Down to Earth
(Page 2 of 2)
June/July 2008
By JIM LONG
The evening of the lesson, Judith and her whole family arrived with bags of groceries, and she immediately began to cook. She explained each step to my neighbor, who translated for us. She cut up a chicken and placed it in a pot with celery, carrots and garlic. In another pot, she simmered pork ribs. She placed Roma tomatoes, garlic, onion and two slices of bread all on a hot griddle. While she worked, we watched the items on the griddle slowly blacken and char. When they were completely black, she turned them and repeated the process on the other side.
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Into a blender she poured chicken and pork stock, then added the charred vegetables and bread, along with fresh cilantro, chives and Mexican oregano. The blender ran as Judith removed bones from the simmering broth. She added more pork broth to the soup pot, then poured in the contents of the blender and stirred. To our amazement, the soup thickened and she said, "That’s ready."
She offered us a taste. It had the most enchanting, delightful flavor and was perfectly thickened! As we tasted the soup, Judith divided the contents of the pots and pans into serving dishes to create a beautifully presented seven-dish meal.
Before we sat down, I asked my neighbor to convey to Judith our gratitude and added that I hoped she wasn’t intimidated by having so many people watch her cook. The room was quiet as Judith’s grandson translated his grandmother’s words.
"Grandma says, ‘No, she’s not bothered by an audience. She has a weekly cooking show on television back home. She’s just glad we were so enthusiastic.’"
— Contributing Editor Jim Long writes and gardens at his farm, Long Creek herbs, located in the Ozarks Mountains. To contact him, visit www.HerbCompanion.com/Contributors or visit his blog at JimLongsGardenTalk.blogspot.com.
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