Thursday, August 24, 2006

Happiness is having the right tools for the job


It's been another week of minimal activity in my kitchen. Several times, I've looked longingly at my Rick Bayless cookbook, dreaming of Mexican Fiestas yet to come.

My parents were kind enough to leave me with a few parting gifts after their day of shopping and wandering around on 4th street in Berkeley on Monday.

I can't wait to zest to my heart's content with my new microplane, and pound and pulverize garlic and other delights in my new mortar and pestle. That will especially come in handy when I dive into the Rick Bayless book.

For the uninitiated, a microplane is a very sharp grater that works especially well on things like ginger, nutmeg coconut and citrus, and you can also use it for good old fashioned cheese.

Among other things, a mortar and pestle can be used to smash garlic or nuts into paste (a la pesto...another fine selection to make at the end of summer!). You can use it to crack peppercorns, cumin seeds or other spices. And in case you happen to be full of pent up aggression (I don't know ANYONE like that), using a mortar and pestle is a delightful way to vigorously smash and break things while creating an end result that is delicious, full of tantalizing aromas, and generally good for you!

So let's transform a little bit of that hidden rage into something positive and tasty, shall we? The experts at Soup and Song recommend pulverizing spices as a healthy part of any anger management program.

Until next time, may your kitchen and your heart overflow with good things ;)

2 comments:

Emily Coker said...

You always seem to put it just right.. my friend.

Make No Mistake said...

I can hardly wait until you dig in to Mejico with Rick Bayless..i think you'll love the results of his recipes!