Simple Pleasures

by Chris Fennimore, Daniel Aguera

Overview

This is a book about good food with heart: 80 easy-to-prepare comfort food recipes. What is it about comfort food...especially in stressful times. That's when food becomes more important to us than ever. We now know that certain foods can trigger the part of our brain that connects to pleasurable early memories: think of apple pie, mashed potatoes and butter, the smell of garlic and onions sizzling in olive oil… By early childhood we are imprinted with these sense and taste preferences.

For co-authors Chris Fennimore and Chef Daniel Agüera, their food memories started as children in their grandmothers’ kitchens. Chris’s Italian grandmother could make magic out of the simplest ingredients; Daniel’s Spanish abuela taught him to cook from the heart. In this book, they showcase their families’ best-loved comfort food traditions, along with American classics that should always have a place at the table. Test kitchen approved – with mouthwatering color photos for every recipe.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781943366323
Publisher:	St. Lynn's Press
Publication date:	12/01/2017
Pages:	192
Sales rank:	1,155,409
Product dimensions:	7.90(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Chris Fennimore is a popular figure on Pittsburgh’s WQED public television. Since 1993 he has produced and hosted the series “QED Cooks,” winning an Emmy and a James Beard Award along the way. He has produced, contributed to and edited more than 100 community cookbooks in WQED’s “America’s Homecooking Series,” used in membership drives.

Daniel Agüera is a world-traveled chef – born in northern Spain to a restaurant family and now lives in Pittsburgh. He has a formal culinary education and long experience in restaurants (including his own), hotels, stadiums and large commercial food centers. His philosophy is “simple ingredients done well.”

Read an Excerpt

THE EGG AND US [chapter introduction]

Chris – When I was young we ate eggs all the time. We even had an eggman (Roy) who delivered eggs just like the milkman. Every pantry was stocked with egg cups that held one soft boiled egg on top and one kept warm below. We dipped our toast in the runny yolks and enjoyed every delicious bite of that simple pleasure. Then came the cholesterol scare and eggs became a rare treat. Now that the cholesterol facts have been straightened out and we learn that eggs are an economical and healthy source of protein, it seems we are free to enjoy this simple pleasure again for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Daniel – Have you ever heard somebody who lacks confidence or experience in the kitchen say they "can't even boil water?" The Spanish version of that expression is "can't even fry an egg!" Eggs are very special to us kitchen folk: a humble ingredient, typically one of the first things you learn to cook yourself at home, and one that remains a staple ingredient in even the fanciest preparations throughout your kitchen career. Some will tell you that the number of pleats in a chef's toque shows how many ways the chef can prepare an egg, but that's nonsense – no hat could hold that many pleats.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Simple Tools

Recipes:

• Bread and Such
• Soup’s On
• Call It Macaroni
• The Egg and Us
• Family Favorites
• Eat Your Veggies
• Sweets for the Sweet

Index

What People are Saying About This

Daniel Mancini

"I knew I would love the recipes in this cookbook! Simple Pleasures is all about a style of cooking that is simple, uncomplicated and respects the use of good ingredients."

host of PBS’s “Ciao Italia” and Mary Ann Esposito

"Simple Pleasures is more than just a cookbook; it is an endearing collection and connection to food as it should be – memorable home cooked dishes made with everyday quality ingredients that are simply cooked to bring out real honest-to-goodness flavor with minimal effort."

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette feature / food writer Gretchen McKay

"Simple Pleasures focuses on real ingredients, with meals that are simple to prepare and satisfying flavors – exactly what today's cook looks for and needs in his or her kitchen. Chris Fennimore and Daniel Aguera make preparing meals fun again, with engaging stories and recipes for comfort food even the pickiest eaters will enjoy."

Lidia Bastianich

"Chris and I have cooked many recipes together, but we really bonded behind the stove when we shared our family food stories and our grandmothers’ recipes. Congratulations, Chris! You have put all of those wonderful and deliciously simple recipes in a must-have cookbook, along with the added flavors of Chef Daniel Aguera. Simple Pleasures a collection of simple, delicious recipes and memories."

From the Publisher

Simple Pleasures is more than just a cookbook; it is an endearing collection and connection to food as it should be – memorable home cooked dishes made with everyday quality ingredients that are simply cooked to bring out real honest-to-goodness flavor with minimal effort.

Mary Ann Esposito, host of PBS’s “Ciao Italia” and author of Ciao Italia Family Classics

host of PBS’s “Ciao Italia” and Mary Ann Esposito

"Simple Pleasures is more than just a cookbook; it is an endearing collection and connection to food as it should be – memorable home cooked dishes made with everyday quality ingredients that are simply cooked to bring out real honest-to-goodness flavor with minimal effort."

Editorial Reviews

"Simple Pleasures is the perfect last-minute gift for the cook on your gift list, especially if he or she loves easy-to-prepare comfort food. … Illustrated with mouth-watering photographs, the cookbook will appeal to beginners as well as more accomplished home cooks.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Simple Pleasures” is the perfect last-minute gift for the cook on your gift list, especially if he or she loves easy-to-prepare comfort food. … Illustrated with mouth-watering photographs, the cookbook will appeal to beginners as well as more accomplished home cooks.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Gretchen McKay