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A Harvest of Inspiration
October 2007
When you hear that a dish is inspired, what do you think? I’m sure
what comes to mind for most is something delicious, creative,
beautiful…maybe an unusual combination of ingredients. And yes, an
inspired dish can be all of these. But, for a long time I’ve
pondered another benefit to the process of inspiration itself. I’ve
noticed, with growing clarity, that my moods, my intention, my
feelings, all affect the outcome of a dish---maybe even more than
the freshness of the ingredients.
Earlier today I burnt the carrots. And I was steaming them no less!
Even the steamer pot turned black on the inside. I never liked
cooked carrots.
On the other hand, I later became inspired to make
paté and it was
so delicious, I had to lick the pan clean with a hunk of bread. I
sautéed chicken liver, shitake mushrooms, shallots and garlic in
olive oil, added a splash of Port, cooked it until the liver was no
longer pink, took it off the heat and folded in a couple of pats of
butter and a few small slices of brie. (Sometimes inspiration comes
from whatever you have on hand.) After it cooled a bit, I pureed it
in the food processor along with a few sprigs of parsley….yum, yum,
yum!
So, inspiration makes perfection……
Does this apply to cooking alone? Of course not! But since cooking
is what I do, I suppose that Divine guidance finds me there. The
thing is, it’s the inspiration behind any idea that makes it
work--whether it’s a beautiful painting, a business, words of wisdom
or a sensational dish. Still, there’s something deliciously
comforting about something so lofty revealing itself on the
stovetop. Maybe Divine guidance, like many of us, likes to gather in
the kitchen too.
Food and cooking have always been a metaphor for life, that why
there’s hundreds of them. What I didn’t know is that there are food
metaphors--in every language--for almost every aspect of life. Just
Google it and you’ll see. Since I usually misquote metaphors anyway,
here is my version of my personal top five.
5. Not only are you what you eat but how you eat. Do you
shovel in your food, or chew it slowly, tasting every bite? Do you
eat in front of the TV; on the run; or sitting at a pretty
table---even if it’s set for one? When the chips are down, can you
still cherish a delicious meal?
4. That was half-baked. When decorating a room, writing a
song, solving a problem, dreaming up almost anything---you won’t
know what it really looks like until it’s fully cooked...or baked.
3. Living a balanced life is like eating a balanced meal. In
other words, you can eat dessert first, if that’s what makes you
happy, but just make sure that’s not all you eat.
2. You get out what you put in. In order to cook a great
dish, you have to put in the right ingredients. What ingredients are
you putting into your life? (this is a foodie take on “Garbage in.
Garbage out.”)
1. The cream rises to the top. If I want to rise to the top
and live my best life, I have to be light.
Enjoy this beautiful month of October and harvest all those
inspirations--you never know when you’ll want to use them.
Chef Silvia
Recipe this month...
Chicken and Shitake Mushroom Paté
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Personal Growth |
Inspiration Can
Come From Anything
From a messy,
disorganized kitchen or a brilliantly executed meal...
From a sink full
of dishes or a garden full of weeds...
You just never
know. It’s all in the way that you approach the task.
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Improving Your
Cooking Skills |
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Organization, Organization, Organization
There’s nothing more frustrating than getting
inspired--finally--to cook one of your family’s favorite
meals--like Thanksgiving--and finding that you’re
completely unorganized. You can’t find the right
tool--like the potato peeler; getting to your pots and
pans required you to dismantle the cupboard; your knives
are so dull you almost cut off your finger; and worst of
all, you forgot to buy fresh garlic! Oh and this is just
for starters. How about when you have to stop cooking in
order to wash a sink full of pots and pans. And better
yet--how about when you have to declutter the
countertops, just so you can start cooking….
Of course I don’t have any personal experience with any
of this…but I’ve seen it all happen. So here’s my
advice:
Walk into the kitchen. Stop, and look around:
Do you feel peaceful there? Does it inspire you to want
to cook?
Or do you feel confused and deflated?
Chances are you have too much of what you don’t need,
not enough of what is truly useful and you keep it all
in the wrong places.
Ah….wisdom from the kitchen.
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