If you get one book, I think it should be 'Simple Italian Food' by Mario Batali. Everything in it can be done by ordinary mortals with not much kitchen equipment.
The ingredients he talks about mostly come from the Union Sq Greenmarket in NYC, and he forgivably plugs the cheese from his wife's goat farm, but you can adapt to the ingredients where you are.
Another good one, but out of print, is 'Simple French Food' by Richard Olney.
Today's lunch: shiitake risottoPosted this to my veg listservs; forgive the overexplanation of procedural stuff; I know y'all know how to make risotto, but many people there don't. I don't have quanbreasties for this...
Between these two, you will come to realize that you can make a lot of things that taste good without executing a long and complicated ballet.
You do need to learn to use a cooks knife to chop onions and the like, and a paring knife to mince garlic. You also must learn to keep them sharp.
A few other tips:
Trader Joe comes through againI slept longer than I intended, and when I woke up, I only had about half an hour to make dinner to take to work with me. Fortunately, I had a jar of Trader Joe's...
Don't try a new recipe on guests. When you have friends over, cook something you like very much, and have done enough times so you aren't nervous about how it will come out. You and they will be able to relax and enjoy the food and the company.
Don't ever cook something you don't like yourself. If it isn't fun, you may get discouraged before you ever get really into it.
Go with the flow of seasons. You didn't say where you live, but in the northeastern US we are eagerly anticipating spring, with ramps, fiddleheads, fresh garlic. We already are getting shad and shad roe, but I am sure it comes from southern rivers so far, probably the Carolinas.
If you see something at a farmstand you don't know, ask the farmer what it is like and how to fix it. Also, if you see a line at a farmstand, ask somebody in line what they are looking for. They will probably tell you how they intend to use it if you show any interest at all.
Pots and pans should have riveted handles (or cast, in the case of cast iron), not screwed on plastic.
Rodney Myrvaagnes NYC
We have achieved faith-based science, faith-based economics, faith-based law enforcement, and faith-based missile defense. What's next? Faith-based air traffic control?
