It all started in the autumn of 2007, while I was trying to sort out my UK visa and was unable to work. My day 'job' of finishing up two novels that I'd been flirting with for years was going well, but I wanted to better myself. Did I mention I was in Shetland, and it was autumn, nearing the deepest darkest winter? My options were somewhat limited.So I learned to read recipes. I learned about spices. I learned how to scour our tiny Somerfield for a £1.30 yellow pepper and cans of chickpeas stuffed behind the Heinz Baked Beanz. Before my transformation, my 'signature' (read: only) dish was chopped up vegetables with scatterings of goat's cheese and a lashing of whatever Mediterranean spice was handy. Anything else scared the daylights out of me.
Now I love to cook, but I love it in my own little cookalicious way. I sit in front of my stack of food porn (see above) and salivate until I find The One. Ingredients are assembled and then I go at it, destroying our lovely kitchen in the process. And I always add something - usually because I can't get an ingredient, but sometimes just because I've got a spare courgette or extra basil or something. Must be creative. Must not follow recipe to the letter. And then, we eat. And it always takes far longer to clean up.
I like this process just fine, but my favorite part is the food porn. I love the language in cookbooks, the perfectly styled photography (oh! to be a food stylist!), the clean designs, the tidy lists. Cookbooks = Art. I love that A Tale of 12 Kitchens gives me food from the 60s and 70s, Tuscany, NYC, Scotland, LA and London in 286 pages. I go straight back to Portugal with Piri Piri Starfish, with stunning photos and glorious writing. I buy cookbooks from restaurants (Three Chimneys, Leon) and took advantage of 70% off at Borders to add a little Gordon Ramsay and gorgeous Nigella to my life..."This is for the days or evenings when you want to usher a little something out of the kitchen that makes you thrill at the sheer pleasure you've conjured up." Bless you, Nigella, and your gorgeous Gooey Chocolate Stack (pg 185, How to be a Domestic Goddess).
There. My confession for this Friday. I am a food porn addict.
2 comments:
oh but the chopped up veggies with goat cheese is so yummy! I just got Bittmans' How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. It's a tome of knowledge that is basic and yet helpful, especially since it uses a lot of Japanese ingredients.
I think I got the same feeling reading Julia Child's "My Life in France" recently. It didn't inspire me to cook, but it inspired me to find the art of cookery fascinating and beautiful!
Post a Comment