This is the perfect book for now. Right now and in the next couple of months before us. Winter dangles on — there will be one final blizzard here in 48 hours. And then spring will come. It’s time for some hearty roast meat, surely some lamb, and spring vegetables in all their glory. Asparagus, surely asparagus.
Justine Smillie is the Chef of Upland, a restaurant on Central Park South in Manhattan facing Central Park. Justine merges his California heritage with the diversity of Manhattan culinary supplies: meats, cheese, veggies, and spices. The whole world can be found on the shelves of stores within a couple of miles of Upland. The secret is taking those components and fashioning dishes, complex dishes.
A typical recipe here has three or four components and takes two or three pages to explain. In some cases, you can work on a recipe a few days ahead — Justine lays out a schedule that let you do those components in advance and then accelerate on the last day to that grand finale of food on the plate.
So, you’ll find ideas like Braised Lamb Should with Onion-Anchovy Jam and Crispy Lamb Ribs with Pickled Nectarines or Ricotta Gnudi with Braised Spring Vegetables. One component, on step at a time.
The title, Slow Fires, is followed by the explanatory secondary title: Mastering New Ways to Braise, Roast and Grill. We have become, in too many ways, a fast food nation. We buy it. And even at home we look for recipes that are quick: a handful of ingredients, fast cooking times. In Slow Food, Justine asks you to consider the benefits of, well, slow cooking. Long cooking times can achieve things that fast cooking cannot. It can take time to soften a tough piece of meat or to let flavors infuse, mix, and finally marry. No, if you try to speed up the process by just cranking up the heat, you will produce leather, not lovely meat. There is no substitute for time.
There are three principal chapters here:
- Braising
- Roasting
- Grilling
Justine shares with you his insights and procedures for each of these cooking techniques. You may well never have braised before, but braising is a way to cook almost anything. Tough pieces of meat for sure, but Justine notes that, “more versatile ingredients, such as chicken legs or even humble leeks, also benefit from the flavor and moisture this the technique affords.” Braising is the perfect technique to experiment with on a wet or snowy weekend. You won’t feel trapped inside your house. You’ll be liberated in your kitchen.
Other treats in Slow Fires include:
Sicilian Kale-Stuffed Turkey Legs
Olive Oil-Cured Cod and Summer Tomato Panade
Pan-Roasted Pork Chops with Blistered Avocado and Chives
Peppercorn-Crusted Short Ribs with Pickled Cherry Peppers, Charred Scallions and White Anchovy [the picture on the cover of the book!]
Charred Escarole with Spicy Brown Butter-Hazelnut Vinaigrette
Slow Fires is a serious cookbook, one that asks for your investment in time and rewards with an abundance of flavors. You will learn from Slow Fires and, perhaps again, discover the importance of time in the kitchen.