THIS IS FOR THOSE AMONG YOU WHO ENJOY COOKING…we are having a tense moment in our country with the news 24-7 re. the corona virus. There are people out there whose lives are already overwhelmed, maybe trying to raise children and manage careers, facing a physical problem that already weakens their immune responses or someone who, for whatever reason, has more challenges than we do. This is a call to action for you to lift someone up a bit with something that will lift you up as well.
IF YOU LOVE TO COOK YOU ARE LUCKY...my tension, like others, has risen a bit in the face of this addition to normal concerns. But if, like me, you love to cook you are lucky. I had the Sunday morning political shows playing at a low level; the normal political punditing was, in this case, being interrupted by more information on the virus crisis. It was irritating me BUT, I knew what I needed to do…spend some time with some ingredients concocting a tasty dish. It would force me to concentrate away from tension-increasing thoughts…It would take me into my creative right hemisphere rather than the troubled, analytical left…It would evolve into the most amazing aromatherapy and then a treat for the taste buds. Not everyone is lucky to look at the process of cooking as creative and fun. They’ve never understood cooking as a way of expressing themselves and their individuality.
NOW, SINCE YOU ARE SO LUCKY and since there is at least one person in your life, if only being a neighbor, who really didn’t need the heightened tension and angst of the moment, I’m suggesting that you share an act of kindness with yourself and with another.
WHIP UP A DISH TODAY AND SHARE IT. Don’t go out to the store, you keep certain ingredients on hand for some of your favorite foods or desserts. We usually keep things around for recipes like Split Pea Soup or Snickerdoodles. You can go so far as to look over your ingredients and invent a dish. So…Chop those veges…whip that piece of meat out of the freezer put in a zip lock and immerse in warm water for fast defrosting…grab that favorite recipe…measure out all your spices into a little bowl. Start up the stove, or Instant Pot, or oven, or air fryer or Sous Vide…we have such great toys, don’t we? Soon that warm simmering or baking dish will be wafting and creating the most amazing aromatherapy. When you are done you’ve got something special to enjoy and something you can share with that family member, friend. neighbor or acquaintance who is more stressed than you and who could use a boost…the boost of a surprise of a person showing up with something warm and wonderful to eat.
MAKE WHAT FUELS YOUR SOUL. I made my Tomato, Onion Zucchini Dahl. I will offer up a comfort food recipe that you probably have the ingredients on hand for. It’s one that I’ve carried with me and loved since college days when I was attempting a Vegetarian lifestyle. I make it periodically because I love it and, also, because the aromas and taste bring back good memories. It always takes me back to the special time of college days…like awakening to feminism and riding a bicycle everywhere and sipping warm soup while enjoying engaging conversations with friends.
VEGETARIAN SPLIT PEA SOUP
Ingredients:
5-6 cups water
2 cups split peas
1 small onion, diced
1/2 cup pearled barley or rice (I love the texture of pearled barley)
1 tsp. Salt - then add to taste
1/2 tsp. dill seed
1/4 tsp. each sweet basil, oregano, mustard powder, celery flakes and black pepper
1 moderate handful toasted sesame seeds
Instructions:
Bring water to rapid boil. Add rinsed split peas and salt. Let boil 3 minutes or until soft but still intact. Add barley, spices and onion; continue to cook, adding more salt to taste. After about 1/2 hour, add sesame seeds. (If untoasted, stir in a frying pan on stove top using high heat till they start to turn golden.) While simmering the soup be sure that heat is on medium or lower all the time; too high a heat will destroy the vitamins. Soup is done when peas are dissolved and grain is soft.
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