Starting where we left off last time, we'll talk about protein. It's something that often takes up one third or more of plate-space, yet for whatever reason we don't pay much attention to it. We often buy large quantities of the same chicken or ground beef cheaply, and pay little attention to sourcing.
The first, and most important thing is the quality of ingredients. You can make much out of relatively small amounts or simple preparation provided that what you're cooking is fresh (I mean a recent purchase, not necessarily un-frozen.) However, freezing affects the texture and sometimes the flavor of the food.
I know this is really basic stuff, but you have to start from the ground up. Also, if you're eating meat, where it comes from and what the animal ate are important. I'm not trying to beat that horse, plenty of other writers have done it better than myself. Keep in mind that on some level, you get what you pay for...and you should pay for the kind of industry that you want to see flourish. If I have learned one thing, it's that we must be the person outside that we are on the inside. If you say that you want to support small farmers and small business, you have to invest in them.
Think about different forms, too. Beans, seafood, eggs, and tofu can add a lot of variety. Beans can be the side, a tasty additive, or even smushed and seasoned into a burger. Eggs aren't just for breakfast either. If you need proof of that, take one look at their large chapter in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Fish can be extremely low maintenance while fitting in every category...fun in the form of baked fish and chips to fancy in the form of salmon en papillote.
Salt while cooking, and use sea salt if possible. I love French Grey, and babble about it ceaselessly. There is a chemical reaction that takes place while the food is cooking with the salt that can not, not, not, be done later. Don't neglect the spice cabinet. Garlic powder, and onion powder go a very long way. Cumin and coriander can be wonderful, on beef, pork, or chicken. Combining them with greek yogurt can make a marinade. Thyme, tarragon, sage, and dill are wonderful with chicken or with eggs. Basil and oregano have been traditionally put a tomato base, with beef or chicken.
I bought a bottle of balsamic, and it's definitely proven itself useful over the past weeks. I know that it's probably not the most authentic stuff, but in terms of marinating and dressing, it gets the job done. I paired it with mushroom broth, garlic powder, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, shallots, and thyme. I soaked my extra firm tofu steaks in there before crisping them up in the pan a bit.
I'm getting back into the swing of life again, and a big part of that is cooking. Another big part is making art, and writing poetry. In time, I will be sharing some of that with you. Since we talked about the big strokes, it's time for a little application, too.
