Although aunt Claudia, my mum’s younger sister, is a good and adventurous cook, this wasn’t the case back in the days when I was a kid. I remember her for three things: One – her shabby baby-blue VW beetle, which she had to have for her first job at the local newspaper and which suited her Hippie-style perfectly well. Two – her boyfriend, who always showed up with yet another car when he picked her up for a date (hint: his father was a car dealer). And three – my surprise when she taught me how to make mayonnaise.
One of the most frequent questions I’ve answered concerning my book and blog is about the source of my inspiration. “Everywhere” as an answer is the slightly boring, *yawn*, yet it hits the nail on the head. Magazine pictures, market vendors, blog articles, TV shows and – most importantly – people talking about food in my everyday life including friends and family.
There are certain recipes that are not to be messed with. No culinary experiments, no fanciful pimpin’. Real classics don’t need it. Instead it’s all about flavorful ingredients that shine on their own. Whenever we attempt a Spanish classic, our friend Carlos is the first reference person. He supplies us with the best Chorizo, feeds his friends the most amazing Jamón Ibérico de Bellota, serves stunning Queimada and has taught us how to make Tortilla de Betanzos together with his friend Juan.
Do you own a deep fryer? I don’t. Sometimes I regret it, but it’s one of those kitchen appliances, that I can’t see myself using more than once or twice a month, certainly not enough to justify the acquisition and deal with another dust collector crowding our shelves. It’s not that I don’t like fried or deep fried food: Pittole, homemade potato chips or apple crullers are among my favorites and the crisp-factor makes it easy to overlook their rather unhealthy character – from time to time. Here is my workaround: if something deep fried makes it onto my cooking list, a wok or medium sized pan/pot together with a thermometer usually do a good job and let you – in most cases – get away with less oil or fat (think pan fried instead of deep fried).
