Wednesday, April 3, 2013

On White Walkers and the Survival of the Fittest



'Sometimes I think the world has gone completely mad. And then I think, "Aw, who cares?" And then I think, "Hey, what's for supper?"' - Jack Handey

I've started getting veg boxes in my local grocery delivery. I did it in part because it was good value but more because I like the element of surprise and the idea of cooking with food I wouldn't normally. I remember a girlfriend of mine back in San Francisco talking about her farmer's market veg box: 'It makes me cook new things because I don't want to waste anything. The other day I got loads of kale. Kale! I've never cooked with kale before. I sauteed it with cannellini beans. And I made kale chips! Kale chips with rosemary! When would I have ever made kale chips with rosemary before someone delivered a box to my door with kale in it that I had to use?'

I've always remembered this Adventures with Kale story and I fancied that someday I too would get a veg box delivered to my door and I would cook lovely new things, like chips made from crispy greens that I would then dip into freshly-mashed avocados in my volcanic-rock mortar bowl while my homemade ricotta is curdling away in the background.

So recently when my local delivery offered a veg box option, I jumped on it, fantasies of fresh, exciting produce dancing before me. And then I opened my first box. Potatoes. Onions. More potatoes. Broccoli. Carrots. A couple more potatoes. Leeks! There must be something wrong. Where's my kale? My savoy cabbage? My Jerusalem artichokes? WHERE ARE MY SEXY NEW VEGETABLES FOR ME TO MAKE SEXY NEW FOOD WITH??

And then I remembered where I live, and how delicious root veg is, and got on with it. So now I'm killing soups and risottos and I'd like ANYbody to question the Deep South way I cook anything leftover (namely, covered in brown sugar and roasted to oblivion, next to a slab of steak or fried chicken). Because dangit, Winter is Coming (and by that I mean, 'already here') and the Others are on their way.

Beyond the Wall.

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a Kitchen Sink risotto to stir and dragonglass to sharpen. I'll see you soon.

Big hugs and lots of love,
Essss