When he cooks for me

He loves making and of course drinking tea. Unfortunately, I do not drink tea. He is not really into cooking. He likes eating. And the best part is, even though he has his favorites, he eats almost everything. Therefore, I can happily carry on with my culinary adventures! However, it is not that he does not know cooking. He can cook simple and basic things. But, because he does not need to cook often, he does not have a feel about it. Whenever he is cooking, he tries to follow the recipe perfectly, to the T. If the recipe calls for cooking the onions for 10 minutes, he will exactly do that. I on the other hand will do that based on instinct and often add my own modifications. Thus, my experiments can yield all sorts of results from delicious to not so palatable. And that is why whenever he cooks, it is very tasty. Special..

My favorite dish cooked by him is some Indian chicken preparation with green beans and peanuts. It is just perfectly spicy and fresh. And whenever I wish him to cook something for me, it is often this dish. He also once cooked for me some simple pasta with tuna and tomatoes. Another dish I loved a lot. I love whenever he cooks. Therefore, this time for my birthday I wished a simple dinner cooked by him. I did not have any specific wish. Just something simple and tasty, maybe some pasta.. That was the plan.

In the afternoon on my birthday, before leaving work, he sent me email with three pasta dishes asking which one I would like most. We had decided to go to the grocery store quickly after work. With all the evenings almost spent outside around these festive days, my fridge barely had anything in it, except chocolates! I choose the pasta dish with lots of veggies; the other two had some heavy cream sauce which are not exactly my favorite. And even though only a limited variety of vegetables are available during winter, especially in the grocery stores, I thought it would be a more fresh and vibrant dish with whatever ingredients available. So, we went to the grocery store.

I chose mushrooms, carrots, asparagus, zucchini, and tomatoes for the pasta. Even though the broccoli was available, we would only need a cup of florets and did not wish the broccoli to stay in the fridge waiting for days and getting spoilt. He asked, “shrimps”? I was like, “no, this time let us just use vegetables and go with the recipe”. The only thing we decided to change was to not use the cream. I was really looking forward to the dinner and the evening as we drove home. “Fresh veggies and parmesan, a perfect combination it is going to be. Especially when he is cooking it for me”!

After reaching home, he started with the preparations for the pasta and I decided to talk to my parents a bit. Of course, before sitting with the skype, I helped him with the not so detailed instructions of the recipe. And while talking to parents also, I was there whenever he had any questions.

“Should I also peel the zucchini”?

“Yes, peel and cut into cubes”. The zucchini was neither very young nor bio.

“Should I start boiling the carrots and then add the asparagus after 10 minutes”?

“No need to boil the asparagus, you can sauté it with the other vegetables”.

I was answering him in between talking to parents. From time to time, I just went to the kitchen counter to supervise if all was going good. Somehow I was juggling well between talking to parents and helping him with cooking. And enjoying the whole thing.

“Do the mushrooms need peeling too”?

“No no, just give them a quick wash”

“And should I make thin slices”?

“No, cut them in halves or quarters, it will be nice and chunky”.

“How much pasta to use”?

And I went to him to take out the pasta for two.

The next big question was regarding the sequence of the vegetables for sautéing.

“First sauté the mushrooms until the water they leave evaporates, then add the zucchini and asparagus, finally when everything is almost done, add the boiled carrots and diced tomatoes”.

And in went the vegetables and the salt and pepper.

As I finished talking to my parents, I moved to the kitchen area. There was a large bunch of parsley lying on the board freshly chopped. On a plate, there was a generous portion of grated parmesan. The sautéed veggies smelled delicious. It was so tempting. Slowly it took the perfect shape as he added the pasta, chopped parsley and the parmesan. It looked vibrant. There was this mouth-watering smell in the air. I could hardly wait to take a forkful and enjoy in the delicate play of flavors.

He had already set the table. There was only time to take a picture for memory before we sat down. I wrapped my fork in pasta, and took a few bits of veggies too. There was a burst of different subtle flavors in my mouth. The chunky sweetness of carrots, the mellow zucchini, the succulent asparagus, the savory meaty mushrooms, the tangy tomatoes giving hint of tart, the fresh aroma of parsley, and the sharpness of parmesan, all created a beautiful medley. Wow! It was simply so delectable. 

Mmmm...

“Is it good”?

“Mmm..hmmm”. I replied in my strange way of saying yes. Between mouthfuls of the delicacy, there was no time to talk.

“Should I make it again”? Coyly he asked me, mimicking the same question I generally ask when I prepare a new dish.

“Yes, of course. I really like it. It is very good. And I would like you to make it again for me”.

It was really very delicious. Whenever he cooks, it is always so delicious. So romantic too.

“You should tell your girl to take breaks from her experiments, and cook more for her.

Now, shouldn’t you”?

;)