Real food

[darkemeralds]

As I've been journaling, decluttering my house has led to decluttering my diet. I've been actively working at this phase of Project Empty for a couple of months now.

The trouble and joy of the transition from cooked freight to whole, fresh foods is well summed up by my recent experience with that homeliest of satisfying simple food, chicken noodle soup.



Wednesday morning: I read the meditation by Michael Ruhlman on the power and importance of good stock in The Elements of Cooking. I realize that I've been doing it wrong in several particulars all my life.

Friday evening: avventura1234 calls to say that Safeway has whole fresh local fryers on sale for half price, and do I want her to pick me up one or two? Oh yes, please. I put one in the freezer and leave one in the fridge.

Saturday afternoon: After consulting Ruhlman and Alice Waters, I put one of the whole chickens into a large stockpot, covered with salted water. A few steps, a few vegetables, and a couple of aromatics later, I cover the pot and leave it to simmer at low heat for several hours.

Saturday evening: I remove the vegetables from the pot and discard them. I remove the chicken and set it aside. I eat a tender drumstick. Yum! I strain the stock and put it and the chicken and into the fridge. I wash a LOT of dishes.

Sunday afternoon: I de-fat the chilled stock, then boil it down by half. I remove all the chicken meat from the bones. I do a few more dishes.

Sunday evening: I make egg noodles and put them in the freezer. I clean the counter and wash some more dishes.

Monday evening: I put some of the chicken stock into a saucepan, then cook some egg noodles in it. I add some diced chicken and let it warm up, after which I ladle the result into deep bowls and serve them piping hot with big spoons and a couple of hunks of good bread.



In exchange for the effort and the kitchen aftermath, I get:

• No mystery substances in my soup
• Leftovers galore--six meals, suitable for sharing with loved ones, even kids, for about ten dollars
• Knowing how make my own noodles
• Significant improvement in a basic cooking skill
• Satisfying deliciousness
• The best reason in the world to eat good bread.

So, a big win.

Comments

[vchrusch.livejournal.com]

I see you finally picked up that lovely little culinary tome. Great book isn't it? You should also read Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen if you get the chance. The information in that book is fantastic.

Good food is not hard to accomplish. All that's needed is a bit of planning, some patience, and the willingness to learn basic culinary techniques. Not to mention good natural ingredients. :)

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

It's a marvelous book, and I fully intended to thank you for the recommendation. It was in my amazon.com shopping cart for ages before I was finally able to buy it. It's already proved its worth just in the vast improvement in my chicken stock.

Ruhlman recommends the McGee book too, so now I'm saving up for that one.

Good food is absolutely not hard to accomplish, and I learned to cook early enough in life that it was before everything went artificial in the late 1970s. I know plenty of people who don't have a clue what the kitchen is for, and it's a personal crusade of mine to make sure that the young people in my life know how to cook a few basics.

There's a scene in "Big Night"--perhaps one of my favorite scenes in any movie--where, after the Big Night, the chef wakes up in his kitchen, puts a pan on the stove, scrambles a couple of eggs with some olive oil, and eats them along with a piece of bread. That is the essence of good, simple food, and if people could just start there, the world of cooking would soon open up to them.

[vchrusch.livejournal.com]

You're more than welcome. :)

I think I might need to check out that movie now. I remember reading a review about it several years ago and it sounded interesting.

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

"Big Night" is on pretty much everyone's list of great food movies, along with "Babette's Feast," and "Eat, Drink, Man, Woman".

I should watch it again myself...

[str8ontilmornin.livejournal.com]

Enthusiastically seconding McGee! Well, thirding after Ruhlman. Hehe