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"Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly. There is a communion of more than our bodies when bread is broken and wine drunk."
Mary Frances Kennedy Fisher, known as M.F.K., was a fine food writer with a wicked sense of humor. She wrote these words many years ago and they ring true today. The question is: Can you find pleasure in dining alone?
Judith Jones answered this question in her latest book “The Pleasures of Cooking for One.” Jones, who was born in 1924, has been an editor at Alfred A. Knopf for more than 50 years. She personally nurtured the careers of James Beard, Julia Child, Marcella Hazan, Lidia Bastianich and a host of others.
After her husband Evan died in ’96, Jones was not sure she would ever enjoy prepping, cooking and dining alone. As the years passed, she discovered she was wrong.
“I realized the pleasure we shared together was something to honor. I found myself at the end of the day looking forward to cooking, making recipes that work for one and then sitting down and savoring a good meal,” wrote Jones.
She gives tips on essential cooking equipment, indispensable utensils, stocking the cupboard, the freezer and refrigerator and essentials for the fruit and vegetable bins.
She believes supermarkets encourage people to buy too much and when singles do, they are left with leftovers. Jones gives recipes for what to do with those leftovers before they turn green in the fridge.
“There is something about going home at the end of the day or giving over a quiet Sunday afternoon to cooking — smashing the garlic, chopping an onion, getting all those good cooking smells going, stirring and tasting mindfully and then adjusting the seasonings — that makes us feel creative,” wrote Jones. “It is a comforting form of relaxation.”
■ Gratin of Beef, Mushrooms and Bread Crumbs ■
Ingredients:
6 medium mushrooms, chopped into small dice
1 garlic clove, sliced
1 shallot, sliced
2 tablespoons of fresh bread crumbs, plus more for topping
2 tablespoons of fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Light olive oil
3 to 4 fairly thin slices of leftover steak
Splash of red wine
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Mix the first five ingredients together in a small bowl. Generously sprinkle the salt and pepper. Smear a little oil on the bottom of a shallow one-serving gratin dish and spread half of the mushroom mixture on the bottom.
Cover with the steak and sprinkle a little red wine over it. Taste and correct for salt.
Finish with a layer of the remaining mushroom mixture. For the topping, sprinkle a scant tablespoon of bread crumbs all over it. Drizzle with a little olive oil.
Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.
Serves one.
■ Roasted Bronzino (Loup de Mer) ■
Ingredients:
Olive oil and salt, to rub over the fish
1 whole bronzino, gutted and scaled
Handful of fresh cilantro leaves
3 to 4 scallions, trimmed
1 to 2 slivers of small fresh hot pepper such as jalapeno
1/2 lemon, cut into three slices then halved
Directions:
Preheat the over to 425 degrees.
Rub a little of the oil and salt over the fish. Stuff the cavity with the cilantro, scallions and hot pepper. Scatter the lemon pieces over the fish. Roast in the oven for 25 minutes.
Serve with a wedge of lemon.
Serves one.
■ Ed Giobbi’s Fresh Mint Sauce ■
Ingredients:
2 cups of fresh mint leaves
2 sprigs of fresh parsley leaves, chopped
1/4 cup of pine nuts
4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup of chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Puree all the ingredients in a food processor using a pinch of salt. Taste and correct for salt and pepper. Process again until the sauce is the consistency of heavy cream.
Note from Phyllis: Ed Giobbi is an artist and cook book author. This sauce is good on vegetables, fish, poultry, meat, fish and lamb.
■ Cucumber Raita ■
Ingredients:
1 small cucumber, peeled and grated
Salt, to taste
1 cup of whole-milk yogurt
Pinch of cayenne, optional
Sprinkling of cumin seed
Light dusting of paprika
Directions:
Sprinkle a little salt on the cucumber. Put the yogurt in a bowl, starting with 3/4 of a cup and beat until smooth. Pat the cucumber dry with paper towels. Mix with the yogurt.
Add a small pinch of cayenne, if using, and add more salt to taste. Sprinkle cumin and paprika on top.
Note from Phyllis: I would use an Israeli (sometimes called Persian) cucumber for this recipe. Jones likes this Indian sauce on cold chicken, lamb, salmon or shrimp.
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