Day into night at home / 14

A dose of celebration for cooking at home!

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Often, when people tell me they can’t bake I'll say, “of course you can. Successful baking is mainly patience and attention.” This is true not just in baking but in all cooking. Cooking is an exercise in timing, observation, and action. It's a nuanced experience we can continuously deepen.  

 

About fifteen years ago a sentence in a recipe from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook changed how I cook forever. The oil should sizzle quietly, the recipe said. Until that moment it had never occurred to me to listen and let sound guide the process. 

 

We cook mostly with our eyes and hands but this week as you cook, try tuning in your ears and nose just as much. Being present to all the senses not only makes us better cooks, but makes cooking even more pleasurable and meditative. Here are two prompts:

 

-Listen to the pork as you brown it. The sound or lack thereof is full of information. If the pan is not hot enough, you won’t hear a thing, and if it’s too hot, the sizzle will sound slightly aggressive. This will help you get the temperature right.  

 

-Check whether your cake is done when you smell its buttery sweetness in the air. Once you smell it, it will either be ready or need only a few more minutes. 

 

Becoming more consciously aware of the information these two senses constantly give us makes the kitchen more dynamically ours.

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Hope you enjoy this week's menu!

 Buen provecho, Ana xx

 

 

One last braise before it gets too warm to have the oven on for a few hours! Here are the steps to make this dinner:

 

Start 4 hours before. It's  about 2 hours of active time, and a lot of oven time.

  

• Salt the pork and leave it out

• Start cooking the beans

• Turn your oven on to 400º for the carrots

• Take out the butter, heavy cream, and eggs for the cake - let them come to room temp.

• Cut the carrots for the starter, toss with oil and set aside until the oven is hot

• Cut your veg for the braise set aside

• Roast your carrots. When the carrots are done you will lower the oven to 325º

• Clean up a little

• Cut your pineapple - make sure you have a clean cutting board and hands. You don’t want your pineapple to taste like onion or garlic.

• Clean up a little

• Brown the pork, veg, finish the pork and place it in the oven

• Clean up a little

• Make the cake / the cake can bake while the pork braises since they both use the same temperature oven and the pork is covered

• Make the parsley pistachio sauce

• Chop and cook the kale

• Clean up a little

• Wait for the pork and beans to finish cooking

• When the pork is done make the béchamel and finish the kale

• Plate and serve

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