Tonight was the night where Carla took a step into the world of Jamie Oliver. Armed with a cookbook by the one and only naked chef and some fresh scallops (although she was not 100% convinced they were fresh when she bought them from a road side vendor) Carla was ready to set taste buds on fire. The dish was Scallops on a bean mash, with bacon.
Jamie Oliver is an inspiring and compelling person. Not only does he cook what seem like achievable dishes, but he does it with an enthusiasm and energy that catches you in his whirlwind. Seeing someone so passionate just can't help but inspire something in you (be that cooking or making you want to search for that inspiration for yourself).
I still remember seeing one of his TV shows years ago set in a London theatre. He set himself a challenge to cook a pizza from scratch in the same amount of time it takes to order and get a pizza delivered. He did just that, making all of the elements (base, sauce . . ). While cooking, he had a pizza delivered to the stage door and the unwitting delivery boy ended up on stage not really knowing what was going on. And not that I am biased, but Jamie's pizza did look way better.
Anyway, back to reality. On to the scallops which turned out to be fresh and tasty (and Carla was informed by Ma Peters that the vendor was well known and decent). The dish was not too complicated but because it was scallops, the magic was all in cooking them perfectly and not overshadowing their flavour.
Carla was her superhero best in the kitchen. I've identified cooking as one of her superpowers - everyone has them. Somehow she picked up a wooden spoon one day and shazam, she was an incredible cook just like when teenage Clark Kent realised he could run faster than a speeding bullet. She was roasting the tomatoes and preparing the sauce. My role revolved around the man jobs (getting stuff out of the oven, juicing lemons, mashing the bean mix and of course cleaning the kitchen- although I am sceptical that this last one is a man job, I think my good nature is being used against me).
The scallops were divine, the mash was an excellent base to the meal with subtle flavours that allowed the scallops to shine and it looked and smelled fantastic. Jamie Oliver would be proud.
We finished it off with some barbecued mangos which were a perfect match to the scallop dish. All in all, another successful night of cookery and fun.
I am a little behind on the blogging, but next time will be the amazing seafood adventure with Sammy the mudcrab and his merry band of oysters kilpatrick.
Cleaning the kitchen is a man job!
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