When I was a newlywed half a lifetime ago, I didn’t know how
to cook a single thing. I didn’t know how to cook rice, or how to fry an egg,
or that hotdogs had to be removed from their plastic casings before being
cooked. I was lucky to have a husband who could actually cook and didn’t mind
making breakfast. The rest of our meals were either donated by our respective
families, or eat outs. At that time, it didn’t seem logical to go through the
trouble to preparing our meals since there was just the two of us. Besides, I
was completely, utterly clueless in the kitchen.
This is one of the first cookbooks I ever owned. It was
actually a gift from beloved friend and mentor, Chef Dorothy Ferreria. She even
wrote a personal message inside…
I was inspired to at least give it (cooking) a try.
The first recipe I tried from this book was the Old Fashioned Potato Salad.
Boiled potatoes, hard boiled eggs, and some condiments mixed together, it
looked easy and straightforward enough. I started by boiling my potatoes (which
husband had to chop for me because I had absolutely no knife skills), and
hard-boiling my eggs. When I opened my eggs, the insides were still soft… not
hard and crumbly as would be ideal for a salad. I shrugged, ate the eggs, and
started boiling again. When I opened my second batch of eggs, they were still
not hard enough. Not wanting to admit to husband that I couldn’t properly
hard-boil my eggs, I ate them again to get rid of the evidence, and promptly
started boiling again. When the third batch of eggs still weren’t hard enough,
I figured I couldn’t keep on stuffing myself with that many eggs and finally
asked my husband if he wanted any. He then asked my quizzically why I was
giving him 2 eggs - didn’t I want
any? Only then did I admit that I had already eaten 4 eggs and couldn’t eat any
more.
When I was finally able to get 2 good hard boiled eggs, I
made the salad, and it turned out, well, pretty good. My husband and mom both
enjoyed it and it felt nice to have
successfully made something on the first try.
I now own many cookbooks, but my go-to guide has always been
Dorothy’s cookbook. From her cookbook, I have learned to make Gambas, Beef Kaldereta, Chicken Barbecue, Chicken
Teriyaki, and many others all from scratch. Her recipes are easy to follow, the
instructions clear and thorough. But best of all the recipes from the cookbook
that I’ve tried so far ALL yielded great results. It gives a novice cook great confidence to try a recipe
knowing that they are kitchen-tested and will actually work. Sometimes, even if
I don’t follow the recipe to the letter, just the instructions on procedure
helps me understand how the cooking should be done and I am empowered to
experiment on my own.
One day a few years ago, my sons and I tried to bake Carrot Cake
with Cream Cheese Frosting from the same book. It was my first time to bake a
cake, and my assistants were 2 jokers, ages 4 and 2. My heart swelled with pride when the cake came out of the
oven – we actually baked our own cake! And the looks on the boys’ faces as they
licked every last bit of cream cheese frosting from the bowl – absolutely
priceless! And the cake turned out so well that we have made it numerous times
since. To this day, my boys refuse to eat store-bought carrot cake. They think
Mama’s carrot cake is the best. But really, I take no credit for it except that
I faithfully followed Dorothy’s recipe word for word.
All these years, the book has been my kitchen companion, my
trusty guide. It has been a quiet presence in my kitchen, perhaps like a wise
elderly aunt, patiently teaching, revealing secrets, sharing tips, wisdom and
experience whenever needed.
This year, I was fortunate enough to attend some of her cooking
classes held in her studio in New Manila. And boy, has my repertoire expanded!
From the Thai class I learned to make Chicken in Pandan Leaves the authentic
way. The chickens are so fragrant, flavorful and juicy that after eating it my dad declared
that he’s apparently never eaten the real deal before. A chicken class taught
me Chinatown Fried Chicken and Chicken Bulgogi, now standard fare in our home.
Today’s Weekend Cook class taught a fantastic oven-baked Lechon that I intend
to replicate at home very soon.
Aside from learning all these wonderful recipes, the
greatest gift is the joy and satisfaction of making something the family truly
enjoys. We now look forward to Sundays not as a day for eating out, but as a
day when we make something together to enjoy at home. When my sons say that
they want me to cook their meals rather than get the packed lunches at school, I roll my
eyes at the work that will entail but feel warm and happy inside. Also, it feels great to be part of a vast community of moms and homecooks, who like me, are happy to share tips and learn something new everyday.
Dorothy gave me this bag as an early Christmas gift. I absolutely love it because in my case, nothing could be more true. I’ve been lucky to be surrounded by fantastic cooks and chefs who generously share their knowledge with me, but it was really Dorothy and her cookbook who first inspired me to cook and bake for my family.
For more information on Dorothy's cooking and baking classes, visit
www.midlifekitchen.com
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