From Warehouse to Your House: More Than 250 Simple, Spectacular Recipes to Cook, Store, and Share When You Buy in Quantity

Starters

If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way.

—NAPOLEON HILL, WRITER (1883–1970)

I am not a fan of little bits of food. I am not interested in spending tons of time doing things like stuffing mushrooms (although I do make an exception for the date recipe that follows) but instead like to make interesting but relatively simple things to start a meal.

Spiced Walnuts/Pecans

Perfect for gift giving, especially around the holidays, these nuts have a shelf life of six months. While it’s a rare household that doesn’t consume these the day they’re made, it’s nice to know this recipe doesn’t have to be made the night before an event.

You can substitute an equal amount of curry powder, or 3 teaspoons black pepper, plus ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, for the cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.

PUMPKIN PIE SPICE is typically a combination of ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, mace and cloves. The proportions vary depending on the spice company. It can also be used as a substitute for or an addition to cinnamon in foods like banana bread and carrot cake. This mixture is a great shortcut for cooks at Thanksgiving.

I’m nuts and I know it. But so long as I make ’em laugh, they ain’t going to lock me up.

—RED SKELTON, AMERICAN COMEDIAN (1913–1997)

YIELD: ABOUT 4 CUPS

4 cups walnuts or pecans, or a combination

1 large egg white

1 teaspoon cold water

¾ cup sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice

Preheat the oven to 225 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place the nuts, egg white and water in a bowl and toss until the nuts are well coated.

Add the sugar, salt and cinnamon and toss again.

Place on the prepared sheet and transfer to the oven. Bake, stirring every 15 minutes, until the nuts appear dry, about 1 hour. Set aside to cool and serve immediately, or store in a resealable plastic bag in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Bruschetta

I often seem to have the luck to arrive at the store just when the bread has come out of the oven, and inevitably I am seduced by the smell and buy too much. As a result, I am often left with more bread than we can consume in a day or two. Instead of bemoaning the fact that it’s no longer oven-fresh, I take advantage of my bounty by slicing it up and popping it in the freezer. This way, when I need a quick appetizer, I’m ready.

BRUSCHETTA is one of the many brilliant solutions Italians have devised for day-old bread. It is simply toasted bread, usually brushed with oil and garlic. You can use any kind of crusty rustic bread, but I wouldn’t use a packaged sandwich bread.

SERVES 4–6

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

16–20 thick slices French or Italian bread (about 1 loaf)

Kosher salt

Prepare a grill or preheat the oven.

Place the garlic and olive oil in a small bowl and set aside.

Toast or grill the bread slices until golden brown. Remove the slices, brush with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt.

Tomato and Arugula Bruschetta

6 plum or 4 beefsteak tomatoes, seeded and diced or sliced

¼ cup Balsamic Vinaigrette (page 67)

16 arugula leaves (optional)

Kosher salt

If you have the time, after you slice the tomatoes, place them in a small nonreactive bowl with the balsamic vinaigrette for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours. Before proceeding, drain them well and discard the vinaigrette.

Prepare a grill or preheat the oven.

Toast or grill the bread slices until golden brown. Remove the slices, brush with the oil, top with the tomatoes, vinaigrette and arugula, if desired, and sprinkle with salt.

Roasted Pepper and Anchovy Bruschetta

2 roasted red bell peppers (page 13), chopped

6 anchovy fillets, chopped

¼ cup chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley leaves

Coarsely ground black pepper

Prepare a grill or preheat the oven.

Place the red peppers, anchovy fillets and parsley in a bowl and mix to combine.

Toast or grill the bread slices until golden brown. Remove the slices, brush with the oil, top each with 1 tablespoon of the roasted pepper mixture and sprinkle with black pepper.

Fresh Mozzarella and Tomato Bruschetta

2 medium balls fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

6 plum or 4 beefsteak tomatoes, seeded and diced or sliced

Kosher salt

Coarsely ground black pepper

Prepare a grill or preheat the oven.

Toast or grill the bread slices until golden brown. Remove the slices, brush with the oil and top with the mozzarella. Add the tomatoes and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Prosciutto, Mozzarella and Arugula Bruschetta

2 medium balls fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

8–12 slices prosciutto, halved

16 arugula leaves

Balsamic vinegar

Kosher salt

Coarsely ground black pepper

Prepare a grill or preheat the oven.

Toast or grill the bread slices until golden brown. Remove the slices, brush with the oil and top with the mozzarella. Add the prosciutto and arugula to each slice, and then drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Garlic Bread

The garlic butter can also be used as a pasta sauce or a garnish for soups, or you can drizzle it over steamed or roasted vegetables or grilled chicken or beef.

Without garlic I simply would not care to live.

—LOUIS DIAT, FRENCH CHEF (1885–1958)

SERVES 4–6

For the garlic butter:

¼ cup olive oil

8–10 garlic cloves, minced or chopped

½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves (optional)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves (optional)

1 French or Italian baguette, cut into slices

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

TO MAKE THE GARLIC BUTTER: Place a large skillet over very low heat and add the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook until tender and lightly colored, 8–10 minutes. Do not let it brown. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes (it will still be slightly warm). Add the butter and combine well. Add the oregano, salt, basil and cilantro, if desired. Mix well and transfer to a small serving bowl, cover, and refrigerate up to 1 month or freeze in a resealable plastic bag up to 3 months.

Toast the bread. Spread with garlic butter and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired. Serve immediately.

Marinated Mozzarella

Don’t substitute the factory-produced supermarket variety for fresh mozzarella. It just won’t be the same.

Adding fresh basil leaves and sundried tomatoes, either whole or sliced, will make this more elaborate but very special. Save the oil for drizzling on steamed or roasted vegetables or grilled steak.

FRESH MOZZARELLA (sometimes called fiore di latte ) is a completely different cheese than American mozzarella. American mozzarella (also called slicing mozzarella) is a semisoft cheese made exclusively from cow’s milk and is most often used in cooking for its texture, generally as a topping (in the case of pizza), as a sandwich addition or as a component of a dish; rarely is it eaten alone. Fresh mozzarella, however, is commonly eaten alone or marinated in olive and garlic as an antipasto. Originally made only from water buffalo’s milk, in America fresh mozzarella is now made with cow’s milk; it is a soft white cheese with a slightly sweet milky flavor. It can be purchased in a block, which can easily be sliced, or in little balls (bocconcini), which can be marinated or eaten plain.

SERVES 6–8

1 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into ½-to ¾-inch cubes, or 1 pound bocconcini

¼ cup extra-virgin or virgin olive oil

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil or Italian flat-leaf parsley leaves, or ¼ teaspoon dried basil

Place everything in a bowl and toss well. Cover and refrigerate overnight and up to 2 weeks.

Stuffed Dates

Faced with a brand-new box of dates and half a package of prosciutto (purchased for another dish), my pal Nancy got to work wrapping the prosciutto around the dates. After eating two, she and I decided they’d be even better stuffed with blue cheese, and after two more, we decided they’d be even better with the addition of pecans. You’d think we would have had it by then, but we kept eating. And then later, we dreamed of eating them. These are truly amazing, at every stage.

This recipe is written for one date because it’s easier to make them one by one, but I would never suggest it’s possible to eat just one. Make as many as you think you’ll need.

If you like, substitute feta or goat cheese for the blue cheese, and lightly toasted almonds or walnuts for the pecans.

Originally from Morocco, DATES, the oldest fruit cultivated by man, were considered sacred in ancient times. Although their texture and sweetness make them seem rich, dates contain more potassium than bananas, are low in fat and contain no cholesterol. They are also low in sodium and high in fiber and magnesium.

PROSCIUTTO DI PARMA, a specialty of Parma, Italy, is an Italian-style raw ham, cured by dry salting for one month, followed by air-drying in cool curing sheds for about one year. Cut into tissue-thin slices that highlight its intense flavor and deep pink color, Prosciutto di Parma is regarded as the best quality. Prosciutto can be refrigerated, well wrapped, for several weeks.

1 date

½ teaspoon blue cheese

1 pecan, lightly toasted or spiced (pages 12, 16)

½ slice prosciutto

Cut open the date and remove the stone, if not already pitted. Fill the cavity with blue cheese and a pecan and then reform into its original shape. Wrap with prosciutto. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate up to overnight. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.

Mango Salsa/Chutney

When I buy a case of mangoes, which I frequently do, it seems we either eat them all within two days or eat two and then forget about them. This recipe is a perfect solution. Fresh, the salsa is perfect for chips of any kind or as a topping for burgers or grilled fish. Cook it over medium heat until it comes together, 30–45 minutes, and you have a chutney. Serve the chutney as an accompaniment to grilled steak or Boston Trio chicken (page 129). As long as they are perfectly ripe (have an aroma and give a bit when you push on them), I find the easiest way to peel a mango is with a potato peeler.

Used most frequently in Indian, Middle Eastern and Scandinavian cooking, CARDAMOM has a flavor that is very difficult to describe, but once you know it you’ll never forget it: pungent and sweet with a slight lemony, ginger flavor.

Peel FRESH GINGERROOT using a potato peeler.

MAKES 4–5 CUPS

7–8 perfectly ripe mangoes, peeled, pitted and chopped

1 red bell pepper, diced

½ red onion, chopped

2 tart apples, peeled and diced

½ cup sugar

½ cup white (distilled) vinegar

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh gingerroot

1 teaspoon black pepper

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves (optional)

Place everything in a large bowl and mix to combine. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to 3 days.

Spicy Red/Black Bean Dip

Spicy, sweet, tart and creamy, this wonderful dip has something for everyone!

YIELD: 1 ½–2 CUPS

One 15.5-ounce can red kidney or black turtle beans, well rinsed and drained

2 garlic cloves

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

1 chipotle chile in adobo (page 184)

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ cup fresh orange juice

Juice of ½ lime

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Place the beans, garlic, cumin, chile, salt, orange juice, lime juice and 1 tablespoon cilantro in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until smooth.

Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately, garnished with the remaining 1 tablespoon cilantro, or cover and refrigerate up to 3 days.

Onion Dip

Move over, Lipton Soup mix. This is a fresh, updated version of the classic dip I grew up on.

New research indicates that strong-tasting onions (yellow and red onions, and shallots too) are packed with cancer-fighting flavonoids.

I used to hang out by the food table at parties because you don’t have to talk to anybody. If you do then you can talk about the food.

—JENNIFER JASON LEIGH, ACTRESS (B. 1962)

YIELD: 2–2 ½ CUPS

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 red onions, halved and chopped

2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves

1 cup sour cream

1 cup mayonnaise

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

2 scallion greens, chopped, for garnish

Place a small skillet over low heat and when it is hot, add the butter. Add the onions and rosemary and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are deeply browned and caramelized, 35–40 minutes. Transfer to a small mixing bowl and set aside to cool.

Add the sour cream, mayonnaise, salt and pepper, and mix to combine.

Serve immediately, garnished with the scallion greens, or cover and refrigerate up to 2 days.

Goat Cheese and Sundried Tomato Dip

The combination of the mild goat cheese and the intense, sweet flavor of the sundried tomatoes makes an especially tasty dip (plus, it’s incredibly quick and almost effortless to assemble). If you buy sundried tomatoes that are not packed in oil, simply soak them overnight in olive oil to plump them.

Serve with pita bread triangles or crudités, as a spread for turkey or roast beef sandwiches, as a topping for burgers, or stuffed into an omelet.

SUNDRIED TOMATOES were originally dried in the sun; they are now dried in low heat ovens. In the ’80s it seemed you couldn’t order a dish without having them included and I came to loathe them. Now I enjoy them and particularly love them here.

"I don’t want the cheese, I just want to get out of the