Simple foods

Grilling vegetables releases their most primal flavours, reminding the eater of the true taste of those foods. I spent the afternoon grilling large quantities of vegetables, to make into several meals; it's hot out there, but I used the patio umbrella, and I survived. I had one green fig left from my first-ever fresh fig experiment, and I've been reading often on food blogs about grilled figs, so I sliced it in half and popped it on the electric non-stick (non-stick, my A**) that I use because I'm scared of gas and too lazy to work with charcoal. [Aside: can you believe that I waited until I was over 39 to eat a fresh fig?] Grilling a fig (see the one on the left in the pic here) proves that they are basically pure sugar, leaving a gorgeous dark crust on the grill when I pried it off. I let it cool for a few minutes, then cut each piece into halves, so that I would have four mouthfuls of HEAVEN. Yes, just like that, no added herbs or spices or oils, a fresh fig grilled: succulent, sweet, charred to perfection, ooey gooey loveliness.
I enjoy all sorts of foods and recipes and combinations, but lately I have been experimenting with relearning the flavours of the basic food: what does a cooked carrot really taste like, do I actually like broccoli or only when it's drowned in cheese or stir-fried with mucho spices and surrounded by other veggies? That was what I was doing with the fig/grilled fig: I ate both without any added ingredients, and I enjoyed them so much.
As we age, our sense of taste does dull somewhat, so I guess I am trying a mid-life "remembrance of foods past" so that after another 20 yrs on this Earth, I will have those imprints on my brain and the sights of those foods will still evoke the taste-memory if not the actual taste in my mouth. A large part of the enjoyment of food for me is the visual display of the dish and the memories associated with the enjoyment of eating that particular food previously.
As part of thinking about the basic flavours of food, I tried to remember some of the simpler tastes that I have enjoyed over the years. I realized that some of my favourite dishes from among the thousands of recipes I have sampled during 40 years of eating are some of the simplest. The recipes are practically in the description of the dish, they're that simple. If the freshest ingredients and some attention are paid, they are so satisfying and delicious. 

Here are some of the most simple foods that still delight my palate:

Sauteed mushrooms on toast;

Whole grain sourdough bread toasted with BUTTER;

Poached egg with salt and freshly cracked pepper;

Tomato and cucumber salad with lemon juice/evoo vinaigrette;

Crackers and goat cheese;

Spaghetti with butter/olive oil, parmesan cheese, and fresh-ground pepper;
Aged cheddar in a grilled cheese sandwich;
Broccoli and spaghetti;
Fried egg sandwich;
And any vegetable grilled on the Bar-Bee-Q. Good thing I just ate, or this blog entry would be making me hungry!