Introduction
'Here, in one handsome volume, is a true home cooking companion. It is produced with an eye to the needs of every member of the family and presented in pictorial form, so that young daughters can be shown all the basic processes of cookery.'
My mother bought this book before she married my father, not because she couldn't cook but because her repertoire was mostly Italian. She met my father whilst working in her uncle Chick's Italian cafe, my father would have his lunch there regularly albeit something very plain like a cheese sandwich, at that stage he didn't like 'foreign food'. And so it was that Constance Barbuti bought the good housekeeping cookery compendium in preparation for cooking for her new husband.
After they were married my mother, like many young brides in the 1950s/60s became a full time housewife and mother. Her life consisted of walking to the shops daily to buy fresh ingredients, preparing and cooking food, taking us children back and forth to school every day on foot, and of course housework which was very labour intensive. My mother didn't have a car, there were no supermarkets or convenience foods, few mod cons, (my mum had a twin tub washing machine,) and she would have relied on my father for housekeeping.
There can be no question that my mother made sacrifices and was subjugated, but this was an era when 'I want' and 'I need' didn't preceed every sentence, consequently I had an idyllic childhood.
It's ironic then, that my generation became the 'Cosmo' generation of feminists. I read Cosmopolitan from my early teens, a magazine written by feminists who implored us not to allow ourselves to be defined as just mothers or housewife's. We eschewed the notion that nurturing was in itself a worthy and qualified role. We threw our mother's sacrifices and unconditional love back in their faces, we were going to be the have it all generation!
I am not suggesting women should be tied to the kitchen sink, (I mean come on, most of us have got dishwashers!) Or that we should be submissive little housewives, but I do question how the lack of a nurturer at home has had an effect on society.
One of the trailblazers in the 80s was feminist Shirley Conran who famously quoted: 'life is too short to stuff a mushroom' the connotation being modern woman had better things to do than derive pleasure from assembling ingredients.
This is a bit of a double edged sword. Many modern women today have menial jobs, work long hours, have to place their children in child care, yet still have to run a home. Was this the ideal we all dreamt of?
I have followed journalist liz Jones for many years, a typical feminist from my generation she often writes about the subjugated life of her mother. Her articles are often very contradictory, like me, liz came from a home where her mother had dedicated herself to her family, which liz decries and admires in equal measure. However, for all her fame and fortune liz is not a happy woman and her articles often make for depressing reading. She realises her career is dog eat dog, the sisterhood has imploded, it's every woman for herself!
By virtue of being nurturers my mothers generation were kinder to each other, they looked to one another for companionship. My mothers life may have been boring but she was happy and I think we should all be kinder regarding the selfless and commendable role women of that generation played in our lives.
Naturally this brings me to the subject of stuffing mushrooms! There are few things more delicious than a garlicky mushroom, oozing cheese and topped with wafer thin slices of crispy bacon, placed in a toasted ciabatta bun this is as tasty as any burger. There are so many variations of stuffed mushrooms I don't know where to begin, however, this next recipe is a great accompaniment with steak.
Stuffed mushrooms
Recipe
1 large Portobello mushroom per person
1 garlic clove per mushroom
1 handful of Gorgonzola cheese (room temperature) per mushroom (if you find Gorgonzola too strong use Cheddar or mozzarella)
Olive oil
1 teaspoon runny honey per mushroom
1 handful breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven 180c/gas 4
Carefully remove the stalk from each mushroom to create a cavity
Rub a honey and a little oil on the inside of the mushrooms with the tip of your finger
Add crushed garlic to each mushroom
Stuff with cheese and top with breadcrumbs
Season and drizzle with a little olive oil, cook in the oven for 15-20 minutes
Serve in a toasted bun or with steak and chips
'God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers.'
- Jewish proverb
'Think for a minute, darling: in fairy tales it's always the children who have the adventures. The mothers stay at home and wait for the children to fly in the window.'
- Audrey Niffenegger
Love Donna xxxxxx
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