WHAT'S FOR DINNER?

I wonder what the real relationship with my cooking is.

I love cooking. I hate cooking.

Sometimes I feel like having a double personality, Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of the kitchen.

Some days I am very much inspired, some others I‘d love to feed my big family using a magic wand and just being served and spoiled.

In those days, the inspired ones, I just open a cooking book and let myself go to the joy of creating a new dish. It is a successful attempt. I choose quick dishes to prepare, because in half an hour I want to be done, I cannot stand spending hours in the kitchen.

Always. Always Indian food. Or Thai. Which lead us to think, according to my theory of my past lives that I was there in previous times.

I also cook Italian, of course. The mastery of cooking pasta is just printed in my genetic code, as well as making the best Tiramisu’ in the world. Mmmmh and what an exquisite Panna Cotta…..

Most of all I love baking. I bake my own bread when I have the time.

I just find irresistible the aroma (or scent?) of freshly baked bread. I really love baking whatever can fit in the oven (my husband will never fit in) . I must say I am successful also at baking good simple cakes and tarts.

But baking is not cooking, it is completely another story.

The love for freshness in food, good quality and healthy food it is not negotiable. It is just the way I have always eaten. It is part of my culture. But I come from there, the Boot, where we do not only love food we mainly love feeding people. It is a kind of sensual pleasure seeing friends and guests eating my food. Offering, sharing. I always think it is never enough so usually, when friends are over I cook quantities of food that would be sufficient for a starving soccer team!

Drinking is secondary to food. We invite friends to eat and then drinks will follow. But the focal point of the evening is the fooooooooood.

I usually cook recipes I have never cooked before, because I love the thrill of the “unknown”, the mystery of unfamiliar food and ingredients. But I never tell my friends-guinea pigs because it comes out delicious, so why bothering them with superfluous anxiety?

Those are my creative days, where I do enjoy cooking and feel like a great Chef. Mr. Hyde in the kitchen.

Then Doctor Jekyll shows up in bad days, when I hate cooking because I rush the whole afternoon taxi-driving my kids at their sport and cultural activities, worrying about the idea what’s for dinner? Is there food in the fridge?. This makes a lot.

Because dinner must be ready by 6 pm in order to be in bed early.

And because my kids are never hungry “altogether”, at the same time.

So I often end up spending hours in the kitchen!

The focus is on the balance of my kids’ diet are they having enough proteins, carbohydrates, fats, fibers and vitamins? So those are the days when I wish I had a small Ratatouille cooking for me, where I would appreciate ANYTHING healthy already made! Broccoli, cauliflowers, spinach, whatever green exists in this planet. But already freshly cooked, waiting for me to grab a fork and wishing Bon Appetit a’ tout le monde.

I guess I‘ll be living with my split personality for a while, in the meantime who is joining for dinner tonight?

Love & Rainbow

Copyright2009LorenzaVerdini