One problem I don't have is having, say, a dozen boneless skinless chicken breasts in my freezer. That's because, as most of you know, I live in Manhattan with a tiny refrigerator and no Costcos in walking distance (I buy my groceries on foot). However, I am well aware of the fact that much of America, and increasingly the world, shops in bulk.
Elissa Altman, a food writer and essayist, has written a book that addresses everything you ever wanted to know about cooking with and shopping for bulk foods. Six pounds of chicken parts on hand? Elissa recommends a Pan-Braised Chicken with Lemon Thyme and Black Olives (see below for the recipe.) Two pounds of fresh mushrooms? Mushroom and Barley Soup with Fromage Blanc Croutons sounds great.
Title & Publisher: Big Food: Amazing Ways to Cook, Store, Freeze and Serve Everything You Buy in Bulk, by Elissa Altman. Published by Rodale, 2009.
First impressions: A timely volume of recipes and guides for people who buy food in bulk. The recipes are all accessible, the ingredients not too expensive or hard to find (no gold leaf or lardo) but there are little touches of sophistication throughout that indicate Altman isn't only focused on cheap cooking.
Number of recipes: Over 100.
The angle: Recession specials from your freezer and pantry, with recipes plus helpful guides like the Big Food Action Chart which matches recipes by ingredient so you can scan through your choices for getting rid of those two dozen eggs.
Strengths: Totally timely and practical.
Weaknesses: If you like photos with your cookbook, you'll be disappointed. If you're looking for a way to use up that 10-pound bar of chocolate you won or a bushel of peaches, you'll have look elsewhere or eat them straight because there are no dessert recipes in Big Food.
Recommended? If you shop big, definitely.
Pan-Braised Chicken with Lemon, Thyme, and Olives
Nearly every Mediterranean nation lays claim to a version of this delicious one-pot dish. A slow braise that combines the flavors and textures of chicken, lemon, olives, garlic, wine, and herbs, this recipe calls for the addition of two whole lemons, cut into eighths and tossed into the pan with the olives (which, in turn, provide most of the salt in this dish). When the meal is served, the lemons can be sliced and squeezed into the sauce at the last minute.
What You Have On Hand
• 3 (3-4 pound) shrink-wrapped whole chickens, or 6-8 pounds of chicken parts
• Containers of black or green olives, or both
• Fresh thyme
• Chicken Stock
What to Do With It
• Set aside 1 whole chicken for this dish. Keep the other chickens wrapped in their original wrapping, place in a dated freezer bag, and freeze for 6 to 8 months.
• If using chicken parts, set aside 3-4 pounds for this dish. Use the balance within 3 days or double plastic-wrap them, place in a dated freezer bag and freeze for up to 6 to 8 months.
How Long It Will Last
• This dish will last in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, double plastic-wrapped and sealed in a heavy-duty dated freezer bag or container.
• This dish will freeze for up to 4 to 6 months, sealed in a labeled, dated, heavy-duty freezer bag or container.
Secondary Dishes
Pappardelle with Chicken Ragu
Pan-Braised Chicken with Lemon, Thyme, and Olives
Serves 4 to 6
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 3-4 pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces
5 garlic cloves, 2 of them peeled and finely minced, 3 peeled and smashed
8 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 tablespoon dried, divided
Freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup chicken stock
1 cup dry white wine
Juice of 1 large lemon
2 lemons, cut into eighths
3/4 cup pitted green olives
1/2 cup pitted black olives
Kosher salt
Preheat oven to 350° F.
In a large, oven proof, straight-sided saute pan, heat the oil until shimmering. Add chicken pieces, skin side down, taking care not to crowd the pan (do this in batches if necessary). Brown well, remove to a platter, and carefully wipe out all but approximately 1-1/2 tablespoons of oil from the pan.
Add minced garlic and saute until softened, about 4 minutes. Lay 4 sprigs thyme, or sprinkle ½ tablespoon of dried thyme, over minced garlic. Return chicken pieces to the pan, skin side up, arranging them on top of the thyme.
Add smashed garlic cloves, scattering them around the chicken, and season lightly with pepper.
Add stock, wine, and lemon juice, and bring to a low boil. Reduce to a simmer, add lemon wedges, and scatter remaining 4 thyme sprigs or 1/2 tablespoon dried thyme over the chicken. Add olives, cover, and place in oven for 45 minutes, basting frequently with the pan sauce.
Remove cover, increase heat to 425° F, and continue to cook for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 to 8 minutes. Drizzle chicken with pan sauce, and serve hot in shallow soup bowls with a slice of crusty bread.
Variations: Replace lemons with Meyer lemons, if available.
• Buy the book: Big Food by Elissa Altman, $17.05
• Check out Poor Man's Feast is Elissa's wonderful blog.
More 2009 Book Reviews
• Edible Schoolyard, by Alice Waters
• The River Cottage Meat Book, by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
• Milk, by Anne Mendelson
• The New Steak, by Cree LeFavour
• Cooking For Two, by Jessica Strand
• A Homemade Life, by Molly Wizenberg
• Fresh Food From Small Places, by R. J. Ruppenthal
• Picture Yourself Cooking with Your Kids, by Beth Sheresh
• Eat Feed Autumn Winter, by Anne Bramley
• The Complete 15-Minute Gourmet, by Paulette Mitchell
• Heirloom Beans, by Steve Sando of Rancho Gordo
looks like it could be a useful book but unfortunately i do have a 10lb bar of really really dark chocolate that needs used up so it might not be quite right for me
view robotknees's profile
Robotknees, chocolate keeps for years if properly stored (not that I've ever been able to make it last that long) so you should be okay. Or break it & give a pound to different friends with a fun recipe!
view Squirrely's profile
Man, is this a book whose time is now! And I, too, have a 10 pound bar of chocolate, so may have to buy a very large brownie pan.
view Katie@cookstr's profile
I'm not really seeing the point of this book, at least by the recipe shown. It uses only 3-4 pounds of chicken, and feeds 4-6. I could do this using any other cookbook already on my shelf. The recipe itself sounds lovely, it just doesn't really accomplish what it says it's supposed to.
Either way, I buy in bulk simply to reduce trips to the store. I also find the quality compared to cost much higher at places like Costco rather than the regular grocery store. Unless I'm cooking for a party, using up the whole shebag in one go isn't something I really ever need to do.
view meleyna's profile
I'm with meleyna. Shopping in bulk doesn't mean you have to cook it all up at once--refrigeration is pretty common. And ditto to the cost/quality ratio. Altman's a pretty well-regarded food writer, but I don't think she's known for creating recipes.
view Palmetto's profile
ill buy things i bulk but I usually like to portion them for individual meals before freezine, then thaw and cook as needed, because well... I like to cook and try new things! (obviously because im reading this blog...)
I can see this being really useful to people who dont like to cook. I have been seeing a rise in "OAMC" (once a month cooking) recipes on sites like Recipezaar etc. The idea you cook bulk and freeze portions for consumption throughout the month. I can think of a few people who this might be a good gift for!
I guess the strength i see in this book is knowing the recipes presumably freeze/reheat well. The information on how long it will keep is very useful too.
view adamwa's profile
I actually own Big Food and have found it very useful. We often shop in bulk (also mostly due to time constraints) and as there are only two of us, the book allows us to prepare a larger amount of meat/grains/veggies/whatever than we might ordinarily make because it's full of secondary recipes for the leftovers. There's nothing worse than re-heated same-old-thing the next day, but with the secondary recipes I can turn the leftovers from any main recipe into completely new dishes. That's proven to be the real trick for us as far as being able to use up larger amounts of things without having to hack them up into smaller portions and then forget that they're in the freezer. I also believe Altman has been a recipe writer as well as an essayist for a long time - I read her newspaper column for years before leaving it's circulation area.
view Snoot123's profile