The Joy of Cooking…for One!

“Oh that smells good. Can you smell those cookies yet?” Joe Yonan is peering through the oven window like a child spying for Santa on Christmas Eve. He is checking the progress of some pistachio butter cookies he is baking, and he is having fun. You get the impression that Joe has a lot of fun with food, and as the Food and Travel Editor for The Washington Post, that’s a good thing.

I have come on this night to L’Academie de Cuisine where the two-time James Beard Award winner is demonstrating recipes from his latest cookbook Serve Yourself: Nightly Adventures in Cooking for One. I am seeking inspiration. Not too long ago, a friend of mine inadvertently pointed out that many of the recipes I’ve posted here have been less than conducive to the single lifestyle. Either they are too large, too complex or — let’s be honest here – too uninspiring.

I am hoping that Joe Yonan can fix all that. I’m looking for some good advice and a little wow factor to lure my single friends into their much-neglected kitchens (if they can even find them) and get them cooking something for themselves. Too often the idea of cooking for one requires overcoming a certain degree of inertia. Joe confronts it all the time with single people. “Why would I want to go through all that trouble when it’s just me,” they ask him. It is that “just me” sentiment that keeps restaurants, pizza delivery and Chinese carryout in business. It is also the sentiment that Joe takes aim at. “I want to persuade single people, or anyone who is eating alone, that you are worth cooking for.”

To that end, Yonan relies on three basic strategies that make cooking for one more appealing and less wasteful: Learning how to shop for ingredients that “support a single cook’s lifestyle” and reduce waste; maintaining a well stocked pantry, fridge and freezer to help save time; and, a general recognition that when you’re cooking for yourself the only one you need to please is you.

“What’s the one thing missing when you’re cooking for one?” he asks the group attending the demonstration. “It’s the stress. When you’re cooking for yourself, the pressure is off. It’s just you. If you have a craving, you know how to fill it. You fill it. Follow that craving wherever it may take you. It’s all about the freedom.”

Of course, if you’re going to convince people to cook for themselves, you’re going to need a big payoff in the form of something delicious. No problem. Joe Yonan is perfectly positioned to deliver the goods. You see, when you’re a travel and food editor for a major newspaper, you get to do things like…well, travel and eat food – really, really good food. Yes, Joe has been around the culinary block a time or two. His exposure to starred restaurants, neighborhood hot spots, ethnic markets and the who’s who of the food world has provided him with a depth and breadth of influences most people never know. It also doesn’t hurt that he is a chef in his own right having graduated from The Cambridge School of Culinary Arts. The man is as skilled with a food processor as he is with a word processor.

Serve Yourself includes over 100 globally inspired flavor-filled recipes sure to lure you into the kitchen and keep you there. How does Sweet Potato and Orange Soup with Smoky Pecans sound? Maybe you’d prefer Yucatan-Style Slow-Roasted Pork or Gingery Glazed Halibut with Carrots and Baby Bok Choy. If you like your food a little more on the casual side, try Smoked Turkey Tacos with Mole Verde. Then top it all off with some Spicy Coconut Sorbet or a warm Cherry Almond Tart. Hungry yet? Yeah, I thought so. The best part is that all of these tantalizing dishes are perfectly scaled to feed one person.

On this spring night in Bethesda, Joe is whipping up a Shrimp and Potato Chip Tortilla with Red Pepper Chutney followed by a Three-Pepper Pizza with Goat Cheese and the aforementioned Pistachio Butter Cookies for dessert. For the tortilla, he uses potato chips in a traditional Spanish omelet, a technique inspired by chefs Ferran Adria and Jose Andres. Soaking the chips in the beaten eggs for 10 minutes rehydrates them, and the addition of a little pimenton adds some depth of flavor.

The chutney is a sweet-sour-spicy combination of smoked red bell and poblano peppers, capers, fennel and a little vinegar and sugar. It will not only accompany the tortilla, but it will serve double-duty as a topping on the pizza. It illustrates one of Joe’s most important cooking strategies: keeping the kitchen stocked with flavor-rich condiments, dressings and other ingredients that can be at the ready to spike the flavor factor in a dish. He writes in the book:

“I’m a zealot about the fact that if you’re fully stocked, making something quick and the end of a long workday is that much easier. I think it might even be more important for single folks than for others, because it allows us to make bigger batches of things when we have the time, but then just use a little of it to help punch up a single-serving meal that doesn’t result in mountains of leftovers.”

Making pizza at home can be a daunting challenge for anyone, and the results often vary. Good pizza takes time, patience and a really hot oven. Joe deploys a no-knead dough recipe and a technique for cooking the pie on the bottom side of a hot iron skillet that ensures a perfect gourmet pizza every time. His use of the chutney with goat cheese and arugula has a fresh, modern taste. There are five other pizza recipes in the book, including one made with figs, walnuts, taleggio and radicchio. Who needs a trendy high-end pizzeria when you’ve got something like that coming out of your very own oven? Best of all there’s no waiting for a table, and if you take Joe’s advice and make the dough in advance, you’ll be eating one of these babies in less time than Domino’s can deliver.

Then there is the matter of those butter cookies he’s been baking off. Fresh out of the oven, they are warm and airy and shorter than the lines for a Tom Green film. Dessert is one area where even Joe concedes that the effort can sometimes exceed the need. Unless you’re gearing up to play the lead role in a bio-pic about Dom Deluise or Mama Cass, desserts are best left for special occasions, right? Practically speaking, that may be true, but if you’re like me, it’s not a meal until you’ve had a little something sweet. How much better would an evening at home alone be with some No-Bake Chocolate Oat Cookies, Cappuccino Tapioca Pudding with Cardamom Brulee or a Yogurt Parfait with Mulled Red Wine Syrup, Oranges and Almonds?

As the evening progresses, the irony is not lost on me. Joe is cooking for one in a room full of hungry people. Just as he completes each entrée, staff from the school emerge from behind us bringing our own individual servings. Our heads nod approvingly as we gobble up the feast. Joe has the look of a salesman who knows he’s closed the deal, and I have learned that the best way to review a cookbook is to have the author cook for you. More importantly, I have found enough inspiration to convince my single friends that it time to start looking out for number one by staying in and cooking.

* * * * *

Do you want to know the dirty little secret about Serve Yourself? Lean in close to the screen, and I’ll let you in on it. Here it is: You don’t have to be single to enjoy it. It works for everyone. One may be the loneliest number according to the Three Dog Night, but it’s also the easiest to multiply according to Mrs. Wagaman, my eighth grade math teacher. Once a recipe has been tailored to fit one, you have nowhere to go but up. Whether you’re cooking for one or 100, this book belongs on your shelf

Let’s eat.

Red Pepper Chutney has a sweet-sour-spicy combinations of flavors that can spike up any dish

Red Pepper Chutney

I can’t say enough about this chutney. After tasting it at Joe’s demonstration, I rushed right home and made a double batch. As you read this, there is probably a jar of it just like the one pictured here sitting in my fridge. I put it on everything that doesn’t move. It really does spike up the flavor of meats, vegetables or even as a topping on crostini.

Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients:

• 2 large or 3 medium red bell peppers (about 1 pound total)
• 1 poblano pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon capers, drained
• 2 teaspoons tomato paste
• 3 large shallot lobes, cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1/4 fennel bulb, cored and cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 1/4 cup)
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Kosher or sea salt
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, plus more as needed
• 1 teaspoon sugar, plus more as needed

Preparation:

Preheat the broiler with the rack set 4 to 5 inches from the element or flame. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Split the bell peppers and poblano pepper through the stems and lay them cut sides down on the prepared baking sheet. Broil for a few minutes, then turn the sheet front to back and broil for a few more minutes, until the peppers are completely charred. Remove from the broiler, and let them cool on the baking sheet. When the peppers are cool enough to handle, slip off and discard the peels, stems, cores, and seeds. (Resist the temptation to do any of this under running water, or the flavor will be lost.) Tear or cut the peppers into roughly equal strips about 1/2 inch wide.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Use paper towels to pat dry the capers. Add them to the hot oil and fry until they bloom and start to become crisp, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the tomato paste (be careful of splatters) and cook, stirring, until it darkens in color, about 2 minutes. Add the shallots, garlic, fennel, red pepper flakes, and salt to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the vinegar and use a spatula to dislodge any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet, then stir in the sugar. Add the peppers and cook for a few minutes, stirring. Taste for seasoning, adding salt, vinegar, or sugar as needed.

Serve the chutney warm or at room temperature. Or let it cool, then refrigerate in a tightly covered container for up to 2 weeks.

Reprinted with permission from Serve Yourself: Nightly Adventures in Cooking for One by Joe Yonan copyright © 2011. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc.

A traditional spanish omelet prepared with potato chips that have been rehydrated in the beaten eggs

Shrimp and Potato Chip Tortilla

This is such a filling and delicious dish to make for yourself. It comes together so easily, even at the end of a long day. The smoky taste of the pimeton melds perfectly with the roasted peppers and the heat of the chutney. Do yourself a favor and try it. You’ll be glad you did.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• Kosher or sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon pimenton (smoked Spanish paprika)
• 1 (1-ounce) bag potato chips, preferably kettle-cooked and lightly salted
• 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
• 1 medium shallot lobe, thinly sliced
• Leaves from 4 or 5 sprigs cilantro, chopped
• 4 or 5 medium shrimp (about 2 ounces), peeled, deveined, and halved crosswise

Preparation:

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, a light sprinkling of salt and pepper, and the pimenton.

Lightly crush the potato chips in the bag. Stir them into the eggs and let the mixture sit until the potato chips are soft, 5 to 10 minutes.

Pour 2 teaspoons of the oil into a very small skillet over medium heat. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the shallot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallot is soft and starts to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the shallot to a plate to cool.

When cool, stir the shallot into the egg mixture. Stir in the cilantro and shrimp until thoroughly combined.

With the skillet still over medium heat, pour in the remaining 2 teaspoons oil. When it starts to shimmer, pour in the tortilla mixture. Let it cook undisturbed for a minute or two, then shake the pan back and forth and run a thin spatula around the edges of the tortilla. If there is loose, runny egg, lift an edge of the tortilla with the spatula and tilt the pan to let the liquid egg run underneath. Cook until the top of the tortilla is still wet but no longer a runny liquid, 3 to 5 minutes or longer, depending on the size of the pan. Run the spatula around the edges of the tortilla and then all the way underneath it to make sure the bottom is not sticking.

If your spatula is large enough, use it to flip the tortilla in the pan. Alternatively, take a plate slightly larger than the skillet, and invert it on top of the skillet. Using oven mitts, grab both sides of the skillet, also holding the plate, and quickly and decisively turn both skillet and plate upside down, inverting the tortilla onto the plate and removing the skillet.

If the skillet looks dry, add another teaspoon or so of olive oil, and when it starts to shimmer, slide the tortilla back into the skillet, uncooked side down. Shake the skillet to straighten the tortilla, decrease the heat to low, and continue cooking until a skewer inserted into the center comes out dry, 2 to 3 minutes.

Invert the tortilla onto a plate again, let it cool for a few minutes, and eat.

Note: If you don’t have a very small skillet, this will still work; it won’t be as thick as a Spanish tortilla and will instead be closer to a frittata.

Reprinted with permission from Serve Yourself: Nightly Adventures in Cooking for One by Joe Yonan copyright © 2011. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc.

Tagged as: cooking for one, joe yonan, L'Academie de Cuisine, red pepper chutney, Serve yourself, shrimp and potato chip tortilla, washington post