The fricandó in Roser's garden: "All my life I've suffered because I was fat. Now when I see such beautiful photos I think: "So much suffering for nothing!""

My name is Roser Creus, I'm eighty-three years old, I'm from Mollet del Vallès but now I live in Santa Maria de Palautordera.

Like all the ladies who have done this program before, I wear an apron. I need an apron, to cook.

Yes, I've been hungry. A little. I'd say not much, because my mother had chickens, she had rabbits (the house was big) and they had a garden on the side. And this is the family's survival. My parents had a soda factory ("funny", as we used to say) and siphons. I have one bottle left, and it still says "gasosas" because it's from before the war. The factory was expropriated and the mother, who had the two-year-old boy, and the aunt, who had the little girl, were going to work. To work, now, to they, those who had expropriated her. My father and my uncle had to leave Mollet. And my mother, alone, who had an inn at home, Can Bruno's inn, which is where our cooking comes from, would go there to clean so they would give her food or pennies, because she also had her grandparents at home. Before I got married, every Saturday, with Mom, we would have "a saucer" she said. And my father was delighted. I made a blog with Mom's recipes. I have it here. It says: "I started this text at the request of my children, as a simple compilation of the cooking recipes I had learned from my mother, Enriqueta Soler y Duñó, who in turn had learned from Vicenta."

I've been married for fifty-four years. I went to live in Barcelona, ​​​​and when my father died, since my mother was alone, we went to Mollet. And we also had the grandfather, because Ramón's mother, my husband, died at 57 and we took her home when she was sick. I had the three-year-old son and was pregnant with the second. But my father-in-law took great care of her.

Look at these photos. All my life I've suffered in case I was overweight. So fed up with suffering in life that when I see these beautiful photos I think: "So much suffering for nothing!" I studied to be a draftsman. There were so many men and I was the only woman in the technical office. We were draftsmen, in a German company; there were secretaries, directors, but I was the only draftsman. They treated me very well. I always felt very respected and loved. Always, in toneThey would come if I had made a mistake! Don't laugh, they were wrong fifty times! It was a very pleasant environment. You make plans, calculate how far the beam should reach. There's always the senior engineer who draws what's needed, but you have to put it on paper, all that. And then I went to Barcelona to study English. And that's when I met Ramon. Languages aren't my strong suit, but at least I had one. flirt that still lasts!

I had the children, but the first one had asthma, and with my mother-in-law sick, and already pregnant, I said: "I'm going to work." Out! Because at home I worked. And when I came back, thirteen years later, everything was done by computer, now. And I got a job as a cafeteria monitor. And I'll tell you something. A lot of children to scold. Children who sit badly: "Sit properly", "Hold the fork correctly", "Don't touch it with your fingers"... You know what? There are children who... would get into a "ball" with yogurt!

The recipe for fricandó in the gardener explained by Roser

Ingredients

• Chicken broth (homemade the day before)
• Veal for fricandó (llata or shank)
• Figueres onion
• Assorted mushrooms
• Canned tomato
• Aromatic herbs in bundles
• Rancid wine
• Spices: pepper and cinnamon

Steps to follow

• The day before, I make a simple broth with some carcasses, chicken thighs, and the usual herbs: leek, carrot, onion, and, if available, turnip.
• For the meat, you'll need to go to the butcher. Cuts with sinew are more tender. The usual is llata, but they didn't have any, and I had 1 kilo of shank cut into pieces, considering cooking for 6 or 7 people.
• I start with a large Figueres onion, cut into half-centimeter squares, salted, and drizzled with plenty of oil. Add a very small amount of tomato, two tablespoons, and bundled herbs, otherwise they'll burn. Finally, add a splash of rancid wine.
• On the other hand, the meat is salted, coated in flour, and also seared in a frying pan with oil. Heat should be high. It shouldn't be overcooked, as it will still boil with the broth. In this case, it's cooked on a ceramic hob, which is very constant, but you have to be careful when you turn off the heat, as it's still hot and, therefore, cooking. Remember to set the pan aside.
• Then, I add the meat to the sofrito. It's no problem having prepared this task the day before, so it's not so difficult. Mix well, so the meat is coated with the onion and tomato.
• Meanwhile, I've heated the chicken broth until it's lukewarm, not boiling. We pour just enough to cover the meat and sofrito mixture. We cover it and cook it for about half an hour.
• While this is cooking, I prepare the mushrooms. Clean them thoroughly and line them with kitchen paper. They'll keep for up to three days. In a pan, I sauté them with oil, garlic, and parsley. We can add any mushrooms we find, whether they're chanterelles, milk caps, or saffron milk caps—anything goes well.
• After the half-hour cooking time has passed, add the sautéed mushrooms and let it cook for another quarter of an hour. Then it'll be cooked.
• This recipe does not contain spices, and like all stews, it is best the next day.