Easy gourmet : awesome recipes anyone can cook

346 Pages·2014·17.56 MB·English

by  le

easy gourmet
AWESOME RECIPES anyone CAN COOK
from the creator of
i am a food blog
named Top Cooking Blog by Saveur magazine
STEPHANIE LE
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To Mike: for then, for now and for always

Table of Contents
INTRO
HELLO
BREAKFAST
THE BEST PART OF WAKING UP
PASTA & RICE
CARBOLICIOUS
MEATS
CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT THEM
SEAFOOD
SEE FOOD, EAT FOOD
VEGETABLES
EAT THEM
SOUPS & STEWS
LIQUID GOLD
SANDWICHES
LOOK MA, JUST HANDS
SNACKS
NOT JUST FOR MIDNIGHT
DESSERT
ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA
About Stephanie Le
Acknowledgements
Index
Copyright
I never used to like eating, which is a strange admission for a now
avid food lover and cook, but when I was a child, I was the pickiest
eater around. I would drive my parents crazy with the things that I
would and wouldn’t eat.
My food choices were never logical—they were based on whimsy and,
more often than not, the people around me. Once, at daycare, a boy
pointed at my lunch of soy sauce fried noodles and yelled, loud enough
for the 5-year-olds to hear in the next room, “Stephanie’s eating
wooooooorms!” Tears immediately started pouring down my face and
even though minutes before I was looking forward to digging into what
was one of my favorite foods, I suddenly couldn’t stand to have them
near me. In hindsight, I should have said, “spaghetti’s worms too!” but
my 3-year-old brain wasn’t too quick with the comebacks.
Instead, being the sensitive kid that I was, I told my mom that I was
never going to eat Chinese food again. My mom made a deal with me: at
home I’d eat whatever she put on the table, but for daycare lunches
she’d make more “kid appropriate” (read: boring lunches). I wanted to
be just like everyone else, so I agreed.
My mom wasn’t the type to go by the book, so it wasn’t long before my
lunches were legendary. Kids always wanted to trade with me and I
happily gave away my thermoses of homemade chicken noodle soup,
cup of cut fruit and freshly baked chocolate chip cookies for store-
bought lunchables, chips and canned peaches.
Eventually, my taste buds grew up and I went from being extremely
picky to eating almost everything. What changed was being exposed to a
whole other world of food beyond the predominately Asian food we ate
at home. I’d go out for a bite to eat and absolutely fall in love with all
the flavors. In an attempt to be able to eat all the dishes I fell in love
with (while still in my pyjamas), I started cooking in earnest. I
experimented with recreating and creating dishes and eventually started
I Am a Food Blog to record my efforts.
Everyone’s definition of good food is different, but one thing holds true
across the table: sharing a meal brings people together. Eating, laughing
and lingering over a good meal is my idea of a really good time. Eating
together and enjoying that particular moment at that particular time
with the people you choose makes memories you just won’t forget.
“Stephanie’s eating woooooooorms!”
Easy Gourmet contains some of my favorite recipes. And they are meant
to be just that: easy, yet unexpectedly delicious. Coconut Carrot soup
gets a kick from a red curry paste, and Baked Mac & Cheese is fancied up
with Gruyère and Swiss. The recipes are as eclectic as my taste in food.
A little bit Asian, a little bit classic and a lot delicious, these recipes are
what I love to cook.
BREAKFAST
Breakfast holds a special place in my heart. I have fond memories of
sitting around my family’s old marble laminate table, waiting anxiously
for my mom to finish frying eggs to have with bacon and toast. Hot
breakfasts were reserved for the weekends, when my mom actually had
time to make all the good stuff. During the week, my mom worked the
graveyard shift and we made do with cereal and milk, so weekends were
the best thing ever.
As I grew up, I became obsessed with cooking breakfast, no matter what
the time of day. I’d whip up plates of pancakes for dinner or omelettes
for lunch. There’s probably nothing easier or more rewarding than
learning how to cook breakfast. Typical breakfast foods can and should
be anytime foods, especially if they’re Blueberry Waffles, Pulled Pork
Pancakes or Chicken & Waffles.