Kitchen Wit of ‘The Frugal Gourmet’ : TV Series Host Whips Up Some Humor With Ingredients

You never know what Jeff Smith, television’s “Frugal Gourmet,” will say next. Considering Smith’s flair for breezy, nonstop witticisms, that is saying more than a mouthful. Some examples: “Using too many spoons when you’re cooking is like reading too many sex manuals.”

On training his sons to cook: “My sons will never be dependent on a woman for food. That way, they can marry a woman because they love her.”

On the role switch in his home, where Smith cooks for a working wife: “I always meet her at the door with a glass of wine--and a fresh apron.”

Smith is the former college chaplain whose entertaining way with food catapulted him from a small-time television series in Tacoma, Wash., to big-time success with “The Frugal Gourmet,” a public television cooking series shown nationally.

In July, Smith signed a three-year production and development deal with WTTW Chicago. Under this arrangement, he will tape 26 to 39 segments of “The Frugal Gourmet” annually and will develop a number of special shows that will not necessarily be confined to cooking.

Last year saw publication of his cookbook, “The Frugal Gourmet” (William Morrow: $14.95). The book and the television series are not devoted to low-budget food, as the word frugal might suggest. “Frugal doesn’t mean cheap,” Smith emphasized. “It means you don’t waste anything.”

Food and Relationships

Born and reared in Seattle, Smith started his career as chaplain at the University of Puget Sound, a Methodist school in Tacoma. Food soon became involved in his work. As a means of improving campus relationships, Smith invited students, faculty and administration members to his home to share meals. “The table is the best place for communication of every kind,” he observed.

The administration did not respond, Smith said. But the hungry students came not only on time but early, in order to learn cooking techniques themselves.

That led to a cooking class called “Campus Survival” offered by the chaplain’s office. Then Smith combined theology and cooking in a course on “Food as Sacrament and Celebration,” which steadily packed the classroom.

Next, he considered acquiring a doctorate in theology but changed his mind after studying employment opportunities in that field. Instead, he resigned his university post and opened the Chaplain’s Pantry, a cooking school, delicatessen, wine shop and two restaurants in Tacoma.

Smith’s television debut came in a series called “Cooking Fish Creatively,” produced by a small educational station in Tacoma. “Nobody knew what to do,” Smith said. “The shows were just awful.”

Success a Surprise

However, the studio prospered with a government grant that permitted the taping of a new series in color. The success of these shows surprised Smith. “I didn’t expect they would ever get out of town,” he said. Instead, they traveled down the West Coast, over to Denver and across to Chicago, and their popularity started Smith on a new career.

The success of “The Frugal Gourmet” enabled Smith to sell the Chaplain’s Pantry. “I hope I never work again,” he said, amending that statement to allow for television and cookbook projects. Smith’s office is now his home in Tacoma. His day starts at 5 a.m., and instead of a bathrobe he puts on pants, shirt and tie. “Otherwise, I’ll forget I am at work,” he said. While Smith stays home, his wife, Patricia, goes out to run a bookstore.

Smith has dedicated his cookbook to their sons, Jason and Channing. More than half the recipes are taken from his television demonstrations. They show a wide-ranging interest in food, with chapters devoted to Chinese recipes, Polish dishes, New Orleans cookery, French and Italian breads, crepes, omelets, vegetables, garlic, chicken wings and more. Smith’s early interest in cooking was shaped by a Norwegian mother and Lebanese uncle, thus there is a group of Lebanese recipes.

Control of Dietary Fats

Low-salt, low-fat recipes reflect his own dietary concerns. As a result of a childhood bout with rheumatic fever, Smith, now 46, has an artificial heart valve. A beef stew flavored with dried mushrooms and Marsala wine shows his resourceful approach to the control of dietary fats. The stew is so rich that one can eat only a small portion. “That’s my sneaky way of cutting down animal fat content,” Smith said.

Smith dons a jade fish pendant, the gift of a Chinese friend, for all performances and never tapes a show without having a glass of Sherry. He works without a script, without rehearsals and without stopping the tape to redo blunders. “I think that’s one of the reasons the show is so popular,” he said. “People know I’m bulling my way through.”

The following recipes from Smith’s book include the rich beef stew; a tomato-topped version of the Italian bread, Focaccia, which Smith said he “stole” from a San Francisco baker, and a pasta casserole inspired by Avanzare, a Northern Italian restaurant in Chicago.

Smith recommends serving Focaccia as it comes from the pan or slicing it through the middle to use for sandwiches. As sandwich filling, he recommends Italian salami, onion and green olives. “Drizzle a little Italian salad dressing on the sandwich, and enjoy with a heavy red wine,” Smith advises.

FOCACCIA

(Italian Onion Bread)

2 packages dry yeast

1 cup lukewarm water

3 cups unbleached flour

Olive oil

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped

6 green onions, chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

Freshly cracked pepper

Place yeast and water in mixing bowl. Add half of flour, 1/4 cup olive oil, sugar and salt and mix with electric mixer until smooth. Blend in remaining flour by hand. Place dough on floured board and knead 5 minutes. Place kneaded dough on plastic wrap and cover with large bowl. Allow to rise about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

Punch dough down and knead 1 or 2 minutes. Grease 13x9-inch pan or baking dish with olive oil. Roll out dough to fit pan and place in pan. Let rise until not quite doubled in bulk, then punch holes all over dough with fork. Brush top of dough with olive oil and smear with tomato paste.

Mix yellow and green onions and garlic and sprinkle over dough. Sprinkle with pepper. Bake at 375 degrees about 25 minutes, or until lightly browned. Makes 1 (13x9-inch) loaf.

BEEF STEW WITH MARSALA

2 ounces dried European mushrooms or 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 1/2 cups warm water or 1/2 cup beef broth

3 pounds lean beef stew meat

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 yellow onions, peeled and chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup Marsala wine

1/2 teaspoon rosemary

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon basil

Salt, pepper

Soak dried mushrooms in warm water 1 hour, until softened. Strain and reserve soaking liquid. (Or substitute fresh mushrooms and beef broth.)

Brown meat in oil quickly over high heat. Remove meat from pan. Add onions and garlic and saute until onions brown slightly. Add more oil if needed. Add drained mushrooms, 1/2 cup reserved soaking liquid, white and Marsala wines, rosemary, oregano and basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer 1 1/2 hours, until meat is tender. If stew becomes dry, add reserved mushroom-soaking liquid as needed. Serve with rice or polenta (cornmeal mush). Makes 8 to 9 servings.

ANGEL HAIR PASTA WITH BROCCOLI AND THREE CHEESES

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

Florets from 1/2 pound broccoli

1/3 cup whipping cream

Freshly ground pepper

Salt

1/2 pound angel hair pasta

1/4 pound Swiss cheese, shredded

1/4 cup grated Romano cheese

3 tablespoons grated Mizithra cheese

Chopped parsley, optional

Saute garlic in oil until garlic just begins to brown. Add onion and broccoli florets and saute until broccoli is barely tender. Add cream and season to taste with pepper. Add salt, if desired.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in boiling salted water until just tender. Watch carefully to prevent overcooking, as pasta is very thin and cooks quickly. Drain pasta and toss with Swiss, Romano and Mizithra cheeses. Add cream and vegetables, toss and serve at once. Garnish with parsley, if desired. Makes 3 to 4 servings.