Esson - Keep Calm and Cook On: Good Advice for Cooks

Strange to see how a good dinner and feasting reconciles everybody.

SAMUEL PEPYS

MP AND DIARIST (16331703)

The discovery of a new dish does more for the happiness of mankind than the discovery of a star.

JEAN ANTHELME BRILLAT-SAVARIN

LAWYER, POLITICIAN AND EPICURE (17551826)

If youve overcooked your vegetables, save the day by pureing them. Stir in some butter, season nicely and add a little cream if appropriate. Consider flavouring with some chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley or chives, mustard or appropriate spices, such as ground ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon or cumin.

I detest anything over-cooked, over-herbed, over-sauced, over elaborate. Nothing can go very far wrong at table as long as there is honest bread, butter, olive oil, a generous spirit, lively appetites and attention to what we are eating.

SYBILLE BEDFORD

AUTHOR (19112006)

As I ate the oysters with their strong taste of the sea and their faint metallic taste that the cold white wine washed away, leaving only the sea taste and the succulent texture, and as I drank their cold liquid from each shell and washed it down with the crisp taste of the wine, I lost the empty feeling and began to be happy and to make plans.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY

AUTHOR AND JOURNALIST (18991961),
A MOVEABLE FEAST (1964, POSTHUMOUS)

Lots of everyday foods can help combat stress. Among the best are complex carbs such as whole grains, oats, brown rice and wholewheat pasta. Yeast extract, nuts and grains for their vitamin B content they all have a positive effect on the nervous sytem and B3 (niacinamide) seems to work in the way that benzodiazepines like valium do. Vitamin C has been found to help reduce both the physical and psychological effects of stress, so get lots of fresh fruit, such as oranges, kiwis, etc., and veg like leafy greens and mange-tout.

Those who have a profound indifference to the pleasures of the table are generally gloomy, charmless and unamiable.

LUCIEN TENDRET

LAWYER AND GASTRONOME (18251896)

Wimbledon champion and Olympic gold medallist Rafael Nadal cooks pasta for his team the day before an important match to take his mind off it and then again in the evening after a match to chill. His favourite is pasta y gambas prawns with pepper and Spanish paprika (and Spanish olive oil, of course), which he cooked every day before the 2010 Wimbledon finals.

I believe that if ever I had to practice cannibalism, I might manage if there were enough tarragon around.

JAMES BEARD

CHEF AND FOOD WRITER (19031985)

To give more taste to tomatoes in a salad, season their cut sides with a little ground sea salt about 1015 minutes before adding them into the salad to give them a chance to absorb the salt and heighten their flavour.

Some foods can help you relax and sleep better. They tend to be foods rich in the amino acid tryptophan. Important in the metabolizing of protein, it also produces the hormone serotonin, responsible for a range of essential functions, from digestion to the reproductive system and social behaviour. It also plays a large part in the establishing of relaxed mood and soothing sleep patterns. Seeds, such as pumpkin, sunflower and sesame seeds, are rich in tryptophan, as are peanuts and other nuts, oats, dairy products, soy products, shellfish, tuna, turkey, beans, rice, eggs, bananas and wait for it dark chocolate!

Texan Julie Powell found herself in a tedious job seven years after graduating. To combat what she called a tailspin of secretarial ennui, she began a blog chronicling her attempt to cook all the recipes in Julia Childs Mastering the Art of French Cooking. It quickly won a huge following, leading to a book deal. Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen was published in 2005. A film adaptation, also based on Julia Childs autobiography and entitled Julie & Julia followed, with Amy Adams as Julie and Meryl Streep as Julia Child.

I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate.

JULIA CHILD

CHEF, FOOD WRITER AND TELEVISION PERSONALITY (19122004)

Garlickmaketh a man wynke, drynke, and stynke.

THOMAS NASHE

PLAYWRIGHT, POET AND SATIRIST (15671601)

Tomatoes and oregano make it Italian; wine and tarragon make it French. Sour cream makes it Russian; lemon and cinnamon make it Greek. Soy sauce makes it Chinese; garlic makes it good.

ALICE MAY BROCK

ARTIST AND RESTAURATEUR (OF ALICES RESTAURANT)

It is tempting to keep small amounts of wine left in a bottle to use in cooking, but too often they have become more like vinegar by the time they are used. Instead, pour such leftovers as soon as possible into ice cube trays to freeze. Then you can add the cubes straight to your food when needed.

I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.

W. C. FIELDS

COMEDIAN, ACTOR AND WRITER (18801946)

The gentle art of gastronomy is a friendly one. It hurdles the language barrier, makes friends among civilized people, and warms the heart.

SAMUEL CHAMBERLAIN

ARTIST AND FOOD AND TRAVEL WRITER (18951975)

True gastronomy is making the most of what is available, however modest.

CLAUDIA RODEN

FOOD WRITER, PICNIC: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO OUTDOOR FOOD (1981)

A hungry stomach seldom scorns plain food.

HORACE

ROMAN LYRIC POET (658 B.C.)

To get the most juice out of lemons, limes and oranges, first let them come to room temperature if they have been in the fridge, then roll them firmly on a work surface a few times before cutting in half. Alternatively, give them about 20 seconds in a microwave cooker on High.

Life is a combination of magic and pasta.

FEDERICO FELLINI

ITALIAN FILM DIRECTOR AND SCRIPT WRITER (19201993)

A good cook is like a sorceress who dispenses happiness.