What a lovely idea. Quiet, gentle and nourishing foods. I am reminded that I need to reach for my stained copy of An Everlasting Meal more often…it is a unique gem of a book.
A quiet recipe that I adore is slow roasted cherry tomatoes and garlic, seasoned with salt and pepper, in lots of olive oil. In the last stages of roasting I add a can of rinsed white beans. If you have fresh herbs to finish then hooray for you! It’s perfect as a side, but makes a delicious little supper all on its own.
I wowed my guests at a casual dinner at home a few years ago with a first course of Via Carota's Insalata Verde. A bit of work to shop for (3-4 types of lettuce; heaped, not tossed) and prepare (wash, spin dry and dry some more) but the result was worth it. The accompanying vinaigrette recipe is divine.
I regularly read Doris Grumbach and it seems I'll be regularly reading you. Nonfiction/memoir masterclass begins in two weeks. Our first assignment is to read (in my case reread) "Permission," identify the chapter that speaks to us most loudly and discuss it. I can't decide. I've read the book twice. I must decide. I may have to read it again. I'm so glad I told Marita (Golden) about "Permission." She was so wowed she assigned it to class and will do so from now on. Thank you. Now. Tell me which chapter I should choose.
I'm salivating and reveling in the sound of birdsong and the familiar, chesty rattle of my old refrigerator. Nothing else. No music or chatter. Just the quiet, and the smell of banana muffins baking in the oven. I am with you, Elisa. These times beg for stripped down simplicity. A returning. Thank you for this.
I also loved H is for Hawk and recently watched the movie version--I thought it was well done and the actual birds are just so fascinating to see, I wish there had been more of them featured in motion. But worth a view, imo.
Oh this is so true - the noise! Thank you for writing about it. And thankfully with the first spring edibles coming from the ground, simple cooking is again possible. I slowly sautéed some lovely local baby bok choy with garlic slivers last night and it was heavenly. And I’m finding myself completely enchanted by the robust showing of fresh chives at my back door and I am showering everything with them for the very purest, simplest taste of spring.
Thank you for including my farro recipe - that is truly one of my favorites.
Hope you are getting around okay despite your shoulder armor.
Marita Golden and Permission: Loved Permission, which gave me permission to continue with my memoir writing. And Marita: took a workshop with her last summer at Chautauqua: one of the best ever. As for quiet cooking: one of my greatest pleasures is lunch in my Adirondack chair sitting under my cherry tree in the front yard, and listening to the quiet of our neighborhood on a weekday afternoon, enjoying my yogurt piled high with berries, a book on my lap, a lazy hour by myself.
Last week I cooked two pounds of chickpeas for my freezer pantry. I freeze them in 2-cup portions and had a cup extra this time. Into a bowl they went with some early ramps and parsley sliced in, a drizzle of good olive oil and generous squirt of lemon. Instant lunch!
Oh wow, this is a list I never knew I needed, quiet foods. How lovely, thank you so much for sharing. This is probably one of my favorite quiet foods, I just use whatever herbs I have on hand. It comes together quickly and feels like a warm hug. https://cocoetsel.com/creamy-beans-with-herb-oil/
I've been rereading Tamar Adler's An Everlasting Meal, and it's so grounding. Last night I put on a pot of water, as she suggests, and made dinner out of boiled things that I covered with olive oil. A good reminder that the kitchen can be a calm and quiet refuge.
I live under the Growler jet noise flight plan..and most people have no idea just how crazy loud that can be. You can not hear a person indoors sitting next to you speak and you must wear noise cancelling headphones just to get through the noise at damaging decibel levels. You can certainly not be outdoors when they are flying overhead. What always bewilders me is how people equate noise with nostalgia and loyalty to the military. For me they are separate. Noise by its very definition is unpleasant. No one one says...lets have some noise...do they? Quiet gentle foods sound like nourishing foods to me. Soups would be at the top of my list. Their high water content makes them nourishing. I make soup every week, it's my go to dish for settling me into my shoes. All the best!
What a lovely idea. Quiet, gentle and nourishing foods. I am reminded that I need to reach for my stained copy of An Everlasting Meal more often…it is a unique gem of a book.
A quiet recipe that I adore is slow roasted cherry tomatoes and garlic, seasoned with salt and pepper, in lots of olive oil. In the last stages of roasting I add a can of rinsed white beans. If you have fresh herbs to finish then hooray for you! It’s perfect as a side, but makes a delicious little supper all on its own.
I wowed my guests at a casual dinner at home a few years ago with a first course of Via Carota's Insalata Verde. A bit of work to shop for (3-4 types of lettuce; heaped, not tossed) and prepare (wash, spin dry and dry some more) but the result was worth it. The accompanying vinaigrette recipe is divine.
I regularly read Doris Grumbach and it seems I'll be regularly reading you. Nonfiction/memoir masterclass begins in two weeks. Our first assignment is to read (in my case reread) "Permission," identify the chapter that speaks to us most loudly and discuss it. I can't decide. I've read the book twice. I must decide. I may have to read it again. I'm so glad I told Marita (Golden) about "Permission." She was so wowed she assigned it to class and will do so from now on. Thank you. Now. Tell me which chapter I should choose.
Thank you 🙏🏻
I'm salivating and reveling in the sound of birdsong and the familiar, chesty rattle of my old refrigerator. Nothing else. No music or chatter. Just the quiet, and the smell of banana muffins baking in the oven. I am with you, Elisa. These times beg for stripped down simplicity. A returning. Thank you for this.
I also loved H is for Hawk and recently watched the movie version--I thought it was well done and the actual birds are just so fascinating to see, I wish there had been more of them featured in motion. But worth a view, imo.
Oh this is so true - the noise! Thank you for writing about it. And thankfully with the first spring edibles coming from the ground, simple cooking is again possible. I slowly sautéed some lovely local baby bok choy with garlic slivers last night and it was heavenly. And I’m finding myself completely enchanted by the robust showing of fresh chives at my back door and I am showering everything with them for the very purest, simplest taste of spring.
Thank you for including my farro recipe - that is truly one of my favorites.
Hope you are getting around okay despite your shoulder armor.
Marita Golden and Permission: Loved Permission, which gave me permission to continue with my memoir writing. And Marita: took a workshop with her last summer at Chautauqua: one of the best ever. As for quiet cooking: one of my greatest pleasures is lunch in my Adirondack chair sitting under my cherry tree in the front yard, and listening to the quiet of our neighborhood on a weekday afternoon, enjoying my yogurt piled high with berries, a book on my lap, a lazy hour by myself.
Thanks Elissa,
Such a generous post, I so love to quitely cook quiet food!
Last week I cooked two pounds of chickpeas for my freezer pantry. I freeze them in 2-cup portions and had a cup extra this time. Into a bowl they went with some early ramps and parsley sliced in, a drizzle of good olive oil and generous squirt of lemon. Instant lunch!
Oh wow, this is a list I never knew I needed, quiet foods. How lovely, thank you so much for sharing. This is probably one of my favorite quiet foods, I just use whatever herbs I have on hand. It comes together quickly and feels like a warm hug. https://cocoetsel.com/creamy-beans-with-herb-oil/
One of my favorite comfort meals
https://smittenkitchen.com/2013/07/one-pan-farro-with-tomatoes/
I've been rereading Tamar Adler's An Everlasting Meal, and it's so grounding. Last night I put on a pot of water, as she suggests, and made dinner out of boiled things that I covered with olive oil. A good reminder that the kitchen can be a calm and quiet refuge.
That whole idea changed the way I think about cooking.
I live under the Growler jet noise flight plan..and most people have no idea just how crazy loud that can be. You can not hear a person indoors sitting next to you speak and you must wear noise cancelling headphones just to get through the noise at damaging decibel levels. You can certainly not be outdoors when they are flying overhead. What always bewilders me is how people equate noise with nostalgia and loyalty to the military. For me they are separate. Noise by its very definition is unpleasant. No one one says...lets have some noise...do they? Quiet gentle foods sound like nourishing foods to me. Soups would be at the top of my list. Their high water content makes them nourishing. I make soup every week, it's my go to dish for settling me into my shoes. All the best!
i just love this...thank you x