Men and Food
What men want women to know about

When our editor-in-chief decided to dedicate this magazine issue to our men, I was presented with an ideal opportunity to find out what men want women to know about men and food. And so I went to the source – men!

First off, let’s get rid of some of the myths:

Myth # 1: Men leave the kitchen in a mess when they’re finished cooking; they hate to clean up.

FACT – all the men interviewed for this article confessed that while they may delay cleaning up the kitchen, they do clean up, just not with the speed and efficiency their wives and partners demand.

Myth # 2: Men use more ingredients than women when cooking. For example, if a recipe calls for eight ounces of butter, they will be tempted to use the entire pound. Though men may be from Mars and women from Venus, when it comes to food you may be pleasantly surprised to learn that we’re not that different

FACT – some men flat-out denied this but others were unsure indicating that while they do follow recipes, they tend to adjust to suit their tastes and cooking instincts. So yes, sometimes more butter, or pepper, or wine, may end up in the dish.

Myth # 3: A man’s cooking is not so much about nutrition and quality but rather quantity – the bigger, the better; the more the merrier.

FACT – No. Absolutely not true. More than fifty percent of those interviewed said that nutrition is very important to their food consumption. Sure they want to ensure that there’s enough in case they want to have seconds but definitely not gorge themselves.

Myth # 4: Men like to purchase all the latest cooking gadgets, tools and equipment.

FACT – one responder put it succinctly: If only I had the space for more cooking gadgets. Yes, men love their cooking tools and gadgets, but so do women!

For each of the generalized statements about men, food, the kitchen and gadgets, I can (and I’m sure you can too) easily identify with many women whose responses would have been similar.

So what else did I learn about men and food?

Food presentation is key. We eat with our eyes long before the food touches our lips, and the majority of the men interviewed said that they’d be willing to try foods that they don’t generally like if it were presented attractively.

To go along with food presentation, was the desire to try new ingredients and flavours. While they acknowledged the business of schedules and their partners’ efforts to place a hot meal on the table, they thought that handing over the reigns of the kitchen to them offered the opportunity for the family to be introduced to new tastes.

It is clear that our men want to step up and step into the kitchen to create and experiment. And they prefer to do so unsupervised! The recipes this month come to you with the compliments of some of our interviewees who know what they’re doing in the kitchen.

Ben’s Chilaquiles in Guajillo Sauce (Tortillas in Chili Sauce)

Ingredients

• 2 - 3 guajillo (dried Spanish chillies) peppers, seeded and soaked for at least 5 minutes in boiling water
• 2 cups diced tomato
• ½ onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 cups chicken broth
• Salt to taste
• 6 - 8 corn or flour tortillas, cut in quarters and fried or baked at
• 350°F until crisp

Method

• Add peppers, tomato, onion and garlic to blender and puree at high speed.
• Pour the sauce (blended ingredients) in a medium saucepan over high heat; bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to medium and add cumin and chicken broth. Bring to a boil again, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Adjust seasoning.
• Serve tortilla chips on a plate and pour some of the sauce on top.
• Let the tortillas absorb some of the sauce before serving. Serve with soft fried eggs sunny-side up, avocado and sour cream on top and enjoy!

Christo’s Plum Carpaccio

Ingredients

• 6 ripe plums
• ¼ cup blue cheese, crumbled
• Extra virgin Olive Oil
• Fresh lemon juice

Method

• Slice the plums in half and remove the seeds. Slice the plums thinly.
• Arrange slices overlapping each other in a decorative pattern on a plate or platter (reserve a few slices to curl into flowers).
• Sprinkle blue cheese all over the plums, drizzle with olive oil and a squirt of fresh lemon juice and serve.

Kevin’s Strawberry & Nutella Crepes

Ingredients

• 4 crepes (see recipe below)
• Nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread)
• Fresh strawberries sliced (as many as you’d like)
• Pistachios, chopped (optional)
• Crepes
• ½ cup all purpose flour
• 1 egg
• ½ cup + 2 tablespoons whole milk
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• A few pats of butter

Method

• Add all the ingredients to a large bowl and mix thoroughly.
• Heat a non-stick skillet on medium along with a pat of butter.
• Swirl the butter to coat the pan.
• Pour ¼ of the mixture into the pan and tilt the pan and swirl the batter to coat the entire bottom of the pan.
• Cook the crepe until golden brown at the bottom (about 2 minutes), flip and cook the other side until golden brown.
• Repeat until all the batter is used.

To Assemble:

• Spread nutella on crepe, arrange sliced strawberries, fold in half, sprinkle with pistachios and serve (garnish with sliced strawberry).

Cynthia Nelson is the author of the blog, Tastes Like Home. Visit her at www.tasteslikehome.org