CAN TAKE THE HEAT
Ack! I haven't posted in so long that now I have a real backlog, and I'm not even sure what to include and what to ignore! Eeek! I guess what comes to mind is this:
I HAVE BEEN COOKING...A little bit:
I live on the edge of a domestic cliff, and I am constantly on the verge of hurling myself over it. Maybe it's pathological, but all I really want to do is paint walls, decorate, buy new furniture and knick-knacks, wear one of my adorable aprons (that I collect for no reason other than they are, in fact, cute, PLUS my long held belief that I will eventually start a massive trend of wearing aprons outside, over my clothing), purchase cooking supplies, and COOK. And yet: I do none of these. Until recently.
Last week in a fit of domesticity and the genuine desire to hover over a hot stove I improvised a pasta dish, and it came out GREAT. I was surprised, because all I had between my cupboard and fridge were a couple of boxes of angel hair pasta, two cans of sardines, some good stinky Parmesan cheese, my roommate's leftover fresh parsley, and a couple of garlic cloves. So I boiled the pasta, sauteed the garlic and sardines in the olive oil, tossed that into the cooked pasta, and then grated generous amounts of cheese into it. I topped it off with the parsley, which I chopped. I have to say: it was really delicious! Even my roommate, who is an accomplished cook, caught a whiff and said, "Mmmmm, something smells GOOD!"
Now I know sardines might not sound appealing to most of you, but I am one of those people who love fishy-delishy foods, and the sardines weren't at all overwhelming; they were just meaty and yummy. The parsley balanced the garlic, and the cheese and olive oil gave the dish a luxurious fattiness, without being overly greasy. I ate THE WHOLE THING. Side note: I have been eating THE WHOLE THING of EVERYTHING for the last few weeks, and it's beginning to show! Double Side note: it's not "beginning to show" -- it is actually showing!
Back to the cooking. Last night I did it again, this time for my brother. I went over to watch The Oscars and got bossed into cooking for him, but, I'll be honest, I was game for it. He had defrosted a Trader Joe's "frenched" rack of lamb (no doubt given to him by our mother), and even though I've never made "frenched" rack of lamb I, again, improvised. And, again: things took a turn for the GREAT. This is a lesson, I think, to always Go In Confidence, or, at least, to Go In Blindly.
I seasoned the rack with garlic salt and fresh pepper, and laid them on the broiler pan. Then: I let the fire take care of the rest. They needed one good turn after about eight minutes, and in another five they were ready. Fresh meat, apparently, needs only a watchful eye so that it doesn't burn. The chops were medium, medium rare, supremely juicy, and devoured lickity-split. I mean, between me and my brother, they didn't stand a chance. We were raised on lamb; we might as well be Lamb People. Just in case you don't understand what I'm saying let me put it this way: our version of Silence of The Lambs would include a lot more lamb footage and definitely more lamb carnage and hopefully less "lotion in the basket", but: you never know.
Okay, so about this recent foray into cooking: I'm into it, I'm actually pretty good at it, and I will hopefully be doing more of it. Awesome.
I HAVE BEEN COOKING...A little bit:
I live on the edge of a domestic cliff, and I am constantly on the verge of hurling myself over it. Maybe it's pathological, but all I really want to do is paint walls, decorate, buy new furniture and knick-knacks, wear one of my adorable aprons (that I collect for no reason other than they are, in fact, cute, PLUS my long held belief that I will eventually start a massive trend of wearing aprons outside, over my clothing), purchase cooking supplies, and COOK. And yet: I do none of these. Until recently.
Last week in a fit of domesticity and the genuine desire to hover over a hot stove I improvised a pasta dish, and it came out GREAT. I was surprised, because all I had between my cupboard and fridge were a couple of boxes of angel hair pasta, two cans of sardines, some good stinky Parmesan cheese, my roommate's leftover fresh parsley, and a couple of garlic cloves. So I boiled the pasta, sauteed the garlic and sardines in the olive oil, tossed that into the cooked pasta, and then grated generous amounts of cheese into it. I topped it off with the parsley, which I chopped. I have to say: it was really delicious! Even my roommate, who is an accomplished cook, caught a whiff and said, "Mmmmm, something smells GOOD!"
Now I know sardines might not sound appealing to most of you, but I am one of those people who love fishy-delishy foods, and the sardines weren't at all overwhelming; they were just meaty and yummy. The parsley balanced the garlic, and the cheese and olive oil gave the dish a luxurious fattiness, without being overly greasy. I ate THE WHOLE THING. Side note: I have been eating THE WHOLE THING of EVERYTHING for the last few weeks, and it's beginning to show! Double Side note: it's not "beginning to show" -- it is actually showing!
Back to the cooking. Last night I did it again, this time for my brother. I went over to watch The Oscars and got bossed into cooking for him, but, I'll be honest, I was game for it. He had defrosted a Trader Joe's "frenched" rack of lamb (no doubt given to him by our mother), and even though I've never made "frenched" rack of lamb I, again, improvised. And, again: things took a turn for the GREAT. This is a lesson, I think, to always Go In Confidence, or, at least, to Go In Blindly.
I seasoned the rack with garlic salt and fresh pepper, and laid them on the broiler pan. Then: I let the fire take care of the rest. They needed one good turn after about eight minutes, and in another five they were ready. Fresh meat, apparently, needs only a watchful eye so that it doesn't burn. The chops were medium, medium rare, supremely juicy, and devoured lickity-split. I mean, between me and my brother, they didn't stand a chance. We were raised on lamb; we might as well be Lamb People. Just in case you don't understand what I'm saying let me put it this way: our version of Silence of The Lambs would include a lot more lamb footage and definitely more lamb carnage and hopefully less "lotion in the basket", but: you never know.
Okay, so about this recent foray into cooking: I'm into it, I'm actually pretty good at it, and I will hopefully be doing more of it. Awesome.
posted by Megan at 11:36 AM
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