Posted by I’ve always been a “by the seat of my pants” cook. I love flipping through recipe books but what keeps me going in the kitchen is an internal GPS for what works in the kitchen.
This article from Bon Appetit magazine a couple years ago covers the basics of making great pasta dishes and is one of the best I’ve ever run across. Yeah, you can slave all day over a stove and make an incredible tomato sauce — and there are times when I really want to do that. (And have the time.)
But mostly I just want dinner on the table in <30 minutes, and I have to do it with what I’ve got in the larder already. So check out the article, print it, save it, memorize it…. and have fun cooking awesome food. 🙂
Some favorite flavor mergers in our household:
* bacon, onion, garlic + sundried tomatoes & balsamic vinegar (to deglaze the pan) + leftover cooked chicken, tomatoes, & spinach …. finish with a splash of cream
* roasted summer vegetables like yellow squash, zucchini, and tomatoes (roast in oven at 400deg for 15-20 min while pasta cooks) + garlic & olive oil & grated cheese
* bulk sausage + onion, tomato + fresh spinach (till it wilts) + a jar of alfredo sauce
Just:Words 