This will come as no surprise to anyone who knows me - but I'm not much of a cook. I'm convinced it is because I usually just can't be bothered. I'm the type of person who is satisfied most evenings with some yogurt or an omelet. But for the last few months I've had the desire to improve my skills just so I don't feel so clueless. I decided to get a jump start on my New Year's Resolution and set a goal (publicly) of learning how to cook (at least a few things.) I'm hoping that by sharing my goal and progress here I'll find the motivation to follow through.
I started simple - with one of my favorite foods - tomato soup. From nearly as long as I can remember my comfort food was tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. When I was a kid, Campbell's was my go to. As an adult I discovered Pacific Organic Food's Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup - delish! But recently I found a new favorite.
Last October my mom and I went to Copenhagen and London, such amazing cities. While in London always wanted a quick (but WARM) lunch. We discovered a restaurant chain called Pret a Manger - like Starbucks in the US there seems to be a restaurant on nearly every corner. I had their tomato soup on our first visit and kept dragging my mom back there for lunch every day because I couldn't get enough of that soup. On our last day I finally got my mom to try it and she fell in love.
We both talked about how we'd miss that soup. My mom, being the go getter she is, decided to do something about it. She got home and emailed the restaurant to see if they had a cookbook with the recipe in that could be bought. Better yet, they sent her the recipe in reply. We did some googling to translate the recipe to US measurements and started experimenting (well, she experimented, I tasted and commented.) We've finally settled on our favorite version of the recipe.
I decided it was time I learned how to make it on my own, and I have to say, my first (and second) attempt at real cooking worked out well, even if I had to eat leftovers twice a day for four days.
Any recommendations on what this beginning cook should try next?
I think having the right music to accompany my efforts made the difference. For this recipe I went with Band of Horses - just the right mix of mellow and rock for my mood and the soup.
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