I have been engaged in a cooking storm. I have cooked so much in the past two or three weeks that I have used every container that I have and most of my freezer space! I think I am worried about the end of fresh local produce. I want to capture some of that now while it is still available.
Cooking Storm: Results
I have made chili, chicken soup, tomato soup (multiple batches), black beans, and lentil soup to take to my retreat. I made calzone (and an extra for Mitch while I’m gone) after I made a thick tomato sauce. I baked cookies for Mitch, and for my retreat. I’ve frozen basil. I blanched tomatoes. I made granola. This cooking storm is in addition to my regular meal cooking. I’ve washed pots so many times!
I wonder if I create a cooking storm when I am not seeing a lot of concrete results in my work storm? Or am stalled on moving things ahead? Or is it just because it is the season? I need soups to expand our lunch repertoire and I do want to capture as much of the local flavors as possible.
Cooking Storm: Recipes
I love to eat so that is often at the root of my current cooking storm and all others. I hadn’t looked too deeply at it until I started thinking about cook books and knitting books. I was considering why some recipes are easy, while others need a different kind of attention. How some seem like a springboard for my own inspired interpretation, and others feel like they need to be slavishly followed. Sometimes it is chemistry–like for baking, but sometimes it is in how they are presented.
I think, too, it is what I am looking for going in. Soups I am merely looking for guidance or suggestions. I often have a vague idea of something I want to make based on something I’ve eaten or some idea that has crossed my mind. Something like cookies, I follow the recipe (but I am not a careful measurer–you can bake without precision!). Even with baking I will change flavors and some ingredients to suit my mood or what I have at hand.
I got a Joy of Cooking as a birthday gift when I was 17 or 18. It is well used. My favorite section was the Equivalents / Know Your Ingredients. What might I use if I don’t have ________? What is the difference between baking soda and baking powder? I was wishing lately for a handy guide or table of herbs and spices. I’d like to know the relative impact of fresh versus dried herbs.
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