I used to have this real mental block when it came to making stock, using cheesecloth and roux. I happily made recipes that took two days and 30 very important steps. I was ALL ova* that shit, baby. However, if you asked me to strain non-fat yogurt through cheesecloth overnight then I was a wreck. I used to happily create things like rare cooked tuna with a lovely demi-glace, wild rice, and steamed broccoli, provided I wasn't required to make the stock used to create the demi.
Someone clearly needed to explain to me that stock was just boiling meat and bones with some veg for 4 hours, cheesecloth was merely a very flexible thing to use for straining, and roux was just butter and flour cooked over a low temperature.
I just spent the weekend making things like stock, soup, mac and cheese, brussel sprouts in a cream sauce, things that either are stock, use stock, cheesestock, and/or roux. Why did it take me so many years to use these easy tools?
*When we were in AZ we visited with my best friend from college, her husband and their little girl, MadZilla. She's just beautiful and really, really funny. She can't quite pronounce her R's and it makes her even more adorable. She kept forgetting to say, "Thank you," and "You're welcome," so we started playing a little game. Maddie would say something and the Hub would say, "Thank you Maddie for letting me know that." Then Christie would say, "Thank you for thanking Maddie." and the response would be, "Thank you for thanking me for thanking Maddie." Madzilla would join in for the first couple exchanges but being four, she wouldn't be able to take it much past that and would get bored. She would yell out, "Okaaaaaaaaaay, we're done now, it's ova!" So I said, "Maddie, the best way to end this game is to say, 'You're welcome,' when someone thanks you." Of course the Hub and Christie wouldn't let it end that way and they would continue on with their funny dialogue, so that MadZilla would just start yelling out, "YaWelcome!" and "It's OVA!" It eventually got down to just, "Yelcome!"
So now we have a new phrase, "It's ova!" Of course, I doubt anyone else understands why I cackle so hard after saying it.
Posted by kerewin at October 17, 2005 10:27 PM