“Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body."
-Elizabeth Stone
My mom is an excellent cook. She made the most delicious Cuban food while we were kids. This was before the internet and the days of endless recipe inspiration online so she cooked what she knew. With the advent of food TV so too, my mom’s cooking began to evolve. Rather than ‘arroz con pollo’ a Cuban soupy rice dish with chicken, it became roast chicken with fennel and lemon. Rather than ‘bolliche’ a chorizo stuffed beef pot roast, it became whole roast beef fillet with gorgonzola. I credit Ina Garten (the Barefoot Contessa) mostly with this change of style and experimentation.
We, the children, loved it. I suppose we were a bit more exposed to a wide variety of cultures in America and little less attached to the richer Cuban food mom and dad grew up with. I think mom could see that our tastes were different and she tried her best to keep mixing it up and experimenting. My dad was always bemoaning the new dishes instead preferring the roster of 10 Cuban dishes that he knew and loved. That always annoyed me a little. Why couldn’t he move with the times and try something new? Now I understand it more. Mom would often make big batches of Cuban dishes and freeze them so that when we were out at tennis tournaments or baseball games or ‘studying’ at friends houses, she would be able to feed dad and secretly, I think she preferred it too.
She entertained like a goddess back then. The magic in her touch never ceased to amaze me or my friends that never turned down the opportunity to eat at our house. I loved watching her get ready for a party. She did everything herself from the cleaning, to ironing the napkins, to setting the table and of course, preparing all the food. She was our personal Martha Stewart. Once guests began to arrive she appeared perfectly coiffed and ready to greet. She made it look effortless even though I knew she had been working for days to get everything ready and still managed to get us 3 kids and her husband ready too.
Not all women are destined to be mothers but we all have one. Maybe your mom wasn’t around, or she was gone too early, or maybe she didn’t cook, or didn’t cook well. It’s not a guarantee in life, so feel lucky if your mom took care of you and fed you well among the myriad of other things a mother with teach and give you throughout your life, I know I do.
As I reflect back on these childhood memories, I find more and more beauty in the selflessness of it all. Im certain I took it for granted when I was younger. Perhaps she set the bar a little too high? I never felt I could be a mother like her. However, not having children, doesn’t mean you are not a mother. Tracee Ellis Ross said this about not having children and I feel it sums up how I feel about it perfectly:
“The childless women have been mothering the world and elevating culture as aunties, godmothers, teachers, mentors, sisters, and friends. You do not need to push out a baby to help push humanity forward.”
Amen!!
In honour of my mom and the idea of motherhood, im sharing two recipes for dishes I know she and hopefully anyone would love. Pumpkin ravioli with brown butter, hazelnuts and rosemary and a delicious easy little polenta cookie from Lombardy in Italy, called ’Sbrisolona’ to serve with ice cream and rhubarb compote.
The recipe for the ravioli has many tips but the one thing I will say that has drastically improved my at home pasta making is sourcing a good pasta making timber board. The pasta dough will never stick to it and it means you don’t have to add heaps of flour to the board therefore changing the texture of the pasta and making it gummy. The large one I use in my videos is from Constante Imports in Melbourne and I believe they ship Australia wide. Im sure a simple online search with reveal sources anywhere else. There is a reason why you always see nonnas with their little timber boards when making pasta at home! Serve this pasta with a sharp lemony dressed chicory leaf salad and you will have an absolutely stunning meal.
Making pasta, especially filled pasta is a labour of love but what better way to show some love to the incredible, extraordinary mumma in your life? If you still want to do something for mom but are not feeling so ambitious, the little Sbrisolona cookies could not be easier. I was first introduced to these little polenta shortbread type cookies by friend and chef Dan Johnson at his restaurant here in Sydney called Fontana. It actually is not a cookie in its traditional format, it’s a large format tart. I’ve adapted it, like Dan, to make it more easily shareable. There is something about the buttery, crumbly, crunchy texture of these that feels just like a delicious crumble topping. They are heaven broken up over a scoop of delicious vanilla ice cream and serve with a spoonful of sweet and sour rhubarb compote. I guess it is like a little like a ‘deconstructed’ crumble but even if you choose to only make the cookies, im sure she will love them.
I hope you get to share mother’s day with all the mothers in your life, biological or not. As always, feel free to reach out to me here or via my website or on instagram with questions or comments about the recipes. I love to hear from you and see how you are cooking everything. Thank you for being here and happy Mother’s Day to all the moms reading this.
Out now: Recipes for a Lifetime of Beautiful Cooking
If you have any questions, comments or feedback, please reach out via instagram @daniellemariealvarez or via my website.