Welcome to December, I’m not entirely sure how that could be but welcome anyway. It’s always been my time to take inventory of my freezer in anticipation of those fabulous snow days…turns out I have no Mirepoix in there. None, zero, one good snow storm and I’ll starve to death without it. So today was the day.
Onion, carrot, celery the magical base of almost every winter recipe either full or speed scratch for one. You already know which way I’m leaning. In keeping with the speed scratch way, I long ago stopped chopping those fabulous veg in lew of pre chopped. Where is it written that you must chop your own mirepoix? No where.
I start with good olive oil, I love the oils from Italy, and unsalted butter. Classic saute and stir in the veg, does anyone else have a favorite spatula? I thought so.
Here it comes, that smell. The only way to get mirepoix scented air freshener is to cook it. Salt, pepper and any special / signature seasoning and let the water render out. Slowly, until the onions become translucent. You’ll know you’re there when the sizzle begins to get louder as the water lets off. Perfect for freezing and using later.
Pack it up in your choice and size freezer container and let it cool completely uncovered. I use a “for one” size, I can always pull out more if necessary. Dedicate a section of your freezer to these fabulous containers so that you can grab and go with your favorite ingredients.
I’ve been talking about writing this book for years, Speed Scratch Cooking for One, thinking I wanted to stop people living on their own from eating cold cereal for dinner. What I’ve come to realize is that I want to honor all the women who’ve lived on their own and taught me many of these concepts, they would call them tricks and wink.
I’ve got hundreds of stories from these women, “my Aunt’, my beloved Jeanette, and yes Rere with all our stuff made a wonderful and enduring food impact. I’ve learned from many other women, not just my own, and really those are also stories worth telling. Many of these stories are sprinkled throughout Ordinary Legacy and I’ll link them along the way. They have made me what I am today and I love them more and more as I get older and see what they’ve seen.
They loved food, they loved cooking (or they didn’t) and they refused to eat cold cereal for dinner. That said, they had many fabulous ideas for cold cereal sans the milk. Many of them lived on their own for decades and had endless “tricks” up their sleeves, or in their apron pockets.
I admit many of them were old school, or just plain old but that in no way makes them less relevant. They didn’t have many of the modern conveniences we are blessed with, or is it a blessing? These recipes and techniques very likely came from necessity, stretching a dollar, scarcity, dire circumstances, or boredom. They were then brought about with imagination, curiosity or sometimes abundance. Maybe some combination of all those things. Who hasn’t received an abundance of zucchini from a neighbor or your own garden? That now becomes sliced, diced, shredded eaten on its own as a side dish, salad or pasta ingredient, rollatini, or lasagna. Perhaps pickled, frozen or baked into something like bread, cake, muffins, or frittata some of it returned to the giver or those who have less. If you’re a single person at the farmer’s market chances are you’ve come home with more than you need, why not use these same options that same Sunday afternoon to create meals and choices for the week or freezer using simple prep possibilities. The Sunday scaries didn’t exist for these women and you might find they also disappear from your life.
A perfect example: Where they would cook a chicken, we have
the luxury of picking up a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket but the
concept of “for one” would look the same.
Rotisserie chicken speed scratch style;
Carve one breast off, cool and freeze whole in a freezer bag. Chop the other breast into chunks for salad, soup or omelet later in the week.
Wings and carcass onto a sheet pan and into the oven for browning, then into a pot of water with salt, pepper, parsley, and any leftover non starchy veg in the fridge for stock. Strain out the solids, store in the fridge for soups or pour into ice cube trays for single use in sautés, or flavoring pasta water.
Eat the two thighs for dinner immediately, never met an elder who didn’t do this, sometimes not even waiting until dinner. No side dish required, just a piece of good bread for the “juice” aka chicken fat. And a tiny (jelly jar) glass of wine.
If you’ve no desire to do all these steps, or just a few, honestly the damn chicken is so tiny you alone could devour the whole thing in one sitting. I can attest.
I’ve no intention of teaching anyone how to cook but I feel compelled to share some of these tasty bits. Whether you use them or not is completely up to you. Whether or not I gather them together in one place and call it a book remains to be seen but we shall see. No promises = no pressure.
Welcome to December, I’m not entirely sure how that could be but welcome anyway. It’s always been my time to take inventory of my freezer in anticipation of those fabulous snow days…turns out I have no Mirepoix in there. None, zero, one good snow storm and I’ll starve to death without it. So today was the day.
Onion, carrot, celery the magical base of almost every winter recipe either full or speed scratch for one. You already know which way I’m leaning. In keeping with the speed scratch way, I long ago stopped chopping those fabulous veg in lew of pre chopped. Where is it written that you must chop your own mirepoix? No where.
I start with good olive oil, I love the oils from Italy, and unsalted butter. Classic saute and stir in the veg, does anyone else have a favorite spatula? I thought so.
Here it comes, that smell. The only way to get mirepoix scented air freshener is to cook it. Salt, pepper and any special / signature seasoning and let the water render out. Slowly, until the onions become translucent. You’ll know you’re there when the sizzle begins to get louder as the water lets off. Perfect for freezing and using later.
Pack it up in your choice and size freezer container and let it cool completely uncovered. I use a “for one” size, I can always pull out more if necessary. Dedicate a section of your freezer to these fabulous containers so that you can grab and go with your favorite ingredients.
