// victoria's domain
// "the kitchen belongs to me" — victoria
The Kitchenette
"It's not a real kitchen. There's one burner, one shelf, and a drawer that doesn't close. I cook in it every Saturday anyway. I think I do it because it's the only part of the cellar where I'm not waiting for something to happen — I'm making something happen. The others stay out of my way while I cook. I didn't ask them to. They just learned. Even Kira, which honestly surprised me."
These are the things Victoria makes in a kitchen the size of a large cupboard, for four people who are always hungry at different times, with whatever Luka remembered to buy and whatever Kira brought from the mall.
"This is not a recipe. This is what happens when there's pasta and garlic and I refuse to apologize for it."
You need
- 400g spaghetti or whatever pasta is in the cupboard
- 6 cloves garlic, sliced thin
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- chili flakes, salt, black pepper
- a handful of parsley if it exists
- parmesan if Kira hasn't eaten it already
What you do
- Boil the pasta in heavily salted water.
- While it cooks, warm the olive oil in a pan on low heat. Add the garlic. Do not rush this. Let it go golden slowly — the moment it browns it's bitter and you've ruined it.
- Add chili flakes. Take the pan off the heat.
- Drain the pasta, keep a cup of the water. Add pasta to the pan, splash of pasta water, toss until it coats everything.
- Parsley, pepper, parmesan. Eat immediately. Victor will be at the table before you've finished plating.
"Kira calls this 'the egg thing'. I've stopped correcting her."
You need
- 1 can crushed tomatoes
- 4–6 eggs
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp paprika, pinch of cayenne
- olive oil, salt
- bread, for the sauce
What you do
- Soften the onion in olive oil for 5 minutes. Add garlic and spices, stir for one minute.
- Add the tomatoes. Season. Let it simmer and thicken for 5 minutes.
- Make small wells in the sauce with a spoon. Crack an egg into each one. Cover the pan.
- Cook until the whites are set but the yolks are still soft — about 4 minutes. Check early. Overcooked yolks are a tragedy.
- Eat from the pan with bread. This is not optional.
"Victor doesn't ask for things. He just appears in the kitchen doorway and looks at the shelf where I keep the lentils. I make the soup."
// kira's annotation, in polish: "ta zupa jest do niczego i wszyscy wiemy że jest do niczego ale nikt nie powie tego victorowi bo wtedy będzie pisał o tym przez tydzień"
// [untranslated. victoria has not responded to this note.]
You need
- 250g red lentils
- 1 onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1 carrot
- 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 litre vegetable stock (or water + a cube)
- juice of half a lemon
- olive oil, salt
What you do
- Dice the onion and carrot. Soften in olive oil for 5 minutes. Add garlic and spices.
- Add lentils and stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer 15 minutes until the lentils dissolve.
- Blend half of it if you want it creamy, or leave it as is. Both are correct.
- Squeeze in the lemon. Taste. Adjust salt. Drizzle olive oil on top.
- Leave a bowl on the kitchen table without saying anything. Victor will find it.