*This is repost of the original from April 25, 2012 that was taken offline in a flurry of spam frustration. Oops. Here it is again.*
As Remi has been away for the past day and a half, I have been thinking about what it is that I like to cook when I am cooking for one = me! Admittedly, most of the time when he is away from home, I put the kitchen in shut down mode. We cook in this house and because we both work from home that means two meals a day. Now lunch is usually of the salad variety but that can still require a lot of preparations, so it can do me a bit of good to just subsist on casse-croute, picking at bits of this and that.
The first evening I eyed the (albeit home-made) leftover pizza. Certainly that was the obvious option. But it just wasn’t ringing the tummy bell. What about that bunch of broccoli that was languishing in the veggie bin? The one that I had bought even though Remi doesn’t like it? Allez-hop! Now or never time. So I decided to make a pasta, arrabbiata-style. Why? Because, with the addition of a couple squirts of smoky harissa paste, I could make it as spicy as I wanted! As some of you might know, the French by and large (excuse the generalization) are not into culinary heat. Not so for this girl who used to go the East Village Indian guys so that she could gleefully cry into her curry. Another bonus? As the smoochee was nowhere to be seen I could spike my tomato sauce with as much garlic as I could see fit. And not just any garlic but le nouveau ail, the fresh variety, which frankly, I am addicted to. I can eat it raw like bonbons, just like some of the local old-timers do. A sauté of le bacon (think Canadian), yellow onions, fresh flowering thyme (a luxury in itself), herbs de Provence, red wine (I just happened to have some in hand, quelle surprise) and it all came together into just exactly the taste that I wanted. No photos because, even if I did think about it, it was in my belly too fast.
Not so the next day when I redid the same adventure for lunch. What do I want? Two other banned ingredients came to mind: red cabbage and raw pois chiches or chick peas. I added a little extra laitue that was on its last leaves, tuna, roasted peppers, shredded carrots, Trader Joe’s salt-free 21 Season Salute (why oh why aren’t there TJ’s here? Why?) plus a simple vinaigrette. It took me back to when I was a young ‘un living in NYC and I ate this salad all the time so I had the added contentment of memories à la Proust with each munch.
Not that Remi is a food dictator, not in the least and he is more than patient with my no goes of beef, les abats and frog’s legs (I have done it but no they don’t really taste like chicken). True, he is the real chef in the family and is not afraid of attempting anything. Petits paquets de coquille St. Jacques au foie gras et bacon avec une reduction d’homard? Bring it on! I am just the comfort food girl, as you can well see. But it was really lovely to be a little selfish in my preparation and it got me wondering, what are your favorite tastes? The ones that you go to time and again for a little boost? That are “yours”?
PS. Although I spent far too many nights in the late 80s/early 90s in clubs both straight and gay (in '87 it was 6 nights a week, Monday's off), "KS" means nothing to me. For which I am grateful as I fear the worst.
P.S…..Judith Jones's "Cooking For One" is available at:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Pleasures-Cooking-Judith-Jones/dp/0307270726/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335447369&sr=1-1
Well, there you are! I was just about to send out the Ivory Tower police to make sure that you didn't get stuck up in there again. Heehee. And truly, what I would like to know is–are you buying that fancy old house or not? To have hints and then nothing more is too difficult on this little vicarious dreamers heart!
Back to food (and it always comes back to food doesn't it?), I have a theory that forcing myself to cook alone throughout my nearly entirely celibritaire young adulthood (Sex in the City it wasn't) was one of the things that kept me sane and…friendly. I had and have a healthy relationship with food and the slicing and dicing grounded me, took me "home". So I wasn't stuffing myself. I was making something good for myself. Kind of like putting together a nice outfit just to run to the post office. Survival tactics! Yes, there were tough spells of 3 for a dollar ramen noodles because it was ALL I could afford. 30 cents per meal.
As for foraging, I can't tell you how many personal trainers told me to eat that way when I was acting to stay skinny. And hello does it work. Just not terribly practical, especially when living with a Frenchman that is willing to start another revolution if we don't plan an entrée, plat, fromage et dessert for our guests.
I will think also about what you have written the next time that I am reaching for the Mesa Rosa Chipolte Southwestern Smoky Blend spice mix. I could have been the redhead in the Spice Girls I love them (spices not the pop blunders) so much. But that means that I often write a whole different melody on top of an already orchestrated song (save that makes me sound like a far fancier cook than I am–sounds pretty though, doesn't it?). As you know, the ingredients in this neck of the woods, while simple, are fine on their own.
I love that you are a true bona-fide down in your bones kind of cook! And I will gleefully invite myself to one of your dinner parties if I am ever in your neck of the woods.
Tiptoeingly through the tulips as ever,
Heather
Dear Heather,
What a fun and (obviously, given the responses) evocative post.
Before answering your question, I should just flat-out admit that I'm generally known as a Very Serious Cook, with a wide-ranging repertoire and an established habit of throwing a dinner-party for six-eight twice per week (I work at home, so this isn't at all hard. Bascially, I just function as any aging grandmother would do on a daily basis in a household of eight mouths). In addition, we regularly (as in once per month) have large, full-buffet parties for 50-100….generally associated with fundraisers, the "art world", or Herve's work. I never use caterers. I do often beg the wonderful vietnamese lady who owns the unfortunately named (if you happen to have been connected with or in the gay world of 1980's Manhattan) "KS" restaruant to make me 100 or so of her Spring rolls.
That said, and quite aside from the usual flurry of cooking and entertaining? there are long spells when Herve (who travels abroad about a third of each year on business) is just gone for ten to 14 days at a time….and I, without any distractions or excuses, simply buckle down to finishing neglected commissions, repairing things in this old house, and generally going underground.
When I'm in this mode, I eat as I did throughout gradksool (which was a rather long 13 years, in my odd case). what do I eat?….
Things. Just the things themselves…. boiled eggs..half a head of cabbage…a microwaved potato with nothing but salt and pepper..six carrots at a sitting…3 apples and a hunk of country ham with mustard. Essentially, I don't cook at all. I just forage, and I don't even bother to eat the things "together". Over the course of any particular day (and I'm lucky in that I'm never remarkably inclined to eat just a bag of doritoes), it's all quite nutritious (and there's probably a good reason that, during all the years I ate this way as a daily habit, I had to buy my 29" waist pants in the Boys' department of most stores). I do end up foraging about five times per day.
One of my friends is a James Beard Award-winning chef/restauranteur……and he does the same when his wife and children are gone. In short, we both just end up sitting on the back steps, reading a book and eating what are usually regarded as ingredients of something else.
Just a couple of nights ago (the last one before Herve returned from another long trip) I steamed a bunch of parsnips for supper, buttered them, and sat on the back porch, thinking "Oh, I'd forgotten how good parsnips are by themselves…why do I keep doing all these silly, fancy things to them?".
Just for the record (and quite in contrast to my eating-alone habits, which I know aren't particularly edifying) there's a very fine and useful cookbook, by the famous food-editor Judith Jones (she was Julia Child's, Madhur Jaffrey's, and Marcella Hazan's editor), which is solely "About" cooking for one. Judith's in her 80's now, living alone in NYC, and all too familiar (like many single people) with the temptation to spend fifteen minutes, each night, standing over the kitchen sink while staring out the window and slurping a can of unheated soup into your mouth.
It's a lovely, smart book. I've given away at least ten copies to various single friends (and one married friend who, like me, has a spouse who's gone as often as she's home).
Level Best as Ever,
David Terry
http://www.davidterryart.com
There are moments when I read your first sentence that I think "it is time to hang up your hat old girl". That makes TWO basic mistakes in the same week–I swear I reread my posts before hitting publish–many times, I do! :O
I meant cold chick peas, the straight out of the jar kind (because of the large North African population here I can get really tasty ones in a jar, no difference if I soak dry ones taste-wise). Here, they primarily go into my hummus although I am using them more and more otherwise–it is just that Remi likes them warm if I do. Last night I sauteed them in sesame seeds, fresh thymesun-dried tomatoes, pepper and the last of some zucchini with onion and it was INSANE! I'll be making that again. I am beginning to think that they belong in the "perfect food" category.
Speaking of–your salad!! Whoooaaaa!! Oh course that sounds right up my alley, as you knew that it would!! But now I have to go and check if my Tahini is unhulled or not. It is imported from Lebanon by the guy at the market. He is totally amused that a white girl buys his goods! 🙂 But sweet/salty plus tangy/spicy? Yum, yum, yum.
I can't eat peaches but ooh that bruschetta sounds divine–I am going to ask you all what you are cooking more often!! 🙂
Ah but you are on the path and not just idling by on the side, Anita–THAT is amazing and inspiring!
How wonderful that you were able to spend an entire month in this gorgeous part of France. I still have only passed through Nice which I hope to change soon–the museums alone!
Like you, I have wonderful readers and I too love to respond to them!!
Thanks for stopping by!
Popcorn! The real kind! Oh my, I could have it for breakfast. Do you know that here in France, they sell SWEET popcorn at the movie theaters? *shudder* Ew! And I think it is interesting that so many of us are tomato/garlic girls! Living life with gusto!
I will try your salad, sounds perfect for right now.
What do you mean, raw chickpeas? Like as in dried, or what? We eat chickpeas by the wheelbarrow load – they go into pasta, curry, stir fry, salads.
The other night I made a salad and wondered what you would think of it. It had chickpeas, tahini (the unhulled sesame seed one, SO much yummier than hulled), orange juice, chopped fresh red hot chilli, masses of Italian parsley, fresh sliced garlic (yep, I love it too!) virgin olive oil, lemon myrtle (that's an Australian spice, but tastes a bit like lemon balm), dried cranberies and balsamic vinegar – the really aged good stuff.
It seems you are definitely not going the "cheese on toast" solo route – but are having a fine old feast while the boy's away! xx
That recipe with chickpeas looks delicious and is so pretty! I'm all about presentation, too! My favorite food tastes: fresh vine-ripened tomatoes, basil, garlic, green onions, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, hot pepper flakes. Mix it all together, spread on toasts with melted cheese and….bruschetta! Love, love the above ingredients! A comfort food is peach cobbler pie, made with fresh peaches with a dusting of fresh nutmeg. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and I'm a contented girl!