Letters from my grandmother’s kitchen
None of this is new, and that is partly why it works. Most of the flavour comes from persistence rather than ingredients. A kitchen scale altered my baking more than any recipe did.
In practice
Modest, repeatable steps beat big plans nearly every time. I make a double batch and freeze half for busy weeks. I like seasonal greens that shows the marks of how it was made. The result is not perfect, but it is truthful.
If you only take one thing from this, make it the part about stews. Looking back, the humble approach was the right call. Most of what I know about pickles came from getting it wrong first. What surprised me most was how little equipment it needed. Nothing here requires a sharp knife, though it does make things easier.
It is not glamorous, but it holds up. Nothing here requires a stand mixer, though it does make things easier. The trick, if there is one, is to leave sufficient room for slip-ups. This is less a guide and more a record of what worked for me.
The process
Between meal planning and preserving, the second one taught me more. I like pickles that shows the marks of how it was made. Good stock is largely a series of modest, unglamorous decisions. Good pickles is largely a series of modest, unglamorous decisions. It took me six attempts to see the pattern.
- Ask someone at the allotment
- Stop before you are tired
- Compare against last spring
- Ask someone at the bakery down the road
Lessons
It took me five attempts to see the pattern. If you only take one thing from this, make it the part about flatbreads. There is a version of this that is much more complicated. This is not that version. I altered my mind about soups twice while writing this. If something here is unclear, that is on me, not you.
It is effortless to overthink cooking for friends. It is harder to just start.
Good pastry is largely a series of modest, unglamorous decisions. It took me three attempts to see the pattern.