In preparation of a simple Sunday supper for a friend and I, I was hit quite strongly as to why I’ve become attached to food and cooking these past few years: love.
Cooking for others has become the most tangible way for me to tell them that I love and care for them without directly saying, “I care about you and want to do something to show you that I do.” It’s done not by thinking those words, but by feeling them. This is hardly revolutionary. But as someone who is trying to put that caring toward herself (Solo Suppers Beyond Cereal), I need to regularly remind myself. It’s not about keeping up with the Culinary Jones’, but keeping on top of making my special peeps feel as special as I can make them. Food is nourishment. For the body and the heart. The act of sharing it with another person or showing a little love to yourself is so basic, yet so important. It is nourishment for the soul.
The act of making a simple supper made me happy, made me busy. The simple supper made someone else happy after a long week. Thus, it was one of the best of recent memory.
Cornmeal-Crusted Tilapia
3 bowls: One, about 0.5 cup of flour, salt and pepper. Two, a beaten egg. Three, about 0.5 cup of cornmeal.
Dip tilapia fillets (washed and dried) in flour, then egg, then cornmeal. Place on greased, tinfoil-lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes at 450 degrees. Then broil for about 3 minutes until lightly browned.
Serve with sauce made with 0.75 cup of plain yogurt, 1 minced garlic clove, 1/4 cucumber, seeded and chopped, juice of 1 lemon, salt and pepper.
Shaved Asparagus and Fennel Salad
I skipped the capers, topped with shaved Piave Vecchio.
Last-Minute Salad
8 halved cherry tomatoes, 3/4 cucumber, seeded and thinly sliced, 1 sliced mango, few teaspoons of chopped mint. Dressing of 3 parts sesame oil, 1 part rice vinegar, 1/2 part honey, 1/2 part Sriracha.
Rice pudding and Blueberry-Lime Compote
Compote: 1 cup of frozen blueberries, zest and juice of 1 lime, 2 teaspoons of sugar. Simmer everything together for about 20 minutes. Cool completely.
3 comments
A Canadian Foodie says:
Apr 27, 2010
What a beautiful meal! Healthy, delicious, nutritious and FRESH! The dessert a bowl of comfort. You are fortunate to sit beside such a lovely big window when you ear.
Thanks for sharing these recipes. This is certainly a labour of love!
🙂
Valerie
Lora says:
Apr 27, 2010
Love.
Will try this.
Carol says:
Apr 30, 2010
Lovely sentiments and a lovely meal.