Cookbook Profile: Big City Cooking

Big City Cooking
Recipes for a Fast-Paced World

by Matthew Kenney
and Joan Schwartz

"You know why this cookbook is such a kick? Because if you want restaurant food you should eat it in a restaurant. Why put Matthew Kenney out of work? What Kenney thinks makes more sense, however, is to show you how you can cook deliciously and smart for the life you lead, in the city you live in, in that kitchen you hate, with the little time you have, using the best stuff from the market down the block. If you already know all this, we'll all be over tonight at about 7:30."
Hal Rubenstein,
New York Magazine

Matthew Kenney is a shining star at his big city restaurants. He's also a big city home cook. This fabulous cookbook is as stylish as it is practical, and it's the perfect solution for anyone who's ever tried to rustle up dinner for eight in a small apartment kitchen or attempted to barbecue on a 3-inch balcony. But the best thing about cooking in the big city is that the world's produce markets and delicious gourmet ingredients are right at your doorstep. Using simple, efficient techniques like grilling, searing, roasting, and stewing, these recipes have plenty of downtown clout—without uptown fuss. There's advice on stocking the pantry, buying just the right pans for a limited workspace, and plenty of menus to make entertaining easy. Plus, the eye-catching PVC cover is a cinch to wipe clean. Big City Cooking is sure to keep busy city slickers at home on the range.

Matthew Kenney, author of Matthew Kenney's Mediterranean Cooking, is the chef-owner of Matthew's, Mezze, Monzu, Canteen, and his latest restaurant, Commune, all in New York City.

Joan Schwartz is the author of Macaroni and Cheese and co-author of several other cookbooks. She lives in New York.

William Meppem's photographs appear regularly in Food & Wine, Martha Stewart Living, and Williams-Sonoma Taste.

Buy the Book!

Big City Cooking
Recipes for a Fast-Paced World
by Matthew Kenney
and Joan Schwartz
Photographs by William Meppem
Chronicle Books
$24.95 Paperback
208 pp
ISBN: 0811832228
Information provided by the publisher.