It occurred to me the other day that I cook primarily by eye.
It occurred to me the other day that I cook primarily by eye. If a thing looks right, it’s usually right. I suppose other cooks depend on their taste buds or their nose or the touch of their finger, but I seem to be an eye guy. This all came up when I was sautéing some brussels sprouts last Sunday after the Giants game.
Jill and I set out for the farmers’ market on Columbus Avenue around noon. I knew I wouldn’t make it back in time for the kickoff, but if I miss some of the pre-game hype, that’s a plus for me. I figured we’d shop with the farmers, Jill would scamper off to the park for a walk and I’d sneak back with the groceries and set up in front of the TV around the middle of the first quarter. It was a perfect Sunday plan – especially because the Giants won.
The farmers were winterly sparse, as expected, but the brussels sprouts looked like they were the deal of the day. I got a bagful of the sprouts, some shiitake mushrooms, a few big, dirty radishes and a leek or two. I was all set to make Jill a vegan pasta after the game. Well, after the second game, which was Pittsburgh vs. Denver.
I cleaned the brussels, stripped off the outer leaves and sliced them in half vertically. Then I flash-fried them – cut-side down first – in olive oil that I had infused with a clove of garlic as it was heating up. Here’s where my eye came in: the sprouts caramelize very quickly in the hot oil; I didn’t want them to get black but on the other hand, I didn’t want any hardness in them. It was all about the look – a little char, but still glistening with toothy succulence.
Then I hot sautéed the shiitakes and put them aside with the brussels sprouts. In the big pan where I would eventually assemble the pasta, I slowed sautéed the peeled and thinly sliced radishes and the chiffonaded leeks with a clove of minced garlic.
I used a farro pasta that I find at Eataly. When it was done perfectly, I drained it but not completely — leaving a little water in it to give the pasta a creamy look I stirred the pasta into the radishes and leeks and tossed on the brussels sprouts and shiitake mushrooms – a feast for a vegan king! Or queen.
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About Michael Tucker
I’ve been an actor for about forty years and a writer for half as many. I have worked in theater, TV and movies - in New York, California and many points in between. I’m married to the actress Jill Eikenberry – thirty-eight years this June – and we now divide our time between New York and Italy, where we have a house nestled among the olive trees in Umbria. I’ve written three books, all of which have food and drink prominently involved. The first is “I Never Forget a Meal” which explains itself; “Living In a Foreign Language” about our house in Italy; and “Family Meals”, a book about how our family turned into Italians around the crisis of Jill’s mother’s decline into dementia. There’s a lot of food in that one, too.-
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This sounds fabulous! I hate brussels sprouts, but you made them sound delicious…I just may have to give them a second chance. Mangia!
This Sunday just pour yourself an Old Milwaukee. Load up on cheese and make a very large bowl of vichyssoise. It is going to be a very long afternoon for the Giants in Green Bay.
Sounds really good. I’m a believer that good cooks don’t cook with their eyes or their hands. They cook with their minds. I think people who cook well can “taste” in their mind what a certain combination of ingredients will taste like together even before they start cooking. It’s a feel that certain things will taste good together, and other combinations won’t work. I think you have that feel. Others need to follow recipes (“not that there’s anything wrong with that”….Jerry Seinfeld)
Hi Michael
Wonder if you can tell me where I might find quanciale in NYC? Eataly? Did you use “good” Umbrian olive oil or “just” olive oil for your sprouts?
Grazie
Now that’s MY kinda meal! 2 thumbs up from Canada!
Mike:
Go Giants!!
I am writing this on Saturday night, keeping my fingers crossed for tomorrow in Green Bay.
I, too, love Brussels sprouts, but my favorite way is to cut them in half, steam them slightly, then drizzle with EVOO. I then place them on a baking sheet, drizzle with Balsamic vinegar and grated cheese and bake in a hot oven till everything gets hot and melted.
don’t forget your days in Mill Valley…give the 49′ers some of your couch time…it was an amazing win
Go cheeseheads!! Sorry guys I’m from Milwaukee . Yummy recipe ,Mike. I’m also an eye person sometimes picking my meals on color combinations.