One of the fun things about learning how to cook from scratch is getting to experiment with different seasonings. If you love eating out and/or buying takeaway, just think how much money you could save if you decided to master your favorite recipes and were able to make them at home any time you wish? It’s easy once you know how.
Start with a Great Recipe
The important thing is to start with a reliable recipe from a cookbook or an online site. Here are some of the top websites:
Allrecipes.com
Foodnetwork.com
Food.com
TheKitchn.com
Yummly.com
Chow.com
Epicurious.com
If there are star ratings for the recipe, pick the one with the highest rating. Also, look at the comments for the recipe. These often contain feedback from people who cook regularly and can offer helpful hints and tips about variations, whether the recipe needs more seasoning or not, and so on.
For cookbooks, you may want to avoid recipes with lots of spices that you would only use very rarely. For example, Indian cooking is fun, but fenugreek and asafetida are far too pungent to be versatile.
Keep It Simple
You’ll probably also want to avoid recipes with a lot of steps, or hours of cooking time. Here are some quick and easy recipes.
1. Italian Pesto Sauce
For this bright green pasta sauce and spread, start with 2 cups of fresh basil leaves. Then add 1/4 to 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil; 3 cloves of garlic, peeled; 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts; 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese; a dash each of salt and pepper. Place everything in a food processor and blend until smooth. Pour over hot pasta and serve.
2. Indian Dhal
Use 1 cup of dried lentils, 2 cups of water, 1 inch of ginger, peeled and chopped, 2 cloves of garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric. Over a high flame, bring the lentils and water to a full rolling boil, then add the other ingredients.
Turn down the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes until the lentils start to soften. Add 1 teaspoon of cumin, 1 teaspoon of black mustard seed, and 2 small chopped plum tomatoes. Cook for a further 10 to 15 minutes until it reaches your desired thickness. Crush the lentils and tomato against the side of the pot if you want a thicker lentil curry. Eat as is, or with some rice on the side.
3. Grilled Lime and Cumin Chicken Breasts
Mix together 5 tablespoons of olive oil and the juice of 4 fresh limes in a plastic food storage bag. Add 1 pound of chicken breasts and close the bag. Shake and massage well to coat. Marinade the chicken for 2 hours, or all day.
When you are ready to have dinner, mix together a dash of salt and black pepper and 1 tablespoon of cumin. Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the plastic bag. Place the chicken on your grill pan. Rub with the cumin mixture on both sides. Grill on each side for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the juices run clear when pricked with a fork.
4. Chimichurri Sauce
This recipe from Argentina uses fresh herbs and spices for a delicious sauce that goes well with steak, chicken or fish.
In a food processor, combine 3 cloves of garlic, peeled; 2 tablespoons red onion; 2 cups fresh flat leaf parsley; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; dash dried coriander; dash red pepper flakes; dash salt; the juice of 1 lime; 2 tablespoons of vinegar, red or white; 1/2 cup olive oil. Blend until smooth and pour over the hot food, or place on the side of the plate.
