Now, we have a lovely Miele dishwasher, so you might ask, what's the problem. Well, Mark claims that when he cooks, he leaves the kitchen in an almost spotless state, whereas when I cook, the food might be wonderful, but the kitchen is a nightmare. I resist this interpretation of reality, although I have a niggling reminder of one of my sisters (maybe two) pursed lips, white faced.. refusing to let me cook in their kitchen... regardless of the promised delight.. and you know, it doesn't matter how clean I leave a kitchen (and I do, sometimes) people... family... friends... only remember the bad ones. (A little bit like Frank Baarda's goat joke.) So, I am giving the new rule a trial, and it's not going well.
This week, I have done a lot of cooking... and a lot of cleaning.. and somehow I am still putting Jorge to bed? The love of cooking, and all its baggage, is just not being shared as it should.
We've tried a 'no supermarket visit' cooking week (yes, as well as the new Rule!) ... this means being very lateral with what you have, and we have eaten much better than usual.. less meat, more legumes and much more messing around in the kitchen.. which now means, much more work for me.
We've had all the basics: garlic, onion, carrots, celery, tomatoes, lettuce, mushrooms, spinach, ricotta, parmesan, dried legumes, bacon, salami, cream... and what have I cooked?
Stuff conchiglioni (recipe to follow), felafel, lima beans with tomato and capsicum, ful medames, fettucine bascaiola (mushrooms and bacon in cream sauce), fish cakes.. and for sweets: mandarin and camomile cupcakes, jelly, arranciatta sorbetto, chocolate gelato and home-made chocolate marble hazlenut biscuits for lunches..
(Jorge, setting the table and serving out desert of jelly with mandarin and camomile cupcakes.)Too much cooking (and cleaning) this week ... time to garden instead. Next week, I think I will let Mark do the cooking, prepare myself for multiple variations on meat and potato? But rest, I will.
