A girl who can't cook....

A girlfriend is getting married. She doesn't know how to cook *at all*. So as a wedding gift, I am putting together a scrapbook cookbook. What is your one recipe you think everyone should know how to make? Or one technique everyone should know? Or one piece of great cooking advice?

Much obliged and appreciated!

Cookbooks and recipes do not really help the confidence factor. Better would be cooking lessons. Perhaps her town has cooking classes, such as at Adult Ed.

Pizza. Everyone should know how to make pizza.

Cooking classes can be nice, but I think a basic instructional video would be even better. I suspect that David Rosengarten's "Taste" will not be available on video, but Alton Brown's "Good Eats" would be. Yeah, get her some Alton Brown DVDs.

Oh, and the one piece of great cooking advice? Practice, practice, and don't hesitate to throw things away.

OK, I lied, I have two pieces of advice: learn to shop and don't do complicated things. The very best stuff I've ever cooked and eaten all was very, very simple.

One thing she could start with that is versatile and easy to prepare is a basic tomato sauce. This is Marcella Hazan's base tomato sauce. Your friend can add whatever she likes such as garlic, asiago cheese, basil, roasted red peppers, mushrooms, etc.

2 cups canned plum tomatoes (whole, peeled, chopped, with their juices about one 28-oz. can)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and cut in half
salt, to taste

Combine the tomatoes, their juices, the butter, and the onion halves in a medium saucepan.
Add a pinch or two of salt. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, at a very slow but steady simmer, adjusting the heat as necessary, for about 45 minutes, or until droplets of fat float free from the tomato.
Stir occasionally, mashing any large pieces of tomato with the back of a wooden spoon. Taste and salt as needed.
Discard the onion.

Don't be afraid to touch any kind of food (raw meat of any kind, mostly); never forget that there is soap and water.

Taste, taste, taste, and taste some more. Keep lots of tasting spoons around (or just use your fingers).

Better to under cook than over cook. You can always cook some more if need be. Same goes with seasoning.

Salt the shit out of your pasta water when it starts to boil.

Learn the "Rare to Well Done" trick with your hand (relax your hand and, using the index finger of your other hand, touch the muscle under your thumb; this is what a rare steak feels like. Now, keeping your hand completely relaxed, very lightly touch your thumb and index finger (same hand) together and feel that same muscle; this is what a medium-rare steak feels like. Using the same, very light touch, move your thumb to your middle finger and feel that same muscle; this is what a medium steak feels like. The ring finger will give you medium-well and the pinkie will give you well done. Just be sure to keep the hand relaxed and touch the fingers to the thumb very lightly.)

Learn these words: Valrhona, Scharffenberger, Callebaut, El Rey, and Dolphin.

Vinaigrette:
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp. or more of good Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp or more of Cider Vinegar (or Red Wine, Balsamic, etc. Just make it good vinegar.)
1 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix the first three ingredients together in a bowl. Drizzle in the EVOO while whisking constantly. Season with salt and pepper.

rwj

Excellent advice, Cowboy!

And to follow on, pasta water should have about the same saltiness as sea water.

Oh, and the one piece of great cooking advice? Practice, practice, and don't hesitate to throw things away.

OK, I lied, I have two pieces of advice: learn to shop and don't do complicated things. The very best stuff I've ever cooked and eaten all was very, very simple.

Likewise, my studly partner in crime.

Sound advice on the pizza, too.

rwj

Damn,I'm not nearly as eloquent as youse guys. Took me 334 pages.

Damn,I'm not nearly as eloquent as youse guys. Took me 334 pages.

That's why you get the Big Bucks.

Just think Stuart, between the two of us we could knock out 668 pages, get some really big bucks, go down to Nuevo Laredo and score loads of cheap tequila, whores, and drugs and get thrown into a Mexican prison. Start writing, bro! And imagine how the memoirs would sell!

rwj

[Jenise]

What a sweet thing to do for a friend!

I would give her this basic picatta recipe. It works equally well with chicken and fish, is fast and easy, requires just one pan, and the attractive result will make any non-cook feel like Julia Child. It's also a great basic lesson in building a pan sauce.

Servings: Serves 2.

1 cup sliced mushrooms (about 3 ounces)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 small chicken breasts, deboned and flattened between two pieces of cling film (or in a zip loc bag) with the end of a wine bottle
- or-
2 filets of halibut or salmon
Salt and pepper
6 tablespoon dry white wine
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Heat oil in a heavy medium skillet. Add mushrooms and saute until the mushrooms begin to brown. Add garlic and saute one minute more. Remove from the pan, dividing the mushroom mixture between two plates. Keep warm.

Season the chicken or fish with salt and pepper. Add more oil if neccessary, then add chicken or fish to skillet and cook on medium heat until brown on both sides, turning only once, about 5 minutes each side. Now add the wine and lemon juice to the skillet, turn up the heat and continue cooking until liquid is reduced by about half, about two minutes. Place chicken (or fish) atop mushrooms. Add parsley to your sauce and stir in, then spoon the sauce over the meat.

Serve with plain steamed rice or a green vegetable side like steamed green beans or asparagus, all of which will love that sauce.

Several years ago, when my wife's god-daughter got married, one of her sisters collected favorite recipes from everyone in the family and put them all together in a book for her. I think it was a very nice idea.

A girlfriend is getting married. She doesn't know how to cook *at all*. So as a wedding gift, I am putting together a scrapbook cookbook. What is your one recipe you think everyone should know how to make? Or one technique everyone should know? Or one piece of great cooking advice?

Much obliged and appreciated!

I think that is a great idea! I did something similar for a friend a few years ago. I printed out my favorite recipes and included pictures when I could. I put two together back to back in plastic document sleeves and put them in a 3-ring notebook.

My best advice is keep it simple and flavorful. Learn to use seasonings. If you know what kinds of foods they like, you might suggest some spices to get her started. You might also include something on pantry basics.

Here are two recipes that I use together for one of my husband's favorite meals.


Chicken in Mustard Cream Sauce

4 skinned and boned chicken breast halves
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 TB. dijon mustard
2 TB. olive oil
¼ cup whipping cream
¼ cup dry white wine
2 tsp. dijon mustard
1 tsp. green peppercorns packed in vinegar (optional) I have substituted capers

Place chicken between two sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and flatten to ¼ inch thickness, using meat mallet or rolling pin. Sprinkle chicken with pepper. Coat 1 side of chicken breast halves evenly with 1 tablespoon mustard.

Cook chicken in oil in a large skillet over medium heat 5 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Remove chicken from skillet, set aside; and keep warm (reserve drippings in skillet).

Add whipping cream, wine, 2 teaspoons mustard, and if desired, peppercorns to skillet; cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Spoon sauce over chicken. Yield: 4 servings.

- Southern Living’s Easy Weeknight Favorites

I serve it with the following rice dish I created.

Rice and Vegetable Medley
This makes a very colorful side dish.

1 cup regular white rice
16 oz. liquid (water, broth, etc.)
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
2 large carrots, diced
1 cup chopped onion
1 TB butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Spray 1½ quart casserole with cooking spray. Add all ingredients except peas and butter and stir. Bake covered at 350 for 55 minutes. Turn off oven, add peas and butter and stir. Cover and return to oven for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork and serve.

Yield: about 6 servings

Note: You could also add sautéed mushrooms when you add the peas.

Oh, here's one that every newlywed couple needs:

Pâte of Lobster Roe and Wagyu Calf Liver with Essence of Blueberry and Thyme

15 Live Female Australian Lobsters
5 # Wagyu Calf Liver
23 Peruvian Pearl Onions
9 Baby Carrots, tops attached
750 ml. White Burgundy Wine, preferably Domaine Camu 2005 Premier Cru
81 Fresh Blueberries
47 Stems of Fresh Thyme
1 oz. 100-Year-Old Balsamic Vinegar
Himalayan Rose Salt Crystals
Pink Peppercorns


For the Lobster:

Remove the legs from the live lobsters and place them, still alive, on a sheet pan (you may need more than one pan). Place the pan in a cold oven, close the door, and turn the heat on to 200*. Slowly roast the lobsters until they are done, approximately 9 hours. When the lobsters are done separate the tails from the body and scoop out the roe from inside the body cavity and reserve. Discard tails. Remove the claws from the body and gently crack the shell so that you can remove the meat. Separate the small section of claw meat from the large section of claw meat. Reserve 3 of the small claw sections and discard the rest.


For the Liver:

Butterfly the liver(s), remove the veins and discard. Cut the liver so that it is in a square or several squares. Discard the scraps. When you have squared the liver dice it into¼ inch pieces. Heat a sauté pan over high heat and add the diced liver. Sauté until the fat is rendered being careful not to break the pieces of diced liver. With a slotted spoon remove the liver and reserve.

For the Vegetables:

Blanch the pearl onions in salted water (use the rose salt) and squeeze them out of their skins. Cut the onions in half and then cut them into a brunoise. Reserve.

Remove the tops from the baby carrots and discard. Peel the carrots and cut them into a brunoise. Reserve.

Reheat the fat in the pan and sauté the vegetables until they are slightly browned. Remove the vegetables with a slotted spoon and put them into a chinois. Press the vegetables through the chinois to remove any liquid and fat. Reserve the liquid in one bowl and the vegetables in another.

Deglaze the pan with the bottle of wine and reduce to 1 Tbsp.

Add the reserved liquid and vegetables back into the pan and add ½ oz. of the balsamic vinegar. Cook over low heat for 19 minutes, stirring constantly. Press the vegetable through the chinois again, reserving any liquid (you should get about 1-2 tsp. If you get more just measure out 2 tsp. and discard the rest). Discard the vegetables.

For the Blueberries and Thyme:

Carefully peel the blueberries. Cut the peels into a julienne and then into a brunoise. Reserve the peels and push the flesh of the blueberries through the chinois, reserving any liquid. Discard the flesh and add the liquid to the reserved vegetable/balsamic liquid and the other ½ oz. of balsamic. Reduce this liquid to ½ tsp. Reserve.
For the Thyme:

Remove the leaves from the stems and separate each leaf. Julienne the leaves and reserve.


Assembly:

Purée the sautéed liver until smooth. While the liver is puréeing slowly add the ½ tsp. of reduced liquid and the reserved roe. Remove the purée to a small bowl and gently fold in the blueberry peels and thyme. Season with ½ tsp. + 1 small pinch of rose salt and 1/16 tsp. finely ground pink pepper corns. Spread the pate into 3 small ramekins and refrigerate for 3 days.

Remove the ramekins from refrigeration and allow to come to room temperature for at least 5 hours.

Cut the reserved lobster claw sections in to 5 equal pieces, on a large bias. Arrange the claw pieces on top of the pâte in a star pattern. At the tip of each piece of claw put one crystal of the rose salt. Split 3 of the pepper corns into 3 equal pieces and arrange them in the center of the star. Refrigerate for one more day. Before serving allow to rest at room temperature for 2 hours more.

rwj

Liz,

Do you know what she and her future husband like to eat? And how basic does the recipe need to be? I had a girlfriend who literally could not boil water to make pasta. Does she enjoy cooking and just not know how?

I will post a few recipes, Liz, that are easy and also don't make a ton of servings...(I am assuming she wants to cook for 2)

WARNING FOODIES: Please avert your eyes as the following sections will contain Chili with beans and condensed soups!

As an Italian-American, ITA with Dave R about the basic tomato sauce. I definitely think that is very important. Mine would be different though...and it's super easy:

Tomato Sauce

1 large can of crushed tomato
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper

Put Olive oil into medium saucepan. Place on oven and turn heat to medium high. Wait a minute. Add the can of crushed tomatoes. Take the peel off the garlic and throw them in whole. Add some salt and pepper. Cook about 5 minutes and when the sauce begins to bubble, turn to low, cover, and cook for 30 min, stirring every 10 min.

-For a pizza sauce add another tablespoon of Olive oil and a teaspoon of oregano or thyme.
-For a spaghetti sauce, add 1/4 cup of frozen chopped onions, 2 tablespoons of grated parmesean cheese, a tablespoon of basil, and a tablespoon of parsley.
-For a bolognese sauce, add a cup of ground beef (or turkey) cooked and drained and a tablespoon of butter.

Easy Chili: (can be done in a slow cooker too)

1 pound ground beef (or ground turkey if they prefer)
1 can vegetarian baked beans
1/2 cup of frozen chopped onions
1 can tomato puree
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon chili powder
1-2 teaspoons tabasco (optional)
Salt and pepper

Put a large saucepan over medium heat, put in all the meat and cook it until there is no more pink, stirring it the whole time and breaking up the meat into small pieces. Next, add all the other ingredients to the pot, stir and let it cook until it bubbles. Turn the heat down to low, cover, and cook for 15-20 min. Serve with rice or tortilla chips. You can sprinkle some grated cheddar cheese on top.

Tuna noodle casserole (Stovetop version)

1 can tuna (7 1/2 oz)
1 can cream of celery or chicken soup
1/2 cup of frozen peas
3 cups noodles, cooked
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk

Place a large saucepan on the stovetop. Put it on medium heat. Add all the ingredients to the saucepan. Cook and stir over the heat until the sauce is thick (about 5 min).

Tarragon Chicken Salad:

1 Rotisserie Cooked Chicken
1/4 Cup of Mayonnaise
1/4 Cup of Sour Cream
1 Tablespoon of mustard
1 Tablespoon of dried Tarragon
salt and pepper

remove the meat from the chicken. Chop up the chicken (or break up with your hands) and put it in a mixing bowl. Add all the other ingredients and stir together until it is all very well blended together. Refrigerate for 10 min before serving.

Pork Tenderloin Roast

1/2 pork tenderloin
Olive Oil
1/4 teaspoon of thyme
salt and pepper

Put pork into a roasting pan. Cover it with olive oil, the thyme and salt and pepper. Put into the oven and cook at 375 degrees for 45 min.

Maple Soy Salmon
1 lb salmon fillet (not a salmon steak)
1/4 cup of real maple syrup
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup of Olive Oil
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 teaspoon of powdered ginger
1 teapoon of black pepper

all ingredients in a large ziplock bag and put in refrigerator for 2-4 hrs. If Grilling, turn your grill onto high, take the salmon out of the bag and put it on the grill, skin side up. Grill on that side for about 3-4 min (depending on how thick your fish is). Flip over and grill skin side down 4 min. If you don't have a grill, place a large frying pan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of Olive oil to the pan and let the heat up for on min. Place salmon, skin side up in the pan and cook over medium heat for about 3-4 min. Flip the fish over and cook for another 4 min.

Roasted Cauliflower:

One large cauliflower head (or a bag of cut up cauliflower florets)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 Microwave steam bag

Cut up cauliflower into large pieces. Place in a microwave steam bag, seal bag. Cook on high in the microwave for 6 min. Let sit in the microwave for another 2 min. Open bag VERY CAREFULLY, away from your face and allow the steam to escape. Empty cauliflower into a large baking pan and spread out evenly. Drizzled with Olive Oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook in the oven for 15 min at 425 degrees.

Some advice :

-Make sure you always wash your hands and anything that raw chicken and turkey touch (that includes turkey burgers.)

-Don't be afraid to use short cuts in the beginning!

-stock up on lots of pantry items and different dried herbs and spices.

-help out friends who cook a lot in their kitchens and ask lots of questions.

Liz, I might also think about getting some easy cookbooks and maybe even some *gulp* Racheal Ray books or DVD's. I do think she is good for a beginner. Also, a slow cooker would be good too!

And before you all start throwing rotten tomatoes at me...I just wanted to say that if you don't know how to cook, I think it can be very intimidating at first...I just shared some of the very first things I made when I was learning to cook for myself (in college and on my own).

I summon the spirit of Monsieur Geo T. and ask that he post his recipe for Hot Dog Soup!

Liz, Maria suggested some simple cookbooks might be helpful. This is a book she might find useful - Southern Living Easy Weeknight Favorites

It has many color pictures, and for the inexperienced cook, pictures are helpful. I used this a lot as I was getting started.

I summon the spirit of Monsieur Geo T. and ask that he post his recipe for Hot Dog Soup!

I'm not the spirit of Geo, and I'm thankful for that each and everyday, but the recipe for Hot Dog Soup can be found here if you drill down a bit. His Rusty pan Sauce is world class as well.
Wm.

Easy Chili: (can be done in a slow cooker too)

1 pound ground beef
Deleted
1/2 cup of frozen chopped onions
1 can tomato puree
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon chili powder
1-2 teaspoons tabasco (optional)
Salt and pepper

Put a large saucepan over medium heat, put in all the meat and cook it until there is no more pink, stirring it the whole time and breaking up the meat into small pieces. Next, add all the other ingredients to the pot, stir and let it cook until it bubbles. Turn the heat down to low, cover, and cook for 15-20 min. Serve with rice or tortilla chips. You can sprinkle some grated cheddar cheese on top.

There. All better.

rwj

I agree that simplicity is key.

A good thing to start with is cooking fish, which also responds nicely to simple preps. The fish cookbook that I started with is "Fish and Shellfish" by Charlotte Walker (long out of print but still available here: http://tinyurl.com/4jw8g5)

Liz,

If you also wanted to get her a couple of entry level cookbooks, I purchased these two for my Cousin when she was learning to cook and she really liked them...

Help! My Apartment Has a Kitchen and Help! My Apartment Has a Dining Room

I think the first book is more cooking tips and recipes and the second one also addresses entertaining at home.

I also second Stuart's Alton Brown rec.

Recommend she get a husband who can cook!!!

Recommend she get a husband who can cook!!!

That's the best advice I have heard thus far! And also a husband that likes to do laundry, cleaning and yard work. And a guy that hates watching sports and does not have any drinking buddies!