In this blog Justin talks about cooking.
I enjoy cooking – it’s always fun to try a new recipe or a new ingredient. How about you? Are you someone who cooks as a chore (something that has to be done), or do you actually enjoy cooking?
I started cooking at university. For two years I shared a house with four other guys and to save money we decided to cook together from Monday to Friday, plus most Sundays. One person cooked each night. My night was Tuesday. I learned to cook a variety of easy dishes, but as we were on a budget it was never very interesting!
After university I worked in the north of England for a year. At that time I bought a nice set of pans, some Global knives (from Japan) and a spice rack with many spices. I got cookbooks out of the library and learned how to make many new dishes, like Indian curries, moussaka, Thai dishes, and so on. I never tried baking cakes or anything as there wasn’t an oven in that house.
Then, after a year backpacking, I finished up living in Japan. And I started cooking again. Every week something new. Of course, in Japan there were lots of new vegetables and sauces to try out.
And 30 years later I am still interested in finding new recipes and new ingredients. And just like when I was at university, I like to cook on a budget – no wagyu beef for me!
Over the last year I have made pear tarte tatin, chutney and tempura with banana flowers (above), canelé, rum raisin ice cream, tiramisu, French baguettes, naan bread, Indonesian style curry, curry with banana, shrimp and lychee, nikuman, lemon meringue pie, Choux au Craquelin, and many more. I’ve also made ginger beer, pine needle soda, and a few other weird drinks. Every week something new.
Are they always successful? No. Are they edible? Yes. Does my family like them? Usually!
In the next few months I would like to try roasting my own coffee beans. A long time ago I bought 100g of cocoa beans in Mexico and roasted them to make hot chocolate, but I’ve never tried roasting coffee beans. I’m also on the look out for a whole cocoa pod to make hot chocolate again, and also to make things with the white stuff in the pod.
In October I will be teaching a short course about cooking (Wed Oct 1st and 8th, 13:30-15:30 – Elementary to Advanced). It’s a great chance to share some interesting recipes or ideas about food and cooking. We will be looking at some of the specialised vocabulary for cooking and learning how to explain a recipe and the steps needed to cook something.
If you enjoy cooking, or even if it’s a chore for you, why not join the class? Maybe you’ll leave with a new recipe to try out or a new ingredient to use…