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The Joy of Cooking
July 2005
Last week my son and two nephews
graduated high school and two more nephews graduated from grade
school and middle school. The week was filled with an exhausting but
fun round of parties and get-togethers with friends and family. Each
occasion was celebrated with toasts of good wishes and a seemingly
endless array of food, some of which I cooked and some which I just
happily consumed.
After months in which my culinary skills and epicurean tastes
enjoyed a much-needed rest, I eagerly went back to work preparing
for planned events and filling my shelves with ingredients for
impromptu meals. I made lists, shopped, cleaned out the
refrigerator, chopped, boiled, baked and sautéed my way to platters
of pasta salad, filet mignon with a blackened crust, an antipasto of
marinated and roasted vegetables, a frittata made with onions,
peppers and potatoes and many other dishes. Through it all, I was
reminded of how much of life’s milestones; births, deaths and
everything in-between, are celebrated with food. I remembered and
felt anew, the joy and the benefits of being gifted with the ability
and occasion to cook for others. For starters, you know that
invitations to your home for dinner are always eagerly accepted. And
you can count on receiving plenty of invitations to visit for the
weekend and longer. My friend Bonnie is eagerly waiting for me to
move into her home for several months while my home is being built!
It’s great to feel so sought after and appreciated, even if you know
it’s influenced by the fact that your friends and family know for
sure you’ll end up in their kitchen. Still, being a good cook has
its surprising perks.
Just this week my son’s friend, Ben, offered to come by twice a day
to feed and walk our dog Max while we were away visiting relatives
in South Jersey for a couple of days. He said it was the least he
could do after I cooked him so many wonderful meals. How sweet! And
from a teenager no less!
One of the relatives in South Jersey who’s in the flooring business
offered to get me bamboo and stone flooring material—at wholesale
prices—because it meant I would have to make a number of trips back
there to pick out styles and colors, all because his wife—charming
as she may be—can’t cook. And my banker took speedy and personal
care of a banking problem because she wanted (well, she’d do it
anyway) the recipe for the flavored oil once served at Biscotti.
The funny thing is, all of these wonderful people think they’ve
scored when they get me to cook for them. What they don’t know is
how much I get out of it. This week while in the kitchen with my
cousin Andrea—an incredible, self-taught cook—we had a ball
collaborating on how to make something wonderful from practically
nothing, all the while catching up on family news. Andrea
worked simple miracles with the defrosted delicacies she dug out of
her freezer, while I concocted a sauce from the sautéed mushrooms
and drippings from the roasting chicken.
Then there was the impromptu dinner of linguini with marinara sauce,
covered with slivers of fresh basil gathered from the back yard
along with a classic Caesar salad and garlic bread I prepared while
my former maitre d', Micky entertained my ex-husband Corwyn and I
with stories from the Biscotti days while Corwyn poured us glasses
of vintage Bordeaux. Also last week were the hours I spent in the
kitchen by myself making what seemed to be endless trays of baked
penne for the senior class party while I listened—and sometimes
danced to—my favorite music on my ipod. It was all so much fun!
You know, I have to admit, no matter how much I cook for others and
how much they may love it; the bigger gift is to myself.
So this weekend --and all summer long--celebrate your independence
from having to cook by choosing to cook, because you just love
doing it and sharing it.
Chef Silvia
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