I am drawn to a new adaptability in my kitchen - a new creativity. Even though I am a lazy blogger, who no one reads, I do cook a lot and my
experience of cooking has grown up since starting this blog in a way that is
quite satisfying. Rather than blindly using all the ingredients a
recipe calls for (and cluttering my cupboard up with yet more jars)
I'll substitute what i have for what is called for. Yes, sometimes the
character of the dish changes, and maybe what was supposed to be used
was better, but it usually works out really well, and then its unique
and mindful. Mindful in that adaptability is also about wasting less -
only having one vinegar instead of four open at any one time and also
because an imposed limitation forces ingenuity. I imagine a
particularly helpful mindset for when you have dietary restrictions
like gluten intolerance or when you're (properly) vegan.
As we strive to become consumers who waste less you find that by using what you have rather than rushing out to buy something new or adding something that might be going off soon so as not to throw it out you're quietly living more ethically. Dogmatically following a recipe is boring at best and at worst stressful - so what if I don't have arrowroot, find a substitute, the internet is a big place.
Some of this is obvious - I mean, if you don't have a shallot, use any onion, but others (like arrowroot) are more subtle. With time and a little research you find your vocabulary of invention expands, at the same time your confidence improves and you can rely more on your instincts. The ability to 'whip something up' from whatever is to hand is becoming a specialty of which I'm really proud.
Admittedly in baking you need to know what you're doing a bit more, but even there, inspired by the ever inventive Clotide of Chocolate & Zucchini I am giving experimentation a go.
As recipes become shorthand they return almost to the original recipes which would only give a handful of ingredients and a direction. Last months Observer Food Monthly, the hundredth edition, gives 100 easy recipes, a few sentences in a tiny paragraph long (a similar concept Australian Gourmet Traveller has been using for awhile though!). It reminds me of my first cookbook - Jill Dupliex's New Food - which had 'pairings' (basil/tomato etc.). Knowing (or working out) what goes together is a good starting place.
Examples of substitutions Ive made in the last few weeks - feel free to suggest your own.
- lime or lemon
- molasses or honey or agave
- arrowroot or cornflour or flour
- onions or shallots or leeks or spring onions or chives
- peaches or tomatoes (in salad - together is also good!)
- Chinese black vinegar or Red Wine vinegar
- Fujian Rice Wine or Fino Sherry
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