Ava looked at the list of ingredients again. “There’s no way that can be it.” This didn’t make sense to her. She had signed up for a self-guided cooking course and was ready to try her first recipe. Something was off, though. There were only six ingredients in the entire dish.
She had already been through the intro of the course. There, it covered knife skills, picking out meat and produce, and techniques such as sauteing, simmering, and braising. Ava was a bit confounded; she watched the video on how to make this great-looking pasta dish but now wondered if there wasn’t some trick of the camera.
The master chef and instructor used only six ingredients to create a fantastic meal. While going through this first recipe, he said, “Most five-star restaurants have one thing in common: they use simple, premium ingredients and prepare them well, and that’s all it takes to make a great meal, keep it simple.”

Well, Ava had her doubts, but she took the plunge anyway. She sliced and chopped. She simmered and boiled. Ava poured all her love, passion, and patience into making the meal exactly as the video showed.
Less than an hour after she started, Ava sat at the table with a lovely-looking dish in front of her. It smelled fantastic, and the colors popped off the plate. Then, the moment of truth. She twirled her for in the pasta and made sure it had a generous portion of sauce.

