Every night, a blank canvas presents itself begging for artistic expression. I’m talking, of course, about dinner prep. It’s a space in the daily rhythm carved out for creativity and creating—a daily arts-and-crafts time that requires no justification whatsoever.
Indeed, our own appetites drive us to it! Animals get hungry, and they eat. Mankind gets hungry, and we bake, whip, chop, cook, and stew. Only man is able to be creative in his consumption.
And the art we produce in the kitchen is uniquely merciful. A subpar watercolor can taunt the painter day in and day out by its presence on the wall. A shotty stool is a regular embarrassment to its maker. But a cake that failed to rise or an over-seasoned soup is eaten, digested, and forgotten.
The kitchen is the art studio of the home—if we will have the humility to try, fail, and try again. It is a place for parent and child to create together and neighbors to high-five floured hands over a successful loaf. And in the end, you get to eat what you make (the best kind of art IMO).
Unfortunately, many of us lack the tools to make good use of our kitchens. Imagine sitting at your easel and finding you have but one crusty brush and three jars of hardened paint. Some of our kitchens are just as bare. But a kitchen stocked with a few trusty cookbooks, some sturdy pots, and basic ingredients invites us to come and play.
Others of us are afraid: We’ve never cooked without a microwave. And others lead lives so crowded with activities that mealtime gets a max of fifteen minutes. In both cases, we regularly end up leaving the creativity to the “professionals”—you know, Wendy, the Colonel, the King.
Don’t resent meal prep—embrace it! Mealtime is a no-questions-asked excuse to explore your personal flair and flavor. Everyone’s got to eat. But before we eat, let’s roll up the sleeves and make.
If you are looking for a creative challenge, Ottolenghi’s Jerusalem will push you to new gastronomical heights. I never would have mixed cinnamon, cardamom, and sumac or discovered za’atar if this cookbook hadn’t pushed me to it.
For starters, try the spiced chickpeas and fresh vegetable salad, chicken sofrito, turkey zucchini burgers, or chicken with caramelized onions & cardamom rice!