When I was ten years old, my favorite thing to make was lasagne. Perched on a stool over my mother's electric frying pan, I would add ground beef, onions, powdered beef stock, and garlic salt. After frying for a few minutes, I would add a dollop of tomato paste and a squirt of ketchup. Satisfied with the sauce, I layered it between dried lasagne sheets in a Pyrex dish, topped it with shredded cheddar cheese and microwaved it for 15 minutes.
Despite it tasting wonderful to my ten-year-old palette, I had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn't quite the real deal. What would it taste like, I thought to myself, if I used fresh tomatoes, real garlic and...pasta, but where does that come from?
Since then, I have been answering such questions and learning to cook as authentically as possible. I spent my twenties traveling around Europe, Asia and North America. Tasting many new dishes, I started to explore where they came from and how to recreate them for a number of appreciative (but sometimes not) friends and family. Now in my thirties and living with my husband in
Mérida, Mexico, VittleAnte is the fruit borne of this labor.
EditWhat is VittleAnte?
VittleAnte springs from my desire to document recipes I have clipped and meals I have enjoyed around the world. Recipes on the site highlight authentic ingredients and methods, and are written without shortcuts. The site also archives my collection of "reliable basics" - recipes like chicken stock and béchamel sauce that are the cornerstone of more complex dishes.
Creating a recipe website is a bit ironic in that I don't tend to follow recipes that well (not even my own). If I want to twist the flavor by replacing ingredients or adjusting proportions, I do it. Having a reliable recipe on which to anchor a culinary experiment is, however, important. As I read it I am constantly trying to understand the author's intent. It is this intent, as much as providing a reliable foundation, that I strive to incorporate into the recipes on this site.
EditYour experiences matter
No dish is at it's best the first time you cook it. My husband continues to tease me about a disastrous frog leg paella I made back in 2002. Before publishing a recipe on VittleAnte, I generally cook it at least three or four times. On each occasion, the recipe evolves - ingredients are changed, proportions are tweaked and techniques updated. Once published, recipes continue to be updated based on feedback we receive from people like you who try it for themselves.
Your experience is invaluable, so as you learn what makes a dish work for you, please ante up your thoughts by leaving comments on the bottom of each recipe page. Your feedback will help to improve the site so that we may all benefit from our collective experience.
Cooking is an evolutionary process, where perseverance and experimentation reap delectable rewards. VittleAnte is a reliable and authentic resource that I hope enriches your culinary adventures.
Happy cooking.
Brent Marsh, creator of VittleAnte