Split Pea Soup with Ham Hock
2 hrs 30 mins
In Tom Valenti’s Soups, Stews, and One-Pot Meals, Valenti and coauthor Andrew Friedman dish up the flavor we’ve come to expect from a New York chef, without any of the fuss. This is food that gets better a day or two after it’s made, food to make on the weekend and savor throughout a busy week, food that is perfect for dinner parties and family celebrations.
Here are 125 realistic recipes for the home cook — most made in one pot — and all based on the fact that the right ingredients, left alone to cook in a single vessel with virtually no intervention from the cook, steadily build glorious flavor and leave far fewer pots to clean.
The book includes “Variations” and “Tomorrow’s Table,” tips on ways to embellish a dish by adding vegetables or meats or provide economy by stretching it into another satisfying meal by simply adding another ingredient. Valenti and Friedman embrace what they term “cooking in the real world,” encouraging home cooks to use canned stocks and beans whenever appropriate. They discuss key ingredients; offer a section on condiments, garnishes, and accompaniments; provide a list of mail-order sources; and recommend cookware (though you won’t need a lot).
2 hrs 30 mins