Picky Tongue Cooking
Hi, my name is Stephanie !
Stephanie Pierce is the founder of Picky Tongue Cooking. The project started with a strong desire to teach cooking and share her story as a chef. This evolved into her first cookbook, Picky Tongue: The Cookbook. But that wasn’t enough: as a disability specialist with dyspraxia, Stephanie wanted to create a cookbook that could be used by all. Enter “Picky Tongue: Idiotproof”, a tongue-in-cheek ode to accessible cooking. Today, Stephanie is focusing on food writing and cooking instruction alongside disability advocacy.
COOKBOOKS
“Cooking is like any other skill. You will make a mess, prepare things that will make you sick, then slowly your smile will grow bigger and bigger until you’ve created your first masterpiece. “Oh my god!” your guests will say, not knowing that it took you 6 months and a burnt-down kitchen to master that dish that was devoured in 3 minutes”
“Cooking is hard, and cooking well is an absolute nightmare. There are too many dishes to choose from and you never seem to have the right ingredients on hand to make anything more sophisticated than burnt eggs and stale toast. But it doesn’t always have to be that way”
MEDIA
Picky Tongue Cooking
MAKBOUBA
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At last, makbouba, the food of my people. As a Sephardic Jew who grew up in Ashkenazi-rich California, there was little chance of connecting to my roots, save for the food. My grandmother would cook this dish whenever the family would go visit her in France, and I would eat it by the bowlful. It is comforting, fresh, and rich, the epitome of Tunisian food.
Serves 2 as a starter
2 red peppers, medium dice
2 green peppers, medium dice
4 ripe tomatoes, quartered
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbs olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Heat 2 teaspoons of the olive oil in a large frying pan, then add the peppers. Toss lightly and sweat a little, then add the tomatoes and garlic. Stir in the salt and pepper and leave to simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, delicately stirring every 7 minutes or so. Add the rest of the olive and the lemon juice. Serve chilled.
Picky Tongue Cooking
Cream Cheese and
Tomato Soup
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In London, I was lucky enough to have been blessed with the greatest of apprentices. A royal pain in my ass most of the time, his antics, such as the Breakfast Club dance, kept me laughing during even the hardest moments. We prepared different soups everyday for a year, and this was his favorite one. Thank you Dylan, for being a joy in my life.
Serves 4
2 onions, medium dice
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 large cans plum tomatoes
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
2 branches celery, sliced
1 thyme sprig, stripped
1 tarragon sprig, stripped and chopped
1 block cream cheese
1 tbs vegetable oil
2 qts water, chicken stock, or vegetable stock
1 tbs butter
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
In a large saucepan, heat the oil to medium heat and lightly caramelize the onions. Stir in the garlic, celery, carrot, herbs, and a pinch of salt. Add the tomatoes, pepper, and the rest of the salt. Cook down for 2 minutes and add the liquid. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the cream cheese and stir until it is completely incorporated into the soup, then blend the whole thing down with a stick blender. Strain it if you like, then finish with the butter.
Picky Tongue Cooking
Irish Soda Bread
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Irish soda bread is among the easiest bakes there is. Scone-like in texture with a nice crispy crust, it pairs beautifully with butter, jam, and clotted cream, but also mild cheeses and French-style charcuterie.
For 1 loaf
500 g bread flour
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
400 ml buttermilk
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Mix the flour, salt, and baking soda in a big bowl and stir in the buttermilk to make a soft dough. Shape into a ball then flatten it slightly, but don’t work the dough too much or the bread will be tough. Use a chef knife to cut a cross in the bread, cutting nearly to the base. Bake for 30 minutes, then cool on a rack.
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