Comforts of the kitchen

If you asked me where in the house I am happiest, the answer would always be in the kitchen - it's my lair, my domain, where I can be king of all I survey. And it is also the place I go to soothe myself - not by eating necessarily, but by letting the gentle rhythms of chop, heat, stir, rinse soothe whatever it is that troubles me. And the things I cook are a gift to those I feed - an expression of love. I know you are revising and it sucks, so I made you cookies. You are sick? I have chicken soup. Can't wake up in the morning - perhaps a pan au chocolat will make it less painful. It stands to reason that I am planning to put in a lot of kitchen time over the next few weeks - palliative care for me and emotional nourishment for the rest of the household. And the medicine seems to be going down well - since the days of enforced lockdown, I've noticed that everyone is happy to linger a bit longer at the table.

And the food gives us something to talk about - not only our enjoyment of it, but the stories behind it or the power it has to transport us to another place. Take Ajvar, for instance. We first came across it in Croatia - as an accompaniment to grilled meats and cevapi (a kind of sausage thing). Hubby was a big fan. We brought a jar home with us and when it was gone, I happened to encounter it in the supermarket (though this one is Macedonian, not Croatian and spelled differently).

He finished the jar the other day though, and I don't suppose Ajvar is high on the list of anybody's essential items restock list. And going to the supermarket feels like today's equivalent of base jumping, so instead I looked up a recipe on line (well several actually and then went off piste with some hybrid of my own) and went to my happy place.

It turns out to be a simple mix of roasted aubergine, peppers, chilli, garlic, salt oil and vinegar. A bit of roasting, some peeling, de-seeding and food processing and there it was. Homemade Ajvar. I even sterilised and re-used the original jar. And my batch is flipping delicious.

We are going to have it with lamb steaks tonight and chickpea mash. And whatever green veg might still be lurking in the fridge. I've heeded all the lockdown warnings and have not been out to the shops, so we are making do with what we have. But we have Ajvar, and memories of Croatia to look forward to.

What's on your dinner table tonight?

Comments

[Toffeeapple]

Very well done! I used to do things in the kitchen but seem not to be able to do so properly anymore. I seem to eat things on toast, mainly. Soups too, made by me, of vegetables and herbs/spices. Yesterday I turned two apples, some oats, butter and sugar into apple crumble which was rather too sweet, but I did it.