Far from the elaborated recipes shown on glossy cooking magazines, in the daily life cooking is IMPROVISATION.
What do people cook every day?
Their “culinary elaborations” reflect the market, for sure, but, mostly, what there is in the refrigertor and … the personal hurry. We open the refrigerator and we start to take out ingredients that apparently wont go well together, like out of tune notes of a music .
But later, those same notes create an engaging harmony, a rhythm that makes us move and smile, improving it with a strong drum hit.
like the roasting mark on high heat cause a Maillard reaction or the outlined temperament of a spice on the sweet pork meat gives the same acute note of a clarinet.
If, instead of being alone in front of the light of the refrigerator, there are other people moving in the kitchen, here there are all the elements of an orcherstra!
Forget the boredom of a flat taste and start to play Jazz!
Shall I attack?
You attack!
One easy note, Mi blue.
Yes, an easy recipe, so that to follow the conductor you just need to wink. Here the Jazz begins to vibrate, while in the fridge I find a piece of pork loin. I’m looking for fresh fennel, but there isn’t …
There is a packet of pure licorice cubes in the trouser pocket. Idea. I put them in the mixer, mix them with pepper and salt, roll the meat into the mixture.
I’m in a hurry, a drop of oil, two drops of wine, the pressure cooker, 10 minutes.
Open the pot, change the time. Let it breath. Put it back on the fire.
Then the sizzle sounds like brushes on drum cymbals… .schhhh… schhhh…. a nice reaction from Maillard, that, written in this way, seems like the tonal whim of a Genius of music.
Here we are, all the musicians smiling and looking at each other with “understanding” looks: harmony found without agreement.
And now everyone around the table.
Ready to sing the final “slurp”?
Marcella Ansaldo © 2022