Is ‘healthy-ish’ still a thing? The (newly) woke culture of Bon Apetit will surely tell us. Their site really is a wondrous resource.
High powered blender screaming louder than the upstairs neighbours domestic. Engine smouldering with that sweet burnt electrical wire and rubber. Freezer drawer left open chiming away the shrillest of notes.
Nothing quite like chipping away frozen berries and bananas from one another. Perhaps a little counter top smash your pre-packed ziplock of promise.
Welcome to January and the time to despise yourself, your family, your colleagues and the weather. Even the Christmas gift left on the sideboard is taunting, golf balls that cannot possibly be used for another 4 months.
But alas here come the endorphins!
Strap on the ice runners and hit the black top, breakfast on the past years abundance of fruit and even in the cold morning darkness be thankful for the year survived. Everybody picks something to hustle them out of the wintery funk and sleep and diet should be the foundations you build these resolutions on.
It is dark so sleep plenty. The only fresh foods seem to be dairy and roots so gratin? Food and drink is all that soothes me on a blistery cold night. Thinly slicing a rutabaga, placing half in a pan with a thinly sliced onion some butter, salt and cream. So low and so slow with a lid atop will keep all the sweet flavonoids inside. Many a minute later and a whisk will easily break down our unctuous mixture.
Topping our sliced ruties with this mix and adding a cheese that will melt or crisp or both when grilled or baked is truly the epitome of winter cuisine.
Every root vegetable works for this as well. Cooking is too simple if you trust the basic science that gentle heat and a little fat makes vegetables wonderful. Serving with cheese and bread (as we have for thousands of years) is the sharpest way to round out a winter meal, dare I say adding any remnants of that sauerkraut or piccalilli jar we all have stashed in the back of the fridge?