I live in a very strange cooking dichotomy. On one hand, I love to have simple and quick meals that require very little energy and are immediately satisfying. On the other, I love a needy risotto, a sauce that begs to be tweaked just a tad between each stage of development, and complex dishes that insist on copious ingredients with many steps. Those bougie meals are great when I have someone serving as my sous chef, discussing what the sauce needs over a bottle (or two) of a seductive red wine. They are not great however when I am going about the normal weekday routine and just want something satisfying and quick.
Cooking for me has always been a magical mix of science and art. Being a mad scientist in the kitchen not only plays into my imagination but also cultivates my ability to make something flavorful out of the few ingredients I have on hand. There are the staple items of course that are always around; olive oil, onions, fresh whole garlic, turmeric, cayenne pepper, ground sage, bay leaves, cumin, Chinese five spice, garam masala and coriander are present in my pantry. Proteins, veggies and root tubulars are bought weekly since cooking with the freshest ingredients as possible is my preference. Using this system, I can buy fun ingredients and use them immediately for new and exciting meals. If Chinese eggplant is at the farmers market this week and wild caught Argentine shrimp is on sale, I’m going to find more than one way to make those ingredients and not lock myself into one flavor profile.
T keep your meals diverse, simple is best. Typically I use anywhere between five to seven ingredients (not including the olive oil/butter and garlic/ginger). The formula is always the same. Start by cooking your carb choice first since it takes the longest. Next season and cook your protein. Last are the veggies since they take the least amount of time to cook. NO ONE likes cold and soggy veggies. Now that you have the formula plug and chug. Remember that from elementary school? Yes that’s right. Let’s go back to the Chinese eggplant and shrimp shall we? First let’s pick a carb. For this meal let’s use diced butternut squash; toss it with olive oil, garlic, a dash of cayenne pepper and salt. Set it to roast in the oven. Next, season the shrimp with coriander (it has a lemon/lime taste) and saute’ in a pan with a little bit of butter. Butter will burn if the pan is too hot, so be mindful of not setting off your smoke alarms. Last saute’ the Chinese eggplant with salt pepper, and garam marsala. Plate and serve. I just used all my ingredients on hand and created something unique to eat! Maybe in a few days I choose to roast the eggplant with cumin, saute the shrimp in garlic and mash the butternut squash with coriander. Who knows? The formula, however, will remain the same.
The best advice I can render for you is to try out different combinations of spices and see what tastes amazing together. You could always do research on line too, but learning how to be a resourceful home chef will make you a master at quick and delicious meals. Be a mad scientist and explore your pantry! Some of your inventions will be amazing, others maybe not so great. Don’t throw those away; just say “this meal is under development “ and make note of what could’ve been better. Maybe less garam marsala and more coriander next go around. Now go play with your food and make something memorable tonight!
Comments