Ever since Michael Ruhlman wrote about Americans being too stupid to cook (or at least thinking we are), I’ve been noticing in conversation how many of the people I know (friends, co-workers, cousins) are intimidated by cooking from scratch. They think that cooking is hard when, really, it’s only as hard as you want to make it. A couple of recent conversations with my friend and trainer Kari (hi Kari) really made me aware how many intelligent people would like to cook, but have no idea where to start.
She was asking me (again) if I really like to cook and if I really cook most nights (yes and yes) and I was saying that this time of year almost doesn’t count since I’m usually just steaming a veggie from the garden and serving it with a protein or starch – simple and quick. After a bit of hemming and hawing she admitted that she wasn’t sure how to steam a vegetable. In further conversations it was revealed that she’s intimidated by things she’s not good at (aren’t many of us) and I volunteered to teach her to cook this winter.
But it all got me to thinking how easy it is to take the ability to cook for granted once you gain some knowledge and some confidence. I couldn’t cook the way I do now when I first moved in with Mike a dozen years ago. But what I did know how to do (thanks Mom!) was a few really basic things like cooking white rice, steaming veggies, and roasting a chicken. Those skills kept us fed fairly inexpensively and fairly healthfully until I decided to learn to cook shortly after we married in 2004.
While I can whip up a gourmet meal these days without too much anxiety, I still default to simple meals with simple ingredients, just cooked with more flavor and skill than I used to have. I expect that as I teach Kari how to cook this winter those are the types of skills and meals we’ll start with, after all you have to learn to walk before you can trot, lope or gallop.
In the spirit of that idea, I realized tonight while whipping up dinner alongside a canning pot full of diced tomatoes (did you know that 25# of tomatoes makes 24 pints, diced?) that what I was making was a good example of a simple, delicious, fairly inexpensive meal that everyone should have at their disposal.
Dinner tonight fit my mostly local, sustainable, organic preferences and required little effort and no skill on my part. It would have fed 2 people for less than $10 and took me only 15 minutes to make. Sure, it’s not really gourmet, but it’s a heck of a lot better than any canned pasta sauce or frozen pasta skillet meal I’ve ever had.
Ravioli with Tomatoes and Basil
Serves 2, takes 15 minutes
fresh ravioli – 2 serving package
butter – 1 to 2 tablespoons
vine ripe tomatoes* – 2 medium, diced (from farmer’s market)
walla walla sweet onion – 1/4 of one large onion, diced (from neighbor)
fresh basil – a handful, chopped (from garden)
salt and pepper – to taste
Italian parmesan** – shredded, to taste
Bring a pot of salted water (add a couple of tablespoons of salt) to a boil. While the water is heating put a skillet on a burner over medium heat. Melt the butter and add the onion. Cook it for a few minutes until the onion gets soft and goes a bit translucent around the edges. Add the tomatoes, basil, and a bit of salt and pepper. If you like a bit of heat in your sauce you can also crumble a bit of crushed red pepper in at this point. Cook the sauce until the pasta is done – I usually assume fresh ravioli takes about 5 minutes. Drain the pasta, split it into two bowls, cover with sauce and cheese.
To go with this you can make a simple salad and/or a bit of toasted bread topped with butter and parmesan and put under the broiler until the cheese browns a bit. Or you can be like me and eat all that pasta with a glass of wine by yourself while your husband is off chasing elk with his bow. It was really good and I refuse to apologize for my gluttony…
*or sub one 14.5 oz can of quality organic diced tomatoes
** I’ve tried all the local versions and most of the quality US versions, I prefer Italian. I often buy a really nice chunk and grate my own, no harm in buying it pre-shredded if you prefer.
