Concept Blog

When I come to think about it, the blogs that I read tend to, in some way, large or small, have a concept. A premise. Like, I don't know, great presentation. Great photographs. Not eating out. Quick and Indian (Mallika, I miss you!). Meat. Southwestern cuisine. Trying new things. You get the idea.

And of course, I have no concept. I am a girl who rarely has a schtick and, if I do, it generally tends to fail. But today I realized what my schtick will be (and whether I'll stick with my schtick). Easy, delicious food for people who really don't know how to cook. I don't mean elaborate meals whose construction requires three pots, 17 ingredients and a knowledge of deglazing. I mean if you're someone who likes to eat delicious stuff, but maybe only has four spices in your spicerack (and they came with), one knife, one pot, and a can of beans in the pantry, and are kind of afraid to walk into a dep and come face to face with your own vast ignorance of Pakistani cooking, say, this could be for you.

This ties into (and was probably inspired by) my cabbage post. That is a perfect dish for someone who is afraid. You can't screw it up. And the ingredients? Ok, buy a cabbage (I have the idea that they last basically forever, so if you can't get to it sooner than later, later than sooner will be fine) (just leave it in the crisper, wrapped in plastic). So you've bought your cabbage? Every single other ingredient should be something you should have on hand. If you don't, start stocking your pantry/fridge now, with stuff that keeps for a really long time:

Some basic items:
Olive oil (pantry)
Onions (pantry/shelf/cupboard)
Garlic (pantry/shelf/cupboard)
Vinegar (pantry) (you should have at least two or three kinds, but you can get small bottles, they'll only cost a couple bucks) (say, balsamic, white, red wine)
Stock (pantry) (bouillon cubes or cans or boxes) (I'd say go whole hog and get chicken, beef and veggie)
Parmesan cheese (fridge) (get good stuff, from your deli counter - I usually get some in a block, that I grate myself, but I also get some grated, so it's already done and I don't have to bother to whip out a grater and bloody my knuckles when I just want some pasta)
Butter (fridge) (and counter)
[Um, and as the ever-lovely Veever pointed out, you also need to have, you know, rice. Risotto was called for, and excellent, but I imagine you could substitute with whatever you've got on hand. I'm going to make it with a mixed-bag of crazy rice varieties. I'll report back.]

Ok. Not only are these all things you should have in your kitchen at all times (I'll add to the list in future posts), but they are all you need for the cabbage. You can do it. Check out the cabbage post. Don't use red cabbage (use Savoy, the darker green, crinkly kind, or regular green). But if you get red by mistake? No worries. It'll just be uglier, but kind of a pleasant surprise.