Home-style cooking falls into line with the continuing cocooning trend. At its best, home-style food offers comfort, enjoyment in the cooking and relief from too much restaurant fare.
”When it comes to style, there`s nothing like home-style,” writes Florence Fabricant, author of ”New Home Cooking” (Clarkson Potter, $30).
”It puts guests, whether friends or relatives, at ease while it makes cooking and serving delightfully relaxed for the host or hostess.”
Fabricant, a food columnist for the New York Times, entertains frequently and cooks for her family regularly. But what she cooks today is vastly different from what she made a few years ago.
”The idea of starting party preparations a week ahead has diminished for everyone-for me, it`s almost gone,” she said during a recent visit to Chicago.
Now she is more likely to prepare a quick pasta dish or simmer a stew than serve a multicourse feast.
”I think the formal distinctions between family and company fare have blurred. At the same time, because of restaurants we want to experiment at home with foods we have eaten out.”
Arborio rice, fresh arugula and radicchio are examples of restaurant foods that have entered the ”new home cooking.” Conversely, Fabricant sees a trend in restaurants offering ”mom-and-pop food,” mashed potatoes, meatloaf and puddings among them.
Italian dishes of all sorts figure greatly in the home cooking of this decade.
”Chef Paul Bocuse told me recently that he thinks French cooking has lost some ground because of the accessibility of home-style Italian.
”Italian food fits our concern about health. The degree to which we are using pasta and grains has really increased.”
Indeed, in Fabricant`s book 25 of the 170 recipes feature pasta, grains, rice and legumes.
Despite her profession, Fabricant often struggles with the question of what to serve for dinner.
”My daughter is a vegetarian, and my son loves a good steak. There was a time when pasta was the only middle ground in my family.”
Fabricant`s children, now grown, contributed a menu to the book.
”My son Robert`s menu features a chocolate cinnamon cookie he recalls from a trip to Oaxaca, Mexico,” she says. ”He began by playing around with a basic recipe and tested it about 20 times to duplicate the cookie.”
Her daughter Patty`s menu pairs couscous with vegetables and a spicy chili sauce made with sun-dried tomatoes. Fabricant says she was ”intrigued by the kinds of foods they chose-nothing like I was eating when I was in my 20s. Who knew about these things: sun-dried tomatoes, couscous and chili peppers?”
When planning a dinner party, Fabricant advises a trip to the market before determining the menu.
”See what`s fresh; see what intrigues you. But always keep in mind what you are comfortable cooking, your kitchen and your serving equipment.”
For entertaining she keeps ”the nuts and bolts of the dinner party pretty much the same: nuts or a simple nibble with wine, a green salad, cheese and good bread. The main course is easy, pasta or risotto (which is even easier because there is no sauce to make). Then fruit or a special dessert depending on time.”
Some of her favorite dishes included in the book are a classic coq au vin updated with dried shiitake mushrooms, a quick dish of clams and tomatoes with linguine, a smoky risotto, a plum and oat-bran betty and a Basque-style fish. Here are several recipes for cool-weather cooking adapted from the book.
HOT AND COLD MELON
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Fabricant suggests serving this low-calorie creation as an hors d`oeuvre. 1/2 honeydew melon, not too ripe
Juice of 1 lime
1 1/4-1 1/2 teaspoons pure chili powder
1. Remove the seeds and skin from the melon and cut it into 1-inch chunks. Place in a bowl. Add the lime juice and chili powder; toss to mix. Serve the melon immediately from a bowl with toothpicks on the side or skewer each piece with a bamboo pick and arrange on a platter.
VEAL SHANKS EN CARBONNADE
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 2 1/2 to 3 hours
Yield: 6 servings
Fabricant writes, ”The shank of veal is a cut rich in natural gelatin, making it perfect for slow cooking with a resulting rich sauce. The bone is prized for its marrow, which is delicious (but not suitable for those on a low-fat diet; fortunately there`s only a mouthful or two). When buying veal shanks be sure they are single-serving size-about 3/4 pound each. This recipe combines the veal shanks with onions and beer, and it even works with other meats, like chicken drumsticks.”
2 tablespoons each: unsalted butter, extra-virgin olive oil
6 cups very thinly sliced onions
4 large garlic cloves
6 pieces veal shank, cut about 2 inches thick, 4 to 4 1/2 pounds
1/2 cup regular or amber beer
2 bay leaves
6 whole cloves
2 tabll shanks snugly. Stir in the oil, then the onions. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until the onions are tender, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook, uncovered, stirring from time to time until the onions are golden, about 20 minutes. Remove the onions and garlic from the casserole and reserve.
2. Dry the veal shanks. Place them in the casserole and brown them on both sides over medium heat. (You may not be able to do all of them at once.) When they are brown, remove them from the casserole and set aside.
3. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Stir the beer into the casserole and heat to a simmer, scraping the bottom well. Add the bay leaves and cloves. Return the onions and garlic to the casserole, then add the veal shanks. Heat to a simmer, cover and place in the oven. Cook for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, turning the meat once or twice during the cooking, until it is very tender.
4. Carefully remove the meat from the casserole, place in a dish and cover to keep warm. The sauce should have cooked down considerably. Stir in the vinegar and mustard. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Heat to a simmer.
5. Arrange the veal shanks on a platter and moisten with the sauce, pouring any remaining sauce around the shanks. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
WILTED KALE
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Kale has a wonderful, slightly chewy texture and a rich forest-green color. But once it has been cooked, especially with a splash of lemon added, it must be served immediately or its green will begin to turn yellow.
1 large bunch kale
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 green onions, minced
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt, freshly ground pepper to taste
1. Rinse and drain the kale; chop it coarsely.
2. Melt the butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat, then add the garlic and saute it for a few seconds. Then add the kale and green onions. Increase heat to medium-high and stir-fry the kale until it has just wilted, about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve at once.
