A few months ago, the Huffington Post published an interesting article: “Psychologists Explain The Benefits Of Baking For Other People”.
As any cook knows, “it’s not just about giving something sweet”. In general, cooking for others recalls the instinctive mechanism of nourishment, the first gesture that the infant requires from those who take care of her. The message is: I offer you food because I love you and it is the easiest way for me to show it. This reminds me of the sketch of an Italian comedian playing a boy visiting his grandmother: he talks about his school, friends, girlfriend... a river of words that grandma only comments with the question: "But did you eat ...?"
I do not think it's only Italian grandmother's, because one of the stereotypes of the modern loving father in American movies is the preparation of the immortal morning breakfast pancakes, while mom's cheering on the games of the small baseball player.
(These are mine)
As you read in the article, there are also real emotional benefits in preparing food: “Baking is thinking step-by-step and following the specifics of the here and now, but it’s also thinking about recipes as a whole, the dish as a whole, what are going to do with it, who it’s going to, what time are you sharing it, so baking is a really good way of developing that balance of the moment and the bigger picture”.
I would add that cooking is learned at home, from mothers and grandmothers, and it is also a way to create profound bonds, which we often see many years later, when we throw “those” biscuits out of the oven.
At my home, besides the red wine-donuts of the previous photo, always came the jam-time, when the lemon, orange and mandarin trees became so loaded with fruits that it was impossible to eat them all.
What do you think of telling me about one of your “grandmother's recipes”?
This is the "light" and easy chocolate cake (in the photo 1 it's grining for Halloween) that I learned from my mother, that I taught my son and his friends and that even those who can only turn on the light in the kitchen are able to make:
Sugar: 250 g
Flour 00: 200 g
Bitter cocoa powder: 75 g
Baking powder: 1 sachet (16 g)
Milk: 400/500 ml
(Yes, exactly: neither eggs nor butter!)
Blend all four powders into a kitchen mixer; then add milk slowly (the more you put in, the softer the cake) and finally pour the mixture into a buttered tin; bake at 180 ° for about 40 min. For the most gourd ones: when the cake is cold, cut it in half and stuff it with Nutella, or jam or whipped cream.
Slurp!