Foodie

“We might treat a rabbit as a pet or become emotionally attached to a goose, but we had come from cities and supermarkets, where flesh was hygienically distanced from any resemblance to living creatures. A shrink-wrapped pork chop has a sanitised, abstract appearance that has nothing whatsoever to do with the warm, mucky bulk of a pig. Out here in the country there is no avoiding the direct link between death and dinner…” 

A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle

I am a ‘wannabe’ foodie, but unsurprisingly making little effort to get the esteemed status. There, I’ve said it. Living in a city where you can go out for three meals a day for the rest of your life and never exhaust the options, some will consider my opening admission simply disgraceful. I’m sorry 😦

Part of the problem is that I’m notoriously unable to follow a recipe precisely. I can always think of something I could add – a dash of this, a pinch of that. Sometimes it works, sometimes it’s an epic fail! My poor hubby eats it with a smile on his face and reassures me that “the main ingredient is love.”

I do, however, have some favourite dishes (not in order of preference):

1. My Mum’s roast chicken, veg and roast potatoes (which she manages to get deliciously crispy every time – it’s about not skimping on the oil I’m told).
2. A childhood favourite on Friday nights was macaroni at a good friend’s house – macaroni cheese a la Birdie‘s Mum – with tomato skewers grilled on top (company was as delectable as the meal, probably with Queen playing in the background) – made all the more delicious in my memory/imagination over the years.
3. Granny’s date ball biscuits!
4. My hubby’s weekend scrambled egg special with cherry tomatoes.
5. Any seafood cooked by my brother – with Greek salad and chips (At the moment, my preferred tat’ for the chips is red sweet potato).
6. My sister-in-law’s rusks, dipped in tea of course.
7. My current favourite recipe, which I’ve derived myself, stolen and developed from my dear Anglo-SouthAfrican-SouthAmerican-Floridian friend’s timeless ‘beans and rice’ staple (her green bean Christmas bake deserves mention as well).
8. Popcorn and a glass of red wine. Yes popcorn is a dish!
9. The French cooking of my hubby’s Godmother in the Dordogne.
10. Fresh oysters (best consumed on the beach) with a dash of tabasco and lemon.

I’ll stop at 10 then, shall I? There are of course many more.

Why all the foodie talk?

The answer is that my favourite blogger, Birdie, has just informed me that she is cooking my black bean and chorizo soup next! My recipe won the toss. Birdie is a proper foodie!

Feeling special 🙂

SMALL PRINT:
p.s. A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle is full of French food anecdotes which I may quote again, having just finished the book.