Pumps' Perplexities

This blog post should be dedicated to the late, great James
Beard, a gourmet cook if there ever was one.......

My first cookbook was a used paperback entitled "The
James Beard Cookbook" which I purchased from a
Salvation Army thrift shop for 25 cents.......

In one recipe, Mr. Beard, listed the use of 2 tablespoons
of tomato puree........OR, ketchup........

Now here is the world renowned chef saying you can use
2 tablespoons of ketchup in a recipe......And, by God, I
did and have done so ever since...Who the heck always
has 2 tablespoons of tomato puree in the refrigerator.....
No one.....But ketchup we always have.......

It was so nice of Mr. Beard to admit that for 2 tablespoons
of some thick red tomato stuff he did not mind the small
amount of vinegar or high fructose corn syrup in it....

It is a great "substitution" in the world of cooking....Pumps