The whole family gets in on the act in our house...the kitchen is the nucleous of our home; much like my grandparents' and parents' homes when I was a kid.
My Grandfathers were both amazing cooks and so was Dad...my most treasured memories are of these men in the kitchen...no short cuts; everything from scratch. Same goes for my Grandmothers and Mum...EVERYTHING they did looked so effortless!
The smells and sights...in Summer the tomato paste laid out in trays in the sun to reduce; the jams the same (all made from produce from their gardens). The pots bubbling away on the stoves and the sumptious smells from the ovens...OMG the
every Sunday whole family gatherings with huge tables creaking under the weight of masses of dishes laden with food all prepared with love and incredible skill...food was and is a way of life for me; not just something to eat when hungry
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Our pantry is huge and stocked with every 'dry store' imaginable, two fridges are always fully laden with fresh produce and the vegie patch keeps bearing even though I never seem to get the time to give it the love and attention it needs (thankfully Mike and the kids get out there fairly often and tend to it). The freezer is always stocked with home made stocks; a basic tomato pasta sauce and bolognaise at least...
So, the kids know only one way to cook...from scratch pretty much. Billy (10) and Charlotte (12) know which knife to use for what and know when a knife needs sharpening. Mike used to do the sharpening, but now I wait for Tom (17) to sharpen my knives with a stone for me!
How important is food to us? Well Tom is a second year apprentice chef in a brilliant bistro in the city...his whole life is about the love of food - his choice (could be a lot worse couldn't it...17yo kid could be doing all sorts of idiotic things to keep himself "amused").
Billy and Charlotte can both prepare a myriad of dishes; most without a recipe to consult. They are confident enough to experiment with tastes and textures and
love any excuse to drizzle black truffle oil (I have to hide it
).
When a big "cook-up for restock" is on here, it's all hands on deck...and we love it. The mess with so many of us working at once is another matter
...that's the worst of it...the best of it is when we sit down with friends to a table creaking under the weight of all those dishes of food prepared with love...just like the old days
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No child is too young to start to learn the art of cooking... a 2yo could shell peas and help stir (and lick the bowl of course!)....food isn't and shouldn't just be our fuel...it's a beautiful part of life.