It’s completely wild for me to even think these words, but I am beginning to think I might be becoming a decent cook. Not only am I cooking some really good stuff, I am also enjoying it.
Mindset
The first step (maybe the only really vital one?) was to change my attitude to cooking. I used to loathe it, and saw it as something I had to do to feed the kids. There was no pleasure in this at all. But then – and this has been a recent change – I decided to simply be more present, and enjoy the “now” while I was in the kitchen. I play some good music that I can move to (sometimes it’s mellow, sometimes I am throwing a concert at Wembley). It’s really as simple as that. Just decided to not hate the process.
The result is that I have miraculously carved 10-20 minutes for myself, with myself (my meals are super quick to prepare). And you know how they say creativity is boosted if you are doing something different from your usual routine? Well, nothing is more different from my routine than me cooking! Plus, honestly, the music really helps. Yes, I do really dance.
The food is now better. So much better. I am figuring out how foods work while they are in the pan (much simpler than I would ever have thought), and so I improvise, and it works. I am extremely impatient, and I am not much for step-by-step “let’s measure things with a teaspoon” kind of person. I do my own thing. Case in point: today, instead of adding parmesan to my creamy pasta sauce, I grated in gouda because that’s all I had and it was flipping divine.
Due to all of this, the kitchen is slowly becoming my little sanctuary. I am thinking about how to make it more efficient, what equipment I need and how to best organise the pantry. I also enjoy cleaning up. It’s creating calm out of chaos, preparing the canvas for the next masterpiece. There is something surprisingly relaxing about clearing away the ingredients, loading the dishwasher, wiping down the counters.
Today’s meal:
Chicken pasta with broccoli
I need to explain upfront that there is no real thought out process here. There is a pan, there are ingredients, and I throw them all together, in one way or another. There is no reason to the madness, no careful prep. No recipes, no measuring spoons, not even taste tests (if it smells good, it will taste good).
Cut up 4 chicken breasts, spice them with whatever you have on hand that makes sense. I used chicken spice, salt and pepper (one grinder), celery salt… Fry in a bit of oil until probably cooked through. Add in garlic (I use a ready made mix of garlic and pesto, I think, that I get from my butcher. It makes everything taste better). Squeeze in a bit of lemon (no idea why, but I read it in a recipe and it didn’t hurt). Throw in broccoli florets, sprinkle over with some shredded yellow cheese, mix well and cover the pan almost totally, to let the steam do its magic. I also added a splash of home made chicken stock. Then, after about 5 minutes, add some cooked pasta to the pan (I used penne, about 2/3 of 500gr bag), mix well again, add the rest of the cream (this makes all the difference), heat through fully and eat!
It helps to have a good, big pan. I cook on gas.
The kids loved it. Zac literally had 3 helpings. There was enough left over for lunch for him too. Big win.
