Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.
I think back on those lessons a lot.
The older I get, the more important these lifelong skills and recipes are to me.
Photo: Kristin Teig
We were, like everyone else, stuck at home.
So we began a livestreamed cooking show calledDon’t Panic Pantry.
You don’t have to learn these things from your own mothermany people don’t have that option.
I can’t wait until my daughter can stand on a chair and start cooking it with me.
Remark over how wonderful the kitchen smells, then add potatoes and a pinch each of salt and pepper.
Stir to combine, and cook until the potatoes begin to sizzle.
Add carrots and a pinch each of salt and pepper and stir.
It should almost look like you are making a vegetable potpie filling.
Add beans and the liquid clinging to them.
Add a pinch each of salt and pepper.
Add water (or water and stock).
Increase heat to medium-high and add Parmesan rind.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until the soup comes to a simmer.
Add tomatoes and their juices and a pinch each of salt and pepper; bring to a gentle simmer.
Reduce heat to a bare simmer and cover the pot.
Continue simmering, stirring occasionally, until it has thickened into a hearty stew, about 3 hours.
Taste for seasoning and adjust as you see fit.
Just before serving, cook pasta according to package directions.
Serve the soup with the pasta.
Top with cheese and basil and a drizzle of olive oil, if desired.
To make ahead
Refrigerate soup and pasta separately for up to 1 week.
- Daily Values (DVs) are the recommended amounts of nutrients to consume each day.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient.
