Friday, October 29, 2010

And Just a Dash of Incomprehension

Occasionally, at the library, a cookbook will catch my eye. One with a slice of the most perfect chocolate cake featured on the cover. But, as I look through it later, I realize that almost every recipe in the book includes at least one ingredient I lack.

I don’t HAVE fresh spices growing in boxes on my windowsill. I’ve never HEARD of that specific kitchen utensil. And I refuse to use ingredients I can’t even PRONOUNCE.

To me, Rachael Ray’s cookbooks are prime examples of my cooking dilemma. I turn to a stromboli recipe in Rachael Ray’s Big Orange Book:
“1 large loaf of semolina bread.” Okay, let me just google that real quick. Um..guess I’ll need to run to the store.
“2 bunches of broccoli rabe.” Is this a typo? Am I really that ignorant? Google...
“1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.” Cheese. It’s got to be some kind of cheese. Maybe if I open and close the cupboard 3 times, I will find this “hard, granular cheese” which is “cooked but not pressed” (thank you, Wikipedia).

You know what? Forget it. Once in a while it’s fun to go to the store to get several specific ingredients for one special meal. I just hope I can use up each bag, box, and jar because otherwise they will sit and never be touched again.

My favorite place to search for new recipes is http://www.allrecipes.com/. At this site, you can search for recipes by ingredients you want along with those you don’t want. Also, I choose to search only the recipes that have pictures. I can’t make anything if I don’t have a picture of what it’s supposed to look like. I need affirmation in the kitchen, not confusion.

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