I spent a good deal of time this weekend cooking. I enjoy cooking, as far as it goes, but it's not what you'd call a hobby of mine or anything I particularly relish as an activity. This being the case, I often take chunks of time to get into a flurry of activity to make certain foods that I can freeze and save for later. That's what I was up to this weekend.
I eat lots of Thai food. It's everywhere, of course, and it's cheap and usually good — if you find the right restaurant. Consequently, I don't cook Thai food.
What I do often make ahead to freeze for later is spaghetti sauce and chili. Canned pasta sauce and chili are extremely expensive here in Thailand. They're also not that great. They're usually too sweet, and you never really know what's in them ingredient-wise. So when I have a few hours on the odd weekend, I gather all the ingredients and spend a couple of days making my own.
There are a couple of great things about making the pasta sauce. First, the day that I make it, I get to absolutely stuff myself. I love pasta. It's got to be my favourite food. And the key to good pasta is good sauce. I make really good sauce.
The thing that takes the longest is chopping up all of the ingredients, but once that's done, it's just cook them all up and let them simmer on the stove for a few hours. Once I've eaten my fill on the day I make it, I seal the rest up and throw it in the freezer for later. It's really nice to know that if I've got a hankering for pasta, there's sauce just waiting for me.
Pasta sauce is usually a Saturday project. It takes longer. On Sunday, I get down to the chili. Making that does involve some chopping of garlic and onions, but most of the creation of that particular favourite amounts to opening cans of tomatoes and several kinds of beans. I can get most of the work done in less than 15 minutes.
Lots of Thai people don't like chili, but I grew up on the stuff. I think that the main reason chili's not very popular here is that it's got a lot of beans in it, especially red beans. Around these parts, red beans are for dessert, and it's hard for a lot of people to wrap their minds around the idea of beans being used for a savory dish.
In all honesty, I still can't stomach beans as part of dessert, so I can imagine what it's like to be on the other side of the equation. No harm, no foul. Faults on both sides. Let's say no more about it.
So back at home I know I've got chili and pasta sauce just waiting for me, should I want them. It's comforting to know that I've got a little taste of home cooking squirreled away in my freezer.
I think I'll have Thai food tonight. I'm sick of cooking.
Sean Vale
Editor
[email protected]
