I'm on a mission to become a serious home cook. Over the last couple years I've gone from stir-fry, salads and lasagna to whole lamb shoulders, homemade meatballs and a recently perfected food processor som tom while also transitioning into making many simple things I used to buy in—tomato sauce, salad dressing, hummus—from scratch.
Now I'm looking to take things even further: Yesterday I baked my first loaf of bread. I used a no-knead, whole grain recipe from Mark Bittman's new book Food Matters, so it wasn't anything too complex, but it still made me feel accomplished, wholesome and very happy. For lunch, I slathered a couple still-warm slices in a simple mixture of avocado, lemon and salt.
I know Claudia makes her own pasta (something I'm hoping to try someday), but what are some other from-scratch frontiers? Mayonnaise (or aioli)? Ricotta? Jam? Pickles? Corned beef? Puff pastry? Granola? Beer?
