"YUMMO!"

So I’ve been told a million times that I look like Rachael Ray (I don't really think so, and hopefully they mean pre-alcoholic bloat and smoker rasp). Brian even told me I looked her the night we met. If ever start talking with my mouth full, slap me. As much as she can be annoying, she has some good points that I have always agreed with, but I’ve got some of my own too. Here’s some of my basic principles of cooking:

1. EVOO - Okay, I know everyone wants to smack Rachael Ray when she says this, but it is so true. It makes all the difference in the world to use real Extra Virgin Olive Oil. And pick a high quality one too. I like Whole Foods 360 brand. It tastes great, and is a great value, and with how quickly Brian and I go through olive oil, by God, we need the value.

2. Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese - But seriously, She’s right about the EVOO, and she’s right about the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. You can buy the stuff in the green can for popcorn (love that!), and you can buy the slightly fancier grocery store shredded concoction in the plastic deli tub (which I do buy to sprinkle on top of soup out of a can or a frozen dinner). However, if you want your homemade pasta to have umph! Or to raise the bar on your salad, you have to use Parm-Reg. The real stuff. It is expensive, but worth it.

3. Good butter - Like a good man, good butter is hard to find. Good thing I found both! Like my men, I like my butter European Style (Brian may look like an All-American rebel without a cause, but he was partially educated in Europe, and can talk European painting better than a professor, and he knows his French wine regions as well as a sommelier). I love Plugra European Style butter. It may be straight from the Heartland, but it tastes as good as those butters on the breakfast buffets of European hotels in which I always whined, “Why doesn’t American butter taste this good?” Well it does - at least Plugra does. Good butter makes all the difference in baking. If your butter is bland and has absorbed your fridge smells, whatever you made is going to be bland and taste faintly of leftovers. Once again, it is expensive, but so worth it! Horizon, Central Market, Archer Farms, and Challenge also make good butters, but none hold a candle to Plugra. It doesn't even separate when you melt it.

4. Sea Salt - I can’t stand that Morton Salt girl anymore*. Iodized salt is salt with an added iodine - a chemical. The result is salt that tastes chemically, which results in food that tastes chemically. I never noticed before, but once I started using sea salt, I just can’t use the other stuff anymore. Unlike Rachel Ray, I don’t throw it over my shoulder. I don’t find it very lucky to have to re-sweep the floor because I purposely threw salt on it. (*I have to say in pinch when I couldn't get across the Trinity to get to Central Market, I picked up some Morton Salt Sea Salt at Tom Thumb. I don't hate her so much anymore).


Other rules I generally follow:

* Don’t substitute low fat or nonfat crap for the real stuff in recipes, unless it says you can. The only exception I have found with this is milk, and sometimes I am still wary. If you want to eat low fat, find recipes that were developed specifically to be low fat.

*Do a taste/sniff test. Taste and/or smell all ingredients before you use them in a recipe. If anything is off, the whole recipe will be off. It really will be. Sometimes butter absorbs fridge smells, but sometimes garlic or onions are a little off too. Sometimes spices go bad. A little sniff sniff before you cook can save you some real tears after.

This one of my favorite Rachael Ray recipes: Cheesy Orzo. It's a great basic recipe that lends itself to your own creative whims.

Here's Rachael's recipe:

Cheesy Orzo
Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 turns of the pan

1/2 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 cans (14 ounces) chicken or vegetable broth or stock

2 cups orzo pasta (enriched rice may be substituted) 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano or Romano Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat a 8 inch pot with a tight fitting cover over moderate heat. Add oil, onion and garlic and saute for 2 or 3 minutes. Add broth to the pan and bring to a boil. Stir in orzo and return broth to a boil. Cover pot and reduce heat to simmer. Cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until liquid is absorbed and pasta tender. Remove lid and stir in cheese. Season with salt and pepper to your taste. You favorite fresh herbs may also be stirred into the orzo or rice to strengthen the flavor even more.
Recipe SummaryDifficulty: Easy Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Yield: 4 servings
User Rating:
Episode#: TM1B58Copyright © 2006 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved

I usually add a handful each of chopped fresh basil and parsley at the end of the baking. Pictured below, I added those herbs, and also a handful of sun-dried tomatoes.

That's one big plate of food! The orzo is served with baked Dover Sole with peppers and olives, and a spinach salad. Don't worry, I'm not going to say the "Y" word again, but this is awesome: