Cook For Others: Part 1

People show love in different ways, in fact, understanding how people love is a key to understanding them.

My Subject
I am 100% to blame for my super-hot boyfriend being unable to lose weight - although he is working on some rock hard biceps.

Hang on. I need a moment.

My guy is basically forced to deal with me cooking for him - joyfully, too. I mean, I'm not super-awesome cook or something, I'm sort of a sniff-and-dump cook. I dump some stuff together, sniff some seasonings and add based on my nose.

Although, I have been doing this as a way to feed myself since the 2000s. I do come from a long line of great home cooks.

Finding People
Sometime it is hard to get in there for others. I think this is because we are trained in the rhotic of helping others more than the function. Sometimes it feels like things would be easier if the victim got him/herself together so s/he could figure out how to direct the people who have no clue what to do.

Making it Work
Being there for others shouldn't completely drain you or bring you to a place you can't get up from - though sometimes you have to throw yourself on the fire for someone. Anyhow, I learned it is good to have a couple things on hand so when someone needs you, you don't have to scramble.

These items include:

• Booze. 

Ok, there is more.

• Wine. 
• Tea. 
• Coffee. 
• Hot cocoa. 
• Muffin mix.
• Quick cookie recipe.
• Cheese.
• Blank cards.
• Soup recipe.
• Stuffed animal.
• Containers you don't ever expect to get back. 

You might want to alter the list if you have a friend who love something or has some specific comfort food - like chocolate. I don't really keep chocolate around. I don't like it.

Cooking for Others

It is rare to find someone or to have a relationship with someone who is down and out or dealing with a tragedy who is able to say what is most needed - a laugh, company or a meal. As my friend said when she was a new-new Mom:

Melissa: You have no idea how much I just wanted someone to cook us a homecooked meal!

I had no idea. So, when she was dealing with a hard week - I said I would made dinner and bring it over for her and her husband.

Cooking

I think cooking food it a good way to help families out - first, they don't have to worry about dishes or food to buy and ideally they have one or two healthy meals they just have to warm up. However, I'm also both vain and lazy, so, I figured out what I can make that is great and quick. 

Chicken Soup

If you don't know how to make chicken soup, you need to learn. Here's how you do it:

• 1 chicken or whatever pieces of a chicken you have.
• Vegetables - Carrots, onion, celery, parsley.
• Pot. 
• Parsley.
• Salt/pepper.
• Water. 

Chop up the stuff and put it in the pot. Cover with water. Simmer for an hour or whatever. You can make a huge pot and freeze part of it for whenever the flu season strikes. Once you nail this recipe you can add or subtract things you like or don't like.

Gypsy Stew

Basically how it looks

I got into what I call "gypsy stew" when I moved out - it started with a chicken, tomato and cheese stew and progressed. I don't like broth, I like something I have to chew and makes me think I ate a meal. I was also very poor. I mean, my parents had to send me money so I wasn't out on the street while I worked two jobs.

A gypsy stew is normally mixture of stuff you might have in your kitchen as a peasant. A lot of times, it is a mixture of foods and spices you might not normally put together - like beans and pear. They also are less brothy and more chunky - I like chunky.

Anyhow, this is the second type of gypsy stew I make:

• 2 15oz cans chickpeas or white beans, drained
• 3-4 carrots, thickly sliced (your call as how much you want)
• 8 cups chicken or vegetable stock (for thicker use less, for thinner use more)
• 1lb pumpkin or butternut squash (or a mix), peeled and cut into chunks
• 2 medium pears, peeled, cored and cut into chunks (can be underripe)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3-4 large garlic cloves – coarsely chopped (don’t dice)
• 2-3 medium ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped so fluid can cook out
• Handful green beans, trimmed and cut up
• A couple handfuls of blanched almonds
• Sweet paprika (not smoked)
• Thyme.
• Olive Oil
• Salt/Pepper
• Fresh mint (garnish)
• Red wine vinegar (to taste/garnish)

You will need your Dutch oven, a skillet and a bowl.

In the Pot:

• Combine the chickpeas, carrots in your Dutch oven and cover with stock, bring to a boil over medium heat.
• Add the squash, green beans, pears and salt to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered until the vegetables have softened, about 15-20 minutes.

In the skillet (while pot is cooking):

• Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the almonds and garlic and cook until the almonds are golden brown. Transfer almonds/garlic to a bowl, leaving behind as much oil as possible in the skillet. Pace the garlic/almonds in a food processor or coffee grinder and grind until finely ground.
• Add the onion to the skillet and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add the paprika to the onions and stir for a few seconds. (I threw in a LOT of paprika because it’s good).
• Add the tomatoes to the onions and a few tablespoons of the cooking liquid and cook until the tomatoes soften and reduce, about 7 minutes. It’s ok if the tomatoes have some chunk, you just want all that tomato juice to be swimming around.

In the Pot (bringing it all together):

• Gently stir the tomato mixture into the pot with the chickpeas – you want to maintain some tomato chunk.
• Add the ground almonds/garlic.
• Add thyme - you can never have too much.
• Continue cooking until all the vegetables are very soft and the pumpkin is almost falling apart, 5-7 minutes longer, adding more broth if the stew seems too thick.
• (Optional) Stir in the vinegar. Add a handful of almonds for some crunch.
• Taste for seasoning, adding more salt, pepper and/or vinegar if necessary.
• (Optional) Garnish with the mint and throw in some pear and almonds for texture.

Thoughts

This strew fed about seven people without too much trouble. You could stretch it out if you added more broth or another can of beans. Get some crusty bread and you got a winning combo. Overall, it is fairy cheap and filling. 

You could add apple or any range of spices to change the flavor. You can also add meat (the picture, for example, has meat since it is a recipe from Andalusian Gypsy Stew that has pork).

It was nice to cook for my friends - they all enjoyed it, even the meat-eaters. I, however, did not eat it because I can't have beans.

Another exciting thing thing brought back was the "food container exchange" where me and my friend down the street trade a container, each filling it with some food we made. I think the next bit I give him back is going to be cookies, but, you never know. 

Be Part of the Adventure
Do you have a suggestion or want to see me attempt something? Drop me an email at AdventuringAmanda@gmail.com with your suggestion.

Image Credit
Strew picture from blogstew.net