Serves 2. Time requirement: about 25 minutes start to finish. What you will need: 12 ounces of cod fish loin cut into 3-4 pieces. ¼ cup chopped onion. 1 tomato to yield ½ cup chopped fresh tomato. A dozen mixed pitted black and green olives cut in half. The leaves from 3 thyme sprigs. 1 tablespoon chopped pimento (can be from a jar). 1 square inch of orange zest finely chopped. ¼ cup white wine. 2 tablespoons olive oil. ¼ cup all-purpose flour. A handful of fresh arugula. 2 w

Serves 2-4. The number of people served will depend on the appetites of the diners and the size of the chicken thighs. Chickens thighs are getting bigger each year. The packages of thighs used to test this recipe include large thighs up to 9 ounces. One of these large thighs can be enough for one person. Time requirement: Preparation and cooking the chicken will take about 45 minutes. However, make the brine 24 hours in advance so you can brine the chicken for 6-24 hours. Pre

Serves 4. Time requirements: 30-40 minutes to prep, 2 hours to cook, and another 30 minutes to complete the dish. What you will need: A 3-pound boneless chuck roast. 1½ teaspoon kosher salt. 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. 2 tablespoons olive oil. 2 pounds of carrots peeled and sliced into one-inch thick pieces. (Weigh the carrots after you have peeled and trimmed them.) 1 package of frozen pearl onions thawed and set to dry on a towel. (That’s about 14 ounces by weig

Time requirements: about 30 minutes to prep before it goes into the oven, 2 hours in the oven and an addition 20 minutes of prep while the meat cooks. What you will need: A 3-pound boneless chuck roast. 1 teaspoon salt. A few grinds of fresh black pepper. 2 tablespoons olive oil. 1½ pound carrots, peeled and sliced into ¼ inch thick slices. 1 pound of the white portion of leeks washed and chopped. (Note the food processor is a good tool to chop the leeks.) 1 cup white wine. 1

Serves 2-4. Time requirement: What you will need: 2 beef cheeks, about ¾ of a pound each, trimmed. 1 teaspoon kosher salt. 2 tablespoons olive oil. ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 bouget garni of 6-8 thyme sprigs, a 4-inch sprig of rosemary, and 4-5 sage leaves. 1 cup beef stock. 1 cup blonde beer (golden ale). 12 ounces pearl onions 2 carrots peeled and cut into equal sizes about 2-inches long. 8 ounces button mushrooms (champignons de Paris). 2 tablespoons butter.

Serves 3-4. Why this recipe: Beef cheeks are your ninth runner up in a ten-contestant beauty pageant. But they should be crowned! Their tenderness, their beefiness, and their unctuousness mouth filling effect is awesome. Truly delicious. And they are so inexpensive, there is little risk in trying them. Time requirement: About 20 minutes preparation time and 3 hours in the oven. What you will need: Start with 2¼ to 2 ½ pound package of beef checks. After you trim them of fat,

Serves 2. Don’t be put off by the anchovy. It just adds backbone and salt to the finished dish. Do not be a coward. Time requirement: 15-20 minutes active preparation and cooking plus 60 minutes for the meat to marinate. What you will need: 12-16 ounces of thin slices of beef ribeye. 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 sprig of rosemary, about 6-8 inches in length. 1 garlic clove. 2 ounces unsalted butter at room temperature. 1 anchovy fillet chopped and mashed into a paste. 1 tablespo

A Note about Measurements and Baking. Baking is science. It is a completely different activity than cooking. In cooking you can be your own creative boss and follow your desires to change a recipe. Not so in baking. Baking is science: you are taking materials and completely transforming them; flour, butter, sugar, eggs, and water are transformed into something entirely different: a cake, a pie, etcetera. As a result, measurements need to be precise. A cup of flour is not a pr

Serves 2. Time requirement: 15 minutes. What you will need: 2 anchovy fillets packed in oil. 1 cup milk or water. 4 green olives pitted. 1 pickled pepperoncini pepper. 4 capers, 1 raw egg yolk. ¼ teaspoon lemon juice. ½ teaspoon Dijon style mustard. 2 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon olive oil. Kosher salt and some fresh pepper to grind. Emulsion blender. A jar in which the emulsion blender will fit. Preparation: Place the anchovy fillets in a bowl and cover with the milk or water.

Serves 4. Time requirement. About 15-20 minutes plus 4 hours to chill the soup in the refrigerator before service. What you will need: 2 pounds of very red ripe tomatoes seeded, peeled, and chopped. 3 ounces of cucumber seeded and peeled. 1 green pepper peeled and roughly chopped. 1 chili pepper. 1 garlic clove peeled. 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar. Extra virgin olive oil. Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Preparation: In a blender, puree the tomatoes for 1-