There was a personal joke within the family that my grandmother had the best recipes and everything else she might have needed to start her own takeaway business – except, perhaps, for an enterprising spirit, the financial capital and the desire to see her cooking hands made common and expendible. I have always wondered where these recipes stemmed from, and suggested to my mind that perhaps it all started with the mentality of her home-town, where vegetables were plentiful and meat was dear, refridgeration non-existent and food never went to waste.
Whatever the reason, for as long as I can remember her cooking philosophy has revolved around the tenets of sharing, of copious quantity and outstanding quality. There was the familiar hum of Elvis Presley’s “Suspicious Minds” playing on the radio by the windowsill, a dusty double-threaded apron held up by a makeshift knot, the steady lick and hiss of olive oil heated above a gas stove and even the good company of family. Like any well-prepared venue, early in the chilly winter morning the starchy tablecloths would be brought out of the cupboards and laid out over the tables beneath the pergola. With a deft toss of the hands, they would burst from their pleats and gracefully glide over the table, settling over like an ironed petticoat.
We worked a production line together with flour and egg and mess, each person kept to a predefined role worked until perfection, to make sure that the food was ready for our demanding customers. That is, the fathers’ and the uncles’, neighbours and their children eager and well-baited by the aroma and mirth.
Once the food was cooked, we displayed our goods proudly on large platters lined with paper towels and filled bags made of greasing paper with the leftovers. Even friends of relatives and distant strangers from the farthest parts of the neighbourhood converged and indulged in what we had to offer – parcels and plates filled with simple fare that mimicked and perhaps even rivalled a take-away shop from the olden days. I even recall bringing the leftovers to school and being the envy of all my friends.
In this series, I will present to you three of the delicious meal and conversation starters that I have learned from my grandmother in the hope that you might bring together your own friends and family in the same spirit. As always, you are welcome to take away as much or as little of these posts as you like — recipes born at home and made for taking away from the kitchen.
INGREDIENTS
copious olive oil (preferably pure, not virgin, or pomice)
copious bunch of parsley
copious sprinkle of oregano
1 large head of cauliflower
5 garlic cloves, diced
5 fresh eggs
300-500g breadcrumbs (preferably unfried)
small tub of parmesan cheese (approx. 100g)
ground white pepper to taste
sea salt to taste
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