New Cookbook!

When we got back from our trip, I realized that months of planning had now come to an end. So I found myself asking the familiar question, "now what?" Because I can't really stand to leave that question without an answer, I responded with - "...learn to be a better cook!"

I started to love cooking as soon as I had my own kitchen - the year I moved out of college dorms and into a shared apartment. (Hard to believe that was ten years ago!) The last five years I've done the most branching out in terms of trying new types of foods and recipes - from breadmaking to canning to vegan everything.

Throughout the process of eating and cooking I've collected a stack of cookbooks. There are a few that I go back to regularly, but some of them are collecting dust. As I return to a focus on improving as a cook, I want to learn to cook from a pro and I want to learn the most basic techniques. I don't need more recipes. I want to learn to cook more intuitively and how to make anything taste better by cooking it in a way that makes it shine. I am certainly a foodie in that I LOVE simple foods and flavors. I'm not so into fancy food and recipes with long lists of ingredients.

SO... I got this cookbook, recommended by Michael Pollen as the best book to cook your way through as a beginning cook. It is all about basic techniques, and there are a few recipes per technique. It is written by the pros as an offshoot of a Slow Food conference and includes several of my favorite chefs from Saturday morning public TV cooking shows. :)

Earlier this week I used the roasting vegetables and boiling pasta techniques to make an improvised spaghetti. Salt, pepper, garlic, cherry tomatoes, spaghetti noodles, olive oil, and fresh italian parsley - that was it. And it was delicious. I'd never roasted a cherry tomato before in my life. Amazing. Highly recommended. 

Looking forward to learning and sharing more!