The kitchen is its own recipe book.
Or more particularly, the contents of the fridge and the food cupboard are a recipe of its own. That's what I learned during the many times I was left alone to fend for myself and act as housekeeper, something that frequently happened ever since I was a kid.
There's never a need for me to look up any recipe whenever I need to cook for myself, or to cook according to any tried and true family concoction. I just get stuff and cook. It's a nice exercise of uberraschung; I'm not too certain about the taste of the end product until its finished cooking.
Sometimes, I hit pay dirt with some of the combinations I come up with. Like this one:
Unnamed Sweet and Sour Broth
- Water, four cups
- Tamarind bouillon cube
- Onions, sliced
- Leeks, chopped
- Pineapple tidbits, with light syrup
- Ginger, crushed
- Fresh turmeric leaf, crushed
- Freshly-ground black pepper
- Powdered oregano
- Salt
Dump all in an uncovered pot. Cook to boil. Let boil for at least five minutes. Do not eat turmeric leaf.
It's really not bad, provided that I stock my fridge and cupboard every two weeks.
