Great food expresses the nuances and subtleties of texture and flavour, and truly gifted chefs use methods that make you think about or experience an ingredient in ways you couldn’t have imagined before. But every now and then – especially when autumn draws in – gutsy, robust flavours soar to the top of the menu, if for no other reason than a need for hearty food as the weather gets cooler and the evenings shorter.
It’s not that I don’t appreciate delicate flavours. There is something almost meditative about slowly eating perfectly executed dishes that showcase those unexpected, perhaps underexplored, aspects of food that need expert coaching and coaxing to truly shine.
Some of the best meals I’ve eaten have been consumed in near silence, as people intensely – and quietly – contemplate and absorb the experience of smelling and tasting the particular permutation of flavours on the plate before them.
This kind of eating jolts the brain and palate into action as all those neurons get fired over and over by what’s going on in your mouth and nose and, because we are visual creatures, by what you are seeing too.
And in a different way, the same thing happens when you eat food that sings with strong flavours.
Think pasta puttanesca, with its punch of chili, olives and capers, or almost any dish where garlic plays a starring role. Chorizo is another one – that warm hit of pork run through with smoked paprika lifts almost any dish. And it’s a wonderful foil for blander flavours and textures such as beans or potatoes.
This week’s first recipe, red pepper and garlic soup, is bulging with almost muscular flavours. It contains not just a whole head of garlic, but smoked sweet paprika, thyme, peppers and, to garnish, salty, crispy shards of grilled jamon.
Thanks to the addition of breadcrumbs, it also has a rich, thick texture that epitomises comfort food.
The second dish is my version of an Italian classic. For a while now I’ve been contemplating the joys of spaghetti alla vongole (clams), that lip-smacking combination of pasta and seafood with garlic, chili and olive oil.
This recipe uses mussels instead – abundantly available, inexpensive and, in the winter months, seasonal too. Don’t be afraid of cooking mussels; it takes just minutes, and all you need to remember is to discard any that remain closed after cooking, as they are probably dead and therefore potentially dodgy. For added pleasure, serve with a glass of white wine.
dkemp@irishtimes.com
