Simple Pleasures: Jenny's Cooking Show

About author / Christine Gable

Culinary enthusiast; kids cuisine and slow cooking; magazine recipe developer; professional writer. Her simple recipes are great for family dinners.

It all started with the marble-shaped onion sets that we discovered on the greenhouse shelf.

“Let’s grow onions in our garden this year,” I suggested, selecting a box of small white and red bulbs. Looking back on it today, I don’t think the kids thought much of it either way.

However, we all discovered onions purchased in the grocery store are quite different than the crisp green-topped plants that now form the perimeter inside our garden fence. In fact, I don’t think it really sunk in how onions actually grow—until the greens were almost a foot high, that is. Tangy, crisp and refreshing, their very form and function inspired creativity.

It all began one evening as my eight-year-old daughter and I were taking a walk. After she spotted some wild onion grass by the roadside, we pulled one to inspect the beginning seed/flower-head and onion bulb and roots. It would have been a deliciously edible wild green had it been at least 50 yards from a roadside—but this specimen was duly noted to be inedible for that very reason.

However, Jenny had—at that precise moment—a sudden flash of inspiration to cook up some onions. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned when it comes to kids, it’s to follow and encourage inspiration when it strikes. Those glimmers that are fanned and encouraged will take light and continue to feed other sparks of inspiration—and will ultimately lead into even more wonderful discoveries.

So even though we couldn’t use the wild onion grass, I mentioned that we did have onions growing in our garden, and that’s all it took. Jenny ran to the garden and pulled up four fresh onions—three red and one white.

Not only are onions fun to grow, they are a boon to your health too. Also known as scallions, they’re the immature stem and bulb of an onion. The green part is high in vitamin A and the bulb boasts vitamins A, B-complex and C, plus some calcium, magnesium and potassium. Plus, they’re easy to use in many dishes, from pasta, potato salads and marinated tomato dishes to garnishes for tacos, pizzas and tossed salads.

Jenny’s idea led to a mini-cooking show right in our own kitchen—and this was a good one—simple and hands-on, and most interesting. The fun part was that I was privy to all the steps from washing and chopping to sautéing and serving. I learned how such a simple act of growing, picking and preparing onions can be satisfying in its simplicity. Best of all, this is one that can happen in any home, at any time. Go ahead; encourage your kids in their experimental kitchen endeavors.

Simple pleasures. That’s really what it all boils down to with kids in the kitchen. The joy in creating a new recipe that sprung from a child’s idea—that idea listened to, plus the freedom to use a cutting board and knife and even perhaps a newly-learned skill of lighting the gas stove. Combine this with the most important ingredient of all: the freedom to determine the quantities and proportions of the spices and seasonings and combinations that make a successful recipe.

Yes, Jenny’s cooking class has been happening right in our kitchen on a regular basis, and I’ll be sharing her creations and tips with you. But remember, whether or not you have a garden, or even like onions, or don’t even know if your kids like to cook, don’t fret. Just start somewhere. Simply. Together.

Stay tuned for more simple pleasures.

Serves/Makes: 1

• 4 whole green onions (scallions)
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1 tablespoon water
• garlic salt
• dried basil
• dried oregano
• black pepper