When I first started cooking, “simple” turned me off. It seemed like everyone who was anyone was proclaiming that a simple, straight-forward approach to cooking was best. But, to me, simple felt elitist. Like Alice Waters cooking eggs on an iron spoon in her kitchen hearth. I don’t know about you, but my kitchen hearth takes such an unbearably long time to heat up.
I was afraid of simple cooking, so I figured I could prove my prowess in the kitchen with complicated recipes. There were a lot of disasters. I never gave myself a break. The first time I used squid as an ingredient I insisted on cleaning it myself. Squid ink splattered everything in my kitchen. I almost had a heart attack when I found that plasticky skeleton in the squid. I had no clue. And I felt like a failure.
Around the same time I started cooking, Jim and I began spending his book advance (plus a few of my meager paychecks) in New York restaurants, where we ate many simply prepared meals that tasted simply amazing and heightened my fear of simple, because I couldn’t grasp how they did it. So I shook simple off, and tested myself with every multi-ingredient extravaganza I could find. I needed someone to put their hand on my shoulder and tell me to take it easy, but instead I went on for a few years with dogged insistence on fussy things, and finally came around to simple, the hard way.
Man, was I wrong about the whole simple thing. It just isn’t elitist. It’s anyone’s game.
There are only two things to learn to get simple cooking right. First, I needed to learn how to find good ingredients — to find artisans who create great products, and to learn when produce is at its prime (which is easy enough with all the handy guides out there) — and second, I had to learn how to season well. That last part proved a bit tricky: it takes practice, it meant I had to suffer through a few over-salted meals. But after a while I got it, and then I really understood this whole simple business.
These leeks are simple cooking and there’s nothing to them. Slice them into cute little rounds, wash them really well, and add them to a pan with lots of melted butter. Pour in a bit of water, about halfway up the sides of the leeks, and cover and cook for ten minutes. Then comes the tricky part: Uncover and season the leeks. Start with a little pinch of salt, a grinding of pepper, then add some more, then some more, until the leeks taste super good. If you don’t add the magic amount of salt, they’ll taste good; but at that point, when they are just good, try and add a tiny bit more salt, incrementally, until they go from tasting good to tasting super good, memorable, smile-making. That’s when you’re there. That’s when you’ve conquered simple cooking. You’ll know it when it happens, I promise. And once it does, it’ll change everything. It did for me. I went from cursing the simple cookery coterie to being here, turning this blog into my own personal simple cooking soapbox. Now excuse me, I need to find some logs for that hearth.
Leeks Braised in Butter
serves 3-4
Don’t be alarmed by the amount of butter in these leeks. This recipe is more of a garnish than a side dish, and a spoonful of the leeks is all you need per serving. Butter is what makes the leeks taste so delicious, so don’t skimp.
1 bunch of large leeks (about 4 individual leeks)
4 tablespoons butter
water
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
small handful of fresh parsley and chives, for sprinkling
Cut the root and dark green tops from the leeks and peel the first layer of the leek away. Working with just the white and light green part of the leek, slice into rounds. Wash leek rounds thoroughly under running water, making sure to get rid of any dirt. (This may take a few washings.)
Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add leek rounds to the pan and add water to cover about halfway up the sides of the leek rounds. Cover the pan and cook for about 10-12 minutes, until the leeks are tender.
Uncover and season with salt and pepper, seasoning with a little bit at a time, adding more as you taste until the leeks taste perfectly seasoned. Once all the water has evaporated from the bottom of the pan, transfer leeks to a serving dish. Garnish with chopped parsley and chives, to taste. Serve a small portion of the leeks on the side of just about anything, though pork is especially nice.
Subscribe