As Simple as Possible, but No Simpler
March 21, 2015 9:08 PM Subscribe
I'm in search of recipes which boil down a dish to its most basic (necessary and sufficient) components. So bread: flour, water, salt, yeast and (possibly) oil or butter. Hummus: chick peas, garlic, tahini, lemon juice. Coq au vin: chicken, onions, bacon, garlic, red wine, mushrooms. (Feel free to argue).
Here's the catch: they have to actually work as a recipe. It can be anything from a boiled egg to Turducken, but I'm looking for a workable, irreducible, platonic-ideal recipe where you can't take anything away without it no longer being the thing-in-question.
Here's the catch: they have to actually work as a recipe. It can be anything from a boiled egg to Turducken, but I'm looking for a workable, irreducible, platonic-ideal recipe where you can't take anything away without it no longer being the thing-in-question.
Best answer: This is essentially what The Joy of Cooking does. There's a basic recipe to start off with and then several pages of recipes that build on the skills and base ingredients of the starter recipe.
My guess is that this is also the format of most broad-based starter cookbooks. I'm not sure what else you're going for here.
You might also be interested in Michael Ruhlman's Ratio.
posted by phunniemee at 9:37 PM on March 21, 2015 [8 favorites]
My guess is that this is also the format of most broad-based starter cookbooks. I'm not sure what else you're going for here.
You might also be interested in Michael Ruhlman's Ratio.
posted by phunniemee at 9:37 PM on March 21, 2015 [8 favorites]
Are you only interested in ingredients? Because flour+water+salt=dough not bread.
It is often the process (in this case baking) that is also necessary and sufficient. Actually without the mixing and kneading you just have a watery mess.
For eggs, likewise. boiled egg=egg. poached egg=egg. etc.
posted by vacapinta at 9:44 PM on March 21, 2015 [7 favorites]
It is often the process (in this case baking) that is also necessary and sufficient. Actually without the mixing and kneading you just have a watery mess.
For eggs, likewise. boiled egg=egg. poached egg=egg. etc.
posted by vacapinta at 9:44 PM on March 21, 2015 [7 favorites]
Best answer: This is also what Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything tends to do. He gives you a basic recipe and then a list of variations.
posted by jacquilynne at 9:53 PM on March 21, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by jacquilynne at 9:53 PM on March 21, 2015 [3 favorites]
Noodles == flour, water, maybe eggs
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 10:08 PM on March 21, 2015
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 10:08 PM on March 21, 2015
For simple ingredients to actually work you need to know the proper order and technique. Simple recipes only get simple with practice.
posted by mandymanwasregistered at 10:12 PM on March 21, 2015
posted by mandymanwasregistered at 10:12 PM on March 21, 2015
Best answer: this is why the Naked Chef is naked.
posted by j_curiouser at 11:36 PM on March 21, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by j_curiouser at 11:36 PM on March 21, 2015 [2 favorites]
oooh, my favorite: chocolate mousse: unsweetened chocolate + eggs
posted by TWinbrook8 at 12:32 AM on March 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by TWinbrook8 at 12:32 AM on March 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
Vinaigrette = oil, vinegar
...emulsifier, salt, pepper.
As mandymanwasregistered says, technique (and proportions) make the recipe. For example, chickpeas/lemon juice/olive oil/garlic/tahini = hummus or falafel, depending on the proportions of ingredients and how you combine them.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 4:38 AM on March 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
...emulsifier, salt, pepper.
As mandymanwasregistered says, technique (and proportions) make the recipe. For example, chickpeas/lemon juice/olive oil/garlic/tahini = hummus or falafel, depending on the proportions of ingredients and how you combine them.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 4:38 AM on March 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: The book Ratio does this for a bunch of things, both in terms of ingredients and proportions.
posted by tchemgrrl at 4:59 AM on March 22, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by tchemgrrl at 4:59 AM on March 22, 2015 [4 favorites]
Who here likes pancakes? I like pancakes. Made of flour, egg, milk, baking powder, pinch of salt and vegetable oil.
posted by drlith at 6:07 AM on March 22, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by drlith at 6:07 AM on March 22, 2015 [2 favorites]
Best answer: The twitter feed @TinyRecipes gives recipes in 140 characters or less.
posted by susanvance at 7:33 AM on March 22, 2015
posted by susanvance at 7:33 AM on March 22, 2015
I came in here to suggest the book Ratio, too.
posted by emelenjr at 7:45 AM on March 22, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by emelenjr at 7:45 AM on March 22, 2015 [3 favorites]
Yeah, this question needs clarification as others have said. But, I thought that the tables provided with recipes at Cooking for Engineers might appeal.
posted by munchingzombie at 7:54 AM on March 22, 2015
posted by munchingzombie at 7:54 AM on March 22, 2015
I guess that anyone who designs a recipe usually feels that every ingredient listed is necessary and sufficient to realize the idea, but, 2nd The Joy Of Cooking (and suggest Julia Child's evergreen Mastering The Art Of French Cooking).
posted by cotton dress sock at 8:29 AM on March 22, 2015
posted by cotton dress sock at 8:29 AM on March 22, 2015
Simplest version of guacamole: avocado+salt (you could prob even skip the salt)
Simplest version of salsa: tomato+chile+onion (without the onion it could still be salsa)
posted by CrazyLemonade at 9:27 AM on March 22, 2015
Simplest version of salsa: tomato+chile+onion (without the onion it could still be salsa)
posted by CrazyLemonade at 9:27 AM on March 22, 2015
A lot of Elisabeth David's Italian recipes are like that, and somewhere she wrote about how it took her by surprise that one could make such good food with such simple means (initially she was not so much into Italian food). Tonight I was cooking Osso Buco, and used my normal recipe, which includes a sufrito and garlic. Out of curiosity I looked up her recipe, and she only used the veal shanks, white wine, stock, and crushed tomatoes. Not even a twig of thyme or oregano. Actually, I can see how that might be delicious if your stock is very rich, and I'm trying it next time.
And yeah, the secret of most simple food is the method. An omelet can be really a real sad mix of crumbled rubber and sulphur or a delicious treat. Not so much about ingredients as about skills.
An other factor is the quality of the ingredients: in our family, BLT sandwiches are a huge favorite. But because we really enjoy them and care about how they are made, we have begun sourcing each element carefully, and now we can hardly eat the ones we get at a café or diner.
posted by mumimor at 1:32 PM on March 22, 2015
And yeah, the secret of most simple food is the method. An omelet can be really a real sad mix of crumbled rubber and sulphur or a delicious treat. Not so much about ingredients as about skills.
An other factor is the quality of the ingredients: in our family, BLT sandwiches are a huge favorite. But because we really enjoy them and care about how they are made, we have begun sourcing each element carefully, and now we can hardly eat the ones we get at a café or diner.
posted by mumimor at 1:32 PM on March 22, 2015
Nacho: 1 corn chip, a bit of cheese, a slice of jalapeno. The first and the best -- look it up.
posted by LonnieK at 6:40 PM on March 22, 2015
posted by LonnieK at 6:40 PM on March 22, 2015
One-ingredient ice cream?
Two-ingredient brownies?
I have made the ice cream, and it is yummy. Never made the brownies, so I can't vouch for the recipe.
posted by mon-ma-tron at 7:49 PM on March 22, 2015
Two-ingredient brownies?
I have made the ice cream, and it is yummy. Never made the brownies, so I can't vouch for the recipe.
posted by mon-ma-tron at 7:49 PM on March 22, 2015
The traditional Dutch dish hutspot is basically mashed potatoes mixed with carrots and onions. Similarly, stamppot is mashed potatoes mixed with a green vegetable (such as endives) and bacon.
posted by neushoorn at 3:34 AM on March 23, 2015
posted by neushoorn at 3:34 AM on March 23, 2015
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's book "Three Good Things on a Plate" is full of recipes made from 3 ingredients, many of which are linked here:
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/series/hugh-s-three-good-things-on-a-plate
posted by logopetria at 11:58 PM on March 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/series/hugh-s-three-good-things-on-a-plate
posted by logopetria at 11:58 PM on March 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
Thirding Ratio.
posted by maggiepolitt at 9:19 PM on March 25, 2015
posted by maggiepolitt at 9:19 PM on March 25, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by papayaninja at 9:36 PM on March 21, 2015