CHEF JOHN ASH

John Ash: Cooking One on One:
Private Lessons in Simple, Contemporary Food
from a Master Teacher

"Teaching has come to be the thing I love most in life..." Chef John Ash

This is a great substitute for rich, fatty cream sauces and also is a delicious base for cream style soups. Simply use it in place of heavy cream and thin to a desired consistency with stock. Make a big batch and, as suggested above and store covered in the freezer. You can make a delicious sauce by adding some chopped fresh herbs and a squeeze of lemon or a creamy soup by adding stock and whatever fresh vegetables you have on hand.

Chickpea and Roasted Garlic Cream

Makes about 2-1/2 cups

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
  
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
  
• 1/3 cup rice (preferably medium or short-grain, which are starchier)
  
• 2 cups or so defatted chicken or vegetable stock
  
• 1 cup dry white wine
  
• Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Directions:

In a saucepan, heat the olive oil, add the onions and sauté over moderate heat until they are soft but not browned. Add the rice and sauté 2 minutes longer, stirring regularly. Add 3/4 cup of the stock and the wine, cover, and simmer until the liquid is mostly absorbed (about 25 minutes) and the rice mixture is very soft. Cool slightly, and with an immersion or regular blender puree until smooth. Add more stock until you reach the desired consistency. Season to your taste with salt and pepper.

Chickpea and Roasted Garlic Cream and Roasted Mushroom and Mustard Sauce are two variations using the “no cream” base to get you started and thinking about other combinations. Both are delicious served wherever you would serve a cream style sauce. How about with sautéed chicken or fish, as a topper to mashed or roasted potatoes or to spoon over your favorite vegetable such as broccoli or cauliflower?

Cookbooks Authored by Chef John Ash
Winner of the Julia Child "Cookbook of the Year" from the IACP One of California's foremost chefs, in association with Fetzer Vineyards, celebrates the bounty of the garden and the vine with a collection of more than 300 recipes that pay magnificent tribute to fresh and healthy high-flavor food--plus a a helpful--and fun--approach to testing and evaluating wines. Color photos.	Winner of the 2005 James Beard Foundation Award John Ash: Cooking One-on-One: Private Lessons in Simple, Contemporary Food from a Master Teacher	American Game Cooking: A Contemporary Guide to Preparing Farm-Raised Game Birds and Meats Game farms have made exotic fowl and meats widely available to the non-hunter, and this is an excellent resource for those who want to cook on the wild side. From boar-based borscht to roast lacquered duck with muscat-tamarind sauce, the recipes contained herein are delicious.

"It's the process of cooking that's so much fun — the bonus is that you get something at the end to eat." Chef John Ash

Simple Sauces: Delicious and Healthy:

• “No Cream” Cream Sauce
  
  
• Chickpea and Roasted Garlic Cream
  
  
• Roasted Mushroom and Mustard Sauce
  
  
• Red Bell Pepper, Tomato and Chipotle Sauce
  
  
• Curried Butternut Squash Sauce
  
  
• Spicy Carrot Sauce
  
  
• Asian Peanut Sauce
  
  
• Mango Mustard Seed Sauce
  
  
• Cold Avocado Sauce
  
  
• Ancho Chile Salsa
  
  
• Ginger Custard Sauce
  
  
• Simple Sauces that are (shhhhhh!) Delicious and Healthy! (article)
  
  
• More Recipes

(Chef John Ash)