetable Pancakes, Korean Style

  • Crisp Kimchi Pancakes
  • Seafood and Vegetable Pancakes, Korean Style

• The Basics of Stuffed Vegetables

  • To ensure that the vegetable will be tender and fully cooked, most require a bit of cooking—like boiling, steaming, or roasting—before filling. That way you decrease the final cooking time and prevent the stuffing from getting too dry. Since the vegetable will finish once it’s filled, the idea it to precook until you can just barely stick a fork in it. The only exceptions are when your stuffing includes raw meat or fish, or raw grains, which will take longer to cook, or when you’re using quick-cooking vegetables such as tomatoes or bell peppers. I usually finish cooking stuffed vegetables in a fairly hot oven; the browning adds a bit of richness. But steaming, braising, frying, grilling, and broiling also work well.

• How to Stuff Vegetables

  • When stuffing an eggplant—or any other vegetable—don’t put in so much stuffing that it spills out. Cut the bottom off the tomato if you like and hollow out the inside, removing the core. After filling, put the top back on, like a lid. Or you can halve the tomato—lengthwise or on the equator—then scoop and fill. Stuffing a cabbage or other leaf is much like making a burrito: Put a not-too-large amount of filling on the third closest to you and fold over that end. Fold in the sides, then roll it up.

• Tomatoes Stuffed with Sausage and Rice

  • Tomatoes Stuffed with Rice and Cheese
  • Quick Stuffed Tomatoes

• 6 More Stuffed Vegetables

  • Stuffed Eggplant:
    • Peeling is optional. Halve lengthwise, or for large, thick eggplant, cut crosswise into 3-inch-thick cylinders; drizzle with olive oil and roast in a 350°F oven until tender. Scoop out a cavity for stuffing.
    • Stuffing idea: Crouton Salad (page 221) is excellent as a cooked filling.
    • How to cook: Finish in a 375°F oven until the eggplant is very tender. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley or basil.
  • Stuffed Zucchini:
    • Use fat, relatively straight zucchini or yellow squash. Halve lengthwise and scrape out the seeds.
    • Quinoa with Roasted Corn (page 458)
    • Bake in a 375°F oven until the zucchini is tender and the stuffing is hot, about 20 minutes.
  • Stuffed Acorn Squash:
    • Halve the squash, scrape out the seeds, and rub the inside with olive oil or butter. Roast, cut-side down, in a 375°F oven for 25 minutes. Turn the squash over and fill.
    • Perfect for vegetarians during the holidays: Wild Rice Pilaf with Dried Fruit (page 468)
    • Finish in a 375°F oven until the flesh is tender, another 20 minutes or so. Garnish with chopped pecans and parsley.
  • Stuffed Cabbage or Kale:
    • Use large, untorn leaves. Put them in a steamer above a couple of inches of salted water. Cover and cook until the leaves are just flexible enough to bend. Make a V cut in each leaf to remove the stem. Fill and wrap as shown on page 356.
    • Like vegetable kibbeh: Bulgur Pilaf with Lentils (page 458)
    • Put the rolls in the steamer (check that there is enough water) and steam until the leaves are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drizzle with olive oil or melt butter on top. Sprinkle with chopped fresh herbs.
  • Stuffed Onions:
    • Halve unpeeled onions around their equator and put in a greased pan, cut-side down. Drizzle with melted butter and pour ¼ cup white wine or water over all. Bake in a 400°F oven until they’re just tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the inner layers of onion, and the skin if you like.
    • Chard with Olives and Feta (page 282).
    • Finish in a 375°F oven until the stuffing is hot and the onion is tender, about 20 minutes more. For an extra treat, cook some chopped bacon with fresh bread crumbs and sprinkle on top before serving.
  • Stuffed Peppers:
    • Cut the tops off any color bell pepper and scoop out the seeds. Save the tops, if you like.
    • Mix Baked Black Beans and Rice Spanish Style (page 410) with a cup of grated mild melting cheese like mozzarella or Oaxaca.
    • Bake or grill the peppers until the cheese has melted and the outsides are browned in spots. Serve hot or warm with any salsa you like (see pages 55–58 or 71–74).

• The Basics of Cooking Fruit

  • Peeled fruit will cook through and lose its shape faster than unpeeled fruit, which might make you tend to cook fruit with its skin on. But if the flesh gets even slightly overdone, it tends to separate from the skin, especially during moist cooking like poaching and sautéing. Then you’re left with the worst of both textures: soft fruit and tough skin. For every rule there’s at least one exception, so try to use common sense: If the skin isn’t edible—as in melons, mangoes, or papayas—peel the fruit before cooking. Leaving the edible skins on peaches, apples, plums, grapes, and pears during high-heat, fast-cook methods like grilling, broiling, or roasting helps hold the flesh together and improves color and flavor; to keep the skins from slipping off small fruits, just be careful not to overcook them. Virtually everything else should be peeled if at all practical.

• Poaching

  • Good candidates for poaching are pears, apples, pineapple, cherries, grapes, peaches and nectarines, plums, and quince. Dried fruit is also wonderful poached. It’s best to poach fruit in seasoned juice, vinegar, or wine; water leaches out too much of the flavor. Put the fruit in just enough liquid to cover it. Keep the liquid barely bubbling and cook, turning the fruit once or twice, until a toothpick or skewer pierces to the center with little resistance. A pear might take 20 minutes or so, while cherries will be done in less than 10. Let the fruit cool in the liquid so it absorbs as much flavor as possible, then remove. Serve with the poaching liquid-as-is, like a soup, or boil the liquid until it thickens into a syrupy sauce. Poached fruit keeps in the fridge for several days.

• Stewing

  • Compote is a fancy name for stewed fruit, about the easiest thing in the world: Put cut fruit—either one kind or an assortment—into a pan with a tight-fitting lid. Sprinkle with a little sugar or other sweetener, or salt and pepper. Add a couple of tablespoons water or a more flavorful liquid, cover, and turn the heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until some of the juice is released and the fruit begins to soften, anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes depending on the fruit. Like poached fruit, this will keep in the fridge for several days. In a pinch, you can microwave fruit as you would vegetables (see page 237), though it’s really just as easy—and only slightly less fast—to stew it. You can also “stew” fruit without any cooking at all: See “Macerating and Seasoning Fruit” (page 363).

• Sautéing

  • Set a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Swirl around a little oil or melt a pat of butter, just enough to coat the pan and the fruit; figure 1 to 2 tablespoons per pound. When the oil is hot or the butter melts, stir or toss the fruit around in the pan until it’s cooked as firm or tender as you like. Add sweet or savory seasonings just as you would for vegetables (also see the chart and sidebar on pages 361 and 363 for more ideas). It’s most common to sauté apples but pears, peaches, plums, apricots, figs, and even citrus segments are also terrific this way.

• Roasting

  • Any fruit you can sauté you can roast. As with vegetables, high, dry heat helps develop deep color and flavor. The only trick is to make sure the sugars in the fruit caramelize without burning. Set the oven between 325 and 350°F, a little lower than you would for vegetables. Grease a rimmed baking sheet or shallow roasting pan or line it with a piece of parchment paper (this makes cleanup much easier). Add whole or cut fruit, taking care not to overcrowd. Drizzle or brush with a little oil or melted butter and season as you like. Roast, checking occasionally and turning as necessary, until tender and golden, anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes depending on the fruit.

• Oven-Drying

  • This make-ahead technique leaves fruit chewy and moist, or slightly crisp—you control the ultimate texture—without the use of a special machine. See “Dried Fruit” ((page 369) and Oven-Dried Tomatoes (page 348).

• Grilling or Broiling

  • Broiled or grilled fruit teams beautifully with a green salad; complements the smokiness of grilled meats, seafood, or chicken; and works as an ingredient in salads; you can even use grilled fruit for making salsas. Sweet grilled fruit can be served with ice cream, sorbet, granita, rice pudding, or custard or next to cake or other drier desserts. Or use it to make grilled fruit pizza (see page 882). Start with fruit that is ripe but still somewhat firm so it will hold together on the grill, the same kinds you would sauté or roast. Use a clean grill (very important!) and lower heat than you would for vegetables. Since most fruits are sugar-laden, they will char fairly quickly, in just a couple minutes in most cases. Give the fruit a good brushing with oil or melted butter before you put it on the grill, or else you’ll be scraping it off. See “9 Sweet and Savory Ways to Broil and Grill Fruit” on page 361.

• Frying

  • With few exceptions, fruit should be breaded or battered before being deep-fried; coating the fruit not only protects it from overcooking but also helps control splattering. Flour and cornmeal—or a mixture of the two—are easy enough, though a batter creates wonderful fruit fritters. You can either pan-fry in shallow oil (½ inch deep or so; see page 21) or deep-fry in enough oil to submerge them (at least 3 inches of oil in a deep pot; see page 22). Then cook the fruit just as you would deep- or pan-fried vegetables.

• 9 Sweet and Savory Ways to Broil and Grill Fruit

  • Broiled or Grilled Figs:
    • Halve lengthwise. Brush with melted butter. Broil or grill until browned and soft, or if topping with the cheese mixture, when the cheese has browned. Mix honey, chopped fresh rosemary, and cream cheese or mascarpone and top the figs before or after broiling.
  • Broiled or Grilled Peaches or Nectarines:
    • Halve; remove the pits. Fill cavities with about 1 teaspoon each butter and honey. Broil until the edges just begin to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Or omit the fillings and grill, cut side down, until just beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Drizzle with more honey and sprinkle with pepper if you like.
  • Broiled Bananas:
    • Peel, put in a flameproof baking dish, dot with butter, and sprinkle with sugar. Broil until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice over the top just before serving.
  • Broiled or Grilled Citrus:
    • Halve along the equator or cut into 1-inch-thick slices. Brush with oil or melted butter. Grill over direct heat or broil, turning occasionally, until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Top with Chile Paste (page 40) or sprinkle with chopped fresh ginger.
  • Broiled or Grilled Mangoes:
    • Peel; cut large slices or wedges off the pit. Brush with oil. Grill over direct heat or broil, turning occasionally, until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Spoon on some Fresh Tomatillo Salsa (page 56), Cilantro Sauce (page 52), Cilantro-Mint Chutney (page 62), or Coconut Chutney (page 61).
  • Savory Broiled or Grilled Peaches or Nectarines:
    • Halve or quarter. Brush with oil or melted butter. Grill, cut side down, over direct heat or broil until browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn and cook the skin side for a minute or 2 if you like. Smear with olive oil or Basil Purée (page 52). Off the grill, crumble blue or feta cheese on top.
  • Broiled or Grilled Pineapple:
    • Peel and cut into slices, wedges, or 1½-inch cubes; skewer cubes. Brush with oil. Grill over direct heat or broil, turning occasionally, until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Drizzle with Ginger-Scallion Sauce (page 64) or Soy Dipping Sauce and Marinade (page 64).
  • Broiled or Grilled Plums:
    • Halve or quarter; skewer if you like. Brush with oil or melted butter. Grill, cut-side down, over direct heat or broil until browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Top with Simplest Yogurt Sauce (page 59), or Honey Mustard (page 37).
  • Grilled or Broiled Watermelon Steak:
    • Cut into 2-inch- thick slices; remove seeds. Brush with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Rub with ground dried chiles if you like. Grill or broil until the flesh is lightly caramelized and dried out a bit, about 5 h minutes on each side. Sprinkle with chopped fresh rosemary; serve with lemon wedges. Omit the rosemary if you used chiles or chili powder.

• Macerating and Seasoning Fruit: A simple technique that transforms the texture of fruit and leaves you with a little sauce in the process. Juicy fresh fruits like berries, citrus, and peaches often need only a sprinkle of sugar or salt to draw out their juices; others benefit from added liquid like simple syrup, fruit juice, vinegar, wine or brandy, or even water. Macerating is also a smart way to get some mileage out of less-than-perfect fruit. Peel the fruit if the skin is tough or if you prefer it peeled. Chop or slice large or medium fruit; small fruit can be left whole. Mix together the fruit, the liquid, and whatever seasonings you’re using—salt or sugar, fresh herbs, ground chiles, citrus zest, or warm spices like cinnamon or cardamom are all good in small quantities. Fresh fruit needs only about ½ cup liquid per pound of fruit, but dried fruit absorbs a good amount of liquid, so cover the fruit by an inch or even a little more; any extra liquid can have a second life as a flavorful cooking or deglazing liquid or mixer in beverages. Cover and set aside at room temperature, or in the refrigerator if the kitchen is warm, stirring every few hours. Soft and juicy fresh fruit can take as little as 15 to 20 minutes to macerate; denser ones like apple and pineapple can take 3 to 4 hours; dried fruit requires 12 to 24 hours to soften fully. You want the fruit to be tender but not mushy. Eat macerated fruit alone or with some cream, yogurt, or sour cream. Use it as a topping for pancakes, waffles, yogurt, or ice cream, as a filling for crêpes or blintzes; and as a garnish for simplyl cooked meat, fish, seafood, or chicken. Add to sauces and dressings. Puréed, it’s a tasty addition to beverages like cocktails, tea, or smoothies.

• Apples

  • There are thousands of varieties of apples in every shade of yellow, gold, red, and green, ranging from sweet to tart and mealy to crisp.
  • Preparing: Rinse and take a bite. Or peel and cut. To peel, start at the stem or flower end and work in strips up and down or around; a U-shaped peeler works best. Some people find it’s easier to peel apples after cutting them into wedges. To core, you have several options (see below): You can remove the core and leave the apple whole by digging into one end with a sturdy melon baller. You can either leave the stem intact for a nice presentation or work from that side if you want a flatter, more stable bottom. Or you can buy a slicer-corer, which will cut the apple into six or eight slices around the core in one swift motion. Or you can quarter the apple and dig out each piece of the core with a paring knife. There are even contraptions that hold the apple and spiral off the peel. Finally, you can just cut chunks of apple from around the core with a paring knife. Apples brown quickly once peeled or cut. To prevent this, drop them into acidulated water (1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar per cup water) or white wine, or toss with lemon or lime juice.
  • Other fruits you can use: pears

• Applesauce

  • Cherry or Berry Applesauce

  • 12 Sweet and Savory Seasonings for Applesauce

    • 1. Pepper
    • 2. Ground cinnamon, cumin, coriander, caraway, or cardamom seeds
    • 3. Chopped fresh chile like jalapeño or Thai, red chile flakes, or cayenne
    • 4. Ground dried chipotle chiles, or minced canned with a little of their adobo sauce
    • 5. Chopped fresh ginger or candied ginger (good with savory or sweet)
    • 6. Granulated or brown sugar
    • 7. Freshly grated nutmeg
    • 8. Ground cloves or allspice
    • 9. Any spice mixture (to make your own, see pages 27–35)
    • 10. Roasted Garlic (page 294)
    • 11. Minced fresh rosemary or thyme
    • 12. Caramelized Onions (page 315) or any of the variations; start with ¼ cup

• Sweet Sautéed Apples or Other Fruit

  • Savory Sautéed Apples or Other Fruit

• Baked Apples

  • 7 Simple Ideas for Baked Apples
    • 1. Cream sugar or spices with 2 tablespoons unsalted butter before adding it.
    • 2. Substitute maple syrup, honey, or brown sugar for the granulated sugar.
    • 3. Add about ½ cup chopped nuts, shredded coconut, raisins, and/or chopped figs or dates to the sugar for filling.
    • 4. Fill the apple cavities with jam after about 45 minutes of baking.
    • 5. Fill the apple cavities with grated cheddar or crumbled blue cheese before baking, and use apple cider for the liquid.
    • 6. Fill the apple cavities with crumbled sausage (removed from the casings) before baking.
    • 7. Sprinkle the apples with Streusel Topping (page 773) after 30 minutes of baking.

• Apricots

  • Good apricots are precious—sweet and tart, with silky skin and a dense but succulent interior. Get your hands on them and you’re in for a real treat. But a perfectly ripe, juicy, and flavorful apricot is hard to find, even if you live where they’re grown (now mostly California).
  • Preparing: Not much to it: tear or cut it in half and remove the pit. Or just bite into it. I don’t bother to peel apricots but you can: Plunge them into boiling water for about 10 seconds, then slip off the skin. Soak or cook dried apricots in liquid to soften. Dried is the most accessible form to use in both sweet and savory dishes. Sauté fresh apricots along with the aromatics and let them melt away into the dish, or add dried at the last minute.
  • Other fruits you can use: Peaches, nectarines; for dried apricots, any other soft dried fruit like raisins, prunes, dates.

• Bananas

  • A tropical plant with hundreds of varieties including plantains (see page 322), the most familiar being the yellow Cavendish banana, sometimes called sweet or dessert banana. But there are also tiny finger bananas, red, and even blue varieties, all with varying flavors and sweetness.
  • Preparing: How ripe they are is a matter of personal preference. Peel and eat, or chop or slice as needed. Squeeze some lemon or lime juice over a freshly cut banana to prevent discoloring.
  • Other fruits you can use: There is no substitute for raw bananas; for cooking, use ripe plantains.

• Roasted Bananas

  • Sautéed Bananas

• Dried Fruit: Before the days of refrigeration and canning, drying fruit was the only way to preserve it. The process captures the optimal flavor and intensifies it, so dried fruit is often superior to its fresh counterpart. Several methods can be used to dry fruit, starting with the most primitive, sun-drying. The fruit may be halved or chopped, and just left out in the sun for several days. More common drying methods include air-drying, a combination of air circulation and low heat that can be done in an oven, though it’s best with a dehydrator; sugar-drying, by soaking or poaching fruit in a sugar syrup, followed by air-drying—think candied ginger; and frying like potato chips, best for high-starch, low-moisture fruits like bananas. Regardless of the method, many commercially dried fruits are treated with sulfur dioxide before processing, a preservative that helps the fruit hold its color, flavor, and shape. If you’re sensitive to sulfites—or can taste them—look for unsulfured dried fruits, which are now easy to find.

• Drying Fruit at Home: Unless you have a dehydrator, oven-drying is your best option: It adds no extra sugar or fat; takes a few hours, but is mostly hands-off; and gives you plenty of control over the final product, which may be plump and chewy or shriveled and completely dry, depending on the size of the pieces and how long you dry them. Small items like grapes, berries, and cherry tomatoes can be left whole; medium-size fruits, halved or sliced; large and/or very hard fruit like papaya, pineapple, and coconut must be sliced. Put the prepared fruit on a wire rack over a baking sheet, cut-side down where applicable, and bake in a 225°F oven for anywhere from 2 to 12 hours. Rotate the baking sheet every couple of hours. The fruit is done when it’s as shriveled and dried as you like (see Oven-Dried Tomatoes on page 348 for descriptions). In a dehydrator, the water is evaporated from fruit very slowly, with only a little heat. Most machines have a small electrical element in the base, a tower of racks, and a vent and ideally a fan on top. Depending on the fruit and how packed the dehydrator is, it can take more than 24 hours to dry fully, though as with oven-drying, you can stop the process at any point. Dehydrators are handy, especially if you have fruit trees or a vegetable garden.

• Berries

  • Hundreds of different berries grow all over the world on vines or bushes, ranging in color from white to blue to red, orange, yellow, or black. They might be sweet or tart and everything in between and, with the exception of the blueberry, cranberry, and a couple of less common varieties like gooseberries, they’re very perishable. See the cranberry and cherry listings below and on page 374.
  • Preparing: Strawberries: see the illustration below. Rinse and dry. Pull or cut off the leaves, then use a paring knife to dig out the stem and core. Blueberries: Pick over, remove any stems, rinse, and dry. Blackberries and raspberries: Rinse and dry very gently. I do not rinse wild berries as long as I’m sure of the source. When in doubt, treat other berries like raspberries: gently.
  • Other fruits you can use: Berries are fairly interchangeable when used raw, or use grapes or sweet cherries; blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries can substitute for one another in cooked dishes.

• Cherimoyas

  • Also known as the custard apple, a medium-size tropical fruit related to the soursop or guanabana, with green, leathery, scaled-looking skin and—at its best—a white, creamy, dreamy custardlike interior with a pineapple-banana flavor.
  • Preparing: Halve, remove the large seeds, and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Eat raw.

• Cherries

  • There are two types of cherries: sweet, and sour or tart. The former is best for eating out of hand, the latter for pie making and cooking. Sour cherries are often sold at farmers’ markets and farmstands; they are typically smaller, brighter red, and rounder in shape than the sweet varieties and for many people are too tart to eat raw. They’re great for pies and cobblers though, and frozen work just fine.
  • Preparing: Rinse and dry for eating out of hand. Remove the stem and pit for cooking. A cherry pitter (which also works for olives) is handy if you’re going to pit a large number.
  • Other fruits you can use: Fresh currants, dried cherries; for cooking: cranberries, blueberries.

• Stewed Cherries, Sweet or Savory

  • Cherries in Port, Sweet or Savory
  • Cherries Jubilee

• Coconut

  • This tropical fruit comes in many different forms: whole, shredded fresh, dried flakes, oil, water, milk, and flour. It’s all good, as long as you buy the unsweetened kind.

  • Preparing: If you’re starting with a whole coconut, drive the point of an ice pick, scissors blade, or corkscrew into its soft eye; drain out the water and drink or cook with it later. Put the coconut in a double layer of plastic grocery or trash bags. Go outside or wherever there is a concrete step or floor; slam the coconut into the concrete as many times as it takes to break it open. Come back into the kitchen and pry the pieces of meat out of the shell. Remove the brown skin. Chop, slice, or shred the white meat as you like.

  • Best cooking method: Making fresh coconut milk; toasting; using in soups, braises, stir-fries, and for breading. When is it done? When lightly golden brown.

  • Toasting Coconut: An easy garnish or condiment. If you’re using fresh coconut, grate it or slice it paper-thin. Heat a dry skillet over medium-low heat or put a rimmed baking sheet in a 350°F oven. When the pan is hot, spread the coconut in a single layer and cook until it darkens as much as you want, 5 to 10 minutes for dried or 15 to 20 minutes for fresh. Be sure to keep an eye on it and shake the pan occasionally; once it starts to turn, it goes fast.

• Coconut Milk

• Cranberries

  • Cranberries should be bright red, evenly round, and firm. They’re too astringent to be eaten out of hand, so they’re always cooked or combined with other ingredients.
  • Preparing: Pick over, rinse, and if necessary, dry.
  • Other fruits you can use: Dried cranberries, sour cherries, fresh currants, blueberries.

• Currants

  • Fresh currants are small berries that grow in clusters of brilliant red, purplish black, or white fruit. The most common dried currants are also known as Zante currants and are actually made from small grapes. Dried or fresh, currants are good in pies, jams, jellies, and other desserts. Fresh, they’re also delicious with other fruits or served simply with some cream and sugar.
  • Preparing: Remove the stems, pick over, rinse, and if necessary, dry.
  • Other fruits you can use: Cherries, raspberries, blueberries.

• Dates

  • More and more you see fresh dates from California. But it’s most common to find them dried. Both ways are a delight—sticky-sweet, tender—and when fresh, they’re even a little juicy.
  • Preparing: Remove the pits by slicing the fruit lengthwise and pulling the seed out by the tip.
  • Other fruits you can use: Raisins, prunes, dried apricots or figs (though none are quite as sweet).

• Figs

  • When fresh and ripe, figs are supple, sweet, and wonderful. The delicate skin is soft and delicious, the interior flesh succulent, gorgeously white and pink, and loaded with tiny edible seeds. Dried, they are even sweeter, with a chewy, almost meaty texture.
  • Preparing: Rinse and eat fresh ones. Or sauté, roast, or grill them. Dried figs may be eaten, soaked, or cooked as any dried fruit.
  • Other fruits you can use: There is no substitute for fresh figs; for dried, nearly any dried fruit like raisins, prunes, apricots.

• Grapes

  • There are two categories of grapes grown around the world: white (also called green) and black (often referred to as red). White grapes are actually green to greenish yellow, and black grapes range from reddish to the deepest of purple. Americans eat mostly seedless grapes—and raisins, which are of course dried grapes—but in fact, breeding out the seeds also breeds out much of the flavor. So varieties with seeds—muscat, Niagara, and Concord—are making a bit of a comeback.
  • Preparing: Pesticides are used heavily on grapes, so rinse them very well or consider buying organic.
  • Other fruits you can use: Blueberries, cherries; also see Currants (page374).

• Grapefruit

  • West Indian in origin, now widely grown in Florida, Arizona, Texas, and California, there are two main types of grapefruit, white and red, differentiated more by the color of their flesh than their skin. Pomelo or shaddock and Ugli (aptly—if cruelly—named) are similar and may be treated the same as grapefruit.
  • Preparing: Halve the grapefruit through its equator, then cut down and around the inside sections, separating the flesh from the skin; eat with a spoon. Or peel and separate the segments as you would an orange; this is especially useful with smaller specimens.
  • Other fruits you can use: Oranges, pomelos.

• Kiwis (Chinese Gooseberries)

  • A native Chinese fruit named after New Zealand’s national bird (oddly, the fruit and the flightless bird do look somewhat similar), kiwis are soft, juicy, and sweet-tart when ripe, and more on the tart side (though not entirely bad) when not quite ripe enough.
  • Preparing: Peel—or not, if you don’t mind the fuzz—and slice or cut into wedges. Or halve and scoop out the flesh with a spoon.
  • Other fruits you can use: Star fruit, grapes, honeydew melon.

• Kumquats

  • Kumquats look like tiny oranges. The entire fruit is edible, and believe it or not it’s the skin that’s the best part: It’s thin and sweet, while the flesh is heavily seeded and very tart.
  • Preparing: Rinse, dry, and use whole or slice, chop, or quarter, removing the seeds.
  • Other fruits you can use: Oranges, tangerines.

• Lemons and Limes

  • The most useful of kitchen fruits: a squirt of their juice or a sprinkle of zest can add just the right amount of acid and flavor to perfectly brighten and balance a dish, sauce, or beverage. The lemon is the essential fruit in European cooking, while the lime takes center stage in Asian and tropical cooking. It pays to keep some of each in your kitchen.
  • Preparing: Cut lengthwise into halves, quarters, wedges, or slices and remove any pits with the point of a knife. To juice, cut into halves through the equator. There are a few ways to zest citrus; how you choose to do it should partly depend on how you’ll use it. A zester is a nifty tool with small sharp-edged holes that cuts off long, thin strips of zest, which can then be minced; the strips are wonderful for garnishing when whole. Another method is to use a vegetable peeler or paring knife to remove the peel in ribbons. This technique inevitably brings part of the bitter white pith with it; to do a perfect job you should then lay the strips down on a cutting board and scrape the white part off with a paring knife then slice or mince as you lilke. The easiest method is to use a sharp grater (like a Microplane), which results in tiny flecks of zest that are nearly undetectable in dishes except for their flavor.
  • Other fruits you can use: Lemons and limes are more or less interchangeable.

• Preserved Lemons

• Lychees

  • Native to southern China, lychees (or litchis) are small fruits with scaly, sometimes prickly inedible skin that protects the juicy white flesh, which in turn surrounds a shiny, brown inedible seed. The texture of lychees is like that of a fleshy grape, and the flavor is sweet and one-of-a-kind, though akin to that of cherries. Canned lychees are mostly just sugary sweet and not worth eating.
  • Preparing: Use the stem to break open the skin and gently peel it off; eat the fruit and spit out the seed.
  • Other fruits you can use: Grapes; kiwi, star fruit (for a tropical flavor).

• Mangoes

  • There are dozens of shapes, sizes, and colors of mango, from orange-size to melon-size; green to yellow, orange, or red; exceedingly tart to syrupy sweet. Both ripe and unripe mangoes are useful: unripe for chutney, pickling, and making amchoor (see page 28), and ripe for eating straight, making salsas, fruit salads, and cooking, especially on the grill. The small yellow Alfonso mangoes are, for my money, the best of the most commonly available.

  • Preparing The method you choose will depend on your knife skills and your patience. (See the illustrations on page 376 and below.) The quick and messy way is to just peel off the skin—a vegetable peeler or paring knife makes quick work of it—and attack. For a neater presentation, trim a piece off the bottom end. Stand the fruit on a cutting board, trim off the skin with a sharp paring knife, then slice fruit from around the pit. For small pieces, cut the flesh off each side of the pit without peeling. Score the flesh in a cross-hatch pattern without cutting through the skin. Then turn each half inside out and cut away the cubes.

  • Other fruits you can use: Papaya, cantaloupe or other fleshy orange melon, oranges.

  • Peeling and Pitting a Mango, Version II: Step 1 Begin by cutting as much of the unpeeled mango off each side of the pit as you can. Step 2 Score the flesh with a paring knife. Step 3 Turn each mango piece inside out and slice off the cubes of flesh.

• Melons

  • Melons taste of summer, and the widest variety and most flavorful are at farmstands and farmers’ markets in peak season. Selecting the right melon is part skill and part luck. You might ask for help from the farmer. Otherwise, start by smelling it; if it smells sweet and like a melon, that’s a good start. For watermelons, slap the side and listen for a hollow sound.
  • Preparing: Cut the melon in half and scrape out the seeds with a spoon; continue cutting it into quarters or slices. Use a paring knife to slice off the rind, if you like. A melon baller easily lets you scoop out spheres of melon. Or you can simply cut the flesh into pieces. Grated melon is good in yogurt sauces and raw salsas; just be sure to grate it over a bowl to save the juices. Watermelons can be cut casually into wedges with seeds. But if you want to seed them, cut into wedges and slice off the top or “heart” to reveal the row of seeds. Remove them with the tines of a fork. Then cut to the desired size. Allow a chilled melon to come to room temperature before serving; when it’s chilled, the flavors are muted. Try serving with a squeeze of lemon or lime juice it adds flavor to an underripe melon and complements a ripe one. A sprinkle of salt is an interesting change of pace (as is a dash of ground chile).
  • Other fruits you can use: Melons are interchangeable with one another; papaya, mango, (sometimes) cucumber.

• Oranges, Mandarins, Tangerines, and Similar Citrus

  • There are three types of oranges: sweet (Valencia, navel, or temple), loose skinned (any Mandarin or tangerine), and bitter (Seville). Sweet and loose-skinned oranges are used for eating and juicing, while bitter ones are used only for making marmalades and other cooked products; we don’t see them fresh too often in this country. Fortunately we do have more varieties of seedless and seed-in citrus available than ever before. Winter is a lot brighter than it used to be.
  • Preparing: Oranges are easiest to eat when cut into quarters or eighths. To peel, cut four or eight slits from top to bottom, through the skin but not into the flesh. Peel each of these off. Many oranges can be peeled with just your fingers. Or for neater segments or wheels, see the illustrations below.
  • Other fruits you can use: Sweet and Mandarin oranges are interchangeable; lemon or lime juice can replace the acidic flavor of bitter oranges.

• Papayas

  • Grown in the tropical regions of the Americas and Asia, papaya is eaten both green (see Green Papaya Salad, page 210) and ripe, ideally with a sprinkle of lime. When ripe, papaya skin is golden yellow to deep orange; the flesh is soft, melonlike, deep orange to red, and the edible—though not very pleasant—seeds a shiny greenish gray.
  • Preparing: Rinse, peel, halve, and scoop out the seeds (to eat or not). Then slice or chop.
  • Other fruits you can use: Mango, cantaloupe or other fleshy orange melons.

• Passion fruit

  • Rare but worth seeking out. The flavor is quite tart but sensational, and the fragrance is wonderful too. I like to strain the pulp and blend it into sauces, juices, smoothies, and ice cream and sorbet bases. Ripe passion fruit will have a dimpled or slightly shriveled exterior.
  • Preparing: Halve and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. The seeds are edible, but for just the juice, use a fine-mesh strainer to separate them out; press to extract as much of the juice as possible.
  • Other fruits you can use: Oranges, guavas, mangoes, pulsed in the food processor or blender (not the same, but reasonable).

• Peaches and Nectarines

  • They are nearly identical in shape and color, but peach skin has a soft fuzz and nectarine skin is smooth. Variations in color don’t matter much, but there are two broad categories of peaches and nectarines based on how much the flesh clings to the pit: freestone and clingstone. Both are good; freestones are certainly easier to cut up.
  • Preparing: Rinse, peel if you like, and eat. To pit, halve vertically; twist the halves, which will either come completely free of the pit (freestone) or leave a fair amount of flesh on the pit (clingstone). To peel, drop into boiling water for 10 to 30 seconds, just until the skin loosens; plunge into a bowl of ice water; remove the peel with your fingers and/or a paring knife.
  • Other fruits you can use: Peaches and nectarines are interchangeable; apricots, plums, mangoes.

• Pears

  • Preparing: Peeling is not necessary, but it’s easy with a vegetable peeler. Core by slicing the pear into quarters, then cutting out the core with a paring knife; or halve it and dig out the core with a spoon. To keep the fruit whole, dig out the core from the blossom end with a paring knife. For varieties, see page 379.
  • Other fruits you can use: Apples.

• Poached Pears with Vanilla

  • Poached Pears with Ginger and Star Anise
  • Poached Pears with Wine or Port Syrup
  • Cinnamon Poached Apples

• Persimmons

  • A vibrant orange fruit with either a juicy, jellylike interior or a crisp, applelike quality, depending on the variety. The heart-shaped, traditional Hachiya persimmon—that’s the mushy one—is by far the most common and usually used for desserts. The squat Fuyu variety is gaining ground; it is excellent in salads or stir-fries.
  • Preparing: Ripe Hachiyas can be eaten out of hand (over a sink—they’re messy). Or cut off the top and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Remove the stem from a hard Fuyu and bite in or peel if you’d like and slice like an apple.
  • Other fruits you can use: There is no replacement for a Hachiya; apple or pear can replace a firm Fuyu, but only in terms of texture.

• Pineapple

  • One of the glories of nature, the pineapple is native to Central and South America and is grown throughout the tropics. Its prickly, diamond-patterned, spiny skin ranges from yellow to green to brownish red when ripe. The flesh is juicy, sweet-tart, and acidic. At its best, it’s among the best-tasting fruits there is, especially when roasted, broiled, or grilled.

  • Preparing: There are a few ways to dismember a pineapple; my two favorites are illustrated below.

  • Other fruits you can use: Oranges, grapefruit, kiwis, star fruit.

  • Preparing a Pineapple, Two Ways Step 1 Cut off the top of the pineapple about an inch below the spikes, then slice off the other end as well. Step 2 Set the pineapple upright. Slice off the skin, working around the pineapple. If necessary, remove any eyes with a paring knife. Step 3 Cut the pineapple into round slices. Step 4 Cut out the core with a paring knife to make rings. Or Step 2 Alternatively, stand the pineapple up and quarter it. Step 3 Use a grapefruit knife to separate the fruit from the skin and a paring knife to dig out any eyes. Remove the core (the hard edge where the fruit comes to a point), slice, and serve.

• Plums

  • Late summer is the time for plums, when the different varieties seem to hit stores and farmstands in waves. Ripe plums are quite soft, even oozing a sugary syrup—eat these right away—but avoid those that are mushy or split, or smell fermented. Underripe fruit is hard and sour; leave out at room temperature to ripen. Prunes (now mostly called “dried plums”) are often your best bet if it’s not peak growing season; they’ll be different but delicious.
  • Preparing: Rinse and eat. You can peel them before cooking: drop into boiling water for about 10 seconds, or until the skins loosen, then peel with a paring knife. To rehydrate dried plums, soak them in boiling water until soft, up to an hour.
  • Other fruits you can use: Apricots, peaches, nectarines.

• Pomegranate

  • An odd fruit in appearance and behavior that ranges from orange- to grapefruit-sized. Its exterior skin is speckled dark red and leathery, and the edible (and potassium-rich) seeds contained in inedible white pith are covered with a crisp and snappy ruby-red flesh. The seeds can be eaten whole or the juicy flesh sucked off and the seeds discarded; it’s a matter of personal taste.
  • Preparing: Either halve or cut an inch or so into the top and pry open into segments. Breaking the segments apart can be done underwater; the bad seeds and inedible pith float to the top, the good seeds sink to the bottom, and the staining juice doesn’t squirt all over. Or you can seed pomegranates in a plastic bag to contain the mess.
  • Other fruits you can use: Cherries, fresh currants, raspberries.

• Quince

  • Quince, which is related to the apple, has been cultivated and cherished for its fragrance and fruity flavor since at least the time of ancient Rome. But it’s almost always cooked—where it becomes dark pink—since it’s virtually inedible when raw.
  • Preparing: Peel, quarter, and remove the core; the seeds are mildly poisonous—not enough to worry about, but don’t eat them. Chop or slice as needed. Best cooking methods Braising, stewing. When are they done, When very tender and easily pierced with a skewer or thin- bladed knife
  • Other fruits you can use: Apples, pears.

• Rhubarb

  • Usually used as a fruit in sweet preparations (though not always; see Dal with Rhubarb, page 410), rhubarb on its own is actually extremely tart. You can take advantages of its tartness, or cook it with sugar or other sweet fruits, which is why we see it most often made into desserts, often paired with strawberries. Be aware that rhubarb leaves and roots are poisonous, though only mildly so.
  • Preparing: Although it’s not entirely necessary, rhubarb is best if you string it. Grab one end between a paring knife and your thumb and pull straight down to remove the celerylike strings that run lengthwise through each stalk. See the illustrations on page 279. Best cooking methods Braising, stewing.
  • When is it done? When very tender and easily pierced with a skewer or thin- bladed knife.
  • Other fruits you can use: Cranberries, tart cherries, fresh currants.

• Star Fruit

  • Also known as carambola, a tropical fruit with five pointed ridges that, when sliced crosswise, create a pretty star shape. It’s fragrant, juicy, and sweet-tart when perfectly ripe, but often the ones we get here in the U.S. fall short of that. The skin is edible; star fruit are best eaten raw in salads.
  • Preparing: Rinse, dry, and slice crosswise, the thinner the better.
  • Other fruits you can use: Kiwi, orange segments, grapes.

Beans

Chapter at a glance: The Basics of Beans*,* Recipes That Start with Cooked or Canned Beans*,* Beans in a Pot*,* Rice and Beans*,* Bean Burgers, Fritters and Griddle Cakes, The Basics of Tofu. **

• Beans—a generic term used for peas, split peas, lentils, and other legumes and pulses—are low in fat and calories and a source of high-quality protein, fiber, and complex carbohydrates.

• The Basics of Beans Beans, lentils, peas, and peanuts belong to the Leguminosae family of plants; thus the name “legumes.” All produce their seeds in a pod; those seeds are what we eat. Green beans and snow peas—and others with edible pods—are usually referred to as vegetables, but they’re still beans.

• The Bean Lexicon

  • Adzuki beans Aduki
    • Small, oval, maroon, with a streak of white. Earthy and slightly sweet. Dense and creamy. Used in sweet dishes in East Asia. Available forms: Dried; canned; fresh; as sweet red bean paste
  • Anasazi beans Anastazi; Cave; New Mexico cave beans
    • Mottled with white and burgundy. Mild, sweet, and mealy. Available forms: Dried; sometimes fresh
  • Black beans Turtle beans; frijoles negros
    • Medium-size, oval, deep black. Taste is rich and earthy, almost mushroom-like. Available forms: Dried; frozen; canned. Don’t confuse with Chinese fermented black beans, which are soybeans.
  • Black-eyed peas Cowpeas
    • Small, plump, ivory to beige, with a black spot. They cook relatively fast and absorb flavors well. Available forms: Dried; fresh; frozen; canned
  • Cannellini beans White kidney beans
    • Long, kidney-shaped, off-white. Nutty flavor and creamy consistency. Available forms: Dried; canned
  • Chickpeas Garbanzo beans; ceci; channa dal; kabli channa
    • Acorn-shaped, tan or sometimes red or black. Robust, nutty flavor. They take a long time to cook and produce a rich cooking liquid. Available forms: Dried; fresh; frozen; canned
  • Cranberry beans Borlotti; Roman; Romano beans
    • Beautiful dried or fresh, off-white with bright to deep red dappling. Creamy texture. Similar in flavor to pinto beans; delicious fresh. Available forms: Dried; fresh; sometimes frozen
  • Fava beans Broad; faba; haba; fève; horse; Windsor beans
    • Large, flattened, wide oval beans, light brown when mature and green (in or out of their pods) when young. Nutty and creamy when mature. Young, they’re a bit sweet, and are usually eaten shucked and peeled, though when young you can grill or roast and eat the whole thing like big green beans. Available forms: Dried, get split favas, which are already peeled; fresh in the pod; frozen; canned
  • Flageolets
    • Small, kidney-shaped, green-tinged. Quick cooking with an herbal, fresh taste. Cook up creamy while maintaining their shape. Use in soups, stews (especially cassoulet in place of hard-to-find classic Tarbais beans) and salads. Available forms: Dried; fresh; canned
  • Gigantes Giant lima; great white, gigande; hija beans
    • Huge, off-white. Sweet, with potato-like texture. Popular in Greek, Spanish, and Japanese dishes. Available forms: Dried; canned, sometimes with tomato sauce
  • Great Northern beans
    • Large, oval all-purpose white beans. Available forms: Dried; frozen; canned
  • Kidney beans Red beans; frijoles rojos
    • Up to an inch long, shiny red, light red or pink, reddish brown, or white (see Cannellini beans). Hold their shape when cooked and absorb flavors well. Available forms: Dried; frozen; canned
  • Lentils
    • Tiny, thin-skinned, disk-shaped, and quick cooking. There are hundreds of varieties of lentils (see page 408). Available forms: Dried whole, sometimes peeled and split; canned
  • Lima beans Butter beans; butter peas
    • Flat, kidney-shaped, generally pale green when fresh, white when dried. Hearty texture and buttery flavor. The Christmas lima has pretty reddish-purple markings. When fresh, firm pods are best; bulging beans will be starchy. Baby lima beans cook fast. Available forms: Dried; fresh; frozen; canned
  • Mung beans Moong bean; green gram
    • A cousin to the urad bean. Small, pellet-shaped, green when whole, yellow when peeled and split. Slightly sweet. Available forms: Dried whole or peeled and split; fresh as sprouts
  • Navy beans Pea; Boston; Yankee beans
    • Small, round, plump, white, and very useful. Dense and mild flavored with a creamy consistency. Great for purées and baked beans. Available forms: Dried; frozen; canned.
  • Peas, Dried Split peas; maquis,peas; matar dal.
    • Small and round. Green and yellow are nearly the same in all ways but color. Grown specifically for drying. When cooked, starchy and earthy. Available forms: Peeled and split, dried or canned.
  • Pigeon peas Gandules; congo, goongoo, or gungo peas; toovar dal.
    • Nearly round, with one side flattened; many colors: tan, black, brown, red, yellow, spotted. Sweet, a bit mealy. Available forms: Dried whole, sometimes peeled and split; fresh, frozen; canned.
  • Pink beans Chili Beans
    • Interchangeable with pintos. Slightly kidney-shaped, rounder, solidly pinkish tan. Common in the Caribbean. Available forms: Dried; canned.
  • Pinto beans
    • Medium-size, oval, with a reddish tan and brown speckled exterior. Earthy and creamy. Used to make refried beans. Available forms: Dried; frozen; canned.
  • Scarlet runner beans
    • A popular shell bean in the South. Black or dark purple with speckles. Fat and meaty. Keeps its shape when cooked. To enjoy fresh, pick when pods are less than 6 inches long. Available forms: Dried; fresh, if you grow your own.
  • Soybeans Edamame
    • Round, small, yellow or black, and nutty. Edamame are immature soybeans: large, shiny, and usually green; a good substitute for fresh lima or fava beans. Available forms: Hundreds of varieties, available dried, canned, sometimes fresh or frozen. Edamame are available fresh or frozen, in their pods or already shucked.
  • Urad beans Black gram
    • Indigenous to India. When sold whole, with skins on, known as black gram or black lentils. Called white lentils when sold split, which reveals the white interior. Available both with and without their skins. Used in dals. Available forms: Dried.

• The Basics of Cooking Dried Beans: Few foods are more variable to prepare and cook than beans. How much water beans absorb and the time it takes for them to become tender vary by the type, their age, the temperature of the cooking water, and how dry they were to begin with. Exact cooking times are virtually impossible to pinpoint. Focus on what you can control: the way you cook them. Legumes are best cooked when they bubble gently in a covered pot, covered by a couple of inches of water. Beyond that, there are few guidelines.

• Preparing Dried Beans: Even though beans are cleaned and sorted before packaging, it’s still worth rinsing and poking around for oddballs and stones before soaking or cooking. Put them in a colander and rinse well under running water, or fill the pot you plan to cook them in with water and dunk them a few times. Run your hands through the beans to pick out any that are discolored, shriveled, or broken, as well as any stray matter.

• Cooking Dried Beans: After several decades regularly cooking beans I’ve honed my observations. You can soak beans or not, but I rarely do anymore. Soaking speeds cooking a little, so go ahead if you want. But don’t let the fact that you didn’t plan to cook beans until the last minute stop you from cooking them at all. With a pressure cooker (see page 393), you can move beans from pantry to table in a half hour or so. Even without pressure cooking, almost all beans can soften completely by simmering on the stove in as little as an hour; lentils and split peas take 30 minutes or less. When you add salt has some impact on the outcome but not to the extent it’s going to ruin anything. See “Cooking Beans, Your Way” (page 394). Though baking soda helps to break down the skin of beans and acid helps to keep skins intact, these additions are only necessary if manipulating the normal cooking process is important for some reason—and worth the slight difference in flavor. Again, see the sidebar on page 394. Don’t boil beans vigorously in a lot of water like pasta, then dump them in a colander to drain. Bumping around will cause the skins to break before the beans become tender, leaving you with starchy soup. You want to create and keep a concentrated, flavorful, and nutritious cooking liquid to enhance whatever soup, stew, or stir-fry you’re making.

• Serving Beans: Sometimes you drain beans before serving or using them in other recipes. Always save the cooking liquid to cover leftover beans or to enrich soups or stocks. More often, though, you’ll end up with beans as firm or tender as you like, with about an inch of cooking liquid on top, perfect for spooning like gravy with the beans. This extra liquid is also enough to cook some rice—or grains like quinoa, farro, barley, oat groats, or millet—during the last few minutes. Another no-brainer is creamy beans on toast: thick toast for something hearty, thin and crisp for a snack or appetizer (see Crostini, page 95).

• Beans also make excellent impromptu fillings for burritos, tacos, and enchiladas. And if you keep some firm-cooked beans handy, you’ll always have a nice add-in for salads and other meals in bowls.

• Simply Cooked Beans

• 5 Ways to Flavor Beans as

  • 1. Herbs or spices: A bay leaf, a couple of whole cloves, some peppercorns, thyme sprigs, parsley leaves and/or stems, chili powder (to make your own, see page 32), or other herbs and/or spices
  • 2. Aromatics: An unpeeled onion, carrot, celery stalk, and/or 3 or 4 cloves garlic
  • 3. Stock: Chicken, beef, or vegetable stock (to make your own, see pages 174–178), in place of all or part of the water
  • 4. Other liquid: a cup or so beer, wine, coffee, tea, or juice
  • 5. Smoked meat: a ham hock, pork chop, beef bone, or sausage; fish out after cooking, chop the meat, and stir it back into the beans.

• I understand the convenience. If using canned beans is the difference between your cooking with and eating beans or not, then by all means do so. But my preference is to make a big batch of beans at my convenience, then freeze them in their cooking liquid in 1½-cup containers, as described on page 390 in “Storing Cooked Beans.” This way I can thaw what I want (also see page 390) and pretend that I opened a can. (A 15-ounce can contains about 1½ cups.)

• White Bean Purée

  • Any-bean Purée with Roasted Garlic
  • Garlicky Puréed Beans
  • Parmesan Puréed Beans
  • White Bean and Celery Root or Parsnip Purée
  • Black Bean Purée with Chipotles
  • Richer, Creamier Bean Purée

• Refried Beans

• 8 Additions to Refried Beans

  • 1. Minced fresh or pickled chile
  • 2. Chopped fresh cilantro
  • 3. Minced fresh ginger or garlic
  • 4. Chopped seeded tomato
  • 5. Grated cheddar, Monterey Jack, or Chihuahua cheese, or crumbled queso fresco
  • 6. Cooked rice
  • 7. Crumbled cooked fresh or chopped smoked chorizo 8. Sour cream or crema

• Cooking Beans, Your Way For Creamy Beans: Don’t add salt until the beans are tender. Adding salt to the water at the beginning will help the beans maintain their shape. Cook the beans at a more vigorous simmer, or cook them longer, until they start to break apart. When the beans are done, remove up to 1 cup, mash them, and return them to the pot. Or put an immersion blender in the pot and whirl it around once or twice.

• For Beans That Keep Their Shape for Salads or Grain Bowls: Add salt to the cooking water when you start. Don’t cook the beans at more than a gentle simmer. If they boil, they’ll bang against each other and break apart. Don’t stir the beans any more than is necessary to keep them from burning on the bottom. Reverse-soak: Cook until they’re not quite edible, then turn off the heat and let them soak in the hot liquid for up to an hour to finish cooking. Drain the beans (reserve the liquid for another use) and run them under cool water to stop cooking; shake the colander gently without stirring.

• Orange-Glazed Black Beans

  • Orange-Glazed Black Beans with Crisp Pork
  • Orange-Glazed Black Beans with Bacon
  • Orange–Black Beans with Chipotles

• White Beans with Cabbage, Pasta, and Prosciutto

• Beans and Tomatoes

  • Beans with Tomatillos and Hominy
  • Rich and Elegant Beans and Tomatoes (or Beans with Tomatillos and Hominy)

• Bean, Green, and Pasta Combos

  • Fava beans (mature or green) + Spinach + Rigatoni or radiatore. Bonus ingredient: Omit the prosciutto. Start Step 2 by cooking 8 ounces ground lamb until no longer pink; season with ground cumin, cayenne, and cinnamon to taste.
  • Chickpeas + Chard + Linguine. Bonus ingredient: A couple dozen or so clams or mussels. Add them instead of the prosciutto in Step 2, cover, and cook until they open, about 10 minutes; remove them from the shells before proceeding.
  • Cranberry beans + Radicchio and endive, mixed + Farfalle. Bonus ingredient: Top each serving with a poached or fried egg.
  • Flageolets + Kale + Penne or ziti. Bonus ingredient: Omit the prosciutto. Add bits of leftover roast chicken, turkey, pork, or duck (about 1 cup) with the liquid in Step 3.
  • Lentils + Escarole + Small shells. Bonus ingredient: Omit or keep the prosciutto as you like. Start Step 2 by cooking 8 ounces crumbled Italian sausage.
  • Lima beans (any kind, but fresh are fantastic) + Napa or savoy cabbage + Large shells. Bonus ingredient: Omit the prosciutto. Add 8 ounces uncooked peeled shrimp, cleaned squid, or fish fillets, cut into bite-sized pieces, with the liquid in Step 3.
  • Kidney beans + Collard greens + Macaroni. Bonus ingredient: Use ham instead of prosciutto in Step 2.

• Edamame: Edamame are immature soybeans, harvested at about 80 percent of their growth cycle. They’re available both in the pod and shelled, usually frozen, though fresh beans are more and more common. Store fresh edamame in plastic bags in the fridge for up to a week. Frozen and well wrapped, the beans will keep for months. Rinse edamame just before cooking; use a brush to scrub some of the fuzz off the pods if you like. Since they’re not dried, edamame cook much faster than mature fresh or frozen shell beans. (See page 90 for a simple recipe for salted boiled edamame.) You can use them like lima or fava beans too.

• Edamame with Fresh Tomatoes and Cilantro

  • Edamame with Tomatoes and Olives
  • Edamame with Ground Pork and Fresh Tomatoes

• Stewed Chickpeas with Seared Chicken

  • Stewed Chickpeas with Eggplant or Zucchini
  • Chickpea and Chicken Tagine

• Baked Beans

  • Vegetarian Baked Beans
  • Baked Beans with a Cracker Crumb Crust

• 7 Ideas for Baked Beans

  • 1. Add ketchup to taste, or substitute sugar or maple syrup—or a combination—for the molasses.
  • 2. Add Worcestershire, soy, or Tabasco sauce to taste.
  • 3. Add an onion or two, quartered, and/or a few chunks of carrot in Step 2.
  • 4. Substitute raw or smoked sausage, cut into chunks, for the pork.
  • 5. Omit the meat and add 1 cup coconut milk (to make your own, see page 372) along with the cooking liquid.
  • 6. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons curry powder, chili powder, or any other spice mixture you like (to make your own, see pages 27–35).
  • 7. Add 4 cups beef, chicken, or vegetable stock (to make your own, see pages 174–178) after baking to make a big pot of soup.

• White Beans, Tuscan Style

  • White Beans and Sausage and Kale
  • White Beans and Shrimp

• Beans and Greens

  • Beans and Greens with Canned Beans

• Slow-Simmered Beef Chili

  • Fast Beef Chili

• Canned Cannellini Cassoulet

• 3 Ways to Make more Authentic Cassoulet

  • 1. Start with dried beans—preferably flageolets or the utterly traditional tarbaise—cooked with a few sprigs of fresh thyme, ½ head of garlic, and a piece of salt pork or bacon.
  • 2. If you can get duck confit, just brown it lightly on both sides, adding both it and its fat to the stew in place of the duck breast.
  • 3. Finish the dish by topping the cassoulet with a layer of fresh bread crumbs (page 801) and transferring the pot to a 400°F oven. Bake until the topping browns and the stew is bubbly, about 20 minutes.

• 5 More Chilis, Slow or Fast

  • White Chili
    • Boneless, skinless chicken thighs + Use 2 cups chopped fresh tomatillos or 1 28-ounce can instead of the tomatoes. Use 2 fresh poblanos, chopped, instead of the ground chile. + Cannellini or other white beans + Chopped parsley or basil
  • Pork and Black Bean Chili
    • Boneless pork shoulder + Use sage instead of oregano. Add 1 tablespoon grated orange zest to the spices in Step 2. + Black beans + Sliced scallions and fresh cilantro
  • Chickpea Chili with Lamb
    • Boneless lamb shoulder or leg + Reduce the ground chile to 1 tablespoon and add 1 teaspoon each ground coriander and cinnamon along with the cumin. + Chickpeas; they might take another 30 minutes to cook + Chopped fresh mint; keep the red onion
  • Vegetable Chili
    • Chop enough carrots, celery root, sweet potato, and kale for 1 cup each. Add them when the beans are tender in Step 3. + Keep the seasonings the same. + Use any bean you like + Chopped chives are perfect here
  • Tofu or Tempeh Chili
    • Crumble 1 pound tofu or tempeh into the hot oil in Step 1. + Keep the seasonings the same. + Lentils; reduce the cooking time to about 30 minutes + Sliced scallions and cilantro.

• Chickpeas in Their Own Broth

  • Chickpeas in Their Own Broth with Smoked Chorizo
  • Chickpeas in Gingery Coconut Broth

• Lentils, Six Ways

  • Lentils, Spanish Style
  • Lentils, Moroccan Style
  • Lentils with Roasted Winter Squash
  • Lentils with Parsnips and Nutmeg
  • Lentils with Lardons

• Simplest Dal

  • Dal with Rhubarb
  • Dal with Daikon
  • Dal with Potatoes or Other Root Vegetables
  • Dal with Nuts

• Baked Black Beans and Rice

  • Baked Coconut Rice and Kidney Beans

• Hoppin’ John

• Red Beans and Rice

  • Red Beans with Smoked Turkey and Rice
  • Vegan or Vegetarian Red Beans and Rice

• The Simplest Bean Burgers

  • Bean-and-Cheese Burgers
  • Bean-and-Spinach Burgers

• Falafel

  • Black-Eyed Pea Fritters
  • Indian-Style Split Pea Fritters

• Bean Griddlecakes

  • Bean Sprout Griddlecakes

• 10 Additions to Bean Griddlecakes

  • 1. 2 tablespoons minced mild fresh herbs like parsley, mint, basil, chives, chervil, or cilantro
  • 2. 2 teaspoons minced potent fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, tarragon, oregano, or epazote
  • 3. 2 teaspoons minced fresh or candied ginger
  • 4. 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 5. Up to ¼ cup chopped or sliced scallions or minced red onion
  • 6. Minced fresh chile like jalapeño or Thai, red chile flakes or cayenne, to taste
  • 7. 1 tablespoon any spice mixture like curry powder or chaat masala (to make your own, see pages 27–35)
  • 8. Up to ¼ cup chopped nuts like almonds, walnuts, pecans, peanuts, or hazelnuts
  • 9. Up to 1 cup corn kernels (frozen are fine; fresh are also fantastic added raw)
  • 10. 4 ounces bacon or sausage, chopped and cooked until crisp

• 6 Sauces for Bean Griddlecakes

  • 1. Harissa (page 45)
  • 2. Fresh Tomato or Fruit Salsa (page 55)
  • 3. Fresh Tomatillo Salsa (page 56)
  • 4. Sesame-Soy Dipping Sauce (page 64)
  • 5. Miso Dipping Sauce (page 66)
  • 6. Fast Tomato Sauce (page 478)

• 21 Main-Course Bean Dishes: With bread and salad, almost any bean dish can serve as a main course. But these are especially satisfying:

  • 1. Orange-Glazed Black Beans with Crisp Pork (page 395)
  • 2. White Beans with Cabbage, Pasta, and Prosciutto and its variations (page 396)
  • 3. Beans and Tomatoes (page 396)
  • 4. Beans with Tomatillos and Hominy (page 397)
  • 5. Edamame with Fresh Tomatoes and Cilantro (page 398)
  • 6. Edamame with Ground Pork and Fresh Tomatoes (page 398)
  • 7. Stewed Chickpeas with Seared Chicken or any of its variations (page 398)
  • 8. Baked Beans (page 400)
  • 9. White Beans and Sausage and Kale or White Beans and Shrimp (pages 402–403)
  • 10. Beans and Greens (page 403)
  • 11. Slow-Simmered Beef Chili (page 403)
  • 12. Canned Cannellini Cassoulet (page 405)
  • 13. Chickpeas in Their Own Broth with Smoked Chorizo (page 407)
  • 14. Lentils with Lardons (page 409)
  • 15. Baked Black Beans and Rice or its variations (page 410)
  • 16. Hoppin’ John (page 412)
  • 17. Red Beans and Rice or its variations (page 412)
  • 18. Falafel and its variations (page 415)
  • 19. Bean Griddlecakes and its variations (page 416)
  • 20. Stir-Fried Tofu with Snow Peas or Sugar Snap Peas (page 420)
  • 21. Braised Tofu with Eggplant and Shiitakes (page 425)

• Types of Tofu

  • “Regular” Tofu (Brick, Momen, or Chinese Tofu)
    • The most familiar tofu, shaped in blocks that usually weigh about a pound, and sold sealed in plastic tubs with water or from an open tub. The texture is dense and crumbly; the firmness, determined by water content, may be soft, medium, firm, or extra-firm. The firm and extra-firm varieties hold their shape and are suitable for just about any cooking technique: stir-frying, baking, braising, grilling, or frying. Soft and medium tofu hold their shape when cut but not necessarily when cooked, so they’re best served raw or used as thickeners, or blended to replace eggs or dairy.
  • Silken Tofu (Kinugoshi or Japanese Tofu)
    • Also a rectangular block, and usually sold in aseptic boxes, silken tofu has the texture of custard and comes in soft, firm, and extra-firm varieties. It’s an excellent thickener or replacement for eggs or dairy, and firm and extra-firm versions can be diced (or scooped) to slip into broths and soups, crumbled, deep-fried, or even gently stir-fried.
  • Pressed or Extra-Firm Tofu
    • Not to be confused with tofu you press yourself (see below). Tofu blocks are pressed under high pressure to form a very firm tofu with the density of Swiss cheese. Sometimes it’s fried or seasoned after that, and is meant to be eaten as a snack. It’s labeled a number of ways but is always brown and dense, and sold whole or cut into thin strips. Whole—and plain—it’s ideal for stir-frying, marinating, and grilling; cut, it makes a delicious addition to soups or salads. Smoked tofu is similar in texture, with a stronger flavor. You’ll also find various types of Chinese and Japanese styles of fried tofu, sold in different packaging.
  • Tofu Skins (Yuba)
    • Sold dried or fresh, in sheets or precut, this pleasantly chewy tofu is skimmed from the top of coagulated soy milk as it heats, much like the skin that forms on scalded cow’s milk. You can use it like fresh pasta or egg noodles, or as a wrap for sushi rice or other savory and sweet fillings.

• Buying and Storing Tofu

  • Tofu is best when fresh. Wet-packed firm supermarket tofu has an expiration date; once opened it can be refrigerated in fresh water, which should be changed daily, for a few days. Follow the same drill with bulk tofu from a tub of water or aseptic-boxed tofu once you open it. Spoiled tofu smells and/or tastes sour and the storing water becomes cloudy, though cloudy water alone does not mean the tofu is off. For longer storage, the best way is to freeze tofu in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

• Preparing Tofu

  • Though it’s perfectly fine to simply drain tofu, pat it dry, and use it right away, you can easily change the texture before cooking, which also helps it absorb flavor from marinades and sauces. Freezing changes the texture completely, creating a darker, firmer, chewier, and meatier block with a dry, spongy texture that’s perfect for grilling, stir-frying, and braising. Drain the tofu and pat it dry; put it in an airtight container, and freeze for several hours or up to 3 months. For extra chew, cut tofu into cubes and dry them well before freezing. Allow enough time to thaw tofu and squeeze out all the water before slicing and cooking. Squeezing a regular block of tofu to press out some of the liquid gives it a drier, firmer texture that makes it denser and easier to handle and cook (see below). Cut the tofu into two slabs, put the halves between towels, then top with a heavy cutting board, skillet, or similar weight so the tofu bulges at the sides slightly but doesn’t crack. Let sit for up to 30 minutes, or as long as it takes you to prepare other ingredients.

• What about Tempeh?

  • Tempeh (pronounced TEM-pay) is based on fermented soybeans. So in that way it’s more like soy sauce and miso, though you cook and eat it like tofu. It’s high in protein and has a flavor that’s yeasty, tangy (some might say sour), and heavy on the umami. Like blue cheese, tempeh isn’t pretty: a lumpy, compressed cake of beans (and sometimes grains), usually less than an inch thick. You can buy tempeh in most supermarkets, usually vacuum-sealed. Once you open the package, use it within a few days. It’s good steamed, sliced and fried, braised, or baked. I like it best crumbled and crisped in a little hot oil like ground meat.

• Baked Tofu

  • Soy-Baked Tofu
  • Miso-Baked Tofu
  • Tofu Croutons or Sticks

• Grilled or Broiled Tofu

  • Barbecue- or Teriyaki-Glazed Tofu

• 14 Sauces for Any Simply Cooked Tofu

  • 1. Chile Paste, Nine Ways (page 40)
  • 2. Parsley (or Other Herb) Purée (page 52)
  • 3. Fresh Tomato or Fruit Salsa or its variations (page 55)
  • 4. Soy Dipping Sauce and Marinade or its variations (page 64)
  • 5. Ginger-Scallion Sauce or its variations (page 64)
  • 6. Thai Chile Sauce (page 66)
  • 7. Miso Dipping Sauce (page 66)
  • 8. Miso-Carrot Sauce with Ginger (page 67)
  • 9. Basic, Curry, or Korean-Style Barbecue Sauce (page 74)
  • 10. Peanut Sauce (page 75)
  • 11. Teriyaki Sauce or its variation (page 76)
  • 12. Dashi Dipping Sauce (page 76)
  • 13. Sesame-Soy or Miso Five-Minute Drizzle Sauce (page 81)
  • 14. Any Vinaigrette (page 188), especially the variations with Asian flavors

• Stir-Fried Tofu with Snow Peas or Sugar Snap Peas

• 10 Additions to Any Stir-Fried Tofu: You can build on Stir-Fried Tofu with Snow Peas or Sugar Snap Peas (page 420), or try other vegetables with any of these ideas:

  • 1. Add up to 1 cup any cooked fish, seafood, poultry, or meat (shredded, sliced, chopped, or crumbled) with the tofu in Step 3. (You might need a little more liquid or oil.)
  • 2. Add 2 teaspoons five-spice powder (to make your own, see page 35) and/or a few star anise pods with the tofu in Step 3. This is good with hoisin sauce; see below.
  • 3. Add 1 medium-to-large tomato, halved, seeded, and chopped, along with the white parts of the scallions.
  • 4. Add 1 cup bean sprouts, along with—or instead of—the scallion greens.
  • 5. Add 1 tablespoon (or to taste) sugar, honey, or other sweetener, along with the scallion greens.
  • 6. Add 1 tablespoon (or to taste) Chile Paste (page 40) or hoisin sauce, along with the soy sauce.
  • 7. Add 1 tablespoon (or to taste) sesame oil, along with the garnish.
  • 8. Add 2 tablespoons fermented black beans along with the water in Step 3.
  • 9. Add 1 tablespoon grated orange, lime, or lemon zest along with the water in Step 3.
  • 10. Add up to ½ cup chopped cashews or peanuts with the scallion whites and garlic in Step 3.

• Braised Tofu with Eggplant and Shiitakes

  • Braised Tofu with Chicken and Eggplant
  • Braised Tofu with Spicy Ground Pork
  • Braised Tofu with Shiitakes and Broccoli
  • Braised Tofu with Shiitakes and Green Beans

Rice and Other Grains

Chapter at a glance: The Basics of Rice and Other Grains*,* The Rice Lexicon , Rice Recipes*,* Grain Recipes*,* The Grain Lexicon*.*

• As I do with beans, I encourage cooking a big batch of plain grains once a week (at least) to use as sides, in salads, or as the foundation of bowls and other mains.

• The Basics of Rice and Other Grains: All parts of most grains are edible. Since almost all grains are grasses, they have the same basic composition: Working from the outside of the kernel inward, the external shell (if there is one) is known as the husk or hull, which must be removed before being eaten. Then comes the bran, very thin but tough layers that protect the interior components. The endosperm is next, which makes up the bulk of the grain and provides food for the core of the kernel, or germ.

• Milling: The steps it takes to remove parts of grains to make them edible or (by some standards) more palatable is called “milling.” This general term describes processes that might happen all at once or in different stages. When only the hull is removed from a grain kernel and the bran and germ remain, it’s called “brown,” as in brown rice, or “whole,” as in whole oats. Hulled kernels may then be cut into bits or ground, but they’re still considered whole grains. The less grains are milled, the higher they are in both nutrients and flavor, and the longer they take to cook. That’s why white rice, pearled barley, rolled oats, and other heavily processed grains—which contain little more than the starch and protein in the endosperm—absorb water and become tender fast. They’re also milder tasting. But with less fiber, micronutrients, and protein than whole or cracked whole grains, they’re not as nutritious. And most people find the heartiness and rich flavor of whole grains quite satisfying.

• Buying and Storing Grains

  • Stored in a cool, dry place, white rice and other heavily milled products will keep well for at least a year. Brown rice and other whole grains are more sensitive; the natural oils in the bran and germ can turn rancid. Since you never know how long they’ve already been sitting on the store shelf, brown rice and other whole grains are best refrigerated or frozen if possible. (No need to thaw before use.) I try to buy relatively small amounts (a pound or less) of several kinds and use them within six months.

• Rinsing and Draining

  • Grains are cleaned in the milling process, so you don’t need to pick through them as you do beans. But because rice may have been coated with talc, quinoa may retain a bit of its natural saponin (a slightly bitter compound), and any grain may be gritty, I like to rinse them before cooking. Swish grains in a strainer under cold running water or put them in the pot you’re going to use, fill it with water, swirl the grains around, then pour off the water; repeat until the water is clear. You need not drain the grains well if you’re just going to boil them, but you should if you’re making pilaf, risotto, or similar dishes.

• Cooking Rice and Other Grains

  • The simplest way to prepare rice and grains is to boil them. I prefer using only the amount of water they will fully absorb while they become tender, but you can also cook them pasta-style in plenty of boiling water and drain them.

  • Once cooked, you can keep rice and grains warm and fluffy for up to 30 minutes or so. After fluffing, leave the lid on and set the pot over the lowest heat possible (the residual heat of a cooling electric burner is perfect for this) or wrap the pot in a towel. Leftover rice and grains will keep in the fridge for days, and grains store well in the freezer for months. So make double or even triple batches whenever possible.

  • All the fancy specialty colored rices—red, black, purple, etc.—are just brown rice with a different color bran. When you remove the bran and the germ, it goes from being brown—or whatever color—to white.

• Long-Grain Rices

  • Southern Long-Grain Rice
    • Brown, white, converted, and instant. The most common long-grain rice in the world, and the most widely grown rice in the United States. If a rice is labeled just “long-grain,” it’s most likely this.
  • Basmati Rice
    • Brown and white. The best-known and most aromatic rice of South Asia.
  • Jasmine Rice
    • Varieties and Forms Brown, white, and broken. An aromatic rice with a sweet aroma, this Thai specialty is white in color, smooth, and slightly stickier than basmati, with a milder flavor.
  • American Aromatics
    • Varieties and Forms Texmati, Kasmati, Calmati, Jasmati, Della, Wild Pecan, Louisiana Pecan, Popcorn; brown and white. Knockoffs of either basmati or jasmine, usually without the same intensity as their role models.
  • Long-Grain Sticky Rices
    • Varieties and Forms Thai, sticky jasmine, glutinous, sweet, or khao niew (Laotian sticky rice); brown (called Thai black or purple, or black sticky rice) and white. This is the stuff you know from Thai restaurants, and much different from plain long-grain white rice. (In Thailand and elsewhere, it’s formed into small balls and eaten like bread.) To be sure you’re getting real sticky rice, look for a Thai brand with long grains that may or may not be broken, or broken jasmine. Aromatic, with a sweet flavor and very sticky but firm texture.
  • Red Rices
    • California Red, Wehani, Himalayan Red, and more; brown. Brown rices that, through breeding or accident, have red bran. They’re usually more expensive than standard brown rice but not much different in flavor. Like all brown rices, these have a nuttier flavor, chewier texture, and longer cooking times than white rices.

• Short- and Medium-Grain Rices

  • Common Short- and Medium-Grain Rices
    • Many, from Calrose to Koshihikari; brown and white. Often grown in California, the grains are glossy, sticky but firm, moist, and neutral in flavor. They are good, inexpensive substitutes for Arborio, Valencia, and other rarer short- and medium-grain rices. This is the rice associated with Southeast Asia and Japan, and is used for stuffings, mixed rice, and sushi.
  • Risotto Rices
    • Most commonly Arborio, but also Carnaroli, Vialone Nano, and more; brown (occasionally) and white. Traditionally Italian-grown rices that are now also grown in California. They have a stark white center that remains firm as long as it’s not overcooked, and starchy outer layers that absorb liquid and create that creamy risotto texture. Use common short- or medium-grain rice (see preceding description) as a substitute if you like.
  • Paella or Spanish Rices
    • Valencia, Bomba, Bahia, Granza; almost always white. A medium-grain rice that produces a creamy texture similar to risotto, though the grains remain more separate. It has a neutral flavor that perfectly absorbs the flavors of the other ingredients in a dish.
  • American Black, Red, and Mahogany Rices
    • Available in various colors; often blended into mixtures. American-grown specialty aromatic rices that have a nutty and somewhat spicy flavor. These hulled kernels are deeply hued and quite beautiful.
  • Short-Grain Sticky Rices
    • Chinese, Japanese, Korean, mochi, glutinous, sweet, waxy; brown and white. Opaque and plump, with a slightly sweet flavor and sticky but firm texture. Often used in desserts and sweet dishes.
  • Bhutanese Rice
    • A pretty, medium-grain red rice grown in the tiny high-altitude Himalayan country of Bhutan. Since some of the bran remains, it has a nutty, earthy flavor but cooks more quickly than other brown rices.
  • Forbidden Rice; China Black
    • Said to have been grown originally only for the Chinese emperor; prized for its black color, starchy texture, and earthy taste. Has a high visual impact; increasingly easy to find.
  • Bamboo Rice
    • Also known as green rice; white rice infused with the extracted juice from bamboo (rich in the plant’s chlorophyll). A short grain white rice akin to other sushi rices, only with the addition of the bamboo, it takes on a light green tint and a slightly herbaceous flavor reminiscent of green tea. Cook as you would short grain white rice or sushi rice.

• White Rice

  • Brown Rice
  • Coconut Rice

• Steamed Sticky Rice

  • Souped-Up Sticky Rice

• 15 Thirty-Second Ways to Jazz Up Plain Rice

  • 1. Stir in a tablespoon or more butter.
  • 2. Stir in a tablespoon or more olive oil.
  • 3. Drizzle with soy sauce.
  • 4. Add lots of pepper.
  • 5. Stir in a couple of tablespoons minced fresh herbs, ideally warmed first in melted butter.
  • 6. Cook a couple of tablespoons minced garlic, leek, scallion, or shallot in olive oil or butter until just soft to add while fluffing.
  • 7. Add lemon juice to taste (great with butter and pepper).
  • 8. Mix in ½ cup or so grated or crumbled cheese, from mild to strong.
  • 9. Mix in ½ to 1 cup cooked beans, with some of their liquid.
  • 10. Stir in a tiny bit of ground cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and/or cloves—exercise restraint and be sure to taste.
  • 11. Add up to ½ cup crumbled cooked bacon, sausage, chorizo, or chopped ham.
  • 12. Stir in up to ¼ cup dried shrimp or a couple of mashed anchovies.
  • 13. Season with any spice mixture (to make your own, see pages 27–35).
  • 14. Instead of some or all of the water, use any stock (to make your own, see pages 174–180).
  • 15. Top with a bit of Fast Tomato Sauce (page 478).

• The Basics of Rice Pilaf

  • Cooking rice in butter or oil before adding liquid and seasonings is a universal enhancement technique. Yellow rice is a form of pilaf, as is biryani (see Chicken Biryani, page 626) and, one could argue, jambalaya (page 437) and paella (page 435). Much is up for grabs: You can use long- or short-grain rice; even brown rice is fair game, but the technique is slightly different (see page 427). Stock, wine, water, plain regular yogurt, or anything else you like can be the liquid. The herbs, spices, and solid ingredients can all be varied as you like. One other thing that is really great about pilaf: It can be reheated successfully, either in the microwave or on the stove. Just add a little water first, cover, and warm using a low setting or low heat.

• Rice Pilaf

  • Baked Rice Pilaf

• 16 Stir-Ins for Rice Pilaf or Baked Rice Pilaf

  • 1. 1 cup seeded and chopped tomato (drained canned is fine)
  • 2. ½ to 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms like button or shiitake caps, or reconstituted dried porcini or shiitake mushrooms
  • 3. 1 to 2 tablespoons minced fresh strong herbs like rosemary, thyme, oregano, or sage
  • 4. 1 cup fresh or frozen lima beans, edamame, or chopped green beans or peas
  • 5. 1 cup drained cooked or canned legumes like chickpeas, black-eyed peas, lentils, or pigeon peas
  • 6. 2 tablespoons or more mashed Roasted Garlic (page 294) or 1 tablespoon minced raw garlic
  • 7. ¼ cup Caramelized Onions (page 315)
  • 8. Up to 1 cup cooked and crumbled bacon or sausage or chopped ham, or up to ½ cup other chopped cured meat like prosciutto, coppa, salami, or bresaola
  • 9. Up to 1 cup (about 4 ounces) chopped cleaned squid, shrimp, or firm-fleshed fish like cod, snapper, or monkfish
  • 10. Up to ½ cup (about 2 ounces) flaked smoked fish like salmon, trout, or mackerel
  • 11. About ½ cup white or red wine; let it boil a bit before adding the stock
  • 12. ½ cup chopped toasted nuts like almonds, pecans, walnuts, pine nuts, cashews, pistachios, peanuts, or hazelnuts
  • 13. ¼ to ½ cup chopped dried fruit (especially good with nuts)
  • 14. About 1 tablespoon minced or grated lemon, lime, or orange zest
  • 15. 1 tablespoon cumin, coriander, mustard, or fennel seeds or 1 tablespoon ground spice mixture like curry powder, garam masala, or five-spice (to make your own, see pages 27–35)
  • 16. 1 cup chopped fresh mild herbs like parsley, basil, mint, dill, or chervil; stir in just before serving

• Chicken Paella

  • Paella with Chicken and Chorizo
  • Shrimp (or Squid) Paella

• 17 Grain Dishes That Make Good Leftovers

  • 1. Baked Black Beans and Rice (page 410)
  • 2. Any Rice Pilaf (page 434)
  • 3. Chicken Paella (page 435)
  • 4. Shrimp Jambalaya or its variation (page 437)
  • 5. Stuck-Pot Rice with Potato Crust (page 439)
  • 6. Any Risotto (pages 440–441)
  • 7. Any Fried Rice (pages 444–447)
  • 8. Sautéed Cooked Grains (page 450)
  • 9. Israeli Couscous Pilaf with Olives and its variations (page 457)
  • 10. Bulgur Pilaf with Vermicelli and its variations (page 458)
  • 11. Quinoa with Roasted Corn and its variations (page 458)
  • 12. Polenta and its variations (page 460)
  • 13. Kasha with Browned Onions and its variations (page 463)
  • 14. Farro with Leeks, Cherry Tomatoes, and Basil (page 467)
  • 15. Wild Rice Pilaf (especially the variations; pages 467–468)
  • 16. Wheat Berries with Candied Walnuts (page 468)
  • 17. Chipotle Pozole (page 469)

• 10 More Rice or Other Grain Pilafs

• Herbed Pilaf

  • Basmati or other long-grain rice + Butter; chopped leek instead of onion + Use a 50/50 combination of water and white wine. + Add ½ cup chopped fresh herbs when you fluff in Step 3: parsley, basil, chives, mint, dill, or shiso, alone or in combination.

• Red Rice (Arroz Rojo)

  • Basmati or other long-grain rice + Good-quality vegetable oil; red onion plus 1 tablespoon chopped garlic, 1 jalapeño chile, chopped + Add 1 cup chopped fresh or drained canned diced tomato with the stock. + Chopped fresh parsley or cilantro; a squeeze of lemon or lime juice.

• Green Rice (Arroz Verde)

  • Basmati or other long-grain rice + Good-quality vegetable oil; the onion plus 1 tablespoon chopped garlic + Add 1 cup chopped tomatillos with the stock. + Chopped fresh parsley or cilantro; a squeeze of lemon or lime juice.

• Yellow Rice

  • Any long- or short-grain white rice (short grain will take 5 to 10 minutes longer to cook) + Butter; the onion plus 1 chopped green or red bell pepper. When soft, add a pinch saffron threads and ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice. + Add 1 large fresh tomato, chopped, and 2 bay leaves with the liquid. + Add 1 cup fresh or thawed frozen peas when you fluff in Step 3. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.

• Pilaf with Currants and Pine Nuts

  • Basmati rice + Butter; the onion or chopped leeks + Add ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon. + Add 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest when you fluff in Step 3.

• Brown Rice with Two Mushrooms

  • Brown basmati rice; cook an extra 25 to 30 minutes in Step 3 or parboil it as described on page 427. + Olive oil; the onion plus 1 pound shiitake mushrooms, caps only, sliced + Use mushroom stock if you like; add ⅓ cup chopped dried porcini with the stock. + Add 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or oregano when you fluff in Step 3.

• Rice-’n’-Noodles

  • ¾ cup any long-grain white rice and about 4 ounces angel hair pasta, broken into 1-inch lengths + Olive oil or butter; the onion plus 1 tablespoon chopped garlic + Increase stock to 3 cups. Chopped fresh parsley or basil.

• Kimchi Rice

  • Any long-grain white rice + Seasame oil; 2 tablesoons chopped fresh ginger instead of onion + Omit salt; add ½ cup or more chopped kimchi, and soy sauce to taste. + Sliced scallions.

• Pilaf with a Little Meat

  • Basmati rice + Butter or oil; the onion plus 1 tablespoon chopped garlic. Start by browning 8 ounces any ground meat (lamb and pork are my favorites) then adding the aromatics. + Add stock to meat mixture; bay leaves. + Chopped fresh parsley with anything; dill mint, or parsley with lamb; basil or chives with chicken or other poultry.

• Parmesan Rice

  • Any long-grain white rice + Butter or Olive Oil. Replace the onion with 1 tablespoon chopped garlic. + If you’ve got rinds from Parmesan cheese, add them with the water or stock. + Add 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese when you fluff in Step 3. Garnish with chopped fresh chives, basil, or parsley.

• Shrimp Jambalaya

  • Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

• Stuck-Pot Rice with Potato Crust

  • Stuck-Pot Rice with Pita Crust

• 7 Main-Dish Rice Recipes Elsewhere in This Book

  • 1. Baked Black Beans and Rice (page 410)
  • 2. Hoppin’ John (page 412)
  • 3. Red Beans and Rice (page 412)
  • 4. Shrimp and Rice, Japanese Style (page 546)
  • 5. Arroz con Pollo (page 625)
  • 6. Chicken Biryani (page 626)
  • 7. Rice Pudding and its variations (page 895)

• The Basics of Risotto

  • Few dishes are more intuitive to vary once you learn the basic method. And few use leftovers more deliciously. Start by ignoring whatever you’ve heard about the difficulty of making “real” risotto. If you can’t find Aborio, Carnaroli, Vialone Nano, or any of the other Italian rices, use whatever short-grained white rice you can get your hands on. Many people also have been scared off risotto by the claim that it must be stirred constantly. You do have to pay attention, but that doesn’t mean constant stirring. Once you start the process, hang around the stove to check the moisture level every few minutes to avoid scorching. You can make a salad or vegetables, pour wine, or set the table. The other hang-up I’m debunking is the liquid. Water is better than packaged or canned stock; you’re going to be seasoning the risotto with an aromatic, cheese, and butter—at the very least. Using homemade stock will bring that flavor to the party, so you might consider it. Likewise heating the liquid before adding it is marginally helpful in terms of time. Some say it improves the way the rice develops its signature creaminess, but the difference is subtle, so don’t bother if it seems like a hassle. Just be careful not to overcook the rice. Handle risotto as you would pasta: Remove the rice from heat when there is still a tiny bit of crunch in the center of the kernels.

• Risotto, Five Ways

  • Risotto alla Milanese
  • Risotto with Three Cheeses
  • Mushroom Risotto
  • Risotto with Seafood

• Fried Rice Balls

• The Basics of Fried Rice

  • The best way to make fried rice is with leftover rice—or at least rice that’s been cooked ahead and chilled. (Chinese take-out rice is another option.) Warm, just-made rice inevitably clumps together, a lesson I learned in my early days at the stove. When cooked long-grain rice is chilled—even for a few hours, though a day or so is even better—it dries out, separates into individual grains, and is perfect for sizzling in some hot oil to get that signature crisp-but-not-too-crunchy texture.

• Simplest Fried Rice

  • Fried Rice with Shrimp and Pork

• 6 Simple Fried Rice Variations

  • Fried Rice with Onion, Leeks, or Shallots: Replace bell pepper and scallion whites with 1 onion or 2 leeks or shallots, thinly sliced. Add chopped cashews.
  • Fried Rice with Frozen Vegetables: Replace bell pepper and scallion whites with up to 1½ cups frozen peas, carrots, and/or corn. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro.
  • Chicken Curry Fried Rice: Replace bell pepper and scallion with whites with ½ onion, sliced. After it’s soft, add 1 cup chopped cooked chicken and 1 tablespoon curry powder. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime.
  • Fried Rice with Bok Choy and Ginger: Replace bell pepper and scallion whites with 2 cups chopped bok choy and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger. Use the scallion whites as well.
  • Fried Rice with Fried Eggs: Omit the scrambled egg and start by frying 4 eggs in the oil. Carefully transfer them to a plate before proceeding. Top each serving with a fried egg; garnish with chopped fresh chives instead of scallion greens.
  • Fried Rice with Bacon and Chiles: Omit the bell pepper and scallion whites. Start by frying 4 slices chopped bacon, and 1 chopped onion in the oil until browned. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from the pan before proceeding. Garnish with chopped fresh hot red chiles (like Thai) and the scallion greens.

• 5 Tips for Making the Best Fried Rice

  • 1. This is a good place to use peanut oil if you like a little stronger flavor.
  • 2. If you’re adding raw or cooked meat, poultry, or seafood, dice it into small pieces (½ inch or less) or use ground meat; cook it in a little hot oil after you remove any aromatics and before adding the rice; cook or heat it through.
  • 3. No matter how much or how little garlic and ginger you use, they should be cooked in the oil for no more than 30 seconds before you add the rice, or their flavor will become too mild.
  • 4. You can scramble eggs separately and cut them into the finished rice to keep them at their most distinctive. Or beat them lightly, then stir them into the rice mix, in which case they will act as a pleasing thickening and bonding agent. Or—this is what I do—make a well in the finished rice and scramble them there, then mix them through, which retains their identity at least somewhat.
  • 5. Some liquid in addition to the soy sauce might be necessary if the other ingredients are on the dry side; add it 1 tablespoon at a time as you stir. The most authentic choice is rice wine (which is sold at most Asian stores and keeps nearly forever), but sherry and white wine make decent substitutes. Stock is also good, and water works too, since there are already plenty of flavors in fried rice.

• 14 Super Additions or Substitutions for Fried Rice

  • Vegetables
    • 1. At the last minute, stir in very tender vegetables that can be eaten raw, like watercress.
    • 2. Cook those that will take about the same amount of time as the onion (scallion, shredded zucchini, corn kernels, etc.) with or instead of the onion.
    • 3. Cut harder vegetables—broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant, potato, winter squash—into very tiny bits, so they will cook in just about the same amount of time as the onion. (This is a good place for leftover cooked vegetables, too.)
    • 4. Tomatoes are a special case: Cut them into small wedges and add just after the rice; any sooner and you will have tomato sauce. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, and if that’s what you want, add the tomatoes when the onion is about half cooked.
    • 5. You can also garnish with raw vegetables, like pickled cucumbers (see Quick-Pickled Vegetables, page 228), chopped cabbage, or tomato wedges.
  • Protein
    • 6. Add diced or ground meat (pork, beef, poultry, etc.), raw or cooked, as you would the pork (if raw) or shrimp (if cooked) in the Fried Rice with Shrimp and Pork recipe.
    • 7. Add chopped cleaned squid, or small or halved scallops with or instead of the shrimp in the recipe.
    • 8. Any tofu—smoked, pressed, flavored, thawed frozen, you name it—is great in fried rice. Cut into small cubes and add as you would shrimp.
    • 9. Hard-Boiled Egg (page 721) is another option, chopped or sliced and added right after the rice.
  • Seasonings
    • 10. Stir in hoisin sauce or ketchup to taste. 11. tear 10 to 15 big leaves basil (preferably Thai) and add at the last minute.
    • 12. Stir in up to 2 teaspoons curry powder or almost any other spice mix (to make your own, see pages 27-35) just before you add the rice
    • 13. Seaweed “Shake” (page 35) is good, as are toasted sesame seeds (see page 309).
    • 14. Add minced fresh chiles at the beginning, or any Chile Paste (pages 40-46) at the end.

• The Basics of Sushi

  • Making excellent sushi—which describes the rice, not the additional ingredients—at home is simple. You only need short-grain rice, rice vinegar, a few sheets of nori, and any additions you want, including leftovers. Sushi comes in many forms: The simplest are sushi bowls (chirashi), a mound of seasoned sushi rice with the other ingredients scattered on top. Rolled sushi (maki) involves using a bamboo mat to wrap sheets of nori around the rice and filling. Finger sushi (nigiri) is sushi rice formed into a small rectangular brick and topped with whatever you choose; once you make Sushi Rice (page 447), you prepare some toppings and shape the pieces with your hands. You can master all forms of sushi enough so that you’ll be confident serving guests a platter of simply cut sushi rolls and finger pieces, an impressive and fairly easy party dish. But sushi doesn’t have to be special-occasion food-a sushi bowl is one of the best ways ever to use small bits of leftover meat, seafood, vegetables, beans, and sauces. See “Improvising Sushi Bowls (Chirashi Sushi)” on page 451 to get started with possible ingredient combinations.

• Step 1 Put a square of toasted nori on a bamboo sushi-rolling mat; then press a bed of sushi rice onto it, ½ inch thick. Step 2 Put any filling you like about ½ inch from the edge nearest you. Do not overfill! (You will at first.) Step 3 Start rolling, tucking in the edge of the nori as you do so. Step 4 Keep rolling, as tightly as you can; you will soon get the hang of it.

• Sushi Rice

• Sushi Rolls

• 10 Fillings for Sushi Rolls

  • 1. Avocado slices
  • 2. Sushi-quality tuna, salmon, or other spanking-fresh raw fish, sliced or chopped
  • 3. Simply cooked and chopped fish or seafood like poached and chilled shrimp or crabmeat, grilled fish, or even fried items like soft-shell crabs, clams, or oysters
  • 4. Ceviche (page 132), chopped
  • 5. Pickled vegetables, like Spicy Quick-Pickled Vegetables (page 228), cut into sticks
  • 6. Shortcut Kimchi (page 229), chopped
  • 7. Carrots, daikon, cucumber (peeled and seeded; see page 287), or scallions; cut into thin strips
  • 8. Sautéed Mushrooms with Asian Flavors (page 306), preferably with sliced shiitakes
  • 9. Cooked, squeezed, and chopped spinach, especially Sushi-Style Spinach (page 339)
  • 10. Pan-Roasted Tuna Steaks (page 548), cut into strips

• Cooking Grains, the Easy Way

• Sautéed Cooked Grains

  • Cooked Grains with Toasted Spice
  • Cooked Grains with Chiles

• Improvising Sushi Bowls (Chirashi Sushi)

  • Chirashi means scattered, and that’s exactly what this is: various ingredients scattered over sushi rice. This will get you going on making your own. Pick any “Centerpiece”; slice the food into pieces as you like. Add an item or two from the “Vegetable(s)” list and finish with as much or as little “Sauce and/or Garnish” as you like. The only other advice I have is to match plain things, like pork chops, with more complicated sauces or garnishes, and vice versa; you don’t want too many complicated components competing with one another. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be riffling through this book to make up your own combinations—or just improvising from your refrigerator.

• 8 Ways to Enhance Cooked Grains

• 1. Just-tender cooked vegetables like peas, chopped greens, broccoli or cauliflower florets, or chopped root vegetables
• 2. A couple of spoonsful of a simple sauce like any Flavored Oil (page 53), Compound Butter (page 78), or Vinaigrette (see page 188); Traditional Pesto (page 51); Five-Minute Drizzle Sauce (page 81); any Chile Paste (pages 40–46); or Miso Dipping Sauce (page 66)
• 3. ¼ to ½ cup finely grated or crumbled cheese like Parmesan, feta, any blue cheese, or goat cheese
• 4. 2 or 3 tablespoons minced fresh herbs like chives, parsley, rosemary, or mint (use a large fork to toss as much or as little of any of the following ingredients with the grain and butter or olive oil)
• 5. 1 to 2 cups any cooked beans
• 6. ½ to 1 cup dried fruit like raisins, cranberries, cherries, chopped dates or apricots, with or without chopped nuts or seeds
• 7. Just before serving, add Sautéed Mushrooms (page 306).
• 8. Up to 1 cup chopped cooked sausage, bacon, ham, or any cooked meat or fish

• Simple White or Whole Wheat Couscous

• 16 Dishes to Serve over Couscous (Like polenta, couscous is best served with savory stews, whether meat or vegetable)

  • 1. Sautéed Eggplant with Basil (page 290)
  • 2. Winter Squash Curry (page 350)
  • 3. Chickpeas in Their Own Broth (page 407)
  • 4. Lentils, Six Ways (page 408)
  • 5. The Simplest and Best Shrimp Dish (page 542)
  • 6. Pan-Cooked Salmon (page 565)
  • 7. Aromatic Poached Fish (page 565)
  • 8. Stir-Fried Chicken with Ketchup (page 605)
  • 9. Sauteed Chicken with Wine Sauce (page 607)
  • 10. Curry-Poached Chicken (page 612)
  • 11. Pheasant Stewed with Dried Fruits (page 662)
  • 12. Beef Stew with Bacon or Beef Stew with Prunes (page 679)
  • 13. Braised Pork with Coconut Milk and Carrots (page 700)
  • 14. Lamb Stew with Cinnamon and Lemon (page 710)
  • 15. Lamb Stew with Mushrooms (page 711)
  • 16. Lamb Curry (page 711)

• Israeli Couscous Pilaf with Black Olives

  • Israeli Couscous Pilaf with Spinach

• Basic Bulgur

• Bulgur Pilaf with Vermicelli

  • Bulgur Pilaf with Vermicelli and Hot Sausage
  • Bulgur Pilaf with Lentils

• Quinoa with Roasted Corn

  • Orange-Scented Quinoa with Shallots and Dates
  • Quinoa with Carrots
  • Quinoa with Ground Pork, Ginger, and Soy Sauce

• Polenta

  • Polenta with Fresh Corn
  • Polenta Gratin
  • Grilled or Fried Polenta

• 14 Dishes to Serve on Top of Polenta (You can top a mound of soft polenta—or squares of Grilled or Fried Polenta—with almost any savory, liquid dish just as you would rice or other grains.)

  • 1. Sautéed Eggplant with Basil (page 290)
  • 2. Braised Endive, Escarole, or Radicchio with Prosciutto (page 292)
  • 3. Sautéed Mushrooms (page 306)
  • 4. Oven-Baked Ratatouille (page 350)
  • 5. Beans and Tomatoes (page 396)
  • 6. Fast Tomato Sauce and any of its variations (page 478)
  • 7. Still the Simplest and Best Shrimp Dish (page 542)
  • 8. Fish Steamed Over Summer Vegetables (page 555)
  • 9. Chicken Baked with Tomatoes (page 601)
  • 10. Sautéed Chicken with Wine Sauce (page 609)
  • 11.Beef Stew with Tomatoes and Porcini (page 680)
  • 12. Braised Pork with White Wine and Celery Root (page 699)
  • 13. Sausages with Peppers and Onions, or without sausages (page 704)
  • 14. Lamb Shanks with Tomatoes and Olives and the Osso Buco (page 711)

• Tamales

  • One Big Naked Tamale

• 10 Dishes That Make Super Tamale Fillings (Debone any meat or poultry if necessary and chop or shred the ingredients into small pieces. Be careful not to overfill the tamales.)

  • 1. Raw fresh corn kernels, with or without a little crumbled queso fresco
  • 2. Grated Asadero, Oaxaca, or Cotija cheese
  • 3. Chopped grilled vegetables like eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, chiles or bell peppers, or squash (see “Grilling or Broiling Vegetables,” page 250)
  • 4. Orange-Glazed Black Beans (page 395)
  • 5. Slow-Simmered Beef Chili (page 403)
  • 6. Broiled or Grilled Boneless Chicken Thighs, spicy (page 611)
  • 7. Turkey Thighs in Almond Mole (page 652)
  • 8. Braised Beef Brisket with Onions (page 684)
  • 9. Roast Pork, Puerto Rican Style (page 695)
  • 10. Carnitas or Shredded Pork (page 697)

• Grits Gratin with Arugula and Garlic

  • Grits Gratin with Escarole, Garlic, and Lemon
  • Grits Gratin with Arugula, Garlic, and Bacon

• Forming Tamales: Step 1 ½ inch from the widest edge of the husk, then use the back of the spoon to spread the masa into a 4 ½ inch on each side. Step 2 Spoon 2 tablespoons filling lengthwise down the center of the masa rectangle. To wrap the tamales, fold the vertical edges over, bringing them over the dough in the filled center. Step 3 Fold up the tapered end (the wider end will remain open during steaming), and secure the tamale with kitchen string. Step 4 Repeat with the remaining masa and filling.

• Kasha with Browned Onions

  • Kasha with Mushrooms
  • Kasha Varnishkes

• The Many Forms of Dried Corn (Fresh corn is pretty easy to understand: It’s a grain we eat like a vegetable. But once dried—and sometimes treated to become more digestible—things get confusing.)

  • Hominy: Dried whole corn kernels are soaked in lime (calcium hydroxide) before the hull is removed. See “The Grain Lexicon” (page 452) and Chipotle Pozole (page 469). Canned hominy is precooked and packed in brine, so drain and rinse it well before using.
  • Posole or Pozole: The Aztec name for hominy; also the name of any stew that features hominy and, usually, pork. The term for the liming process is nixtamalization.
  • Masa: The dough or paste made from grinding corn cooked with lime (nixtamal). When coarsely ground, it’s used for tamales; when finely ground, it is the base for tortillas. You might be able to get a tortilla bakery to sell you some.
  • Masa Harina: This is masa dried into a convenient mix for making dough for tortillas, tamales, and other Mexican dishes. Its texture is somewhere between flour and fine cornmeal. Most supermarkets now carry masa harina; store for up to 6 months, preferably in the refrigerator.
  • Dried Corn: Dried without lime, not very common, and not nearly as tasty as hominy. Cook like any other whole grain; it takes at least an hour and maybe 2 to become tender.
  • Cornmeal: Ground dried corn without the lime treatment. See “The Grain Lexicon” (page 452) for details.
  • Corn Flour: Finely ground dried corn—finer than cornmeal—used in baking, usually in combination with wheat flour since it has no gluten and can be heavy.
  • Popcorn: The starch and water in dried kernels of this variety of corn are balanced in such a way that makes the hull explode under high heat. When heated in oil (see the recipe on page 90), popcorn is a classic snack. Boiled popcorn is edible, but not as good as either dried corn or hominy.

• Cracked Wheat with Mustard

• Millet-Cauliflower Mash

  • Cheesy Millet-Cauliflower Mash

• Farro with Leeks, Cherry Tomatoes, and Basil

• Wild Rice Pilaf

  • Wild Rice with Dried Fruit
  • Wild Rice with Chestnuts
  • Wild Rice with Roasted Winter Squash

• Wheat Berries with Candied Walnuts

  • Wheat Berries with Candied Walnuts and Butternut Squash

• Creamed Hominy

  • Creamed Hominy and Kale

• Chipotle Pozole

  • Chipotle Pozole with Pumpkin Seeds

• 10 Garnishes for Chipotle Pozole

  • 1. Chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2. Crumbled queso fresco, farmer cheese, or goat cheese
  • 3. Diced avocado
  • 4. Crumbled cooked bacon or pork rinds
  • 5. Chopped scallions, radishes, and/or cabbage
  • 6. Lime wedges
  • 7. Minced jalapeño or other fresh chile
  • 8. Ground or crumbled guajillo or other dried chile
  • 9. Any fresh or cooked salsa (pages 55–58 and 71–74) or hot sauce
  • 10. Mexican crema or sour cream

Pasta, Noodles, and Dumplings

Chapter at a glance*:* The Basics of Dried Pasta*,* The Simplest Pastas*,* Pasta with Vegetables or Beans*,* Pasta with Dairy, Eggs, Seafood, or Meat*,* Baked Pasta*,* The Basics of Fresh Pasta*,* The Basics of Gnocchi and Other Dumplings*,* The Basics of Asian Noodles*.* **

• And if you’ve got gluten sensitivity, there are many widely available alternatives including noodles made from rice, cornmeal, quinoa, or starches.

• You should salt the water well, so it tastes like the sea; a fistful (a couple of tablespoons) is about right. It doesn’t matter much when you add the salt to the water, but if you don’t add enough, your pasta will be sticky and bland. While the pasta cooks, adjust the heat to keep the water boiling, and stir frequently to separate the noodles and dislodge any sticking to the bottom of the pot. If you have problems, it’s because you don’t use enough water, don’t salt enough, or don’t stir enough.

• Long Pasta

  • Capelli d’angelo/capellini (angel hair): Very thin strands
  • Spaghetti/spaghettini: Round strands of varying thickness
  • Bucatini: Fat round strands with a hole through the center
  • Linguine: Narrow flat strands Fettuccine: Wide flat strands
  • Tagliatelle: Wide ribbons, between fettuccine and pappardelle
  • Pappardelle: Very wide ribbons
  • Lasagne: Sheets or extra-wide ribbons, sometimes curled at the edges

• Cut Pasta

  • Couscous: Teeny granules of pasta, cooked like grains (see page 452)
  • Pastina: teeny balls or other shapes (like stars); perfect for soup
  • Orzo: Shaped like grains of rice, only bigger
  • Ditalini: Short pencil-width tubes
  • Chifferi (go miti): The classic bent elbows
  • Orecchiette: Literally “little ears,” small, thick saucer-shaped disks
  • Cavatelli: Small folded disks that look like tiny taco shells
  • Gemelli: Two thick strands of pasta twisted together
  • Trenette: Small three-sided tubes
  • Penne and ziti: Smallish narrow tubes; penne are cut on an angle while ziti are cut straight
  • Rigatoni: Large ribbed tubes, cut straight
  • Conchigliette and conchiglie: Seashells, small and large; good for stuffing
  • Cannelloni (manicotti): Very large tubes for stuffing; sometimes ribbed
  • Farfalle: What we call butterflies or bowties
  • Fusilli, rotini, and spiralini: Curlicues, corkscrews, and spirals with subtle differences
  • Radiatore: Short cylinders with circular rows of deep grooves for collecting sauce

• Pasta with Garlic and Oil

  • Pasta with Garlic, Oil, and Fresh Herbs
  • Pasta with Garlic, Oil, and Mashed Chickpeas
  • Pasta with Garlic, Oil, and Nuts

• 15 Additions to the Simplest Pastas

  • 1. 2 ounces chopped pancetta or bacon, cooked in the hot oil or butter before adding other ingredients.
  • 2. 4 or more anchovy fillets, mashed in the oil or butter as you cook the other ingredients.
  • 3. Chopped fresh chiles like jalapeño, Thai, or serrano; cook them for a minute in the oil or butter with the other ingredients.
  • 4. Black or green olives, pitted and chopped
  • 5. Chopped fresh herbs
  • 6. Dried tomatoes or dried porcini mushrooms (or both), cut into bits with scissors or, if not at all chewy, ground in a spice or coffee grinder
  • 7. Roasted Garlic (page 294)
  • 8. Fried shallots (see Crisp Sautéed Leeks, page 303)
  • 9. Capers; cook them for a minute in the oil or butter with the other ingredients.
  • 10. An unexpected spice blend like curry powder, garam masala, chili powder, or za’atar (to make your own, see pages 27–35), warmed in the oil before adding main ingredients.
  • 11. Crumbled feta, blue, or fresh goat cheese
  • 12. Frozen peas (no need to thaw; add them to the sauce just before you toss it with the pasta.
  • 13. Grated lemon or orange zest
  • 14. Fried Bread Crumbs (page 801)
  • 15. Chopped Hard-Boiled Egg; or top each serving with a poached or fried egg (see pages 720 and 724)

• One-Pot Pasta with Butter and Parmesan

  • One-Pot Pasta with Spinach, Butter, and Ricotta

• Fast Tomato Sauce, with or Without Pasta

• A-Little-Less-Simple One-Pot Pastas

• One-Pot Cacio e Pepe

  • Use olive oil instead of butter. Omit the onion and wine. Sauté 1 tablespoon black pepper in the hot oil for 30 seconds. Add the pasta. Stick to water. For the cheese, combine 1 cup each grated Parmesan cheese and pecorino Romano. Use 1½ cups to toss with the pasta in the pot. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese mixture. Offer more pepper at the table.

• One-Pot Fettuccine Alfredo

  • Use fettuccine. Reduce the butter to 2 tablespoons and omit the onion and wine. Before starting, whisk 2 eggs with ½ cup cream and the Parmesan cheese. Melt the butter in the pot and proceed to Step 2. Stick with water. When the pasta is cooked, add the cheese-egg-cream mixture and enough additional water to make a creamy sauce. Pass more Parmesan cheese at the table.

• One-Pot Pasta with Lemony Zucchini

  • Before starting, grate 1 pound zucchini on the large holes of a box and the zest of 2 lemons on the fine holes. Add them after toasting the pasta. Use lemon juice instead of the wine. Use Chicken Stock (page 176). Garnish the pasta by tossing in 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint. Pass more Parmesan cheese at the table.

• One-Pot Pasta with Mushrooms

  • Slice 1½ pounds cremini mushrooms; use 2 tablespoons sliced garlic instead of the onion. Start by cooking the mushrooms until they’re crisp in places, about 10 minutes. Then continue. Use Mushroom Stock (page 174). Reduce the cheese to ½ cup or skip it all together. Garnish with 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley and pass some Parmesan cheese at the table.

• One-Pot Pasta with Fava Beans

  • Start by boiling 1½ cups fresh shelled and peeled or frozen fava beans in the pot until soft; drain, reserving the liquid. Proceed with Step 1, using olive oil instead of the butter. Use the reserved fava cooking liquid. Substitute 4 ounces (about 1 cup) crumbled goat cheese for the Parmesan. While the pasta cooks, mash the beans roughly with a fork; add them with the cheese. Garnish with chopped fresh chives and pass Parmesan cheese at the table.

• One-Pot Pasta with Spicy Shrimp, Crab, or Squid

  • Use either olive oil or butter, or a combination. When you cook the onion, add 1 or 2 chopped fresh hot red chiles like serrano or cayenne, or a pinch red chile flakes. Use water, Shrimp Stock (page 179), or Fish Stock (page 178). Instead of the cheese, add 12 ounces chopped peeled shrimp, cleaned squid cut into rings (plus any tentacles), or lump crab meat. Cook until the seafood is opaque and heated through, just a minute or 2. Omit the cheese. Garnish with chopped fresh basil and serve with lemon wedges.

• One-Pot Pasta with Chicken and Fennel

  • Cut 12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces; brown on all sides in the butter before adding the onion. Use Chicken Stock (page 176). When the pasta begins to soften, add 1 small fennel bulb, chopped. Garnish with chopped fresh fennel fronds. Pass more Parmesan cheese at the table.

• 16 Spins on Fast Tomato Sauce (Serving grated Parmesan cheese with any of these sauces is up to you)

  • 1. Garlicky Tomato Sauce: Omit the onion. Using the flat side of a large knife, lightly smash 2 to 10 (or even more) cloves garlic and cook them in the oil or butter as described in Step 1. Proceed with the recipe. Garnish with parsley or basil.
  • 2. Puttanesca Sauce: A Roman classic. Make the Garlicky Tomato Sauce above. When you add the garlic to the oil, stir in a few oil-packed anchovy fillets; mash them up a bit as you stir. Omit or reduce the salt. Add 2 tablespoons drained capers, red chile flakes to taste if you like, and ½ cup pitted black olives (the wrinkled oil-cured type, like Moroccan, taste best here). Then add the tomatoes. Garnish with chopped parsley or basil.
  • 3. Spicy Tomato Sauce: Known as arrabbiata, this is one of those rare dishes in which garlic is browned intentionally; still, don’t overcook it: Omit the onion. Cook about 2 tablespoons chopped garlic in the oil along with 3 to 5 small dried red chiles or ½ teaspoon red chile flakes, stirring, until the garlic is brown. Turn off the heat for a minute, add the tomatoes, and proceed. Remove the whole chiles before serving if you like. Garnish with parsley or basil.
  • 4. Tomato Sauce with Aromatic Vegetables: Especially good puréed (see the last variation). Add ½ cup each chopped carrot and celery and 1 tablespoon chopped garlic along with the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 10 minutes; add the tomatoes and proceed. Garnish with parsley or basil.
  • 5. Tomato Sauce with Wine: Add ¼ cup dry white or red wine just before the tomatoes; let it bubble away for a moment before proceeding. Garnish with parsley or basil.
  • 6. Tomato Sauce with Bay Leaves: Add 5 to 10 bay leaves and a small pinch (about ⅛ teaspoon) ground cinnamon before adding the tomatoes. Remove and discard the bay leaves before serving. Garnish with parsley or basil.
  • 7. Tomato-Mushroom Sauce: Start by making Sautéed Mushrooms, Dry Style (page 306); remove them from the skillet. Continue with the recipe from the beginning of Step 1. Return the mushrooms to the pan after you add the tomatoes. Garnish with chives or parsley.
  • 8. Tomato Sauce with Fresh Herbs: Really delightful, especially in summer. Just before serving, add ¼ to ½ cup chopped fresh basil, parsley, dill, mint, or a combination. Or add 1 tablespoon (or more) chopped stronger herbs, like rosemary, oregano, marjoram, tarragon, or thyme
  • 9. Vegetable Tomato Sauce: The vegetables must be tender before you add them to the tomatoes; this is nice puréed (see the last variation). After the tomatoes are cooked, add 1 cup of almost any cooked vegetable, chopped or sliced, like eggplant, zucchini, squash, fennel, celery, carrots, peppers, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, or cauliflower; grilled vegetables are ideal. Heat through. Garnish with parsley or basil
  • 10. Tomato Pesto Sauce: The fragrance at the table is awesome. Use as much or as little pesto as you like: After the sauce has finished cooking, stir in some Traditional Pesto or one of its variations (page 51). Or after tossing the pasta, top each serving with a spoonful of pesto. You might not need extra cheese.
  • 11. Red Pepper and Tomato Sauce: For homemade Roasted Red Peppers, see page 318. Add 1 or more chopped roasted red peppers along with the tomatoes. Purée if you like (see the last variation). Garnish with parsley or basil.
  • 12. Creamy Vodka Sauce: The alcohol is pleasantly sharp and balances the richness. Just before serving, stir in about 4 cup vodka and 2 cup cream and cook just long enough to heat through without boiling.
  • 13. Tomatoey Tomato Sauce: Stir about 4 cup tomato paste into the onions just before adding the tomatoes. Garnish with parsley or basil.
  • 14. Oven-Roasted-Tomato Sauce: Also great thinned with a little vegetable stock, wine, or water. Use Oven-Roasted Plum Tomatoes (page 347) or the canned tomato variation instead of canned or fresh tomatoes.
  • 15. Grilled-Tomato Sauce: Cut the tomatoes into thick slices, or halves if they’re small, and grill on both sides until browned, about 5 minutes total. When the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, chop or purée. Add 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano and about 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar after Step 1.
  • 16. Puréed Tomato Sauce: Smooth and creamy. You can finish any sauce by passing it through a food mill or whizzing it in a blender or food processor (to avoid overflowing the container, cool the sauce slightly first and work in batches); add a little cream or ricotta cheese if you like.

• Linguine with Raw Tomato Sauce

• Pasta with Broccoli Raab

  • Pasta with Cauliflower or Broccoli
  • Pasta with Greens
  • Pasta with Asparagus
  • Pasta with Broccoli Raab, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Greens, or Asparagus and Sausage

• Pasta with Mushrooms

  • Pasta with Fresh and Dried Mushrooms

• 27 Vegetable and Legume Dishes to Toss with Pasta (With this list your pasta repertoire has more than doubled. In all cases if, after saucing, you think the dish needs more moisture, while tossing add a little of the pasta cooking water or extra oil or butter—or both)

  • 1. Broccoli Raab with Sausages and Grapes and its variations (page 239)
  • 2. Braised celery (page 247)
  • 3. Braised and Glazed Chestnuts (see page 247)
  • 4. Braised Artichoke Hearts (page 261)
  • 5. Braised Artichoke Hearts with Ham, Wine, and Lemon (page 261)
  • 6. Crunchy Broccoli or Cauliflower with Onion and Olives (page 269)
  • 7. Crunchy Broccoli or Cauliflower with Almonds, Raisins, and Saffron (page 269)
  • 8. Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon (page 272)
  • 9. Buttered Cabbage (page 274)
  • 10. Shredded Carrots with Chiles and Chives (page 276)
  • 11. Pan-Roasted Corn with Cherry Tomatoes and its variations (page 286)
  • 12. Sautéed Eggplant with Basil and its variations (page 290)
  • 13. Braised Endive, Escarole, or Radicchio with Prosciutto (page 292)
  • 14. Slow-Cooked Green Beans (page 297)
  • 15. Leeks Braised in Red Wine (page 303)
  • 16. Caramelized Onions with Bacon or Pancetta (page 315)
  • 17. Creamed Onions or Creamed Spinach (page 316)
  • 18. Peas with Bacon, Lettuce, and Mint (page 318)
  • 19. My Mom’s Pan-Cooked Peppers and Onions (page 320)
  • 20. Spinach with Currants and Nuts (page 339)
  • 21. Oven-Roasted Plum Tomatoes (page 347)
  • 22. Oven-Baked Ratatouille (page 352)
  • 23. White Bean Purée (page 392)
  • 24. Beans and Tomatoes (page 396)
  • 25. White Beans, Tuscan Style (page 402)
  • 26. Beans and Greens (page 403)
  • 27. Chickpeas in Their Own Broth (page 407)

• Pasta with Fried Eggplant

  • Pasta with Roasted Eggplant

• Pasta with Corn, Zucchini, and Tomatoes

• Whole Wheat Farfalle with Roasted Sweet Potatoes

  • Whole Wheat Pasta with Browned Chicken
  • Whole Wheat Pasta with Roasted Winter Squash
  • Whole Wheat Pasta with Carrots

• What to Expect from Whole Wheat Pasta

  • Whole wheat pasta may take a minute or two longer to cook, and you’ll never get quite the same creaminess after saucing because the starch doesn’t release the same way. But what you will get is a near-ideal vehicle for assertive sauces—especially nut sauces—and sauces that include big chunks of vegetables.

• Pasta with Creamy Bean Sauce

• Spaghetti with Pesto

• Ziti with Creamy Gorgonzola Sauce and Fried Sage

  • Farfalle with Mascarpone and Fried Basil

• Linguine with Clams

  • Pasta with Red Clam Sauce
  • Pasta with Clams and Pesto
  • Sort-of-Sichuan Noodles with Clams
  • Pasta with Mussels

• 14 Seafood, Meat, and Poultry Dishes That Work as Pasta Sauces (Make sure these dishes are piping hot before adding them to pasta. And if they seem soupy rather than saucy, drain off and reserve some of the liquid before tossing, then use the reserved liquid to moisten the pasta if you need to.)

  • 1. Bouillabaisse (page 162)
  • 2. Sautéed Fish with Lemony Pan Sauce (page 537)
  • 3. Sautéed Oysters with Lemony Pan Sauce (page 538)
  • 4. Shrimp Scampi (page 542)
  • 5. Seared Scallops with Cherry Tomatoes (page 577)
  • 6. Steamed Clams, Mussels, or Other Shellfish (page 579)
  • 7. Octopus with Tomatoes and Red Wine (page 590)
  • 8. Chicken Baked with Tomatoes (page 601); cut them into chunks first
  • 9. Sautéed Chicken with Wine Sauce (page 607); cut the chicken into strips or chunks first
  • 10. Pepper Steak with Red Wine Sauce (page 671)
  • 11. Braised Pork with Tomatoes and Fennel (page 700)
  • 12. Sausage with Peppers and Onions (page 704); cut the sausage up if you like
  • 13. Lamb Stew with Mushrooms (page 711)
  • 14. Lamb Stew with Eggplant or Green Beans (page 711)

• Penne with Tomato-Shrimp Sauce

  • Penne with Tomato-Squid Sauce
  • Penne with Tomato-Tuna Sauce

• Pasta with Sardines

  • Pasta with Fresh Sardines
  • Pasta with Radicchio, Pine Nuts, and Currants

• Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

• Pasta with Pancetta and Pecorino

  • Pasta Carbonara
  • Pasta all’Amatriciana

• Pasta with Sausage

  • Pasta with Sausage and Greens

• Baked Ziti with Mushrooms

  • Baked Ziti with Ricotta
  • Baked Ziti with Sausage

• Baked Macaroni and Cheese

  • Shortcut Macaroni and Cheese
  • Rich Macaroni and Cheese
  • Macaroni and Chile Cheese

• 6 Great Mac-and-Cheese Combos

  • 1. Pasta shells with ½ cup cream cheese and 1½ cups grated pecorino cheese
  • 2. Fusilli or corkscrews with 1½ cups grated smoked Gouda or mozzarella and ½ cup Parmesan cheese
  • 3. Wagon wheels with 1½ cups crumbled goat cheese and ½ cup grated pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
  • 4. Rotini or spirals with 1 cup crumbled Gorgonzola and 1 cup grated Bel Paese or fontina cheese
  • 5. Tube pastas like penne, rigatoni, and ziti with 1 cup grated Manchego and 1 cup grated Jack
  • 6. Orecchiette with 1 cup ricotta and 1 cup grated Parmesan or pecorino cheese

• Meaty Lasagne

  • Vegetarian Lasagne
  • Meaty Lasagne, Italian-American Style

• The Basics of Fresh Pasta

  • Two basic doughs—one flour and egg, the other flour and water—form the backbone of all fresh noodles: pasta, ravioli, gnocchi, dumplings, even spaetzle.

• Basic Pasta-Making Techniques

  • To make the pasta by hand, first make a well in the mound of flour and break the eggs into it. To knead the dough, use the heel of your hand to push into the middle of the dough, fold the dough over, rotate it 90 degrees, and push into it again.

• If fresh pasta is something you make—or intend to make—regularly, a reliable pasta-rolling machine is essential. Though you can roll pasta without one: Just use a rolling pin, roll from the center, out and keep flouring and turning the dough. But a machine will cut your rolling time by at least half, and most come with a cutter attachment, which will also save you time and give you beautifully cut pasta. These machines are simple to use, easy to maintain, and worth the investment. Secure the machine to a sturdy counter or tabletop, making sure the crank handle has clearance and there is surface area on both sides of the machine. Sprinkle the machine and surrounding surfaces with flour and set the rollers to their thickest setting (most machines use sequential numbers to indicate settings, but some use letters or tick marks). Dust the portion of dough with flour and pass it through the machine. Add more flour if the dough sticks. Repeat passing the dough through the machine. Decrease the separation of the rollers by one notch and pass the dough through again; continue decreasing the thickness one notch at a time and rolling the dough. If the dough tears or sticks, ball it up and start over. When you get to the thinnest setting, cut the sheet of pasta in half so it’s a more manageable length. Roll the sheet through twice more; it’s now ready for cutting, stuffing, or freezing. To clean the machine, use a clean, dry pastry or paint brush to brush off the flour. Use a dinner knife to scrape off any bits of dough stuck to the rollers, and wipe off the exterior with a damp towel. Do not wash; any flour in it will gum up and the gears may rust.

• Using Other Flours in Fresh Pasta

  • This chart is a quick reference for using alternative flours in any of the fresh pasta recipes. Two important considerations: Flours that contain little or no gluten, like buckwheat, cannot make the same kind of chewy, tender pasta that all-purpose flour does. It’s the gluten in flour that enables the dough to be rolled thin and hold its shape when boiled. The other factor is flavor. Buckwheat and whole wheat must be combined with all-purpose flour or the pasta will be too bitter.
    • Semolina: Pleasant grittiness, but that grainy texture makes it trickier to handle. 2 cups semolina
    • Whole wheat: Nuttier flavor and more fiber, but dough will be stiffer and less elastic. 1 cup whole wheat and 1 cup all-purpose flour
    • Buckwheat: (finely ground) Delicate texture and flavor, but dough tears more easily. 1½ cups buckwheat and ½ cup all-purpose flour
    • Whole durum wheat: Excellent taste and handling results, but tough to find. 2 cups whole wheat durum flour

• Fresh Egg Pasta

  • Pizzocheri
  • Chinese-Style Egg Noodles
  • Herbed Fresh Pasta
  • Fresh Spinach Pasta
  • Orange Pasta
  • Fuchsia Pasta

• 5 Other Flavored Pastas (There are many add-ins that will bring a touch of flavor and color to fresh pasta dough. Serve black pepper pasta with Spicy Tomato Sauce (page 481); saffron, mushroom, and herb pastas (page 508) are lovely with a simple, rich sauce like Brown Butter (page 78) or Reduction Sauce (page 81); toss the tomato and roasted garlic versions with olive oil and lots of Parmesan or pecorino.)

  • 1. Black Pepper Pasta: Freshly grind about a tablespoon black pepper into the flour.
  • 2. Saffron Pasta: Steep a large pinch crumbled saffron threads in a couple of tablespoons hot water; add along with the eggs in Fresh Egg Pasta (page 505) or with the hot water in Fresh Eggless Pasta (page 508). You may need a little more flour to compensate for the extra liquid.
  • 3. Mushroom Pasta: Grind dried mushrooms to a fine powder in a clean coffee or spice grinder and add to the flour; you want a tablespoon or 2 powder. Porcini are excellent.
  • 4. Tomato Pasta: Use completely dry tomatoes (see Oven-Dried Tomatoes, page 348). Grind them to a fine powder in a clean coffee or spice grinder and add to the flour; you want a tablespoon or 2 powder.
  • 5. Roasted Garlic Pasta: Mash several cloves Roasted Garlic (page 294) to a smooth paste; add along with the eggs in Fresh Egg Pasta (page 505) or hot water in Fresh Eggless Pasta (below), making sure to mix the garlic in very well. You may need to add more flour to compensate for the extra liquid in the garlic.

• Fresh Eggless Pasta

  • Asian-Style Dumpling Wrappers

• Making Dumpling or Wonton Skins and Egg Roll Wrappers: Step 1 Make the dough for Asian-Style Dumpling Wrappers (above). On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a log about 1 inch wide. Step 2 Cut the log into 1-inch pieces. Step 3 Roll each piece out from the center to form a thin 4-inch circle or square, adding a bit of flour if necessary. Step 4 To make larger egg roll wrappers, roll the log into a rectangle, no more than ¼ inch thick. Step 5 Cut into 4-inch squares.

• Stuffing Pasta

  • Your choice: If you like a moist, gooey stuffing, stuff the pasta with a soft cheese like ricotta; adding a sharper-tasting cheese like goat or sheep’s milk cheese gives more character. For contrasting texture, mix in chopped herbs, vegetables, or nuts. For a drier filling, start with bread crumbs, or chopped or puréed vegetables.

• Serving Stuffed Pasta

  • Once the labor-intensive rolling and stuffing is done, cooking and saucing is fast. Generally, if the stuffing is well contained, as with ravioli or tortellini, you boil and sauce them like any other pasta. Or if you like, you can boil, then sauté in a butter or oil sauce (like herbed Brown Butter; see page 79) to develop a crust on one side, then finish the sauce with some pasta cooking water and grated cheese. If the pasta is loosely stuffed, as with cannelloni, it’s best baked directly in the sauce (see Spinach-Cheese Cannelloni, page 514). And small stuffed pasta like tortellini can be cooked and served in broth and brothy soups.

• Butternut Squash Pansotti

  • Sweet Potato Pansotti
  • Chestnut Pansotti

• Spinach-Ricotta Ravioli

  • Ricotta and Herb Ravioli
  • Cheese Ravioli
  • Spinach Ravioli
  • Mushroom-Cheese Ravioli
  • Spinach-Cheese Cannelloni

• Making Cannelloni: To make cannelloni, put a small amount of filling about an inch up from the shorter end (nearest you), spreading it almost but not quite to the sides; then roll up.

• 28 Dishes for Stuffing Pasta (From caramelized onions to mashed favas. Drain off excess liquids and mash, crumble, or finely chop large pieces as you like. Then use as filling for any of the recipes in this section.)

  • 1. Puréed Vegetables (page 240)
  • 2. Roasted Artichoke Hearts (page 261)
  • 3. Crunchy Broccoli or Cauliflower (page 268)
  • 4. Broccoli Raab with Garlic and Pecorino (page 272)
  • 5. Sauerkraut and Cabbage (page 275)
  • 6. Chard with Olives and Feta (page 282)
  • 7. Sautéed Eggplant with Basil (page 290)
  • 8. Roasted Garlic (page 294), peeled and roughly mashed
  • 9. Sautéed Mushrooms (page 306)
  • 10. Caramelized Onions (page 315)
  • 11. Anything-Scented Peas (page 317)
  • 12. Spinach with Currants and Nuts (page 339)
  • 13. Baked Sweet Potatoes (page 343)
  • 14. Oven-Roasted Plum Tomatoes (page 347)
  • 15. Roasted Whole Winter Squash and its variations (page 349)
  • 16. White Beans, Tuscan Style (page 402)
  • 17. Broiled Fish Fillets (and a Lot Else) (page 534)
  • 18. Roasted Shrimp (page 537)
  • 19. Salmon Roasted in Butter (page 549)
  • 20. Steamed Clams or Mussels (page 579)
  • 21. Sautéed Chicken with Wine Sauce (page 607)
  • 22. Breaded Chicken Cutlets (page 608)
  • 23. Carbonnade (page 680)
  • 24. Braised Beef Brisket (page 684)
  • 25. Braised Pork with White Wine and Celery Root (page 699)
  • 26. Italian-Style Sausage, Sweet or Hot (page 703)
  • 27. Lamb Stew with Cinnamon and Lemon (page 710)
  • 28. Shortcut Ricotta (page 758)

• Making Tortellini: Step 1 On a counter dusted lightly with cornmeal or flour, cut fresh pasta dough so it is 4 to 5 inches wide. Cut into 2- to 2½-inch squares. Step 2 Brush the dough very lightly with water. Step 3 Place a small mound of filling on each square. Step 4 Fold into a triangle, pressing tightly to seal the edges. Step 5 Fold the widest point toward the filling. Step 6 Pick up the triangle and press the two bottom points together. Place your finger inside the ring and fold over the top of the dough inside the circle. Press to seal. Keep the tortellini separate until you are ready to cook.

• Meat Tortellini

  • Cheese Tortellini
  • Seafood Tortellini

• The Basics of Gnocchi and Other Dumplings

  • Indenting the gnocchi with your finger or rolling them over a fork, cheese grater, or special gnocchi board is optional, but the texture helps them grab the sauce. To indent the dumplings, flour your thumb and roll it over the gnocchi. Using the fork, grater, or board takes some practice; use your thumb to roll the gnocchi over the tines or ridges—your thumb will simultaneously indent the opposite side.
  • Tips for Making Great Gnocchi: Use freshly cooked potatoes; leftover baked or mashed potatoes are better for croquettes. Add the flour in small amounts so you don’t add too much. Mix and then knead the dough gently; you’re trying to not overdevelop the gluten. Keep your work surface well floured so the gnocchi don’t stick. Roll the logs out quickly and don’t worry too much about getting them perfectly even, which may overwork the dough. They’re supposed to look handmade! Test-cook a piece of the dough just as it comes together; it may be closer to ready than you think.

• Making Gnocchi: Step 1 Start by rolling a piece of the dough into a log. Use flour as needed to prevent sticking, but try to keep it to a minimum. Step 2 Cut the dough into approximately 1-inch lengths. Step 3 Roll each of the sections off the back of a fork to give it the characteristic ridges.

• Potato Gnocchi

  • Herb Gnocchi
  • Spinach Gnocchi
  • Sweet Potato or Butternut Squash Gnocchi

• Gnudi with Noodles

  • Vegetarian Ravioli Nudi

• Spaetzle

  • Herb Spaetzle
  • Alsatian Mac And Cheese

• Making Spaetzle or Passatelli: Use the back of a spoon or a ladle to press the dough through the holes of a colander, letting the dough fall right into the bubbling liquid. Or use a ricer or food mill with large holes.

• Chinese Egg Noodles

  • Long, thin golden noodles made with wheat flour; round or flat; fresh or dried. The fresh noodles cook quickly, in about 3 minutes, or you can add them to hot soup to cook. Dried take a little longer, about 5 minutes (timing depends on the thickness of the noodle, of course); leave them slightly undercooked if you are adding them to soup or stir-frying them.

• Chinese Wheat Noodles

  • Long and thin, either round or flat; fresh or dried. They are typically white or light yellow and are made of wheat, water, and salt. Boil the dried noodles for about 5 minutes and the fresh for roughly half that time. Again, cooking time depends on the thickness of the noodle.

• Rice Sticks, Rice Vermicelli

  • White, translucent rice noodles, most often from Southeast Asia, ranging in thickness from angel hair (vermicelli) to spaghetti to greater than ¼ inch. Soak in boiling water until softened, 5 to 30 minutes, depending on the thickness. Then drain and hold in a bowl of tap water until you’re ready to heat in soup or stir-fry.

• Udon

  • Round, square, or flat wheat noodles from Japan, available in a range of thicknesses and lengths; usually dried but may be fresh. Most typically served in soups and stews, though you can also use them in braised dishes or serve them cold. Boil fresh or dried noodles for a few minutes, until just tender (dried take a bit longer, of course).

• Soba

  • Long, thin, flat Japanese noodles made from a combination of buckwheat and wheat flour; distinctively nutty. Light beige to brownish gray; sometimes green tea is added, tinting them green. Most often dried, but you may see fresh. Boil dried noodles for 5 to 7 minutes, fresh for 2 to 4.

• Somen

  • White, round, ultra-thin all-wheat noodles from Japan that cook in just a couple of minutes. Best in soups.

• Ramen and Saimin

  • Long, slender, off-white wheat Japanese noodles that appear either crinkled in brick form or as rods; fresh, dried, frozen, or instant. The instant variety is typically deep-fried to remove moisture before being dried and packaged. Saimin is similar but made with egg. When fresh, boil ramen for just a couple of minutes; dried takes around 5.

• Bean Threads

  • Also known as mung bean threads, cellophane noodles, glass noodles, or spring rain noodles, these long, slender, translucent noodles made from mung bean starch are usually sold in 2-ounce bundles. To prepare, soak the noodles in hot or boiling water until tender, 5 to 15 minutes; use kitchen scissors to cut them into manageable pieces if necessary. If you’re adding them to soup or deep-frying them, don’t bother to soak. You can also prepare the noodles by boiling them for a minute or 2, then draining.

• Tofu Skins (Yuba), Tofu Noodles

  • These narrow, flat, beige noodles are made by skimming off the skin that forms on soy milk as it heats. Tofu skins are fabulous in salads, soups, and stir-fries and are available fresh, frozen, and dried. To use fresh tofu noodles, simply rinse and pat dry; thaw frozen noodles in the fridge, then treat as fresh. Soak dried noodles in warm water for about 15 minutes, then rinse and drain.

• Yam Noodles. Shirataki

  • Like bean threads, these are translucent and made from a vegetable starch. They’re made in Japan and Southeast Asia and come in several different varieties and colors, including fresh noodles, which cook like fresh pasta or tofu skins. Dried noodles should be soaked in boiling water until pliable, anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes. Drain and use them in soups, salads, and stir-fries.

• Cold Soba Noodles with Dipping Sauce

  • Cold Soba Noodles with Shiitakes

• Cold Noodles with Sesame or Peanut Sauce

  • Spicy Cold Noodles with Pork

• Pad Thai

  • Vegetarian Pad Thai

• Stir-Fried Noodles with Meat and Vegetables

  • Stir-Fried Udon Noodles

• Glass Noodles with Vegetables and Meat

• 17 Dishes to Toss with Asian Noodles

  • 1. Any Stir-Fried Vegetables (page 244)
  • 2. Seared Baby Bok Choy with Chile Vinaigrette (page 267)
  • 3. Seared Baby Bok Choy with Black Vinegar (page 267)
  • 4. Restaurant-Style Greens with Thickened Soy Sauce (page 268)
  • 5. Quick-Braised Burdock and Carrots (page 273)
  • 6. Winter Squash Curry, Thai Style (page 350)
  • 7. Thai-Style Mixed Spicy Vegetables (page 354)
  • 8. Shrimp and Scallion Stir-Fry and its variations (page 543)
  • 9. Squid with Chiles and Greens (page 588)
  • 10. Chicken Teriyaki (page 601)
  • 11. Stir-Fried Chicken with Broccoli or Cauliflower and its variations (page 603)
  • 12. Stir-Fried Chicken with Ketchup (page 605)
  • 13. Stir-Fried Beef with Green Peppers or Green Beans (page 671)
  • 14. Sichuan Steak with Plum Wine Sauce (slice it first; page 671)
  • 15. See “Improvising Meaty Stir-Fries” (page 672)
  • 16. Stir-Fried Pork with Bok Choy and its variations (page 692)
  • 17. Spicy Braised Pork with Vietnamese Flavors (page 700)

• Improvising Noodle Bowls: Use this mix-and-match graphic to assemble vibrant noodle bowls that combine all sorts of ingredients and textures, whether you cook the components specifically for the bowl, or use whatever’s in your fridge.

Seafood

Chapter at a glance: The Basics (and Flexibility) of Cooking Seafood Shrimp Salmon and Trout Thick Fish Fillets and Steaks Thin Fish Fillets Whole Fish Scallops, Clams, Mussels, and Oysters Crab and Lobster Squid and Octopus

• The Basics (and Flexibility) of Cooking Seafood

  • There’s tremendous freedom in being flexible about cooking seafood. The considerations are relatively basic and intuitive: The sturdiness and thickness of fillets and steaks is the best way to determine how to cook them; the darker the fish or shellfish, and the more assertive the flavor, the better it takes to strong seasonings.

• Buying Seafood

  • Choosing what to buy starts with finding a source you trust. That can be your local supermarket, a fish store, or the farmers’ market—any or all. If protecting the environment is important to you—as it is to me—then you’ll start by seeking out the most sustainable seafood available in your area. You’ll have many options; the sidebar on page 531 provides more detail. Beyond that, here’s my quick, no-nonsense course in supermarket fish shopping. Avoid fish counters that smell or look dirty. Steer clear of prewrapped fish. It might be good, and there’s nothing intrinsically wrong with it, but it’s difficult to smell or otherwise evaluate. Lobster, crab, whole clams, oysters, and mussels must be alive when sold. Lobsters and crabs should be quite lively; if they seem tired, move on. The muscles of live mollusks make it difficult to pry their shells apart, so this is a good test. When mollusks are shucked and separated from their guts—as scallops usually are, and oysters frequently are—they can be frozen or packed in brine for longer shelf life. In this case, smell them if possible. Shrimp are almost always shipped frozen, and thawed before sale. It’s better to buy them still frozen. The price might be lower, and you can control how and when they’re thawed. The best way to thaw shrimp is in the refrigerator (which takes a while) or under cold running water (which is fast); avoid trying to speed things up with warm water. A few fish counters butcher whole fish, which is a treat, especially if you can make special requests. But most finfish comes precut in fillets and steaks. The surface of fillets and steaks should be bright, clear, and reflective—almost translucent. There should be no cracking or gaping between flakes, nor any dryness. The color should be consistent with the type of fish. For example, pearly white fish should not have spots of pink, which are usually bruises, or browning, which indicates spoilage. Creamy or ivory-colored fish should have no areas of deep red or brown. It’s easy enough to get to know the ideal appearance of your favorite fish and reject any that doesn’t meet your standard, but it’s just as important to know the warning signs for fish in general. Fresh whole fish will smell sweet or salty, not “fishy.” The best look alive, as if they just came out of the water, starting with clear, shining eyes. Lift the gills behind the head and peek inside; they should be red. The skin will be bright and reflective, with an undamaged layer of scales (if they haven’t been removed already) and no browning. The flesh should feel be firm to a gentle touch.

  • But here’s some general guidance to help you get cooking. Fish are often characterized anatomically by whether they’re flat (like flounder or halibut) or round (like salmon or snapper). For cooking, that’s less important than the thickness of the piece of fish and whether or not it’s still on the bone. Fillets are boneless pieces cut lengthwise from either side of the fish’s backbone. They may be the whole side or cut into smaller portions, with or without the skin attached. See page 553 for details. Clams, mussels, and oysters must be scrubbed clean. Fillets and steaks should patted dry; rinse them first if you like. You can leave the skin on or remove it (see page 548). If the scales have been removed, the skin of some species (like salmon or snapper) is good to eat, especially crisped. When the skin is too rubbery to eat or the scales are still on, leaving the skin on for cooking will protect the flesh against drying out, and then you can easily remove it before serving. A steak is a cross-section of a fish, and may include both sides, whatever bones there are in the crosscut, and (usually) the skin. See page 553 for details. To keep the skin and flesh from sticking during cooking, you need a thin layer of fat and a lot of patience. Whether you’re grilling or cooking in a pan, make sure the surface is well greased and hot. Then you wait, letting the fish sizzle away undisturbed until it releases easily; if it’s burning, you have permission to lower the heat or move it. Then turn the fish and let it alone again until it is cooked through. A broad, flexible spatula is a big help for maneuvering the fish. Whole fish should be gilled, gutted, and scaled. Usually the fishmonger will do that for you, but you can do it yourself if you like or must; see page 571. You can cook fish to varying degrees of doneness, though the window between the stages is smaller for fish than meats; thin fish fillets are fully cooked moments after hitting the heat. Unless you’re eating it raw or nearly so, you want to pull fish from the heat when the flesh just starts to turn opaque and flakes or pierces easily without being dry. For seasoning ideas, see the sidebar on page 539.

• Broiled Seafood

  • Broiled Shrimp or Squid
  • Broiled Thick Fish Fillets or Steaks (including salmon; see the lists on pages 552 and 553)
  • Broiled Whole Fish
  • Broiled Scallops
  • Broiled Soft-Shell Crabs or Lobster
  • Broiled Octopus

• 6 Ways to Serve Simply Cooked Fish

  • 1. On green salads, or as a salad, dressed with Vinaigrette (page 188) or mayonnaise (to make your own, see page 69)
  • 2. In sandwiches, tacos, or burritos, or on top of Bruschetta (page 95)
  • 3. Tossed in Simplest Fried Rice (page 444)
  • 4. On top of Sushi Bowls (see page 451) or inside Sushi Rolls (page 448)
  • 5. On a bed of cooked vegetables or other foods (see the sidebar on page 560)
  • 6. Scrambled with eggs or as an ingredient in omelets or frittatas

• Grilled Seafood

  • Grilled Shrimp or Squid
  • Grilled Scallops
  • Grilled Whole Fish
  • Grilled Clams or Mussels
  • Grilled Oysters, Two Ways
  • Grilled Octopus

• Simmering Seafood in Tomato Sauce (Slipping seafood into a skillet of gently bubbling tomato sauce delivers a twofer: perfectly cooked seafood and marinara that tastes like the sea. Whether you serve the combo with pasta, egg noodles, potatoes, rice, or bread, you’ll finish every drop. It’s super-easy.)

  • 1. In a large skillet or pot, make the tomato sauce, or any of the nonmeat variations, on page 478.
  • 2. If you’re making pasta or rice, get that going too.
  • 3. While the sauce cooks, get the seafood ready. You can use thin or thick fish fillets, steaks, peeled or shell-on shrimp, squid, scallops, clams or mussels in their shells, or hacked-up cooked crab or lobster. (See the sidebar on page 532 for quantities.)
  • 4. When the sauce is ready, add the seafood, adjust the heat so it bubbles gently but steadily, and cover. Start checking after 3 minutes. You want the raw seafood to be slightly underdone and not quite opaque at the center and the cooked crab and lobster to be heated through. Remove the pan from the heat, cover again, and let it sit for a couple of minutes to finish cooking. Serve hot or at room temperature. Or refrigerate for up to a day and eat chilled.

• Roasted Seafood

  • Roasted Shrimp or Squid
  • Roasted Scallops
  • Roasted Whole Fish
  • Clam, Mussel, or Oyster Pan Roast

• Sautéed Fish with Lemony Pan Sauce

  • Sautéed Thick Fish Fillets with Lemony Pan Sauce
  • Sautéed Oysters with Lemony Pan Sauce
  • Sautéed Oysters with Cream

• Deep-Fried Seafood

  • Deep-Fried Seafood with a Thicker Crust
  • Spiced or Herbed Deep-Fried Seafood

• 6 Other Coatings for Deep-Fried Seafood

  • 1. A mix of half cornmeal and half flour
  • 2. Finely crushed saltine cracker crumbs
  • 3. Unsweetened shredded coconut, substituted for no more than half the flour
  • 4. Tempura batter (page 112)
  • 5. Beer batter (see page 319)
  • 6. Bread crumbs, preferably fresh (see page 801) or panko; dip the seafood in beaten egg or milk first to help them stick

• Flavoring Seafood Before Cooking

  • Dry Seasoning: ground individual spices, a blend, or cracked whole spice seeds; combine a pinch or 2 with salt and pepper and gently rub all over seafood before cooking.
  • Wet Seasoning: Best for dry-heat methods like broiling, grilling, or roasting. It’s neither necessary nor beneficial to let seafood sit in a marinade for more than 30 minutes; instead, mix flavorings with a little bit of fat to help them adhere. Start by mixing a pinch or 2 of ground individual spices, a blend, or cracked whole spice seeds with salt and pepper in a small bowl, or use a spoonful of flavorful purée like miso or chile paste, or chopped fresh herbs. Stir in up to ¼ cup any oil, yogurt, mayonnaise, or coconut milk. Spread it all over the seafood before cooking.
  • For poaching: Season the water more generously; when frying, season the seafood or the batter or breading with a dry seasoning above.

• 16 Ways to Flavor Seafood (After Cooking Most seafood is complemented by salty, sweet, sour, or even bitter ingredients. The trick is to rely on complexity rather than intensity. The following ideas work for seafood cooked by any technique, though fried and sautéed seafood usually pair best with something acidic to balance their richness. And if there’s already a pan sauce or some braising or steaming liquid, you won’t need much else.)

  • 1. Seaweed “Shake” (page 35)
  • 2. Virtually any fresh or cooked salsa (see pages 55–58 and 71–74)
  • 3. Any Yogurt Sauce (page 59)
  • 4. Any chutney (pages 61–62)
  • 5. Ginger-Scallion Sauce (page 64)
  • 6. Thai Chile Sauce (page 66)
  • 7. Miso Dipping Sauce (page 66)
  • 8. Mayonnaise (page 69), especially the flavored versions
  • 9. Barbecue sauce (to make your own, see page 74), especially with shrimp
  • 10. Teriyaki Sauce (page 76)
  • 11. Compound Butter (see page 78)
  • 12. Brown Butter (page 78)
  • 13. Velouté (White) Sauce (page 79)
  • 14. Virtually any Five-Minute Drizzle Sauce (page 81)
  • 15. Any Vinaigrette (pages 188–191)
  • 16. Fast Tomato Sauce and most of its variations (page 479)

• Preparing Shrimp: Step 1 To peel shrimp, grasp the feelers on the underside and pull the shell away from the meat. Step 2 Deveining is optional. Should you choose to devein, make a shallow cut on the back side of the shrimp, then pull out the long, black threadlike vein. Step 3 To butterfly shrimp, cut most of the way through the back of the shrimp. Step 4 Then open it up.

• Still the Simplest and Best Shrimp Dish

  • Smoky Shrimp
  • Shrimp Scampi
  • Garlic Shrimp with Tomatoes and Cilantro

• Shrimp and Scallion Stir-Fry

  • Shrimp and Snow Pea Stir-Fry
  • Shrimp and Asparagus Stir-Fry
  • Shrimp Stir-Fry with Scallion Purée
  • Shrimp and Cabbage Stir-Fry with Fermented Black Beans
  • Shrimp and Bok Choy Stir-Fry with Water Chestnuts
  • Shrimp and Cashew Stir-Fry
  • Shrimp Stir-Fry with Coconut Curry
  • Chile Shrimp with Celery

• Shrimp or Crawfish Boil, Louisiana Style

  • Shrimp or Crawfish Boil with Vegetables

• Shrimp and Rice, Japanese Style

• Shrimp Burgers or Sliders

• Pan-Cooked Salmon

• 10 Sauces for Pan-Cooked Salmon (Spoon the sauce over the fillets just before serving.)

  • 1. Fresh Tomato or Fruit Salsa (page 55) or Fresh Tomatillo Salsa (page 56)
  • 2. Tahini Sauce (page 56)
  • 3. Simplest Yogurt Sauce (page 59)
  • 4. Cilantro-Mint Chutney (page 62)
  • 5. Soy Dipping Sauce and Marinade (page 64)
  • 6. Miso-Carrot Sauce with Ginger (page 67)
  • 7. Tartar Sauce (page 70)
  • 8. Compound Butter (see page 78)
  • 9. Any Five-Minute Drizzle Sauce (page 81)
  • 10. Virtually any Vinaigrette (pages 188–191)

• Skinning a Fillet: Step 1 Use any long, thin, sharp knife to cut a small piece from the tail end, at an angle, to expose the skin. Step 2 Grasp the exposed piece of skin (use a towel to get a grip if necessary) and insert the knife between skin and flesh, angled slightly toward the skin. Step 3 Run the knife up the entire length of the fillet.

• Removing Pin Bones: Step 1 Fillets of many fish, no matter how skillfully cut from the whole fish, may contain long bones along their center that must be removed by hand. Feel with your fingers to see if your fillet contains pin bones. Step 2 Remove them with a needle-nose pliers or similar tool.

• Salmon Roasted in Butter

  • Salmon Roasted with Herbs
  • Salmon Roasted with Miso Butter

• Cold Poached Salmon with Dill Sauce

  • Cold Poached Trout with Dill Sauce

• Gravlax

• Filleting Fish: Step 1 Lay the fish on its side and cut all the way down its back, just to one side of the top fin. Step 2 Make a deep vertical incision just below the gills, from the top of the fish to the bottom. Step 3 Cut over the backbone and the ribs, right down through the belly flap, to release the fillet. Repeat on the other side of the fish.

• Fish Fillets or Steaks Baked in Foil

  • Fish Baked in Foil with Vegetables
  • Whole Fish Baked in Foil

• Cutting Fish Steaks: Step 1 Mark the fish by scoring it lightly with a knife to ensure you’ll cut even steaks. Step 2 With most fish, the backbone is so thick that you’ll need a little help to get the knife through; use a meat mallet or an ordinary rubber or wooden mallet.

• Oven-“Fried” Fish Fillets

  • Oven-“Fried” Fish Sticks or Nuggets

• 6 Ways to Vary Oven-“Fried” Fish Fillets, Sticks, or Nuggets

  • 1. Use cornmeal or a mixture of half flour and half cornmeal instead of the bread crumbs.
  • 2. Use finely ground unsweetened coconut instead of bread crumbs.
  • 3. Use crushed good-quality cereals like puffed rice or corn flakes.
  • 4. Use crushed saltine or whole-wheat crackers instead of bread crumbs.
  • 5. Skip the soak; rub the fillets with freshly squeezed lime juice and dredge them in flour spiked with a little chili powder (to make your own, see page 32).
  • 6 Skip the soak; smear the fillets with miso thinned with a little white wine or sake and dredge them in panko.

• Fish Steamed over Summer Vegetables

• Fish Steamed over Something (Follow the main recipe, using the onion and garlic unless otherwise noted, but replacing the fat, vegetables, and basil, and adding a liquid instead of the tomatoes. Whichever combination you choose, the goal is to let the vegetables soften and the sauce thicken but not quite come together. That way, when you lay on the fish everything finishes cooking together.)

  • Fish Steamed over Autumn Vegetables: Olive oil + 2 pounds total before trimming and/or peeling: butternut squash; leeks; peeled roasted chestnuts; Brussels sprouts + ¼ cup or more apple cider or water + ¼ cup chopped hazelnuts
  • Fish Steamed over Spring Vegetables: Butter + 1½ pounds total before trimming: shelled fresh or frozen peas; scallions, cut into chunks; fresh spinach leaves; asparagus spears + ½ cup cream + ¼ cup chopped fresh mint
  • Fish Steamed over Potatoes: Butter + 1½ pounds red potatoes, fingerlings, or other waxy potatoes, cut into ¼-inch-thick slices + 1 cup milk + ¼ cup chopped fresh chives
  • Fish Steamed over Greens: Olive oil + 1½ pounds kale, collards, bok choy, cabbage, or spinach; trimmed and chopped. Some won’t take more than a couple of minutes to soften. + ¼ cup water or cream + ¼ cup chopped black olives and hot red pepper flakes to taste
  • Fish Steamed over Fennel: Olive oil + Omit the garlic. Trim and thinly slice 1 pound fennel; chop and reserve the most feathery fronds. + ¼ cup fresh orange juice + Garnish with the reserved fennel fronds.
  • Fish Steamed over Artichokes: Olive oil + Omit the garlic and onion. Trim, clean, and thinly slice 4 large artichoke hearts or 1½ pounds baby artichokes (see page 258). Cook until just tender, about 3 minutes. + 2 tablespoons each water and lemon juice + Garnish with chopped fresh chervil, dill, or chives.
  • Fish Steamed over Gingered Sweet Potatoes: 1 tablespoon sesame oil and 2 tablespoons good-quality vegetable oil + Omit the garlic and onion. Use 1½ pounds grated sweet potatoes and 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger. + 2 tablespoons each water and fresh lemon juice + Garnish with 2 sliced scallions.
  • Fish Steamed over Beans: Butter or olive oil + 3 cups frozen lima or fava beans or edamame + ¼ cup water + Garnish with chopped chives; serve with lemon wedges.

• Caramel Fish Fillets

• Seafood on a Bed

  • Warm or chilled seafood on a handful of dressed cooked or raw greens is always a winner. But the flakiness of fish and heft of shellfish makes them perfect for serving on top of something smooth and rich. Mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, and vegetable purées of all sorts are the most common beds for fish. But cooked beans (puréed or not), grains (including grain pilafs), polenta, risotto, pasta or noodles, and even grilled or roasted vegetables are all excellent candidates. Start by putting the bed in the center of each plate or one large platter. Then top with the fish—it’s nice if it’s crisp, for contrasting textures, but even steamed fish is fine. If there’s a pan sauce, spoon it over all or drizzle it around the sides of the plate. If there’s no sauce, consider topping the fish with a salsa, chutney, or vinaigrette, simply chopped olives or tomatoes, chopped fresh herbs, or just a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime juice.

• Curried Fish

  • Thai-Style Red or Green Curried Fish
  • Fish with Creamy Herb Sauce

• Skate or Other Fish with Brown Butter, Honey, and Capers

• Deep-Fried Fish with Twice-Fried Ginger, Garlic, or Shallots

• Mackerel Simmered in Soy Sauce

  • Sake-Simmered Fish

• Escabeche

• Fish Fritters

  • Indian-Style Fritters

• Aromatic Poached Fish

  • Poached Whole Fish

• 4 Other Liquids for Poaching Fish

  • 1. Red or white wine, or sake (cut with some water if you’d like)
  • 2. A mixture of ½ cup soy sauce and 1½ cups water
  • 3. Half orange juice and half water
  • 4. Half coconut milk (to make your own, see page 372) and half water

• Fish Kebabs

• Halibut Steaks with Creamy Saffron Sauce

  • Halibut Steaks with Sour Cream-Chive Sauce

• Pan-Roasted Tuna or Other Fish Steaks

  • Sesame-Crusted Pan-Roasted Tuna or Other Fish Steaks

• How do you know when they’re done? For thinner fillets, less than ½ inch thick: By the time the outside of these fillets is opaque, the inside is nearly done. This is absolutely true if you turn the fish during cooking, as you do on the stovetop. But in the broiler or oven, you won’t even need to turn the fish, so look for external opacity as a sign of internal doneness. For fillets between ½ and 1 inch thick: You can roughly estimate doneness by timing. About 8 minutes total is the longest you want to cook any fillet under 1 inch thick. Take a peek between the flakes of the fish. If most of the translucence is gone and the fish can just barely be separated into flakes—but isn’t at all yet dry—it’s done. For mixed fillets, with thick and thin parts: When the thinnest part flakes, the thicker part is done. When the thicker part flakes, it’s overcooked.

• Crisp Sesame Fish Fillets

  • Crisp Nut-Crusted Fish

• 10 Other Recipes for Thin Fish Fillets (The cooking time will vary in direct proportion to how thick the pieces are—so check for doneness early and often. Their variations usually work well too.)

  • 1. Broiled Seafood using thin fillets (page 534)
  • 2. Sautéed Fish with Lemony Pan Sauce (page 537)
  • 3. Oven-“Fried” Fish Fillets (page 554)
  • 4. Fish Steamed over Summer Vegetables (page 555)
  • 5. Skate or Other Fish with Brown Butter, Honey, and Capers (page 562)
  • 6. Mackerel Simmered in Soy Sauce (page 563)
  • 7. Fish Fritters (page 564)
  • 8. Halibut Steaks with Creamy Saffron Sauce (page 566)
  • 9. Quick-Braised Fish Fillets in Black Bean Sauce (page 570)
  • 10. Pan-Fried Trout Fillets With or Without Bacon and Onions (page 573)

• The benefits of whole fish are flavor and texture—and for some of us, yes, presentation. Plus you get a bit bigger window for doneness since you’re essentially cooking two pieces of fish stacked on top of each other.

• Quick-Braised Whole Fish in Black Bean Sauce

  • Quick-Braised Fish Fillets in Black Bean Sauce

• Scaling Fish: Use a spoon or dull knife to scrape the scales from the gutted (cleaned) fish, and always work from the tail up toward the head. Removing Fins Like the gills, fins are best tackled with scissors. Note that they are removed only for appearance, and may be left on whole fish during cooking if you prefer.

• Removing Gills: Step 1 Use scissors to remove the gills, taking care not to cut yourself; gills are sharp. Step 2 Cut the gills on both sides from where they attach to the body. Step 3 Remove and discard—gills are too bitter to use for stock.

• Removing Heads and Tails: Step 1 To remove the head, make a cut right behind the gill covers to guide the knife. Step 2 Use a mallet to pound the knife through the backbone, if necessary. Step 3 I do not recommend removing the tail unless your cooking method requires it or your pan is too short to hold the whole fish. If you must, however, simply use a sharp, heavy knife to cut right through the tail.

• Pan-Fried Whole Trout with Bacon and Red Onions

  • Pan-Fried Trout Without Bacon and Onions
  • Pan-Fried Trout Fillets With or Without Bacon and Onions

• Sardines on the Grill

• Shucking Clams: Step 1 To open a clam, you must use a blunt, fairly thick knife; there is a knife made specifically for this purpose (called, not surprisingly, a clam knife), and it’s worth having for this chore. Hold the clam in your cupped hand and wedge the edge of the knife into the clam’s shell opposite the hinge. Once you get it in there, the clam will give up all resistance. Step 2 Run the knife along the shell and open up the clam. Try to keep as much liquor inside the shell as you can. Detach the meat from the shell and serve.

• Shucking Oysters: Step 1 You can use an oyster knife, a punch can opener, or any sturdy (but preferably not-sharp) knife to open an oyster. The danger is in the knife slipping, so protect your hand with a towel or glove. Place the oyster, cupped shell down, on a flat surface and insert the knife into the hinge. Press and wiggle and twist the knife in there until the oyster pops. Step 2 Twist off the top shell, trying to keep as much juice inside as possible. Detach the meat from the shell and serve.

• Seared Scallops with Pan Sauce

  • Butter-Basted Scallops
  • Seared Scallops with Cherry Tomatoes
  • Seared Scallops with Ginger and Soy
  • Seared Scallops with White Wine
  • Seared Scallops With Red Wine

• Broiled or Grilled Scallops with Basil Stuffing

  • Broiled or Grilled Scallops with Thai Basil Stuffing
  • Broiled or Grilled Scallops with Miso Stuffing
  • Broiled or Grilled Fish Steaks with Three Different Stuffings

• Steamed Clams or Mussels

  • Peel-and-Eat Steamed Shrimp

• Baked Clams with Wasabi Bread Crumbs

• Crabs are sold live, cooked, or frozen. All forms can be cooked (or reheated) by simple boiling. You need only put live crabs in a large pot of boiling water; if they have been cooked before freezing, submerge them in boiling water just long enough to heat through or even better, steam them above water (see page 20). Crabs also taste good cold. So you can even just thaw frozen cooked king crab legs slowly in the refrigerator and serve them with any mayonnaise (to make your own, see page 69) or Cold Mustard Sauce (page 70) for an eating experience you couldn’t duplicate if you worked for two hours.

• How to Eat Crab: Step 1 Twist off the claws and break them open with a mallet or nutcracker to pick and suck out the meat. Step 2 Break off the apron, then pull off the top shell. Rub off the feathery gills. Step 3 Break the body in two; then break each piece in two. Go to work, picking and sucking that meat out.

• 6 Ways to Vary Steamed Clams or Mussels

  • Steamed Clams or Mussels with Tomatoes
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil + 2 tablespoons chopped garlic + 1 cup chopped tomatoes (partially drained canned is fine) + A sprig of fresh thyme or a couple of bay leaves + Chopped fresh parsley or basil and Fried Bread Crumbs (page 801, optional)
  • Steamed Clams or Mussels, French Style
    • 2 tablespoons butter + 2 or 3 shallots, chopped; 1 tablespoon chopped garlic (optional) + Dry white or fruity red wine + ½ cup cream + Chopped fresh chervil or parsley
  • Soy-Steamed Clams or Mussels
    • 2 tablespoons good-quality vegetable oil + ¼ cup chopped scallion; 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger + 2 tablespoons soy sauce; ½ cup sake or water + Minced fresh chiles (like Thai or serrano) or hot red pepper flakes, to taste + Chopped shiso leaves (optional)
  • Steamed Clams or Mussels, Thai Style
    • 2 tablespoons good-quality vegetable oil + 2 stalks lemongrass, trimmed, smashed, and roughly chopped; 1 or 2 fresh or dried hot red chiles + Juice of 1 lime; ½ cup water + 1 tablespoon fish sauce; ½ cup chopped fresh + Thai basil Thai basil and lime wedges
  • Steamed Clams or Mussels with Something Meaty
    • Cook 2 ounces chopped bacon, ham, prosciutto, or spicy sausage, in 1 tablespoon olive oil until crisp. Drain off some fat, if you like. + 1 small yellow or ½ sweet onion, chopped + ½ cup white wine, ale, or water + Chopped fresh parsley or chives
  • Steamed Clams or Mussels in Curry Broth
    • 2 tablespoons butter or good-quality vegetable oil + 2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger, minced; 2 tablespoons curry powder + 1 cup coconut milk + 1 cup peas or diced carrot or 2 cups parboiled potato (optional) + Chopped fresh cilantro

• A fresh lobster, properly cooked, makes even butter superfluous. Buying can be the hard part; as a friend who sells lobster for a living says, “Just because it’s alive doesn’t mean it’s fresh.” When you’re buying a lobster, make sure its claws are pegged or banded, and lift it; if it doesn’t flip its tail and kick its legs, look for another. Tired lobsters are not fresh.

• Preparing Lobster for Cooking: Step 1 Before grilling, broiling, or stir-frying, plunge a knife right into the “crosshairs” behind the eyes to kill the lobster (see page 583) or parboil it for just a couple of minutes. Step 2 Cut in half through the head and down through the tail. Step 3 Your final product will look like this. Hack it up with or without the shell or leave as is.

• Boiled or Steamed Crab or Lobster

  • Spicy Crab or Lobster Boil
  • Steamed Cooked Crabs or King Crab Legs

• 9 Things to Serve with Any Simply Cooked Crab or Lobster (Go basic or go big. Or go nothing. But since people like what they like, it’s best to offer some choices for dipping or drizzling.)

  • 1. Clarified butter (see page 752), or just melted butter
  • 2. Freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 3. Some of the cooking broth (strained or spooned out of the pot to avoid grit)
  • 4. Ginger-Scallion Sauce (page 64)
  • 5. Any herb sauce (pages 51 to 52)
  • 6. Soy Dipping Sauce and Marinade (page 64)
  • 7. Thai Chile Sauce (page 66)
  • 8. Miso Dipping Sauce (page 66)
  • 9. Any of the flavored mayonnaises on page 70 (best with cold crab or lobster)

• Bare-Bones Crab Cakes

  • Bare-Bones Fish Cakes

• How to Eat Lobster: Step 1 Twist the claws to remove them; they will come off easily. Step 2 Use a nutcracker to split their shells and a pick to pull out the meat. Step 3 Twist the lobster in half to separate the tail from the body. Step 4 Cut through the soft side of the tail. Step 5 Crack it open like a shrimp to remove the tail meat. Step 6 Cut through the underside of the front part of the body to extract the meat there.

• Sautéed Soft-Shell Crabs, Four Ways

  • Simplest Sautéed Soft-Shell Crabs
  • Breaded Sautéed Soft-Shell Crabs
  • Buttery Sautéed Soft-Shell Crabs

• 21 Seafood Recipes Elsewhere in This Book

  • 1. Shrimp Cocktail (page 99)
  • 2. Smoked Salmon or Trout Dip (page 100)
  • 3. Anchovy Spread (page 103)
  • 4. Tempura (page 112)
  • 5. Fried Wontons or Egg Rolls (page 115)
  • 6. Vietnamese Summer Rolls (page 123)
  • 7. Ceviche (page 132)
  • 8. Rice Porridge with Seafood (page 157)
  • 9. The seafood soups on pages 161–164
  • 10. Lobster Salad (page 223)
  • 11. Crab Salad (page 223)
  • 12. Pesto Shrimp Salad (page 224)
  • 13. Miso Salmon Salad with Snow Peas (page 224)
  • 14. Salade Niçoise (page 225)
  • 15. Grilled Shrimp Salad with Chile and Basil (page 225)
  • 16. Seafood Salad, Mediterranean Style (page 227)
  • 17. Shrimp, Chicken, or Any Meat and Vegetable Stir-Fry (page 246)
  • 18. Okra Gumbo with Seafood (page 313)
  • 19. Summer Squash and Shrimp in Parchment (page 341)
  • 20. Shrimp (or Squid) Paella (page 437)
  • 21. Shrimp Jambalaya (page 437)

• When I was learning about squid, the old-timers would say, “Cook it for 2 minutes or 2 hours,” and that advice is just about right. From hitting the heat to turning opaque—a sign that it’s done—squid usually takes no more than a couple of minutes. After that, it becomes tough, and then it takes long cooking in liquid for it to become tender again.

• Squid with Chiles and Greens

• Cleaning Squid: Step 1 A whole, uncleaned squid. Step 2 Pull off the tentacles and head; they’ll come out in one piece. Step 3 Reach inside the body, pull out and discard the hard, plasticlike quill. Step 4 Cut the tentacles from the head and discard the head and the hard, ball-shaped beak inside it. Step 5 You may remove any longish tentacles if you find them offensive, although they’re perfectly edible. Step 6 Peel off the skin from the body, using a knife if necessary although your fingernails will likely be enough. Step 7 You can also submerge the squid in a bowl of water, which may make skinning it easier. Step 8 To make squid rings, cut across the cleaned body.

• Octopus with Tomatoes and Red Wine

Poultry

Chapter at a glance*:* Buying Chicken*,* Boneless Chicken*,* Chicken Parts*,* Fried Chicken*,* Whole Chicken*,* Whole Turkey*,* Turkey Parts*,* Duck and Goose*,* Other Whole Birds*.*

• The potential for cross contamination has prompted the USDA and food safety experts to recommend against rinsing chicken, since doing so can splatter raw juices around the sink and on to the counter. I rarely bother with the fuss of rinsing, but if you do, be sure to scrub everything down immediately afterwards.

• Chicken can harbor a couple of different pathogens, notably the potentially harmful bacteria salmonella, which are killed by cooking chicken until it is fully done. The easiest and surest way to reliably judge this is to use an instant-read thermometer: Poke it into the breast in two or three places (don’t touch the bone), then into the thigh (again, avoiding the bone) if you’re cooking a whole bird, in between the thigh and leg. The USDA currently recommends an internal temperature of 165°F in all these places. Like all meat, chicken continues to cook after you take it off the heat; this is called carryover cooking. So here’s my compromise for the best flavor and texture: To avoid overcooking, I remove chicken when the temperature is a little below the “safe” level and let the chicken rest for 5 or 10 minutes—basically the time it takes to finish pulling together the rest of the meal—during which the temperature continues to rise. And I’ve never had a problem. If you want chicken that tastes its best, pull it off the heat at 155°F; if you want to be completely sure the chicken is absolutely safe, take it off the heat at 165°F. If you want some sort of balance between the two, remove the bird at around 160°F.

• Customizing Poultry Recipes

  • For Freshness
    • Squeeze with lemon juice before cooking or serve with lemon wedges.
    • Add chopped fresh herbs to the seasonings before cooking, and/or garnish with herbs.
    • Include fresh chopped tomatoes in stir-fried, sautéed, or poached recipes.
    • Add quick-cooking vegetables like frozen peas or corn, radishes, or tender greens at the very end of cooking.
    • Garnish with chopped scallions.
    • Serve with any Herb Purée (page 52) or Fresh Salsa (pages 55–58).
    • Top with any Yogurt Sauce (page 59).
  • For Umami
    • Season the chicken with smoked paprika before cooking.
    • Add fermented black beans to the cooking liquid or a stir-fry.
    • At the beginning of cooking, add reconstituted dried mushrooms (see page 304); include some of the liquid if you like.
    • Garnish with toasted seeds or nuts (see page 309).
    • Baste the poultry with soy sauce while cooking.
    • Just before serving, stir 1 tablespoon or more dark or light miso into the cooking liquid or sauce.
    • Include a piece of kombu seaweed in any poached, boiled, or braised dish.
  • For Spice
    • Baste with any Chile Paste (page 40).
    • Serve with Hot or Mild Pepper Chutney (page 62).
    • Marinate in Thai Chile Sauce (page 66).
    • Season with any spice mix (pages 27–35) before cooking.
    • Add a few tablespoons Red Curry Paste or Green Curry Paste (page 46) to the cooking liquid; or thin the paste with about ¼ cup coconut milk and use to baste.
    • Throw a whole dried chile or two into the mix at the beginning of cooking (smoked ones add another dimension).
    • Baste chicken with Dijon mustard during cooking, or add coarse mustard to the liquid in braised or poached dishes.
  • For a One-Dish Meal
    • Add up to 1½ pounds any chopped vegetable to braised or roasted dishes; you might need to increase the cooking time.
    • Add up to 1½ cups any raw grain to poached or braised dishes; you might need to increase the cooking time.
    • Add up to 3 cups drained cooked beans (see page 390) to any recipe toward the end of cooking.
    • Poach poultry in chicken or vegetable stock with up to 1½ pounds chopped vegetables.
    • Poach poultry in “Boiled Water” or any of its variations (page 137).
    • Put the meat and sauce on a big mound of raw spinach or chopped kale and spoon the cooking juices over all.
    • Toast thickly sliced bread and serve the chicken and pan juices on top. Even bone-in pieces are fine; you just have to work a little harder.

• Whatever technique you choose, the idea is to brown the outside before the inside dries out and toughens.

• Broiled Boneless Chicken

  • Grilled Boneless Chicken
  • Broiled or Grilled Boneless Chicken Thighs

• Sectioning and Boning Chicken Legs: Step 1 To cut the leg-thigh piece in two, simply find the joint where they meet and cut through it with a sharp knife. You’ll know when you’ve found it because the knife will not hit bone. Step 2 To bone the thigh, cut the meat away from the thick center bone on the meat (nonskin) side. Step 3 Continue to cut until the bone is nearly free. Step 4 Cut the bone from the remaining meat and remove the skin.

• Boning Chicken Breasts: Step 1 Use a sharp, thin-bladed knife (usually called a boning knife) and cut as close to the bone as you can on the breastbone (not rib) side. Step 2 Continue to cut the meat away from the bone, keeping the knife blade just about parallel to the bone. Step 3 When the meat is almost detached, make the final cut. Trim the boneless breast of any pieces of tendon and, if you like, remove the skin.

• Why Pound Chicken?

  • Pounding them prevents any thinner parts from overcooking before the thicker parts are done. It also cuts down on cooking time and tenderizes the meat. I don’t usually advocate for single-use kitchen tools, but a disk-shaped meat pounder is a good one. You’ll find plenty of uses in the meat chapter too (starting on page 663). And you can use it to crush nuts, garlic, or a bag of ice. But even just pressing down on the chicken with the heel of your hand will flatten it enough to make a difference.

• Chicken Escabeche

  • Grilled Chicken Escabeche
  • Chicken Escabeche with White Wine Marinade

• Broiled or Grilled Boneless Chicken, 10 Ways

  • Mediterranean Broiled or Grilled Boneless Chicken: Olive oil + 1 tablespoon cracked or ground pepper; 1 tablespoon ground coriander; 1 tablespoon chopped garlic + Garnish with chopped fresh oregano if you like. Serve with Baked Sweet Potatoes (page 343) or Chickpea Flatbread (page 97).
  • Spiced Broiled or Grilled Boneless Chicken: Olive oil + 2 tablespoons curry powder, five-spice powder, or any other spice mixture + Garnish with chopped fresh parsley or cilantro. Serve with Dry-Pan Eggplant (page 287), drizzled with any Yogurt Sauce (page 59).
  • Broiled or Grilled Boneless Chicken, North African Style: Olive oil (just 2 tablespoons) + 2 tablespoons honey; 1 tablespoon dry sherry (or dry white wine, fresh orange juice, or water); 1 tablespoon ground cumin; and the garlic + Serve with Collards or Kale with Tahini (page 301) or Simple White or Whole Wheat Couscous (page 456).
  • Broiled or Grilled Boneless Chicken with Thyme and Mustard: Melted butter + 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme; 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard + Serve with any Broiled Vegetable Gratin (page 251) and Slow-Cooked Green Beans (page 297).
  • Curried Broiled or Grilled Boneless Chicken: Yogurt + 1 tablespoon curry powder + Serve with basmati rice (page 430) and any Yogurt Sauce (page 59).
  • Parmesan Broiled or Grilled Boneless Chicken: Mayonnaise + 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice; 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest; 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese; go easy on the salt + Serve with any pasta with Fast Tomato Sauce (page 478), or on top of a big bowl of mixed greens with a drizzle of Vinaigrette (page 188).
  • Broiled or Grilled Boneless Chicken with Vietnamese Flavors: Good-quality vegetable oil + 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice; 1 tablespoon fish sauce; 1 tablespoon chopped garlic; 1 teaspoon sugar + Serve with Green Papaya Salad (page 210) and plain bean threads or rice vermicelli.
  • Broiled or Grilled Boneless Chicken with Thai Flavors: Coconut milk + 1 tablespoon peanut butter; a pinch red chile flakes or cayenne + Garnish with slices of raw carrot, bell pepper, and scallion. Serve with bean threads or rice vermicelli, tossed with Thai Chile Sauce (page 66).
  • Rosemary Broiled or Grilled Boneless Chicken: Olive oil + 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice; 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary + Serve with Oven-Roasted Potatoes (page 329) or Steamed Asparagus Spears (page 262).
  • Miso Broiled or Grilled Boneless Chicken: 1 tablespoon sesame oil; 2 tablespoons good-quality vegetable oil + 2 tablespoons any miso paste; 2 tablespoons ground walnuts; go easy on the salt + Serve with Cold Soba Noodles with Dipping Sauce (page 522), sliced cucumber, and tomato.

• Chicken Teriyaki

  • Grilled Chicken Teriyaki
  • Stir-Fried Chicken Teriyaki

• Baked Boneless Chicken: The best oven-cooked boneless chicken is baked with a little liquid and fat, so these recipes fall somewhere in between braising and roasting. Rather than browned and crisp, the results are moist, flavorful—and foolproof.

• Chicken Baked with Tomatoes

  • Herb-Baked Chicken

• Chicken Baked with Tomatoes, 4 Other Ways

  • Turkish-Style Baked Chicken: 1 tablespoon ground cumin; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1 teaspoon ground allspice; olive oil, salt and pepper + 2 cups chopped tomatoes (drained canned are fine) with 2 bay leaves + Chopped fresh mint or parsley
  • Spicy Fennel Baked Chicken: ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley; 1 tablespoon chopped garlic; olive oil or butter, salt and pepper + 2 cups chopped tomatoes (drained canned are fine); 1 teaspoon fennel seeds; ½ teaspoon red chile flakes, or to taste + Chopped fresh parsley and toasted bread crumbs
  • Spanish-Style Baked Chicken: ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley; 2 tablespoons chopped garlic; 2 teaspoons smoked paprika; olive oil, salt and pepper + 1½ cups chopped tomatoes (drained canned are fine); ½ cup dry white wine + Chopped fresh parsley
  • Thai Curry Baked Chicken: 1 tablespoon Red Curry Paste or Green Curry Paste (page 46) + 1 cup coconut milk + Chopped fresh cilantro and lime wedges

• Stir-Fried Chicken with Broccoli or Cauliflower

• 13 Simple Additions to Stir-Fried Chicken

  • 1. Add 1 tablespoon or more of hoisin, plum, oyster, or ground bean sauce with the soy sauce.
  • 2. Add ½ teaspoon or more Vietnamese-Style Chile Paste (page 45) or Chile and Black Bean Paste (page 45).
  • 3. Add 1 tablespoon sesame oil with the soy sauce. A tablespoon or so of toasted sesame seeds (see page 309) is also good, alone or with the oil.
  • 4. While the chicken cooks in Step 1, sprinkle it with 1 tablespoon curry powder or five-spice powder (to make your own, see page 35).
  • 5. Toss in ½ to 1 cup raw or roasted cashews or peanuts when you return the vegetables to the pan.
  • 6. Omit the stock or water and add ½ cup or more coconut milk (to make your own, see page 372) along with the soy sauce.
  • 7. Add 1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes when you return the vegetables to the pan.
  • 8. Replace half or all the soy sauce with fish sauce, fresh lime juice, or vinegar.
  • 9. Add 1 cup mung bean sprouts when you return the vegetables to the pan.
  • 10. Add ½ cup chopped shallots with the chicken; omit the onion or scallions if you like.
  • 11. Use snow peas, mushrooms, or other quick-cooking vegetables, alone or in combination, in addition to or instead of other vegetables.
  • 12. Add a handful of dried chiles with the vegetables or 1 fresh chile, sliced and seeded if you like, when you return the vegetables to the pan. (Don’t eat the dried chiles.)
  • 13. In addition to the stock or water, add 1 tablespoon rice wine or dry sherry for the sauce.

• Stir-Fried Chicken with Ketchup

  • Stir-Fried Tofu with Ketchup

• Sautéed Boneless Chicken

• Stir-Fried Chicken 6 Ways (As in the recipe above, use 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs and good-quality vegetable oil. Add the aromatics and vegetables in Step 2 and the extras and sauce in Step 4. If the pan seems dry when you make the sauce, add water 1 tablespoon at a time.)

  • Stir-Fried Chicken with Black Beans: 2 tablespoons chopped garlic; 1 tablespoon chopped ginger; 1 cup sliced onion + ¼ cup chopped scallions, plus more for garnish + 2 tablespoons fermented black beans soaked in 2 tablespoons rice wine, dry sherry, or white wine + 1 teaspoon sugar (optional); 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • Stir-Fried Chicken with Mushrooms: 2 tablespoons chopped garlic; 1 leek, rinsed thoroughly and chopped + 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced + ½ ounce dried shiitake mushrooms, reconstituted and drained (see page 304) + 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 2 tablespoons rice wine, dry sherry, or white wine
  • Stir-Fried Chicken with Basil and Chiles, Thai Style: 2 tablespoons chopped garlic; 1 tablespoon chopped ginger; 2 cups sliced onion + ¼ cup chopped scallion; 1 cup shredded fresh basil, plus more for garnish + 2 or 3 chopped fresh chiles like jalapeño or serrano, or to taste, or dried chiles, red chile flakes, or cayenne to taste + 1 teaspoon sugar (optional); 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • Stir-Fried Chicken with Greens: 2 tablespoons chopped ginger; 1 tablespoon chopped garlic; 1 cup sliced onion + 3 cups chopped kale or Chinese greens like water spinach + 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (see page 309) for garnish + 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • Stir-Fried Chicken with Cabbage: 2 tablespoons chopped garlic; 1 tablespoon chopped ginger + 2 cups shredded green cabbage + 2 tablespoons soy sauce; ½ cup chicken stock or water
  • Stir-Fried Chicken with Orange and Chiles: 2 tablespoons chopped garlic; 2 tablespoons chopped ginger; 20 dried small red chiles, like Thai; zest of 2 oranges, left in strips (Don’t eat the chiles and oranges.) + ¼ cup orange juice, 2 tablespoons soy sauce

• Sautéed Chicken with Wine Sauce

  • Sautéed Chicken with Cream Sauce

• 12 Simple Spins on Sautéed chicken with Wine Sauce

  • 1. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons capers or pitted chopped olives along with the stock.
  • 2. Add 1 teaspoon to 2 tablespoons any chopped fresh herb instead of the parsley; use chives, dill, basil, chervil, or cilantro for garnish.
  • 3. Add 1 or 2 bay leaves with the wine; remove them before serving.
  • 4. Cook 2 tablespoons chopped shallot, scallion, or onion or 1 teaspoon chopped garlic in the fat remaining in the pan for 1 minute, stirring, just before adding the wine. Add 1 tablespoon chopped anchovy if you like.
  • 5. Add 1 tablespoon fresh lemon or orange juice after swirling in the butter or oil at the end. Add 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon grated lemon or orange (or grapefruit) zest at the same time, if you like.
  • 6. Add ½ cup or more peeled, seeded, and diced tomato along with the stock. Especially great with 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar stirred in just before adding the butter or oil at the end.
  • 7. Cook ½ cup chopped fresh mushrooms in the fat remaining in the pan for 1 minute, stirring, just before adding the wine. Or use ¼ cup chopped reconstituted dried mushrooms (see page 304).
  • 8. Stir in 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon Dijon or other mustard after swirling in the butter or oil at the end.
  • 9. Add up to ½ cup Caramelized Onions (page 315) when you add the stock.
  • 10. Use butter and increase the amount in the final addition to as much as 4 tablespoons (½ stick). This butter should be cold and cut into small bits, and incorporated a little at a time to make a smooth sauce.
  • 11. Add 2 ounces chopped pancetta or bacon to the pan after removing the chicken; omit the last 1 tablespoon butter or oil.
  • 12. Don’t dredge the chicken in flour. Simply rub with salt and pepper or a little of any spice blend (to make your own, see pages 27–35) and cook directly in the hot butter or oil. If you crank up the heat a little bit, you’ll get a nice brown crust with tender, juicy insides; reduce the cooking time accordingly.

• Breaded Chicken Cutlets

  • Chicken Parmigiana
  • Eggplant Parmigiana

• 6 More Ways to Vary Breaded Chicken Cutlets

  • 1. Add ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese to the bread crumbs.
  • 2. Add spices to the flour, like 1 tablespoon chili powder, curry powder, five-spice powder (to make your own, see page 35), or ground cumin. Use good-quality vegetable oil instead of olive oil and garnish with lime wedges.
  • 3. Use unsweetened coconut flakes instead of half the bread crumbs; use good-quality vegetable oil instead of olive oil.
  • 4. Marinate the chicken breasts in buttermilk or yogurt, any Vinaigrette (page 188), or coconut milk (to make your own, see page 372) for up to a few hours before dredging and cooking. Be sure to scrape off as much of the marinade as you can before proceeding.
  • 5. Add up to ¼ cup chopped fresh herbs like parsley, cilantro, chives, or a combination, or about a tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or thyme, to the bread crumbs.
  • 6. When you beat the eggs, add 1 to 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard.

• Poached Boneless Chicken Breasts or Thighs

  • Poached Boneless Chicken Breasts or Thighs with Lemon Sauce

• 8 More Additions to Chicken Poaching Liquid

  • 1. Use ½ cup cream instead of the wine; add it with the chicken and avoid vigorous boiling.
  • 2. Replace the stock or water and all or some of the wine with any vegetable juice.
  • 3. Add 1 cup chopped fresh tomato with the liquid.
  • 4. Replace the leeks with 1 large shallot, sliced.
  • 5. Omit the leeks and use 2 tablespoons sliced ginger, 2 tablespoons sliced garlic, and 4 scallions, chopped. Use all chicken stock (page 176) or water for the poaching liquid and replace the bay leaves with 1 fresh chile, like serrano or jalapeño, halved. Add 2 tablespoons soy sauce and go easy on the salt.
  • 6. Add ½ ounce dried mushrooms, reconstituted and drained (see page 304) with the liquid and bay leaves.
  • 7. Replace the bay leaves with 1 sprig fresh rosemary.
  • 8. Replace the wine with balsamic, sherry, or rice vinegar.

• Poached Boneless Chicken Breasts or Thighs, 5 Ways

• Naked Chicken Enchiladas: Red Enchilada Sauce (page 73) or Green Enchilada Sauce (page 73) + Chopped scallions + Tortillas and Refried Beans (page 393)

• Spiced Tomato Poached Chicken: Spicy Tomato Sauce (page 481) + Chopped fresh cilantro + Baked Rice Pilaf (page 434)

• Curry-Poached Chicken: Red or Green Curry Sauce (page 46) + Lime wedges + Steamed Sticky Rice (page 430), White Rice (page 430); or Brown Rice (page 430)

• Oil-Poached Chicken: 1 cup olive oil; cook twice as long over low heat to prevent browning + Any chopped fresh herb and lemon wedges + Fresh bread or Baked Rice and White Beans, Tuscan Style (page 402)

• Not-Quite Chicken Parmesan: Fast Tomato Sauce (page 478) or any of its variations + Grated Parmesan cheese and toasted bread crumbs, preferably homemade (see page 801) + Buttered spaghetti or other long pasta

• Boneless Chicken in Packages with Orange

• Butchering Chicken: Step 1 Use a knife or sharp kitchen scissors. Cut through the breast near, rather than through, the wing joint. This serves two purposes: It’s easier—you don’t have to locate the exact spot of the joint—and it gives you a much meatier wing at little sacrifice to the breast. Step 2 Hold up one of the legs by its end and slice the skin between the breast and leg; it’s easy to see. Step 3 Find the joint where the thigh meets the carcass and cut through it. Step 4 Pop the back off the breast; the carcass will break in half quite easily. Step 5 Cut the back away from the breast. (Save the back, wing tips, and any other scraps for stock.) Step 6 Cut the breast in half; what’s illustrated here is cutting lengthwise, but you can cut across the breast as well. You can also cut it into three or four pieces instead of two. Step 7 Find the joint connecting the leg and thigh and cut through it, if you like. Step 8 Find the joint connecting the main wing sections and cut through it if you like.

• Roast Chicken Parts with Olive Oil or Butter

• Roast Chicken Parts with Olive Oil or Butter, Unleashed

  • Additions in Step 1:
    • A few sprigs of a strong herb like thyme, sage, oregano, or rosemary
    • Several cloves garlic (20 wouldn’t be too many), smashed
    • A cup or so chopped onion, shallots, or leeks
    • Rub the chicken with about ½ cup Traditional Pesto (page 51) or other Herb Puree (page 52)
    • 2 or 3 lemons, halved (oranges and limes are good too); when the chicken is done, squeeze the hot juice over it
    • Use Compound Butter (page 78), Flavored Oil (page 53), or Vinaigrette (page 188) at the beginning Step 1 or as a basting sauce during cooking
  • Additions in Step 2:
    • A cup or so sliced fresh mushrooms
    • Use good-quality vegetable oil in Step 1; add several slices of ginger and garlic; garnish with scallions and/or cilantro in Step 3
    • Stir a couple of tablespoons of any curry powder into a cup of yogurt or coconut milk; spoon or brush it on as a basting sauce during cooking
    • 2 cups chopped broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, or bell pepper
    • 2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels (great with oregano added in Step 1)
    • A lot of hot dried hot chiles; a couple of toasted, soaked, and chopped dried milder chiles; or both
  • Additions in Step 3:
    • 1 pint cherry tomatoes; pitted black olives
    • A cup or so Tomato Sauce with Fresh Herbs (page 482; use dill)
    • Stir a dollop of whole grain mustard into the pan juices when the chicken is done
    • Stir in a cup of any Fresh Salsa (starting on page 55)
    • Garnish the chicken with 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
    • After turning, sprinkle with ¼ cup bread crumbs (preferably homemade; see page 801)

• Oven “Fried” Chicken

  • Oven “Fried” Parmesan-Herb Chicken
  • Oven “Fried” Sesame Chicken

• Chicken Adobo

• Simply Grilled or Broiled Chicken Parts

• Grilled or Broiled Chicken, Japanese Style

  • Grilled or Broiled Chicken, Thai Style
  • Grilled or Broiled Chicken, Vietnamese Style

• 10 of the Best Recipes for Chicken Wings

  • 1. Chicken Escabeche or its variations (page 598)
  • 2. Chicken Teriyaki (page 601)
  • 3. Stir-Fried Chicken with Ketchup (page 605)
  • 4. Roast Chicken Parts with Olive Oil or Butter and the variations in the sidebar that follows (page 615)
  • 5. Simply Grilled or Broiled Chicken Parts (page 617) and the variations in the table that follows (page 620)
  • 6. Grilled or Broiled Chicken, Japanese Style and its variations (below)
  • 7. Arroz con Pollo (page 625)
  • 8. My New Favorite Fried Chicken (page 628) with any spice rub (pages 32–35)
  • 9. Chicken MarkNuggets and its variations (page 630)
  • 10. Grilled or Broiled Split Chicken or its variation (page 642)

• Simply Grilled or Broiled Chicken Parts, 9 Ways

  • Grilled or Broiled Chicken with Mustard: Combine 2 tablespoons olive oil with ½ cup Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Reserve ¼ cup. Use the rest to coat the chicken in Step 1. Immediately after grilling, brush with the reserved mustard sauce.
  • Grilled or Broiled Chicken with Lemon and Herbs: Put a bit of fresh herb (sage, tarragon, basil, rosemary, thyme) between the skin and the meat; chop the same herb for garnish. In addition to olive oil, salt, and pepper, rub the chicken all over with fresh lemon juice. Garnish with the reserved chopped herbs and lemon wedges.
  • Grilled or Broiled Chicken with Cilantro and Lime: Combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, 1 tablespoon chopped shallot or onion, ¼ teaspoon cayenne, salt, and pepper. Baste with this mixture in Step 2. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro and lime wedges.
  • Grilled or Broiled Chicken with Citrus: Combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, the zest and juice of 1 lemon, orange or ½ grapefruit, salt, and pepper. Baste with this mixture in Step 2. Serve with lemon, orange, or grapefruit wedges.
  • Grilled or Broiled Chicken with Smoky Maple Syrup: Glaze Combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Baste with this mixture in Step 2. Garnish with lots of chopped fresh chives.
  • Grilled or Broiled Chicken with Soy Glaze: Combine 1 tablespoon each good-quality vegetable oil and sesame oil with ¼ cup soy sauce. Baste with this mixture in Step 2. Garnish with lots of chopped fresh cilantro and/or scallions.
  • Grilled or Broiled Chicken with Peanut Sauce: Make a batch of Peanut Sauce (page 75). Use this mixture for basting in Step 2. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro or Thai basil and lime wedges.
  • Shortcut Jerk Chicken: Mix 1–2 tablespoons Jerk Seasoning (page 34) with 2 tablespoons good-quality vegetable oil; baste with this mixture in Step 2. Scatter several lemon wedges around the chicken.
  • Curried Grilled Chicken: Mix ½ cup coconut milk with 2 tablespoons curry powder; baste with this mixture in Step 2. Garnish with toasted coconut flakes (page 372).

• Ideas for Seasoning Any Grilled or Broiled Chicken

  • Before grilling, rub with a couple of tablespoons of:
    • Chili Powder (to make your own, see page 32)
    • Curry Powder (to make your own, see page 32)
    • Garam Masala (to make your own, see page 34)
    • Jerk Seasoning (to make your own, see page 34)
    • Red Curry Paste or Green Curry Paste (to make your own, see page 46)
  • During grilling, brush with a cup or so of:
    • Any Chile Paste (page 40)
    • Traditional Pesto (page 51) or any other pesto or Herb Purée (page 52)
    • Simplest Yogurt Sauce (page 59)
    • Any Barbecue Sauce (to make your own, see page 74)
    • Teriyaki Sauce or its variation (page 76)
    • Compound Butter (see page 78)
  • After grilling, serve with one recipe of:
    • Any Chile Paste (page 40)
    • Traditional Pesto (page 51) or any other pesto or Herb Purée (page 52)
    • Any Fresh Tomato or Fruit Salsa (page 55) Simplest Yogurt Sauce or any variation (page 59)
    • Any Chutney (pages 61–62)
    • Soy Dipping Sauce and Marinade (page 64)
    • Ginger-Scallion Sauce or its variation (page 64)
    • Miso Dipping Sauce (page 66)
    • Salsa Roja (page 71) or Salsa Verde (page 73)
    • Barbecue Sauce (page 74)
    • Teriyaki Sauce (page 76)
    • Any Five-Minute Drizzle Sauce (page 81)

• Chicken and Lentils

  • Chicken and Chickpeas

• Cooking Rabbit

  • The USDA considers rabbit poultry, though of course it’s not a bird, and nowhere near as popular as chicken or turkey. Its lean, muscular, skinless meat doesn’t work well with dry-heat cooking methods like broiling, grilling, or roasting. But you can substitute rabbit—which really does taste like chicken—for virtually any recipe for braised chicken. Some supermarkets and specialty food stores regularly carry rabbit frozen or even fresh, or you can order it from the same specialty butchers and online sources where you’ll find quail and other game birds. If it’s not cut up, split the rabbit along the backbone, then separate the loin (akin to chicken breast) and forequarters from the hindquarters. You can then cut the quarters into eight pieces, just as you would chicken (see the illustrations on page 614).

• Coq au Vin

• Arroz con Pollo

• 7 Ingredients to Add to Arroz con Pollo

  • 1. After removing the chicken pieces at the end of Step 1, render about 4 ounces bacon, cut into small cubes, in the skillet. Remove it with a slotted spoon when crisp. Proceed with Step 2, and cook the onions and rice in the remaining fat as directed. Sprinkle the bacon on top before serving.
  • 2. Add 2 tablespoons chopped garlic to the onions in Step 2.
  • 3. Add 1 chopped red bell pepper or a mix of red and green to the onions in Step 2.
  • 4. Add 1 chopped fresh tomato or about 1 cup canned to the rice in Step 2, just before adding back the chicken.
  • 5. Add pinch ground allspice and a bay leaf to the onions in Step 2. Remove the bay leaf before serving.
  • 6. Tuck 1 cup fresh or frozen peas into the rice in Step 3, about 5 minutes before the dish is finished.
  • 7. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, scatter 2 cups chopped fresh spinach or watercress on top of the simmering dish to let it soften. Stir it into the rice with a fork before serving.

• Chicken Biryani

• 21 Poultry Dishes That Are Good Cold or at Room Temperature

  • 1. Broiled Boneless Chicken or Grilled Boneless Chicken (page 596)
  • 2. Chicken Escabeche (page 598)
  • 3. Chicken Teriyaki (page 601)
  • 4. Poached Boneless Chicken Breasts or Thighs with Lemon Sauce (page 611)
  • 5. Roast Chicken Parts with Olive Oil or Butter (page 615)
  • 6. Chicken Adobo (page 616)
  • 7. Simply Grilled or Broiled Chicken Parts (page 617)
  • 8. Arroz con Pollo (pages 625)
  • 9. My New Favorite Fried Chicken (page 628)
  • 10. Simplest Whole Roast Chicken or any of its variations (page 633)
  • 11. Roast Chicken with Garlicky Herb Butter (page 636)
  • 12. White Cut Chicken (page 637)
  • 13. Smoky Whole Chicken (page 640)
  • 14. Chicken Under a Brick (page 641)
  • 15. Grilled or Broiled Split Chicken (page 642)
  • 16. Forty-Five-Minute Roast Turkey (page 646)
  • 17. Roast Turkey Breast, on the Bone (page 650)
  • 18. Fast “Roast” Duck, Chinese Style (pages 654)
  • 19. Grilled or Broiled Cornish Hens with Sherry Vinegar (page 658)
  • 20. Roast Quail with Honey, Cumin, and Orange Juice (page 660)
  • 21. Grilled or Broiled Chicken Kebabs (see page 673)

• My New Favorite Fried Chicken

• 10 Sauces for Fried Chicken

  • 1. Any mustard (page 35)
  • 2. Any herb sauce (page 52)
  • 3. Any raw or cooked salsa (starting on page 55)
  • 4. Soy Dipping Sauce and Marinade (page 64)
  • 5. Blue Cheese Dressing and its variations (page 59)
  • 6. Any chutney (starting on page 61)
  • 7. Ginger-Scallion Sauce (page 64)
  • 8. Any mayonnaise (page 69)
  • 9. Real Ranch Dressing and its variations (page 71)
  • 10. Barbecue Sauce (page 74) or any of its variations

• Many More Ways to Spin Fried Chicken

  • Rub a spice mixture onto the chicken before marinating, or add it to the flour:
    • Chili powder (to make your own, see page 32); or mix 2 tablespoons chili powder, 2 tablespoons ground cumin, 2 teaspoons ground coriander, and ½ teaspoon cayenne (optional)
    • Curry powder (to make your own, see page 32)
    • Garam masala (to make your own, see page 34)
    • Jerk seasoning (to make your own, see page 34)
    • Any ground mild, hot, or smoked dried chile
    • Add 1 tablespoon fresh thyme to the flour mixture and heat 10 bay leaves in the cooking oil (when the oil comes up to temperature, remove the bay leaves).
  • Spike the buttermilk:
    • Add 1 tablespoon or more any Chile Paste (pages 40–46).
    • Replace 1 cup with a 14-ounce can coconut milk (or to make your own, see page 372).
    • Go easy on the salt and whisk in ¼ cup any miso (the light ones are mildest).
    • Add a few dashes soy sauce or fish sauce.
    • Add up to 1 tablespoon ground spices like curry or chile powder.
  • Change the coating:
    • Replace ½ cup of the flour with ½ cup cornmeal.
    • Replace 1 cup of the flour with 1 cup bread crumbs (see page 801).

• Chicken MarkNuggets

  • Cornmeal Chicken MarkNuggets
  • Super-Crunchy Pan-Fried Chicken MarkNuggets

• Quartering a Roast Chicken: Step 1 Cut straight down on each side of the breastbone, following the shape of the carcass. Continue to cut down toward the back until you reach the joints holding the thighs and wings to the carcass. Remove the backbone from one half if you like and freeze it for stock. Step 2 With each half, cut between the breast and thigh to easily separate them.

• Carving a Roast Chicken: Step 1 Cut straight down on each side of the breastbone, following the shape of the carcass. Step 2 Continue to cut down toward the back until you reach the joints holding the thigh and wing to the carcass. Step 3 Cut through those joints to free the entire half of the bird. Step 4 Separate the leg and breast sections by cutting through the skin that holds them together; hold the knife almost parallel to the cutting board, cut from the breast toward the leg, and you will easily find the right spot. Step 5 Separate the wing from the breast if you like. Step 6 Separate leg and thigh; the joint should offer little resistance once you find it.

• Simplest Whole Roast Chicken

  • Roast Chicken with Cumin, Honey, and Orange Juice
  • Roast Chicken with Soy Sauce

• Is Brining Worth the Effort?

  • Since this book was first published, there’s been quite a debate about brining -a technique used most frequently for poultry but also for shrimp and to a lesser degree, pork. The thinking behind brining makes sense: Submerge the meat in a saltwater solution for minutes, hours, or days, depending on its size, so the seasoned water is absorbed-think back to science class and osmosis- resulting in a tastier, moister, and more tender meat. For chickens, Cornish game hens, and other small birds, brining isn’t too onerous. You’ve probably got a nonreactive container (like a stainless-steel pot, ceramic crock, or covered plastic tub) big enough to handle the task and enough refrigerator space to borrow for a couple of hours. whole turkeys are another matter entirely, often requiring a special container and several cubic feet of prime fridge space or, if you’re lucky, outside temperatures meat consistently in the thirties. It’s a hassle, but brining is sometimes worth it. Before slow-smoking pork butt or ribs or roasting a turkey, then, yes, brining can help make large cuts subject to a long time on heat more flavorful and less dry. And shrimp is brilliant grilled after brining (see page 535). For turkey and poultry parts and small cuts of meat, simple salting- sometimes called dry-brining-is a more accessible alternative. Here’s how: Liberally sprinkle both sides of the meat-chicken, turkey, duck, pork, lamb, or beef-with kosher or sea salt and rub it in. (Adding a few herbs or some minced garlic at the same time never hurts.) Cover loosely with foil or parchment paper and let it rest on a rimmed baking sheet for up to an hour at room temperature, or in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 24 hours. Then rinse the meat well, dry, and proceed with the recipe, omitting additional salt until you taste before serving.

• Varying Simplest Whole Roast Chicken

  • Season the Bird
    • Lemon: 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice in addition to or instead of olive oil, and/or a halved lemon in the cavity.
    • Soy-Lime: 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, good-quality vegetable oil, ¼ cup soy sauce instead of the olive oil; or lime juice with chopped fresh chile or red chile flakes, chopped fresh cilantro to taste, and a tablespoon or two of oil.
    • Spiced Chicken: Mix about 1 tablespoon ground spice with the olive oil; paprika is my first choice, but use any favorite like chile powder or Five-Spice (page 35).
    • Chile Rub: 1–2 tablespoons Harissa or other Chile Paste (page 40).
    • Seasoned Butter: A few tablespoons any Compound Butter (page 78) between the skin and the meat.
  • Add to the Roasting Pan
    • Wine Pan Sauce: ½ cup white wine, 2 cloves garlic, crushed; baste with this a couple times during roasting.
    • Herbed Potatoes: About ½ pounds potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks; 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, rosemary, marjoram, oregano, or sage.
    • Roasted Aromatics: 1½–2 pounds chopped mixed sturdy vegetables like fennel, carrots, celery, and/or onions.
    • Mushrooms: 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, cut into chunks; a handful whole garlic cloves (don’t bother to peel); 2 shallots, cut into chunks.
    • Roasted Root Vegetables: 2 cups chopped any sturdy root vegetable like sweet potato, parsnip, or turnip; 1 cup cooked chickpeas (page 407).
  • Baste While Roasting
    • Honey-Mustard Glaze: 2 tablespoons to ⅓ cup mustard, 2 tablespoons honey; baste with this mixture a couple times during roasting.
    • Curry Baste: Coat with good-quality vegetable oil instead of olive oil. Combine ½ cup coconut milk, 2 tablespoons curry powder; baste with this mixture a couple times during roasting.
    • Fresh Herb Finish: ¼ cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, chervil, basil, or dill over the chicken. Baste after about 20 minutes; garnish with more chopped herbs.
    • Miso Glaze: Miso Dipping Sauce or any of the variations (page 66); baste with this mixture a couple times during roasting.
    • Molasses Glaze: ¼ cup Molasses Mustard (page 37); 2–3 tablespoons cider vinegar; salt and pepper. Baste after about 20 minutes.

• Roast Chicken with Garlicky Herb Butter

  • Roast Chicken with Miso Butter

• Flavored butters, chopped fresh herbs or aromatics, or any of the spice blends on pages 27 to 35 will work well. Here are seven recipes that are easily adapted to this technique.

  • 1. Roast Chicken Parts with Olive Oil or Butter (page 615)
  • 2. Simply Grilled or Broiled Chicken Parts (page 617)
  • 3. Roast Chicken with Garlicky Herb Butter (page 636)
  • 4. Chicken Under a Brick (page 641)
  • 5. Grilled or Broiled Split Chicken (page 642)
  • 6. Forty-Five-Minute Roast Turkey (page 646)
  • 7. Roast Turkey Breast, on the Bone (page 650)

• White Cut Chicken

• Chicken Pot Pie

  • Faster Chicken Pot Pie
  • Chicken Shepherd’s Pie
  • Chicken-n-Biscuit Pie
  • Phyllo-Topped Chicken Pot Pie

• Splitting, Butterflying, or Spatchcocking Chicken: Step 1 With the breast facing up, use a heavy knife to cut on one side of the backbone, from front to rear, carefully rocking as necessary. (To use kitchen scissors efficiently, turn the bird over.) Step 2 Cut on the other side of the backbone and remove it. Open the chicken out flat. Press down on the breast bone to flatten the chicken. Step 3 If you like, cut down through the breast bone to split the chicken into two halves.

• Smoky Whole Chicken

• Chicken Under a Brick

• Grilled or Broiled Split Chicken

  • Tandoori Chicken
  • Jerk Chicken

• How to Carve a Roast Turkey: Step 1 First remove the leg-thigh section by cutting straight down between the leg and carcass and through the joint holding the thigh to the carcass. Repeat on the other side and set aside. Step 2 The easiest option is to cut thick slices of white meat from the breast. To remove the breast first, see the illustrations on page 648. Step 3 Cut the wings from the carcass and carve the meat from the leg-thigh sections.

• Forty-Five-Minute Roast Turkey

• Classic Roast Turkey with Gravy

• Removing Roast Turkey Breasts: Step 1 For more even slices of meat, you can remove the breast from the bone after cutting off the wings, thighs, and legs. Begin by slicing directly down along the side of the breast bone. Step 2 Keep the side of the blade pressed against the bone as you free the entire breast. Step 3 Slice the breasts crosswise as you would a boneless roast.

• Turkey Gravy

• 5 Other Recipes You Can Use to Stuff Poultry

  • 1. Steamed Sticky Rice (page 430) or any of the variations
  • 2. Rice Pilaf (page 434)
  • 3. Quinoa with Roasted Corn (page 458)
  • 4. Wild Rice Pilaf (and its variations page 467)
  • 5. Wheat Berries with Candied Walnuts (page 468)

• My Favorite Bread Stuffing

• Roast Turkey Breast, on the Bone

  • Basic Roast Boneless Turkey Breast

• My Favorite Stuffing, 6 Ways

  • Basic Stuffing: ½ pound (2 sticks) butter + 1 onion, chopped; 2 carrots, chopped; 2 celery stalks, chopped. Add ½ cup dry white wine when the vegetables are soft. + 6 to 8 cups fresh bread crumbs (see page 801) + ½ cup chopped toasted pecans (see page 309); 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage or thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried)
  • Bread Stuffing with Giblets and Fruit: ½ pound (2 sticks) butter + 1 onion, chopped. Chop the raw gizzard, heart, and liver; add after the onion is soft, and cook until the giblets are no longer pink. + 6 to 8 cups fresh bread crumbs (see page 801) + 2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme; 1 finely crumbled bay leaf; 1½ cups chopped pitted prunes; 2 cups peeled, diced tart apples
  • Bread Stuffing with Sage and Chestnuts: ½ pound (2 sticks) butter + 1 onion, chopped. Add 1 pound Boiled Chestnuts (page 282), shelled, skinned, and chopped, and ½ cup dry white wine after the onion is soft; boil for 5 minutes. + 6 to 8 cups fresh bread crumbs (see page 801) + 1 tablespoon fresh sage (or 1 teaspoon dried), ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
  • Bread Stuffing with Sausage: 1 pound sausage (casings removed); cook until no longer pink; spoon off the fat + 1 onion, chopped; 1 tablespoon chopped garlic + 6 to 8 cups fresh bread crumbs (see page 801) + 1 teaspoon ground cumin (optional); ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
  • Corn Bread Stuffing with Oysters and Sausage: 1 pound sausage (casings removed); cook until no longer pink; spoon off most of the fat + 1 onion, chopped; 1 tablespoon chopped garlic + 1 recipe Corn Bread (page 769), crumbled + 1 to 2 dozen oysters, shucked, plus their liquid; ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley.
  • Bacon-Nut Stuffing 1 pound slab or sliced bacon, chopped; cook until crisp; spoon off most of the fat + 1 onion, chopped; 1 tablespoon chopped garlic. Add 1 cup dry white wine and 2 bay leaves when the onions are soft; boil for 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaves before proceeding. + 6 to 8 cups fresh bread crumbs (see page 801) + 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts or chopped walnuts; 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

• 24 Crowd-Pleasing Thanksgiving Side Dishes You May Not Have Considered

  • 1. Any Bruschetta (page 95)
  • 2. Simple Green Salad and any of its variations (page 194)
  • 3. Caesar Salad (page 196)
  • 4. Chopped Salad (page 197)
  • 5. Simple Radish or Jicama Salad (page 200)
  • 6. Fennel and Orange Salad (page 205)
  • 7. Rice Salad with Dried Apricots (page 217)
  • 8. Grilled Bread Salad (page 221)
  • 9. Any Puréed Vegetables (page 240)
  • 10. Any Broiled Vegetable Gratin (page 251)
  • 11. Beet Rösti with Rosemary (page 265)
  • 12. Pan-Roasted Celery Root with Rosemary Butter (page 280)
  • 13. Chard with Oranges and Shallots (page 280)
  • 14. Fennel Baked in Orange Juice (page 293)
  • 15. Leeks Braised in Oil or Butter (page 302)
  • 16. Caramelized Onions (page 315; use small onions or shallots)
  • 17. Potato Rösti (page 332)
  • 18. Sweet Sautéed Apples or Other Fruit (page 365)
  • 19. Baked Beans (page 400)
  • 20. Israeli Couscous Pilaf with Black Olives (page 457)
  • 21. Bulgur Pilaf with Vermicelli (page 458)
  • 22. Millet-Cauliflower Mash (page 466)
  • 23. Farro with Leeks, Cherry Tomatoes, and Basil (page 467)
  • 24. Vegetarian Lasagne (page 502)

• Turkey Thighs in Almond Mole

• Roast Duck

  • Roast Duck with Orange Marmalade-Sake Sauce

• Fast “Roast” Duck, Chinese Style

• Duck Confit

• Crisp-Braised Duck Legs with Aromatic Vegetables

• 8 Poultry Dishes That Reheat Well

  • 1. Chicken Teriyaki (page 601)
  • 2. Chicken Adobo (page 616)
  • 3. Chicken and Lentils (page 622)
  • 4. Coq au Vin (page 624)
  • 5. Turkey Thighs in Almond Mole (page 652)
  • 6. Duck Confit (page 655)
  • 7. Cornish Hens and Sauerkraut (page 659)
  • 8. Pheasant Stewed with Dried Fruits (page 662)

• Roast Goose

• Grilled or Broiled Cornish Hens with Sherry Vinegar

• 5 Other Sauces That Are Great Basted On and Served With Grilled or Broiled Cornish Hens

  • 1. Chimichurri (page 52)
  • 2. Soy Dipping Sauce and Marinade (page 64)
  • 3. Compound Butter (page 78)
  • 4. Any Five-Minute Drizzle Sauce (page 81)
  • 5. Any Vinaigrette (page 188)

• Cornish Hens and Sauerkraut

  • Cornish Hens with Cabbage

• Roast Quail with Honey, Cumin, and Orange Juice

• Grilled or Broiled Squab, Vietnamese Style

• Semiboning Squab and Quail: Step 1 Put the bird on its back on a cutting board. Using a sharp boning knife or kitchen scissors, cut down alongside the backbone on both sides; remove it as you would butterfly a chicken (see page 640). Open the bird out, skin side up. Press down gently on the breast to flatten it a bit (you should hear the breastbone crack). Turn the bird over. Step 2 Use a sharp knife to cut underneath the cartilage or “flap” in the center of the bird and remove it. Use the same technique to cut through the “shoulder” joint on one side, where the wing meets the body. Carefully cut the meat away from under the rib cage. Remove the rib cage and wishbone. Step 3 Using your hands, pop out the “hip” joint and separate the thigh from the body, then cut through the skin, meat, and tendons with the knife. Repeat on the other half of the bird. Step 4 You will have a whole butterflied bird. Handle it gently, since the leg and breast quarters are held together by nothing more than skin. (To cut the bird into halves, cut straight through the center.) Discard the bones, or reserve to make stock.

• Pheasant Stewed with Dried Fruits

Meat

Chapter at a glance: The Basics of Buying and Cooking Meat*,* The Basics of Beef*,* The Basics of Pork*,* The Basics of Lamb, Goat, and Veal*.* **

• Chuck: The neck/shoulder area is muscular and has lots of connective tissue, which means it is flavorful and best suited to long, slow cooking, or grinding. Cuts from the chuck may be called shoulder roast or steak; arm roast or steak; blade, top blade, or underblade roast or steak; and eye roast. The steaks have decent flavor but are tough. Sliced boneless chuck meat, however, works perfectly for stir-frying.

• Rib and short rib: Behind the chuck, ribs 6 through 12 comprise one of the most valuable parts of the steer; ribs 10 through 12 are considered the best in terms of marbling and size. Rib steaks or rib-eye steaks are as good as they come; rib roasts are the best beef to roast; and short ribs—pieces of the long rib bones cut into sections—are wonderful for braising.

• Loin or short loin: Actually two highly valuable sections behind the rib, the top (shell) and the bottom (tenderloin). The tenderloin may be sold whole or cut into large lengths for elegant roasts, or cut against the grain into the small, thick steaks called filet mignon or the medallions toward the tip, named tournedos. Either way, the meat is supremely tender but not that flavorful or chewy, so it benefits from sauces. The shell, which extends alongside the tenderloin to the sirloin, yields some of the best and most popular steaks, especially the New York strip (also called shell steak, Kansas City strip, club steak, or strip loin steak). T-bone and porterhouse steaks (nearly identical) are part tenderloin (tender but not especially tasty) and part shell (not so tender, but much more flavorful). Delmonico steaks contain no tenderloin and are often boneless. The hanging tender steak (or hanger steak) also comes from the short loin.

• Sirloin: Behind the loin and the flank, the sirloin contains the rear end of the shell, which makes steaks of varying tenderness and usually lots of flavor. You just never quite know what you’re getting unless you talk to the butcher. They may simply be labeled sirloin; if there’s more detail, choose pin-bone. Identifications like top or bottom or butt or rump give you the location toward the round (see the illustration), where they start to get more chewy. The popular tri-tip roast comes from the sirloin too. You can cook sirloin like other roasts and steaks—and I like this cut quite a bit—but it’s best sliced relatively thin before eating.

• Round: The rear end of the steer, usually used for ground meat, is also cut into steaks (top round, also called rump) and roasts (top or bottom round), which are almost always tough and never especially flavorful—they’re too lean. For pot-roasting, look to chuck instead. For oven-roasting or steaks, look to the rib, loin, or sirloin. Meat from the round is good for stir-frying, as long as it is thinly sliced. Also from the rear end of the steer comes oxtail—rarely, if ever, from ox anymore—which is cross-cut and used for soups and stews. (And from the opposite end, another similar delicacy comes from the head—beef cheeks.).

• Flank: Under the loin is the flank, a lean cut that can be made into flank steaks, which must be thinly sliced, always against the grain (crosswise), to avoid toughness. So-called London broil-which is usually cut from the flank, round, or sirloin-isn’t technically a cut but rather a cooking method for a large steak; you still see it sold as a cut, though. Flank is good for stir-frying and broiling.

• Brisket: Directly under the chuck, the brisket has good flavor but will never become what you call tender; even if you cook the daylights out of it, it will be chewy. This doesn’t mean it’s unpleasant; it’s quite tasty, just chewy. It’s often used for corned beef and pastrami. In front of the brisket are the foreshank and shin, good for stew or soup meat.

• Plate: Behind the brisket and under the rib, this is even tougher and harder to cook than brisket; it’s often cured to make pastrami, but is sometimes sold as steaks, which have good flavor but are tough. Good for braising. Skirt steak, a long, narrow strip of meat from this section of the steer (actually the diaphragm), is fantastic grilled or pan-cooked, as long as you don’t overcook it.

• Checking Meat for Doneness: 125° to 130°F for rare (still quite red); 130° to 135°F for medium-rare (pinkish red); 135° to 145°F for medium (little or no pink); 145° to 155°F for well-done (no pink)

• Major Parts of Beef

• Many Ways to Cook Steak

  • Charcoal-Grilled Porterhouse or T-Bone Steak
  • Steaks on a Gas Grill
  • Pan-Grilled Steak
  • Broiled Steak
  • Pan-Grilled, Oven-Roasted Steak
  • Reverse-Seared Steak

• 5 Unexpected Sauces for Steaks

  • 1. Fresh Tomato or Fruit Salsa (page 55)
  • 2. Blue Cheese Dressing (page 59)
  • 3. Thai Chile Sauce (page 66)
  • 4. Real Ranch Dressing or any of its variations (page 70)
  • 5. Any Five-Minute Drizzle Sauce (page 81)

• Grilled or Broiled Flank Steak

  • Grilled or Broiled Skirt Steak
  • Grilled or Broiled Butterflied Leg of Lamb

• Pepper Steak with Red Wine Sauce

  • Sichuan Steak with Plum Wine Sauce
  • Steak Teriyaki

• Stir-Fried Beef with Green Peppers and Black Beans

• Grilled Beef Kebabs with Lots of Vegetables

  • Roasted Beef Kebabs

• Roast Beef: (Dry cooking in an oven does very little to tenderize big pieces of beef. So your choices are limited—you must start with tender cuts—but not all of them are super-expensive. And I serve lots of side dishes when I make a roast, so no one is tempted to eat a pound of meat; this makes the meat go a lot further. Let’s start with the most economical cuts.)

  • Round roasts: Cut from the hindquarter near the legs of the animal, these lean roasts are best slowly roasted and sliced as thin as you can, even if that means the pieces come out in shards or “shaved,” which are tender and easy to eat. The common cuts are top round, bottom round, and eye of round (the cut used for deli roast beef).
  • Sirloin roasts: Pleasantly chewy and quite flavorful. You just have to be sure not to overcook them, and then cut thin slices against the grain (crosswise). Tri-tip—so named for its triangular shape—is getting easier and easier to find, so I’ve included a recipe in this section. Other sirloin options include top sirloin roasts (large and “petite”) and sirloin tip roast.
  • Whole strip: This is boneless New York strip before it’s cut into steaks. Very flavorful and rather expensive, but my second-favorite roast after prime rib. A whole strip roast weighs about 10 pounds and will serve 20 people or more, but you can ask for smaller pieces. This can easily be grilled in much the same way as the filet (see page 676).
  • Prime rib: The piece of the steer that gives us rib-eye steaks is so well marbled that it’s juicy even when no longer pink. For the best roast, get it cut to order from a butcher or well-serviced meat counter. Ask for the small end (the 7th through 12th ribs), with the short ribs removed; you want what’s called a “short” roast. (You can cook those short ribs separately with any of the recipes on pages 679–683.) The butcher can take the meat off the bones, or you can cook the roast bone in and carve the whole thing (see the illustrations below); it’s easy to cut the bones free after slicing if you don’t want to serve them with the meat. Cooking the roast without the bones decreases the cooking time considerably, so be careful not to overcook.
  • Filet or Beef: This is the whole tenderloin, wonderfully tender but not super-flavorful; you’ll want a sauce with this. I prefer something more interesting but people like it for the ease of cooking and impressive presentation. You can also gril1 whole filet; it won’t take more than 30 minutes using a combination of indirect and direct cooking.

• Prime Rib Roast for a Small Crowd

  • Prime Rib for a Big Crowd
  • Boneless Prime Rib

• Carving Prime: Rib Step 1 Cut close to the bone, between the ribs, for the first slice. Step 2 Unless you want huge portions, the second slice is boneless.

• Roast Tri-Tip with Chimichurri

  • Roast Strip Loin with Blue Butter
  • Roast Tenderloin with Hollandaise

• Braised Beef: The opposite of dry-heat grilling or roasting, braising—also known as stewing—involves slow and low cooking with liquid. This method tenderizes tough, fatty cuts like beef chuck, brisket, round, and rump, as well as short ribs, and specialty cuts like oxtails and beef cheeks. Cooking time varies depending on the size of the piece or pieces, the amount of fat marbling, and the way the meat was raised. Don’t try to rush by boiling the liquid; the meat will only become tough. It’s better to save time by skipping the searing step. And if you make the dish in advance—or have leftovers—all the better: It will taste even better the next day and reheat just fine, even after refrigeration for days or freezing for months. When refrigerated, a layer of fat will rise to the surface, so as a bonus you can make the sauce less greasy by scraping it off with a spoon before reheating.

• Beef Stew

  • Carbonnade
  • Braised Beef with Chiles and Lime
  • Beef Stew with Tomatoes and Dried Mushrooms
  • Sort-of Sauerbraten
  • Burgundy Beef

• Beef Stroganoff with Mushrooms

• Mustard-Braised Short Ribs

  • Coffee-Chile Braised Short Ribs
  • Braised Oxtails

• Pot Roasts: The difference between stews or braises and pot roasts is that in a pot roast, the meat is braised whole, in less liquid. Chuck, rump roast, and brisket are classic cuts for this treatment, though you can use shin, oxtails, or cheeks this way for a more stew-like dish; small whole pieces will cook faster than large ones, so just check earlier and more frequently. When the meat is tender, it is done. Hold the roast—or slices—in the warm sauce for up to 10 minutes or so, not much more. Even though the sauce is wet and rich, when all the fat is cooked out of the meat, it dries out quickly.

• All-American Pot Roast

  • Italian-American Pot Roast
  • Five-Spice Pot Roast

• Braised Beef Brisket

  • Braised Beef Brisket with Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Dried Fruit, and Lots of Garlic

• Corned Beef with Cabbage and Potatoes

• Ground Meat: The key to excellent burgers is starting with the right meat, which is why I encourage you to grind your own (see page 686). When you buy meat labeled simply “ground beef,” you have no idea what you’re getting. It likely comes from anonymous cuts of several different animals, and is often ground in huge quantities, which increases the risk for spreading bacteria or pathogens. Knowing the source and terms like ground sirloin, ground chuck, 85 percent or 90 percent lean, and so on helps you make better choices: You’ll know at least what cut of beef has been ground up, and how much fat the meat contains.

• My Classic Burger

  • My Classic Burger in a Skillet
  • Cheese-Stuffed Burgers

• 13 Mix-and-Match Ideas for Flavoring Burgers

  • 1. 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, basil, chives, chervil, or other herb
  • 2. ½ teaspoon minced garlic or 1 clove roasted garlic
  • 3. 1 tablespoon minced anchovies
  • 4. 1 teaspoon minced or grated fresh ginger or ground ginger
  • 5. 1 tablespoon soy, Worcestershire, or steak sauce
  • 6. ¼ cup minced shallots or scallions
  • 7. Tabasco or other hot sauce, to taste; start with ½ teaspoon
  • 8. Up to 1 tablespoon curry powder, chili powder, or other spice mixture (to make your own, see pages 27–35)
  • 9. Up to ½ cup grated or crumbled cheese like Parmesan, cheddar, blue, or feta
  • 10. 1 cup cooked spinach or other greens, squeezed dry and chopped
  • 11. 1 to 2 tablespoons ground dried porcini; or ¼ cup dried porcini, reconstituted and chopped
  • 12. 1 dried mild chile like ancho, soaked until tender, seeds removed if you’d like, and minced
  • 13. 1 tablespoon or more freshly grated horseradish or prepared horseradish

• Meat Loaf

  • Meat Loaf with Spinach

• Pork Shoulder: The front leg; the most common cut is called Boston butt or picnic ham. Sometimes smoked, salted, or cured, like ham (the rear leg), but more often sold fresh. Fatty and usually delicious, this is among the best cuts to roast or cook in liquid because it remains moist and becomes tender. Hocks and trotters (feet) also come from the front legs. Pork steaks are sometimes cut from the shoulder. Loin Behind the shoulder, this part of the animal contains the ultra-lean tenderloin, which must be cooked only minimally to prevent it from drying out. The loin also produces steaks, roasts, and chops, boneless and bone-in. There are several names commonly used for loin roasts: rib end (from near the shoulder), loin or rump end (from the rear), and center loin, center-cut loin, or center-cut rib. The rear end is the leanest and mildest, the shoulder end fattier and most flavorful. All of these roasts may be cut into chops with the same characteristics. Back ribs and country-style ribs (which are not ribs at all) are also cut from the loin. So are one of my new favorites, pork sirloin steaks. Belly The cut that contains spareribs and bacon. Salted belly is salt pork; cured and smoked belly is American bacon. Uncured and almost entirely fat belly is popular as a sandwich or taco filling or simply roasted, sliced, and eaten as is. Ham The rear legs, almost always cured and/or smoked (in any number of ways), sold whole, in pieces, or in slices. See “All About Ham” on page 704 for more details.

• Grilling Pork Chops and Steaks: This is so simple you don’t even need a recipe, and it works for chops 1- to 2-inches thick, bone-in or boneless: Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for medium indirect cooking; make sure the grates are clean. Sprinkle the chops with salt and pepper and cook directly over the fire, with the lid closed, until browned, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Move the chops to the cooler side of the grill and cook, covered again, until they’re tender but still a little pink at the center, another 10 to 20 minutes total. Serve with any salsa (see pages 55–58 or 71–74) or Applesauce (page 364).

• Major Cuts of Pork

• Skillet Pork Chops

• Varying Skillet Pork Chops: (Think of this list as a mix-and-match free-for-all. Don’t worry about what’s “authentic” or traditional. Just combine the flavors you like. )

  • Change the Seasoning:
    • Replace the garlic with:
      • 1 tablespoon chopped ginger
      • ¼ cup chopped red onion or scallions
      • 2 tablespoons chopped shallot
      • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary, thyme, or oregano
      • Fresh chopped red chile like serrano, to taste
      • 1 tablespoon curry powder (to make your own, see page 32)
  • Change the Liquid
    • Replace the water with:
      • Chicken stock
      • Canned tomatoes (whole, diced, or crushed)
      • Sake Beer
      • Dry red wine
      • Dry or slightly sweet white wine
      • Orange juice
      • Apple cider
      • Coconut milk
      • Carrot Juice
  • Change the Additions:
    • Replace the vinegar with:
      • Dijon mustard
      • Sriracha or other hot sauce
      • Ketchup
      • Soy sauce
      • Fish sauce
  • Change the Garnish:
    • Serve with lime or lemon wedges.
    • Garnish with fresh chives, basil, or mint.
    • Sprinkle with chopped toasted peanuts, hazelnuts, or cashews.

• Stir-Fried Pork with Bok Choy

• Pork Sirloin Steaks with Fresh Orange Sauce

  • Pork Steaks with Honey-Soy Pan Sauce
  • Pork Steaks with Balsamic-Pepper Glaze

• Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Lots of Herbs

  • Grilled or Broiled Pork Tenderloin with Herb Crust
  • Roasted, Grilled, or Broiled Pork Tenderloin with Miso Crust

• Roast Pork with Garlic and Rosemary

• Roast Pork Shoulder, Puerto Rican Style

  • Candied Roast Pork Shoulder
  • Carnitas
  • Shredded Pork

• Slow-Roasted Spareribs

  • Slow-Grilled Spareribs
  • Char Siu Slow-Roasted or Slow-Grilled Spareribs

• Crown Roast of Pork

• Braised Pork with White Wine and Celery Root

  • Braised Pork with Tomatoes and Fennel
  • Braised Pork with Coconut Milk and Carrots
  • Seared and Braised Pork

• Spicy Braised Pork with Vietnamese Flavors

• Braised Spareribs with Root Vegetables

  • Braised Spareribs with Greens

• Homemade Breakfast (or Any Other Meal) Sausage

  • Italian-Style Pork Sausage, Hot or Sweet
  • Super-Seasoned Sausage
  • Sausages with Peppers and Onion

• Garlicky Pork Burgers

  • Lemongrass Pork Burgers

• Major Cuts of Lamb

• 3 Ways to Cook Bacon

  • 1. Sautéing: Start the bacon in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. When it begins to sizzle, separate the slices if you haven’t done so already. Regulate the heat so the slices brown evenly without burning, turning them frequently. Total time will be 10 to 20 minutes, longer for large quantities; you may need to cook in batches.
  • 2. Microwaving: The best method for three to six slices. Put the bacon on a triple layer of towels on a microwave-safe plate and cover with a double layer of towels. Microwave on high for 2 minutes, then check; move the pieces around a little and continue to microwave in 1-minute intervals until done. Total time will depend on the power of your microwave, but will be less than 5 minutes even in a small oven.
  • 3. Roasting: Slow but easy and reliable, especially for large quantities. Heat the oven to 450°F. Put the bacon in a large roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet in a single layer and slide it into the oven. Roast, checking every 5 minutes or so and turning occasionally. If the pan starts smoking or the bacon is browning too quickly, lower the heat to 425°F. As the meat cooks, take out the extra fat by carefully tipping the pan a little and spooning it into a heatproof bowl. Turn the pieces as they brown and release from the pan. Total cooking time will be 20 to 30 minutes, depending on how much you cook and how you like it.

• The Basics of Lamb, Goat, and Veal

  • Shoulder: Fatty and flavorful, ideal for roasting and stewing; good cut into chops as well. Chops cut from this area should always be cooked medium; large chunks or bone-in roasts are best slow-cooked to well-done.
  • Shank: Inexpensive ends from the legs are wonderful braised.
  • Breast: Usually cut into “riblets,” which are spectacular slow-roasted or grilled.
  • Ribs: Best known as rack of lamb, this section can also be cut into rib chops. Always good cooked rare to medium-rare.
  • Loin: This can be sold whole, as a saddle; it’s a lovely roast. Or it can be cut into loin chops, which are fine. It can also be boned and cut into medallions.
  • Leg: Sold whole or in halves, bone in or out; occasionally cut into steaks or cubed for shish kebab—you can’t go wrong with any of these.

• Carving a Leg of Lamb: Step 1 To carve a leg of lamb, take a slice or two off the thick end and set aside. Step 2 Make a long slice parallel to the cutting board as close to the bone as is possible. Step 3 Cut thin slices from the top of the leg.

• Grilled or Broiled Lamb Chops

  • Grilled or Broiled Lamb Chops, Italian Style

• Roast Leg of Lamb

  • Roast Leg of Lamb with Thyme and Orange
  • Roast Leg of Lamb with Garlic and Coriander Seeds
  • Roast Leg of Lamb with Anchovies
  • Rolled and Tied Leg of Lamb Roast

• Lamb Stew with Cinnamon and Lemon

  • Lamb Stew with Mushrooms
  • Lamb Stew with Eggplant or Green Beans
  • Lamb Stew with White Beans
  • Lamb Curry

• Ways to Use Game in These Recipes (Here’s a simple list of substitutions for cooking different kinds of game)

  • 1. Use beef recipes for venison.
  • 2. Use pork recipes for wild boar.
  • 3. Use lamb recipes for goat (which is not exactly game but is still a specialty meat).
  • 4. Use chicken recipes for rabbit (see page 624).

• Lamb Shanks with Tomatoes and Olives

  • Osso Buco

• Roast Rack of Lamb with Persillade

• Grilled or Broiled Veal Chops

Breakfast, Eggs, and Dairy

Chapter at a glance: The Two Fastest, Most Versatile Breakfasts*,* The Basics of Eggs*,* Essential Egg Recipes*,* Omelets, Frittatas, and Other Flat Omelets*,* Quiches, Custards, and Soufflés*,* French Toast, Pancakes, Waffles, Crêpes, and Doughnuts*,* Breakfast Cereals*,* The Basics of Dairy*,* Cheese

• Fruit Smoothie

  • Green Smoothie
  • Fruit and Vegetable Smoothie
  • Coconut Smoothie
  • Not-Too-Sweet Chocolate Smoothie

• Topping Toast

  • Cinnamon Toast: After turning, smear liberally with butter and sprinkle with equal parts cinnamon and sugar. Return to the broiler until browned.
  • Honey-Chile Toast: Same as above, only the topping is equal parts butter and honey, spiked with salt and Aleppo or other ground mild chile.
  • Elvis Toast: After turning, spread with peanut or other nut butter and top with thin banana slices. Return to the broiler to brown.
  • Fresh Cheese Toast: Brown one or both sides and spread with ricotta, cottage cheese, or goat cheese and top with chopped fresh or dried fruit. Return to the broiler, or not.
  • Welsh Rarebit: Mix Mornay (Cheese) Sauce (page 79) with a dash of Worcestershire sauce and dry mustard. After toasting one side, spread a spoonful over the top. Return to the broiler until bubbling. (Use all the sauce for 8 slices of toast or refrigerate whatever is left over for up to a couple days.)
  • Milk Toast: Spread with butter and sprinkle with sugar. When the toast comes out from under the broiler, put in a shallow bowl and pour hot milk over the top; let sit for just a minute.

• Soft-Boiled Egg

  • Medium-Boiled Egg

• Hard-Boiled Egg, My Usual Way

  • Softer Hard-Boiled Egg
  • Harder Hard-Boiled Egg
  • Hard-Boiled Egg, Another Way

• Fried Eggs

  • Over-Easy Eggs
  • Eggs in a Nest or Eggs in the Hole

• 5 Simple Ideas for Fried Eggs

  • 1. As the butter or oil heats, season it with a few fresh herb leaves or a smashed clove garlic.
  • 2. First cook bacon in the skillet, then use the rendered fat to fry the eggs.
  • 3. As the white sets, use a butter knife to fold its edges over the yolk, making a little package to protect the yolk from overcooking.
  • 4. Add Worcestershire sauce or other liquid seasoning like soy or hot sauce to the white before it sets.
  • 5. Cook ½-inch-thick tomato slices—either ripe or green tomatoes—alongside the eggs (increase the amount of butter slightly).

• Everyday Scrambled Eggs

  • Scrambled Eggs with Cheese
  • Scrambled Eggs with Fine Herbs
  • Scrambled Eggs with Bacon or Sausage

• 12 Simple Additions to Scrambled Eggs

  • 1. Minced pickled jalapeño to taste
  • 2. Sautéed mushrooms, onion, spinach, or other cooked vegetables, chopped
  • 3. Chopped cooked shrimp or other seafood
  • 4. 1 teaspoon chopped fresh stronger herbs like oregano, tarragon, or thyme or 1 tablespoon milder ones like parsley, chive, chervil, basil, or mint
  • 5. Chopped smoked salmon or other smoked or cured fish
  • 6. Chili (see page 403) or any cooked beans
  • 7. Chopped salami or other smoked or cured meat
  • 8. Up to 1 cup peeled, seeded, and diced tomato or ¼ cup reconstituted dried tomatoes (or even better, ½ cup Oven-Dried Tomatoes, page 348)
  • 9. Tabasco, Worcestershire, or other prepared sauce, to taste
  • 10. Minced scallions 11. Chopped Roasted Red Peppers (page 318) 12. Any cooked salsa (see pages 71–74), drained if it’s quite moist

• The Best Scrambled Eggs

• Poached Eggs

• Baked Eggs

  • Baked Eggs for a Crowd

• Eggs Poached in Tomato Sauce

  • Eggs Poached in Tomato Sauce with Cheese
  • Eggs Poached in Creamed Something

• Eggs Benedict

• Mix-and-Match Eggs Benedict

  • Base:
    • Any rustic bread, sliced thick and toasted
    • Rye or wheat toast
    • Breaded and Fried Eggplant (or Any Other Vegetable) (page 288)
    • Grilled or Fried Polenta (page 461)
    • Corn Bread (page 769), cut into squares, split, and toasted
    • Buttermilk or Yogurt Biscuits (page 773), split
    • 50 Percent Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread (page 790), toasted
  • On top of base:
    • Sliced ham, pan-fried as in the main recipe
    • Thinly sliced prosciutto or Serrano ham, as is or pan-fried as in the main recipe
    • Crumbled or sliced chorizo, pan-fried as in main recipe
    • Sautéed spinach (see page 242; start with about 1 pound raw for 4 people)
    • Broiled or grilled shrimp (page 535)
    • Thinly sliced smoked salmon or Gravlax (page 551)
    • Flaked poached salmon (page 551)
  • Sauce:
    • Tahini Sauce (page 56)
    • Salsa Roja (page 71)
    • Brown Butter (page 78)
    • Béchamel Sauce (page 79)
    • Mornay (Cheese) Sauce (page 79)
    • Fast Tomato Sauce (page 478; without pasta)
  • Garnish:
    • Chopped fresh chives
    • Grated
    • Parmesan cheese
    • Dollop of sour cream
    • Chopped black olives
    • Chopped fresh basil or a drizzle of Traditional Pesto or other herb sauce (pages 51–52)

• Huevos Rancheros

• Folding an Omelet in Half: Step 1 First, hold the pan at a 45-degree angle so that half of the omelet slides onto the plate. Step 2 Gently increase the angle of the pan over the plate, allowing the omelet in the pan to fold over onto the first half. Folding an Omelet in Thirds Step 1 Using a large spatula, loosen one edge of the omelet; lift and fold about a third of it toward the center. Step 2 Now slide the spatula under the center of the omelet; lift and fold it over the opposite edge.

• Omelet

  • Tomato Omelet
  • Denver Omelet

• 13 Ideas for Filling Omelets

  • 1. Grated cheese (virtually any kind that melts at least a little), about 2 tablespoons per egg
  • 2. About ½ cup sautéed mushrooms, onion, spinach, or leftover cooked vegetables (steamed, boiled, or sautéed; rinse with boiling water if necessary to remove unwanted flavors); chop them as finely as you like.
  • 3. Tomato, peeled and seeded if you’d like and chopped (up to ½ cup per egg), drained of excess moisture
  • 4. Cottage cheese or goat cheese, mixed with fresh chopped herbs if you like
  • 5. Chopped ham, crisp-cooked bacon, or cooked sausage meat or other chopped meat
  • 6. Marmalade, jam, or jelly; sprinkle the top of the omelet with a little sugar before serving if you like
  • 7. 1 teaspoon chopped fresh stronger herbs like oregano, tarragon, or thyme or 1 tablespoon milder ones like parsley, chive, chervil, basil, or mint
  • 8. Fruit like berries or peeled and grated apples, briefly cooked with butter, sugar, and cinnamon
  • 9. About ¼ cup each cream cheese and smoked salmon cut into bits
  • 10. Cooked seafood like shrimp, scallops, lobster, or crabmeat, shredded or minced
  • 11. Chopped red bell pepper, mild chiles like New Mexico or poblano, or Roasted Red Pepper (page 318)
  • 12. About ½ cup sautéed chopped onion or scallions
  • 13. Mashed Potatoes (page 329) or other vegetables

• Fresh Tomato and Cheese Frittata

  • Frittata with Crumbled Sausage
  • Leftover Pasta, Noodle, Grains, or Rice Frittata

• 12 Additions to Frittate and Flat Omelets

  • 1. Chopped steamed spinach or chard, mixed with a dash lemon juice and a pinch freshly grated nutmeg or sautéed in olive oil with minced garlic
  • 2. Chopped or crumbled crisp bacon mixed with pan-fried apple and onion slices
  • 3. Minced salami or ham, cooked crumbled sausage, flaked cooked or smoked fish
  • 4. Sautéed onion, fresh tomato, and basil
  • 5. Asparagus or other green vegetable, goat cheese, and basil
  • 6. Cubed or sliced cooked eggplant and/or bell peppers (any way is good, but grilled is delicious)
  • 7. Chopped or grated and quickly sautéed zucchini (see page 242)
  • 8. Sautéed Mushrooms (page 306)
  • 9. Caramelized Onions (page 315) and blue cheese
  • 10. Leftover Mashed Potatoes (page 329)
  • 11. Peeled, seeded, and diced tomatoes or Oven-Dried Tomatoes (page 348)
  • 12. My Kind of Croutons and variations (page 801)

• Spanish Tortilla

• 5 Essential Breakfast Dishes Found Elsewhere in This Book

  • 1. For home-fried potatoes, I suggest you make Crisp Pan-Fried Potatoes (page 331), substituting butter for the olive oil if you like.
  • 2. For hash browns, try Potato Rösti (page 332): Cook it slowly so the inside becomes tender before the outside burns.
  • 3. For basic breakfast sausage, see page 703.
  • 4. To cook bacon, see page 706.
  • 5. For fruit salad, see page 210 and for macerated fruit, see page 363.

• Cheese Quiche

• Onion Quiche

  • Onion Quiche with Bacon

• Silky Baked Custard

• Cheese Soufflé

  • Individual Cheese Soufflés

• French Toast

  • Caramelized French Toast

• 6 Toppings for French Toast (Aside from or in addition to the obvious maple syrup)

  • 1. Sautéed apples, pears, bananas, or other fruit, or any fruit compote (pages 365 and 360)
  • 2. Whipped Cream (page 854)
  • 3. Maple Frosting (page 857)
  • 4. Orange Glaze (page 857)
  • 5. Creamy Caramel Sauce (page 860)
  • 6. Fruit Sauce, Two Ways (page 862)

• Maple Syrup: Maple syrup is made by boiling and evaporating sap from a specific kind of maple tree. It takes about 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon syrup, so it’s not inexpensive. But the difference between real thing and colored and flavored sugar syrup is pronounced. Read the label: The ingredients should say “pure maple syrup” and nothing else. It might be from Canada or the United States, and it will be graded. There is no longer so-called Grade B syrup. Everything is now all graded “A” and identified by four color classes—Golden, Amber, Dark, and Very Dark. The flavor gets stronger as the syrups get darker. But unless you prefer a milder flavor, there’s no reason to buy anything but Dark or Very Dark.

• Everyday Pancakes

• 6 Tips for Perfect Pancakes

  • 1. Use a nonstick griddle or skillet, or one of well-seasoned cast iron to minimize butter or oil.
  • 2. Heat until a few drops of water skid across the surface before evaporating.
  • 3. Ladle the pancakes onto the griddle with enough room in between for turning.
  • 4. The edges of the pancake will set first; when bubbles appear in the center of the pancake and the bottom is golden brown, it’s ready to flip.
  • 5. Serve the pancakes immediately, if possible; that’s when they are best.
  • 6. Melt the butter and gently heat the maple syrup or whatever topping you’re using (the microwave does a good job here).

• Light and Fluffy Pancakes

• Pancake Variations:

  • Buttermilk, Yogurt, Sour Cream, or Sour Milk Pancakes: Substitute one of these for the milk in either recipe (to sour your own milk, see page 751); use ½ teaspoon baking soda in place of the baking powder and proceed with the recipe. Thin the batter with a little milk if necessary.
  • Blueberry or Banana Pancakes: Use fresh or frozen (not thawed) blueberries; overripe bananas are my favorite: Just before cooking, stir the blueberries into the batter. For the bananas, slice them and press into the uncooked batter on top of the pancakes. Cook these pancakes over lower heat than you would other pancakes, as they burn more easily.
  • Whole Grain Pancakes: A bit denser in texture but with distinctive grain flavor: Substitute whole wheat, quinoa, amaranth, or teff flour or cornmeal, rolled oats, or a combination for up to 1 cup of the flour.
  • Lemon–Poppy Seed Pancakes: An especially good variation of the Light and Fluffy Pancakes: Substitute ½ teaspoon baking soda for the baking powder. When you add the milk, add 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest, and 2 tablespoons poppy seeds.

• Everyday Waffles

  • Whole Grain Waffles

• Overnight Waffles

• 7 Waffle Variations

  • 1. Add up to 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon or any curry powder (to make your own, see page 32).
  • 2. Add up to 1 cup chopped nuts; Granola, My New Way (page 749) or customized (see page 751); or sweetened or unsweetened shredded coconut.
  • 3. Add about 2 teaspoons minced or grated orange or lemon zest.
  • 4. Add 1 cup grated mild cheese like Emmental, Gruyère, or cheddar, or ½ cup grated Parmesan.
  • 5. Substitute rye flour, cornmeal, or another flour for up to half of the all-purpose flour.
  • 6. Add up to 2 teaspoons minced fresh or candied ginger.
  • 7. Add up to 1 cup puréed cooked sweet potatoes or winter squash and up to ⅛ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg or ground cloves.

• Buckwheat Crêpes, Sweet or Savory

• 6 Fillings or Toppings for Sweet Crêpes

  • 1. Any jam, jelly, marmalade, or macerated fruit (see page 363)
  • 2. Nutella or any nut butter, including peanut butter
  • 3. Any peeled, seeded, pitted, or cored fresh fruit, cooked briefly with sugar to taste, butter if you like, and a little rum or cinnamon (see Sweet Sautéed Apples, page 365)
  • 4. Crème fraîche, sour cream, or yogurt (sweetened, if you like)
  • 5. Brown Butter (page 78), sprinkled with ground cinnamon, cardamom, and/or cloves
  • 6. Creamy Caramel Sauce (page 860); not too much

• Fillings for Savory Crêpes (Gruyère and ham are the most common fillings for savory crêpes, but of course there are other possibilities.)

  • 1. Any grated, thinly sliced, or crumbled cheese like Gruyère, Brie, soft goat, mozzarella, cheddar, or fresh cheese
  • 2. Cooked, drained, and chopped vegetables, reheated in butter or oil per the directions on page 242; don’t bother to chop vegetables whose shape is naturally suited to rolled crêpes, like asparagus spears
  • 3. Any thick stew of vegetables, meat, chicken, or seafood
  • 4. Silky Baked Custard (page 735), spooned into the crêpe
  • 5. Cooked beans or lentils

• 5 Tips for Perfect Waffles

  • 1. The iron should be clean and lightly oiled, even if it’s nonstick. Before turning it on, brush or spray the iron lightly with good-quality vegetable oil or dab it with an oil-soaked towel.
  • 2. The iron must be hot. Almost all have lights that let you know when they’re ready.
  • 3. Be patient and don’t undercook. Don’t trust the indicator light or the myth about steam no longer escaping. Check for yourself: After spreading the batter over the bottom plate, close the lid and leave the iron alone for at least 2 minutes. Gently pull up on the top. If the lid resists, give it another minute or 2.
  • 4. During those couple of minutes waiting for the waffles to cook, melt the butter and warm the syrup. I use the microwave set on low.
  • 5. Try to serve waffles straight from the iron. If you must, hold them for a few minutes in a 200°F oven on a wire rack fitted into a rimmed baking sheet.

• Chocolate-Glazed Cake Doughnuts

• Oatmeal or Other Creamy Breakfast Cereal

  • Rich Oatmeal or Other Creamy Breakfast Cereal
  • Thick Oatmeal or Other Creamy Breakfast Cereal

• Grits

  • Cheesy Grits
  • Scrapple

• 12 Ideas for Oatmeal, Grits, and Other Cooked Grains

  • 1. Ground spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, cardamom, or anise
  • 2. Chopped dried fruit
  • 3. Chopped nuts and/or seeds
  • 4. Fresh fruit, chopped or sliced if necessary: apples, bananas, strawberries, apricots, peaches, blueberries, cherries, or raspberries
  • 5. Jam, jelly, marmalade, preserves, or macerated fruit (page 363)
  • 6. Shredded coconut (great when toasted; see page 372)
  • 7. Granola, My New Way (see below)
  • 8. Grated cheese
  • 9. Hard-Boiled Egg (page 721), chopped
  • 10. Poached Egg (page 725), or simply crack an egg into the simmering mixture during the last 3 to 5 minutes of cooking
  • 11. Cooked salsa (pages 71–74)
  • 12. Soy sauce, especially with a few drops of sesame oil

• Granola, My New Way

• Customizing Granola:

  • Sweeteners:
    • Maple syrup
    • Brown sugar
    • Molasses
    • Agave nectar or brown rice syrup
  • Flavorings
    • Spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, anise, coriander, allspice
    • Vanilla extract (mixed with the sweetener)
    • Peanut butter, other nut butter, or tahini
    • Ginger: fresh, ground, or candied
    • Orange, lemon, or grapefruit zest
  • Crunch and Chew
    • Nuts: peanuts, almonds, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias
    • Seeds: sesame, sunflower, flax
    • Dried fruits: apricots, dates, cranberries, cherries, blueberries, apples, pineapple, pears, papaya, mango
    • Chocolate or carob chips

• Yogurt

  • Strained Yogurt
  • Yogurt Cheese

• 8 Ideas for Flavoring Plain Yogurt

  • 1. Honey
  • 2. Maple syrup
  • 3. Vanilla extract, with or without a sweetener
  • 4. Chopped nuts
  • 5. Preserves or jam
  • 6. Any spice mixture (see pages 32–35)
  • 7. Fresh or cooked salsa (pages 55–58 and 71–74)
  • 8. Any chutney (pages 61–62)

• Parmesan, the Ultimate All-Purpose Cheese: I cannot emphasize how important it is to spring for the real thing—Parmigiano-Reggiano—which is produced only in Italy (and, in fact, only in a small part of the Emilia-Romagna region). Look for irregularly sized chunks with a waxy rind marked with the name in the distinctive pinhole-punched lettering. Parmesan has a complex, nutty flavor and a slightly grainy but almost buttery texture that goes with nearly everything. You can grate it finely or coarsely, or “shave” it with a vegetable peeler. And don’t throw away the rind; save rinds in your freezer so they’re always handy. They are great for seasoning and enriching soups and stews; cook chunks of rind for 15 minutes or longer and they’ll become soft enough to eat.

• 18 Cheesy Recipes Elsewhere in the Book

  • 1. Blue Cheese Dressing (page 59)
  • 2. Mornay (Cheese) Sauce (page 79)
  • 3. Marinated Mozzarella (page 96)
  • 4. Herbed Goat Cheese (page 100)
  • 5. Cheese Fondue (page 118)
  • 6. Spinach-Cheese Triangles (page 122)
  • 7. Bean and Cheese Empanadas (page 126)
  • 8. Chile Rellenos (page 319)
  • 9. Risotto with Three Cheeses (page 441)
  • 10. One-Pot Pasta with Butter and Parmesan (page 478)
  • 11. Baked Macaroni and Cheese (page 499)
  • 12. Meaty Lasagne (page 502)
  • 13. Cheese Ravioli (page 513)
  • 14. Cheese Tortellini (page 515)
  • 15. Cheese Soufflé (page 735)
  • 16. Grilled Cheese (page 804)
  • 17. Cheese Quesadilla (page 814)
  • 18. Pizza with Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella (page 819)

• Fresh Cheese, the Easy Way

  • Fresh Cottage Cheese
  • Shortcut Ricotta
  • Brined Fresh Cheese

• 4 Ways to Flavor Fresh Cheese

  • 1. Up to 2 tablespoons curry powder, chaat masala, or garam masala (to make your own, see pages 32–34)
  • 2. Up to ¼ cup any Chile Paste (page 40)
  • 3. Up to ¼ cup Traditional Pesto (page 51) or any of the herb purées on page 52
  • 4. Up to ¼ cup finely chopped Roasted Red Peppers (page 318), pimientos, piquillos, or olives

• Finishing Fresh Cheese: Step 1 Pour the coagulated, lumpy mixture into a cheesecloth-lined strainer. Step 2 Twist and squeeze out excess moisture. Step 3 Hang from a wooden spoon or other implement over the pot, the sink, or a bowl.

• Cheese Enchiladas

  • Cheese Enchiladas with Green Sauce
  • Chicken Enchiladas

• 16 Iconic Mexican Dishes Elsewhere in the Book

  • 1. Nachos (page 110)
  • 2. Lightning-Quick Fish Soup, Mexican Style (page 161)
  • 3. Tortilla Soup (page 165)
  • 4. Quick-Pickled Vegetables, Mexican Style (page 229)
  • 5. Chiles Rellenos (page 319)
  • 6. Refried Beans (page 393)
  • 7. Tamales (page 416)
    8. Chipotle Pozole (page 469)
    9. Naked Chicken Enchiladas (page 612)
    10. Turkey Thighs in Almond Mole (page 652)
    11. Huevos Rancheros (page 729)
    12. Flour Tortillas (page 781)
    13. Fish Tacos, Four Ways (page 811)
    14. Cheese Quesadillas (page 814)
    15. Fajitas Burritos (page 815)
    16. Flan (Crème Caramel) (page 890)

Bread, Sandwiches, and Pizza

Chapter at a glance: The Basics of Flour*,* The Basics of Leavening*,* Quick Breads*,* Unleavened Flatbreads*,* The Basics of Yeast Bread*,* Sandwiches, Tacos, and Burritos*,* Pizza

• Gluten-Free Baking

  • Gluten-Free Replacement for All-Purpose Flour: 1½ cups brown rice flour ¾ cup potato flour ¼ cup tapioca flour 1 teaspoon xanthan gum (optional)
  • Gluten-Free Replacement for Pastry Flour: 1¾ cups white rice flour ¾ cup potato flour ¼ cup tapioca flour
  • Gluten-Free Replacement for Bread Flour: 1½ cups brown rice flour ¾ cup potato flour ¾ cup sweet rice flour 2½ teaspoons xanthan gum
  • Gluten-Free Replacement for Cake Flour: 1½ cups brown rice flour ½ cup potato starch ¼ cup tapioca flour ½ teaspoon xanthan gum

• Griddled Olive Oil Salt Bread

• Corn Bread

  • Lighter, Richer Corn Bread
  • Corny Corn Bread
  • Bacon Corn Bread
  • Corn Muffins

• Banana Bread

  • Honey Whole Grain Banana Bread
  • Pumpkin Bread
  • Banana or Pumpkin Muffins (Honey Whole Grain or Not)

• Muffins, Many Ways

  • Bran Muffins
  • Sour Cream or Yogurt Muffins
  • Spice Muffins
  • Blueberry or Cranberry Muffins
  • Cheese and Chive Muffins

• Coffee Cake

  • Cinnamon-Orange Coffee Cake
  • Coffee Cake with Cardamom

• Buttermilk or Yogurt Biscuits

  • Baking Powder Biscuits
  • Drop Biscuits
  • Sweet Potato Or Winter Squash Biscuits

• 10 Additions to Virtually Any Quick Bread, Muffin, Biscuit, or Scone

  • 1. Spice mixtures like chili or curry powder (to make your own, see pages 27–35) or single spices like cumin, saffron, cardamom, or caraway seeds. Generally no more than 1 tablespoon, whole or ground as you like. Add to the dry ingredients.
  • 2. Traditional Pesto (page 51) or any other herb purée page 52), ½ cup. Drizzle it onto the batter once it’s in the pan and use a knife to swirl it in like marble cake.
  • 3. Minced or sliced pickled jalapeños, from 1 tablespoon to ¼ cup. Add with the liquid ingredients.
  • 4. Grated cheese, either soft, melting, or hard types; from ½ to 1 cup. Add to the dry ingredients.
  • 5. Molasses or honey, in place of some or all of the sugar (if there is any); use about half the volume. Add with the liquid ingredients.
  • 6. Minced herbs, up to ¼ cup mild ones like mint, parsley, or cilantro; up to 2 tablespoons of strongly flavored ones like rosemary, oregano, or thyme. Add to the dry ingredients.
  • 7. Sautéed onions, shallots, or leeks, about ½ cup. Add with the liquid ingredients. (If there is milk or other liquid, with this and other very savory additions, using stock for half the volume enhances the umami flavors.)
  • 8. Chopped nuts or seeds, like almonds, pecans, or pumpkin, poppy, or sesame seeds, up to ½ cup. Add to the dry ingredients.
  • 9. Dried cherries, blueberries, or cranberries or raisins; soak in a little warm water first and drain well. Up to 1 cup. Add to the finished batter or dough.
  • 10. Grated citrus zest; about 1 tablespoon. Add to the dry ingredients.

• Scones

• Popovers

• Crackers

  • Cream Crackers
  • Parmesan Crackers

• Scoring and Docking Crackers: Step 1 Cut the dough in a grid pattern before baking. Step 2 Prick the dough with the tines of a fork to keep the dough from puffing as it bakes.

• Chapati

  • Grilled Chapati

• 4 Ways to Vary Chapati Dough

  • 1. Replace up to ½ cup of the whole wheat flour with cornmeal, brown rice flour, or chickpea flour (besan).
  • 2. Replace the all-purpose flour with whole wheat; the dough will be slightly more difficult to handle, but the results will be delicious.
  • 3. Reduce the water to 1 cup and add ½ cup yogurt to the flour at the same time.
  • 4. Brush the chapati with good-quality vegetable oil, coconut milk (to make your own, see page 372), or melted butter during cooking.

• Paratha

• Flour Tortillas

  • Mostly Whole Wheat Tortillas

• Shaggy Versus Smooth Dough: Step 1 Dough about halfway through the mixing process; note that it still looks quite shaggy. Step 2 When the dough is ready, it will be ball shaped and easy to handle.

• Kneading Dough: Step 1 Using as little flour as possible, press the lump of dough down with the heels of your hands. Step 2 Fold the dough back over itself, then repeatedly press and fold the dough for 5 to 6 minutes, until it becomes far less sticky and quite elastic, like a taut ball.

• Shaping Boules and Rolls: Step 1 To make a boule, shape the dough into a ball. Step 2 Continually tuck the dough under, toward the center of the bottom, stretching the top slightly so that the ball becomes smooth and taut. Pinch the seam at the bottom to smooth it over as much as possible. Step 3 Put the ball to rise in a bowl lined with a floured kitchen towel. Fold the towel over the top and let rise for at least 1 hour, preferably 2 or 3. Step 4 Shape rolls as you would a small boule, then roll them on a lightly floured surface.

• Shaping Baguettes: Step 1 Roll the dough into a log. Step 2 Pinch the seam shut. Step 3 Let the baguettes rise on a couche made from a folded kitchen towel or tablecloth.

• Shaping a Sandwich Loaf: Step 1 If the dough has risen in an oiled bowl, you need no flour; otherwise, work on a very lightly floured surface. Use the heel of your hand to form the dough into a rectangle. Step 2 Fold the long sides of the rectangle over to the middle. Step 3 Pinch the seam closed, pressing tightly with your fingers. Step 4 Fold under the ends of the loaf. Step 5 Use the back of your hand to press the loaf firmly into the pan.

• Slashing the Dough: Slash the top of the shaped dough with a sharp knife or razor blade to allow steam to escape.

• Jim Lahey’s No-Knead Bread

• Baking No-Knead Bread: Step 1 The trick is not to hesitate: Use the towel on which the dough rose to turn it over into the pot. Step 2 Use tongs to lift out the finished bread.

• Rustic French Bread

  • Baguettes or French Rolls

• Everyday Sandwich Bread

  • 50 Percent Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

• 100 Percent Whole Wheat Bread

• Making Yeast Bread Dough by Hand or with a Standing Mixer

  • By Hand: Combine half the flour with the salt and yeast in a large bowl and stir to blend. Add all of the water and any butter, oil, eggs, or other liquids, and stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add the remaining flour a bit at a time; when the mixture becomes too stiff to stir with a spoon, begin kneading (see “Kneading Dough,” page 782), adding as little flour as possible—just enough to keep the dough from being a sticky mess. Knead until smooth but still tacky; the time will vary depending on the recipe.
  • With a Standing Mixer: To make yeast bread—including pizza dough—with a standing mixer, the machine must be fairly powerful or it will stall. Combine half the flour with the salt, yeast, and all of the water, plus any butter, oil, eggs, or other liquids); beat until smooth using the paddle attachment. With the machine on slow speed, add the remaining flour a little at a time, until the mixture has become a sticky ball that pulls away from the sides of the bowl; switch to the dough hook if the paddle is getting bogged down. When the dough is smooth—after several more minutes in the mixer—knead by hand on a floured work surface for 1 minute, adding as little flour as possible, then follow the directions in the recipe rising and shaping.

• Brioche

  • Cocoa Swirl Bread
  • Poppy Seed Swirl Bread
  • Cinnamon Buns

• Challah

• How Do I Get That Shiny Crust? This is also essential to get coarse salt, seeds, and spices to stick to the top of loaves and rolls: Right before the bread goes into the oven, make an egg wash by beating 1 egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water. Lightly brush the top of the loaves or rolls with this egg wash, sprinkle whatever else on top if you’d like, and pop them into the oven.

• Making Challah: Step 1 Cut the dough into three equal pieces. Step 2 Roll each piece into a rope about 14 inches long. Step 3 Lay the ropes next to each other and press one end together. Step 4 Braid, just as you would hair. Step 5 Continue to braid the pieces. Step 6 When you are finished braiding, use your fingers to tightly press the ends together.

• Onion Rye Bread

• Black Bread

  • Pumpernickel Raisin Bread
  • Black Bread with Chocolate

• 15 Ingredients to Add to Any Plain Yeast Bread

  • 1. Spice blends: 1 to 2 tablespoons, depending on their pungency, lightly toasted first in a dry pan (see pages 27–35 to make your own)
  • 2. Spice seeds, like caraway or cumin: Up to 1 tablespoon, lightly toasted first in a dry pan
  • 3. Cooked whole grains: Up to ½ cup
  • 4. Finely ground coffee or tea: Up to ¼ cup
  • 5. Wheat germ: Up to ¼ cup; lightly toast first in a dry pan if you like

• Knead any of these ingredients into the dough during the final shaping:

  • 1. Chopped nuts or seeds, toasted if you like: Up to 1 cup
  • 2. Chopped dried fruit (including dried tomatoes) or raisins: Up to ½ cup
  • 3. Chopped pitted olives: Up to ½ cup
  • 4. Chopped or crumbled bits of cooked ham, bacon, sausage, or pancetta, or prosciutto: Up to ½ cup
  • 5. Grated hard or medium-hard cheese like Parmesan, Manchego, pepper Jack, or ricotta salata: Up to 1 cup
  • 6. Bits of soft cheese like goat cheese, blue cheese or Gorgonzola, or cream cheese: Up to ½ cup
  • 7. Minced fresh herbs: Up to ¼ cup mild ones like parsley, mint, cilantro, dill, or chives; no more than 1 tablespoon strong ones like rosemary, sage, or oregano
  • 8. Minced fresh chile like jalapeño or Thai, hot red pepper flakes, or cayenne: To taste
  • 9. Roasted Garlic (page 294), lightly mashed or coarsely chopped: Up to ½ cup
  • 10. Caramelized Onions (page 315): Up to ½ cup

• Pita

• Naan

• Breadsticks

  • Sesame Rice Breadsticks

• Fresh Bread Crumbs

  • Toasted Bread Crumbs
  • Fried Bread Crumbs
  • Nutty Bread Crumbs

• My Kind of Croutons

  • Cubed Croutons
  • Herbed Croutons
  • Highly Seasoned Croutons
  • Dry-Baked Croutons

• Top 8 Spreads for Sandwiches and Wraps: (The classic sandwich spreads are mustard and mayonnaise (to make your own, see pages 37 and 69). Also consider:)

  • 1. Traditional Pesto or other herb sauces (pages 51–52)
  • 2. Any fresh salsa (page 55–58)
  • 3. Any chutney (pages 61–62)
  • 4. Barbecue sauce (to make your own, see page 74)
  • 5. Any of the dips or spreads in the Appetizers chapter (starting on page 99)
  • 6. Vinaigrette and other salad dressings (pages 188–191)
  • 7. Caramelized Onions (page 315)
  • 8. Soft-boiled egg yolks (page 721)

• Tuna Salad with Lemon and Olive Oil

  • Tuna Salad with Lime and Cilantro
  • Tuna Salad with Olives
  • Tuna Salad with Mayo
  • Egg Salad with Mayo

• Grilled Cheese

  • Broiled Cheese for a Crowd

• 7 Other Grilled Sandwiches

  • Grilled Cheese and Onions: Any bread; whole wheat or multigrain is best + Several slices smoked cheddar or other smoked cheese, up to ¼ cup Caramelized Onions (page 315)
  • Tuna Melt: Any bread; try a sourdough + ½ cup any Tuna Salad (page 804), several slices good melting cheese like Emmental, Gruyère, Jarlsberg, or cheddar
  • Reuben: Rye bread + Russian dressing (an equal mix of ketchup and mayonnaise) or mustard + 2 to 3 ounces sliced pastrami or corned beef, ¼ cup drained sauerkraut, several slices Swiss cheese
  • Cuban Sandwich: 6- to 10-inch section of long Italian loaf or baguette + Mustard + 3 ounces sliced roast pork, ham, and/or mortadella if you like, several slices Swiss cheese, thinly sliced dill pickle
  • Chicken-Pesto Panino: Ciabatta or similar crusty Italian-style bread + Traditional Pesto (page 51) + 2 to 3 ounces sliced cooked chicken breast, several slices mozzarella cheese (preferably fresh), 2 or 3 thin slices ripe tomato
  • Monte Cristo: Sandwich Bread (page 790), Challah (page 793), or Brioche (page 791). Fill the sandwich with several slices Gruyère cheese, 2 ounces or so sliced country ham. Then soak the bread in an egg beaten with a little milk as in French toast before cooking. + A smear of Dijon mustard + To gild the lily, add a fried egg on top
  • Grilled Nut Butter and Kimchee Sandwich: Rustic French Bread (page 787) or Sandwich Bread (page 790) + Almond or any nut butter (spread on both pieces of bread) + ¼ cup kimchee, drained well

• Pan Bagnat with Tuna

• 28 Perfect Hot and Cold Dishes for Filling Sandwiches

  • 1. Deviled Eggs (page 91)
  • 2. Tomato, Mozzarella, and Basil Salad (page 199)
  • 3. Any chicken, meat, or seafood salad (pages 221–227)
  • 4. Any of the burgers on pages 413, 443, 547, 687, 688, 704, and 705
  • 5. Deep Fried Seafood (page 540)
  • 6. Seafood prepared by any of the master recipes on pages 534–538
  • 7. Broiled Soft-Shell Crabs or Lobster (page 543), shelled
  • 8. Chile Shrimp with Celery (page 545)
  • 9. Gravlax (page 551)
  • 10. Bare-Bones Crab Cakes (page 585)
  • 11. Broiled or Grilled Boneless Chicken (page 596)
  • 12. Grilled Chicken Escabeche (page 598)
  • 13. Sautéed Chicken with Wine Sauce (page 609)
  • 14. Eggplant Parmigiana (page 609)
  • 15. Any Poached Boneless Chicken (pages 611–612)
  • 16. Chicken MarkNuggets (page 630)
  • 17. All the Many Ways to Cook Steak (page 667)
  • 18. Roast Tenderloin with Hollandaise (page 679)
  • 19. Braised Beef Brisket (page 684)
  • 20. Corned Beef (page 686)
  • 21. Meat Loaf (page 688)
  • 22. Grilled or Broiled Pork Tenderloin with Herb Crust (page 694)
  • 23. Any of the roast pork recipes on pages 695–698
  • 24. Braised Pork with Vietnamese Flavors (page 697)
  • 25. Baked Country Ham (page 704)
  • 26. Homemade Breakfast (or Any Other Meal) Sausage (page 705)
  • 27. Roast Leg of Lamb (page 709)
  • 28. Grilled or Broiled Veal Chops (page 713)

• Fish Sandwich with Chili-Lime Mayo

  • Fried Chicken Sandwich with Ranch Dressing

• Wraps

  • Caesar Wrap: Large white or whole wheat flour tortilla + Shaved or finely grated Parmesan + Caesar Salad (page 196), sliced grilled chicken or shrimp
  • Thai-Style Wrap: Large white or whole wheat flour tortilla + Peanut Sauce (page 75), chopped scallion, fresh cilantro (optional) + Stir-Fried Vegetables (page 244), with or without meat or tofu
  • Indian-Style Wrap: Lavash or softened Ak-Mak + Raita (page 59) or plain yogurt, any chutney (pages 61–64), fresh cilantro + Curry-Poached Chicken (page 612) or Simplest Dal (page 409)
  • Steak-and-Pepper: Wrap Lavash or softened Ak-Mak + Herbed Goat Cheese (page 100) + Steak slices (page 667), My Mom’s Pan-Cooked Peppers and Onions (page 320)
  • Wrapped Omelet: Large white or whole wheat flour tortilla + Mayonnaise, spiked with hot sauce if you’d like + Any omelet or frittata (pages 730–732)

• Building Hot Sandwiches

  • Broiled Roast Beef and Avocado Sandwich: Everyday Sandwich Bread (page 700) or Jim Lahey’s No-Knead Bread (page 785) + Guacamole (page 105) or mashed or sliced avocado, or Aioli (page 70) + Sliced roast beef, Roasted Red Peppers or poblanos (page 318), sliced cheddar or Jack cheese + Toast the bread, layer the spread and fillings on 1 slice bread, broil until the cheese melts, add second piece bread.
  • Pita Sandwich Stuffed with Spicy Lamb and Onions: Pita (page 798) + Simplest Yogurt Sauce (page 59) + Ground lamb, chopped onion and garlic, pinch cinnamon; thinly sliced zucchini; tomato slices + Sauté lamb in olive oil with onion, garlic, and cinnamon. Warm pita in oven; assemble the sandwich.
  • Open-Face Ratatouille Sandwich with Melted Mozzarella: Jim Lahey’s No-Knead Bread (page 785), or any Italian-style bread + Fresh basil leaves; drizzle of olive oil (optional) + Grilled Eggplant (page 252) or Sautéed Eggplant with Basil (page 290); Roasted Red Peppers (page 318) or tomato slices; sliced mozzarella + Grill or toast the bread if you like. Layer vegetables on bread, top with mozzarella, melt cheese under the broiler. Garnish with basil.
  • Grilled Chicken Breast Sandwich with Roasted Garlic and Mustard: Everyday Sandwich Bread (page 700) or Onion Rye Bread + Roasted Garlic (page 294), mashed, and grainy mustard + Grilled or roasted boneless chicken breast, Muenster or provolone cheese, arugula or raw spinach leaves + Melt cheese on the chicken in the last couple minutes cooking. Grill or broil bread, spread garlic and mustard on each slice, assemble.
  • North Carolina BBQ Sandwich: French Rolls (page 788), rolls made from brioche dough (see the headnote and recipe on page 791), or other airy rolls + Barbecue Sauce (page 74) + Roast Pork Shoulder (page 695) or Slow-Roasted Spareribs (page 698), bones removed; Spicy No-Mayo Coleslaw (page 203) + Wrap rolls in foil, warm in oven. Heat pork if necessary, then shred. Assemble sandwich, adding the slaw last.
  • Warm Goat Cheese Sandwich with Toasted Nuts: 50 Percent Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread (page 790) or any multigrain bread + Plain soft goat cheese + Toasted chopped almonds, Roasted Red Peppers (page 318), arugula or raw spinach leaves + Spread goat cheese on both pieces of bread and broil until bubbly. Sprinkle with almonds and finish with greens.

• Fish Tacos, Four Ways

  • Grilled Fish Tacos
  • Broiled Fish Tacos
  • Fried Fish Tacos

• Rolling Burritos: Step 1 Put the filling in the middle of the tortilla, slightly off center toward the edge closest to you. Step 2 Fold in the sides a little bit. Step 3 Roll up from the edge closest to you, tucking in the sides and the top edge to form a tight roll. Put the burrito seam side down on the plate or wrap the bottom half in foil or wax paper to help keep it together.

• Unusual Ideas for Filling Tacos and Burritos (Mix and match these recipes from elsewhere in the book, adding the usual lettuce or cabbage, tomatoes, cheese, avocados, and so on if you like.)

  • Roasted Beans with Oil (page 88) and Yellow Rice (page 436) + Fresh Tomatillo Salsa (page 56), especially with crumbled queso fresco
  • Crisp Pan-Fried Potatoes (Home Fries; page 332) with crisp-fried slices of Spanish chorizo + Avocado-Tomatillo Salsa (page 56) and shredded iceberg or romaine lettuce
  • Baked Black Beans and Rice (page 410) + Radish Salsa (page 58)
  • Garlic Shrimp with Tomatoes and Cilantro (page 545) + Green Papaya Salsa (page 58)
  • Pan-Cooked Salmon (page 548) + Chipotle-Cherry Salsa (page 58)
  • Arroz con Pollo (page 627); remove the bones and shred or chop + Cabbage and Carrot Slaw, Mexican Style (page 205)
  • Smoky Whole Chicken (page 642); remove the bones and shred or chop + Citrus Salsa (page 57)
  • Grilled or Broiled Flank Steak (page 672) + Pan-Roasted Corn with Cherry Tomatoes (page 286) and Cilantro Sauce (page 52)
  • Carnitas (page 699) or Shredded Pork (page 699) + Oven-Roasted Plum Tomatoes (page 347) and Real Ranch Dressing (page 71); garnish with chopped fresh cilantro

• Cheese Quesadillas

  • Grilled Quesadillas

• Tostadas: Like an open-face sandwich on toast, a tostada is a taco served on a flat fried or oven-crisped tortilla. I prefer the flavor and texture of corn tortillas, but you might like flour. For either, heat a thin film of good-quality vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat and fry the tortillas on both sides, one at a time. Or spread them on baking sheets, brush with the oil on both sides and toast until golden in a 400°F oven. The other main difference between a taco and a tostada is that for a tostada you want something to help the toppings stick to the tortilla. Refried or mashed beans are traditional, as are not-too-soupy braised meats. Finish with shredded cabbage or lettuce, grated or crumbled cheese, salsa, and guacamole or sour cream and serve as soon as possible.

• Fajitas Burritos

• Shaping Dough for Pizza and Calzones: Step 1 Stretch the dough with your hands. If at any point the dough becomes very resistant, cover and let it rest for a few minutes. Step 2 Press the dough out with your hands. Use a little flour or olive oil to keep it from sticking. Step 3 Alternatively, roll it out with a rolling pin; either method is effective. Step 4 To make a calzone; add your filling, fold the dough over onto itself, and pinch the seams closed.

• Pizza Dough

  • Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
  • Crunchier Pizza Dough
  • Gluten-Free Pizza Dough

• 4 Tips for Foolproof Pizza Toppings (Whether you bake or grill, the trick is for the toppings and the dough to cook in sync. Keep these points in mind:)

  • 1. Cook meat and vegetables before topping; pizza doesn’t bake long enough for most raw meats and vegetables to cook through and become tender. It’s better to use slices or crumbles than chunks, which will just burn on top. Just about any meat or vegetable is fair game.
  • 2. Pick the right time to add toppings to oven-baked pizzas: Delicate ingredients may overcook if left in the oven for the full baking time. It may be better to add them about halfway through cooking.
  • 3. Cover the grill after adding moist toppings like cheese or tomatoes to pizzas, or they may not cook through.
  • 4. Don’t overload any pizza, assuming you want a crisp crust. Especially grilled pizzas since you risk losing part of the topping between the grates every time you move them. Oven-baked pies are marginally more forgiving.

• White Pizza

  • Margherita Pizza
  • Marinara Pizza
  • White Pizza with Prosciutto and Parmesan
  • White Pizza with Clams

• Pizza on the Grill: Grilled pizza is fun to make, and easier than you’d think, especially if your grill has a cover. Wood fires are the trickiest to control, but impart a great flavor to the crust, gas grills are naturally the easiest, and charcoal lies somewhere in between. You want a fire that is hot enough to brown the dough, but not so hot that it scorches it before the interior cooks; you should be able to hold your hand a few inches above the fire for 3 to 4 seconds. An ideal setup is indirect grilling (see “Grilling over Fire,” page 21), where part of the grill is hot and part of it cool. On a gas grill, this means setting one side to “high” and the other to “low,” or some similar arrangement; with a charcoal or wood-fired grill, build your fire on only one side. Use the hot side for the initial browning of the dough, the cooler side to heat the toppings. Grill the dough on one side, just enough to firm it up and brown it a bit, then turn it (for small pizzas, use tongs; otherwise two spatulas or a spatula and your fingers do the trick) and add minimal toppings. Fully loaded grilled pizzas won’t cook properly and will be impossible to handle. One way around this is to grill pizzas with one or two ingredients, then add more—like arugula, herbs, or an extra grating of cheese—after you remove them from the fire. A final drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle of salt before slicing are always welcome.

• Pizza with Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella

  • Pizza with Tomato Sauce and Fresh Mozzarella
  • Pizza with Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella, and Sausage or Pepperoni

• 19 Ideas for Pizza Toppings

  • 1. Lightly cooked crumbled sausage or chopped bacon
  • 2. Thinly sliced salami, prosciutto, Spanish chorizo, or other cured meat
  • 3. Small amounts of Gorgonzola or other blue cheese; gratings of Parmesan are almost always welcome
  • 4. Dollops or dabs of fresh goat cheese or ricotta; first drain ricotta for a few minutes in a mesh sieve or on towels to draw out excess moisture
  • 5. Minced raw or mashed Roasted Garlic (page 294)
  • 6. Minced fresh chile like jalapeño or Thai, or red pepper flakes
  • 7. Pitted black olives, especially the oil-cured kind (good in combination with caramelized onions and vinegar), or green olives
  • 8. Canned anchovy fillets, with some of their oil
  • 9. Reconstituted dried tomatoes or Oven-Dried Tomatoes (page 348)
  • 10. Thinly sliced ripe tomatoes and basil, with olive oil and/or grated Parmesan, or peeled, seeded, and chopped tomatoes tossed with basil
  • 11. Traditional Pesto or other herb purée (pages 51–52).
  • 12. Sliced boiled waxy or all-purpose potatoes; great added to White Pizza (page 819)
  • 13. Well-washed and dried tender greens, especially spicy ones like arugula and watercress, added after baking or grilling, when the heat from the crust will wilt them (this takes about a minute)
  • 14. Sautéed spinach, asparagus, or broccoli raab
  • 15. Roasted Red Peppers (page 318)
  • 16. Grilled Eggplant (page 252) or Breaded and Fried Eggplant (page 288)
  • 17. Slices of grilled zucchini (page 253)
  • 18. Thinly sliced cremini or button mushrooms, tossed with a little olive oil, or Sautéed Mushrooms (page 306)
  • 19. Any lightly cooked seafood, or well-drained canned clams or flaked canned tuna

• Pissaladière

• Rosemary Focaccia

  • Deep-Dish Pizza, Chicago Style

• 7 Other Ingredients for Topping Focaccia

  • 1. Any other minced fresh herbs, or fresh chiles
  • 2. Thinly sliced tomatoes, patted dry
  • 3. Caramelized Onions (page 315)
  • 4. Pitted black or green olives or Tapenade (page 109)
  • 5. Grated Parmesan or other sharp cheese
  • 6. Thin slices prosciutto
  • 7. Thin slices peeled fruit like peaches, nectarines, apples, or plums, or halved grapes or cherries

• Turn Any Pizza into Calzone: One day I messed up sliding a pizza into the oven: Part of it folded onto itself on the pizza stone. I couldn’t take it back out, and I couldn’t bake it the way it was. So I finished the job, folding it over (and not too neatly), encasing the filling entirely in the dough. Voilà: accidental calzone. Intentionally made calzone are even better, since the filling is neatly enclosed in the dough. Start with the pizza dough recipe on page 817 and divide it into 2 or 4 pieces before shaping. While you can fill calzone with any pizza toppings (see “19 Ideas for Pizza Toppings,” page 821), they’re best with cheese and something else rather than all cheese. The filling should be fairly dry, so skip the tomato sauce. Wet fillings will leak or make the dough soggy; that’s why drained ricotta is an ideal base. Brush the tops with olive oil and bake the calzone on a baking sheet or directly on a pizza stone until golden on top and piping hot inside, 30 to 40 minutes, depending on how thick they are. Serve calzone with Fast Tomato Sauce (page 478) or any other tomato sauce for dipping or topping—or naked.

Desserts

Chapter at a glance: The Basics of Sweeteners*,* The Basics of Butter and Other Baking Fats*,* The Basics of Chocolate*,* Cookies, Brownies, and Bars*,* Cakes*,* Frostings, Glazes, Soaks, and Sauces*,* Pies, Tarts, Cobblers, and Crisps*,* Puddings, Custards, and Mousses*,* Frozen Desserts*,* Two Simple Candies

• Chocolate Chunk Cookies

  • Chocolate–Chocolate Chunk Cookies
  • White Chocolate–Pistachio Cookies

• 10 Cookies and Bars That Kids Can Help Make

  • 1. Chocolate Chunk Cookies (page 831)
  • 2. Oatmeal-Something Cookies (page 834)
  • 3. Butter Cookies and Chocolate Sugar Cookies (page 836)
  • 4. Rolled Sugar Cookies (page 836)
  • 5. Peanut or Other Nut Butter Cookies (page 836)
  • 6. Gingersnaps and Gingerbread People (page 837)
  • 7. Molasses-Spice Cookies (page 837)
  • 8. Brownies (page 840)
  • 9. Butterscotch Blondies (page 843)
  • 10. My Magic Bars (page 843)

• Oatmeal-Something Cookies

  • Lacy Oatmeal Cookies

• Sugar Cookies

  • Chocolate Sugar Cookies
  • Brown Sugar and Salt Cookies
  • Rolled Sugar Cookies
  • Sandwich Sugar Cookies
  • Butter Cookies

• 6 Tips for Improvising Cookies (Drop cookies are the best candidates for improvisation, since bits and pieces are almost always welcome. For more fragile rolled or sliced refrigerated doughs, it’s better to put chunky additions on top of the cookies once they’re on the baking sheet.)

  • 1. Add chopped chocolate: Be judicious. Too much, and your cookies will be a gooey mess; you’re always safe with no more than ½ cup per recipe.
  • 2. Add nuts: Again, adding up to ½ cup chopped nuts to drop cookies is fine. Or substitute any nut butter for up to half of the butter; substitute tahini for up to 2 tablespoons of the butter in any recipe.
  • 3. Add seeds: Poppy, sunflower, even pumpkin seeds work anywhere nuts do in cookies. Leave them whole or grind them as fine as you like in the food processor; ¼ to ½ cup is usually plenty.
  • 4. Add dried fruit: Add up to ½ cup chopped or whole small dried fruit to the dough.
  • 5. Add a small pinch spice: You can incorporate it into the dough with the dry ingredients or mix it with sugar and sprinkle on top of cookies before baking. Be careful not to overdo it, especially with strong spices like nutmeg or cloves.
  • 6. Serve with something for dipping: Milk, of course, is the classic accompaniment, but a smear or a ramekin filled with almost any of the frostings, glazes, or sauces on pages 854–864 are an easy way to kick up a plate of simple sugar or peanut butter cookies or biscotti. So is a small glass of dessert wine, port, or liqueur.

• Peanut or Other Nut Butter Cookies

  • Flourless Peanut or Other Nut Butter Cookies

• Gingersnaps

  • Molasses-Spice Cookies
  • Gingerbread People

• Shortbread

  • Whole Wheat Shortbread
  • Lemon Shortbread
  • Cheese Shortbread

• 6 Simple Additions for Shortbread

  • 1. Grated orange or lemon zest, about 2 tablespoons. For more flavor, replace 2 tablespoons of the butter with 2 tablespoons fresh orange or lemon juice.
  • 2. Minced fresh rosemary, thyme, or lavender leaves or dried flowers, about 1 teaspoon.
  • 3. Chopped toasted pine nuts, ½ cup (nice with lemon zest or rosemary).
  • 4. Ground cinnamon or ginger, 1 teaspoon.
  • 5. Vanilla or almond extract, 1 teaspoon (especially good with nuts).
  • 6. Melted dark chocolate, 1 ounce (about 3 tablespoons).

• Vanilla Biscotti

• 7 Biscotti Variations (Use these ideas alone or in combination.)

  • 1. Spiced Biscotti: Omit the vanilla. Add 1 teaspoon ground fennel or anise seeds or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon to the dry ingredients.
  • 2. Nutty Biscotti: Reduce the vanilla to ½ teaspoon. At the end of Step 3, fold in ¾ cup chopped toasted almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans, or pistachios, or whole toasted pine nuts, into the dough before shaping.
  • 3. Citrusy Biscotti: Reduce the vanilla to ½ teaspoon. Mix 1 teaspoon minced lemon or orange zest into the dry ingredients.
  • 4. Chocolate-Frosted Biscotti: Reduce the vanilla to ½ teaspoon. Melt 8 ounces dark chocolate with 3 tablespoons butter. Spread this mixture onto one flat surface of the biscotti when they are dry. Cool on a wire rack until the chocolate coating is firm.
  • 5. Ginger Biscotti: Omit the vanilla. At the end of Step 3, fold in about ⅓ cup minced candied ginger.
  • 6. Fruit Biscotti: At the end of Step 3, fold in about ½ cup dried fruit like raisins, cherries, or cranberries, or chopped dried apricots or figs.
  • 7. Chocolate Chunk Biscotti: At the end of Step 3, fold in about ¾ cup chopped any chocolate.

• Coconut Macaroons

  • Walnut or Other Nut Macaroons

• Brownies

  • Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies

• 8 Simple Ideas for Brownies

  • 1. Add ¼ cup peanut butter or ½ to 1 cup chopped toasted nuts to the batter.
  • 2. Add ½ to 1 cup chocolate chunks (any kind) to the batter.
  • 3. Use ½ teaspoon almond or mint extract in addition to or in place of the vanilla.
  • 4. Add ½ cup mashed banana to the batter.
  • 5. Add ¼ cup bourbon, Scotch, or other whiskey to the batter; increase the flour by 1 tablespoon.
  • 6. Add 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder along with the vanilla.
  • 7. Stir ½ cup dried fruit, especially dried cherries, into the batter.
  • 8. Frost the cooled brownies with Vanilla or Chocolate Frosting (page 856) before cutting.

• Blondies

  • Butterscotch Blondies
  • My Magic Bars
  • Apricot-Almond Bars

• Lemon Squares

  • Coconut-Lime Bars
  • Jam Bars

• Pound Cake

  • Marble Cake
  • Polenta Pound Cake
  • Yogurt Pound Cake

• 6 Ways to Vary Pound Cake (Combine any of these ideas. One of my favorites is almond flour with orange zest; lemon with poppy seeds is classic.)

  • 1. Use a vanilla bean in place of the vanilla extract (see “Using a Vanilla Bean,” page 899).
  • 2. Add 1 teaspoon grated or minced lemon, orange, lime, or grapefruit zest and 1 tablespoon citrus juice. Omit the vanilla extract.
  • 3. Add 1 teaspoon of ground spices, like cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, allspice, or cloves (alone or in combination).
  • 4. Substitute 1 cup any nut meal or flour for 1 cup of the flour; use all-purpose flour for the remaining cup.
  • 5. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons minced candied ginger. 6. Add ¼ cup poppy or sesame seeds.

• Yellow Cake

  • Coconut Cake

• Angel Food Cake

  • Chocolate Angel Food Cake
  • Lemon-Scented Angel Food Cake

• Strawberry or Other Fruit Shortcakes

• Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

  • Plum Upside-Down Cake
  • Apple Upside-Down Cake
  • Berry Upside-Down Cake

• Cheesecake

  • Cheesecake with Crust
  • Ricotta Cheesecake

• How to Beat Egg Whites: Egg whites beaten until airy and stiff are the essential ingredient in many light and fluffy creations, like meringues, soufflés, and mousses. They’re also used to lighten batters like Angel Food Cake (page 847) and Everyday Pancakes (page 740).

• Chocolate Cake

  • Chocolate-Cinnamon
  • Devil’s Food Cake

• Rich Chocolate Torte

  • Chocolate-Hazelnut Torte

• Whipped Cream

• 8 Ways to Flavor Whipped Cream

  • 1. Scrape the seeds from half a vanilla bean into the cream, or use 1 teaspoon good-quality vanilla extract.
  • 2. Use honey instead of sugar.
  • 3. Sprinkle and fold in ground cardamom, cinnamon, freshly grated nutmeg, or any finely ground sweet spice.
  • 4. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons bourbon, brandy, Kahlúa, Grand Marnier, framboise, amaretto, or other liqueur.
  • 5. Add about ½ teaspoon grated citrus zest.
  • 6. Add ½ teaspoon finely grated or very finely minced fresh ginger.
  • 7. Add a tablespoon or 2 sour cream, or crème fraiche or mascarpone, which will be tangier or thicker, respectively.
  • 8. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons rose water or orange blossom water.

• Vanilla Frosting

  • Chocolate Frosting
  • Mocha Frosting
  • Lemon or Orange Frosting
  • Maple Frosting
  • Peanut Butter Frosting

• Orange Glaze

  • Creamy Orange Glaze
  • Vanilla Glaze
  • Lemon or Lime Glaze
  • Mocha Glaze
  • Coconut Glaze

• Chocolate Ganache

  • Chocolate Glaze

• Chocolate Sauce

  • Hot Fudge Sauce

• Simple Syrup

• 7 Ways to Flavor Ganache and Other Dessert Sauces (Here are some simple ways to flavor nearly any dessert sauce. Obviously, not all of these will work with every sauce, so match flavors accordingly. Add them to taste, starting with a small amount.)

  • 1. Ground spices like cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, nutmeg, and star anise.
  • 2. Earl Grey tea: Steep in the hot cream for about 10 minutes, then strain out.
  • 3. Freshly brewed espresso or instant espresso powder; try with any of the chocolate-based sauces.
  • 4. Maple syrup.
  • 5. Any nut butter; pair with Chocolate Sauce, page 858.
  • 6. Citrus zest, grated or finely minced; orange is nice with ganache or Creamy Caramel Sauce, at right.
  • 7. Candied ginger, minced, or very finely minced fresh ginger; add to the Fruit Sauce, Two Ways, page 862

• Caramel Crackle

  • Clear Caramel Sauce
  • Creamy Caramel Sauce
  • Caramel Coffee Sauce
  • Boozy Caramel Sauce
  • Caramel–Cream Cheese Frosting

• Fruit Sauce, Two Ways

• Lemon Curd

  • Shortcut Lemon Mousse

• Vanilla Custard Sauce

  • Flaky Piecrust
  • Savory Piecrust
  • Whole Wheat Piecrust
  • Nut Piecrust
  • Generous Pie Shell

• Sweet Tart Crust

  • Savory Tart Crust
  • Nutty Sweet Tart Crust
  • Chocolate Tart Crust
  • Spiced Tart Crust

• 4 Simple Variations to Any Pie or Tart Crust

  • 1. Substitute up to ¼ cup ground whole seeds like sesame, poppy, sunflower, or pumpkin, or nuts for the same amount of the flour or crumbs.
  • 2. Substitute up to ¼ cup finely shredded or ground coconut as above.
  • 3. Add a pinch ground spices like cinnamon, ginger, allspice, star anise, anise, cardamom, or coriander, or freshly grated nutmeg.
  • 4. Add up to 1 tablespoon grated citrus zest.

• Graham Cracker Crust

  • Gingersnap or Other Crumb Crust

• Apple Pie

  • Apple-Pear Pie
  • Dutch Apple Pie
  • Deep-Dish Apple Pie with Streusel Topping

• 7 Easy Additions to Apple Pie

  • 1. ½ to 1 cup chopped nuts
  • 2. Any sweet spice like minced fresh or candied ginger, or ground cardamom, allspice, or cloves, generally in small amounts
  • 3. About 2 tablespoons bourbon or rum sprinkled over the filling
  • 4. About 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries; increase the sugar slightly
  • 5. 1 cup or more pitted, cut stone fruit, like plums or cherries, or whole raspberries, blueberries, or blackberries; reduce the amount of apples accordingly
  • 6. ½ to 1 cup dried fruit, like raisins, dried cherries, cranberries, pineapple, mangoes, or blueberries, or some dried apple slices to intensify the apple flavor
  • 7. 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

• Peach or Other Stone Fruit Pie

  • Peach and Berry Pie
  • Peach and Ginger Pie
  • Plum Pie
  • Cherry Pie

• Vanilla Cream Pie

  • Coconut Cream Pie
  • Banana Cream Pie
  • Chocolate Cream Pie
  • Vanilla-Orange Cream Pie
  • Cream-Topped Cream Pie

• Lemon Meringue Pie

  • Key Lime Pie

• Pecan or Walnut Pie

  • Chocolate Pecan or Walnut Pie
  • Butterscotch Pecan or Hazelnut Pie

• Pumpkin Pie

  • Sweet Potato Pie
  • Vegan Pumpkin Custard

• Fruit Galette

• 5 Simple Ideas for Galettes

  • 1. Put a layer of crushed almonds or walnuts under the fruit.
  • 2. Brush the fruit with a combination of 2 tablespoons honey and 1 tablespoon melted butter.
  • 3. Toss the fruit with 1 teaspoon or more ground cinnamon before putting it on the crust.
  • 4. Sprinkle with a mixture of ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon and 2 tablespoons granulated, brown, or turbinado sugar after brushing with butter. (Don’t use confectioners’ sugar.)
  • 5. Toss the fruit with 1 teaspoon or more minced candied ginger before putting it on the crust.

• Fresh Berry Tart with Vanilla Pudding Filling

  • Fresh Berry Tart with Chocolate
  • Fresh Blueberry Tart with Lemon Curd

• Tarte Tatin

  • Caramelized Pineapple Tart
  • Caramelized Peach or Plum Tart

• Blueberry Cobbler

• Apple Crisp

• Baklava

• Vanilla Pudding

  • Chocolate Pudding
  • Butterscotch Pudding
  • Banana Pudding
  • Super-Rich Pudding

• Coating the Back of a Spoon: The easiest way to know when stovetop egg-based custards are done is to dip a tablespoon into the liquid and drag the tip of your finger across the back. If a good layer of liquid clings to the back of the spoon and your finger leaves a distinct trail, it’s properly thickened. If the liquid just slides right off the spoon, or your finger trail is covered quickly by runny liquid, keep cooking and stirring.

• Panna Cotta

  • Buttermilk Panna Cotta
  • Almond Panna Cotta
  • Tembleque

• Baked Custard

  • Crème Brûlée
  • Flan (Crème Caramel)
  • Chocolate Custard
  • Lemon Custard

• 5 More Ideas for Vanilla Pudding or Baked Custard

  • 1. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons minced candied ginger after straining.
  • 2. Add ¼ cup or more shredded coconut after straining.
  • 3. Add about 1 teaspoon minced or grated orange zest after straining.
  • 4. Put 1 to 2 tablespoons raspberries or other fruit, per serving, on the bottom underneath the custard after straining.
  • 5. Before starting the recipe, infuse warm cream or milk with ½ cup coarsely ground coffee or 1 tablespoon matcha (powdered green tea) or other ingredients; see “Infusing Liquids with Flavor” (page 900); let stand for 10 minutes. Strain before proceeding.

• Raspberry Fool

  • Yogurt Raspberry Fool

• Chocolate Mousse

• Dried Apricot Clafoutis

  • Cherry Clafoutis
  • Grape Clafoutis

• Bread Pudding

  • Chocolate Bread Pudding

• Rice Pudding

• 9 Rice Pudding Variations.

  • Cinnamon-Raisin Rice Pudding: ½ cup raisins + 4 cups milk + Add a 3-inch cinnamon stick before baking.
  • Vanilla Bean Rice Pudding: ½ cup sugar, to taste + 4 cups milk + Split a 1-inch piece of a vanilla bean lengthwise and add it before baking. When the pudding is ready, scrape the vanilla seeds into the pudding and stir. Yogurt or Ricotta Rice Pudding ½ cup sugar, to taste + 3 cups water + Stir in 2 cups yogurt or ricotta after the pudding has cooled for about 10 minutes.
  • Honey-Saffron Rice Pudding with Nuts and Golden Raisins: ⅓ cup honey instead of the sugar + 4 cups milk + Add a large pinch saffron threads in Step 1. After baking, stir in ¼ cup golden raisins and ¼ each chopped almonds and pistachios.
  • Hazelnut Rice Pudding: ½ cup sugar + 4 cups hazelnut milk or dairy milk + Garnish with chopped toasted hazelnuts.
  • Butterscotch Rice Pudding: ½ cup brown sugar + 4 cups milk, 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter + Stir in about 2 tablespoons dark rum if you like after baking. Garnish with chopped toasted nuts.
  • Maple Rice Pudding: ¾ cup maple syrup + 3¼ cups milk + Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg or ground cinnamon, and chopped toasted nuts.
  • Mango Rice Pudding: ⅓ cup sugar + 3½ cups dairy milk or coconut milk + Stir in 1 cup mango purée (see page 862) after the pudding has cooled for at least 10 minutes.
  • Coconut Rice Pudding: ⅓ cup sugar + 4 cups coconut milk + Sprinkle with toasted shredded coconut (see page 372).

• Vanilla Custard Ice Cream

  • Simplest Vanilla Ice Cream
  • Vanilla Frozen Yogurt

• 5 More Simple Ideas for Ice Cream

  • 1. As soon as the ice cream is out of the machine, swirl in cold Chocolate Sauce (page 858), any Caramel Sauce (page 860), or any fruit purée (see page 862).
  • 2. Stir in any nut butter, about ¼ cup per batch, before freezing; the churning will distribute it evenly.
  • 3. Stir in up to ¾ cup chopped toasted nuts like almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, peanuts, and/or macadamias, at any point after straining the custard.
  • 4. Stir in ½ cup or more chopped or crushed candy or cookies after you remove the ice cream from the machine.
  • 5. Stir in up to ¾ cup chopped fresh or cooked fruit—anything from raspberries, cherries, or mango to sautéed apples or poached pears—after you remove the ice cream from the machine.

• Using a Vanilla Bean: Real vanilla beans can make a tremendous difference in many desserts. But they’re expensive, so you want to get as much flavor from each bean as possible. If you’re flavoring a warm liquid, heat a piece of bean in the liquid to infuse it. To add the seeds to a batter or other mixture, split the pod lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with the tip of a paring knife; add according to the recipe. The precious de-seeded pods—providing they’ve never been soaked—can find a second life buried in a jar of sugar to make vanilla sugar; added to a bottle of vanilla extract (or to make your own, added to a small jar of vodka or bourbon); or steeped with your next pot of tea or coffee. Step 1 To use a vanilla bean, split a whole bean or a piece in half lengthwise. Step 2 Scrape out the seeds.

• Fresh Fruit Sorbet

  • Fruit Ice Milk

• Infusing Liquids with Flavor: You can infuse milk, cream, or almost any liquid with an ingredient when you want its flavor and aroma but not its body—a useful technique for flavoring the milk when making a custard. Infusing water is also a good way to flavor sorbets. Usually the flavoring agent is a spice, herb, or other highly aromatic ingredient like ginger, lemongrass, or green tea. It’s just like making tea: Heat the liquid to boiling (or nearly so for milk), add the flavoring ingredient loose, in a tea ball, or wrapped in cheesecloth, and let it sit for 5 to 20 minutes, depending on the ingredient and how much flavor you want to infuse. Taste, and when the flavor is right, remove or strain out the ingredient.

• Granita

• 6 Great Granitas (Use one of these as your base and sweeten it as you like.)

  • 1. Pomegranate: 2 cups bottled or fresh pomegranate juice; splash fresh lemon juice or 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (optional)
  • 2. Orange, Tangerine, or Grapefruit: 2 cups fresh juice, ½ teaspoon grated or finely minced zest
  • 3. Watermelon-Basil: 2 cups chopped seeded watermelon, ¼ cup fresh basil leaves (purée together, then strain)
  • 4. Green Apple–Lime: 1 cored, chopped Granny Smith apple (peeled if you like), ¼ cup fresh lime juice, ½ teaspoon grated or finely minced lime zest (purée together to minimize browning)
  • 5. Red Wine: 1½ cups pinot noir, beaujolais, or other fruity wine, ½ cup water
  • 6. Apricot–Orange Blossom Water: 2 cups pitted, chopped apricots, puréed, 1 teaspoon orange blossom water

• 10 More Ice Cream Flavors (The base ratio always remains the same: 6 egg yolks (or 2 tablespoons cornstarch) with 3 cups total liquid; only the type of liquid, the flavorings (substituting for the vanilla), and the sweetener change.)

  • Chocolate Ice Cream: 5 ounces dark chocolate, chopped (melt into the hot liquid) + 2 cups half-and-half or milk, 1 cup cream + ½ cup sugar
  • Strawberry or Any Berry Ice Cream: 1 cup berry purée, strained (see page 862, stir in in Step 4) + 2 cups half-and-half or milk + ½ cup sugar
  • Coffee Ice Cream: 2 to 3 shots freshly brewed espresso; or ½ cup ground coffee (steep in hot liquid for 20 minutes; see page 900) + 2 cups half-and-half or milk, 1 cup cream + ½ cup sugar
  • Coconut Ice Cream: ½ cup shredded coconut (toast in a dry skillet until lightly browned if you like; stir in in Step 4) + 2 cups half-and-half, nondairy milk, or whole milk, 1 cup coconut milk + ½ cup sugar
  • Pumpkin Ice Cream: 1 cup canned or cooked fresh pumpkin purée, ½ teaspoon each ground cinnamon and ginger (add to the custard after straining) + 2 cups half-and-half or milk, 1 cup cream + ½ cup sugar
  • Maple-Nut Ice Cream: 1 cup chopped toasted nuts. Stir in in Step 4 2 cups half-and-half or milk, 1 cup heavy cream ¾ cup maple syrup Buttermilk Ice Cream + 2 cups half-and-half or milk, 1 cup buttermilk + ½ cup sugar
  • Banana Ice Cream: 2 ripe bananas, sliced (steep in hot liquid for 20 minutes; see page 900) + 2 cups half-and-half or milk, 1 cup cream + ½ cup sugar
  • Ginger Ice Cream: 2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger (steep in hot liquid; see page 900), ½ cup minced candied ginger (add to the custard after straining) + 2 cups half-and-half or milk, 1 cup cream + ½ cup sugar
  • Green tea Ice Cream: 1 tablespoon matcha (powdered green tea) (add to the custard after straining); or leaf green tea (steep in hot liquid; see page 900) + 2 cups half-and-half or milk, 1 cup cream + ½ cup sugar

• 11 More Sorbet and Ice Milk Flavors: (You can make simple additions like spices, citrus zest, or chopped nuts, or substitute fresh juices for some or all of the puréed fruit. Or you can try one of these variations; the liquid option replaces the purée. To make any ice cream into ice milk, see the headnote on page 897.)

  • Orange, Tangerine, or Grapefruit Sorbet: 1½ teaspoons grated zest; ½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger (optional) + 2 cups fresh citrus juice + 1 cup superfine sugar or Simple Syrup (page 859)
  • Lemon or Lime Sorbet: 1½ teaspoons grated lemon or lime zest + 1 cup fresh lemon or lime juice mixed with 1 cup water + 2 cups Simple Syrup (page 859)
  • Raspberry or Strawberry–Red Wine Sorbet: 1 cup raspberries or hulled strawberries + 1 cup red wine (cook all ingredients for 10 minutes, then purée and strain) + 1 cup Simple Syrup (page 859)
  • Vanilla-Pineapple Sorbet: 1 vanilla bean (steep in hot Simple Syrup; see page 859) + 2 cups pineapple purée (see page 862) or juice + 1 cup Simple Syrup (page 859)
  • Papaya-Lime Sorbet: 1½ teaspoons grated lime zest, 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice or to taste + 2 cups papaya purée (see page 862) + ½ cup superfine sugar or Simple Syrup (page 859)
  • Honeydew-Mint Sorbet: 2 sprigs fresh mint (steep in hot Simple Syrup; see page 859), 2 tablespoons minced fresh mint leaves + 2 cups honeydew purée (see page 862) + 1 cup Simple Syrup (page 859)
  • Pear-or Apple-Ginger Sorbet: 2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger (steep in hot Simple Syrup; see page 859) + 2 cups peeled, cored, chopped pears or apples, puréed with lemon juice + ¾ cup Simple Syrup (page 859)
  • Lime-Basil Sorbet: 1 sprig fresh basil (steep in hot Simple Syrup; see page 859), 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil leaves, 1½ teaspoons grated lime zest + 1½ cups fresh lime juice + 1½ cups Simple Syrup (page 859)
  • Orange-Cassis Sorbet: 2 tablespoons minced candied orange zest or 1 tablespoon grated orange zest + 1¾ cups fresh orange juice, ¼ cup cassis liqueur + ½ cup superfine sugar or Simple Syrup (page 859).
  • Chocolate or Cherry-Chocolate Sorbet: 3/4 cup cocoa powder; 1 cup pitted, halved cherries if you like (add in Step 1 after straining) + 2 cups boiling water (mix 1/2 cup water with the cocoa and sugar then add remaining ingredients) + 3/4 cup superfine sugar or Simple Syrup (page 859).
  • Espresso Sorbet or lce Milk: 3 or 4 shots freshly brewed espresso; 2 tablespoons crushed chocolate-covered espresso beans (optionalt add in Step 1 after straining) + 2 cups water, nondairy or dairy milk, or cream + 1 cup superfine sugar or Simple Syrup (page 859).

• Peanut Brittle

  • Popcorn Brittle

• Caramels

  • Chocolate Caramels
  • Chewy Caramels

• How-To Illustrations

  • Cooking Basics
    • Using a Steel
    • Using a Chef’s Knife
    • Chopping
    • Slicing
    • Using a Mandoline
    • Making Julienne
    • Using a Paring Knife
    • Measuring Dry Ingredients
    • Ways to Rig a Steamer
  • Spices, Herbs, Sauces, and Condiments
    • Removing Leaves from Thyme
  • Appetizers and Snacks
    • Sealing Wontons
    • Shaping Summer Rolls and Egg Rolls
    • Filling and Forming Samosas
    • Folding Spinach-Cheese Triangles
    • Stuffing and Sealing Pot Stickers
  • Soups
    • Using an Immersion Blender
  • Salads
    • Rinsing Salad Greens
  • Vegetables and Fruit
    • Preparing Whole Artichokes
    • Quartering Artichokes
    • Preparing Asparagus
    • Preparing Avocados
    • Coring and Shredding Cabbage
    • Chopping a Carrot
    • Prepping Celery
    • Preparing Chestnuts
    • Preparing Corn
    • Preparing Cucumbers
    • Preparing Fennel
    • Crushing and Peeling Garlic
    • Preparing Leafy Greens with Thick Ribs
    • Preparing Leeks
    • Chopping Onions
    • Stringing a Pod Pea
    • Chiles Rellenos
    • Preparing Peppers
    • Preparing Plantains
    • Turning Potato Rösti or Any Large Vegetable Pancake
    • Folding Vegetables in Parchment
    • Preparing Tomatoes
    • Peeling Winter Squash
    • How to Stuff Vegetables
    • Coring an Apple
    • Preparing Strawberries
    • Peeling and Pitting a Mango, Version I
    • Peeling and Pitting a Mango, Version II
    • Cutting Citrus Segments (Supremes) or Wheels
    • Preparing a Pineapple, Two Ways
  • Beans
    • Shaping Bean Burgers
    • Squeezing Tofu
  • Rice and Other Grains
    • Rolling and Cutting Sushi Rolls
    • Forming Tamales
  • Pasta, Noodles, and Dumplings
    • Basic Pasta-Making Techniques
    • Using a Manual Pasta Machine
    • Cutting Pasta
    • Making Dumpling or Wonton Skins and Egg Roll Wrappers
    • Making Cannelloni
    • Making Tortellini
    • Making Gnocchi
    • Making Spaetzle or Passatelli
  • Seafood
    • Preparing Shrimp
    • Skinning a Fillet
    • Removing Pin Bones
    • Filleting Fish
    • Cutting Fish Steaks
    • Scaling Fish
    • Removing Fins
    • Removing Gills
    • Removing Heads and Tails
    • Shucking Clams
    • Removing a Mussel Beard
    • Shucking Oysters
    • How to Eat Crab
    • Preparing Lobster for Cooking
    • How to Eat Lobster
    • Cleaning Squid
  • Poultry
    • Sectioning and Boning Chicken Legs
    • Boning Chicken Breasts
    • Butchering Chicken
    • Quartering a Roast Chicken
    • Carving a Roast Chicken
    • Splitting, Butterflying, or Spatchcocking Chicken
    • How to Carve a Roast Turkey
    • Removing Roast Turkey Breasts
    • Semiboning Squab and Quail
  • Meat
    • Major Parts of Beef
    • Carving Prime Rib
    • Major Cuts of Pork
    • Major Cuts of Lamb
    • Carving a Leg of Lamb
  • Breakfast, Eggs, and Dairy
    • Folding an Omelet in Half
    • Folding an Omelet in Thirds
    • Separating Eggs
    • Finishing Fresh Cheese
  • Bread, Sandwiches, and Pizza
    • Scoring and Docking Crackers
    • Shaggy Versus Smooth Dough
    • Kneading Dough
    • Shaping Boules and Rolls
    • Shaping Baguettes
    • Shaping a Sandwich Loaf
    • Slashing the Dough
    • Baking No-Knead Bread
    • Making Challah
    • Rolling Burritos
    • Shaping Dough for Pizza and Calzones
  • Desserts
    • Serving Angle Food Cake
    • Beating Egg Whites
    • Folding in Whipped Cream or Egg Whites
    • Stages of Whipped Cream
    • Frosting a Cake
    • Rolling Pie Dough
    • Crimping the Crust
    • Making a Lattice Top
    • Making a Galette
    • Coating the Back of a Spoon
    • Using a Vanilla Bean

• 61 Essential Recipes (Even if at first a few of them might not seem like it, these will become the foundation of your cooking—the go-to dishes and components you can eat all sorts of different ways.)

  • Traditional Pesto
  • Fresh Tomato or Fruit Salsa
  • Soy Dipping Sauce and Marinade
  • Homemade Mayonnaise
  • Bruschetta
  • Hummus
  • Meatballs, Three Ways
  • Minestrone
  • Universal Bean Soup
  • Chicken Soup, Many Ways
  • Vegetable Stock
  • Vinaigrette
  • Chopped Salad
  • Tabbouleh
  • Quick-Pickled Vegetables
  • Boiled or Steamed Vegetables
  • Stir-Fried Vegetables
  • Roasted Vegetables or Fruits
  • Sautéed Eggplant with Basil
  • Flash-Cooked Kale or Collards with Lemon Juice
  • Sautéed Mushrooms
  • Mashed Potatoes
  • Baked Sweet Potatoes
  • Roasted Whole Winter Squash
  • Applesauce
  • Simply Cooked Beans
  • Baked Tofu
  • Rice Pilaf
  • Risotto, Five Ways
  • Cooking Grains, the Easy Way
  • Polenta
  • One-Pot Pasta with Butter and Parmesan
  • Fast Tomato Sauce, with or Without Pasta
  • Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
  • Baked Ziti with Mushrooms
  • Cold Noodles with Sesame or Peanut Sauce
  • Broiled Seafood
  • Still the Simplest and Best Shrimp Dish
  • Broiled Boneless Chicken
  • Roast Chicken Parts with Olive Oil or Butter
  • My New Favorite Fried Chicken
  • Classic Roast Turkey, with Gravy
  • Many Ways to Cook Steak
  • Beef Stew
  • Skillet Pork Chops
  • Roast Pork with Garlic and Rosemary
  • The Best Scrambled Eggs
  • Eggs Poached in Tomato Sauce
  • Fresh Tomato and Cheese Frittata
  • French Toast
  • Granola, My New Way
  • Corn Bread
  • Jim Lahey’s No-Knead Bread
  • Fish Tacos, Four Ways
  • Pizza with Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella
  • Chocolate Chunk Cookies
  • Brownies
  • Pound Cake
  • Chocolate Ganache
  • Fruit Galette
  • Vanilla Pudding