Alana has asked me several times to write a cookbook, and each time the request made me laugh.
Why me? I follow recipes; I don’t write them. I have taken only a handful of cooking classes in my life. And I don’t know the proper way to use a knife, or how to chop or mince or dice quickly, like professional chefs.
What could I add to the world of food preparation that isn’t already out there?
While I am not professionally trained, I do cook and I do so regularly. I cook for my family and for my friends. And the meals I create are generally tasty, well-balanced and something we await with anticipation.
In thanks to Alana and Yossi, Sam and Talia, who have eaten my food and heard me talk about the role that food plays in their lives, I have gathered some favorite recipes to share with them.
To each of the four of you, I dedicate this book. The food I have cooked for you over the decades is one way in which I show my endless love for you.
The five of us in Washington, D.C.
“First a milkshake and a nap, and then we’ll talk.”
When I was raising our three children, and one of them was ornery, my first questions were…Does he/she need a nap? And…Is he/she hungry? It seemed to me that a milkshake went a long way in turning an out-of-control child into a happy one. Never underestimate the importance of a full stomach when aiming for peaceful relations among family members!
The food has to taste good and be good for you…
But, in pushing calories, not just any food would do. It had to taste good, look good, and also be good for you. So – fast food wouldn’t do. We rarely had soft drinks and candies, and cookies were seldom given as a stand-alone meal to curb hunger.
Instead, milkshakes were a regular treat as were macaroni and cheese and chocolate milk, cut up apples, grapes or sliced red pepper. I kept on-hand food that could be quickly prepared and offered, to stem the impending wave of hunger that needed to be defused.
So we get it.
Food is important.
Without enough of it, we get agitated, angry, difficult and unreasonable.
We need to eat and, preferably, we need to eat something nutritious and delicious. That is not exactly a revelation. Most of us know that.
Yet, the question remains…
Why cook?
Let’s start with the role of the senses.
We know that we have five senses. We understand how important, how central, how vital seeing and hearing are. We love working those taste buds. And who doesn’t like the feel of a good massage? But let’s not underestimate the power of smell.
What I wouldn’t do to be able to hug my mother again, and sniff the scent of her neck? Or return home from a day of school, and smell the fried onions and roasting beef or chicken that my mother was preparing for Shabbat dinner?
So the first reason to cook? It makes the house smell good, welcoming and savory. It’s a come-hither smell. Take off your coat. Stay a while. You are home. Tell us about your day. The ups and the downs. This meal will fill your belly with the foods that produced these scents, the food prepared by me, for you, out of love. Out of routine. Out of artistry.
So those are some of the ephemeral reasons why we cook. We cook to show love. But there are practical reasons why we cook, too.
Home-cooked meals can be better for you than food prepared in restaurants. I have control over how much salt I add to my dishes or how much oil. I can limit the portion sizes to reasonable amounts. When I cook, I can tailor the menu quantities and ingredients to my family's likes and dislikes.
Preparing meals at home is also generally more cost-effective than ordering in or going out to eat in a restaurant. Although sometimes I need a break from cooking day in and day out, I find that too much restaurant food can be onerous and boring.
When I cook something passed on to me – a recipe from my mother or sister, cousin or friend – that dish connects me to them, to a meal at their home, to memories and times in my life. It connects me to people I love.
But there’s more to it than even that.
Here’s a secret: Cooking can be really, really satisfying.
There is something about working with your hands that makes you feel vital and alive. Cooking is primal. Hunt and gather to sustain yourself and those you love.
One of my very favorite things to do is to visit the local farmers’ market, drag home bags of fresh produce, and turn those fruits and vegetables into a meal. Chop the fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers into a salad; make a frittata from the abundant zucchini and potatoes and herbs; whir a huge and fragrant summer bunch of deep green basil into a pesto sauce; delight in the earthy flavor of small local beets, roasted and tossed in a vinaigrette dressing. It’s physical work. The produce smells fresh and the colors are a delight, and when you complete the meal, you feel exhausted and alive.
But before you jump into that bushel of greens, there are a few things that you need to have on hand.