I was going to make a simple tomato soup from my new Soup cookbook this past weekend with the ingredients I had bought last weekend, but when I went to get them out Sunday afternoon I discovered I had used half of the tomatoes I’d need in salads throughout the week. It was too cold to go out to the grocery store, so I didn’t make any soup this week. I've decided that, even if I don’t fix soup every week, I'll try to learn something about soup every week. This week, I learned a lot.
First of all, I learned that not making the whole recipe from scratch is OK. Most of my friends and family with whom I've consulted--or who have offered unsolicited but welcome advice--say they hardly ever make stock or soak beans, and that there's nothing wrong with buying stock, or or using canned beans, or using canned clams instead of fresh clams, or using garlic powder or salt instead of fresh garlic. Oh, and I learned that those whole garlics I wrote about last week are called “garlic bulbs” which, if I were more of a gardener (I’m just learning about gardening, too), I would have realized, as I do--now that you mention it--see the resemblance to flower bulbs.
Then I learned that it’s true, but not as simple as it seems, what my great, great aunt always said: “If you can read, you can cook.” My dad always told me that when I was growing up, and it seems like common sense that all you have to do is read and follow the recipe. But it’s more complicated than it seems. First of all, you have to know what the cooking terms mean and what the ingredients are, and where to find them. Then you have to know what to substitute for various ingredients if you can’t find or don’t like what it calls for (who knew cilantro and parsley are in the same family and thus exchangeable?!). I read the recipe and it didn't tell me what to use if I didn't have this or that. Back to my great, great aunt’s hypothesis, I know there are books and magazines--and now Web sites--where I can go to read and learn about these things, so I guess she’s right after all. But still, it’s more than just being able to read and follow a recipe.
I’m learning that cooking is both an art and a science, and although I don’t have either the intuition or experience to know how to do so, I need to learn how to “improvise, experiment, and play around.” It seems to me that, as with any other skill, one has to learn the fundamentals first; then, once one masters the basics, one can begin to experiment. However, it also seems to me that it would help if one had some innate creativity and talent to begin with, and I have none. This is not entirely unlike when I tried to learn how to play the clarinet and the piano—I learned how to read music and how to play the notes; but I just didn’t have the God-given talent to make beautiful music. Maybe if I’d had more patience and discipline I would have practiced more and become more proficient, but I lacked the motivation, interest and desire to do so. Until recently, I lacked the motivation, interest and desire to cook; but, now that I have those, maybe the patience and discipline will follow, and I’ll learn to cook delicious food. Maybe. Time will tell.
I learned that although cooking a batch of soup may take a couple of hours one day, the soup can make a quick, easy and yummy lunch or dinner for several days and, when stored properly, even longer. I also learned that when not stored properly, minestrone will go bad, and the cabbage will make your fridge stink the rest of the week.
Finally, I’m learning that I have more of an interest in what’s in dishes at restaurants, and I’m thinking maybe I can create the dishes myself. Tonight we went to the local Chinese restaurant and I ordered a sizzling rice soup and found myself paying more attention to the ingredients than I ever would have before. Of course, as the nice waiter, NS, pointed out, he could tell me what the ingredients are, but not the proportions, and the stock is a secret recipe. Nonetheless, if I improvise, experiment, and play around, maybe I can come up with something almost as good!
"Learning is an active process. We learn by doing. Only knowledge that is used sticks in your mind." Dale Carnegie
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