A Little Practice Allows for Cooking Outside the Lines

A Fresh Focus

I was sitting in the airport a few weeks ago during a long layover when I was lured into one of those stores that has everything from tacky souvenirs to gum and magazines. Since it had been a long day of travel, I decided to treat myself to a magazine for the plane.  Struck by the delicious looking pesto pasta on the cover, I decided to spring for Bon Appétit.

I flipped through the pages of food stories and recipes like a newly engaged woman would flip through a bridal magazine.  The vibrant colors of well-prepared veggies, desserts, and meats made me giddy. I felt compelled to start writing a grocery list immediately. Not to mention the kitchen tools I’d yet to acquire—yes, I have a food processor, but I’m still missing so many cooking necessities, like a mortar and pestle and a mandoline.

While I love food blogs, cookbooks, and magazines, I have long been afraid of branching out on my own to paint outside the lines of the given instructions and ingredients. I am so impressed by people who are able to do this, putting spices and flavors together in a way that tastes incredible.  I have visions of serving up a dish that I’d conceptualized and created entirely on my own, inspired by what I picked up at that weeks Farmer’s Market and any leftover ingredients sitting in my fridge. 

It wasn’t until I started cooking with friends that I learned that I could bravely change things up a bit.  Don’t have the cheese the recipe calls for? Well, use whatever cheese you have and see how it goes!  Think the batter looks a little thick? Add an extra splash of milk!  Worst case scenario of culinary creativity is an inedible product.  But most of the time, little changes to a recipe won’t make it so different that it turns out terrible.

Join us at the City of Manassas Farmers Market Thursdays at the Harris Pavilion and Saturdays in Parking Lot B (corner of West and Prince William Streets) from 7:30 a.m. until 1 p.m.

In the past, I had a Monday tradition of baking bread. Homemade bread is so delicious and definitely superior to the bread you can find at the store, which is typically loaded with preservatives.

After you practice doing anything enough, you start to understand subtle differences between when it’s going to turn out well and when it will be a little lackluster.  This applies to both bread, and cooking in general. When you better understand the subtleties of the produce, meat and flavors, you can easily get a little spontaneous with a good end product.  

So this is my goal for the year: Become so familiar with my favorite foods and flavors that I can cook outside the lines a little. I want to look at magazines like Bon Appétit for inspiration on how to make my own creation and only follow directions when something really grabs me. Wish me luck; I’m sure I’ll need it starting out, but the reality is, this is how amazing food is created.  I encourage you to take this journey with me and explore the Farmer’s Market for inspiration.  Ask our friendly vendors for help or suggestions and then create your own master pieces for you and your family to enjoy.

At the market the other day, someone asked me “Are you a chef? I see you here every week taking notes and buying things.” I laughed out loud, but was secretly flattered.  Perhaps this mistake is sending me some good culinary juju.  If you’re mistaken for a chef, maybe it’s just a matter of time before you become one…at least this is my hope.