If you follow my Instagram account, you’ll see that I share LOTS of photos of food. I try to cook at least four nights a week. I’ve been happy cooking good food for myself for all these years, but now I’ve got someone to cook for and cook with. It’s fun. Cooking is love.

When I first met my boyfriend, he told me he hated cooking. How would this ever work? He didn’t like cooking. But as the months have passed, he has started to enjoy cooking. And his tummy is very content.

There’s been a lot to teach him – like cheese is no substitute for butter in the pan – but he’s become a fine apprentice.

We make brunch almost every Sunday – oats and pancakes and French toast and fritatta. Weekends are spent preparing more complex meals – we made burgers on Sunday and pizzas two weekends ago. We’ve done risottos and paella. We are planning to make pasta on the long weekend.

Weeknights are a simpler affair with salads, bolognaise and curries. We make recipes up in our heads.

We laugh and play music and cuddle.

And he enjoys it. He chops and stirs and and fries. He’s a great bacon fryer. He’s the type of man who’s mechanical – makes and fixes things. And so I can see his logical mind working when he’s helping me in the kitchen.

It’s like My Kitchen Rules at my place every time we eat now. I love cooking for him, ensuring he has wholefoods. He’s turned into a foodie – even texting me when he’s not here to discuss what’s happening on MKR. I love it! His words last night were “An hour and fifteen to do an eggplant entree – god.” Foodie!!

Here’s what we made for dinner last night: salad of figs, mushrooms, stinky cheese and brown rice. He serenaded me with Lionel Ritchie. Oh the romance!

 

Recipe – serves four as an accompaniment.

Four figs, washed and cut into eighths

Two large mushrooms, sliced

One cup of uncooked brown rice

Handful of parsley

Half a zucchini, sliced thinly – use a vegetable grater

Piece of bacon, finely cubed – I used a 10cm chunk of bacon

Small piece of stinky cheese – I used Milawa Gold, but Gorgonzola will do

Splash of balsamic vinegar

Olive oil

–

Cook brown rice, drain and cool.

Fry mushrooms in a drop or two of olive oil. Once soft and blackish, remove the mushrooms and put aside.

Use the same pan to cook the bacon and zucchini – about 10 minutes.

Finely chop the parsley.

Put these ingredients (rice, mushrooms, bacon, parsley and zucchini) in a bowl, splash with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

Gently place the figs on the salad

Crumble the cheese over the top.

Eat!

–

It’s so wonderful cooking together. It’s a happy, relaxing time and I love seeing him appreciate our meals so much.

I now see why my Mum enjoys cooking, and that every meal she prepared for the family was done to nourish, to bring us together and made with love

Do you cook for or with your love? Does it bring you together? What do you cook?