Leave it to the intrepid journalist and historian Lael Morgan to come up with the perfect cookbook for foks with hectic schedules who crave simply steps to serve up down home comfort foods.
And fun to read too!
“Kitchen Stories Cookbook: Comfort Cookin’ Made Fascinating and Easy,” by Morgan and fellow journalist and teacher Linda Altoonian gets right to the nitty gritty, with over 200 recipes to make from no more than six ingredients.
Morgan was at the Blue Hollomon Gallery in midtown Anchorage on Oct. 4 to launch the 226 page book by Epicenter Press, full of recipes ranging from artichoke, clam, dill and shrimp dips to soups, stews, chowders and desserts.
Her favorite, allows Morgan, is the No Knead Bread recipe on page 30, which requires a cup and a half of lukewarm water, one tablespoon of sugar, one tablespoon of dry yeast and four cups of flour.
“This super-simple bread surpasses in flavor that of much more complicated recipes,” wrote Morgan, in a note with the recipe.
“It was a favorite with a multinational group of charter boat wives who cooked in tiny galleys when I sailed in the Virgin Islands during the early 1960s and I still prefer it, even when enjoying the use of a big kitchen. I also use the recipe for quick and easy pizza dough and cinnamon rolls.”
Little notes accompany each recipe, some telling the history of where that recipe was derived during the authors’ travels, how it’s a wonderful idea for leftovers, or how it will entice visitors to plea to stay for dinner.
Take Altoonian’s Ranch Roast, made with one tablespoon of oil, 1-5 pounds of chuck roast, one bottle of Catalina salad dressing, six sliced carrots, six sliced potatoes and six sliced onions.
“Anyone who comes into your house when this is simmering on the stove will angle for an invitation,” notes Altoonian. “Its aroma is that compelling and the taste is delicious. This works well in the crockpot too.”
Or the Spanish Rice recipe, which Morgan admits “has about as much to do with Spain as Arctic exploration, but it’s a tasty basic that can be dressed up with exotic additions to serve as the main course.” All you need is four tablespoons of butter, one chopped onion, two cups of cooked or instant rice, an eight-ounce can of tomato sauce, a 16-ounce can of stewed tomatoes, and maybe a little water.
Oh, but you can dress it up with chopped green pepper, chopped celery, a cup of cooked chicken, tuna fish, shrimp or hamburger.
With Thanksgiving coming up, there’s the String Bean Almandine, which can be prepared quickly with a bag of frozen string beans, a little butter, one-fourth of a cup of slivered almonds, half an onion, sliced thin, garlic salt and half a teaspoon of salt.
“I actually threw this together because I had drop-in guests and only this in the freezer to make for the vegetable dish,” said Altoonian.
Plenty of quick and easy desserts too, from Apple Brown Betty and apple pie to Baked Alaska, bread pudding, brownies, carrot cake, cheesecake and strawberry rhubarb pie.
Each recipe serves four diners and requires only the most basic utensils.
