Even though I enjoy cooking, some days, it just doesn’t feel manageable. That’s when I call in my “sous-chef.” My husband, Pierre, loves helping out in the kitchen, and I’m grateful I can step aside and let him take over.
Sometimes he comes up with an idea, or I share what I had planned, give him some direction, and he takes it from there. Today, the plan is to use the amazing avocados my friend brought me and pair them with shrimp and aioli. It’s a divine combination and a very simple dish to make:
Et voilà! Dinner is done.
When Pierre gets in the kitchen, he enjoys exploring and putting effort into the presentation. Tonight, he added some frisée lettuce and a stray leaf of basil to our plates. It only took a minute to make these additions, but they made our plates look pretty and dinner even more exciting. Even if you're not plating for everyone, how you present food matters. Taking just a moment to create a lovely presentation—even if it’s just placing the food on the table for everyone to admire before serving—makes a meal more meaningful and exciting.
As for my contribution to tonight’s dinner, I just made a few plans:
At the end of every summer, I gather herbs from the yard—like basil, dill, parsley, and mint—and make pesto. Then, I freeze it in small containers or ice cube trays so it’s ready to pop out and add to just about anything. This year, Pierre made the pesto and my day so much easier!
To keep things simple, I asked him to merely preserve the herbs by blending them with olive oil. Later, when I’m ready to use them, I can finish the pesto by adding other ingredients like garlic, nuts, cheese, and lemon. Making the pesto base also saves storage space, and you can mix and match herbs when you finish your pesto later. For example, use two cubes of basil and one of parsley, then add pine nuts, garlic, and parmesan to make pesto.
Pesto is a dream ingredient; you can use it on pasta, sandwiches, meat, fish, vegetables, as a dip—just about anything! It’s the perfect condiment to keep stocked in your freezer. Pesto is packed with flavor and nutrients. So, it’s worth growing some herbs, harvesting them, and packing your pesto for the winter. If you don't have herbs growing in your garden now, you can grab some at a farmer's market and practice making pesto to freeze.
If you want some more tips on making pesto, you can read more here:
