I think about food…a lot. Perhaps it has something to do with growing
up in a family that tended gardens, most dishes were made from scratch, and
many loved ones simply enjoyed cooking.
When I was younger I had an Easy
Bake Oven and usually I ate the batter before it was ever cooked. Homemade ice cream was a constant at Aunt
Opal’s gatherings. What a delight it was
to feel real cream sticking to the roof of my mouth. Mom made pot roast every Sunday with carrots
and potatoes and then I covered it all with her delicious gravy. Grandpa Hughes’ flaky pie crusts filled with
Aunt Opal’s fresh cherries or apples were always anticipated. Fresh eggs
gathered that morning from Grandma Scott’s hens then cooked over-easy
made my morning. On many mid summer days
I was armed with a salt shaker in one hand and warm tomato in the other. I would sit on our front steps and enjoy every
bite.
Present day I have my hutch
covered with cookbooks already open and ready to assist me with a peach and
blueberry pie. There are stacks of onions and garlic curing on my kitchen table
and my mind is considering how I can use every portion of the plant in some
future dish. When I visit any grocery
store, specialty or otherwise, (almost daily) I forget all there is in the world
as I roam aisle after aisle considering what I can create with all these
options combined with what I have on hand at home. I have folders and boxes of recipes. I have an ongoing project of organizing them. Some are already in my computer and so many
more need to be added.
My thoughts also linger today over
the way chefs describe food. A chef
friend described a step in one of our Feast meals, “sauté the garlic and onion
in olive oil until it sings.” A book I’m reading “My Berlin Kitchen, A Love
Story with Recipes” by Luisa Weiss calls recipes family heirlooms. Both statements are clever and make me
happy.
At the end of the day, after I’ve
decided on a menu, gathered the ingredients, constructed everything and bathed
in its aroma, I eat with gusto. While
cleaning up the kitchen I start thinking about that next meal. You may be thinking that I am obsessed with
food. However, I would prefer to categorize
it as simply one of my many passions.
Bon Appétit (I wish you a hearty appetite).
I have many happy memories of being with you and they all involve food! Or wine. ;)
ReplyDeleteThis post made me hungry!!
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