When people find out that I develop and test recipes for a living, they’re often surprised when I say that real kitchen confidence comes from cooking without a recipe.
The cooking that makes me happiest, and what I most often do at home, happens when I step away from the recipe and improvise with whatever’s on hand. Not everyone’s comfortable with that, but it’s worth doing, because those experiments teach you something no recipe can. Even if you screw up. Especially when you screw up.
Not everyone feels that way. I recently interviewed a well-known food TV personality and cookbook author who told me she always follows a recipe, even her own. She invests a lot of time in perfecting her recipes, she explained, and following them to the letter allows her to re-create that taste experience every time.
That’s some sound logic, but I think it’s also good to free-range in the kitchen, at least occasionally, even if you’re a habitual recipe-follower.
What Cooking Without a Recipe Teaches You
Improvising in the kitchen is an exercise in being in the moment because you really have to focus on what’s happening in front you. You can experiment with using techniques learned from recipes in different ways. (A great example is learning how to brown butter, which is a simple technique that can enhance all manner of dishes, from pasta to baked goods.) Sure, there’s the occasional dud, but you’ll learn something valuable from that, too. As we all know, failure is an effective teacher. And, with practice, improvising is a great confidence builder.
Technique: Dry Pan Sautéed Mushrooms →
For me, ingredients are usually the inspiration, since I’m often looking to use up what I have on hand. This pasta toss started with some nice tomatoes that arrived in our produce box and a goodly amount of baby spinach left over from a recipe I’d made earlier in the week. Then I started eyeing the jar of emerald green pesto made with basil that also came in the produce box, plus a some Calabrian chile paste (a new favorite ingredient, thanks to Giada De Laurentiis)… and in less than 20 minutes, it was a very good dinner.
DIY Air-Chilled Chicken = Crisp, Golden Skin →
This is the thinking behind every recipe I develop for brands. Before I write the first ingredient line, I ask: What does this recipe teach the cook? Is it understanding a specific ingredient in a new way? An aha! moment technique? A recipe that hands someone a real information that goes beyond that specific dish is the one that gets made again and again. Content that earns saves and shares.
So, ironically, I’m sharing a recipe here, but it’s really more a guide, a peek into what I was thinking as I improvised. You really shouldn’t worry about measuring. A little more or less of these ingredients isn’t going to make a big difference.
Improvised Not-Too-Saucy Summer Pasta
Equipment
- 1 large pot
- 1 saute pan
Ingredients
- 8 ounces pasta (pappardelle, penne, cavatappi, etc.; whole grain or gluten-free is fine)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced (more if you like!)
- 2-3 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
- kosher salt, to taste
- 1 teaspoon Calabrian chile paste (or harissa, optional; more or less as you like)
- 1 package baby spinach (5 ounces)
- ¼ cup pesto, homemade or jarred (optional)
- 1 ounce feta cheese (or goat or blue cheese)
- 1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente.
- While the pasta cooks, heat oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook 30-60 seconds or just until it turns golden. Carefully add the tomatoes (they’ll sizzle), a generous pinch of salt and chile paste, if you like a little heat. Cook 5 minutes or until the tomatoes are pretty well broken down. Depending on the variety and ripeness of the tomatoes, this may take more or less time, so focus on what’s happening in the pan rather than watching the clock. If the pan looks dry, ladle in a few tablespoons of pasta water, scraping up any browned bits (which add lots of flavor). Again, depending on the pan's heat, the variety of tomatoes, etc., you may need to do this several times. When the tomatoes have pretty well broken down, start adding the spinach a big handful at a time, adding more as the previous addition wilts down. This will look like a lot of spinach at first, but, ya know, it cooks down to very little. Stir in the pesto, if using.
- By now, the pasta should be ready. Using tongs or a sieve, fish it out of the pot and drop it into the pan with the sauce, tossing to coat. If it looks dry, just add another few tablespoons of pasta water. If you'd like, stir in the pesto.
- Divide the pasta evenly among 4 shallow bowls. Top evenly with cheeses.
Working on recipe content for your brand? I put together a free brief template that walks you through exactly what to ask for: deliverables, red flags, and the questions most brands forget to nail down before a shoot. Download The Brand Recipe Brief →