Daily Prompt: Ingredients

What’s the one item in your kitchen you can’t possibly cook without? A spice, your grandma’s measuring cup, instant ramen — what’s your magic ingredient, and why?

i do not really have much to add to the last time I did this prompt which was in 2014. Here is a link to this masterpiece for those who are interested:Ingredients

I was talking to Bluebell, the cow that likes to take meals outside in the fresh air, if there was anything she could do without when eating and she assured me that her needs were important, but reduced. Just a field of grass was enough, although she likes her grass in various shapes and sizes. sometimes she takes it freshly grown, very tasty she found and in Winter dehydrated which lacks in juices. . This has its disadvantages it seems. When you relase 20 cows from the barn after a winter of hay, it is like eating fresh peaches from the tree instead of from a tin (human comparison). The fresh grass is tasty, juicy and packed with vitamins together with roughage and fibre to encourage the digestive system. Bluebell said that the problem with the dried grass, known as hay, during the Winter is that it does not encourage the recycling process so well, but fresh grass is really something to be digested and savoured.

No respectable fly wants to make a nest in hay refuse, one of the reasons why you rarely see a fly in Winter, but come Summer the flies are swarming, each one fighting for its own maternity ward in the bovine recycled matter. Oh yes, do not underestimate grass. Of course Bluebell said that some cows have no manners and eat so much grass that the meadow becomes a flat mass of earth with a few remaining stalks. If you do not fight for your place on the meadow you will have to do with the feeding trough. Luckily Farmer Hans has now installed a portable feeding trough on the meadow meaning that the cows can remain outside and munch to their undder’s content.

And now to the human point of view. Of course there are spices and additions that would be necessary when cooking (see my last blog on the subject), but above all it is the love of cooking that counts. This sounds devoted and sacrificial, but without a portion of love in the soup it is not soup but just a plain plate of liquid.

“The soup if far too salty.”

“That must be because I am in love.”

This excuse often works and you will have peace and quiet for the remainder of the meal.

“I think this cow committed kamikaze, the meat is so tough.”

“Think of the people in other countries that never have meat on the table.”

This also works, although if your partner is vegan or vegetarian it will not.

“I have decided that I will no longer eat meat.” This could become a problem. Perhaps you can convince your partner at the table that if we all stopped eating meat, the world would be overrun with chickens, cows, sheep and pigs. Now who wants to share their bedroom with a pig? On the other hand vegetarian meals also have their place on the table, and eating potatoes, carrots and beans means that room is left for the animals on the fields. Life can be so complicated sometimes. Are you with me? Probably not, but I think I lost the thread myself somewhere.

Today’s lunch was served in the local supermarket restaurant. Mrs. Angloswiss deicided she would prefer to dine out than cook a meal today and Mr. Swiss agreed. This evening we will have a cervelat salad which is the national Swiss sausage (contained in skins imported from Brazil because they are the best for the sausage - yes, we Swiss are gourmets when it comes to sausage). Mr. Swiss will prepare this national Swiss dish as he is Swiss and knows how to do it properly. I noticed he bought some radishes, made sure there were eggs in the fridge and checked on the various herbs in the garden. Aromat is always available in our Swiss home, so what could possibly go wrong. And yes, I noticed there were fresh Swiss strawberries available in the supermarket (special price) so I will prepare a dessert of strawberries with whipped cream. The strawberries are now soaking in a sugar syrup in the fridge.

WordPress Daily Prompt: Ingredients

What’s the one item in your kitchen you can’t possibly cook without? A spice, your grandma’s measuring cup, instant ramen — what’s your magic ingredient, and why? 

Photographers, artists, poets: show us KITCHEN.

Personally there is not anything I could not cook without. If I forget something, I just adapt, do not forget I am a female widget, a multi tasker and have carried the responsibility of feeding the family over many years, even the felines, although they are happy with a tin of tuna or vitamin pellets.

My mother could not cook. She cooked as her mother cooked, but reciples from the mid 20^th century were not my thing and I have a suspicion that my departed grandmother, who I never actually knew, could also not cook. There are some English master cooks I know, but my mum was not one. Asking what she could not do without in the kitchen, I would say salt and pepper, cooking fat and greens (large green leaves relating to a cabbage plant). However I survived.

I moved to Switzerland and spent my first two years working for an Indian boss and living-in with his family. His wife was Swiss, but mainly cooked Indian. I quite liked Indian food and learnt a few tricks of the trade.

After leaving my Indian-Swiss cooking experience I moved on and met Mr. Swiss. This was when my cooking experience made a turning in the Swiss direction. My mother-in-law would invite now and again. It was then that I learned to appreciate the Swiss cooking. It seems the Sunday dish always had a cream white wine sauce, the Sunday meat mainly being veal.

I remember cooking my first meals for myself, the kids and Mr. Swiss. The English accompany everything with potato, (boiled, fried, chipped etc. etc.). I was glad to discover that the Swiss had a choice of pasta, rice, rösti (a sort of flat fried chopped potato flan) and normal potatoes as an accompniment. The first problem arose when serving pasta. We were all sitting at the table ready to go and Mr. Swiss was a little troubled.

“Is there something?” I asked

“Err, yes, where’s the Aromat?”

“The Aromat?”

He arose from the table and searched in the cupboard and produced a small metal holder with the word “Aromat” emblazoned on the metal in large letters. I then remembered we had Aromat. It sort of arrived with the wedding ring. Was Mr. Swiss happy? Almost.

“Do we have any Maggi?” (prounounced Majji). Even this bottle was tucked away between the salt and pepper: a brown liquid.

So Mr. Swiss sprinkled Aromat and poured Maggi over his pasta. This was just the beginning. I noticed a Swiss never eats a normal fried egg, sunny side up, without smothering the normal egg taste in Aromat and Maggi. With time I realised then when cooking pasta, before serving it should must be mixed with a large spraying of Aromat. I soon discovered that Aromat was a tasty thing, but I never could accustom myself to drench my pasta in Maggi. Time passed, the children were growing and developing into Aromat and Maggi addicts.

Then came the day when we visited my parents in England. We were staying with my mum and dad and poor Mr. Swiss would be subjected to the intricacies of the English kitchen, although I would say he was quite partial to beans on toast and fish and chips. We were packing for the departure and he put a supply of Aromat into the case. He decided he would abstain from taking the Maggi as this was a liquid and could cause problems in the case on the flight. He was worried that the reputation of Aromat had not yet reached England. At this time his worries were almost justified as Aromat had only just entered the English food realm. The English were still happy to coat their Frenchfries/chips with salt, pepper and vineager.

So to sum up, I can cook with anything, but I have to be sure there is Aromat in the kitchen – you never know. I am quite partial to putting garlic in everything, but there I have to consider the others. Mr. Swiss is not keen on garlic in the salad sauce, but this is no problem. As long as I put Aromat in the salad sauce he is a happy Swiss.

Daily Prompt: Ingredients