SLOW DOWN!

It’s winter, and in today’s frenetic world, where people don’t write letters to stay in touch, they ‘forward’ emails; where fast food is the favoured norm, in all it’s artificial and unhealthy glory; and where we stay in touch via post it notes and SMS messages rather than over a long languorous meal, maybe it’s prudent that we spend some time thinking about SLOW FOOD.

Summer is perfect for salads, stir fries, and quick grills, but winter screams out for slow braises, hearty and fortifying soups, aromatic and succulent roasts, and rich healthy stews.

In many regions of southern France, the onset of winter is signalled by a Beef Daube, slowly braised in the oven for four or five hours with bacon and vegetables.  The Moroccans favour the lamb tagine (see the recipe above) which usually add some preserved or dried fruit, again for health reasons.  And then there’s the divine Italian osso bucco, which stews pieces of veal shank in a rich sauce.

There are so many advantages to cooking these great, traditional dishes: this is comfort food, designed to bolster the immune system during the cold months, and is dynamically restorative and healthy.  As an added bonus, the cuts of meat are usually considerably cheaper than those we would cook quickly.

And perhaps best of all, this is the sort of food which you can turn into a real occasion – glorious in it’s simplicity!  If we take the time out – even just once every week or two - not only will baking, roasting, and stewing fill your kitchen and home with divinely rich and hearty aromas, but you can involve your partner, kids, and friends and make it into a real family activity.

Have the kids peel the potatoes and carrots while you cut the meat.  This isn’t a chore to be forced onto them, this is about allowing them to feel involved in such a simple and organic process as cooking – about the magic of hands-on transformation.  As a rough, dirty potato turns into a creamy mash, a chicken into the best restorative soup you’ve ever tasted, or a lamb leg into a the Moroccan flavoured tagine I wrote about earlier, it’s about getting back in touch with the earth, which generously provides us with so much great produce, and growing closer together as a family.

While these great dishes are slowly cooking, you have the time to relax with a glass of wine, play a board game, or do a crossword together.

Food should be a way of life, never an inconvenience.

Be excellent to each other!

Shane Pinnegar

July 2003

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