Union of Grace Article published on Monday, November 17th 2008		COMMENT	PRINT	E-MAIL

This article is the first article I am writing for the Rent A Cook website and I look forward to writing many more in the future. I hope that this is the beginning of a long interesting conversation between you, the reader, and me. So, as future old friends, let us name some of the foundation rocks on which our sprawling house is built.

Firstly, cooking for us is not a drudge. It is satisfaction, sometimes even over-indulgence, experienced in familiar and comfortable surroundings. Americans have ‘comfort food’ – we have ‘comfort kitchen’. No great matter if the countertop is no longer in fashion or the colour of the wall paint dated; this is our kingdom. Our kingdom where the ordinary, the plain, the exquisite, the humble, and the creative frequent. We shove windows open for the rush of air that covers our mistakes, leave doors ajar to entice gratified lovers downstairs with delicious odours or to offer distraction to family members seated before computers and televisions. We settle on a shiny chrome stool or a tatty old cushion on the couch in the corner of our kitchen, recipe book in hand, and re-live the past or taste the future through our imagination and experience.

Secondly, we have a secret that we usually do not share with others. We close the kitchen door and enjoy spending time with living, organic matter that will co-operate with us, suffer our attempts, mold to our direction, and excel to reap us awards of satisfaction and congratulation.

The truth is that cooking is a union of grace between the cook and the cooked that involves respect and privilege.

The three recipes I’m listing this week are easy and wonderful.

The Hearty Beef Casserole is very satisfying and not expensive to prepare. Choose your meat from a reliable butcher as cuts of meat for stewing, although flavourful, are not naturally tender. Make sure you cook this dish slowly and your reward will be an excellent casserole, juicy and succulent. If you want to add more variety of vegetables, add with care. Vegetables such as turnip and parsnip can be quite strong and may bully and subvert other flavours.

My Devil’s Steak Sauce is a devil you’ll love and want to share with all your friends. It will really bring out the flavour of your steak. Raspberry jam is the surprise ingredient and makes this sauce quite special.

And our Gratin Potatoes are loved and dreamt of all across the city and beyond.
Enjoy!

COMMENTS:

On November 23rd, 2008 10:24 WILLIE shaw says: Having just sampled your Lamb Tagine and cous cous Im looking forward to tasting more of your dishes in the future.It was delicious.