Matty Matheson: Home Style Cookery

Matty Matheson

• Publisher: Abrams
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9781419747489
• eBook ISBN: 9781647001735
• Topic: Art
• Subtopic: Culinary Arts

The acclaimed  New York Times –bestselling author, chef, and star of FX's The Bear returns with an even bigger book that is all about quality home cooking.

Matty returns with 135 of his absolute favorite recipes to cook at home for his family and friends, so you can cook them for the people you love.  Home Style Cookery is his definitive guide to mastering your kitchen, covering everything from pantry staples (breads, stocks, and pickles) to party favorites (dips, fried foods, and grilled meats), to weeknight go-tos (stews, pastas, salads), and special occasion show-stoppers (roasts, smoked meats, and desserts). It starts with basics like  Molasses Bread in an Apple Juice Can,  Beef and Bone Marrow Stock,  Kitchen Sink Salad,  Thanksgiving Stuffing Butternut Squash, and the tallest  Seven-Layer Dip you have ever seen. Next it covers comforting recipes like  Littleneck Clam Orecchiette,  Pho Ga,  Sichuan Newfoundland Cod,  Double Beef Patty Melt with Gruyere and Molasses Bread, and Matty's take on the ultimate Submarine sandwich. And it closes with bangers like  Fish Sticks with Kewpie Tartar Sauce,  Salt Crust Leg of Lamb and Yukon Golds with Creamed Spinach,  Texas-Style Prime Rib,  T-bone Steak and Fine Herb Chimichurri, and  Lobster Thermidor with Bearnaise and Salt and Vinegar Chips. It even has desserts like his wife  Trish's Chocolate Chip Cookies and  Creme Caramel. 
In  Home Style Cookery, Matty shares his bold style of cooking. Along with beautiful photographs of Matty's dishes and his farm, this book is filled with signature recipes that are equal parts approachable and tasty. Matty's first book shared his culinary story,  Home Style Cookery will help you build yours.

CHAPTER 1

Bread

Bread Is Life, Flour Is Not the Enemy, Grind Your Grains

Growing up with my mom’s grain grinder is such a beautiful memory for me now, but when I was a kid I was embarrassed to have whole-wheat breads or large pullman loaves in my sandwiches at lunch. All the other kids had Wonder Bread. How lucky they were in my misconstrued mind. Now I wish I had the time to make bread at home or grind wheat to flour. My family was so lucky; we were so well fed, but I’m sad that I mostly resented it. It’s funny how hindsight is 20/20, ya know. It’s so fucking badass that my mom made fresh bread weekly and that we had that in our young lives.

Every family has traditions. Every part of the world has their breads, that mixture of flour, water, and yeast that gives so much back to your home. As I’ve traveled the world I have found that people are so proud of the breads that they make and serve with their meals. I’ve broken bread on almost every continent.

The reason why I’m starting this book with breads is because of this pride. These are my favorite kinds. They are blocks of the world. With them you can go in hundreds if not thousands of directions. The only thing holding you back is your imagination. These are the most basic and most loved breads that will help you on your culinary journey.

Bread can take time and can fuck up real bad, real fast, and I want you to know that I understand that. I fuck up all the time, in a lot more than just bread-baking. Not letting up is the key, though—to keep going is the gift that keeps giving, to get it right is the miracle.

There are some things you will have to understand before baking. If you have dusty-ass packets of active dry yeast, buy new ones because the old ones will not work. It does matter if you overwork or underwork your dough. It definitely takes making breads a couple times to even begin to understand what this all is. Was your water too warm? Maybe! Was the dough too cold because your kitchen is drafty? Unfortunately, it all matters so much. I always say I’m not a scientist ’cause bread and baking are 100 percent science and 100 percent love, so that’s fucking 200 percent! Fuck! Hahaha. I have the love, though, and I hope you will, too. We all gotta keep going. Please keep trying and please don’t get discouraged.

These breads will give you so much to look forward to. Dipping homemade Roti into the Lamb Neck Dizi Sangi or Yellow Curry Clams will feel way better than buying some roti from down the street. Don’t feel bad if your hands are full with making the curry. Maybe buy the roti the first time, then buy some curry next time and make the roti, ya know. Don’t take on the world. Crawl, walk, run is always best with life and cooking.

In this chapter are eight of my favorite breads. Make them and love them. Trust the process. Understand that the process doesn’t stop the first time you make one. That’s just the beginning. Remember one thing: Always save your apple juice cans ’cause you never know when and where you’ll need to pump out some molasses bread! Hopefully, there’s snow on the ground, a fire roaring in the fireplace, and rabbit stew on the stove. Godspeed, my little boulangers.

Sesame Seed Rolls

MAKES: 6 (6-INCH/ 15 CM) ROLLS

PREP TIME: 1 HOUR 15 MINUTES, PLUS 1½ HOURS INACTIVE TIME

This is the best bread for cheesy garlic bread, a submarine sandwich filled with the finest and thinnest cold cuts, or crisp French toast. Your friends or children will love you forever when you hit the sesame seed French toast with hot maple syrup and fresh whipped cream.

1 cup (240 ml) warm water (115 to 127°F/46 to 53°C)

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 tablespoon kosher salt

¼ cup (60 ml) plus 1 teaspoon olive oil

3 cups (450 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading

Canola oil, for the bowl and plastic wrap

½ cup (75 g) toasted sesame seeds

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the warm water, yeast, sugar, salt, and olive oil. Let the mixture sit for 8 to 10 minutes, until the mixture becomes foamy and fragrant; this indicates the yeast is active and alive.

Add 1⅓ cups (200 g) of the flour and mix with the dough hook on low speed for 2 minutes. Add an additional 1⅓ cups (200 g) of flour until well incorporated. Continue adding the remaining ⅓ cup (50 g) flour one-third at a time until a soft dough forms. The dough should still be sticky. Pull the dough off the sides of mixing bowl and continue kneading for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the dough has come together but is still a little sticky at the bottom. Unload the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and continue kneading until smooth and soft to the touch. Place the dough into a lightly oiled large bowl. Cover the dough with a damp kitchen towel and let proof for 45 minutes.

After the dough has risen (it may not double in size, but it should be noticeably puffy), turn it out onto a clean work surface and divide it into six. Roll each piece of dough into a long, skinny loaf shape about 6 inches (15 cm) long and 1½ inches (4 cm) wide. Once shaped, roll each piece in the sesame seeds, making sure the rolls are completely covered in seeds. Place onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, allowing least 1½ inches (4 cm) of space between the loaves. Cover with greased plastic wrap and allow the rolls to rise until they double in size, about 45 minutes.

While the rolls are rising, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

Remove the plastic wrap and bake the rolls for 25 minutes. When the seeds are toasted and the bread is golden brown and feels light, place on wire racks and let cool for 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Seeded Rye Bread

MAKES: 1 LOAF

PREP TIME: 1½ HOURS, PLUS 6 HOURS AND 20 MINUTES INACTIVE TIME

This bread was designed for eating with smoked fish, salty things, and acidic things. Fry it in butter. Slice it thin then top with cultured butter and beef tartare and you’ll love me forever. The first time I had rye bread was in Copenhagen. It was just a slice served with butter, a nice ham, and a boiled egg. A perfect breakfast in a perfect city.

3 cups (700 ml) plus 2 tablespoons warm water (115 to 127°F/46 to 53°C)

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

⅓ cup (32 g) sunflower seeds

⅓ cup (32 g) pumpkin seeds

⅓ cup (32 g) sesame seeds

6 cups (900 g) rye flour

2 cups plus 3 tablespoons (327 g) bread flour, plus more for kneading

½ cup (120 ml) molasses

⅓ cup (32 g) cracked rye

½ teaspoon salt

Canola oil, for the bowl

½ cup (120 ml) ice

In a small bowl, combine ⅓ cup plus 4 teaspoons (100 ml) warm water, the active dry yeast, and the sugar. Mix well and let sit for 8 to 10 minutes, until the mixture becomes foamy and fragrant. This indicates the yeast is active and alive.

In another small bowl, combine the sunflower, pumpkin, and sesame seeds.

In a stand mixer, combine the rye flour, bread flour, yeast mixture, molasses, half of the seed mixture, the cracked rye, salt, and the remaining water. Mix with the dough hook on medium speed until a dough has formed, about 2½ minutes. Let the dough sit, covered with a towel, for 20 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead until it is smooth and has a nice elastic bounce, about 5 minutes. Move the dough to a lightly oiled mixing bowl. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and place in a cold oven to slightly inflate, about 1 hour. Transfer back to your workspace, flatten the dough, then fold the top and bottom edges toward the middle. Return the dough to the bowl, then back to the cold oven. Let sit until doubled in size, about 3 hours.

Transfer the dough back to your work surface. Positioning your hands on the outside of the dough, rotate the dough over the surface to form a taut dome, pinching the edges underneath. Transfer, seam side up, to a large oiled colander and loosely cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough double in size again, about 3 hours.

One hour before baking, place a large cast-iron skillet on the bottom rack of the oven. Position another rack above the skillet and place a pizza stone on top of it. Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C).

Invert the dough onto a rimless baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spray the dough with water and roll in the remaining seed mixture. Using the paper, slide the loaf onto the stone. Place the ice in the skillet—the ice will melt and add steam in the oven, which will help the loaf not to burn and helps the loaf to rise. Bake until dark brown, about 1 hour. Let the bread cool on a wire rack to room tem...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Contents
• Seekers of the Truth
• Chapter 1 Bread
• Chapter 2 Stocks
• Chapter 3 Vegetables
• Chapter 4 Dips, Purees, and Spreads
• Chapter 5 Dumplings and Pasta
• Chapter 6 Curries, Soups, and a Stew
• Chapter 7 Sandwiches
• Chapter 8 Fried Foods and Cast-Iron Cookery
• Chapter 9 Roasts, Bakes, and a Pie
• Chapter 10 Smoked
• Chapter 11 Grilled
• Chapter 12 Desserts
• Thank-Yous
• Index of Searchable Terms
• Copyright Page