Happy NEW Year!
I receive a lot of my inspiration from watching cooking shows. Earlier this week, I saw a pizza that was topped with ‘Nduja. I rewound eight times before I could even figure out what the ingredient was. On the show, it was pronounced nah-doo-ya. Within a few seconds, I located the product on Google and learned that it is a spicy salami paste, pronounced un-doo-ya. Compelled to taste it, I ordered it on Amazon and absolutely cannot wait for its arrival.
Ask a musician or artist how they began to master their craft and they’ll likely respond that they experimented, made a lot of mistakes, and stumbled upon their own style. One of my favorite things to do is to combine foods that you normally don’t see together. A while back, I saw someone on a cooking show use crushed potato chips to top their mac and cheese instead of buttered breadcrumbs. I thought it would be cool to take my favorite flavored potato chip – sour cream and onion – and develop a recipe for Sour Cream and Onion Mac and Cheese. Genius, right?!
I pondered the different types of onions I wanted to use, and decided that leeks and shallots would be interesting. I sautéed them in butter, and added them to my velvety white cheddar cheese sauce. For the pasta, I chose ditalini (short macaroni tubes). I tasted along the way, put it all together, topped it with crushed sour cream and onion potato chips, baked it, and counted down the minutes before I could savor my mouthwatering creation.
Sadly, it tasted weird. Maybe leek was an odd choice. Maybe I overengineered it and diced yellow onion would have been better. Despite my best efforts, it was somewhat bitter and just didn’t turn out how I thought it would. I might try a different variation in the future. I still think it’s a great idea -- I just didn’t execute it well that day.
One of my favorite bites here in Las Vegas is a roasted cauliflower dish with a blueberry bourbon glaze. When I asked the chef about his inspiration for the dish, all he said was, “It’s all about R&D.” That told me all I need to know. I’m sure his first few attempts were weird. I’m also fairly certain that some people aren’t curious enough to even order the dish to conclude whether they like it.
As cooks, we need to try new things. When my ‘Nduja arrives, it will be just the two of us, in my kitchen, staring at each other until we figure out our unwritten future. I can’t wait to see how it turns out. I hope it’s delicious!
XO
DINK stands for Dual Income No Kids - but you don’t have to be a dink to savor our food. We’re into recipes for two to minimize food waste, control portions, and savor every bite!
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