A memorable meal…
the most gorgeous vegetable patch!
… comes from choosing the right ingredients and from cooking with love. Last week I went with friends to Billingsgate Market and bought some red mullet. My father in law likes fish and he was going to be alone, so along with American aunt Ruth, plus fish and some home grown swiss chard we drove all the way to west London to feed this most gorgeous of men! On arrival we found that he had dug some potatoes from his vegetable garden and I cut some vine leaves from the pergola and got hold of some wild fennel that grows there, there were some future onions in the earth and some mature carrots. With that we made the most delicious meal. Nothing fancy in blanching some vine leaves and stuff the fish with some fennel and onions and season well with olive oil, salt and pepper, then wrap in the leaves and bake in some parchment. Ruth braised the carrots with butter and a little water. I pan-fried the chard and boiled the potatoes. Food was ready in a flash and we washed it down with some white wine. A nice catch up with the family and a full moon made it even more special.
What made this meal memorable was the fact that all the ingredients had grown and had been gathered with love and attention and also cooked in a simple manner so that the best of each ingredient showed at its best.
In our busy lives it is difficult to do this, but even if we put a little love and attention to our ingredients and how we prepare them and how we eat them can make a huge difference, try it and see!