A reader sent me a message recently from what he considers a silent minority:
”My wife passed away several years ago, and I have had to become my own cook. I would like to try many of the recipes I find in cookbooks and articles. However, it is next to impossible, since never do I see one for one (person). There must be several million singles in this country who like to eat well, as I do, but we have been forgotten completely.”
I, too, have been a single cook, and from time to time, when my wife is away from home, I still am. Improvisation with leftovers generally satisfies my needs on those occasions-there`s no need for a long-range game plan. But I have thought about long-term cooking for one, especially since receiving the gentleman`s letter.
I`ll limit my advice to people who have a desire to cook and a commitment to dine, an attitude that involves having or developing a conviction that cooking, setting a table and entertaining yourself at mealtime is worth the effort. Mental blocks range from fear of cooking (by the inexperienced) to embarrassment at what others may think to a feeling that cleaning up is bound to eradicate the pleasure gained from the meal.
Why cook, then? The pluses are several. Because eating is a necessity, why not make it as civilized an undertaking as possible and an occasional celebration? You and you alone can choose what to eat, when to eat, where in your apartment or home to eat, how to dress. In my experience, variety is the seasoning that makes each of these decisions interesting on an ongoing basis. (It would be unrealistic to rule out prepared and partially prepared foods from markets and restaurants or to suppress the urge to dine out now and again.)
As for the nuts and bolts-shopping for food and preparing it-the situation has improved greatly for the single cook. With a rising singles population in all age categories, producers have begun packaging both raw and prepared food in smaller containers. In markets, precut fruits and vegetables allow single shoppers to buy fresh without paying for more than they need. A resurgence of personalized service means you may actually be able to find a butcher or fishmonger to package a single chop or small fish or cut a roast or fillet to your specifications.
The trick, if it can be called that, is to establish personal relationships with food vendors. Accordingly, don`t buy strictly for value. Shopping for one, you can consider the final cost instead of price per pound. Allow yourself to buy something expensive you crave-two or three jumbo shrimp, for example-if a small amount will do.
In the kitchen, scale down your pots and pans. A 7-inch frying pan, a medium saucepan with a steamer basket and lid, a 1-quart enameled cast-iron casserole for stews and soups, small Pyrex dishes for baking and a 4 1/2-inch pie pan will be useful. Mini-machines-chopper s, processors, coffeemakers, toaster ovens, microwaves-are readily available. Cooking on a dinner plate in the microwave helps diminish cleanup, and having the microwave as a defrosting tool makes the cutting up and freezing of meat and poultry practical.
Buy-and use-a scale and measuring cups and spoons. The eye and a growling stomach often conspire to convince a cook to prepare more food-dried pasta, for instance-than is needed.
The better a meal tastes, the more likely you are to go to the stove soon again. To help make dishes more satisfying:
– Give your green thumb a workout, or develop one, by growing herbs in a window box.
– Occasionally poach a whole chicken or some wings and backs with a good many vegetables. Strain and reduce the broth, then freeze it in ice-cube trays. To make a tasty sauce for a chop or cutlet, melt two of these cubes and thicken the liquid with 1/4 teaspoon of cornstarch moistened in water or wine. – Buy tubes of mustard, tomato paste and anchovy paste.
– Keep a clean, empty wine half-bottle. Decant wines from a full bottle into the half-bottle and cork it. There will be two 6-ounce glasses in each container, so you can ”borrow” some to cook with. Vermouth, mixed half and half with water, can be substituted for small quantities of wine.
– Perfect the technique for making omelets, souffles and even pasta, such as ravioli, that welcome a variety of fillings or toppings that can be planned or improvised.
What about recipes? In fact, many can be subdivided into a single unit. Flour-based sauces can`t. Making soup for one is an exercise in frustration. But the broth cubes mentioned above can become a single portion of soup as well as a sauce. Single-portion breads and desserts involving pastry can be difficult, but pie should be welcome at more than one meal, and breads and most cakes can be cut into single-serving sizes and frozen.
Lack of space precludes completing this primer, but several good books have been published on the subject. Henry Lewis Creel, a man with a connoisseur`s taste and a practical nature, wrote ”Cooking for One is Fun”
and ”Cooking On Your Own” (both Times Books). Crown published Mille Crawford Bell`s ”Single Servings,” and Michelle Evans` ”Fearless Cooking for One”
(Simon and Schuster) was a good seller. You will have to seek them out in secondhand bookshops, however.
In the meantime, here are some sample recipes.
LEEKS VINAIGRETTE
One serving
1 large or 2 small leeks
1/2 cup shredded lettuce, romaine or iceberg
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice or white-wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1. Cut off the green tops and core end of the leek and discard. Cut the white portion lengthwise, then wash out any specks of sand with cold water.
2. Tie the leek into its original shape with string. Transfer to a saucepan and cover with water.
3. Bring water to a boil, lower heat and simmer until leek is tender, about 10 minutes. Drain, remove string and cool to room temperature.
4. Just before serving, arrange lettuce on a small plate. Add the leek. Pour lemon juice into a small bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste, then stir while slowly adding the oil. Pour over the leek and lettuce.
-Adapted from ”Cooking On Your Own”
DIET LEMON-FLAVORED CORNISH GAME HEN
One serving
1 Cornish game hen, about 1 pound
Pepper
1/2 lemon
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup chicken stock or broth
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Season the hen, inside and out, with pepper. Place the lemon half in the cavity. Tie legs together with string and fold wings back.
2. Place hen in a small, shallow baking dish. Combine juice and stock and pour it over the hen.
3. Transfer dish to the oven and roast hen for about 45 minutes or until juice from thigh no longer runs red when pricked with a knife point. Baste occasionally during cooking with pan juices.
4. Remove hen from oven and let rest in a warm place for 10 minutes. Cut into two halves and, depending on the strictures of your diet, reserve one half for a later meal. Serve with rice. Use several spoonsful of the pan juices as a sauce.
-Adapted from ”Fearless Cooking for One”
STIR-FRIED SPICY CABBAGE
One serving
1/4 pound cabbage, Chinese, bok choy or regular green
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 tablespoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon soy sauce
Cayenne pepper to taste
1 to 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1. Separate cabbage into stalks or leaves, wash, trim and cut into 1-by-1 1/2-inch pieces. In a small bowl, combine sugar, vinegar, soy and cayenne. Mix well.
2. Pour oil into a heated skillet or wok. Lower heat to medium and add cabbage pieces. Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes, being sure to coat all the cabbage with oil.
3. Stir in the sauce, let it come to a boil, then remove pan from the heat. Serve hot, tepid or at room temperature.
-Adapted from ”Single Servings”
HENRY CREEL`S BREAD PUDDING
One serving
1/2 cup bread crumbs or 1/2 slice of trimmed bread in crumbs
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon butter or oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons sugar
Pinch cinnamon
Pinch nutmeg
1. Soak the bread crumbs in the milk for at least 20 minutes. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a small, heat-resistant casserole with the butter.
2. Add the egg, sugar and spices to the bread-crumb mixture. Mix well.
3. Pour the mixture into the greased casserole and bake for 40 minutes or until the top is firm. Serve tepid or at room temperature.
-from ”Cooking on Your Own”
