Cooking 4/2022:Worst Cook in America Candidate: Pasta water and parsley

Cooking

So I begin, in no specific time with no computed start date, my diary of learning to cook.

But first I must explain some things. 

At my age-more on this later-I desire more than anything to become one of “The Worst Cooks In America”, featured on the Food Network.  Now I know that seems like an absurd wish at my current age of 71 years.

But of course!  I am, in fact, one of the world’s worst cooks but there are reasons for this.  Now, of course, I want to learn how to cook as I have discovered such as seasonings, herbs and how to properly cook garlic.

I worked all my life as a professional woman, nothing outstanding but busy, always running, like most working women.  And there were families, children and husbands.  I have been married four times, two widowhoods and two divorces.  Some of these husbands had children of their own, and, at some point I was a wife with a child of my own.  They all would get hungry and somewhere there is a rule that it is the female who is in charge of meals never mind that new payroll system almost ready to go.

Sure wives might arrange for a husband to cook, maybe even often.  He will help with clean up, will sometimes shop for groceries.  But I stand on this rule, feeding the familial masses will always be the responsibility of the wife.  Husband might cook what is instructed, he may have a favorite meal he can dish up, he might stop at the store and buy from list provided, and turn on dishwasher when wife calls and instructs.

This will always fall on the female of the relationship though yon reader might disagree.

So yes, I could grab a jar of spaghetti sauce, some ground beef….at times some Italian sausage….and churn up some spaghetti , noodles and all.  I have fairly handy with a slow cooker and most times kids and Dad alike enjoyed a roast with potatoes also roasted.

But such as seasonings were not all that important although there was salt and pepper, sometimes ground red pepper. 

Mediocre.  Maybe I am more of a World’s Most Mediocre Cook than a World’s Worst Cook, but I digress.

Now, entering old age with knees to attest, eating is one of my greater joys in being alive.

I love cooking shows.

I don’t necessarily love to cook as my knees protest, but I love to flavor food to suit me and can now share my learning to cook experiences with the world.

---------------------------------------

So let us begin with a couple of things I have learned recently from cooking.  From Rachel Ray, who evidentially loves to cook and she uses every item in her pantry for each meal she cooks.

But I have learned to save the water one cooks their pasta  in a small side cup as it will thicken any other sauces you may be making.  So instead of throwing in some flour to thicken up sauce you are preparing, just use a little of the water from the pasta you just cooked and THAT will do the job.

Then there is the shrimp scampi and the parsley.  First, understand here that I have never before particularly like parsley.  Oh sure, it makes a great decorative condiment and I wouldn’t go to the trouble of pulling some parsley out if included on a sandwich.  But I’ve noted that cooks on television will go to great efforts to add parsley to the soup.  First you got to buy this big bushy plant, either American or Italian parsley.  Then you gotta take a sharp big-bladed knife and chop the parsley this way, chop the parsley then that way….get it into small pieces.

I’ve never been a fan of chopping vegetables but if you like the vegie, as in onions, green pepper, etc….well you gotta chop.  But all that work for parsley which I never felt has much taste but looked nice, seemed like overkill.

Well I was wrong.

But first, about this shrimp scampi….nope.  Yes it tastes all right for who doesn’t like some pasta and shrimp mixed together?  The recipe I used for shrimp scampi included shallots, juice of a lemon and ½ cup of dry white wine.  Also, of course, ¼ cup of parsley leaves, chopped finely.

About the recipe above…WHERE IS THE CHEESE???  You got pasta, you gotta have some kind of cheese.  The other ingredients are fine but kind of boring.

However….THE CHOPPED PARSLEY TASTED GREAT!!

So far as I remember I have never eaten any kind of food that had parsley chopped finely and added liberally to the dish.  Decoration, yeah.  Real foodstuff?  I never thought of it that way.  Bur it was one of the better parts of the entire meal.