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Recipes help teach basics to home cooks

Caprese Mac and Cheese

For home cooks that may be novices or those just wanting to learn more techniques comes “Where Cooking Begins: Uncomplicated Recipes to Make You a Great Cook” by Carla Lalli Music.

With 70 flexible recipes, the food director at Bon Appetit, shows six essential cooking methods that will have every home cook trying something out that is not complicated and easy to learn.

Lalli Music breaks the book down into three parts: Strategy, Techniques and Recipes.

The Strategy section teaches home cooks about small-batch cooking, shopping locally and paring down appliances and utensils as well as spices for basic yet essential cooking.

In Techniques, with photos and step-by-step instructions, the author shows various cooking techniques of Saute, Pan-Roast, Steam, Boil and Simmer, Confit, Slow-Roast and Pastry Dough so anyone can feel confident in the kitchen.

The final part is the Recipes, in which she further breaks down by Starring Produce, Egg-centric, Pasta and Grains, Chicken Lots of Ways and a Duck, Fishes and Other Sea Creatures, Main Meats, Sunday Soups and Brothy Beans and Basic Baker’s Sweets. Each recipe also has a list of things you’d buy at the market and what you should have at hand at home, and ways to spin-it, in case an ingredient you need is not available or you don’t like it.

Starring Produce is recipes that are all plant-based, such as Mozzarella with Charred and Raw Sugar Snap Peas, Salted Cucumbers with Ginger and Chile and Charred Broccoli Salad.

Egg-centric has savory egg-based dishes like Slow-cooked Dozen Egg Frittata, BLTs with Bacon-Fat Fried Eggs and Carbonara Stracciatella.

Pasta and Grains include dishes like Spaghetti with Quick-Braised Artichoke Hearts, Greekish-Grain Salad and No-Stir Maple Granola.

Chicken Lots of Ways and a Duck includes recipes for Rack-Roasted Chicken with Gravy Potatoes, Spice-Drawer Chicken Wings and My Way Duck Confit.

Fishes and Other Sea Creatures includes dishes like Seared Scallops with Brown Butter, Hazelnuts and Chives, Pan-Roasted Salmon with Cauli-Tartar Sauce with Chive Vinaigrette and Buttery Pan Clams with Ginger and Scallions.

Main Meats has dishes such as Pork Steaks with Snap Pea and Scallion Salsa, Butter-Basted Rib Eye with Crunchy Fennel Salad and Seared Lamb Patty with Marinated Halloumi and Herbs.

Sunday Soups and Brothy Beans has dishes like Pasta e Fagiole, Fox-Style Chickpeas and Fresh Corn and Corn Broth with Popcorn Spices.

Basic Beginner’s Sweets ends things with Coffee Creme Caramel, Praline Meringues and Any-Fruit Galette.

I tried out Caprese Mac and Cheese as a quick dish. With whole-milk ricotta, heavy cream, basil, garlic, cherry tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, it’s not a complicated dish to make, but it is grown-up. Everything cooked together nicely and I made it for a work potluck for the day. I really enjoyed it and it seemed like others liked it too, as a different take on mac and cheese.

“Where Cooking Begins” is published by Clarkson Potter. It is $32.50.

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