Customer Reviews

Recipes 1-2-3: Fabulous Food Using Only Three Ingredients

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have tried many of the recipes in this book, and while they are not all unqualfied successes, enough of them are that I number this among my most useful recipe books. Ms. Gold and I share a basic sensibility about simplicity and flavors - simple, robust, up-front. I find that the add-ons make a big difference, and of course, I tend to tweak recipes anyway - the Baked Olives (in red wine and olive oil) are great as given, but with the addition of some garlic or rosemary, it's terrific. The deep-fried cheese was a disaster - I got a huge mess in the pan, with the coating stuck to the bottom and the runny cheese all over everything - ugh. The pasta with broccoli sauce is pretty bland - next time I'll massage it with some lemon juice or pepper flakes or something. But other recipes are great, and provide quick and easy starting points for me. I definitely recommend the book, and have given it to a couple of non-cooks, who really liked it.

Gold's approach to cooking is quite unique. By using a limited number of ingredients she must make the plain flavors stand out by emphasizing their inherent qualities. This differs from many culinary styles that strive for complexity of flavors and ranges of tastes within a dish. The results are subtle and fresh tasting. Readers should be warned, however, that 1-2-3 doesn't mean simple. Many times the dishes are time consuming and have multiple steps such as roasting, sweating, blanching, baking, sauteing, and pureeing in order to showcase the flavors of the main ingredient. I have made several dinners using only her cookbook, and three dishes can use up an impressive number of pots, pans, and appliances (fortunately I am not the dishwasher in my home). At their best, the recipes using this simplicity concept are especially suited to wine pairings that enhance or complement the tastes. I have incorporated a number of these dishes into my day to day repertoire: Pasta with Broccoli-Sausage sauce (using vegetarian sausage), Pureed Potatoes, Celeriac Remoulade, Sausages (Vegetarian) with Asparagus Sauce, Pumpkin Pasta, Braised Endive, Baked Fennel, Pasta with Broccoli Sauce, Routabaga Soup, and others. Gold is clearly writing from a large metropolitan center, and those of us in rural areas will have to adapt some of the more exotic ingredients. She is, however, a cook's cook and has in this and subsequent books provided an individual epicurean style.

When I purchased this book I thought, "Wow! I can cut my shopping time in half and still serve excellent gourmet meals to my friends and family!"

While the recipies were creative and pleasing to the eye as well as the palate, I had difficulty finding some of the ingredients. Ms. Gold's philosophy is, the better the ingredients the better the meal. I can't say I disagree. However, it was difficult when almost every time I wanted to make something I had to plan ahead and make either a special trip to the grocery store or ethnicgrocer.com.

What I did like is that the book encouraged me (a novice cook) to think about how different ingredients taste and function together. This is knowledge I can use with all of my other cooking.

Also, I should add that the photography and art design in this book is wonderful!

Mix together sauerkraut, brown sugar, and crushed tomatoes and what do you get? It sounded so unappealing to me that I skipped over this recipe many times after I bought the book. But in fact, you get quite a delicious soup from those three ingredients. This recipe epitomizes the interesting and imaginative directions Roxanne Gold goes in this book.

Some of the recipes are pretty complex, but most are simple to prepare. That sauerkraut soup couldn't be easier. But be prepared to go shopping. You're unlikely to have all 3 ingredients for these recipes sitting on the shelf.

The concept of Recipies 1-2-3 is intriguing: recipies with only 3 ingredients (water, salt, and pepper not included). In many ways, this simplifies recipes. However, the tradeoff is that cooking techniques or unique ingredients (e.g. tahini) are often substitutes for creating flavor, which may challenge some readers. The book also offers tips for adding ingredients to improve the dishes, complete menus using recipes from the book, and helpful wine pairings. I will probably check out Rozanne Gold's other books in the future.

Having a great time using this inspiring cookbook. It isn't easy getting wonderful food in this rural area and being able to cook uncomplicated perfectly flavored recipes without doing headstands makes Recipes 1-2-3 a terrific Christmas gift. I particularly like Gold's suggested menus they streamline my entertaining. Buy it!

This makes a perect gift for beginning cooks to gourmet. Three simple ingredients come up with different and delicious recipes.