"And let it simmer for 6 hours...."

SAY WHAAAAAAATTTT???!!!!!


No, non, nein, nyet...I wish I know more words in other languages which means NO!

If you are reading this, I'm sure you have seen those celebrity chefs on TV rambling about a heavenly delicious meal while the TV screen taunt you with a plate...beautifully decorated...steaming hot...you can almost smell it! Ooooh...that looks soooo delicious...

You grab your notebook, you dump the contents of a drawer on the kitchen counter looking for something to write with…you find a big marker, that will do...a list of 20 ingredients comes up on your TV screen...you start to scribble furiously while making a mental note that you want a Tivo for Christmas when you realize you won't be able to write everything as the list disappears after 15 seconds, then the chef starts babbling about how easy it is to prepare...just chop everything up, put a couple of ingredients together, blitz it in a food processor with a cup of that liquid which is not on your list because you didn't have time to write it down, combine everything together...

By now you just give up on taking notes (definitely a Tivo for Christmas), no problem...the chef said it's very easy and so far it's easy enough to follow... "And now..." the chef says, put everything in a big pot add a whole bottle of dry white wine, you quickly add on your list...1 btl of dry wihet wine...yes...wihet…you miss spell it as you try to keep up with everything and your hand has difficulties following your brain...anyways, you'll figure it out later. “Add some water, enough to cover everything and bring it to a boil”. So far so good, you managed to follow the cooking procedures until...

"Let it boil for for 5 to 10 minutes, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer gently..." In your mind you're saying, "No problem...simmer gently..." Then with a gentle smile the chef delivers the coup de grace, "for 6 hours..."

OOOMMPPHHH!!! That hits you like a solid punch into your empty stomach...WAIT...the chef is not finished yet...this one is a master in making your life miserable... "you need to keep an eye on it, stir every half an hour or so to prevent it from..."

OOOWWWWW!!!!!! A heavenly delicious meal with a price to pay...6 hours of incarceration at home stirring and watching that big pot which I'm sure will look like a witch's bubbling cauldron half way into cooking time...

On the TV screen, the chef...still with a smile is saying..."it's a simple dish to prepare...yes it takes time to cook, but believe me...it's going to be worth it...

As the chef continues on and on about the rich color, the texture, the aroma and the taste of the dish you toss your notes aside, turn off your TV, grab your car key and drive to the nearest burger joint to grab something quick to eat. I don’t blame you, watching cooking show always makes me hungry, and with the disappointment of something like the above it will make me feel more hungry…

So you don't believe that anything that needs to simmer for at least 6 hours is as easy as 1, 2, 3 to prepare? How about this Artisanal’s French Onion Soup? Ok, ok...it's not chop, chop, chop...dump everything into a big pot and let it simmer for 6 hours, but it's close enough.


My wife made me a french onion soup. The first time she made it for me, I fell in love...with the soup...the sight of the melted cheese, golden brown...crispy and bubbly. My wife told me to be careful and wait a few minutes unless I want my mouth to melt just like the cheese. I waited patiently, drooling like my dog when he's hungry and is told to wait until I have his food ready. When my wife told me to go ahead and dig in, the smell of the melted cheese, onion and whatever alcoholic beverage that she put in the soup burst out as I break the melted cheese crust...intoxicating...I took my first spoonful of the soup...the texture, spongy from the bread...crispy and chewy from the cheese...the taste, beefy...creamy...salty...sweet with a hint of alcohol, probably the leftover wine from the day before, I'm not really sure but until now my wife won't give me the recipe. She said that it's one of her specialties and she doesn't want me to mess around with it. Hey, that's fine with me...I only know that it didn't take her more than a couple of hours to make it.

Personally I don’t have anything against slow cooked dish. When it comes to it, I love slow cooked meals. I come from Indonesia and we have tons of dishes that need to be cooked slowly for hours. And to get that authentic taste of the food not only they need to slowly cook they often need to be cooked not on an electric or gas stove but on a traditional wood stove …in a clay pot…with traditional music playing on the background…from an ancient record player…ok…I’m starting to over exaggerate things…writing about food makes me hungry…must eat…be right back…

Pause…

Pause…

Ok, I’m back and back on track…

For me slow cooked meal is something that I do in rare occasions when I invite people over for dinner and I’m in the mood to impress. Otherwise, I like the type of meal with preparation and cooking time combined of about an hour or less, two hours max for a more elaborate meal and only if I’m really in the mood. Working the evening shift I don’t have the time or the energy to cook a slow cooked meal. Don’t get me wrong, fast doesn’t mean tasteless, and simple doesn’t mean I slap air between two slices of bread and call it a sandwich.

Food…make it simple…I’m sure you know what I mean…