The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution

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The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution

Editorial Review

Perhaps more responsible than anyone for the revolution in the way we eat, cook, and think about food, Alice Waters has "single-handedly chang[ed] the American palate" according to the New York Times. Her simple but inventive dishes focus on a passion for flavor and a reverence for locally produced, seasonal foods.
With an essential repertoire of timeless, approachable recipes chosen to enhance and showcase great ingredients, The Art of Simple Food is an indispensable resource for home cooks. Here you will find Alice's philosophy on everything from stocking your kitchen, to mastering fundamentals and preparing delicious, seasonal inspired meals all year long. Always true to her philosophy that a perfect meal is one that's balanced in texture, color, and flavor, Waters helps us embrace the seasons' bounty and make the best choices when selecting ingredients. Fill your market basket with pristine produce, healthful grains, and responsibly raised meat, poultry, and seafood, then embark on a voyage of culinary rediscovery that reminds us that the most gratifying dish is often the least complex.

Do we really need more recipes for beef stew, polenta, and ratatouille? If they're the work of famed restaurateur and "food activist" Alice Waters, undoubtedly. In The Art of Simple Food, Waters offers 200-plus recipes for these and other simple but savory dishes, like Spicy Cauliflower Soup, Fava Bean Purée, and Braised Chicken Legs, as well as dessert formulas for the likes of Nectarine and Blueberry Crisp and Tangerine Ice. In addition, readers learn (or become reacquainted with) the Waters mantra: eat locally and sustainably; eat seasonally; shop at farmers markets. These are the rules by which she approaches food and cooking, and hopes we will too. Organized largely by techniques, the book is a kind of primer, designed to free readers from recipe reliance.

Some readers may look askance at advice that they search out sources for locally produced food, for example, given the everyday exigencies of shopping and getting meals on the table. Yet it is precisely the need to "remake" our relationship to food that, Waters contends, determines the ultimate success of all our cooking and dining, not to mention our health and that of the planet. This relatively small book has a large message, and good everyday recipes to back it up. --Arthur Boehm

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
• simple food, simply marvelous
  If I were to own just one cookbook,this would be it. This book teaches you the basics, and like everything of Alice Waters', the food is always authentic. I have cooked many recipes out of this book and they are all excellent. Be sure to try the lamb shank recipe.
• Simple, Seasonal: Cooking From The Garden
  Apron greens--the dandelion greens and mache--you pluck from the garden, cradle in your apron to the kitchen and toss with a sweet Viennese lemon and honey dressing: seaonal and simple. Alice Water's THE ART OF SIMPLE FOOD almost immediately reminded me of my grandmother's kitchen--the one I try every day to imitate. Locally grown and fresh means a walk out to the kitchen garden and, if there's extra time, a jaunt over to the farm market. Every cook should garden and every gardener should cook--at least a... more info
• Better than good.
  I went to Pastry & Baking School. I thought about going to the Culinary side and then I found this book. I have no desires to be a professional chef, but this book has taught me that I don't have to be fancy to produce "Wow!" inducing food. I'd recommend everyone learning the important lessons she continually preaches:
  1) Ingredients matter. Buy fresh, buy local. If your ingredients are crap, your finished meal will be, as well. I have to be honest, I can't always do this (buy fresh and local), as... more info
• Much more than I expected!
  To begin with, I live in Thailand, and so almost all of the "seasonal" advice in this book is useless --- except for the general idea, which is all-important: buy high-quality ingredients when they are in season. In Thailand, that would translate to "wait for the hot season before gorging yourself on mangoes, or mango-with-sticky-rice." Most Thai fruits have seasons when they are at their best, so pay attention.
  This includes the basic idea of "don't just go to the market and buy an onion." Some folks... more info

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