This is how I cook everything, well almost. Not sweets of course. It took decades of cooking every day with my mother and for myself and for my own family to realize that I was always doing the same things over and over. I became more and more aware of how basic this is for me.
Fats: I start with a fat of some kind. It’s often olive oil, but it can also be butter, pancetta, occasionally bacon, or another fat leaving from something else I’ve cooked, such as the oil left over from cooking sausage or meatballs or chicken.
Alliums, garlic, onions, shallots scallions, leeks, chives: These go in after the fats, I use one or another form of this ingredient, rarely two together. This goes into right after the fat at the bottom of the pan. I very often garlic, either whole cloves which I brown and remove, brown and mash into the oil, sliced thin or diced small and leave it. Other alliums include onion, leeks shallots (such a great flavor) scallions, chives (less often).
Vegetables: I can’t go too many meals in a row without vegetables. I get depressed. So
I may then throw in some tomatoes or peppers (red, yellow or orange zucchini, cauliflower, cabbage, whatever is around. I roast many kinds of vegetables at a very high heat (400—450 degrees) in a good roasting pan with olive oil and kosher salt and rough ground pepper all the time. Sometimes I add an onion. So I have them around to add to various dishes.
Herbs: I like to use lots of fresh basil, parsley, and mint. This goes into my braiser pan. Let this simmer a while with the other ingredients.
Protein: Then comes some form of protein. Chicken, shrimp, fish, eggs, or beans. Either I will have removed everything to sauté the protein. Or I put it on top of the mixture.
Cheese: Even though cheese is a protein if I’m using some cheese in a particular dish it goes last on a very low eat with a cover over the whole dish. Especially good over eggs. Feta and goat cheeses are great for this. Or some shaved parmigiano.
Spices: Salt, pepper, add to taste all along the way. I love to use the Turkish hot pepper Urfa these days. It adds such a subtle piece of heat and it’s own subtle taste. Ginger used with legumes, especially lentils and in combination with cumin is a staple in my home.
Liquids: Water, bouillon, wine or brandy, lemon, vinegar. If the dish I’m cooking is a bean mixture or a soup and doesn’t have a meat in it. I’ll very likely use some mushroom bouillon. I particularly love Star or Bauer, Funghi, porcini. Great for vegetarian cooking. In a bean soup I love to add a little squeezed lemon or lime or a touch of a good vinegar. I like to add a good brandy to a meat stew. With a veal or chicken stew it can just transform a simple dish.
Carbohydrates: Some of these meals are served over various kinds of paste, rice, or they have sweet potatoes or white potatoes added to them. Or I serve this meal with good bread on the side.
Salads or Cold Dishes: These get the same treatment essentially, although they are added over the ingredients instead of cooked into them. I love to add fresh fruit to my salads. I love for example fresh peaches, good yellow tomatoes, cucumbers and red onions. With a great vinaigrette.
