cosmolinguist | Save me from the Force

For such a long time I did what my parents expected of me or what someone else wanted of me, that it's left me bewildered and worried just trying to find out what I want, much less actually doing it. Nothing new. So I'm going to start writing things down here, in hopes that I stop forgetting these things and get a little closer to actually doing them.

So, here's an easy one.

I want to be a better cook.

I'm not too stupid and I don't like ready meals but I did have about a week recently where I don't think I ate much other than grilled cheese. I'm not just lazy, I'm also uninspired. Or clueless.

I grew up with hamburger as a main ingredient and cream of mushroom as the Force, which runs through everything and binds it all together and I'm trying to avoid that.

When I got to college I made a lot of friends who could cook. Especially the veg(etari)an ones: I tink once you get rid of the pound-of-hamburger crutch you are more likely to know about the sorts of things that my mom would consider dangerously exotic. I envied them a lot and learned a little but forgot most of it.

I know I can google for recipes as easily as I can ask this, but I'd like to know what actually works for you, and anyway now that I have explained my latest Thing I Wanna Do I figure it won't hurt to ask: what's good for someone who might go so far as to eat poultry on special occasions and doesn't like mushrooms or tofu and doesn't know what she's doing? You can be as vague ("try risotto!") or specific ("look at this website!") as you like.

C'mon, I want my mom to think I'm dangerously exotic!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I love baking loads of veg. I know this sounds wierd, but I think it's particularly tasty. Basically, I cut up my veg of choice: pretty much anything, but normally carrots, potatoes, courgette(zucchini), aubergine, and onions, sometimes with added mushrooms or beetroot, or other exciting root vegetables; I put them on top of a tin-foil covered baking tray, and sprinkle a LOT of cumin, paprika and cayenne + a little celery salt over the top. Then I drizzle some olive oil over it, and put it in a hot oven until everything is squishy. I think it's really really tasty, although I'm not sure what protein I would have with it, normally I have sausages, or possibly a chop, and some spinach leaves with lemon juice.

It's also really nice if you put it in a salad bowl, with some lettuce leaves, a whole lot of lemon juice, some caraway seeds and a ton of pepper.

I am addicted to potato gratin, done the way my mum does it: slice some potatoes really thin, grate some strong cheese; in a dish layer potate and cheese layers, adding loads of pepper and herbe de provence or other seasoning at each layer. Then I beat together 2 eggs (for 2 of us, more if there are more people eating) and a small amount of milk, and pour it over the top, grate some cheese over the top, and into the oven. It does need to bake for ages, but when it's done it's all golden and puffy, and the potatoes are soft and tasty. In Nigel Slater's book, he adds anchovies to the mix, which I haven't tried, but could be delish. I really like his books, because they are chatty, and he awknowledges the need to swap ingredients, and to just be greedy for flavours.
N.

That doesn't sound weird! I would like that, except I'm not sure yet if I like courgettes and aubergines. The potatoes au gratin sounds lovely (and better, doable!) though I think Andrew would kill me if I made something like that as he's trying not to eat potatoes even though he loves them. He'd probably be worried about the sauce, anyway, even after I told him everything that was in it and pointed out that he liked those things. :-) He doesn't trust sauces.

the good thing about the sauce is that it cooks to almost solid, so it's a bit like a quiche or something; so is possibly less suspect than a sauce!

The thing with the roast veg is that you can roast anything, so if you don't like the courgette/aubergines, you could do peppers, or corn on the cob (actually I roast that still in it's husk, and the just eat it), or any fairly solid veg that you like.
N.

I will be making that tonight as now I am crazed with potato lust after reading your description of it! :D

hmmmm, potato lust! I get it for gratin, and for cheesy, garlicky, peppery mashed potatoes. I think I could probably live on that for weeks at a time.

It was delicious! Thank you very much for the recipe! :D

I used Cornish Yarg cheese which I reely like the flavour of, and I added a little sliced garlic sossidge which I had some to use up. Yum yum!

And

sophysings liked it too :>

Save me from the Force

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