MAKING SUPER FAST THINGS TO EAT!

For me flavor and quality are everything. In order to combine ingredients without a great deal of effort it takes an understanding of the essence of different foods and seasonings. I like to taste things mentally, to get ideas as to what flavors might be interesting together. In other words, I think about the flavors and how those flavors would compliment each other. If you think about it, flavors break down pretty easily into several categories: sweet, sour, bitter, salty, spicy (hot), creamy.

So, I have an idea about combining garlic, asparagus and lime juice - garlic is hot, asparagus is slightly sweet and lime is sour. Would I like those flavors together? (yes, I would!). I decide to put these together and in this process I come to the second component - balance. Too much lime juice and it overpowers the flavors of the of the other two, too much garlic and what's the point of the other ingredients?

I think the summer I worked with a friend who was an organic farmer really transformed me and what I expected from food. He had the most amazing produce. I discovered varieties of vegetables that I had never seen before. I used to tell him his produce was alive, because the colors were so brilliant and the flavors so intense. He had sweet, yellow, pear tomatoes that I popped in my mouth like candy. White eggplant that melted in your mouth when grilled. French radishes with just the right amount of heat. Long green peppers that were sweet, with just a touch of heat. Each week I would go home with the spoils of helping him that day, and ever since, I have been hooked on buying organic produce whenever I can find it.

Previous            Next Step - Quick and Delicious Recipes