Things About Stuff: Food, Sounds, Comics and Waffle

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It’s Just an Ingredient

Posted onJuly 13, 2011 by     Leave a comment

Some years ago I was mildly ridiculed for commenting on part of a dish at a friend’s dinner party being the best thing on the plate. I was ridiculed because this was a bought item; a mushroom “casserole” of sorts and absolutely delicious; the attitude ranged from humour to mild, snobbish sneer (this was, after all, a jar of pre-cooked goodness picked up from Milan airport, the provenance and cosmopolitan nature of which acquisition was quite enough to impress me).

I was rattled, not knowing some of the people there so didn’t persist as I usually would.

The point being, I didn’t say “this thing you cooked is lovely”, I commented on the thing itself being lovely, which is perhaps where the detail was missed. As much as sourcing a good lamb steak, succulent tomatoes or fresh scallops is a thing that cooks enjoy so that they can then cook, so is sometimes realising that all the hard work has already been done, and done well, so why bother. Like croissants. Worth making once just so you know exactly why you’ll never bother again.

Tonight was of that ilk: bought pasta cooked and then just rolled with some tomatoes, chopped celery leaf and a dash of cheap truffle oil. Served with courgettes cooked with butter, garlic and black pepper – I like courgettes cooked like this so that they, like the pasta are almost al dente – the outer edges get a little translucent and they burst with moisture. Yummy.

Cooking time for two: 12 minutes from arriving home to sat on lap.

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