Dealing with Gastronomic Gaffs

Like most people, I can give myself a hard time when I don’t live up to my own high standards.  But I’m not a perfectionist. I aim for excellence instead; excellence, I think, can encompass high standards for professionalism, quality, dedication and sincerity, without finding oneself completely derailed by the idea of perfection. Perfectionism makes us lose focus, abandon deadlines, and fail to accomplish the main point or goal of any given task. Excellence, on the other hand, provides a guide to a high quality or caliber of work, but allows the person to know when to say  ”it’s good enough” and move on.

In the kitchen, I let myself fail. In this blog, I post my kitchen successes.  But there are many other kitchen failures.  A few nights ago I made Aloo Ghobi. It smelled delicious, and I thought it was going to taste really good. But it was bland. I don’t know why, because I’d used more spice than what the recipe called for, and my spices are more powerful than most, because they are fresh and whole ground. Perhaps the cauliflower I used wasn’t flavourful enough because it wasn’t fresh enough - it had been sitting in my fridge for a while. Regardless, I thought I might be able to turn the leftovers into a curried cauliflower and potato soup.  I used some leftover corn water as stock.  I’m not sure where my fist mistake was made - either the vegetables cooked way too long and released too much starch - or the corn water was too starchy and I should have just used plain water - but the end result was disgusting. I pureed it and it came out way too thick and unsalvageable. It was a disappointment, because the aroma from all the spices was incredible.

If anyone has a clearer idea about where I went wrong, please let me know, because I’d like to learn from my mistakes. But I don’t obsess about my kitchen errors, no matter how I many ingredients I waste. It’s sad, yes, but I look at my kitchen experimentations as an investment. I haven’t taken cooking lessons, so the only way I’m going to learn is by trial-by-error and making mistakes.

I think a lot of people are afraid to learn how to cook, or simply just write the entire idea off by saying, “I can’t cook.” The reality is, if we give ourselves permission to fail, we can learn to do just about anything.

Good culinary skills are something that will last you your entire life and, from a financial perspective, it’s something that will save you a lot of money in the long run.  Sure, if you have to throw out a failed meal, you might think, “it would have been cheaper to go out to eat.” For that instance, maybe. But you wouldn’t have learned a valuable lesson from your Big Mac, and stopping at McDonald’s won’t make you a better chef.

So, when I tasted that soup and realized it had the texture of glue, I shrugged my shoulders and moved on. Like I said, cooking is an investment and mistakes are just part of the game.

What’s been your biggest kitchen mishap and how did you deal?

Summer vegetable soup

So, the weather lately has been hot, hot, hot and at times like these, you definitely don’t feel like eating hot soup. Nevertheless, a flavourful summer vegetable soup is a satisfying meal on an evening when it’s raining or when it’s just a little cooler.  A soup like this is easy to make in advance, and keep in the fridge or freezer for a rainy evening.

My soup, pictured above, is one of the tastiest vegetable soups I’ve ever made, and I credit a delicious homemade vegetable broth and plenty of fresh, summer vegetables.  The vegetables are all Ontario produce (except for the celery). They include fresh cremini mushrooms, zucchini, onion, peas, carrots, potatoes, celery, fresh herbs from my patio garden (sage and parsley) and garlic.  The broth was made from vegetable scraps, such as the leaves from the celery bunch, carrot tops and carrot peelings, pea pods and various herbs.  The broth was a dark green colour and at first I was worried it would be too strong, but it wasn’t; it was perfect.  Combined with a can of whole tomatoes (I crush the tomatoes using just my hands) this broth was delicious.  You could easily add some parmesan to the top, but I didn’t think the soup needed it; it was good just on its own.

What kind of summer soups do you enjoy?

Update: potluck picnic in the park

Just wanted to say a special thank you to Gail Vaz-Oxlade and blog reader friends who attended the potluck picnic in the park last Sunday! It was a beautiful day, and just as the rain disappeared last year in time for our gathering, this year the rain held off until everyone was ready to leave. I really appreciate that people drove from out of town in order to meet and catch up.

Thank you, Gail, for your sound, practical advice, your warm and open heart, your generous spirit and you infectious laughter! We love it!

From fast food to fresh food: livening up the palate with summer herbs

Prior to, during and after my move, I resorted to eating out at fast food restaurants… a lot.  So you can bet that I am well and truly stoked to finally have my kitchen in order, because I am more than ready to start eating fresh and healthy food again.  Last weekend I christened my kitchen by whipping up a few items where my little patio herb garden could play a starring role.

Exhibit A: Chickpea salad, with feta cheese, yellow peppers, cucumber, thinly sliced zucchini, green onions, peas, and an assortment of herbs (basil, mint, chives and parsley). Every one of these veggies was grown locally. Grated garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper make the dressing.

Exhibit B: Orzo and vegetable salad with homemade pesto, celery, carrots, cucumber and peas.

I love the orzo in this salad!  All vegetables in the salad are local, including the basil and spinach that were used in the pesto, except for the celery.  This was delicious with peas, carrots, cucumbers and celery, but I would add some tomatoes and onions next time.

If you’re wondering about the pesto, it was incredibly easy to make.  I used Martha Stewart’s recipe but I didn’t want to strip my basil plant naked, so I used about half basil and half spinach and it still worked out well; I found that it had a strong nutty flavour, however, and would increase the basil and scale back a bit on the pine nuts next time.

This is a fantastic way to use up basil.  The pesto can be used on traditional foods like pasta and pizza, of course, but I really enjoyed it in the salad above, and I also used it as a flavourful sandwich spread.

Exhibit C: Cucumber and mint dip

Similar to, but not technically tzatziki, I made this dip with cucumber, mint, sour cream and yogurt (not bothering to strain it) and grated garlic. Tasty with pita, in pita sandwiches or served with kebabs.

Exhibit D: (Not shown) Mint iced tea

I took the leaves off several branches of my mint plant, crowded the leaves into tea balls and steeped them in hot water in my tea pot.  Made two pots of this hot mint tea and then emptied the contents into a large jug.  Added some honey, let it cool, and refrigerated until cold.  Very refreshing and delicious - and healthful!

Bright, beautiful, flavourful! It feels so good to start cooking again, using local produce and herbs!

My simple life: an update on the move

What I gave up: a view of green. But I'm finding other ways to appreciate nature around me.

“There’s something good everywhere you go.” That’s what my grandfather told me when I expressed anxiety about leaving my hometown to go to university. That has always stuck with me. It’s very true, because no matter where we  live, there is always something good to be found. Sometimes in unexpected ways and in unexpected places.

My move went well, and now I’m finally getting settled in to my new place.  I was very scared to move, partly because I was giving up so much - to name a few, I was downsizing from a large two bedroom to a small one bedroom, switching from underground to outdoor parking, and moving further away from, well, just about everything - downtown, work, yoga.  And I was trading in my beautiful balcony for a much smaller, less scenic view.  There were also sentimental reasons that made it difficult to leave.  It was where I had lived with my former partner, and walking away meant officially closing the door to my past.But I was also sad to give up the apartment because it was the place where I had become re-acquainted with myself. I was crushed after the break-up, and I put myself back together in that apartment. For a year I lived alone. I found work, found new friends, found a new sport, and found myself again. I rediscovered my independence, and found peace in simplicity and in solitude.

And so, I was afraid to give up this space where so much had happened. But I felt inspired by my readers’ comments, especially the one that said, “You will create peace in your new apartment. You are peace.” It reminded me of a quote by Robert Fulghum:

Peace is not something you wish for;

it’s something you make,

something you do,

something you are,

something you give away.

I wish to give away peace, to inspire, respect and honour other people, including myself. And moving to this new place helps me to accomplish this. I’ve found a place that is affordable but is also comfortable, which makes it sustainable, and that allows me to do the work I love to do.

My new place is simple, modern, clean, and it is me.  It has big windows and a big bathtub. And it is filled only with what I truly love. I got rid of everything I didn’t need or that didn’t make me feel good.  I donated my television sets so I am officially TV free. I donated most of the cheap, mass produced Ikea furniture that my ex left behind.  I donated a lot of things that had negative associations from my past, or even things that just pulled on my heart strings too much. I kept only what I really value, what I love, and what brings me joy or adds something to my life.

Walking into my new apartment, it feels cozy and it feels like me.  To some, it might look like failure. I don’t have a lot of expensive stuff to show off. But to many, I think, this lifestyle would be enviable. Not bogged down with extra “stuff”. Not a slave to my posessions or to my self image. Clear on what I love, and what is important to me.  I have my antiques and vintage finds, my own art, my plants and herbs, some high quality furniture, and my most important asset, Butternut. (Home, afterall, is where the cat is.)

Sometimes I compare myself to other people and I wonder if I’ve failed myself, if I haven’t raised expectations of myself high enough. But I guess my inner desire is just too strong to be ignored, the desire to live simply, to live modestly, to live meaningfully and mindfully.  I guess I don’t even need to question it; this life feels right to me. It gives me peace.