Meditative Cooking: The Culinary Way to Calm

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I love to cook! To be able to take even the simplest of ingredients and create something absolutely delicious is extremely satisfying to me–a feeling of accomplishment, so to speak. It is also a great way to meditate–whether it is chopping the ingredients and stirring them together in a soup or kneading bread dough after it rises, the process itself can be very therapeutic.

We all enjoy the smells of good home cooking–it can transport us to the more simpler days of our lives when we were kids. Remember how you felt when you got home from school and smelled the intoxicating scent of mom’s freshly-baked homemade cookies? How about the wonderful aromas of a holiday turkey dinner with bread stuffing, sweet potato casserole and pumpkin pie? Makes me hungry just thinking about it…Yummy!

The next time you are preparing and cooking a meal, try the following meditative practice:

As you are chopping the ingredients, focus on the touch of the knife, the feel and smell of the individual ingredients. Even the simple act of taking a moment to smell the fragrance of the ingredients, either individually or all mixed together, can soothe the senses. I enjoy crushing the cardamom seeds when I make my favorite Finnish bread, Nissu (Pulla)–the spicy aroma fills the kitchen and fills me with a sense of warmth and contentment.

As you are combining the ingredients together in a bowl or mixing them in a big pot, focus on the act of stirring–watch how the ingredients mix together and/or how the liquid swirls around in the pot. Just let your mind relax and flow as you stir. You may be compelled to recite a positive mantra, either mentally or out loud, and repeat it a few times while stirring.

If you are baking bread, rolls, or some other yeast-bread, take a mental note of how the dough feels in your hands while you are kneading. Feel the soft gooey texture floating through your fingers. As you are pounding down the dough, allow yourself to release any tensions that may have been building up inside you. You’d be amazed at how much better you will feel after 8-10 minutes of smashing and squashing bread dough!

Even the act of rolling out dough can be relaxing. Every time you roll the pin away from yourself, feel the tensions just move away from you. Once again, if you feel the need to do so, you may want to recite another mantra or affirmation to banish away the negative energies.

Making risotto is a great way to practice meditative cooking. Anyone who has ever made risotto knows it as a labor of love, as you are constantly tending to it: Cooking the onions, mixing the rice until glossy, then the constant stirring as you pour ladlefulls of hot broth in to the pot one at a time.

Here are two of my favorite risotto recipes:

Basic Risotto

2-3 Tablespoons of olive oil
1 small onion (chopped)
1-2 Tablespoons minced garlic
1 cup of Aborrio rice
1 cup of dry vermouth or other dry white wine (room temperature)
4 cups of chicken or vegetable stock (either homemade or store bought work fine)
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese or other hard Italian cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Pour the stock into a pot and heat it until hot (not boiling). While the stock is heating up, pour the olive oil in a heavy stock pot and heat it on medium-high. Once the oil is hot enough, add the chopped onion and garlic and sautee until the onions become translucent (2-3 mins). Next, add the rice and sautee until glossy–about 5 mins.

When the rice is glossy, pour the cup of dry vermouth into the pot and stir until the rice has absorbed most of the liquid, then add a ladleful of hot stock and stir until the rice has absorbed most of the liquid. Repeat this process with the stock–one ladleful at a time–until the rice is al dente. Remove the pot from the heat and add the cheese, salt and pepper to the rice.

Steel-Cut Oat Risotto

2-3 Tablespoons of olive oil
1 small onion (chopped)
1-2 Tablespoons minced garlic
2 cups of steel-cut oats
1 cup of dry vermouth or other dry white wine (room temperature)
4 cups of chicken or vegetable stock (either homemade or store bought work fine)
1/2 cup of grated Pecorino cheese or other hard Italian cheese
2/3 cup of dried cranberries
2/3 cup of chopped walnuts
Salt and pepper to taste

Put the steel-cut oats into a heavy saucepan and cook on medium high heat, stirring constantly until toasted–the oats will become aromatic and slightly browned. Set aside.

Pour the stock into a pot and heat it until hot (not boiling). While the stock is heating up, pour the olive oil in a heavy stock pot and heat it on medium-high. Once the oil is hot enough, add the chopped onion and garlic and sautee until the onions become translucent (2-3 mins). Next, add the oats and chopped walnuts and sautee until glossy–about 5 mins.

When the oats and walnuts are glossy, pour the cup of dry vermouth into the pot and stir until the rice has absorbed most of the liquid, then add a ladleful of hot stock and stir until the oats have absorbed most of the liquid. Repeat this process with the stock–one ladleful at a time–until the oats are al dente. Remove the pot from the heat and add the cheese, cranberries, salt and pepper to the rice.

So have FUN practicing your meditative cooking. Your positive energies that you put into your cooking will show in the completed dish, which will be passed on to those who consume your culinary masterpiece.

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I would love to know what you think. Leave your comment in the space below. I invite you to include your favorite meditative cooking recipe, too. It’s fun to share the joys of meditative cooking with all who can benefit from it.

Bon Appétit!

Namaste,

“On A Mission To Help You Achieve Success In Life”
http://heathertaskovics.net
contact@heathertaskovics.net
Tel: 781 475 0936
Skype: heather.taskovics

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