Michael Symon's 5 in 5 for Every Season

Introduction

One of the things that excited me most about joining ABC’s The Chew is that it gives me the opportunity to inspire more people to cook at home. That was also what motivated me to sit down and write a cookbook, Michael Symon’s 5 in 5, based on my popular speed-cooking segment on that show.

What I could not have predicted—but certainly hoped would happen—was how well that cookbook would be received by home cooks all around the county. It debuted on the New York Times bestseller list and remained there for weeks. At book signings all over, long lines of enthusiastic fans snaked around the room and sometimes even out the door. Equally gratifying was the response to the book on social media; people tweeted pictures of the meals they prepared accompanied by the hashtag #5in5 and proudly posted their dinner photographs onto my Facebook wall. Seeing people using the book—and loving the results—was all the motivation I needed to start on this new collection of fast recipes.

This new book delivers on the “5 in 5” promise I made from the start: you can get a from-scratch meal on the table for you, your family, and your friends in very little time, for not a lot of money, and without a lot of fuss. With a well-stocked pantry—which I’ll help you set up—and five fresh ingredients that cook in about five minutes, it’s not only possible but also actually pretty simple. This book gives you the tools to reclaim the weeknight family supper.

To shake things up a little, I’ve organized the recipes by season with a fifth chapter on holiday sides and ideas for leftovers as another way to help home cooks get comfortable in the kitchen. Whether it’s your first time hosting the family for a big meal or your fiftieth, these quick-cooking stovetop sides will free up your oven for the turkey or roast and make you look like a champ—without taking all day to prep.

When you embrace seasonal cooking, you can enjoy food at its freshest, healthiest, and most affordable. As soon as fruits and vegetables are harvested, they begin to lose nutrition. Foods grown locally and picked in season are more wholesome because they don’t have to travel halfway around the globe in a shipping container to reach you. That’s also why locally grown foods tend to be less expensive; all those transportation costs add up!

But what I love most about cooking in season is the shopping. For me, going to farmers’ markets or my local green grocer is half the fun. As a chef, I get inspired by the huge variety of familiar and unfamiliar ingredients; I come up with new dishes in my head and then rush to my kitchen to try them out. I love supporting local farmers, running into neighbors, and trading fluorescent lighting for the great outdoors.

Another great and simple way to eat seasonally throughout the year is to join a local CSA, which stands for community supported agriculture. Members pay their dues up front—which helps finance the farm before they have produce to sell—and then receive regularly scheduled deliveries (or pick-ups) of farm-fresh ingredients. While we tend to think only of fruits and veggies when it comes to local, seasonal foods, CSA members often enjoy a wide range of products that can include jams, honey, eggs, cheese, milk, poultry, breads, and grains.

Eating seasonally, depending on where you live, might mean forgoing strawberries in winter, asparagus in fall, and corn in spring. But to me, that just means you have something to look forward to all year long. I would much rather wait until mid-July for that first ripe, juicy, and sweet tomato straight off the vine than eat pale and mealy ones all year long.

Of course, keep in mind that my seasons might not necessarily coincide with yours. The best way to know what’s fresh in your neck of the woods is to ask around at the local market or look up a seasonality chart based on where you live. You can’t go wrong if you pick up what looks good, bring it home, and head to the index of this book for inspiration.