chEATING WELL


Barb's faux scratch method of cooking called chEATING WELL.


Last weekend, friends and I sat on the sunny deck of my flat in San Francisco, sipping Prosecco and talking about restaurants, as foodies tend to do. I had shopped at the Ferry Building Farmers’ Market and was making pizzas on my grill. I served these discriminating, gourmet palates a pizza topped with heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil, and fresh mozzarella. I thought to myself: THIS is California cooking.

The next pizza I grilled was topped with sweet corn, black beans, barbecued chicken, cheese, and a sprinkling of fresh herbs. On the surface, this, too, seemed like the idyllic Bay Area meal: built around seasonal ingredients, cooked outside, and shared with friends over a bottle of wine.

What my dining companions didn’t know was that the pizza I served them was made using a technique I call “chEATING WELL.” Instead of fresh, I used canned corn, canned beans, and – please don’t tell them—canned chicken!! Well, not exactly canned, but shelf-stable chicken in a pouch. I shredded it with my hands, then mixed it with a chEATING WELL barbecue sauce that was equal parts Bulls-Eye and Barb Stuckey. I bought the pizza dough at Milano’s, a local pizzeria, that sells me fresh dough balls at the ridiculous price of $2 each. The grill-marked crust and sprinkling of fresh herbs gave my foodie friends them enough fresh cues that they never even knew that half of the ingredients were “prepared.”

THIS is the new scratch cooking.

I read recipes and cookbooks religiously and am always astounded at how many recipes could be simplified with the use of one or more convenience items. We all need our Saveur or Cooks Illustrated for the aspirational chef in us. But what about the realistic busy person in us?

My friend Jeff makes a killer Jambalaya that starts with a box of Zatarains. When he’s done, you’d never know he started with a dry mix. And that’s why my friends didn’t know I’d used prepared ingredients: because I added enough fresh touches to make it my own. If I’d had the time, would I have roasted my own chicken, cooked my own beans, or made my own dough? Maybe. But who has that kind of time? Certainly not the vast majority of Americans who probably also lack proximity to the farmers’ market that I take for granted.

I know that Kraft, Pillsbury, and others have been producing cookbooks for years, for the busy homemaker who uses their products. But I’d like to see a Food Network show, a magazine, hell, even a cookbook (that isn’t from a manufacturer whose motives and choice of brands are understandably self-serving) dedicated to this style of cooking.

Come on, admit it. You’ve cheated before. But did you chEAT WELL?

Posted: Mon - March 21, 2005 at 09:26 PM        

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