‘Once Upon a Chef’ perfect for busy home cooks
Once upon a time, there was a group of women whose love of cooking brought them together.
Some had known one another for years, while others became friends over months of shared meals. Together they explored culinary worlds through the lenses of cookbooks that brought new flavors and smells into their kitchens. Enjoying food, friendship and time set aside from the busy world, these women embraced the bounty of what makes life good.
This month, our cookbook club delved into “Once Upon a Chef, the Cookbook: 100 Tested, Perfected and Family-Approved Recipes.” It earned rave reviews around the table for its simple, approachable and consistently delicious take on American-style home cooking.
For the first time, we held our meeting on a weeknight due to busy summer schedules and found that nearly all the recipes we chose were easy enough to prepare after a busy day of work or adventuring with the kiddos.
Our table was well-balanced with a colorful mix of soups, salads, appetizers and desserts, from which we found ourselves hard-pressed to select a favorite.
As we round the final turn of summer vegetables, it was no surprise that two of our 15 chosen recipes featured tomatoes.
The first, a cool, refreshing soup, blended golden tomatoes and bell peppers with cucumber, basil and freshly squeezed orange juice. This Golden OrToasted ange Gazpacho is just what the palate craves on a hot, late-summer day. In the words of cookbook author Jennifer Segal, it truly “tastes like pure sunshine.”
Caprese salad is an obvious vehicle for showcasing heirloom tomatoes, but Segal’s recipe kicks up the classic several marks by using fresh burrata, an Italian cheese filled with cream and shredded mozzarella, and by topping the dish with rich, buttery pine nuts. With its various tomato colors and shapes, the dish is a feast for the eyes, too.
While one salad was rooted firmly in summer, another stirred up visions of fall. Nutty wild rice salad with craisins, apples and orange vinaigrette is a vibrant mix of flavors reminiscent of a walk through an orchard with crunchy leaves underfoot. pecans, celery and apples provide a crisp bite, while parsley and orange juice add a pleasantly fresh punch.
Segal’s take on peanut butter granola bars was another recipe that hinted at the season ahead, suggesting fuel for hikes through color-shifting forests or wholesome after-school snacks. These nutty, whole grain bars are both chewy and crunchy and much tastier than store-bought varieties.
As an on-the-go breakfast, midday snack or virtuous dessert, there will be no worries about these bars going stale before they’re gobbled up.
“Once Upon a Chef ” is filled with well-tested, thoughtful takes on familiar favorites. Over closing bites of cheesecake ice cream and sips of white Russian milkshakes, our group agreed that this was a book we could return to frequently for both reliable family dinner ideas and wow-worthy dishes for company.
Ashleigh Spitza is a registered dietitian and freelance writer in Wauwatosa who blogs at funkybeetsblog.com.