Almost a year ago to date, I cut the cord and ditched my cable company. I already had Netflix, Hulu Plus and a Google Chromecast; why was I forking over so much money every month for basic cable? So I bit the bullet, and with the exception of a few missed Cardinals games, it hasn’t been nearly as traumatic as I’d anticipated.
There is one glaring omission, though – I miss my cooking shows. I’m not talking about the Food Network’s next greatest baker/pitmaster/food truck/oyster shucker competitions. I’m talking about the how-to programs on The Cooking Channel (where Food Network moved all the how-to programs). I picked up some of my basic cooking skills by watching people like Giada de Laurentiis, Ina Garten aka Barefoot Contessa and Alton Brown. Thanks to them I know what a dice, stiff peaks and “generous glug” of olive oil look like.
That’s why I was excited to find Extra Virgin: Recipes and Love from Our Tuscan Kitchen in the Sauce cookbook library. Authors Gabriele Corcos and Debi Mazar also host Cooking Channel’s “Extra Virgin,” which I loved watching both because Corcos is a true Tuscan chef and because they really are so down-to-earth. Their cookbook reflects their personalities; reading their back-and-forth commentary in the introduction and the outset of each chapter is much like watching their tête-à-tête on TV. At the end of the day, Corcos and Mazar say cooking isn’t about making the most elaborate or perfectly executed dish; it’s about sharing good food with the people you love.
I chose to make their Mozzarella, Tomato and Farro Salad. Originally, I had grand plans to make an elaborate pasta dish studded with ground pork and wrapped in slices of eggplant. But after running around preparing for vacation on one of the hottest days so far this year, heavy pasta was the last thing I wanted to eat at 9 p.m. I needed simple sustenance.
My colleague Meera Nagarajan has long extolled the virtues of farro (fiber, vitamins, iron!) here at the Sauce offices, so I decided to try this ancient grain for the first time. The verdict: delicious, like a toothsome rice and way easier to prepare than fickle, often soggy quiona. If you have 20 minutes to boil water and chop a few ingredients, then you have time to make this filling, nutritious grain salad – and still pack a suitcase.
A note on the ingredients: The only seasoning in this salad is salt, pepper and some fresh basil, so be sure to pick high-quality cheese and olives, and the ripest cherry tomatoes you can find. After all, cooking is about making good food for people you love – even if it’s just you at 9 p.m. on a weekday.
Gabriele Corcos and Debi Mazar’s Mozzarella, Tomato and Farro Salad 4 servings
Kosher salt
1 lb. farro
10 oz. cherry tomatoes, quartered
8 fresh basil leaves, torn by hand
1 5-oz. ball fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
2 oz. pitted Kalamata olives
Extra virgin olive oil, for serving
Freshly ground black pepper
• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, toss in the farro, and cook 20 minutes, until tender. Drain and rinse the farro with cold water.
• Combine the farro, tomatoes, basil, mozzarella and olives in a bowl. Drizzle with oil, then salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve right away, or cover and refrigerate for the next day (this would be great for a picnic).
Reprinted with permission from Clarkson Potter Publishers What’s your go-to late-night meal that won’t undo your whole day? Tell us about it in the comments below for a chance to win a copy of Extra Virgin.
This article appears in June 2014.