Picky Eaters

Allison and I are a perfect couple. We have heard that the first year of marriage is supposed to be the most difficult--if that's the case, we have it easy. I can nearly count the number of disagreements that we've had on one hand and the disagreements that we've had have been miniscule. In fact, I can only think of one thing that has been difficult for me to deal with in our marriage: Allison is a picky eater.

I have always had a dream of owning my own restaurant. I remember waking up early one saturday morning when I was about eight years old, creating a banner that read "famous Jake's" with an accompanying menu, and offering breakfast in bed to my siblings and parents. For as long as I can remember I've been helping my mom cook. I figured that once I was married I would cook lavish meals for my wife and she would always be so grateful for my expertise. The one thing I overlooked in these preparations to be an at-home chef was that everyone has different tastes.

I remember making a weekly menu when we were first married with such excitement. I include things like Chicken Parmesan, Chinese Barbeque Pork, Chicken Teriyaki, and Sauteed Tilapia with Browned butter and sage. I just knew that my wife would be so proud of her talented husband. My excitement lasted all through my preparations and cooking, but as soon as it was on the table, I knew something was wrong. "I don't eat fish," she'd say, or "I don't like the texture." Rarely did I hear words like "delicious," or "amazing" or even "yum." I've learned that it isn't that I'm a bad cook (in fact, I still do dream of becoming a chef and owning a bed and breakfast) it's just that Allison is a picky eater who would rather eat cereal than just about any other food.

For a while I figured I would just need to train her as a parent might train a child to eat spinach, broccoli, or string beans. Now, several months later, I've given up--Allison is my wife whom I love dearly, and although she may occasionally act like a child, she is not a child.

So in order to deal with this, we came up with two rules. First, Allison and I now sit down and create a menu together. She tells me what kinds of foods she likes and dislikes and we come up with ideas that will satisfy both of us. Second, if I do create a meal that she doesn't want to eat, she is allowed to make her own meal (inevitably it will be cereal).

Last week Allison allowed me a little more freedom in my menu creations, which provided me an opportunity that I've dreamed of for years. I made homemade pasta! I've dreamed about rolling out my own pasta dough and making my own sauce, these are skills, I believe, that make a great chef. The best part of the whole experience, though, was when Allison asked me to make it again. I finally found something she likes! This is really delicious and surprisingly easy to make. Don't be scared about homemade pasta. And don't think you need a pasta roller--I roll it out by hand (with a rolling pin).

Below is my recipe for Ravioli Napoletana. Picky eater approved. (taken from The Silver Spoon).

For Pasta:

2 3/4 cups flour

3 eggs, slightly beaten

Pinch of Salt

Sift the flour and pinch of salt into a mound on the counter, Make a well in the center and add the eggs. Using your fingers, gradually incorporate the flour and eggs. Knead for about ten minutes. If dough is dry, add a sprinkling of water. Shape the dough into a ball and place in a bowl. Cover with damp cloth.

For Filling:

Scant 1/2 cup ricotta cheese

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 TBS dried parsley (1 TBS fresh)

Generous 1 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated

1/2 cup cooked ham

3 1/2 oz. mozzarella cheese, diced

Beat the ricotta in a bowl. Stir in egg, parsley, parmesan, ham, and mozzarella. Roll out the pasta dough into a fairly thick sheet and place mounds of filling at regular intervals on the half sheet. Fold over dough, cut out ravioli, pressing the edges firmly to seal. Cook in salted boling water for about 15 minutes.

Basic Tomato sauce:

1 can diced tomatoes

Pinch of sugar

2 garlic cloves

2 TBS olive oil

1 TBS basil

Put the tomatoes in a pan with their juices. Add sugar and garlic. Cover and let cook over low heat for 30 minutes. Crush the tomatoes. Add the Oil and Basil. Serve over Ravioli, with fresh parmesan.

Happy Cooking!