Family fare is the style of Charlie Palmer’s ‘Casual Cooking’
WILTON, Conn. (AP) – Charlie Palmer’s most recent cookbook was written at least partly by special request. His sister and sisters-in-law wanted a book that they as home cooks could easily use. He came up with just that. “Charlie Palmer’s Casual Cooking” by Charlie Palmer with Judith Choate (Morrow, 2001, $30.00) fills the bill.
Palmer’s resume backs his reputation as one of the finest and most accomplished chefs in America. Winner of the James Beard Foundation’s 1997 award as best chef in New York, and named to its “Who’s Who in America” in 1998, he’s established an impressive roster of restaurants across the country.
Besides Aureole, Alva and Metrazur in New York City, there are Aureole at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, and Charlie Palmer Steak at The Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas; and the Dry Creek Kitchen at the Palmer-owned boutique Hotel Healdsburg in Sonoma, Calif. He also runs catering businesses in New York City and Los Angeles.
His first book, “Great American Food” (McKay, David, 1996), was a thorough chef’s book. In his second book with its theme of casual cooking, Palmer insightfully addresses the needs of the home cook – those of us who do not have a staff that includes a prep chef and dishwashers.
Needless to say, the man is busy. Still, every weekend, he says he tries to cook at home, with Sunday being the day for a big family meal. That includes friends and cousins, as well as his wife and four boys – who are 8, 7 and 4-year-old twins.
In the Palmer clan, the men tend to be the cooks. Palmer’s young boys are following suit and frequently cook right along with dad as he interjects math and reading into the experience.
After a stint of working on a book of my own, I was ready to get back to something better than the catch-as-catch-can meals of the previous few weeks. I grabbed a pile of recent cookbooks, tagged the pages that had appealing recipes, shopped for the groceries and started to cook.
Palmer’s book won me over right away. Once I started cooking from it, I just kept going.
It was quite unlike cooking from other, elaborate chef books which require me to go to at least two grocery stores to pull the meal together, mess up almost every pot and pan in the kitchen and cover every bit of counter space – and remind me why people go out to eat in nice restaurants.
The recipes in this book were no muss and no fuss. In addition, they had the depth of flavor, well-executed cooking techniques, and pizzazz one would expect from a chef of Palmer’s caliber. I like to cook from chef books because I always learn something new and this book was no exception.
In a phone conversation with Palmer, who spoke from the New York City Aureole, he talked about how he put the book together. He started by making a list of the recipes he had cooked at home, where, he says, “I usually add a little of this and a little of that.”
He wrote the book with Judith Choate, whom he describes as “a home cook, who has the sensibility to know what works well in a home kitchen and we were able to translate the information into written recipes that would work well in the home kitchen.
“I want people to use this book as a guide and hope that they will use their imagination,” he said. “When running a restaurant, I find out what ingredients are available and then try to figure out what to do with them. I hope that this book will inspire home cooks to do the same.
The book is not someone’s guarded food lore, he said – “It is about having fun with cooking, and I hope people will try creating a twist on some of my recipes depending on what they find in the marketplace.”
The first recipe I tried from Palmer’s book was grilled asparagus and spring onions with mustard vinaigrette. With only six readily available ingredients, including salt and pepper, this easy recipe is perfectly suited to summertime cooking.
The vegetables are tossed with olive oil and grilled until they are slightly smoky and lightly caramelized. The easy mustardy vinaigrette provides a sophisticated counterpoint, and Palmer recommends shaving a little Parmesan on top if you have some on hand.
Linguine with eggplant ragu was also easy to put together and, served with a tossed green salad and a crusty bread, would be equally at home as a family meal or as a meal to serve to friends.
I had not cooked with lamb shanks previously and I decided to give the following recipe for lamb shanks with tomato, lentils, and olives a try. This rich-tasting dish was enjoyed by my family and a guest two days in a row with no complaints. The first day I served it was a rainy day – and it was perfect comfort food.
GRILLED ASPARAGUS AND SPRING ONIONS WITH MUSTARD VINAIGRETTE
1 pound asparagus
1 pound very small spring onions (or scallions)
1 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
21/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
11/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Preheat the grill and oil the grill rack. Alternatively, preheat the oven to 500_F.
Break the tough ends from the asparagus. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the thicker skin from the stalks. Set aside on a platter.
Trim the roots, any damaged outside layers, and the excess green from the spring onions. You want the onions to be about the same length as the asparagus. Add the onions to the asparagus.
Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the olive oil over the vegetables, season to taste with salt and pepper, and toss to coat well.
Whisk together the red wine vinegar and mustard in a small bowl. Whisk in the remaining 3/4 cup olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Place the asparagus and onions on the grill or on a baking sheet in the oven and grill or roast, turning frequently, for about 8 minutes, or until crisp-tender and nicely caramelized. Using tongs to keep from breaking them, return the vegetables to the platter. Give the vinaigrette a quick whisk and drizzle it over the hot vegetables. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve warm.
Makes 6 servings.
LINGUINE WITH
EGGPLANT RAGU
2 medium tender young eggplant
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup diced red onions
3 cloves garlic, chopped
4 cups (one 28-ounce can) chopped canned Italian plum tomatoes, with their juice
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano
1 tablespoon chopped capers
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
11/2 pounds dried linguine
1/4 cup shredded fresh basil
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving
Trim the eggplant. You should not have to peel young eggplants, but if the skin seems tough, do peel it off. Cut the eggplant into small cubes.
Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute for 4 minutes. Stir in the eggplant and continue to saute for about 10 minutes, or until the eggplant is beginning to take on some color. If the vegetables begin to darken too quickly, lower the heat.
Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, chopped basil, oregano and capers, raise the heat, and bring to a simmer. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the ragu is very well blended and aromatic. Stir in the vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, cook the linguine in boiling salted water according to the package directions. Drain well and return to the cooking pot.
Add about 2 cups of the ragu to the linguine and toss to mix well. Transfer the linguine to a large serving platter and pour enough of the remaining sauce over the top to nicely sauce the pasta; reserve any extra ragu for another use (see note). Sprinkle with the shredded basil and serve with grated cheese passed on the side.
Makes 6 servings.
Note: Make bruschetta or crostini with any extra ragu. Grill or toast large or small pieces of bread, season with garlic and oil, and top with a smear of ragu. Or use it as a sauce with couscous or other grains.
LAMB SHANKS WITH
TOMATO, LENTILS, AND OLIVES
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 whole lamb shanks (about 1 pound each)
1 cup chopped red onions
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 cup dry red wine
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon minced fresh marjoram
1 teaspoon minced fresh basil
1 cup beef broth
1 to 2 cups chicken broth
2 cups chopped canned Italian plum tomatoes, with their juice
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups green lentils, picked over, rinsed, and drained well
1 cup pitted Nicoise olives
Preheat the oven to 375 F.
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the shanks and sear in batches, if necessary, turning frequently, until the meat is nicely browned on all sides. Remove the shanks from the pot and set aside.
Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pot. Add the onions and garlic and saute for 3 minutes. Add the carrot and celery and saute for 4 minutes. Pour in the red wine, raise the heat to high, and cook, stirring constantly to release the browned bits in the bottom of the pot, for about 5 minutes, or until the wine has begun to evaporate.Stir in the rosemary, thyme, marjoram and basil. Add the beef broth and 1 cup of the chicken broth and stir to combine. Return the shanks to the pot and pour the tomatoes over the top. Season to taste with salt and pepper.Cover, place in the oven, and bake for 11/2 hours.
Remove the pot from the oven and stir in the lentils and olives.
If the cooking liquid seems very thick, stir in the remaining 1 cup chicken broth.
Cover and bake for 30 minutes or longer, until the lentils are tender and the meat is almost falling off the bone.
Serve with buttered noodles, polenta or mashed potatoes.
Makes 6 servings.
Note: If you have them on hand, artichoke hearts (frozen are fine) make a great addition to this braise. Add them when adding the lentils.
(All recipes adapted from “Charlie Palmer’s Casual Cooking” by Charlie Palmer with Judith Choate, Morrow, 2001, $30.)