Category Archives: food

food education

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“I profoundly believe that the power of food has a primal place in our homes that binds us to the best bits of life.”

Jaime Oliver
English chef

A great 20 minutes from Jaime Oliver at TED this year (probably a good one for your kids to watch too – 12 and up).

I completely love the accent. It’s brilliant. Isn’t it?

Speaking of dining… Can I give you 3 ideas that have had a great impact in our house?

here’s the deal

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I’m sick and tired of those little chunks of dirt you feed me twice a day.

I don’t care what the books tell you. I CAN taste food and it won’t make me any fatter than you, @ss#ol&.

When you leave this house, I do NOT care. I will jump onto these counters and eat anything you mistakingly leave out. It’s worth any wrath you could possibly dish out. I’m so sick of eating that tasteless crap… every… single… day.

All of you… constantly talking about this dish or that dish… in this fancy kitchen. I eat out of a bowl in the BATHROOM… from food that comes in 45 pound BAGS.

AM I a part of this family or not? Huh?!

I am NOT an animal.

– Sesto

attention, love

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My father and I took cooking classes last month in Florence and Venice — an incredible way to celebrate 100 years of life between the two of us. The Spaniard and my mother were with us, investing their time in the art museums, churches, and chapels while we were cooking (saving the must-see touring for when we were out of class).

Francesca was our cooking instructor for two sessions in Florence.

On the second night, we took a run at a more challenging menu (more challenging for us, anyway)–

  • Pappardelle sulla lepre (fat pasta with a hare sauce)
  • Quaglie sul crostone (pancetta wrapped quail served on toasted thick bread slices – my mouth is literally watering as I type this)
  • Sweet and sour peppers

As we were cooking the quail, I asked Francesca why we didn’t use the oven.

 

“You use the oven for things you don’t love,” she said.

Very nice, I thought. Not entirely true from a cooking standpoint (in my novice opinion and most likely in her expert opinion) but the spirit of what she said, I understood completely (here’s a great oven example of something we made a couple of weeks ago but with rockfish – outstanding).

To create something wonderful requires attention– on the stove, in a family, at work.

Attention is where everything really begins.

What gets yours? What deserves yours?

(nice work, Francesca)

(more shots from “Cent’ anni” – our trip in Italy)

“Cent’ anni — It means a hundred years. It means we should all live happily for a hundred years — the family.” — The Godfather Part II

(the finished Quaglie sul crostone and peppers)