I would have this meal in Normandy, in the middle of the countryside, with my family. My husband, Jean-Charles, and I took over three acres of pasture and have just built an eco-house there of wood and brick. It’s very bright and sparsely furnished, with a large open-plan space. There’s a big wooden terrace, where we eat whenever it’s sunny. The floor is concrete with rugs, and the furniture is modern Danish. It’s completely calm and restful.
My son and my daughter are polar opposites. In every way. My daughter is vegan and my son loves meat; one is a leftie and the other leans to the right… They both live in London with their families, and it’s very lively when they’re around. My grandchildren are seven and four, and they’re always running around and joining in the conversation, so meals together are quite crazy.
I really like very simple, humble food. That said, my one luxury would be lobster, but in a miso soup. You make a vegetable stock of onion, celery, carrot and a touch of tomato, then cook lobster in the stock. Once done, strain everything and reduce the broth, then stir in the miso at the last minute. Then you return the lobster meat to the broth and top with a handful of chopped chives.
A bowl of plain brown, steamed rice would follow, with green vegetables sauteed in garlic and ginger and dressed with honey and soy sauce. It would be in some lovely ceramic bowls I have – old hand-thrown ones in eau de nil green with a darker green strip around the top. A sprinkling of black and white toasted sesame seeds would be the only condiment.
This is the food I love: I could eat it every day, and I can’t see myself changing it for my last meal. Although I’m known for my baking, I don’t actually like sweet things. If white peaches were in season, I would have a plate of them for dessert. I can’t think of anything that smells more wonderful and tastes better.
We wouldn’t have music playing – we are always all talking so there is enough noise. There’d be a bottle of red on the table – my husband likes so many wines; Cote du Rhone, Remi Jeanne. But no cheese.
When everything is finished, I might have a square of dark chocolate for sweetness – I love Jean-Pierre Hevin, dark Ecuador, over 75% - and Jean-Charles might have a coffee. .
Kale and fresh greens sauteed in ginger and garlic
Serves 4
190g brown rice
470ml water
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 x 2cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely sliced
1 large bunch kale, ends trimmed, coarsely chopped
½ bunch spring onions, ends trimmed, finely sliced on the diagonal
1 carrot, peeled and chopped into matchsticks
A handful mangetout, coarsely sliced diagonally
A splash of soy sauce
1 tsp honey
Toasted black and white sesame seeds, to garnish
1 Place the rice and water in a small pan and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender – this should take about 40 minutes. Do not uncover; the rice must cook in the steam, so don’t let it escape. Take the pan off the heat and leave covered for 10 minutes while you cook the vegetables.
2 Heat the oils in a large pan and fry the garlic and ginger until fragrant. Add the veg and toss well. When it is starting to cook, but still crisp, add the soy sauce and honey, toss everything about and remove from the heat.
3 To serve, dish the rice up in bowls, then pile the veg on top. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and enjoy.
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Rose Carrarini co-owns Anglo-French bakery Rose Bakery in Paris, London, Tokyo, Seoul and Tel Aviv
