site search by freefind	advanced

Complaints!
I know that I blew up about it once before, but would somebody please explain to me why-oh-why when the great chefs slave over a dish - any dish! - simple or extremely complicated, just before they show it or serve it, the chef will always grab a bottle and say "and we must not forget to dribble some olive oil over it!"... Why?... And when you finally do taste that great dish, all you get is olive oil in your mouth?... Why?... It honestly is beyond my comprehending!!!

And, what happened to the English language? There was a headline over a long article in one of the English papers: "Anna Jones's recipe for fava puree and orecchiette with romanesco"... Why do I have to cook with a dictionary?... It is ridiculous! Most recipes in our newspapers are not in English! I think it is very confusing! And then I found this in a newspaper - about an "aha!" moment! Maybe that is why we use non English words! Have you had an "aha" moment lately?... Finding the right word, or remembering a name that's been on the tip of your tongue all afternoon, learning a good cooking trick or tip can be an "a-ha" moment so satisfying that you say it out loud. Learning to check cakes for done-ness with a strand of spaghetti, for example, was, and years later still is, a proper "a-ha!". As are pressing an unpeeled clove of garlic with the heel of your hand so it splits and the skin comes away, but your hand smells for hours, unless!....you start rolling a lemon back and forth on the table so it gets juicy! Never heard of tucking cold butter in a back pocket, but I do leave a tapped hard-boiled egg in icy water for 30 seconds so the cracked shell comes away like a cloak... Even though these tricks are now common - banal, even, when there are YouTube videos documenting them, it doesn't take away from the fact that these are daily "a-has" as satisfying as getting a 7-letter word in Scrabble! Yes, we play every day and love it!

And, remember when we were taught how to cook, one of the important facts was that when we reheat food, it loses taste and we must re-spice it? Well, I found a banner headline in the Guardian which says: "Why food gets spicier when reheated"? They give you no good reasons for this statement, just tell you that ants hate bay leaves so put a lot of bay leaves around your spice shelf! Why all this confusion?...

A reader, sent me this recipe for the easiest-no-bake-Cheese-Cake, saying that she too is without an oven and knows how it feels! I have not made it yet and think that it may not be sweet enough... What will make it firm?... She claims that she made it and it is good. Maybe you-all want to give it a try. I will make it when my son comes home...

500gr. Ricotta cheese, drained
225 gr. Cream cheese
4 tablp. Honey
1 lemon
In processor; process the cheeses, add the grated zest of the lemon, plus the juice of half of it, add the honey and taste. May need more honey...
Refrigerate till its firm.

I made a lovely sauce for meat-balls the other day; a nice change from my usual meat patties! I miss making a meat loaf! I must try frying it on low heat on a pan! Low heat?...I do not have any! Anyway, meat balls! You mix the meat the usual way you do for hamburgers. This recipe added a grated potato to the meat. Let it rest in the fridge while you make the sauce. Chop one onion and into hot oil it goes; add quite a few chopped garlic cloves, up to you how many; I put in 4 - the recipe called for 6! Mix-mix. Add a large chopped tomato, some tomato paste, salt, pepper, and paprika, some sugar, and 3 cups of water. Simmer that for about 10 minutes. I like a smooth sauce, so I crushed it with my magic spoon...form the meat into balls, drop into the sauce and simmer again together for about 20 minutes.

Send your questions to The Wacky Cook: email: debbiemorgenshtern@gmail.com      

Debbie Morgenstern is the author of "My Life in Israel" and other short stories.
"My Life in Israel" can be purchased by accessing this link: "My Life in Israel"