That title is not a typo. This is an open letter to any of you out there with a culinary bent.
Tonight I’m teaching a friend of mine to cook. He’s got fried rice and steak down pat but is looking to expand his recipe book. We’re also going to talk about the significance of the book of Acts.
Given my published (here) culinary repertoire features replica Sizzler’s Cheese Toast, toasted mars bar sandwiches, a little number I like to call “Baked Bean Ravioli Surprise”, and Butter Chicken, I need your help.
We’ll do home made pizzas next week (including dough), then a variation of my mum’s Satay recipe, then my world famous, yet to be published, Spaghetti Bolognese. After that I’m open to suggestions. We’ll have covered the major food groups – Indian, Italian and Thai. What’s left?
Tonight we’re doing Butter Chicken. Feel free to give me a list of “must haves” for any single guy’s recipe book.
Comments
stir fries and risottos. green curry is dead easy too, and since you can buy coconut milk/cream in really little tins, you can make it for one easily.
Apricot chicken. All you need is chicken, canned apricots and a packet of french onion soup.
Minestrone soup. Dead easy. Carrots, chickpeas, celery, tomato, onion, pasta. I add cumin and lemon to make it special (sounds weird, but it works).
Stir fry noodles.
Yeah, stir fries are an important part of any young man’s kitchen arsenal. They’re good too because it’s a matter of learning the principles of cooking.
Green curry is one of my favourites. It’s kind of covered off by the Satay.
Apricot chicken is probably a goer. But I’d have to make it a few times first.
I’m looking for dishes that teach a principle of cooking well.
It’s a shame you thought you needed the first sentence. So much blogging must have made you cynical about your readers.
then I’d suggest risotto. Once you learn how to make a basic risotto, you can adapt it to suit any occasion (my favourites are pumpkin; leek, chicken and mushroom; bacon and tomato).
Chicken/veggie/noodle soup. Dead easy. Boil a random mixture of veggies, throw in the noodles with some chicken stock, throw in pre-cooked chicken (tearing parts off a BBQ chicken works well), and hey presto.
Any mince-based recipe… shepherd’s pie, chilli con carne, spag bol (as you’ve already suggested) etc. I’m usually not a very creative cook but those are some of my favourites.
Seconded on the risotto, Soph. A new technique to learn, and a number of different flavours/effects available.
Sundried tomatoes, rosemary, mushrooms, roast pumpkin, crispy bacon etc are all different spins that can be used on the basic.
Oh, and I loved the title Nath. :)
sundried tomatoes, olives, mushrooms, bacon and pine nuts in a risotto.
or leek, roast pumpkin, pine nuts and chicken.
and you must use white wine.
and you must make it on a stovetop, while slowly adding stock and wine. None of this ‘bung it in an oven’ stuff.
How about the good old roast? especially Lamb
And don’t forget the sides – knowing how to make a good salad or how to steam vegies without totally destroying them is also essential (and often overlooked).
(Grammatarians – vegies or veggies? Opinions please…)
(I say vegies, because you don’t have veggetables. Veggies would have a hard g sound.)
That’s what I thought, but the more I look at it the stupider the word looks.