I neglected to mention that I absolutely love Bon Appetit magazine. I was just catching up with my reading the other day, and I came across a fabolous article on the merits of Italian cooking. I was so impressed, that I feel I need to share with you these laws, and my commentary on them.
Items in quotes are directly from the magazine. The italics are mine. Enjoy!
Can you see the 7 simple laws at play here?
Pay Attention: Find out what foods in your area are seasonal, buy local. “In Italy, the kind of cooking that chooses the local over the exotic is faithful to the seasons and wastes nothing.” This is best shown in the various regions that have their specialty. The locals used their ingredients to make traditional dishes that just cannot be messed with.
Love the Leftovers: “Just about anything can live happily in a frittata.” Amen!
Keep It Simple: “Let the ingredients speak for themselves.” Don’t overcomplicate cooking. A summer tomato really does not need more than a little salt, pepper, and basil to bring it to life.
Taste and Savor: Take more than 10 minutes to eat your meal. Actually speak to the people you are dining with. Actually give a shit about what goes on in their lives. Reconnect with them while eating, and you will find no matter what the fare is, it will be great.
Cook Creatively: “There is comfort in working with the most humble ingredients, and pleasure in being resourceful in whatever is at hand.” Any asshole can cook with the best ingredients… foie, tenderloin. It takes a true culinarian to work with something simple, and to execute it well.
Grow Something: It could be a small pot of basil or parsley. It could be a DIY tomato container. The point is that you are in control of what goes on your plate, and it would be something of which you are proud of.
Practice Generosity: “Now, more than ever, we need to eat together. Whatever there is to eat, it’s enough to go around. We come together at the table not because of what we do have, but despite of what we don’t.” Have you ever wondered why that Italian Grandmother was commanding you to eat? It is all about the law of reciprocation. You get WAY more out of it than you put in.
Photo courtesy of TinyDelights under Creative Commons by Attribution 2.0
