"Appetite, a universal wolf."
Shakespeare
Snagging a bag of flour in the weekly shop is like hitting the jackpot during lockdown. It's not hard to guess which pantry staples will continue to be in short supply on our local supermarket shelves, though supplies of dried goods, beans, grains and pasta have begun to reappear now that we're not seeing shopping carts nearly as filled to the brim as they were at the start of the shelter in place orders.
Flour, however, remains an elusive score on the pandemic-era shopping list. And anyone who has a bag or two is baking up a storm the likes the western world hasn't seen since the grandparents of today were kids.
What is it with this sudden rush to whip up a batch of homemade oatmeal or chocolate chip cookies each afternoon? Favorite cake recipes from our childhoods have made a massive comeback — and there's a weekly banana bread bonanza on every block in town!
Not to mention the bread. Boules, bagels, sourdough, soda bread, baps, rye, brioche and baguette. Not to mention the focaccia. And our social media feeds stream a veritable visual feast of the photographic evidence that we've all gone nuts for baking.
There is an indisputable truth in that home baked goods satisfy and sooth all of the senses, calming those who are in charge of the daily baked offering, filling our homes with the aroma of comfort and bite by bite, bringing us to table in the knowledge that if there's one thing we still have some control over during this crazy, unsettling, even terrifying times, it's the ability to satisfy the time-old stress-relieving sugar and carb crave that unites us all.
And that's not all we're cooking. Which is a good thing seeing as sugar consumption increases serotonin, a neurotransmitter that regulates mood, appetite, memory and social behavior should be kept to moderation. As sugar boosts our serotonin, we feel happier, albeit temporarily and that's why our brains crave this happy chemical over and over. Still, it goes without saying but I'll say it anyway. We all know that it is vitally important and now more than ever, to keep our diets balanced.
I reached out on my Facebook feed to ask friends and family to share what they've been cooking. What struck me is how adventurous we've become. We're so accustomed to eating and savoring international flavors, we've expanded our standard at-home fare to include a lot more exotic dishes and daring culinary treats.
During this age of Covid-19, foodies are going to town on their home countertops, sharing recipes and inspiring on social media. Others are simply making the most of having the time to plan, shop strategically and cook from scratch. Meals that take longer to prepare are back on the agenda. Other times, it is the simple omelet with garden greens that brings us a little ray of much welcomed joy in our day.
We are eyeing the overhanging lemon tree on our daily walks, planting summer veggies, pickling and prepping for canning season, in many cases, for the first time in our lives. When we stick to a weekly shop or stretch it even longer, it's amazing what we're able to put together from our fridges.
Wild nettle & leek risotto - Frances R
"No one who cooks, cooks alone. Even at her most solitary, a cook in the kitchen is surrounded by generations of cooks past, the advice and menus of cooks present, the wisdom of cookbook writers."
Laurie Colwin
British pub-style pickled onions — Frances R
"By economy and good management, by a sparing use of ready money and by paying scarcely anybody, people can manage, for a time at least, to make a great show with very little means."
Vanity Fair, Thackeray
Kimchi —Herlina H
Greek Night — Elaine S
Pork chops in a spice rub with risotto and Swiss Chard - Susan L
Janis L C — Sourdough Boule
Janis C L — Soufflés
Tamara A — Grilled octopus salad (Anna's Seafood) with McEvoy olive oil
Butternut squash soup and grilled cheese sandwich — Linda S
Nonna's Italian Frittata made from a friend's Swiss Chard — Elaine S
Hot sautéed shrimp salad — Linda St. A
Lemon chicken orzo soup — Lesley M
Yorkshire pudding with mushrooms — Timothy C
Kitchen sink cookies — Lesley M
Liver, bacon and onion on a bed of mash with crispy Brussel sprouts — Francesca R
Vegetarian Molokhia with sumac, onion, olive oil and lemon juice — Hanna A
Pickled asparagus — Kathy S
Hubby's Vietnamese "Nem" rolls — Janis L C
Huevos diablos! — Lotte H G
Yorkshire Pud — Lesley M
Anzac Cookies — Lesley M
Lasagna — Alicia P
Sausage rolls — Colin P
Pickled Veggies — Claire Z S
Still not sure? Meloni C
Ahi tuna about to be quickly seared, in a s’mores holder — Val R
Southern Italian cabbage green savory pie — Timo R
Perfect Baguette — C Smith
Open faced Danish sandwiches with what was in the fridge and freezer — Pia H
Italian green bean, egg, tomato, red onion and potato salad — Nonna Pina
Green String Farm Shop
And a word for those in our communities who don't have the means to stock their fridge and pantry to feed their families fresh, wholesome food, we must continue to support our county, state and country's efforts to keep the food banks, school meal programs and non-profits such as Sonoma County Meal flowing. Here in Sonoma County and neighboring west Marin, much of the best farm produce of the coastal west is being funneled into these programs to feed those in need while avoiding waste of what would, in normal times, supply the region's top restaurants. Chefs, in turn, have redeployed during lockdown into cooking for these vital lifeline programs.
I think we all agree we can't take our food supply for granted. Support local whenever possible. And now that our favorite eateries are taking the first steps to reopening with curbside pick-up, we can begin to imagine eating out again in whatever perimeters the new normal requires. Until then, in the words of Harriet Van Horne: "Cooking is like love, it should be entered into with abandon, or not at all."
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