The Love of Cooking

Here’s my confession. When I got married at 17, I thought cooking would be easy. I mean, how hard is it to take a piece of chicken, season it and throw it into the oven? Well, first you have to know that you can’t take said piece of chicken out of the freezer an hour before needing to cook!! We were some hungry young people for quite a long time. But back in the 80s, there were these genius cooking hacks in the form of box. Yes, you got it…Hamburger Helper and when I was feeling exotic and adventurous, Suzi Wan. Oh the joy of opening a box that contained all that I’d need to make a hot, tasty meal and all I needed was some chicken or ground meat, defrosted of course. Oh man. What memories. There were at least a dozen or more “flavors” to choose from and it was heaven. Until I started gaining a ton of weight and came to realize that these meals were the equivalent of 3 days worth of sodium. At least we weren’t starving anymore, though!

By the time I was in my early 20s, I met some friends that started my journey into the love of good food. I’ve lived most of my life in New Orleans but, like so many people, I only ate at chain restaurants. Until I started eating out at locally owned places, I had no idea what I was missing. It changed my life. Those experiences of eating different cuisines that were made with love and passion and not out of a bag, ignited something inside me that has forever changed the way I eat, the way I look at food and the joy of creating a beautiful meal.

At that time, cooking shows dominated the airwaves and I was hooked. I bought a few cookbooks and mastered the basics. How to sauté, what it meant to roast as opposed to braising a piece of meat. I learned some basic sauces and how to properly make rice. You’d be surprised how challenging something as simple as rice can be when you have no experience in cooking! Chopping beautiful fresh vegetables at the end of a long workday became my stress therapy. I was hooked. I loved the idea of cooking healthy and flavorful meals for my little family and by the time I had Danny, I was determined to pass this love of food on to him. I’ll never forget the first time we got into the kitchen together when he when was about 7 and tackled potato gnocchi. It was amazing! Soft pillows of dough that magically floated to the top when they were ready, which we served with homemade tomato sauce. I think that day he fell in love with cooking as well. When he moved out of state for college, he was so grateful for that knowledge. Besides what we learned together in the kitchen, his training at the restaurant gave him all that he needed to cook for himself, and ultimately for his roommates that couldn’t boil water. 

Now that we live together, it’s a joy to walk into the kitchen and watch him cook while jamming to reggae music. And all of us have started to instill this love of cooking in our 2 granddaughters. The other day we were watching a Netflix show called Fat Acid Salt Heat with chef Samin Nosrat followed by Cooked with Michael Pollan. Watching them go around the world and learn how to cook things like focaccia and pasta, the art of cheese making and how salami is made, was a feast for the eyes. And Brooklyn was mesmerized. One of the episodes was filmed in Italy and they were tasting olive oil and fresh baked breads with salami. Brooklyn was asking a lot of questions so I decided I’d make it a great lesson for her. I got a spoon of the really good olive oil we keep in the house and let her taste it. I told her to close her eyes like the host was doing and really let her senses experience it. Honestly I feared she would make a face but when that smile crossed her lips I knew the next generation of good cooks was born! She loved it! Then I remembered that I had just gotten some beautiful salami so I had her try it too. I think she ate all that I had left! We made a plan to make and bake focaccia together very soon. I should’ve known that she would love experiencing this because both she and her 2 year old sister can eat more steamed mussels than I can! After eating them in a restaurant recently, we found some at a great price and tried a simple recipe at home. They were delicious! It does my heart good to know that neither my son nor his girls will have to endure boxed dinners!

These documentaries were so beautifully done that I have been inspired again to tackle some new recipes that I’ve been intimated by, like sourdough bread. I’ve learned through the years how to make a beautifully roasted chicken but watching Samin marinate hers in buttermilk overnight has me ready to try something new. She also showed the brilliance of knowing how much salt to actually use when cooking especially when blanching vegetables. I’ve never thought about the fact that they’re only in there for a few minutes so if the water isn’t as salty as the sea, as she describes it, it will never be seasoned! And when you’re roasting vegetables like I love to do, not overcrowding the pan and using a different pan for each of them, gives each vegetable a chance to roast for as long as they need to without steaming. She made a salad with roasted brussel sprouts, carrots, white beans and a simple lemon vinaigrette that has me drooling. Her mom taught her how to make beautiful crispy Persian rice that is high up on my list of new recipes also.

Simple tips like these make all the difference in the world and can take the intimidation out of getting into the kitchen and cooking. Something as simple as Julia Child’s wisdom of drying off beef before browning it is pure genius. That simple step brings so much more flavor to beef stew or beef roast because it allows it to brown properly. Or taking chicken or beef out of the refrigerator for up to an hour before cooking so it cooks evenly..who knew?? Using great ingredients and stocking a pantry with great products like Worcestershire sauce, canned beans, local honey, olives, lemons and balsamic vinegar, gives you the ability to make a beautiful and simple dinner anytime you’re ready!

I encourage you to get into the kitchen this week! Find a simple recipe and master it or get out the one you’ve been dreaming of making. Put on some Bob Marley (or whatever makes you smile), take off your shoes, get comfortable and enjoy the experience. Let all of your senses be a part of this process. Taste your food as you cook, feel and smell the ingredients as you go through your recipe, listen for the sound of sizzle so you know that you’re properly browning your meat or vegetables. Choose something that will be a feast for the eyes. Colorful fruits and vegetables make you want to eat healthier fare. Smelling fresh herbs like basil and rosemary as you cook with them changes the whole experience. I hadn’t realized how much doing that had rubbed off on my two granddaughters until I watched them smell their way through the farmer’s market recently! Try buying whole carrots as opposed to the precut baby carrots. I found some tricolor ones a few weeks back and I was amazed how beautiful and sweet they are even raw. Pick up a new cheese to pair with a fresh salad. I’ve fallen in love with gouda and cotija. Fresh ears of corn, especially now when they’re at their sweetest in the summer, will change your life! And they literally take under 10 minutes. Rub butter on them immediately or crumble some cotija cheese with Tajin seasoning or just chili powder and lime. Life changing!

I hope this challenge will change you and the way you view food for the rest of your life! Now get in there and cook!