Read the recipe!

 

When my kids were teens, I occasionally (more often than that) fixed something for supper that went awry. They would patiently ask, “Mom, did you read the recipe?” But now, after probably seventy years in the kitchen, many of them cooking for four, five, or six people, I often think I know how to do something. Who needs a recipe? In fact, Sam Sifton of the New York Times often posts no-recipe dishes. If Sam can do it, so can I.

Except I’ve recently tried recipes for things I usually make off the top of my head and found out that the recipe is a good idea. For instance, there is egg salad: I have had trouble with proportions, getting too much mayo so that my salad was soupy. And I was always trying different ingredients to give it a little pizzazz. Now I rely on pickle relish for that pizzazz. Here’s what I do:

Egg salad

6 hard-boiled eggs

3-4 Tbsp. mayonnaise

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp. dill pickle relish

Salt and pepper to taste

Everybody has their favorite way of boiling eggs. Here’s mine: put eggs in saucepan and cover with cold water; add a splash of vinegar. Bring to a rolling boil and immediately cut heat to simmer. Simmer exactly eight minutes and then rush to an ice both. Let eggs sit in ice water until cool enough to handle. I sometimes refrigerate them after that. Peel under running cold water.

To make salad, mix everything together. Serve chilled.

Deviled eggs used to give me the same problem—to be sure I had enough to fill all the whites, I often added too much mayonnaise and I got runny filling. Besides I was in a rut, so I followed

 a new recipe and really liked the results:

Deviled eggs

6 hard-boiled eggs

2 Tbsp. mayonnaise

¼ tsp, sugar

1 tsp, white vinegar

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

½ tsp. salt

Sprinkled with paprika or minced chives. Note: I cut way back on the sugar that was originally recommended. Event then, someone said, "I detect sugar." With the vinegar, I think you need the sugar.

And one more: pea salad. I rarely make it because I’m the only one who eats it. I used to buy it at the deli counter in the grocery, but it too often had chunks of cheddar and bits of bacon. The latter added a discordant taste, I thought. Then I found a recipe—yes, it called for bacon, but I simply omitted it. And I grated the cheese instead of cubing it--made a big difference.

Pea salad

1 lb. frozen petite peas

½ small red onion, sliced thinly

2 oz. sharp cheddar, grated

¼ c. sour cream

¼ c. mayonnaise

1 Tbsp, apple cider vinegar

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

¼ tsp. each salt and freshly ground pepper

Soak the sliced onion in cold water for about ten minutes.

Mix sour cream, mayonnaise, vinegar, Worcestershire, salt and pepper in bowl. Add peas, drained onion, and cheese. Mix thoroughly. Chill at least four hours before serving.

Picnic time is coming, and there are all good ideas for that first picnic of the summer. Enjoy!