THE "C" WORD

I’m reading Nancy Silverton’s new cookbook called “A Twist of the Wrist,” and giving tons of thought to its premise that there are many “quick flavorful meals” to be made with “ingredients from jars, cans, bags and boxes.” I agree; there are indeed. Silverton zeroes in on lots of provocative packaged and prepared foods, some commonly found in supermarkets, some of rare breed that need tracking down and/or ordering, some of brands and producers simply not found in these parts.

So as I’ve been reading, I’ve been tallying searching and shopping time vs. kitchen time and I think it’s pretty even-steven. You’re either going to put your time into acquiring good ingredients or you’re going to put your time into a little elbow-grease in the kitchen. You know, getting involved in the “C” word – cooking. The difference is the money. Buying some of those primo ingredients cost bucks, some of them substantial. A boxed quart of good stock will set you back maybe $4, while making a good stock from throw-away cooking scraps costs, well, the price of the water from your faucet.

We all know this: You’re either going to invest in time or money to eat. (Even if you do dinner for four at the local drive-through fast-food joint, it’s still going to cost you a twenty. Minus the tab for antacid.) We’ve pretty well convinced ourselves, however, that we don’t have time to cook, that all the shuffling to and from work and activities and obligations has exhausted our already-short supply of cooking time. So what Silverton’s book does is tempt us back into the kitchen with “Boneless Pork Chops with Yam Puree and Sauteed Bitter Greens,” a recipe that only calls for 30 minutes of your time, and Chicken with Potato-Lentil Curry, Green Masala Yogurt and Fresh Cilantro,” a recipe requiring just 20 after-shopping minutes.

Frankly, I think Silverton, who is one of the most respected (and deservedly so) chefs in the country and has written several praise-worthy cookbooks, has a dual-edged point with this book: For folks who have the money to buy verjus, piquillo peppers, imported tuna belly in olive oil and chef-sanctioned salsas (from Frontera, from Coyote Cocina) and/or enjoy spending the time hunting down small, artisanal producers of organic broad beans, ZerGut eggplant puree and jarred onions (“an invaluable resource” “used exclusively” to test recipes in the book) from Patsy’s or Aunt Nellie’s (don’t use the Rolland brand, which is a “different product”), this cookbook is a gold-mine of idea for every meal. But for those who don’t have the money to spend on some of these ingredients or the time to shop various markets and catalogs for them, whirring a bunch of herb leaves and olive oil in a blender to produce pesto suddenly seems a small price of time (3 minutes? Maybe 4?) to pay to make delicious recipes. Specifically, her delicious recipes.

I think what “A Twist of the Wrist” (Alfred A. Knopf; $29.95) does is give folks a choice. A choice beyond flat burgers and pressed chicken and oily pies and mayo-laced subs. That’s a “C” word that’ll get your gastric juices flowing.

Cheers,
Andy
4.3.07