While many Americans turn to yoga, tai chi, and assorted New Age tools to relieve stress and connect to their spiritual sides, some experts recommend a more hands-on method of achieving inner peace: taking a Zen approach to cooking.
In simple terms, Zen, a religious practice and life philosophy originating in India and carried to China and Japan by traveling monks in the 12th Century, means “meditation.”
For some cooks, the myriad activities involved in chopping, braising, roasting and baking are considered stimulating and relaxing. The bright colors of fresh, seasonal vegetables, the pungent aromas of simmering spices and the rhythm of preparation combine to stimulate the senses while relaxing frazzled nerves.
“For me, Zen is a way of cooking, including how you deal with the food and the people working in the kitchen with you,” says Kevin Shikami, chef and co-owner of Chicago’s Kevin restaurant.
“Cooking, like Zen, is a discipline . . . Once you learn to cook and get the basics, it becomes a flowing series of movements, a cleansing experience, if done well, that gives respect to all the ingredients that you use and the people whom you serve.”
The concept of balance, essential to the yin and yang of Zen and cookery, can be achieved by creating symmetry with nature and the seasons. This approach emphasizes fresh, simple ingredients that unite taste, texture, color and aroma through complementary cooking styles and techniques.
Freshness is critical: Begin with what is freshest at the farmers or produce market, fishmonger or butcher before deciding the menu.
“Being flexible and creative always gets you the best quality,” says Eve Geroulis, a former advertising executive who cooks for her Glenview family of six. “I generally shop two to three times a week, particularly for meat or seafood, to get ideas and to see what is freshest that day.”
For Geroulis, cooking also is about sensory memories, which are evoked by the sweet smell of garlic and onion sauteing or the sight of a freshly baked pie.
“I grew up around the kitchen, and my culture is very much about food. Most of my childhood memories surround the personality of the great, Greek mama preparing wonderful food,” says Geroulis, a Greek-American who loves creating those memories for her own children.
Part of the process
For many people, the act of cooking itself is a comfort. Beyond bringing forth food memories, some cooking tasks can share components of the Zen philosophy.
“Cooking is my way to relax and center when I want to take time from my busy day,” says Mimi Damrauer of Mimi Designs, a Chicago textile artist and an avid cook.
“I’m single, I live alone and I have my own business, so I spend a lot of time by myself. Cooking for people is my way of connecting to my family, friends and people that I care about.”
Shelley Young of The Chopping Block cooking school in Chicago says she has seen a gradual trend toward cooking and entertaining at home as a way to reconnect family and friends.
“People are finding more comfort in their kitchens, making it the centerpiece of the home,” she says.
“Prep work is the most Zen part of cooking,” Young says. “The act of chopping, the repetitive, relaxing motion is one of the activities that make you go into a zone.”
The concept of cooking as comfort and sharing is universal throughout the globe.
“The offering of food is the most direct method of communication and exchange between one person and another, requiring neither language nor learning,” Elisabeth Luard writes in “Sacred Food, Cooking for Spiritual Nourishment.”
Stories that food can tell
Perhaps this is why for so many people, affirmation from guests in the form of hearty appetites and generous compliments are as critical to the experience in the kitchen as preparing the meal itself.
“I come from a Jewish home that likes to eat,” Damrauer says, “and I love having a warm home that people like coming to. I know that my food is a big part of that.”
“Zen comes from the stories that food can tell,” Geroulis says. “It’s about tradition, sharing and the legacy of intergenerational recipes. Introducing the kids to good, wholesome foods. My mother did this for me, and now I’m doing this for my kids.”
Luard also believes that the most sacred and spiritual aspect of the kitchen and cooking is the element of sharing:
“The raising of glasses, gathering together, eating out of the same platter or pot and partaking of the same foods,” she writes: All reinforce the nurturing, giving, loving act of cooking for friends and family and the positive energy that it creates.
Sweet pea hummus
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 1 minute
Yield: 6 servings
Serve this spread with pita bread. It’s from Shelley Young, owner of The Chopping Block cooking school and store.
1 1/2 cups fresh peas or 1 package (10 ounces) tiny frozen peas
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons each: tahini paste, garlic-flavored oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1. Steam peas in steamer container over boiling water until just tender, about 1 minute. Transfer to bowl of ice water to cool. Drain well. (For frozen peas, simply thaw.)
2. Place peas and remaining ingredients in food processor container with metal blade; puree until smooth. Spoon into serving bowl.
Nutrition information per serving:
145 calories, 67% calories from fat, 11 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 310 mg sodium, 9 g carbohydrate, 3.6 g protein, 2.9 g fiber
Roasted pork chop in sesame-garlic crust
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
This is adapted from a recipe by Kevin Shikami of Kevin restaurant, who serves it with a jasmine rice and a pear puree on the side.
4 tablespoons peanut oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup Japanese (panko) or other dry bread crumbs
1 tablespoon minced cilantro
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted, crushed, see note
2 tablespoons butter
4 bone-in pork chops, 11/2 inches thick
Salt, freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons Chinese mustard or Dijon mustard
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon each: soy sauce, sesame oil
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Heat 2 tablespoons of the peanut oil in large, oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds. Add bread crumbs; cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat to small bowl; stir in cilantro and sesame seeds. Wipe skillet clean.
2. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons peanut oil and the butter in the skillet over medium heat. Season pork chops with salt and pepper. Add chops to skillet; cook until browned on one side, about 3 minutes; turn. Transfer skillet to oven; cook 6 minutes. Turn chops; cook until instant-read thermometer reads 145 degrees, about 6 minutes, or to desired doneness. Remove from oven. Transfer chops to plate; let rest, covered with foil, about 5 minutes.
3. Pour off fat from skillet. Whisk together 1 tablespoon of the mustard with the broth and soy sauce in skillet. Cook over high heat until sauce is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in sesame oil.
4. Meanwhile, divide remaining 1 tablespoon of the mustard over top of each pork chop; spread to cover. Top each with bread crumb mixture. Return to oven; cook 2 minutes. Remove pork chops to dinner plates. Spoon sauce around chops.
Note: To toast sesame seeds, heat in skillet over medium heat until seeds barely turn golden brown and begin to release their fragrance, about 3 minutes.
Nutrition information per serving:
715 calories, 51% calories from fat, 40 g fat, 12 g saturated fat, 165 mg cholesterol, 1,020 mg sodium, 22 g carbohydrate, 64 g protein, 1 g fiber
Saffron risotto
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Adapted from “Three Bowl Cookbook: The Secrets of Enlightened Cooking from the Zen Mountain,” by David Scott and Tom Pappas.
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
2 shallots, peeled, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
6-7 cups vegetable or chicken broth, heated
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus more for garnish
Salt, freshly ground pepper
1. Heat the butter in large heavy skillet; add shallots and saffron. Cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add rice. Cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Add wine; simmer until wine is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Add 1 cup of the broth; cook, stirring, until broth is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Repeat, adding broth by the cupful and cooking until rice is just soft and creamy but not mushy, about 20 minutes.
2. Remove from heat; stir in Parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve, passing more Parmesan at the table.
Nutrition information per serving:
425 calories, 19% calories from fat, 9 g fat, 4.5 g saturated fat, 19 mg cholesterol, 1,650 mg sodium, 74 g carbohydrate, 11 g protein, 1.6 g fiber
Chicken breasts with spicy garlic spinach and brown basmati rice
Soaking time: 30 minutes
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
This simple chicken dish is adapted from “The Zen of Cooking,” by Lucille Naimer.
12 dried tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
4 bone-in chicken breast halves
Freshly ground pepper
Soy sauce
1 tablespoon butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 jalapeno chili, minced
1 teaspoon salt
2 packages (10 ounces each) fresh spinach, washed, trimmed
1 cup brown basmati rice, cooked to package directions
1. Soak dried tomatoes in lemon juice 30 minutes. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place chicken in baking dish. Remove tomatoes from juice, reserving juice. Put 3 tomatoes under the skin of each breast. Pour reserved juice over chicken. Season with pepper. Bake, basting with soy sauce occasionally, until juices run clear, about 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, melt butter in large pot. Add garlic, oil, jalapeno and salt. Cook over low heat, stirring, 3 minutes. Add spinach; cook, tossing, until spinach is just wilted, about 3 minutes. Transfer to serving dish. Top with chicken. Serve with cooked rice.
Nutrition information per serving:
480 calories, 29% calories from fat, 16 g fat, 4.7 g saturated fat, 90 mg cholesterol, 930 mg sodium, 48 g carbohydrate, 38 g protein, 5 g fiber
