The Shrubbloggers » Whole30x2: Day 29

On day 15, I talked a bit about how other people perceive the food I make in most of these photos: nasty, cat food, Alpo, etc. The hits keep coming! From Facebook yesterday: “Your ingredients lists are always so appetizing, but the food always looks like a catastrophe in the photos.” And: “I agree that everything you cook looks like dog food. LOL.”

Keep in mind, these are comments from supportive people! They see the value of the paleo approach to nutrition and of the Whole30 program in which I’m participating through mid-March. They have a sense of visual food aesthetics, though, that I lack. Or, at least, it’s never been important enough for me to try pursuing more visually appealing food.

I respect the culinary skills involved and I understand that the eyes play a big part in determining what’s appetizing and what’s not. But, as with most things in life, going to the effort of a sophisticated visual presentation entails tradeoffs — in this case, in time and efficiency. On day 16, I pointed out that I’ve been drawn toward this one-skillet (or one-pot) method of cooking since back in my college days. I didn’t mention, though, that I started cooking this way in large part because it saves me from having to clean extra dishes.

There’s also the fact that I like the way it tastes more than when I cook and serve individual items separately. Chopping everything into small pieces and mixing it as it cooks melds the flavors in a way that I wouldn’t get otherwise. I’ve always thought it might be a good idea to learn how to make a real omelet, for instance, but making an omelet would mean I’m not making a scramble — and the scramble tastes better to me because the ingredients are more thoroughly blended. Fewer bites of mostly egg or mostly filling, more bites of everything all at once.

Anyway, given that everybody dislikes the way my food looks but appreciates the descriptions, I thought I’d put together a set of photos showing how I go about making these ugly-but-delicious skillets: “How to ruin your food for everyone but Eric, in 17 easy steps!”

Melt about 4 Tbsp. of coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat

Dice an entire sweet onion and add it to the skillet

Dice eight or so cloves of garlic

Add the garlic to the onions

Slice a butternut squash in half, peel and deseed one half, and save the other half for later (for other skillets this might be carrots, broccoli, turnips, beets, etc.)