Get Cooking: 150 Simple Recipes to Get You Started in the Kitchen (5 page)
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Authors: Mollie Katzen
Tags: #Food
ONION
Remove and discard peel and ends • Cut in half from top to bottom • Slice into strips (thicker for chopped; thinner for diced; thinnest for minced) • Cut across the strips to chop, dice, or mince
PARSLEY/CILANTRO
Remove and discard large stems • Chop the rest, picking out and discarding any larger stem remnants as you go (okay to leave in smaller stems)
SCALLION
Remove and discard ends and any limp or damaged greens • Slice the white part lengthwise two or three times • Cut across to mince
For rounds or ovals, skip the lengthwise cuts, and make thin slices across (diagonal for the greens)
The How of Soup
If you want to master the art of making a good home-cooked meal for yourself and the people in your life, soup is a perfect place to start.
Soup fills your home with the welcoming smell of good things simmering, and in most cases it practically cooks itself, once you do a bit of initial ingredient prep. Why not just open a can? Well, when you’re pressed for time, there’s nothing wrong with that. But a little time making soup from scratch is a great investment that beats canned soup hands down.
Why?
- It’s tastier because you’re in control of the ingredients and the seasonings, and you can choose what’s fresh and in season for the raw materials.
- It’s cheaper, especially when you consider that a big pot of soup can last for several meals or feed a crowd.
- It’s likely to be healthier, because the ingredients are freshly prepared and less chemically “enhanced.”
- It generally freezes and reheats well.
- It’s filling and soul-satisfying.
- And, best of all, it’s something wonderful you can take pride in having created—often from next to nothing.