If you give or ask to receive only one cookbook this Christmas, let it be
"A New Way To Cook" by Sally Schneider (Artisan, October 2001).
"A New Way To Cook," which is Schneider's second book and was written over the course of a decade, is well worth the wait. For those of you, like myself, who often despair about the choice between food that is healthy and food that is sensually satisfying, Schneider obviously wanted a book like that too, and couldn't find one - so she wrote it, and we are richer because she did.
The book is divided into three parts: New Way Basics; Techniques and Recipes, and Flavor Catalysts. There are sections on Basic Techniques and Standard Preparations, Comparative Nutritional Analyses and Menus and Dishes for Every Occasion at the end of the book.
In the first section, Schneider discusses judicious use of fatty foods, whether they're cooking fats like butter, olive oil or goose fat, or well-marbled steaks or hickory-smoked bacon. Fat isn't the enemy - large quantities of it are. Even more than that, Schneider's bugaboo is highly-processed food, a view I share.
One thing that strikes the reader early on and holds them throughout this 739-page 600 recipe book is how much Sally Schneider loves good food - cooking it, eating it and serving it - and how important the whole experience of dining is.
Another invaluable aspect of A New Way To Cook is Schneider's riffs and improvs on a basic, or as she calls them, essential recipe. She shows you how to improvise on a basic technique or dish.
For example: in the "Grains" chapter, there is an essential recipe for "Basic Cooked Kernel Grains", then sub-categories of "Embellishments for Cooked Grains," which are nuts, seeds and dried fruit (1), cheese (2) brown butter, nut or flavored oils or bacon fat (3). So you can see how, from one simple recipe an endless variety of possibilities are born.
Having "A New Way To Cook" is very much like having a chef/cookbook author friend in the kitchen with you, looking over your shoulder and adjusting the seasoning when you're not looking. I have tested, so far, about half dozen of the recipes and found each one easy to follow and delicious to boot. They're also quite creative. I sometimes despair of cooking certain types of hearty dishes for my vegetarian friends, because I haven't been able to replicate the smoky undertones of streaky bacon or a ham hock, say. The closest I've come in the past was using an infinitesimal amount of chipotles, which added a heat I didn't want. So, what to do? Schneider suggests her Smoky Tea Essence, which is very finely ground Lapsang Souchong.
One of the recipes I tested was a variation on Basic Vegetable Broth, which was Roasted Vegetable Broth. I chose this because I think most vegetable stocks have the taste and charm of dirty mop water, and can't stand up to strong flavors. I've been on the lookout for a robust vegetable stock recipe, because they're quicker to make and don't require a cooling time for the fat to come to the top and be lifted off, the way poultry and meat stocks do, and also because they're cheaper.
Schneider's Roasted Vegetable Broth is sublime, and stood up to a hearty gumbo with andouille sausage. Here is the recipe.
Roasted Vegetable Broth
(Makes about 1 quart)
12 ounces leeks (2 to 3) trimmed, thinly sliced and washed in several changes of water
1 1/4 pounds celery root (1 large) peeled, quartered, and coarsely chopped
8 ounces carrots, peeled and sliced
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 cup coarsely chopped mushrooms
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
2 imported bay leaves
4 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or vegetable oil
Kosher salt
Preheat the oven to 450. With some of the oil, lightly rub a baking sheet pan just large enough to hold the vegetables in a 1-inch layer. (Tester's note: Depending on the size of your pan, you may need two baking sheets).
Place the vegetables on the pan and toss to coat with remaining oil. Roast, tossing once or twice, until the vegetables are a deep golden brown, about 1 1/4 hours. During the last five minutes, stir 1 tablespoon of tomato paste into the vegetables.
Transfer the vegetables to a large pot. Sprinkle the baking sheet with 1/2 cup dry white wine and stir to loosen the caramelized bits on the bottom. Pour into the pot. Add peppercorns, bay leaves, parsley, thyme and water to cover by 2 inches (about 7 cups). Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, until the broth is reduced to about 4 to 5 cups and is full-bodied.
Strain through a sieve set over a bowl, pressing on the vegetables with a wooden spoon to extract the liquid. Discard all the solids.
This is a marvelous book. Buy it, cook with it, let its pages become dog-eared and stained, and most of all, enjoy.
A New Way To Cook can be purchased online at www.amazon.com
By Sukey Pett
