A Book for Non-Cooks

The idea that Helen Gustafson has written a book with recipes I actually want to cook strikes me as slightly absurd.

Helen is not the most enthusiastic cook I’ve ever met. When we ran a restaurant together (along with a lot of other people), one of my jobs was to try to keep Helen out of the kitchen. This was not difficult; where Helen wanted to be was out in front with the customers. The customers were happy to have her there: Helen is one of the three or four most charming people anybody has ever met. With Helen out in front, nobody noticed when the food took a long time to arrive, or if it was burned when it got there.

Occasionally, however, we’d get really short-handed in the kitchen and Helen would have to come help out. And then, to our astonishment, she would produce fabulous gingerbread, shortbread cookies, or even, occasionally, a chicken dish of note. But as soon as the crisis was over, Helen would scurry to the front. She was, it seems, a very reluctant cook.

So it’s no surprise that the book she has just produced is called “The Reluctant Cook” (Celestial Arts: $8.95; 93 pps.). (The subtitle is, “When You Simply Have to Cook for Yourself, No Matter What Your Age.”) What is surprising, however, is how practical and delicious these remarkably simple recipes turn out to be.

These are recipes for people who have managed to spend a lifetime staying out of the kitchen and suddenly find themselves forced to cook. For people who don’t want to depend on take-out meals, frozen dinners or the kindness of friends. For people who don’t relish the thought of cooking, but who, since they must, respect themselves enough to want to do it reasonably well.

Doesn’t sound like much fun, does it? It didn’t to me either. But spend a little time with Helen’s book, and even if you’re the sort of person who likes to cook complicated all-day recipes, you might suddenly find yourself with a craving for 20-minute macaroni and cheese. Because this is a book that recognizes that you can celebrate the joy of eating without relishing the joy of cooking.

MACARONI AND

CHEESE

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 ounces elbow macaroni or 3 ounces egg noodles

2 to 3 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded

Fill medium saucepan 3/4 full with cold water. Add salt and bring to boil over high heat. Add macaroni. Turn heat down to medium and boil 8 to 12 minutes. Do not cover.

After about 8 minutes of cooking, test macaroni for doneness. Lift some out with slotted spoon, let cool for moment and taste. Noodles should be tender, otherwise, cook 2 or 3 minutes longer.

Drain macaroni in colander. Plop drained macaroni back into hot saucepan, add cheese, stir, and put lid back on.

Make yourself wait 5 minutes before you eat, to allow cheese to melt. Makes 1 serving.

EASIEST POACHED

SALMON

1 salmon fillet or salmon steak

1/2 to 3/4 cup half and half or milk

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh chives, basil or dill

Salt

Place salmon in shallow oven dish and cover with half and half so fish is half immersed.

Sprinkle with chives and season to taste with salt, if desired.

Bake at 350 degrees 20 to 30 minutes, occasionally spooning half and half over salmon. To check for doneness, cut into center a bit. Fish is done when mostly pale pink but still little darker pink in center. Makes 1 serving.