With Husbands, Keep it Simple

The cooking classes have been a great reminder that what I take for granted in terms of knowledge or understanding may be very foreign or new to others. Of course, we all start at the same place - the beginning. Since, I'm not a trained, professional chef, I am continually learning. In fact, I have been reading so much about leafy greens and root vegetables that my head is about to explode.

I enjoy cooking with fresh herbs of all kinds, and thanks to a coop near my home, I am able to purchase fresh, organic herbs nearly all year round. As I've written about before, I have a love of basil. I use it in so many dishes from pasta sauces to quinoa to winter stews.

My husband was visiting his parents, and his mother asked him to go out and cut some basil for crostini she was making. My mother in law grows her herbs in pots. So, he did as he was asked. He handed the leaves to her, and she looked at them knowing something wasn't quite right. I don't have all the details, but ultimately, she realized that he had cut the "fake" leaves, either plastic or silk, from the artificial plant on the porch. He never went outside - he took the path of least resistance, and descended upon the nearest plant.

He and his mother started laughing, and they were still laughing when he called me to tell me about it. He admitted that he wondered about the look and feel of the leaves when he looked at the stems, and there was no soil. The stems seemed to go into nothingness. Hmm, that would be the first clue...

We have basil in our outside garden, and in a pot in our kitchen. My husband knows what basil looks like. I frequently have him go into the garden to get me parsley, rosemary, basil. This humorous story got me to thinking about the students in my cooking classes and about the cook book. When I think I'm giving too much detail, I step back, consider if it will only overwhelm, or if it's crucial to the success of the dish, and then generally give the information. I've learned that we can't assume someone else knows the ins and outs of working with various ingredients or kitchen tools. There is so much to learn!

As I add my personal touch to my family's recipes, I will keep this story in mind, and be sure to fill in as many gaps as possible. In the meantime, please don't eat plastic or silk basil - the flavor is really lacking. Fresh is best.


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