EAT IT UP!: 150 Recipes to Use Every Bit and Enjoy Every Bite of the Food You Buy

Sherri Brooks Vinton

Da Capo Lifelong Books
May 24, 2016
$18.99/Paperback
ISBN-13: 978-0738218182

Sherri Brooks Vinton is the author of the Put ‘Em Up! series. Sherri’s books, lectures, and workshops have taught countless eaters how to have a more delicious life. Her first book, The Real Food Revival: Aisle by Aisle, Morsel by Morsel (Penguin, 2005), teaches readers how and why to enjoy sustainably raised foods. Sherri’s current series of Put ‘Em Up! books provide a modern take on home food preservation. She has been featured on numerous radio and TV programs, including Martha Stewart Radio and the Leonard Lopate Show. Sherri is a former Governor of Slow Food USA and is a member of Women Chefs and Restaurateurs, the Northeast Organic Farmers Association, International Association of Culinary Professionals, and Chefs Collaborative. Sherri’s discussions and workshops on how to “reclaim the food chain” have been offered across the U.S.A., from Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in New York to the San Francisco Ferry Plaza Market.

EAT IT UP! allows you to save money (by using all of your ingredients fully), time (by getting more meals from the food you buy), and the planet (by reducing waste).

Practical, yes, but it’s also a book about pleasure, helping you to mine your kitchen for every bit of flavor available, every morsel of great tasting stuff. Organized in an aisle-by-aisle format, Vinton offers 150 recipes along with tips and tricks for using whole ingredients. Building on the success of the popular Put ‘Em Up! brand, EAT IT UP! demonstrates the skills you need to create a well-run kitchen and turn out delicious meals from fresh ingredients. Classic cooking techniques coupled with exciting flavor combinations will make everyone want to eat it up!

Greens and Goat Cheese Pizza

Makes 1–12” pizza

Call it a nifty shortcut or a sneaky cheat, but using a tortilla as a pizza crust makes this little homemade pie a snap. Whip it up for lunch or a light dinner, or cut it into squares and serve it as an after school snack or cocktail nibble. I use sautéed greens and goat cheese as the toppings here, but you can riff on the recipe with any combos that you like: traditional tomato/mozzarella, Swiss/mushroom, fig/blue cheese and on and on. You can also use any size tortilla you have on hand, or even rectangular lavash if that’s what’s in your fridge. You can scale the goat cheese spread up or down depending on the size of the pizza. It’s all good. Really good.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove of garlic, sliced
2 cups of beet or turnip greens, from one bunch of beets or turnips, leaves separated from ribs and leaves chopped, ribs diced
2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2 ounces goat cheese, at room temperature
1 to 2 teaspoons milk
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1–12” tortilla, lavash or wrap

Add oil and garlic to a medium sauté pan and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Set over medium heat. Garlic will transfer its flavor to the oil as the pan warms.

When garlic begins to sizzle, but before it browns (about 2 to 3 minutes), add the diced ribs to the pan and sauté until tender, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Add greens to the pan and toss to coat them with the garlic and oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, reduce heat to medium low and sauté until wilted, stirring occasionally. Remove from pan and set aside to cool slightly.

While greens cool, combine cream and goat cheeses in a medium bowl, mashing with a fork to blend. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of milk, as necessary, to thin to a spreadable consistency. Add thyme, if using, and a pinch of salt and pepper and stir to combine.

Spread one side of the tortilla with cheese spread. Strew greens on top. Transfer topped tortilla to the pan used to sauté the greens and set over medium low heat. Allow the pizza to cook until the tortilla is toasted and crisp, about 5 minutes.

Remove from pan, cut into serving pieces and serve.

Braised Short Ribs with Chocolate

Makes 4 servings

Short ribs are a magical cut of meat. Bone in, ribboned with good fat, and thickly cut, they make for the most satisfying knock-the-chill-off Sunday dinner. Along with some comforting sides they dazzle at the company’s-come-for-dinner table. Short ribs, like many of the bone-centric cuts behave best when slowly simmered, roasted or stewed. Here, they are braised with warm spices and chocolate—not quite a mole, but not too far off either. Use that as your launching point for sides. Rice and beans if you’re feeling casual, a sweet potato gratin if you want to dress it up. Make extra of everything because you are going to be sad when it’s gone.

4 pounds short ribs (cut parallel to the bone, not “flanken” style), cut into approximately 3” pieces
Salt
2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as organic canola
1 onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, peeled but left whole
2 teaspoons paprika
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch Process)
2 cups of canned whole tomatoes with their juices, preferably home-canned, puréed with a stick blender
2 cups fruit red wine such as Beaujolais
2 cups Dark Chicken Stock
1 dried Ancho chili, stem and seeds removed
Freshly ground black pepper

Pat the ribs dry and season them well with salt. In a large Dutch oven or other deep, heavy pot, heat the oil over medium heat until shimmering. Working in batches if necessary to avoid crowding the pan, brown the ribs on all sides, about 10 minutes in total. Repeat with remaining ribs, removing each batch to a bowl as they are browned. Spoon off all but 2 tablespoons of the rendered fat and reserve for another use.

Add the onions and sauté until translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for a minute or so more. Add the paprika, coriander, cumin, and cocoa powder and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and simmer until thickened slightly, about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to release the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the wine and simmer for five minutes. Add the stock, chili and ground pepper to taste and bring to a simmer. Return the ribs to the pot, cover, reduce heat and simmer gently for 1 and a 1/2 to 2 hours, until the meat is nearly fork tender.

Using tongs, gently remove the ribs from the pot. Use a ladle to defat the braising liquid. Using a stick blender, purée the contents of the pot (if you like less heat, remove the Ancho chili before puréeing). Return the ribs to the pot and continue to gently simmer for 30 to 45 minutes until the meat threatens to fall off the bone. (You can add a splash of water to the sauce if it is so thick it threatens to scorch.) Remove from heat and serve or cool and refrigerate, covered, for up to 2 days. Reheat gently before serving.

These recipes may be reproduced with the following credit:

Recipes from EAT IT UP!: 150 Recipes to Use Every Bit and Enjoy Every Bite of the Food You Buy by Sherri Brooks Vinton. (Da Capo Life Long Press; May 2016; $18.99/paperback; ISBN: 978-0738218182). www.dacapopress.com

Contact: Miriam Riad
617-252-5283
Miriam.Riad@perseusbooks.com