New obsession

My latest obsession these days is Alice Waters cookbook, The Art of Simple Food. If the name sounds familiar, it should! She’s the chef behind Chez Panisse Resturant in Berkeley and famous for eating and preparing seasonally, locally and sustainably grown foods.

What I love about this book is the easy-to-follow recipes and basic lessons that Waters gives the reader. (It also helps that the page layouts and typography are well done. I am always disappointed by cookbooks and their lack of design sensitivity to the reader/cook. In fact, there are no glossy color photos included to distract you, just wonderful illustrations. Really, everything about this book makes me want to cook…) But back to the content! Once you try one of the lessons, you will feel confident to change up the recipes and make them your own, or at least try one of the variations Waters has provided. If those aren’t enough to get you started, there are an additional 250 recipes sure to become favorites.

So my plan for the rest of the year is to cook from this one cookbook. Last Sunday’s dinner was braised chicken legs prepared in my new Martha dutch oven (Sorry Le Creuset*, I want you but I can’t have you!). My mom used to make a recipe just like this while I was growing up, although I think her recipe called for V8 and an electric kitchen skillet, circa 1984. Either way, it was just as good as I remembered.

I’ve included a few photos of the inside pages below, in case you are interested in getting a copy of your own. There is a surprising lack of imagery available online, so just remember you saw it here first!

*I’ve heard from very reliable sources that if you can’t have Le Creuset either (or don’t like Martha), to try Tramontina.