The Full Plate

INTRODUCTION

MY FULL PLATE

Food truly has enormous power. It feeds both the body and the soul. It’s a vessel for communication, love, and happiness, and sets the foundation for beautiful, strong relationships of all kinds.

When I began writing my first cookbook, The Seasoned Life, life was so different. I was a mom of two girls, I’d truly just begun my career, and I was 26 years old. I was never sleepy, never had too much to do, and always had the flexibility to cook whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, without time constraints.

Mealtime to us these days definitely still looks like pouring a generous glass of wine while I cook, but the logistics are slightly different. I mean, we blinked and suddenly there were three children! That’s six legs, six arms, three heads, sixty fingers and toes (by the grace of God), and three very different personalities (who Stephen and I both love equally).

I also began my journey as an entrepreneur, started my business Sweet July, and opened three International Smoke restaurant locations in two years! Needless to say, chaos did ensue. But it’s the beautiful kind of chaos that—if you replayed it in slow motion and put a string quartet behind it—could have the gravitas to coerce all people into having three bambinos.

In the midst of all of that, I still have this desire to nurture my family through food. That precious time together is not something I ever want to fall to the bottom of life’s to-do list. But these days, I need recipes that are still full of life and flavor but take a fraction of the time to make. I’ve tried to give you that throughout this book. You’ll notice some dishes take 10 minutes, while others take 30—and nothing is ever longer than an hour (major key). I want to be able to make a delicious meal for my family with enough time to actually enjoy sitting around the dinner table together.

The world was my oyster the first time around. This time, there are no pearls—or horseradish to slurp down, for that matter (ha!). Just an innate need and desire to feed my family delicious, fresh food as often as I can.

Realistically, this means focusing on dinner most days, along with a nice stiff drink for the hubs and me. I honestly don’t have a ton of hacks for getting elaborate breakfasts on the table in no time. With our lives these days, that just doesn’t happen—and I want to keep it real with you all. But when dinner rolls around, I can drop a few gems on how to get the meal on the table quickly while keeping it all interesting and delicious for when you do get those magical moments to gather.

My hope is that these recipes inspire you to cook with your spouse, friends, children, and loved ones more often. The kitchen is a space for infinite possibilities and a creative outlet that doesn’t require too much outsourcing. I hope that through this you create gorgeous memories and moments, and that your relationships grow and grow.

Cheers to a world of possibility and a kitchen packed with flavor. We all have full plates, but these recipes will make mealtime feel worthwhile.

Let’s get cooking!

—Ayesha

THE FULL PLATE PANTRY

There are some universal truths about cooking for your family: It shouldn’t take a long time (none of the recipes in this book take more than an hour, and many take under 30 minutes). It shouldn’t make a ton of dishes (a lot of the meals in here are of the one-pot variety). And, with the exception of a few special-occasion dishes, the recipes shouldn’t require lots of expensive or hard-to-find ingredients.

A well-stocked pantry saves you time (fewer trips to the grocery store!) and makes it easier to cook a quick, delicious dinner for your family on the fly. I always keep the basics on hand, including canola and olive oils, flour and sugar, canned beans and tomatoes, dried pasta, rice, and spices—adding them to the shopping list when I’ve reached the last can or the bottom of the bag. If you’re able, buy more than you need for a single recipe when you’re out shopping. Purchase oil in big jugs and flour in 10-pound bags instead of 5 pounders (Costco is great for this). I get the 4-pound boxes of Diamond Crystal kosher salt, which is what we used when developing all these recipes. Many stores will give you a discount if you buy a whole case. If you have the storage space, buying in bulk is a great way to ensure you’ll always have favorite ingredients on hand.

Beyond the basics, every chef’s pantry should be tailored to what they like to cook and eat. If you like things spicy, for example, you might have a collection of hot sauces and chili pastes. If you’re cooking a lot of Italian, you might stock up on tinned anchovies, tomato paste, and big hunks of Parmesan cheese (which keeps, refrigerated, for months). Here are some of the less-common ingredients I like to keep on hand to make the recipes in this book.

Spicy stuff: Many of my recipes have a little kick, so I always have a variety of spicy ingredients on hand, including sweet chili sauce (I like Mae Ploy brand), hot sauce (I like Crystal and Tapatío), chipotles in adobo sauce, and my favorite, sambal oelek, an Indonesian paste made from crushed raw chilies, vinegar, and salt.

Sweet stuff: I like to introduce a touch of sweetness to my recipes (both desserts and main courses), so I always stock honey, brown sugar (light or dark), and maple syrup, in addition to regular granulated sugar. There are a lot of crave-worthy recipes in the book that combine salty, spicy, and sweet, like the Hot Honey Chicken Sandwiches (here).

Dry spices: The MVPs of my dried-spice rack include curry powder (I like Betapac brand), sweet and smoked paprika, cumin (whole and ground), onion and garlic powders, and herbes de Provence.

Bottles, jars, and cans: Red wine, apple cider, balsamic, and rice wine vinegar; Dijon mustard and mayonnaise; canned tomatoes and tomato paste; canned beans; canned (or boxed) chicken stock; full-fat coconut milk; and jars of marinara (I like Rao’s brand) and roasted red peppers all have permanent spots in my pantry. I often use hoisin sauce, light soy sauce, and coconut aminos (a gluten-free, slightly sweeter alternative to soy sauce, made from the aged sap of coconut blossoms), even in non-Asian recipes.

Fridge and freezer: Though the contents of my refrigerator and freezer vary from week to week, I always have the following things on hand: lemons, limes, and oranges; garlic; ginger; Parmesan cheese; frozen shrimp; and unsalted butter.