Okay look, I'm Italian so food is life and all that. But I do respect and understand (grudgingly) that it's not for everyone. And cooking can be super simple. Last night, for example, I grabbed a tim of tomatoes and a piece of guanciale (speck) from a larger piece that I keep vacuum sealed in the fridge. Matchsticked the guanciale, fried until crispy, removed from the pan keeping the rendered fat in the pan, added the tinned tomatoes, chili, all the while the pasta water was boiling, then the pasta. Put the cooked guanciale back in the sauce, chucked the pasta into the sauce to cook another minute or so, stirred in some parmeggiano and that's it. That's it Jules! That's one of Rome's famous dishes, pasta amatricciana. You won't know yourself.
Love this. Beautiful piece and highly entertaining. I'm with you, Jules. The culinary arts are not for me and ironically, I even co-wrote a cookbook. Lol. My mother was a gourmet cook and I grew up watching her wile away the away the hours in the kitchen blanching and chopping and whisking. She's 86 now and no longer has the energy to prepare lavish meals, but she micromanages everyone else from her perch at the kitchen table. "You have to put the lettuce leaves in an ice bath, Hilary, if you want them crisp!" "Make sure that fish pan is very hot or the fish will stick!" There were times when I was so hungry waiting for her to finish cooking a meal, I nearly passed out. As a result of this childhood trauma, I'm all about meals that take about five minutes to prepare. I use a food processor to chop stuff quickly and most of the time, I just eat salad with some protein on top. Jared is like your husband in that he takes his time and chops everything by hand. He's much more precise and therefore, whenever he cooks, it takes him three times as long as it would take me. So yes, I married my mother. But most of the time, he's lazy and just heats up a chicken sausage in a pan, or makes a burrito. I'm vegetarian and he eats fish and poultry, so a lot of the time, we do eat different things.
This is a brilliant piece! Your light-hearted take on cooking, especially in "It’s already a poem," captures the amusing complexities of food preparation. I love how you blend humour with a touch of reality, showing that cooking doesn’t have to be a grand art.
Congrats on the milestone, Jules! I’m prepping post 33 for Shades of Blue this week, so I’m in complete awe of your output!
This glimpse into your kitchen was a delight. My husband, as talented a chef as he is, also makes quite the mess while cooking, so I’d agree that the quality of one’s cooking might be directly proportional to the amount of cleanup required! 🤣
Funnily enough, we’ve started rewatching old episodes of Jamie Oliver’s shows on YouTube. He also has a (I think) new series traveling across Italy and learning recipes from lovely nonnas. I thoroughly recommend it — for both the food and the breathtaking cinematography!
Thanks Michael. As I remarked to another lovely reader, it's quality that counts and Shades is most definitely a quality publication 🎶
It is most certainly very handy having a spouse who doesn't mind cooking. I'll tell my husband about those Jamie Oliver shows. With luck he'll want to try out some of the recipes 😃
Huge congrats on this huge milestone Jules !! 😍🤗. 200 wow, that's awesome and amazing ! 😍. I can only imagine the time, research and dedication that goes into each of your articles 😀. It shows in each article. They have been a source of a huge amount of information and a massive learning curve. Facts, figures, very detailed, quotes, pictures, video clips...your articles have it all. Really captivates and draws you in. I remember fondly Jammy Lemons 🍋. Brilliant. Here's to the next 200 Jules 😀 Huge thanks for all your works 💯🙂🙂
Okay look, I'm Italian so food is life and all that. But I do respect and understand (grudgingly) that it's not for everyone. And cooking can be super simple. Last night, for example, I grabbed a tim of tomatoes and a piece of guanciale (speck) from a larger piece that I keep vacuum sealed in the fridge. Matchsticked the guanciale, fried until crispy, removed from the pan keeping the rendered fat in the pan, added the tinned tomatoes, chili, all the while the pasta water was boiling, then the pasta. Put the cooked guanciale back in the sauce, chucked the pasta into the sauce to cook another minute or so, stirred in some parmeggiano and that's it. That's it Jules! That's one of Rome's famous dishes, pasta amatricciana. You won't know yourself.
I hope everyone is reading this. Look everybody, come to The Dialectic for recipes from our resident expert on Sicilian and Italian cuisine. 😋
Thank you, Jo. This sounds both delicious and easy enough for me to attempt 💛
Love this. Beautiful piece and highly entertaining. I'm with you, Jules. The culinary arts are not for me and ironically, I even co-wrote a cookbook. Lol. My mother was a gourmet cook and I grew up watching her wile away the away the hours in the kitchen blanching and chopping and whisking. She's 86 now and no longer has the energy to prepare lavish meals, but she micromanages everyone else from her perch at the kitchen table. "You have to put the lettuce leaves in an ice bath, Hilary, if you want them crisp!" "Make sure that fish pan is very hot or the fish will stick!" There were times when I was so hungry waiting for her to finish cooking a meal, I nearly passed out. As a result of this childhood trauma, I'm all about meals that take about five minutes to prepare. I use a food processor to chop stuff quickly and most of the time, I just eat salad with some protein on top. Jared is like your husband in that he takes his time and chops everything by hand. He's much more precise and therefore, whenever he cooks, it takes him three times as long as it would take me. So yes, I married my mother. But most of the time, he's lazy and just heats up a chicken sausage in a pan, or makes a burrito. I'm vegetarian and he eats fish and poultry, so a lot of the time, we do eat different things.
Wow, it sounds as if your mom is an amazing cook! Just that comment about the lettuce shows that she's an expert.
Another problem with domestic cookery is trying to think of something interesting to make. Not easy if you're not really interested 😄
It's great that Jared can take care of his own food. I'm so glad that Craig can cook because our meals would be very boring if he didn't!
I'm very intrigued by your cookery book! 😃
This is a brilliant piece! Your light-hearted take on cooking, especially in "It’s already a poem," captures the amusing complexities of food preparation. I love how you blend humour with a touch of reality, showing that cooking doesn’t have to be a grand art.
Haha! Thanks Jon. You've got to laugh really when you're eating my food! 😂
Happy 200 posts, Jules!! Look forward to 200 more :)
Ah thanks, Kate. Hope all well with you! 💛
…love the idea of your husband as a sort of Jackson Pollock of the kitchen! 😆
🤣
Congrats on the milestone, Jules! I’m prepping post 33 for Shades of Blue this week, so I’m in complete awe of your output!
This glimpse into your kitchen was a delight. My husband, as talented a chef as he is, also makes quite the mess while cooking, so I’d agree that the quality of one’s cooking might be directly proportional to the amount of cleanup required! 🤣
Funnily enough, we’ve started rewatching old episodes of Jamie Oliver’s shows on YouTube. He also has a (I think) new series traveling across Italy and learning recipes from lovely nonnas. I thoroughly recommend it — for both the food and the breathtaking cinematography!
Thanks Michael. As I remarked to another lovely reader, it's quality that counts and Shades is most definitely a quality publication 🎶
It is most certainly very handy having a spouse who doesn't mind cooking. I'll tell my husband about those Jamie Oliver shows. With luck he'll want to try out some of the recipes 😃
Thanks for reading, and for the recommendation x
Huge congrats on this huge milestone Jules !! 😍🤗. 200 wow, that's awesome and amazing ! 😍. I can only imagine the time, research and dedication that goes into each of your articles 😀. It shows in each article. They have been a source of a huge amount of information and a massive learning curve. Facts, figures, very detailed, quotes, pictures, video clips...your articles have it all. Really captivates and draws you in. I remember fondly Jammy Lemons 🍋. Brilliant. Here's to the next 200 Jules 😀 Huge thanks for all your works 💯🙂🙂
Bless you Angie! Thanks for reading 🤗
Jules I'll be reading this tonight but I have faith!
😄