 Photo by Maria Robledo
Sally's approach is to present an initial recipe to demonstrate a technique, showcase a particular type of recipe or showcase a presentation. She then explains how to transform that recipe into several other 'improvisations'. For an example see the "Sugar Snaps with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Shaved Parmigiano" recipe below which showcases the versatility of Parmigiano cheese with fresh vegetables. Sally's improvisations on this recipe include Sugar Snaps, Asparagus, and Baby Artichokes with Parmigiano; Mushroom and Squash Carpaccio with Pine Nuts, Basil, and Parmigiano; Fennel and Parmigiano Salad with Roasted Pecans; and Botanical Sliced Pears, Apples, Figs; or Persimmons with Parmigiano and Balsamic Caramel. Through her descriptions she explains how each of these improvisations work and evolve from the original recipe.
In addition to recipes and improvisations, this 2007 International Association of Culinary Professionals award winning cookbook also includes a guide to flavor affinities, details on kitchen equipment and suggested pantry staples. Combined with the recipes and improvisations, the details in this cookbook provide the initial tools and knowledge needed to break away from recipes and begin cooking on your own.
Sugar Snaps with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Shaved Parmigiano
From The Improvisational Cook by Sally Schneider, William Morrow 2006
Serves 4
- 4 cups sugar snap peas (about 12 ounces)
- Lemon and Olive Oil Dressing
- 1 garlic clove, bruised, then cut in half lengthwise
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
- Pinch of kosher salt
- Pinch of sugar
- 1/4 cup fruity extra virgin olive oil
- One 2-inch strip lemon zest, cut into thin slivers
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 to 3 ounces Parmigiano in 1 piece
Slice the vegetables. With a chef's knife, cut the sugar snap peas on an extreme diagonal into thirds or halves, discarding any tough stem ends. Place in a plastic bag and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Make the dressing. Rub the cut side of one of the garlic halves over the inside of a small bowl. Add the lemon juice, salt, and sugar. Spear both garlic halves with a dinner fork. Using this as a whisk, drizzle in the olive oil until the sauce has formed a thin emulsion with a subtle garlic flavor; discard the garlic.
Dress the vegetables. Up to 1/2 hour before serving, add the sugar snap peas and lemon zest and toss to coat; season with pepper to taste.
Garnish with the cheese. Just before serving, using a mandoline or Benriner or a vegetable peeler, shave the Parmigiano into paper-thin shavings. Scatter over the peas and toss gently.
Improvisations
Sugar Snaps, Asparagus, and Baby Artichokes with Parmigiano
Serves 4
In spring, when asparagus and baby artichokes appear, I often replace some of the sugar snaps in the preceding recipe with one or both of these vegetables, to play on their affinity for each other. Use any proportions you wish. If using artichokes make twice as much dressing, and add it as required to keep the salad moist.
The key is cutting each vegetable so it is of equal crunch and weight as the sugar snaps: To prepare asparagus, break off the tough ends and discard. Grouping a few stalks at a time, slice them with a chef's knife on an extreme diagonal into 1/4-inch slices.
To prepare baby artichokes: Squeeze 1 lemon into a medium bowl and fill it with cold water. Working with 1 artichoke at a time, pull off 4 or 5 layers of the tough green outer leaves from the base to reveal the pale yellow ones; they will resemble closed rosebuds. Cut off the top third of each artichoke and trim all but 1/4 inch of the stem. Trim away the tough dark green bumps, where the leaves were broken off. Using a mandoline or Benriner or a thin sharp knife, slice each artichoke lengthwise through the stem into 1/16-inch slices. Place the slices in the lemon water as you work. (You may prepare the artichokes up to 1 hour ahead.) Drain well and blot dry with a paper towel just before mixing the salad.
Mushroom and Squash Carpaccio with Pine Nuts, Basil, and Parmigiano
Serves 4
When sliced paper-thin on a mandoline or Benriner and arranged like a mosaic on a plate, ordinary button mushrooms and summer squashes such as zucchini and yellow squash make a charming vegetarian carpaccio for a light, summery appetizer.
In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice and a pinch each of salt and sugar. Spear a halved garlic clove with a dinner fork. Using this as a whisk, drizzle in 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil until the sauce has formed a thin emulsion with a subtle garlic flavor; discard the garlic.
Trim the ends off 4 ounces medium zucchini and/or yellow squash; using a mandoline or Benriner, cut the squash into paper-thin circles. Trim the stems off 4 ounces button or cremini mushrooms, wipe off any dirt, and slice the mushrooms paper-thin. Arrange the vegetables in slightly overlapping circles on 4 dinner plates. Drizzle each serving with dressing. Grind over black pepper and scatter thinly sliced fresh basil leaves over each serving. Using the slicer, slice 2 to 3 ounces Parmigiano into 1/16-inch shavings. Arrange the shavings over each plate and scatter liberally with toasted pine nuts (about 1/3 cup total).
Fennel and Parmigiano Salad with Toasted Pecans
Serves 4
I often mix culinary idioms-for example, adding pecans, which are very American, to a fennel and Parmigiano salad. The nuts have the perfect caramel sweetness and crunch. Cutting the fennel thin but not paper-thin prevents it from becoming wilted and watery.
Cut the branches off 2 large fennel bulbs (about 1 pound each) and reserve; with a vegetable peeler, peel any bruised spots off the bulbs. Slice each fennel bulb into quarters through the stem and cut out the tough core. Using a mandoline or Benriner or a chef's knife, cut each quarter lengthwise into thin-but not paper-thin-1/16-inch slices (you should have about 8 cups). Place in a medium bowl and add 1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted pecans. Toss with 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil to coat and 2 to 3 teaspoons Banyuls or sherry vinegar. Add salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper to taste. If desired, chop a few tablespoons of the reserved fennel fronds and add to the salad, and scatter thin shavings of Parmigiano over the top. Serve at once.
Botanical Sliced Pears, Apples, Figs or Persimonns with Parmigiano and Balsamic Caramel
This is less a recipe than an assemblage of simple elements made charming by the way the fruit is cut: in thin cross sections, pits and stems intact, that look like a botanical print. It is an always-satisfying dessert. The quality of the fruit is critical: Use ripe in-season pears, apples, figs, or fuyu persimmons, singly or in combination. Figure about 1/2 pear's volume of sliced fruit per person. Roasted almonds, such as Spanish Marcona almonds, make a nice accompaniment.
Slice pears, apples, or figs in half through the stem; cut only the bottom off the persimmons. Using a mandoline or Benriner or a long thin sharp knife, beginning at the cut side, slice the fruit parallel to the cut edge to make thin 1/8- to 1/4-inch cross sections, with a pretty diagram of seeds. Arrange the fruit on dinner plates or on a large platter. Shave a chunk of Parmigiano into thin sheets and arrange on the plates. If desired, drizzle some Balsamic Caramel (page 64) in a pool on the plates for dipping the cheese.
About The Improvisational Cook
 In The Improvisational Cook, Sally Schneider helps home cooks declare their independence from recipes and set lists of ingredients and offers an invitation to a fun, more spontaneous way to cook with whatever is on hand. Sally gives you the know-how to embellish, adapt, change, alter, modify, and experiment in your cooking with plenty of encouragement and helpful information -- the tools and insights you need to find your own voice and cook improvisationally. These include an exploration of the "inside" of improvisation -- the creative mind-set, where to find inspiration, how to deal with the unexpected, practical approaches to learning "what goes with what," including a chart of classic flavor affinities, and tips on organizing your kitchen to make improvising easier, from long-keeping pantry staples to makeshift tools. Using The Improvisational Cook, you'll discover a way of cooking that's fun, unfussy, and truly pleasurable. Everyday cooking can become creative every day.
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