Bibliobites in September: One Pan to Rule Them All?
It is a sad fact of life that cooking generates dirty dishes of every description. No matter how efficient we may try to be in our use of pots or bowls or utensils, there always seems to be plenty of washing-up awaiting us. Admittedly this is a first world problem; but a number of cookbook authors have decided that this is a challenge they must tackle: the one pot or pan meal. This month’s title, Dinner in One by NY Times columnist and author Melissa Clark trods this somewhat well-worn path with a few unique twists. Two of Ms. Clark’s previous titles (Dinner: Changing the Game and Dinner in French) received only middling ratings from our opinionated group, so how did this one fare?
Interestingly, despite the obvious focus of the book, there wasn’t much discussion about the one-pot aspect. Many types of familiar meals are typically made in one vessel (think soups, stews, stir-fries), so there wasn’t anything particularly innovative about that idea. But, there were other factors that garnered overall praise: lots of vegetarian options (including multiple tofu recipes); notes at the bottom of most recipes with suggestions for adding/subtracting/substituting ingredients; and the welcome variety of main dishes. Comments included, “it’s a good general book;” “the recipes are good starting points;” and “I copied many recipes [keepers!].” More than a few group members weren’t ready to return their copy since they still had recipes marked that they really wanted to try. And the ultimate compliment: three people planned to buy the book!
Once we got into the kitchen, there was an impressive amount of cooking going on. Meaty mains that received an enthusiastic two thumbs up included spicy stir-fried pork, full English breakfast (“will make again!”), cheesy baked pasta (“liked the one-pot technique!”), spicy turkey larb (“delicious! Herbs really good, liked all the spices.”), and crispy lemon chicken. Those that were deemed “just OK” were cheesy meatball parm (“ordinary”), creamy peanut chicken (“needed more flavor”), and crispy spicy larb (“not that exciting”). In the fish department, roasted tuna (“fish nice and moist…really good!”) and seared miso-sesame shrimp and asparagus (“flavors were really good”) both made the grade; tahini roasted cod (“the sauce was blah”) and miso glazed salmon were solid but unexciting.
As mentioned, there were plenty of vegetarian options, and our cooks took full advantage. Among the hits were all of the tofu recipes: chile crisp tofu, glazed tofu, crispy chili-glazed tofu, and crunchy peanut-crusted tofu. Each of these was praised for bringing delicious flavors and textures to the table. If you’ve never been a tofu fan, maybe this is the book that will change your mind! Other standouts: stuffed portobellos, eggplant rice pilaf (“keeper!”), cavatelli with butternut squash, farro with crispy spiced chickpeas (“really good—but made a lot!”), and spiced pearl couscous with jammy eggplant. Two that were just “meh:” roasted cauliflower and potatoes (“the sauce kind of got lost…similar to others”) and baked lemony feta (“the feta just didn’t get soft…messy to eat. Lemon added good flavor!”).
A week or so before our meeting, fall-ish weather arrived, and therefore it instantly became soup season. All the soups we tried were universally praised by multiple cooks: cauliflower-carrot soup (“I added mushrooms…keeper!”), orzo minestrone (“colorful…tasty…aged well”), lemony turkey and white bean soup (“liked the cumin and lemon…herbs were great…keeper!”), and curried sweet potato and lentil soup (“just…good!”). In addition to soup, the cooler weather inspired some to turn on their ovens and do a bit of baking. The last chapter in this book features one-bowl cakes; two people made blueberry lime crunch cake. This cake was good, if not revelatory; and it was definitely better the first day. The lime was a nice touch. Ricotta olive oil pound cake came to our meeting (dressed up with some chocolate chips!). This was a lovely, moist, and fine-textured cake. It froze well, too.
With all that cooking, we made a total of 29 unique recipes, almost 30% of the book’s total. Nicely done, team! The group as a whole enjoyed this title; it was one that hit that sweet spot between too simple/boring and too out there/complicated. Some ingredients might be deemed a bit esoteric, but no one mentioned that they had trouble finding anything. In the end, our rating reflected our positive and tasty experiences, and averaged out to a 4.2 (out of a possible 5). That’s about as high a score as we’ve ever had. A good way to start our year!
In October we’ll be staying local with author/baker/TV chef Gesine Bullock-Prado’s My Vermont Table. Copies are available at the main circulation desk or via curbside pickup. And please join us at our next meeting on Friday, October 25 in the Fireplace Room as we wend our way through Vermont’s six seasons. Yes, six! See you then.