No secrets at this CIA: Delicious "One Dish Meals" the latest from premier culinary college

The CIA cooks know is the Culinary Institute of America headquartered in Hyde Park, NY, with auxiliary campus in the Sonoma Valley. At one time it seemed entirely focused on educating chefs for the institutional world of fine restaurants and hotels. Today that edge has been softened as the food world of home cooks and chefs blend. Perhaps no more evidence is needed than the array of cookbooks produced by the CIA for the use and good pleasure of home cooks.

One of the most recent books is “One Dish Meals” (Lebhar-Friedman Books). The subject is dear to the hearts of home cooks who are usually in charge of the feeding of the family, entertaining and other food-related occasions including club meetings, church potlucks and the like. And, like their professional counterparts, most home cooks are always thinking ahead. From one meal to the next and with the convenience of freezers, organized home cooks can plot a week’s menu at a time. Others go farther with a monthly plan that uses pantry and freezer items quickly and efficiently. The freezer, after all, does not enhance foods. It keeps them for a reasonable length of time.

For example, there is probably some cooked turkey in just a few freezers right now. For some there were plans for its use even before the big Turkey Day. For others, the turkey is there with two questions that nag the home cook: when and what shall I make with ALL that turkey?

The thought of leftover turkey was on my mind as I paged through the CIA’s cookbook.

The book offers, as the following recipes illustrate, much more than casseroles, the generally accepted definition of a “one dish meal.” With excitement and hungry anticipation I paged through the categories of soups, stews, braises, pastas and baked dishes, sautés and stir-fries and light fare.

It’s a good book to get for yourself or to buy for a gift. The subtitle “Flavorful Single-Dish Meals from the World’s Premier Culinary College” attests to the book’s heritage. And, what could be more satisfying to an aspiring or seasoned cook than following in the manner of the CIA, said by Time magazine to be “the nation’s most influential training school for cooks.” It began in 1946 and thrives today with over 37,000 alumni around the world.

Certainly in the CIA’s recipes there is the DNA of professional chefs: there are visual clues to cooking, approximate times for completing certain steps and combining of foods that are, no doubt, the culmination of lots of experimenting. This is how chefs learn.

Lucky for us this CIA book is both inspiring and practical. These three CIA recipes are from the book’s 150 kitchen-tested collection. In the Cobb Salad and Quesadillas I suggest the frugal cook may substitute cooked turkey.

Pot pies are a simple and simply gorgeous main dish for a home-style meal featuring cooked chicken or leftover cooked turkey. Pastry can be found either in packages or in the refrigerator case. Puff pastry sheets are in the freezer section at the grocery store.

CIA Chicken (Turkey) Pot Pie

(4-6 servings)

3 tbsp. butter or vegetable oil

1 ½ cups diced yellow onion

2 tsp. minced garlic

3 tbsp. butter

3 cups chicken broth

Salt as needed

Freshly ground black pepper

1 cup diced carrot

1 cup diced celery

2 cups diced red or Yukon Gold potato

4 cups diced cooked chicken (or turkey)

1 cup green peas (thawed if frozen)

2 tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley

Two 9-inch prepared pie crusts or puff pastry sheets

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat the butter or oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the onion and sauté, stirring frequently, until tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until pasty and thick, about 2 minutes. Add the broth, whisking well to work out any lumps. Bring to a boil and then immediately reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring frequently, until thick, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add the carrot, celery and potatoes and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Add the chicken and peas and remove from the heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the chopped parsley.

Spoon the filling into individual crocks or a baking dish. Cut pie crust or puff pastry to the approximate size and shape and cover the filling. Cut vents in the crust and press the edges of the dough onto the baking dish or crocks to seal.

Bake the pot pie until the pie crust or puff pastry is golden and flaky, about 45 minutes for a large pot pie and 25 minutes for individual crocks. Serve immediately.

The Cobb Salad knows no season. Ingredients for this sturdy salad are available through the year. Advance preparation would include cooking the eggs and bacon and thawing frozen turkey. Team with a crisp-crusted bread or breadsticks… dinner’s ready!

CIA Cobb Salad

(8 servings)

2 lb. chicken breasts, boneless and skinless*

2 tsp. salt or to taste

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

16 bacon slices

8 cups torn Romaine lettuce, washed and dried

½ cup Cobb Salad Vinaigrette (recipe below)

1 ½ cups diced plum tomatoes

2 cups crumbled blue cheese

2 ripe Haas avocados, sliced ¼-inch thick

½ cup thinly sliced scallions, cut on diagonal

8 hard-cooked eggs, quartered

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat the vegetable oil in a large sauté pan (that can be used in the oven) until it shimmers. Add the chicken and sauté until golden brown on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Place the pan in the preheated oven and cook the chicken to an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Cool and cut into ¼-inch thick slices on the diagonal.

Sauté the bacon until crisp. Drain on absorbent paper and crumble into small pieces.

Toss the Romaine with the vinaigrette and make a bed on chilled plates or a chilled platter. Top with chicken slices, diced tomatoes, blue cheese, avocado, scallions, hard-cooked eggs and crumbled bacon. Serve at once.

*Or, use about 4 cups chopped cooked turkey

Cobb Salad Vinaigrette

(Makes 2 cups)

¼ cup water

6 tbsp. red wine vinegar

½ tsp. sugar

2 ½ tsp. lemon juice

1 ¼ tsp. salt, or to taste

½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

½ tsp. grain mustard

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 ¼ cups extra virgin olive oil

Blend together all the ingredients except olive oil. Add the flavors to marry for 5 minutes.

Add the olive oil and whisk thoroughly. It may be necessary to blend the dressing together again before serving.