Michael Symon's Live to Cook: Recipes and Techniques to Rock Your Kitchen by Michael Symon and Michael Ruhlman

  • Mom's little meatballs (Keftedes)

    from Michael Symon's Live to Cook: Recipes and Techniques to Rock Your Kitchen Michael Symon's Live to Cook by Michael Symon and Michael Ruhlman

    • Categories: Appetizers / starters; Greek
    • Ingredients: onions; bread; ground beef; dried oregano; ground coriander; ground cumin; ground cinnamon; nutmeg; mint; lemons
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Notes about Recipes in this book

  • Mom's little meatballs (Keftedes)

    • twoyolks on November 17, 2015

      I made these with ground lamb. Unfortunately, the meatballs became rather dry. They really need a sauce to go with them. They were decent dipped in tatziki.

  • Zucchini fritters with feta and dill

    • smtucker on May 08, 2013

      House choice for zucchini fritters.

    • twoyolks on June 28, 2016

      These are nice zucchini fritters. I don't think the feta really adds much to them. They need to be pushed flat while frying to cook properly.

  • Corn crêpes with barbecue duck confit

    • wcassity on August 26, 2011

      The flavors were great, but I wasn't able to get the crepes to turn out - they were sloppy pancakes, not what I envisioned.

  • Beef cheek pierogies with wild mushrooms and horseradish

    • caresan on May 14, 2026

      This recipe was so good! The hardest part was cleaning the beef cheeks since my butcher didn't do a great job but the recipe is well worth the effort. I followed his recommendation and used the leftover braised beef cheeks and paired it with his corn crêpe recipe.

  • The Lola burger

    • caresan on May 14, 2026

      I followed his suggestion with making my own meat blend, which was great. Due to my mistake, I ground the meat through the medium hole once. Next time, I'll do a second blend but through the finer hole to have a more uniformed blend.

  • Mac and cheese with roasted chicken, goat cheese, and rosemary

    • wcassity on August 26, 2011

      A family favorite. My toddlers love it. Very rich - and I typically use half the cream and half the goat cheese.

  • Grilled lamb t-bones with fava bean salad

    • smtucker on October 17, 2012

      Fava Bean Salad: substituted dill for the mint, and Italian pickled green peppers. Absolutely delicious. He is serious about cooking the beans for only 2 minutes.

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  • ISBN 10 1299212573
  • ISBN 13 9781299212572
  • Published Jan 01 2010
  • Format eBook
  • Page Count 256
  • Language English
  • Countries United States
  • Publisher Random House
  • Imprint Clarkson Potter

Publishers Text

Hometown boy turned superstar, Michael Symon is one of the hottest food personalities in America. Hailing from Cleveland, Ohio, he is counted among the nation’s greatest chefs, having joined the ranks of Mario Batali, Bobby Flay, and Masaharu Morimoto as one of America’s Iron Chefs. At his core, though, he’s a midwestern guy with family roots in old-world traditions. In Michael Symon’s Live to Cook, Michael tells the amazing story of his whirlwind rise to fame by sharing the food and incredible recipes that have marked his route.

Michael is known for his easy, fresh food. He means it when he says that if a dish requires more than two pans to finish, he’s not going to make it. Cooking what he calls “heritage” food–based on the recipes beloved by his Greek—Italian—Eastern European—American parents and the community in Cleveland–Michael draws on the flavors of traditional recipes to create sophisticated dishes, such as his Beef Cheek Pierogies with Wild Mushrooms and Horseradish, which came out of the pierogies that his grandpa made. Michael translates the influences of the diverse working-class neighborhood in which he grew up into dishes with Mediterranean ingredients, such as those in Olive Oil Poached Halibut with Fennel, Rosemary, and Garlic; Italian-style handmade pastas, like Linguini with Heirloom Tomato, Capers, Anchovies, and Chilies; and re-imagined Cleveland favorites, such as Mac and Cheese with Roasted Chicken, Goat Cheese, and Rosemary.

Part of Michael’s irresistible allure on the Food Network comes from how much fun he has in the kitchen. To help readers gain confidence and have a good time, Michael Symon’s Live to Cook has advice for cooking like a pro, starting with basic instructions for how to correctly use techniques such as braising, poaching, and pickling. There’s also information on how caramelizing vegetables and toasting spices can give dishes a greater depth of flavor–instead of a heavy, time-consuming stock-based sauce–and why the perfect finishing touch to most meat or fish dishes can be a savory hot vinaigrette instead.

With fantastic four-color photography throughout and tons of helpful “Symon Says” tips, Michael Symon’s Live to Cook is bound to get anyone fired up about getting into the kitchen and cooking up something downright delicious.

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