Front Burner

The Date Night Cookbook, by Meredith Phillips, ruined my roommate for summer rolls. She demands them weekly and does nothing but complain when we eat them in Vietnamese restaurants. "These aren't fresh" she says. "Ugh. How can they sell this?" I am more forgiving of inexpensive restaurant food, but Meredith's recipe for Fresh Shrimp Rolls with Peanut-Lime Dipping Sauce really illustrate how easy, cheap, and fun making food with friends can be.

Here we go: defrost (or cook) shrimp, boil cellophane noodles, chop basil and cilantro, dip rice paper wraps in boiling water, and assemble. The entire process takes less than 20 minutes, costs a few dollars, and tastes great. Then you sit down, dip the neatly wrapped rolls in some peanut sauce, and that's it. (We preferred store-bought to her recipe, because it was not peanutty enough.)

The cellophane noodles and rice paper wraps aren’t ingredients I typically have in my pantry, but they were easy enough to find; both were right in my supermarket’s Asian section. One thing worth noting about the noodles is that they are also known as Chinese vermicelli, bean thread noodles, or glass noodles. They are all actually the same thing and all cook in about 5 minutes in boiling water.

Versatility says a lot about a recipe. Any dish should taste good, provided you spend the time and follow the instructions. For me, though, the difference between a good recipe and a great one is versatility. Rick Tramonto’s Mini Veal Meatballs with Caramelized Onions is a perfect example: The tiny, tender meatballs are mild enough to serve as a base in any number of other dishes.

We recently reviewed Rick’s new book, Fantastico!, and I could hardly wait to try out some of his small plates. Food editor Kim Sunée suggested we invite some guests and sample a few recipes. The guests were pleasantly surprised by the walnut-size pork/veal bites. Their favorite aspects were the crisp bottom and the meat’s lack of greasiness.

My mind was sufficiently altered by the caramelized onions and syrupy balsamic vinegar, but I had to figure out what to do with an extra 40 meatballs. It’s always better to overestimate, though perhaps not by that much. Here are a few of my ideas:

Lasagna - my Aunt Nancy always uses tiny meatballs in her lasagna instead of plain old ground beef or sausage. These are perfect; just spread them liberally between each layer of pasta. (Or have fun and use only one meatball. Like a king cake, whoever finds it would be entitled to royal treatment, good luck, or dish detail. You decide.)

Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian (Wiley, 2007) is as dense and comprehensive as its title suggests. It is a good gift for recent veggie converts as well as cooks looking to update their old standbys. Think of it as a fresher, meatless Joy of Cooking.

I won’t lie, it’s more than a little daunting (2,000 recipes and variations will do that). Bittman covers veggie basics, preparation, storage, and many recipes feature dozens of variations. Paging through, I hoped to find a dish to inspire a menu. That recipe was Spicy Winter Squash Galette. It sounded interesting enough and came with a recommendation for Beer-Glazed Black Beans. A Steamed Mushroom Salad rounded out my meal.

Preparing the steamed mushroom salad was a breeze. I used cremini mushrooms(sometimes known as baby bella) for their mild, earthy taste and firm texture. The simple dressing reminds me of my favorite light salad: mushrooms with cubed avocados in homemade balsamic dressing.

Where the mushroom salad was incredibly quick and easy, the Spicy Winter Squash Galette was a bit more involved. The first market I chose had a really poor squash selection, but I eventually found a pretty Kabocha at Whole Foods. Because I am familiar with Butternut, I assumed the skin would be tough. Kabocha squash are in a league of their own and seriously hard to peel. Forget your peeler and go straight for your trusty chefs knife. I’m glad I made my own crust. No matter how many times I do it, it’s magical when the dough comes together. After rolling the dough to 12 inches, I was left with 3/4 cup extra filling (which I plan on baking tonight).