“Cooking demands attention, patience, and above all, a respect for the gifts of the earth. It is a form of worship, a way of giving thanks.”
– Judith B. Jone
There is a lot about day-to-day life I find inspirational. Sometimes it is simply walking outside to see the first light spill over the horizon and into Tarboro, often it is in the scripture I read with Rebekah at breakfast, then once-in-a-while some random quote will grab my attention and resonate with my life.
This morning it was the above quote about cooking, and the idea that even preparing food – maybe especially preparing food – can be “a form of worship and a way of giving thanks.”
Recently, as Rebekah and I enjoyed dinner with friends in their homes, I found my interest in cooking rekindled (thanks for the inspiration, June and then Cindy). It’s not that I lost my appreciation for the kitchen so much as the fact that there has been so much else on my mind and I have been distracted.
I only enjoy cooking when I have the luxury of time. Plus, even though this new kitchen really is a great place to prepare food, I have yet to find my rhythm in the new space.
But Saturday I ran across an appealing new recipe and just happened to have all the ingredients on hand. So I gave it a shot and I’m grading myself a solid B-plus.
It’s a French preparation so there is a lot of butter involved.
First, I butterflied a chicken breast before tenderizing, seasoning, dragging through some flour and setting aside. Next I thoroughly mixed two eggs, grated parmesan cheese and parsley and set aside.
In a skillet I heated olive oil and butter along with three cloves of garlic, minced. Then I pressed the chicken into the egg/cheese/parsley mixture and panfried it in the garlic/oil/butter on both sides – lightly – before setting that aside.
Leaving the fond in my pan I added a half-cup of white wine along with a half-cup of chicken broth and some more garlic, reducing over medium heat until it had a nice sauce-like texture. Then the recipe called for the juice of half a lemon and some additional parsley.
Finally, after adding more butter (I said this was French), I returned the chicken to the pan and cooked another five minutes on each side.
All that was left was to pour the remaining sauce over the chicken when serving, along with rice and veggies.
So what is the point of sharing this experience in my blog today? I think it is the reminder that we can find joy and creativity and put ourselves in an attitude of worship, even in the routine tasks we do every day around the preparation of food.
Food is so basic to life, and I believe that our relationship with God is too. So when we apply creativity and a spirit of thanksgiving to something that we do often without even thinking, the kitchen can become a kind of chapel, and cooking a spiritual discipline – and an invitation into grace.
Bon appétit – DEREK
Here is the link to the video I followed: