Inspiration and Improvisation

While my husband and I lived in Atlanta for almost 40 years, it was too easy for me to say, “I don’t feel like cooking tonight; let’s go out to eat.” Or “There’s no food in the house; let’s order in.” Or “I’m craving Chinese food; let’s get take-out.” Now living remotely in southern Colorado, those days are gone. And I’m not sure I miss them.

Living in the rural mountains, I caught on pretty quickly to the idea of being self-sufficient. That doesn’t necessarily mean buying in bulk. What it does mean is keeping the pantry stocked with staples for various preparations. Keeping the freezer stocked with proteins that won’t suffer living in there for a while, and will taste just fine with the right thawing and preparation methods. It means picking up fresh fruit, vegetables, and dairy products at least once a week when we go into town. It also means assessing our necessities from the wholesale clubs, as storage space can be limited in our retirement digs. In a pinch, we can run up to the local market (seven miles away) for a basic need (if they have it), if it’s during regular business hours, and not on Sunday. 

Don’t get me wrong…we aren’t off the grid, and we don’t live a cave-dweller’s existence. However, there is no DoorDash, Uber Eats or GrubHub out here, and there’s
definitely no Chinese take-out.

So, what happens when I’m tempted to whine, “There’s no food in the house…?” That’s when my creativity and inspiration kick into gear, and I improvise with what I have on hand. 

It all starts with tapping into what tastes and flavors I’m craving. My customary go-to are Asian-inspired dishes. But there’s no telling when I might hunger for an Italian-style preparation, an Indian inspiration, my favorite Ethiopian dish (Kitfo, prepared leb leb, meaning barely kissed by flame), Southern soul food, bakery-fresh pastries, or even an old-world, traditional Jewish delicacy. Out here, if we want it, I make it, and David is always a willing subject at the table. (He admits he’s spoiled.) 

Recently, I whipped up an Asian-inspired rice dish using Asian-style condiments I keep in the fridge for the sauce. I always keep individually wrapped grilled chicken breasts in the freezer, and used two of those, thinly sliced, for protein. I added some freshly sautéed vegetables. Tossed together with the sauce and the rice, it was a FABULOUS, nutritious dish, and David LOVED it! It also made ample leftovers. While it may have resembled a typical fried rice dish, I know it wasn’t my Cantonese-style fried rice that I prepare in my wok while trying to achieve “wok hei” (Cantonese expression meaning the “breath of the wok”). But it was damn good, and sinfully easy. Score. 

More recently, I shocked myself a little when I thought to make Indian-inspired lamb samosas served with (commercial) mango chutney. They were absolutely outstanding. I was surprised at how many spices go into those little suckers, and was grateful to have them all in my spice drawer. I was glad I even had ghee in which to sauté the lamb. Out of the 22 ingredients in the recipe I wrote for those deliciously fried pockets of impromptu pleasure, I was without only one, but the final product didn’t suffer one bit. The samosas were crispy, crunchy on the outside; tender and flaky on the inside; and the filling was like a burst of an Indian-flavored celebration on my palate. (I may have overeaten.) It’s a good thing the recipe yielded so many so we can continue to enjoy them for a couple of days. 

Knowing the flavors I like to taste in the things I enjoy cooking most means that I stock those ingredients for their preparation. The rest is gravy.