TASTE
Celebrity chef fond of his simple sloppy joes
| • | On the sweet course |
By Linda Giuca
Hartford (Conn.) Courant
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"Young & Hungry" (Hyperion, $22.95) is a lot like its author, Dave Lieberman: easy-going, down to earth and likable.
In his introduction, Lieberman describes himself as "pretty much your average guy starting off in a big city." A Yale graduate who gained a measure of fame when he was profiled by The New York Times for his New Haven, Conn., cable-access food show, Lieberman works as a personal chef in New York City. He cooks for a larger audience as the host of "Good Deal With Dave Lieberman" on the Food Network.
The soft-spoken Lieberman talked recently about preferring to cook at home for friends rather than go out on the town. As a political-science student in Yale's class of 2003, Lieberman used the kitchen of the house where he lived "as a gathering place." Even now, living in the Big Apple, his idea of a fun evening is a home-cooked meal with friends.
Although Lieberman "grew up working in restaurants," he bowed to his parents' wishes and went the college route, but not before spending a year in Italy. "I had ambitions to sing professionally — and to sing opera, I wanted to learn the language," he said in an interview. He decided he wasn't cut out for the opera world, but soaked up the culture, particularly the food culture, during his year abroad.
His book reflects the influence of European cooking styles, not in the recipes but in the approach: Use good-quality, fresh ingredients and basic cooking techniques.
One ingredient that has caught his attention is wine, as more varietals become affordable. "The interesting thing to watch is how it expands the palate," he says. He is working on a show about cooking with wine and has featured wines under $10 a bottle on his Web show "Eat This." The Food Network recently ordered 13 more episodes of "Eat This," which is the network's first Web-only program.
Despite his success on the Food Network, Lieberman has no ambition to develop an empire, à la Rachael Ray and her television shows, books, magazines and endorsements. His focus is his job as a personal chef. "What I really love is to be in my own little place and create."
Having just finished his second book, "Dave's Dinner," due out in October, Lieberman says he doesn't write for a specific age group. His audience consists of "home cooks, people ... looking for information and advice."
Lieberman likes to kick back and watch television. And one of his crowd-pleasers is sloppy joes, a make-ahead recipe that lets the cook have almost as much time as his guests watching the tube.
SLOPPY JOES
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, and cook, stirring, until they start to turn translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the beef, and cook, stirring and breaking up the meat, until it is finely crumbled, the liquid boils off, and the meat begins to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the barbecue sauce, ketchup, and worcestershire and soy sauces, and bring to a boil. Cook until the sauce is lightly thickened, 4 to 5 minutes.
You can make the sloppy joe mixture up to two days in advance and rewarm it over low heat or in the microwave. Serve it with hamburger buns or over rice. Makes 8 servings.
