When I was first learning to cook - okay, no. When I was first learning to cook, I was 14 and living with my father and his very complete kitchen and his absolute willingness to purchase anything that I put on the list before he went shopping Sunday morning that he could find in any store in the land. And I made things from Joy of Cooking and Julia Child and some vegetarian cookbooks I got from my mother and could totally just randomly experiment and not worry about the fact that the ingredients cost $30 for a side dish or that the recipe required its very own special cooking implement with a name in German or that it wasn't actually a meal.
And then I moved into my own apartment, and I had, like, a pot and a skillet and a knife, and not much money, and also I was cooking for actual meals and two people, and I had to learn all over again. During this phase of my life, a family friend gave me the More with Less Cookbook (http://www.amazon.com/More-Less-Cookbook-World-Community/dp/083619263X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266821142&sr=1-1), which was a great guide, because it assumes that you want to make very cheap things very easily. It does not turn up its nose at telling you to mix kidney beans, canned tomatoes, onions, green pepper, and grated cheese in a big pot. (This, by the way, is surprisingly delicious, and I will give you the recipe if you think it's something you might like.)
And I have many many easy recipes (all vegetarian, because I am, you know, a vegetarian, and have been since I was 10), if you want to tell me what you like. (Seriously - do you want main-meal salads? Pasta? Beans? The world's best and easiest method of cooking tofu? Tasty things to do with whatever vegetables are in season? Guide me!) In the meantime, here are two pasta recipes. (Pasta is usually easy and usually cheap.)
Not Very Good for You But Incredibly Tasty If You Like Spicier Foods Pasta
1 pound linguine (or fettuccine or whatever) 5 - 6 tablespoons olive oil 4 - 8 garlic cloves Crushed red pepper to taste Parmesan cheese in quantity (I recommend the pecorino romano at Trader Joe's, actually - stronger taste, more bang for your buck, and I know you live where I do, in the Trader Joe's Capitol)
Heat water, cook pasta. Salt the water HEAVILY, because it's the only place you can put salt in this recipe.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil on low or medium low, depending on how powerful your oven is - you want it to just bubble a bit - and mince your garlic and add your red pepper. Stir occasionally. Let the garlic get golden brown but not any darker.
Drain your pasta.
If you used a big skillet to cook your garlic, add the pasta directly to it and mix over low heat until the pasta is shiny. Then transfer to serving dish. If you used a small skillet, just transfer the pasta to a serving dish, pour all the oil and tasty spice bits over it, and mix the fuck out of it. Add parmesan. Mix. Add more parmesan. Mix. Serve with the parmesan ready to hand, because you may want even more.
Leftovers are tasty as-is, or can be made easily and tastily into a pasta frittata, the world's best way of using up pasta leftovers if you're averse to eating the same meal on successive days.
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Date: 2010-02-22 07:18 am (UTC)And then I moved into my own apartment, and I had, like, a pot and a skillet and a knife, and not much money, and also I was cooking for actual meals and two people, and I had to learn all over again. During this phase of my life, a family friend gave me the More with Less Cookbook (http://www.amazon.com/More-Less-Cookbook-World-Community/dp/083619263X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266821142&sr=1-1), which was a great guide, because it assumes that you want to make very cheap things very easily. It does not turn up its nose at telling you to mix kidney beans, canned tomatoes, onions, green pepper, and grated cheese in a big pot. (This, by the way, is surprisingly delicious, and I will give you the recipe if you think it's something you might like.)
And I have many many easy recipes (all vegetarian, because I am, you know, a vegetarian, and have been since I was 10), if you want to tell me what you like. (Seriously - do you want main-meal salads? Pasta? Beans? The world's best and easiest method of cooking tofu? Tasty things to do with whatever vegetables are in season? Guide me!) In the meantime, here are two pasta recipes. (Pasta is usually easy and usually cheap.)
Not Very Good for You But Incredibly Tasty If You Like Spicier Foods Pasta
1 pound linguine (or fettuccine or whatever)
5 - 6 tablespoons olive oil
4 - 8 garlic cloves
Crushed red pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese in quantity (I recommend the pecorino romano at Trader Joe's, actually - stronger taste, more bang for your buck, and I know you live where I do, in the Trader Joe's Capitol)
Heat water, cook pasta. Salt the water HEAVILY, because it's the only place you can put salt in this recipe.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil on low or medium low, depending on how powerful your oven is - you want it to just bubble a bit - and mince your garlic and add your red pepper. Stir occasionally. Let the garlic get golden brown but not any darker.
Drain your pasta.
If you used a big skillet to cook your garlic, add the pasta directly to it and mix over low heat until the pasta is shiny. Then transfer to serving dish. If you used a small skillet, just transfer the pasta to a serving dish, pour all the oil and tasty spice bits over it, and mix the fuck out of it. Add parmesan. Mix. Add more parmesan. Mix. Serve with the parmesan ready to hand, because you may want even more.
Leftovers are tasty as-is, or can be made easily and tastily into a pasta frittata, the world's best way of using up pasta leftovers if you're averse to eating the same meal on successive days.