made in MyKitchen | gambas al ajillo / Spanish garlic chilli prawns
i came across an article in apartmenttherapy.com about 15 pieces of furniture that you may not need .. i can’t say that i’m inspired by the list at all, to even consider adapting the minimalist concept in our home sweet home.. i do think it’s a good idea to have less or no excess furniture/fittings in the house that serve mainly as decorative pieces which in turn clutter up and tighten spaces..
at this age and time, consumerism, fueled along aggressively by the media, teaches us to need our wants, instead of encouraging us to spend wisely only on things that we need most.. frugal living seems a thing of the past for most of us city folk, and self image is now the buzz word for everything in life, including our ways of living..
can you imagine yourself living in a practically bare home, where the only clutter visible are the existing pieces of minimal furniture around? or are you already living in one such home? i’m always curious about all these one-or-two-furniture-limit-per-room themes.. at the same time, i don’t think i can ever live that way.. sure, there will be less cleaning up to do, but, i doubt the house will be cosy enough to not just stay in, but also LIVE in.. everyone has things, even minimalists.. so, i wonder where all the things go in a minimalist’ home..
as mentioned prior, the article suggests a list of things to get rid of to maximize space.. one of them includes a tv cabinet..
i can’t picture my home without that very useful piece of furniture, whether it be a stand alone or built-in unit.. nowadays, an idiot box is often accompanied by a cable tv decoder, and a disc player.. without a cabinet with at least doors and drawers for extra storage (which, I think is always useful to put things away, instead of those door-less tv benches), where do i place the decoder and player? on the floor?? and i’m definitely not a fan of hanging the tv up on the wall.. well, the minimalist who came up with the list doesn’t own a tv, so it’s of course easy for her to add a tv cabinet in it.. honestly, i don’t think televisions of today’s designs take up THAT much space at all, what with the flat screen and the depth size now getting thinner and thinner..
second item on the list – a dresser? oh i can’t live without one, definitely.. i need something to keep my (and his) grooming whatchamacallits in, besides our underthings and whatnots, away from dust and sight.. it helps a lot if the dresser comes with a framed mirror attached on top.. saves me the trouble of putting a hole in the wall to hang a mirror up.. also eliminates the need for a vanity table and bench, in a way..
oh well, but then again, each to his own preferences and ideals, i suppose..
however, i can’t help but find it a silly article, as echoed by other readers.. instead of coming up with such a drastic solution as disposing of any furniture that completes a living space, isn’t it better to tackle the problem behind the supposedly problematic item? as one commenter puts it, “the fact that a table has clutter on it doesn’t mean get rid of the table, it means get rid of the clutter.”
precisely.. it even makes more sense than the 15-items list in the article..
anyhoo~
i found a recipe for gambas al ajillo, or Spanish garlic chilli prawns in one of my cookbooks.. i remembered sampling the dish back then, during one of my outstation work trips.. eaten with torn pieces of herb bread to soak up the juicy bits of chilli and parsley at the bottom of the bowl, it’s a tasty tapas dish.. however, this delectable prawn dish is just as delicious served as a side to accompany simple pastas like aglio olio, or light spiced rice, or other mains as such..
comprising of very few ingredients which are readily available in most pantries and fridges, it takes no time at all to whip up.. it’s traditionally prepared and served in earthenware vessels, however, for those of us who don’t own any, a wok or frying pan works just fine~ 
GAMBAS AL AJILLO / SPANISH GARLIC CHILLI PRAWNS
Ingredients :
- medium-large prawns, cleaned and trimmed
- garlic, finely chopped
- red chilli (i used gochugaru/korean red pepper flakes), finely chopped
- parsley, finely chopped
- fine sea salt
- extra virgin olive oil
Method :
- heat up some extra virgin olive oil in a wok/pan and saute garlic until fragrant and slightly browned
- add in chopped red chilli and saute for a few seconds
- add in prawns and stir fry until almost cooked
- season with a generous sprinkling of fine sea salt
- when the prawns are cooked through, turn the heat off and add in chopped parsley. stir well
- serve, and enjoy
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
whytevee
My eRecipeCards Badge
I’m A Member Of
