Cooking for one.

I'm in the habit of cooking something on the weekend that will last most of the week. That way, when I get home from work at seven or later, cooking is not a chore.

When I first arrived in Scotland, I bought the casserole dish pictured here (there was nothing like it in the house) since a pot like this is fundamental to much of my cooking. It's nothing special, I picked it up in the grocery store cooking isle, but it's perfect for my purposes.

Pictured is my imitation of cassoulet. Haricots, a hunk of pork and some left over roast chicken, wings and drumsticks. Sorry, no sausage or duck confit in this one -- maybe next time. Soak the beans overnight, drain them and leave them in the casserole dish. I had a wedge of pork rump, fat on, which I browned in a bit of olive oil and then added to the pot with the beans. Sauté four five or even six cloves of chopped garlic in olive oil and then add three medium sized onions, diced; chopped parsley, salt, coarse ground pepper, thyme and I threw in some rosemary too. A bay leaf or two would be good, but I didn't have one. Once the onions are soft add a couple of cups of dry white wine, and let that reduce for a bit before adding the chicken stock - about 8 cups. After it gets to a boil, pour this over the beans, just covering them with the liquid. I put it into the oven with the top on just at a simmer and left it for a few hours. When I came back I added the chicken legs and thighs and turned up the bringing it to a good boil and remove it from the over. The whole thing takes an hour in the kitchen and I'll be eating this all week - and loving it.

Last week I made a rather amazing recipe from Mark Bittman's column in the NY Times, Short Ribs with Coffee and Chilies. I never, in a million years, would have thought of braising beef in coffee and red wine, but it is wonderful. I recommend watching the video linked at the bottom of the article Coaxing Exotic Flavor From Familiar Elements. This recipe uses an idea I've been using for some time, using chilies - not for their hotness but for their flavor. A bit of chili can make food taste round in your mouth, without really being hot. I use them often in red wine based stews. In the kitchen here, there were some small dried chilies hanging on the wall which worked fine - I think that at one time they may have been a decoration, but I've eaten most of them. I did not find "short ribs" but used a very inexpensive "Scottish Boiling Beef" which seems to be much the same cut.

My first week here in Scotland I made a beef stew in red wine; also using the chilie trick. I follow the method I learned from Rick Bayless's classic Mexican cookbook Authentic Mexican: Regional Cooking From The Heart of Mexico for preparing dried chilies. Slit them open to remove the seeds, trying not to crumble them completely. Dry roast the chilies by putting them in a hot dry cast iron frying pan and pressing them flat with a fork or spatula. They'll bubble up and brown. Don't worry if they burn a bit but you don't want them black. I put them in a cup with a bit (say 1/2 cup) of water and microwave them (Bayless does not use the microwave) for a minute or so. Be careful when you remove them - a whiff of the steam will take your breath away. Drop them in a blender and you have a chili sauce to add as needed.

Bittman's philosophy of cooking largely matches my own. In general I know that, with a bit of care and minimal effort, it is possible to prepare food at home that is far better than that served in all but the finest restaurants. Probably everyone already knows this. If you don't think so, watch the Bittman video to see how easy it is to make this rib recipe.