December. One blog topic out – time for a new one. This month, with food on many people’s minds (whether preparing to feed the five thousand, or just hoping for thirds), I thought I’d devote this month’s musings to ingredients. A different one each day.
No, they won’t all cook up into a single dish (unless you particularly want to make glop, a la Horrid Henry). But they are all favourites, they are mostly non-Christmassy, and this way you can have your cake without it affecting your waistline.
I love food. I love shopping for it, arranging it in cupboards and fridge etc, and then bringing it out again and cooking with it. I love cookbooks, and I love feeding people.
In the last couple of years, for various reasons, my love of food has taken a few knocks. Not all my favourites are possible now, or not as often, or not for all of us.
Having taken up the role of Head Chef at home (as opposed to co-chef, as I previously was), some days I get fed up with food, meal planning, and keeping on top of snack arrangements.
So these odes to food are about falling in love with food again – with the amazing riches of ingredients that we can enjoy. It’s probably more essay than recipe based, though I may do a bit of both. We’ll see.
Trying to work out how to feature just 30 ingredients is hard. I applied a few rules here. If I were to come for a meal at your house, and you said you were cooking with…, I’d be excited.
If I had the chance to go out for a meal, and order…, that would be tremendous. And if…were to be removed from the world, and I could never eat/drink it again, I would weep. (I hope the last of these criteria never come to pass.)
I’ve ended up with a range of categories of food, and 3 ingredients each. 10 categories. 30 ingredients. Plus this preamble. [That was the plan. Â One or two food types took over – like fruit, which seems to have garnered more than its fair share.]
That should cover things for December, without the risk of too many leftovers. (Though, in truth, there is no such thing as too many leftovers. More about that another time.)
Meanwhile, I’m thinking about putting the kettle on…Bring your own cup, and see you tomorrow.