I believe cooking does not stop with preparing the meal, washing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen. People who love food and who are great cooks can be recognized with one trait, they love to feed people. They feed them with love, when they explain recipes your mouth starts to water, when they offer food you cannot refuse. I have known many who can differentiate, the elachi in the muthusarai,who can identify a dash of kasoori methi as a finishing touch to dhal, who wouldnt let someone to serve on their own and who would make you want to eat when serving and a Grandma who would ask " enda sweet pidikalaya? ( Dont you like it?)" after one gobbles three badam cakes and refuses the fourth one !, the ones who have mastered the art of making perfect chais and coffees. All these people have increased my love affair with food and with cooking and eating.
This post is an ode to one such person Adina, who has taught me to appreciate and love food outside of India. She looked at me like an alien, when I ordered veggie pizza with no broccoli, no mushrooms, no olives, no artichokes please. She asked me why don't you order plain cheese pizza? Mushrooms some one told me tastes like chicken, I am not a big fan of cauliflower so the green sister does not tickle my taste buds. Olives...oh no, I had them from a can once on a subway sandwich....it tastes rubbery!. Her reply was you will come one day to my home for dinner.
The couple were perfect hosts, the dinners usually started at 2:00, with chips & dips, feta cheese and tomatoes, eggplant salads and so on... Sergiu constantly filled the glasses with the red liquid when his better half made sure that the plates were always filled. We breathed, talked and ate food and the air was filled with aroma of olive oil and laughter and happiness. I have never declined an invitation to their home... what usually started at 2:00 PM will go on till 12:00...1:00.. and my dear friend would say make sure you pack some home... when we had no more to pack in our tummies. Such people not just fill your tummies but also your hearts.
Here are a few recipes from her kitchen:
Brocoli Baked:
Cut brocoli into florets, drizzle with olive oil, season with red pepper flakes and bake them at 350 in the oven. The crunchy Brocoli is hard to refuse
Mushrooms:
Slice the button mushroom into two, slice juicy campari tomatoes and place on top. Drizzle with olive oil, sea salt and bake at 350 and then broil for 10 mts till all the juices evaporate.
Varieties of Olives and Cheese:
She taught me to appreciate the cheese and made me stop buy the pre-cut cheddar cheese slices and enjoy Brie, Feta, fresh Mozerella to name a few...My love for olives began at her place too, Black olives, Olives with feta cheese, Olives with red pepper stuffing, feta cheese with tomatoes (I can eat that the whole day).
She made home made lima bean dip, hummus and Sergiu baked bread and pizza. I have tried all of these at home, but it never tasted the same, I have increased olive oil, increased pepper, decreased salt tried umpteen things, only to realize that the taste will never be the same as it was never seasoned with "Adina's love".
This post is an ode to one such person Adina, who has taught me to appreciate and love food outside of India. She looked at me like an alien, when I ordered veggie pizza with no broccoli, no mushrooms, no olives, no artichokes please. She asked me why don't you order plain cheese pizza? Mushrooms some one told me tastes like chicken, I am not a big fan of cauliflower so the green sister does not tickle my taste buds. Olives...oh no, I had them from a can once on a subway sandwich....it tastes rubbery!. Her reply was you will come one day to my home for dinner.
The couple were perfect hosts, the dinners usually started at 2:00, with chips & dips, feta cheese and tomatoes, eggplant salads and so on... Sergiu constantly filled the glasses with the red liquid when his better half made sure that the plates were always filled. We breathed, talked and ate food and the air was filled with aroma of olive oil and laughter and happiness. I have never declined an invitation to their home... what usually started at 2:00 PM will go on till 12:00...1:00.. and my dear friend would say make sure you pack some home... when we had no more to pack in our tummies. Such people not just fill your tummies but also your hearts.
Here are a few recipes from her kitchen:
Brocoli Baked:
Cut brocoli into florets, drizzle with olive oil, season with red pepper flakes and bake them at 350 in the oven. The crunchy Brocoli is hard to refuse
Mushrooms:
Slice the button mushroom into two, slice juicy campari tomatoes and place on top. Drizzle with olive oil, sea salt and bake at 350 and then broil for 10 mts till all the juices evaporate.
Varieties of Olives and Cheese:
She taught me to appreciate the cheese and made me stop buy the pre-cut cheddar cheese slices and enjoy Brie, Feta, fresh Mozerella to name a few...My love for olives began at her place too, Black olives, Olives with feta cheese, Olives with red pepper stuffing, feta cheese with tomatoes (I can eat that the whole day).
She made home made lima bean dip, hummus and Sergiu baked bread and pizza. I have tried all of these at home, but it never tasted the same, I have increased olive oil, increased pepper, decreased salt tried umpteen things, only to realize that the taste will never be the same as it was never seasoned with "Adina's love".
