Taste of the Week
Succulent Lamb Shanks
If you’re looking for a delicious, comforting, and divine entrée to serve on a cool winter day, braised lamb shanks are ideal. Click on “dig in” to learn about this cut and a divine way to prepare it.
Dig In
Can everyone cook? That’s a question I’ve been asked frequently since I published the first cookbook in my Everyone Can Cook series in 2003. More than six years later, and five books into the series, my response to that query has remained the same: Yes, they can!
To me, it’s not whether or not you can cook; it’s whether or not you have the desire, the confidence and the inspiration to do so. If you have those traits, learning to cook, or improving the cooking skills you already have, can be a very tasty experience.
If you don’t have those traits, I hope that my cookbooks and this website will help you develop them. But I’m also writing for those of you who already enjoy cooking, but are seeking a reliable source of straightforward but delicious recipes, great cooking tips and other practical culinary information.
How do I do this?
- I create recipes designed to appeal to all cooking abilities and I have had success doing that. For example, a reader of my newspaper column recently sent me a note that said: “Although I’m an experienced cook, in our home your recipes are accessible enough for our 15-year-old to understand (and try) while nudging me to new experimentation.”
- I offer recipes and culinary information on a broad range of ingredients. My cookbooks to date have covered general cookery, seafood, appetizers, midweek meals and foods for celebrations.
- My recipes focus on using accessible ingredients. It can be difficult to get inspired to cook if you can’t find the ingredients for a recipe that appealed to you. And, to give my recipes an even broader appeal, “Eric’s options” are situated beside each recipe, offering suggestions on substituting one ingredient for another or leaving out an ingredient that does not appeal.
- Lastly, many of the recipes in my cookbooks offer advance preparation suggestions to eliminate the stress of trying to whip up the whole dish at the very last moment. I also list prep time and cooking time to make planning easier.
As this website evolves, the same elements that have made my books so popular will be on display here. Each week I’ll offer up a new “Taste of the Week” with a recipe and cooking tip, or I’ll explain a cooking technique, such as how to fillet a whole fish or how to cook the perfect steak. The “What’s Cooking” section will let you know where you can read my weekly food-fact-filled columns and will list any media events or cooking classes I am participating in.
One reviewer of my cookbooks described my cooking style as inclusive. Use one of my books, or visit this site each week, and, no matter what level your cooking skills are, you’ll discover that’s true.
Eric Akis
What's Cooking
Food and Beer Pairing | September 1, 2010 | Food column
Pick up a copy of the Victoria Times Colonist on September 1, and read my story on pairing food and beer. In the column, two beer experts will provide tips on successfully doing so, including offering suggestions on what beer to serve with the four recipes I'll offer up that day, including one for pulled short rib sandwiches. On and after September 1, you can also read that story online at timescolonist.com by entering Eric Akis into the website search engine.
My new cookbook, Everyone Can Cook Slow Cooker Meals, is available for pre-order amazon.ca