I have a confession to make. Even though I write about food for a living and spend the bulk of my days sitting no more than five feet from my kitchen, I still regularly struggle when dinnertime rolls around.
You see, I try to keep our evening meals relatively inexpensive, healthy and not too time consuming to make. What this ends up meaning for me is that I cook the same seven things over and over again. While Scott is perfectly willing to eat chili, turkey burgers, giant salads and chicken soup on repeat, I find that I need new meals on my plate.
I’m constantly searching for genius to strike. I flip through Everyday Food each month when it arrives and I try to sit down in front of my shelves of cookbooks on a regular basis to see if something will resonate.
Recently, I fell hard for a new cookbook that I think will be motivating my meals for many months to come. Part of the reason I love it so is that it fits my mealtime criteria and cooking style (cheap and easy). Called Cornerstone Cooking and written by Nick Evans (he’s the blogger behind Macheesmo), it’s designed to help you build meals around one of eight central ingredients.
Each chapter starts with a recipe for the central (or cornerstone) ingredient and then offers a number of different ways to transform that item into a full meal. While I realize that this isn’t a crazy-new concept, it’s so helpful to have all these different recipes in one place and to be reminded that I can do more with a roast chicken than just make my standard soup (I’ve got Nick’s tortilla soup high on my to-make list).
One section that I think will particularly appeal to the preservers in the crowd is the one in which Nick details all the things you can do with Marinara Sauce. Many of us make up a dozen or more jars of homemade sauce each August and while serving it over pasta is always an acceptable course of action, it’s always nice to have alternatives.
Next brunch potluck I’m invited to, I’m making his Eggs in Purgatory Casserole. I’ve done a quick, skillet version of that dish for years, but I like the idea of lining the casserole dish with crusty bread so that it becomes akin to a savory, tomato-y, French toast. With a salad, I wouldn’t think twice about serving something for dinner, either.
Last week, Nick took the time to answer a few of my questions about his new book and his plans for future canning projects.
I love the title of the book. How long have you been working with that phrase and this idea?
I came up with the idea for the book long before I had a name for it. I knew I wanted to write about repurposing leftovers and try to show people how it can sexy to take something old and turn it into something new. Chefs do it all the time, but most home cooks haven’t quite caught onto the idea.
Anyway, about the name, I was walking down the street one day listening to a podcast (I don’t even remember which one) and they described something as the “cornerstone” idea. It worked perfectly with the method of cooking I was trying to describe — using one large meal as the backbone for other smaller meals. I’ve always liked alliterative titles so Cornerstone Cooking just flowed from there.
What was your very first cornerstone recipe?
The first one that I wrote for the book was the Nick Nugget recipe. I knew I wanted roasted chicken to be the first chapter since it is easy and accessible to a lot of people. Plus there are tons of meals you can make with leftover chicken. I could’ve written a whole book on that!
The first cornerstone recipe that I ever made without knowing it was probably my Fridge Cleaner Chili. I kind of just toss all of the veggies I have in my fridge with some stock, spices, tomatoes, and beans and let it simmer for awhile. It’s always a hit.
I see that you did some canning in 2011. Any plans for more in 2012?
Oh yes! I was lucky that both of my canning attempts last year turned out to be successful even though I was a complete novice. You honestly inspired me to try it out. I was shocked by how easy it was to do.
I plan to do a lot more pickled veggies this year just because they are my favorite. I might try one or two experimental jams to give out as gifts also. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, but I made a jalapeno peach jam last year that was better than expected.
Here’s the other thing that makes this book so impressive. Nick did the whole darn thing himself. He wrote every word, did the all photography, prepared the design and indexed every recipe (he even indicated which recipes are his wife’s favorites, a touch that I love). Truly, every ounce of it is all his work.
Yes, roasted chicken is the best-what can’t I do with roasted chicked?
I’d have to say my cornerstone ingredient is a grain. Depending on the week, I’ll make a big pot of rice, farro or spelt berries. Then mix that in with everything else I make for the remainder of the week.
Chicken. I love roasting a whole chicken then cutting it up and putting it in the freezer. It makes for great fast meals!
Cornerstone ingredient #1 poached/roast chicken..I keep poached chicken in the juices in my freezer. Dorie Greenspan has an excellent method for this in her waffle book. found it a few years ago. chicken noodle soup, chicken tacos, enchiladas, nuggets, the list goes on. This looks like a good “idea book”
Chicken would have to be my cornerstone ingredient. Everybody in the family loves it!
Right now our main cornerstone ingredient is chicken… I would love to have some new ideas, especially ideas for dried beans since I started canning those this past year.
Recently, mine has been smoked turkey sausage, but I’m usually one to start with pasta.
Lately eggs are my go-to starting point. My one year old will usually eat them, and they are healthier than Mac and cheese!
For me, it’s cooked shrimp — the kind that comes frozen in bags. I use it in salads, stir-fries, etc. Always good to have around.
Black Beans; I cook up about 4 cups in my crockpot, sometimes with a dried chili, and go from there. I’ve even found a regional source in upstate New York!
Beans – usually end up as refried or baked, but also use in tacos, egg burritos, bean hummus, and a corn salad.
Beans! I cook huge pots and freeze or can several varieties. They go into baked goods, savory soups and chilis, Mexican-inspired dishes, pureed sauces…
my favorite cornerstone is sourdough starter. I had sourdough pancakes for breakfast and a KAF recipe of chocolate sourdough cake for dessert after dinner.
Cornerstone ingredient??? Wow that is really hard for me because it changes with the seasons…. rice, potatoes, and beef (roast on sunday, stir fry on Monday, pot pies on Tuesday, shredded bbq beef sandwiches on wednesday) during the winter, bread during the spring/fall, and roasted chicken during the summer w/ lots of veggies.
Chicken has to be my cornerstone ingredient. We eat a lot of it in various tried & true recipes I’ve used over the years. Especially soups & stews made on the weekend that carry us through the busy work week.
It varies, we go on kicks where we cook something over & over. Right now, we just rediscovered couscous. I do have to agree with the roasted chicken, so many options on what you can do wiith it. With that said, I think we have more of a cornerstone “ethnicity of food” rather than ingredients. We LOVE Mexican food.
I don’t really have a cornerstone ingredient. However, my cornerstone method is to make a hash out of everything. I need some new ideas! Thanks!
Tomatoes! (Marinara Sauce) – Last year I smoked them, roasted them, canned them plain, whole, pureed with basil and onion, as a bolognese, etc. There are so many things you can do with them!
This cookbook sounds like an amazing resource to have.
Rice. I’m actually terrible at reusing leftovers as anything but the meal they already were, but rice always seems so versatile. Once salad season hits in earnest, maybe I’ll at least find a new grain to try.
My cornerstone ingredient is cheese. Any cheese and all cheese! I have to use self control not to put cheese into every meal.
What a great concept! My cornerstone ingredient is beans… They go in EVERYTHING!
This cookbook sounds perfect!! I too tend to get stuck in a rut of what to make for dinner.
Thank you for all you share with us, Marisa!
The home-made green garlic pesto I freeze every summer now!
My only true cornerstone ingredient is roasted chicken. Having just moved onto a farm, my life is chaotic now as I’m trying to make sure I get a garden in that will fit my family’s need for self-sufficiency. Having a cookbook that allows me to multi-purpose ingredients is such a simple but fantastic idea. If I don’t win a copy, I’m going to buy one. I’m so glad I found this blog and what a great name too!
it has to be my home canned chicken and beef.
Any kind of roast, chick, pork, beef, then we have quesadillas, & stirfrys…again a little inspiration is always good.I hope to get to look through this cookbook soon!!
My cornerstone ingredient is ground beef. I have 4 children, so ground beef is quick and affordable. Also it is something that everyone will eat.
Mine is definitely bread. There’s always a fresh loaf in my kitchen, even if the one from the day before isn’t done yet. I’ll make croutons, French toast. I’ve tried some bread based casseroles, though I’m usually disappointed with how they come out. I need to work on those more.
Cast Iron Skillet Roast Chicken…..my family loves it!
I hate to admit it, but I don’t really have a cornerstone ingredient–which is why I really would like this book. I am terrible when it comes to cooking for myself and not knowing how to handle leftovers and do something creative with them is my excuse for not cooking much, if that makes sense. But if i had to pick one it would be rice.
The usual: chicken and beans. Please broaden my horizons!
I totally concur with the roast chicken. It’s a great meal the first time, then so many things after, and of course stick at the end!
Chicken. I work at a family owned gourmet fruit market, and we recently contracted a local farmer to raise our chickens for us. Chicken is a major inspiration.
I honestly think my cornerstone is beets. I’ll boil a couple pounds, use the water for borsht, throw some into a salad, shred and stew some with onions and pickle brine, and of course there are pickled beets! Maybe it’s just that it’s the end of winter and I’m making the most of my root veg.
Certainly eggs since they can do for any meal of the day. I sure could use some inspiration with my other leftovers!
I started a small patio veggie garden last year and I’ve been using veggie greens almost daily since then.
I actually think a baked sweet potato inspires a whole lot of meals for me.
Vegetables I try to use them in everything.
Lately my ingredient/side of choice has been grits. They’re so easy and you can do so much with them!
He had me with the roast chicken. It’s my youngest’s favorite and we always have leftovers.
Soup base and canned tomatoes are a must. Lots of onions, garlic and peanut butter. I also maintain a large vat of oatmeal.
For me, I’d say eggs. They’re quick, easy, and there’s so much you can do with them, from frittata through to custard. That said, now that I think about it, I also don’t think there’s a recipe that I make that doesn’t start with an onion or two. I know it’s not really the main bit of the dish, but it underpins almost everything I cook, too.
If you like onions, try this dish: http://www.kitchenparade.com/2010/10/moroccan-onions-mezgaldi-spiced-onions.html
I’ve just recently rediscovered rice (I don’t know why but I never used to think of it), and now I love to have cooked rice in the fridge so I always make too much. Then we have fried rice the next day and rice burgers the day after that, or it goes into soup or a salad.
I use garlic in practically everything. I’ve been so sad lately because I’ve been cooking for my dad & he’s allergic to it!
Tomatoes have to be close to the top of the list, too. I canned 80# plain & 40# of sauce for my 5-person family & was still out by January!
So hard to pick, but I would have to say roasted red peppers and sun-dried tomatoes. They can go in breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and they sure pep up a sandwich at lunch time. I roast my own peppers and sun-dry my own tomatoes.
I’d have to say bread is most assuredly my favorite cornerstone ingredient. I grew up in a Slavic househould and my grandparents always had bread, at least 3 varieties in their kitchen, as does my dad to this very day (but he has a bit of a sweet tooth, so pastries make their way in there too!). I love bread as well – sure it’s “evil” to so many fad diets, but I like incorporating it into much of what I eat – french bread pizzas, ciabatta, focaccia, sourdough rolls, it’s all good. I like to use slices from boules or other large loaves for open face sandwiches quickly cooked under the broiler with some leftovers and cheese and maybe some fresh herbs if I have them. Bread – it’s darned versatile!
I would have to say tomatoes. I grow them in my garden every year and I always try to find as many different uses as I can for them!
We pasture raise broiler chickens, which are the absolute best .. so my cornerstone ingredient would be chicken!
Eggs! You have eggs, you have breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
I would say ground turkey. I can make burgers, soups, casseroles or throw it on top of spaghetti.
Pasta and eggs are my go-to ingredients, always on hand, versatile.
Farm fresh eggs. They are healthy and can be prepared so many ways!! The cookbook looks awesome!
condensed milk for casseroles
Only one??? It would be chicken, I make a lot of dishes with it.
My favorite cornerstone ingredient is eggs. Every since I got my backyard flock, I’ve been letting eggs lead my cooking, and there are a lot of easy egg-centric dishes!
I think for myself, the cornerstone is to roast a chicken. Or at least buy a roaster and fabricate it so I can roast the bones and legs and wings; grill or poach the breast or sometimes marinate it in Frank’s Red Hot to make Buffalo chicken strips for salad or snacking. For my wife, it would be rice. She can eat all week on a pot of rice without repeating a meal!
My cornerstone ingredient has to be pasta. I can make a million different pasta dishes depending on what’s in the fridge and how much time I have. This is in fact what I did last night for dinner. 🙂
Tomato sauce – it goes so many ways from curry to chili. Rice too but I guess that it is what I like to have on hand to put cornerstone recipes on!
My favorite cornerstone ingredient is Chicken. But bread and tomato sauce and eggs are in a close race for first!
My cornerstone ingredients have always been any kind of beans. I make baked beans, bean dips, chiles, soups, stew, all kinds of things.
Probably chicken, followed closely by tomatoes.
My favorite cornerstone ingredient is tomatoes. I use them daily, and luckily they are always in season where I live. Thanks for the giveaway!
Lentils are my favorite cornerstone ingredient, which I see he features on the book cover. 🙂 Soups, salads, stews… They are more versatile than most people think.
My favorite cornerstone food is homemade chicken broth. It’s both satisfying on its own and the beginning of so many terrific other meals.
My favorite cornerstone would be marinara sauce. The possibilities are endless….
Tricky one! Does cheese count?! Always on hand, use it on top of everything! That and fresh bread or beans. Or tomatoes. Mmmm… love these ‘cornerstone’ foods! Or maybe just food in general =)
I have 2 cornerstone ingredients always on hand. Rice and lean ground beef.
Definitely bread.
I love finding new uses for leftover chicken. I think he has a wonderful idea for a new cookbook.
Eggs. If I’m ever stressed or tired or just not in the mood to cook I can always heat up some leftovers and pop a fried egg on top. Need to use questionable produce in your fridge? Chop it up, toss into a skillet with some eggs, and pop it all into the oven for a strata!
Eggs. They are the “cornerstone” of many dinners in our kitchen. Huevos Rancheros is our standard “go to” meal every week. So versatile and satisfying.
Our favorite cornerstone is roasted chicken!
I know everyone is saying chicken but it really is versatile and I cook it many times a week. Love the cookbook concept!
That’s why it is chapter 1 for me Amy! In hindsight, I think I could’ve written an entire book just on roast chicken uses. 😉
Free range organic roasted chicken is definitely our “cornerstone”. I could just eat it every day as is, but my husband wants something “new” after day 2. He loves chicken enchiladas but it would be wonderful learning some truly “new” options to work with. My birthday is on the 6th-this would be a great gift….. 🙂
My cornerstone ingredient is rotisserie chicken. It’s even cheaper than buying a raw whole chicken and cooking it myself, so I pick one up at Costco at every visit. I chop up the chicken, bag it and freeze it, and use the bones to make stock! I have cooked chicken whenever I need it!
Fresh tomatoes, for sure! You can do so much with a basic cooked tomato sauce or chop them up and use them fresh in so many ways.
hmmm … rice? It’s actually more of a foundation than a cornerstone.
This is a long overdue concept for a cookbook. It will be fun to see his ideas. My cornerstone is chicken breasts. Its a healthy meat but can get boring.
What a fabulous concept! For home canners this is perfect! I’m out of marinara sauce and black beans for the time being (although I don’t have any excuses re: beans. I’ve just been too lazy to cook up a big batch lately) but I love roasting big chickens and using the leftovers for 2 or 3 meals.
Yes! I love this way of thinking about food. I often describe it to other people as cascade menu planning. I’d love to read his strategies.
I end up finding pork roasts very vesatile. Actually, before my mother went low protein, I wouldn’t even get in on the first step – I’d just acquire her pork roast leftovers and find meals into which I’d incorporate them.
I would have to say Chicken… love it….
Awesome giveaway-this cookbook looks amazing! My favorite cornerstone ingredient is roasted peppers and onions (I like to put them in omelettes, grain salads, soups, etc.)
pretty hard to argue with bread
I just love leftovers, I would have to say bread is probably my number one cornerstone ingredient, I make all of my own breads and the ways to use it are unlimited, breakfast, lunch or dinner.
My favorite cornerstone has to be tomatoes. There are so many possibilities and so many meals I make are based on them.
Canned tomatoes (either my own or Muir Glen fire-roasted).
My favorite would have to be tomatoes! I use them about 5 times per week when cooking! This book looks great 🙂
I would say my favorite “cornerstone” ingredient is ham. I’m horrible about using leftovers, to the point that even some of my favorite foods sit in the fridge until they go bad, but whenever we cook a ham, I end up using it in all three meals, in a lot of different dishes, before it’s gone. It’s weird because it’s not a food I’d consider a favorite…there’s just something about it that seems to make it more appealing to me to use its leftovers than most other foods.
I would say tomatoes as well – you can do anything with a tomato, but cheese would probably be a close second.
Beans/lentils are def. a must in our household
What an awesome concept for a cook book! Marinara sauce would probably be my favorite, such a great base for so many dishes.
This book is going to change my life. I struggle with dinner every evening. If I have a cornerstone ingredient right now it is probably chicken, I always have it on hand and it’s very versatile, but I’m so looking forward to finding some new cornerstones!
I do not have a favorite cornerstone although I am very excited by black beans, lentils, and marinara sauce. Can’t wait to see the book!
I think my favorite cornerstone is roasted chicken. It is a wonderful meal, then becomes sandwich or enchilada filling, broth for soup, sauces, or risotto… So many meals can come from one chicken!
What a great idea for a cookbook! My favorite cornerstone ingredient is chicken, there are so many new meals I can create with leftover chicken.
My favorite would be tomatoes! There’s alot of dishes to make with them and fresh from the garden, nothing could be better!
Black Beans
My favorite “cornerstone” ingredient would have to be bread – a person can do so much with it.
My favorite cornerstone ingredient is homemade bread. It never lasts long at my house!