Fall is now official. Earlier this week, I braised. This recipe, for those interested. It was perfect. Dense and rich and spicy, the chicken falling right off the bone. Braising, it should be said, is tremendous. And easy. You brown your meat at high heat on the stove. You add your liquid, your aromatics, your spices. You bring to a boil. You cover. You put it into an oven at a low temperature or on the stove at low heat. The liquid simmers, infusing the meat with the flavors of the broth and coaxing tough or dry cuts into becoming warming, tender, comfort food. I can't think of another cooking technique that triggers such total transformation in the ingredients. But don't take it from me. Here's Mario Batali to show you how:
While we're on the subject of Batali, I spent some time over the past few weeks looking for a good Fall cookbook. Came up mostly dry. Until a friend brought over her copy of Molto Italiano: 327 Simple Italian Recipes to Cook at Home
. I now sleep with it under my pillow. The recipes are perfect for the season, dark and salty and rich and bold and simple. The writing is clear and lyrical; the recipes have narrative and context and even a bit of drama. And the food photography is probably the best I've seen. i highly recommend it. . I now sleep with it under my pillow. The recipes are perfect for the season, dark and salty and rich and bold and simple. The writing is clear and lyrical; the recipes have narrative and context and even a bit of drama. And the food photography is probably the best I've seen. i highly recommend it.
