Friday, October 29, 2010

Stepping out into the world... part 2...

I can't even eat a piece of fruit without the dogs wanting some, and I'm just enough of a soft touch to share.  Never mind that two of them are "with puppies", and that the little guy is just so darned cute!  They greedily devour whatever I have, be it bananas, tangerines, raspberries, pears, peaches, cottage cheese, rice cakes, toast crusts or the last bit of egg off my breakfast plate.  If I buy a precooked roast chicken from the rotisserie at work you can be sure they wait eagerly, tails wagging, for their "toll".

So here I am, an "almost-divorced-empty-nester" who had never cooked for one until almost 5 months ago.  It's hard to remember that I have to make meals.  Mostly I eat at work; there is always fresh, hot pizza or sushi, sandwiches or salads, and fruit by the piece - honey tangerines are a current favorite - and I don't have to worry about spoilage or storage. But I realize that without having someone to cook for I would rather make homemade soups than any thing else;  shallots and butter with white onions, a few threads of saffron, and cream simmering with fresh oyster meat; onions carefully caramelized with olive oil, beef consomme and just a touch of red wine, laced with shredded Jarlsberg cheese and topped with toasted Romano croutons;  onions, leeks and potatoes with sweet corn, simmered in chicken stock, finished with canned milk and chunks of white meat chicken; shredded cabbage, onion and carrots with beets, soured with just enough lemon juice to make the colour bright and simmered in homemade stock, topped with perogies....  Fresh ginger, carrots and butternut squash become a soup to warm you on cold winter nights.  Diced yams and red onions, roasted in the oven with olive oil and cumin until they become fragrant, are simmered in home made chicken stock, then pureed to make a sweet, savory soup that satisfies.   Fresh chard, onions and zucchini become a light and fresh soup, loaded with phytonutrients and vitamins.  Paired with fresh greens topped with light balsamic dressings and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds or sliced strawberries, sweet raspberries or juicy clementine segments to add texture.  There is always wonderful bread from the bakery; rosemary and sea salt focaccia, calabrese, multigrain baguettes, croissants, perhaps spread with a soft unripened cheese....and little doggie eyes gazing up at me, waiting for a crust, a crumb, a sip...  Healthy food;  comfort food; simple food very simply prepared, and always better the second day.

When there is just me if I want hot chili in my corn chowder I can add hot chili!  Ah... truly the "spice of life"...

No comments:

Post a Comment