Title: Simply: Simple Gourmet. Every Day.
By Rivky Kleiman
Mesorah Publications, 320 pages
With a name like Simply: Simply Gourmet. Every Day, I couldn’t resist trying out some recipes from this latest release from Rivky Kleiman. Based on the title I expected to find recipes with simple ingredient lists and simple instructions that present beautifully, with an elevated taste. It was exactly that! I’m all for food that tastes gourmet but is easy to make, and one after the other, these recipes came together quickly and easily, utilizing mainly ingredients I had around (or were easy to swap without sacrificing the recipe), and looked and tasted like a lot more time went into the preparation than actually had.
If you’re the type of home cook who wants a collection of no-fail, impressive, easy-to-make recipes that you can pull out for any occasion, this book will be of interest. Plus, the photos are gorgeous, so if you aren’t sure what to cook, leaf through the pages, and something is bound to catch your eye and inspire a new culinary creation.
While making some of the recipes and asking friends and family to share their opinions on their favorites, I was so pleased that everyone seemed to enjoy even the flavors and foods that were new to them. The pargiot with chimichurri sauce was a smashing success and makes such a great light dinner option for the hot summer months. Throw the chicken on the grill, blend the sauce, and that’s all there is to it! The sauce is incredibly flavorful and refreshing, to the point that you may just want to make a double batch, as you’ll find yourself dipping veggies into it, too, and it’ll be gone in no time!
So often, healthy and simple recipes are either lacking in flavor, take too much time to prepare, or require a trip to a specialty store for ingredients you’ll rarely use again. This collection of recipes packs a flavor punch, is low maintenance, and utilizes ingredients you likely already have. As a home cook, you want to know someone has perfected you a recipe so that when you take the time to prepare a meal, it comes out exactly as you expect. You can be confident that this collection is delicious enough to serve to company and easy enough to make for a quick meal for just yourself.
When swapping out one spice or condiment for a similar one, the recipe will still come out delicious. That’s a winner right there because honestly, a good recipe should be easy to tweak while still being reliably delicious. If you have food restrictions, this book is highly adaptable. The ingredients are not highly processed, which makes them easy enough to replace. Omit spices to taste, replace allergens with your typical substitutes, and you’ll still absolutely love the results.
With the basic ingredients that these recipes call for, another benefit is that you’ll get more comfortable with how to make a number of basics from scratch, using simple ingredients and easy-to-follow instructions. No sugary, processed foods here, just healthy ingredients that produce flavorful results. Once you’ve mastered these recipes you can easily adapt them, creating your own unique flavor combinations.
I was impressed by how easy the recipes were to prepare and how adaptable each one was. The end results looked like a lot more time had gone into the preparation than actually had. The only issue? If you love leftovers, you likely won’t have that many. This book is full of crowd pleasers and you may just find yourself surprised at how well received these foods will be.
