Stop reading

and a list of recipes I’ll be tackling in 2022

I hope you know I don’t really want you to stop reading.

But on this Boxing Day, the day after the most unusual Christmas ever, I encourage you to turn off the noise.

Noise mean different things to all of us, doesn’t it? It could be a compulsion to read the latest headlines, or to obsessively scroll through our social feeds. It could be checking constantly for emails, or even more incessant, having notifications turned on so we don’t miss a beat. Perhaps worst of all is waking to our phones, the glowing light a seemingly benign beacon that really starts it all.

But really, don’t you know everything you need to know right now, in this moment?

The seeds of inspiration

It was at that time that Mrs. Hoggett began to worry about her husband. But Farmer Hoggett knew that little ideas that tickled and nagged and refuse to go away should never be ignored. For in them, lie the seeds of destiny.

Babe (1995 movie)

This may be a time to listen to our own tiny voices. Not your big bossy inner voice. We all know that one too well. You know, the one that doesn’t like your hair today, or thinks that was a really stupid thing to say, or is worried about what other people think. Give her the day off too.

Shhh. There is an even tinier voice inside. It’s very polite. It doesn’t shout or stamp its feet to get attention. In fact, it often doesn’t speak at all. It’s a busy gardener, sowing miniature seeds of inspiration, protecting them from too much criticism or not enough attention.

But it’s also a little sneaky, a little mischievous. Those little sprouts are not going to be so obvious at first. Be careful not to mistake them for weeds and yank them out too quickly. For therein lies the seeds of destiny.

The magic of doing nothing

If you exercise regularly, you know that recovery time is as important as the workout itself. When we exert physical energy, we also need time to replenish. An empty well can’t water the garden.

In this great piece from Julia di Russo over on Medium, there’s lots of good advice about how to do nothing to replenish our creatives minds (spoiler alert: watching Netflix doesn’t count). In doing nothing, we feed our creative spirit. And in the process, we find those little shoots of inspiration more easily.

What feeds your joy feeds your spirit

It might not be a surprise that where I’ll be spending the day is diving deep into the new additions to my cookbook collection. In receiving these beautiful gifts from my husband, there is a double benefit: I can dream and travel and plan delicious meals ahead, and he can anticipate the fruits of my labour.

But I’ll also be taking a long walk in the wintery sunshine, breathing deep the crisp air, listening to the crunch of dead leaves and ice crackling underfoot, being grateful for the extra two minutes of daylight I’m getting. And when I come back home, I’ll take a peek in my inspiration garden, seeing what shoots are breaking ground.

My 2022 recipe list

For all that it’s a holiday I haven’t really been doing a lot of cooking; that’s today’s project. But as I’ve started poring over my new cookbooks, I see much that I want to make, eat and share.

Here’s what’s caught my eye so far:

Vegetable Simple, Eric Ripert

You have to love a truly top chef that understands the meaning of simple. The first recipe in this book is for microwave popcorn with citrus flavouring, and it doesn’t get much more complicated than that. Here’s what I’ll be trying first.

• Celery root soup

• Romaine Caesar gratin

• Mushroom bolognese

• Zucchini pancakes

• Frozen espresso soufflés

Ripe Figs, Yasmin Khan

The Mediterranean is bursting with amazing food and the pocket that makes up Turkey, Greece and Cyprus is particularly rich. Even more so, Yasmin Khan focuses on the stories of the diverse people and cultures that came to this complicated, beautiful part of the world, and the foods they brought with them.

• Sour cherry jam

• Spiced cornbread with feta

• Imam bayildi (stuffed roasted eggplant)

• Ezme salad

• Pomegranate and sumac chicken

Cook’s Illustrated: The Science of Good Cooking

The folks at Cook’s Illustrated are the gold standard in breaking down the science of cooking, simplifying it and making you a better cook. I know the recipes will be foolproof and the lessons welcome.

• Best French onion soup

• Baked brown rice with parmesan, lemon and herbs

• Braised beef short ribs with Guinness and prunes

• Spanish-style garlic shrimp

• Best buttermilk pancakes

Living Bread, Daniel Leader

As my bread baking has progressed, my understanding of the science behind this very elemental food gets deeper, but this is definitely the journey of a thousand loaves. I’ll enjoy learning more and tacking these more complex recipes.

• Olive filocini

• Pane a fiche

• Volkornbrot

• Sprouted multigrain

• Pain de campagne

Istria, Paola Bacchia

Saving the best for last. My mother was from Istria, the land that history left behind. A country over 1000 years old, it’s been part of Italy, the Austro-Hungarian empire, and is now split between Croatia and Slovenia. My mother was a young woman when she left, and never really returned to that uprooted place. I hope to capture some of her history through the cooking of these recipes.

• Roasted fennel soup

• Mushroom, potato and onion bake

• Pasta strudel with peas and pancetta

• Crepe stack with spinach, ham and blue cheese

• Cabbage rolls