The disdain I felt towards cooking was one that stemmed from rebellion. I had always shunned the idea of doing it out of duty. It was statements like: “Who will marry a woman who cannot cook?” or “Because you are a girl!” that further prompted my refusal to venture into the kitchen. So for the longest time I did not want to do it, until I was thrust into the position of being a guardian. Each day during the time to prepare supper was a reminder of how much I loathed cooking.
An old friend of mine loved cooking and was extremely good at it. I had always encouraged the idea of her operating her own eatery. By chance, we came across an advertisement for cooking lessons nearby. I reluctantly enrolled – really just out of moral support for her. (I actually needed the lessons more than her but here I was dragging my feet!)
Fast forward to the unprecedented level five lockdown. If there is ever a sign of stubbornness, it was refusing to learn a new recipe during the time most of us who were not essential workers had at our disposal. And this was it, those lessons conducted by that old lady would eventually come in handy.

Being a fussy eater because of allergies and dietary restrictions one discovers in adulthood, helped me to learn different methods of preparing the meals that were reminiscent of the times my mother was still alive. My love for vegetables and fruits was influenced by her, an old favourite being spinach. I will share a simple way to make the leafy delicacy – “simple” being the operative word because I am still not that fond of cooking but my love for eating propels me.

Ingredients:
Bunch of spinach
1 onion
2 – 3 large carrots
15 g butter
1 stock cube (beef or chicken)
50g sachet of cream of mushroom soup

Instructions:
Wash and finely chop the spinach. Dice the onion and slice the carrots after peeling.
Melt the spoon of butter in a pot. Add the drained spinach along with the onion and carrot.
Do not cover the pot, allow it to cook over medium heat, then add the stock for taste (you may add a pinch of salt if needed)
Once cooked (do not overdo it), add a cup of cream of mushroom soup then let it simmer.
Serve with pap and dig in! This is enough to serve four people.

And there you go, if like me you cannot stand being in front of the stove for too long, I’ve got you covered!

Tell us: Do you like spinach? How do you like preparing it? What other vegetables do you like eating or preparing?