Comfort Food Mondays - How 'Bout We Just Eat It The Way It Is?

When I started my series on working in the dairy, Jane M (Hi, Janey!) left a comment hoping that there would be lots of yummy cheese recipes to come.  And I thought, "Great idea!"

Since then, I've been wracking my brain trying to come up with my favourite cheese recipes for you.  But you know what?  I don't actually cook with the stuff!  My use of cheese in food doesn't really extend beyond sprinkling some good grated Parmesan on my pasta.

The rest of the time, I just eat it.  As is.

Many years ago, Alan's sister called me to ask for a good recipe for Brie.  I said, "Bring it to room temperature and serve it with crackers, possibly a good baguette."  She was disappointed, too.  She was hoping for something involving phyllo dough and cranberry jelly.

And it's not just cheese that I do as little to as possible.  It's pretty much everything.  Steak gets a light searing and a sprinkle of salt.  I like my vegetables steamed.  Or raw.

Our seasonings consist of salt, pepper and olive oil.  A bit of butter for corn on the cob. Good grainy mustard and balsamic vinegar for salad dressing.  Chili pepper flakes for when we're feeling a little wild.

It's not that I like bland food, or that I don't like to cook.  It's just that I like what I eat to be recognizable for exactly what it is.  I like to savour the subtleties to be found in a spear of asparagus or a ripe, fresh tomato.

If I'm eating chicken, I want it to taste like chicken and not tomato/olive/paprika/surprise.

It's an odd admission for a food blogger to make, I know.

But when I see the amount of effort it takes to grow a vegetable, or make cheese or bread.  Or the sacrifices involved in meat, I just want to adopt an attitude of simple appreciation.

Thoughts?