Solace tends to be intangible. It can be difficult to capture; a sensation, a smell, a taste? For us, it is intrinsically linked with memory – the smell of birthday cake, places we’ve visited, people with whom we feel instantly at ease. While some dimensions of solace are elusive – the heavy smell of rain, the tangy sensation of sea air on your lips – others are more concrete, such as the tantalising embrace of childhood recipes and meals. For Izzy, it’s her penne alla vodka; for Laura, her dad’s marble cake; for Tan, his Yayla Çorbası. This issue of The Corridor focuses on the comfort that food and the process of cooking can bring some of us at Spiegeloog. In case anyone would like to try our comfort foods, we have included the recipes!
Solace tends to be intangible. It can be difficult to capture; a sensation, a smell, a taste? For us, it is intrinsically linked with memory – the smell of birthday cake, places we’ve visited, people with whom we feel instantly at ease. While some dimensions of solace are elusive – the heavy smell of rain, the tangy sensation of sea air on your lips – others are more concrete, such as the tantalising embrace of childhood recipes and meals. For Izzy, it’s her penne alla vodka; for Laura, her dad’s marble cake; for Tan, his Yayla Çorbası. This issue of The Corridor focuses on the comfort that food and the process of cooking can bring some of us at Spiegeloog. In case anyone would like to try our comfort foods, we have included the recipes!
Izzy’s (22, Cultural Psychology master student) Penne Alla Vodka Recipe
“Ever since I moved out of home, I’ve realised how much of a source of comfort cooking is to me. It’s the purest form of self-care that I can think of, and something I turn to in times of stress, celebration and contentedness alike. Food as a source of solace was something I began to reflect on early in my adult years, but now, as an international student, I’ve realised just how comforting food from home can be. I’ve bonded with people over how we made our favourite meals when we felt homesick, and laughed as my text history with my dad became a long chain of requests for recipes. Ironically, the very recipes I’m requesting are for meals which, as a child, I turned my nose up at, but as an adult, I return to time and time again, to fill my kitchen with the smells of home. Cooking for me is a sacred process. I’ll set myself up in the kitchen, break out a playlist, and spend hours focusing on the task at hand, while having a little dance, Florence Pugh-style (for anyone who hasn’t seen her Cooking with Flo series on Instagram, you’re missing out). Each recipe has evolved over time through experimentation and refinement, elicits specific emotions, and is intrinsically linked with treasured memories. One which I return to time and time again is pretty simple. I first made it while on holiday with friends; after a long day of swimming and hiking, we gathered together what few ingredients we had, broke out a bottle of wine, and created our own twist on Gigi Hadid’s vodka pasta – a spicy, creamy, indulgent dish that has now become our go-to. Whenever I need a quick comfort meal, I’ll throw this one together, making small adjustments each time, so that now what I make is a sort of hybrid between penne alla vodka and a caprese. It takes about 15 minutes to make and is the perfect way to wind down after a long day.”
Laura’s (23, second-year Research master’s student) Marble Cake Recipe
“You can ask any of my roommates, cooking isn’t my strong suit. I just don’t have the patience which is why I usually cook on high heat and eat slightly burnt food. Weirdly enough, though, I’ve always enjoyed baking. It’s extremely meditative and I love when the apartment smells of cakes, brownies, or muffins. I usually put on a movie or show – I’m currently watching anything Studio Ghibli – and get lost in the process. The one baked good I’m known for are my apple muffins. I’m not kidding when I say these muffins were sold out in less than five minutes at our school fundraiser. My friends love them, my family demands them, and it’s the one thing I could bake blindfolded, without a scale. Apple muffins bring me comfort because they remind me of all the birthday parties, the hours spent with my family and friends, and just cosy afternoons and deep conversations. But the one baked good that brings me the most comfort is my dad’s marble cake. For every single one of my birthdays, he has baked me one and the aroma never fails to brighten my mood. I’ve baked it myself but nothing beats his version! To this day, I’m not sure if he’s actually better at baking marble cake than me, or if he just omitted some of the ingredients so I’d only get the real deal at home.”
Tan’s (19, second- year psychology bachelor student) Yayla Çorbası Recipe
“Cooking is one of the only chores that I like – it helps me think, and relax. When I cook on my own, I usually listen to music. Over the last couple of months, I’ve been cooking with other Turkish students in my student housing, so these days we talk and share stories while we cook. The one dish I cook more frequently is called Yayla Çorbası. It’s a specific soup that we make with yoghurt, mint, rice, and corn. It’s thicker than regular soup and I usually make it on winter days to have something warm. Yayla Çorbası reminds me of home and is definitely my Turkish comfort food. But it’s not my only comfort food! After having moved to a colder country, I’ve been craving stews once it gets slightly colder. So, around this time of year, you’ll see me making either beef or chicken stews. It’s definitely not the food I used to eat in Istanbul as you don’t really crave stews in that climate, but it brings me comfort in Amsterdam.”
Izzy’s (22, Cultural Psychology master student) Penne Alla Vodka Recipe
“Ever since I moved out of home, I’ve realised how much of a source of comfort cooking is to me. It’s the purest form of self-care that I can think of, and something I turn to in times of stress, celebration and contentedness alike. Food as a source of solace was something I began to reflect on early in my adult years, but now, as an international student, I’ve realised just how comforting food from home can be. I’ve bonded with people over how we made our favourite meals when we felt homesick, and laughed as my text history with my dad became a long chain of requests for recipes. Ironically, the very recipes I’m requesting are for meals which, as a child, I turned my nose up at, but as an adult, I return to time and time again, to fill my kitchen with the smells of home. Cooking for me is a sacred process. I’ll set myself up in the kitchen, break out a playlist, and spend hours focusing on the task at hand, while having a little dance, Florence Pugh-style (for anyone who hasn’t seen her Cooking with Flo series on Instagram, you’re missing out). Each recipe has evolved over time through experimentation and refinement, elicits specific emotions, and is intrinsically linked with treasured memories. One which I return to time and time again is pretty simple. I first made it while on holiday with friends; after a long day of swimming and hiking, we gathered together what few ingredients we had, broke out a bottle of wine, and created our own twist on Gigi Hadid’s vodka pasta – a spicy, creamy, indulgent dish that has now become our go-to. Whenever I need a quick comfort meal, I’ll throw this one together, making small adjustments each time, so that now what I make is a sort of hybrid between penne alla vodka and a caprese. It takes about 15 minutes to make and is the perfect way to wind down after a long day.”
Laura’s (23, second-year Research master’s student) Marble Cake Recipe
“You can ask any of my roommates, cooking isn’t my strong suit. I just don’t have the patience which is why I usually cook on high heat and eat slightly burnt food. Weirdly enough, though, I’ve always enjoyed baking. It’s extremely meditative and I love when the apartment smells of cakes, brownies, or muffins. I usually put on a movie or show – I’m currently watching anything Studio Ghibli – and get lost in the process. The one baked good I’m known for are my apple muffins. I’m not kidding when I say these muffins were sold out in less than five minutes at our school fundraiser. My friends love them, my family demands them, and it’s the one thing I could bake blindfolded, without a scale. Apple muffins bring me comfort because they remind me of all the birthday parties, the hours spent with my family and friends, and just cosy afternoons and deep conversations. But the one baked good that brings me the most comfort is my dad’s marble cake. For every single one of my birthdays, he has baked me one and the aroma never fails to brighten my mood. I’ve baked it myself but nothing beats his version! To this day, I’m not sure if he’s actually better at baking marble cake than me, or if he just omitted some of the ingredients so I’d only get the real deal at home.”
Tan’s (19, second-year Psychology bachelor’s student) Yayla Çorbası Recipe
“Cooking is one of the only chores that I like – it helps me think, and relax. When I cook on my own, I usually listen to music. Over the last couple of months, I’ve been cooking with other Turkish students in my student housing, so these days we talk and share stories while we cook. The one dish I cook more frequently is called Yayla Çorbası. It’s a specific soup that we make with yoghurt, mint, rice, and corn. It’s thicker than regular soup and I usually make it on winter days to have something warm. Yayla Çorbası reminds me of home and is definitely my Turkish comfort food. But it’s not my only comfort food! After having moved to a colder country, I’ve been craving stews once it gets slightly colder. So, around this time of year, you’ll see me making either beef or chicken stews. It’s definitely not the food I used to eat in Istanbul as you don’t really crave stews in that climate, but it brings me comfort in Amsterdam.”
