ISO Culinary Mad Libs
October 27, 2023 10:33 AM Subscribe
I cook a lot but I follow recipes a little too slavishly. I've also got a lot of random ingredients I'm trying to clean out and use up. Can you point me at some fridge-clearing, seat-of-your-pants recipe templates or use-what-you-got recipes that would let me mix and match? (Details about what I mean, and things I'm especially trying to use up, inside.)
What I'm looking for is something kind of like what I do with vegetable soups: some onion, carrot, and celery, and then chop up whatever other random veg needs using up; bung that in some broth with whatever cooked beans are hanging around and a handful of elbow macaroni and simmer. I'd like to have some other types of dishes - casseroles, salads, grain bowls, that kind of thing. What I'm ideally looking for is a recipe that isn't as fussy about what KIND of grain you're using, say, so much as it is about how you need X amount of the cooked grain. Then you add Y amount of a leafy green vegetable, Z amount of combined other veg, and then you do blah blah blah to cook it. Or something like the Food52 Cook In The Blank cookbook; I have some sample pages there (the grain bowl, the mac and cheese, and a couple of the soups) already.
As for the "use what you got" recipes - what I mean is, for instance, I have a lo mein recipe which calls for a set amount of noodles and seasonings, but then says a pound of "whatever meat you want", a certain amount of "whatever leafy vegetables you want," a certain amount of "whatever hard vegetables you want"; as long as you follow the steps, the kinds of vegetables don't matter so much. A similar cookie recipe I have is a basic recipe for the cookie part, and then you add X amount of whatever combination of nuts, chips, dried fruit, etc. you want.
I'm also looking for generic tips like "if you have leftover stew of any kind, just fling that in a dish and slap some puff pastry on top and you have a pot pie" or "if you have leftover rice just dump some canned salmon on top and drizzle with mirin and it's a quick-and-dirty Japanese rice bowl".
And the more free-form and flexible the better; I have a bad habit of going up my own ass about using the exact ingredients a recipe calls for, and that's exactly why I have all these scant amounts of grains and condiments and what-not. If a recipe is flexible about exactly what KIND of cheese or grain or meat or veg or whatever, then I'm interested.
EXTRA BONUS POINTS if the recipe is in a "serves one" or "serves two" quantity. I am almost always cooking just for myself, which is ANOTHER reason why I have so much shit in my pantry.
SUPER EXTRA BONUS points for recipes that will let me use up any of the following:
* random odds and ends of cheeses that are still hanging around from earlier this summer when I was in a DIY cheese-tray phase. (Some are already fated for a catch-all mac-and-cheese, but still.)
* whole grains like millet or bulgur or freekeh.
* seasonal vegetables in general (the CSA just ended for the season and I've got a massive backlog).
I'm well-practiced in a kitchen and have no allergies (other than broccoli, cauliflower and brussel sprouts giving me MASSIVE indigestion, woe).
What I'm looking for is something kind of like what I do with vegetable soups: some onion, carrot, and celery, and then chop up whatever other random veg needs using up; bung that in some broth with whatever cooked beans are hanging around and a handful of elbow macaroni and simmer. I'd like to have some other types of dishes - casseroles, salads, grain bowls, that kind of thing. What I'm ideally looking for is a recipe that isn't as fussy about what KIND of grain you're using, say, so much as it is about how you need X amount of the cooked grain. Then you add Y amount of a leafy green vegetable, Z amount of combined other veg, and then you do blah blah blah to cook it. Or something like the Food52 Cook In The Blank cookbook; I have some sample pages there (the grain bowl, the mac and cheese, and a couple of the soups) already.
As for the "use what you got" recipes - what I mean is, for instance, I have a lo mein recipe which calls for a set amount of noodles and seasonings, but then says a pound of "whatever meat you want", a certain amount of "whatever leafy vegetables you want," a certain amount of "whatever hard vegetables you want"; as long as you follow the steps, the kinds of vegetables don't matter so much. A similar cookie recipe I have is a basic recipe for the cookie part, and then you add X amount of whatever combination of nuts, chips, dried fruit, etc. you want.
I'm also looking for generic tips like "if you have leftover stew of any kind, just fling that in a dish and slap some puff pastry on top and you have a pot pie" or "if you have leftover rice just dump some canned salmon on top and drizzle with mirin and it's a quick-and-dirty Japanese rice bowl".
And the more free-form and flexible the better; I have a bad habit of going up my own ass about using the exact ingredients a recipe calls for, and that's exactly why I have all these scant amounts of grains and condiments and what-not. If a recipe is flexible about exactly what KIND of cheese or grain or meat or veg or whatever, then I'm interested.
EXTRA BONUS POINTS if the recipe is in a "serves one" or "serves two" quantity. I am almost always cooking just for myself, which is ANOTHER reason why I have so much shit in my pantry.
SUPER EXTRA BONUS points for recipes that will let me use up any of the following:
* random odds and ends of cheeses that are still hanging around from earlier this summer when I was in a DIY cheese-tray phase. (Some are already fated for a catch-all mac-and-cheese, but still.)
* whole grains like millet or bulgur or freekeh.
* seasonal vegetables in general (the CSA just ended for the season and I've got a massive backlog).
I'm well-practiced in a kitchen and have no allergies (other than broccoli, cauliflower and brussel sprouts giving me MASSIVE indigestion, woe).
Alton Brown referred to quiche as Refridgerator Pie i.e. given a pie crust and the egss/cream mixture, you can empty out your fridge's leftovers into the mix.
posted by mmascolino at 10:48 AM on October 27, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by mmascolino at 10:48 AM on October 27, 2023 [2 favorites]
Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything can be good for this type of thing. A lot of the basics are probably far below your cooking skills, like, I assume you can cook rice. But he'll give a recipe for sushi rice and then a list of 8 or 10 different ways to use it. Some of them might be specific recipes, but a lot of them are more in the vein of 'then saute some greens in yuzu sauce and eat them with the rice'.
posted by jacquilynne at 10:52 AM on October 27, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by jacquilynne at 10:52 AM on October 27, 2023 [3 favorites]
Best answer: I'm also here to suggest Mark Bittman, but instead his Kitchen Matrix book which is basically exactly what you're asking for -- it's basically all templates + mix & match. (There are used copies at that link in the $7 range.)
posted by BlahLaLa at 11:05 AM on October 27, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by BlahLaLa at 11:05 AM on October 27, 2023 [7 favorites]
Best answer: This is very specific for the grains, but any time you would normally make rice, add between half and three-quarters the amount of rice you usually would to the pot and then add a mix of whatever other grains you have kicking around for the rest. Cook as long as you would for your rice, then test it out. It might need up to another 10-15 minutes to get something like barley cooked through, but part of the charm of the mix is that some grains are soft while others are still chewy. You can also add red lentils or any other quick-cooking legumes to this if you have awkward amounts of those to use up too.
posted by snaw at 11:19 AM on October 27, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by snaw at 11:19 AM on October 27, 2023 [3 favorites]
Substituting a tablespoon of lentils for rice is easy and pretty foolproof.
posted by mmascolino at 11:23 AM on October 27, 2023
posted by mmascolino at 11:23 AM on October 27, 2023
Best answer: A couple ideas from the bookshelf...
Michael Ruhlman's Ratio and The Book of Cocktail Ratios are all about why there's a particular ratio of ingredients – flour, liquid, egg, and fat in the first book, spirits in the second – that made me a much more confident improviser.
I love Deborah Madison's Vegetable Literacy and In My Kitchen because of the loose, complementary-flavors approach she brings to recipes. The first one is more encyclopedic ("what goes with fennel?"), while the second is much more loose and jazzy ("this would be good on polenta, or toast, or maybe couscous? and if you have some red peppers, throw those in"). She also has a whole book on soups I haven't read yet. But in general her later writing is much more improvisional. And of course she is excellent at all things CSA-boxy and vegetal.
Oh, and in our house we have lately been inspired by Persian kuku as a way to use up all sorts of greens, tomatoes and peppers, mushrooms, eggplants... basically, a baked frittata made with much more of the flavoring ingredient than you would expect. It's a great way to crank through a lot of farmer's market produce.
posted by graphweaver at 11:42 AM on October 27, 2023 [4 favorites]
Michael Ruhlman's Ratio and The Book of Cocktail Ratios are all about why there's a particular ratio of ingredients – flour, liquid, egg, and fat in the first book, spirits in the second – that made me a much more confident improviser.
I love Deborah Madison's Vegetable Literacy and In My Kitchen because of the loose, complementary-flavors approach she brings to recipes. The first one is more encyclopedic ("what goes with fennel?"), while the second is much more loose and jazzy ("this would be good on polenta, or toast, or maybe couscous? and if you have some red peppers, throw those in"). She also has a whole book on soups I haven't read yet. But in general her later writing is much more improvisional. And of course she is excellent at all things CSA-boxy and vegetal.
Oh, and in our house we have lately been inspired by Persian kuku as a way to use up all sorts of greens, tomatoes and peppers, mushrooms, eggplants... basically, a baked frittata made with much more of the flavoring ingredient than you would expect. It's a great way to crank through a lot of farmer's market produce.
posted by graphweaver at 11:42 AM on October 27, 2023 [4 favorites]
Best answer: I haven't actually read this yet, but I just saw that Molly Baz has a new book out that seems like it could be relevant to your request: More is More: Get Loose in the Kitchen: A Cookbook.
"More Is More is a philosophy that encourages more risk-taking, better intuition, fewer exact measurements, and a "don't stop 'til it tastes delicious" mentality."
posted by sriracha at 11:44 AM on October 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
"More Is More is a philosophy that encourages more risk-taking, better intuition, fewer exact measurements, and a "don't stop 'til it tastes delicious" mentality."
posted by sriracha at 11:44 AM on October 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I think you would really like Perfectly Good Food by Irene Li and Margaret Li! I got it from the library so don't have it handy to refer to but per the description it offers "80 recipes and 150 ideas to use up what you have." IIRC it was not *great* about one-or-two serving recipes but I felt like I could scale things down as needed.
posted by mskyle at 11:45 AM on October 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by mskyle at 11:45 AM on October 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
To use up random cheese other than in mac, a can of condensed french/ onion soup, a roundel of bread, cheese on top, under broiler for a little while.
If you have a lot of parmesan rinds, they do well in a longer stew/ soup.
posted by porpoise at 11:50 AM on October 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
If you have a lot of parmesan rinds, they do well in a longer stew/ soup.
posted by porpoise at 11:50 AM on October 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Totally forgot to mention that a book is fine, since I've been very VERY heavily using Brooklyn's library system as of late (I live 2 blocks from one branch and can get just about anything in the catalog delivered there for pickup). Have already requested a couple of the books suggested in here.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:51 AM on October 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:51 AM on October 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Bulgur/freekeh/whatever pilaf: Saute some aromatics (onion, leek, shallots, spring onions, garlic) in a pot with any appropriate oil, add whatever supporting veg (one or more of finely diced root veg, sliced green leafy things, sliced peppers, sad mushrooms), stir in one dry measure of grain(s) that take about the same time to cook, then add not-quite-2 measures of water, stock, broth, juice from canned tomatoes, or water plus a squirt of anchovy or tomato paste. Cook covered for the usual time for that grain/grain combo. You can add grated whatever cheese at the end.
posted by maudlin at 11:57 AM on October 27, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by maudlin at 11:57 AM on October 27, 2023 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Maudlin, could I get a bit more detail about the quantities? You've posted something that is about 95% exactly what I'm looking for, but I'm a little unclear as to your definition of "Some" (for the "some" aromatics), and "whatever" (how much of whatever supporting veggies?).
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:06 PM on October 27, 2023
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:06 PM on October 27, 2023
I’d recommend Glorious One-Pot Meals for this. The recipes in the book can be a little underspiced and boring, but it also explains the method behind them and has guidance on how to create your own. The basic idea is that you layer ingredients in a Dutch oven in a specific way (grains, root veg, protein, other veg) then bake it for a while and everything comes out delicious. They’re all sized for 2 people, and are well-suited to using up what’s in the cabinet. You can even put in frozen meat and veggies without defrosting first. It’s kind of magic.
posted by duien at 12:09 PM on October 27, 2023
posted by duien at 12:09 PM on October 27, 2023
If you have NYT Cooking access you could look at Sam Sifton's series of No-Recipe Recipes. If you have NYT but not NYT Cooking access you should still be able to get to these from the What To Cook archives. The idea is that they're improvisational, use-what-you-have approaches to cooking, and they'll often mention workable substitutions within the text.
Also, as a way to level up your ingredient pairing and seasoning game, grab a copy of The Flavor Bible. If I have an ingredient I want to use and no idea of a recipe, I'll often start there and build an idea. I might then Google for a better idea of preparation and timing, but I'll still improvise the seasonings and ingredient combinations based on what I want to use up.
posted by fedward at 12:18 PM on October 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
Also, as a way to level up your ingredient pairing and seasoning game, grab a copy of The Flavor Bible. If I have an ingredient I want to use and no idea of a recipe, I'll often start there and build an idea. I might then Google for a better idea of preparation and timing, but I'll still improvise the seasonings and ingredient combinations based on what I want to use up.
posted by fedward at 12:18 PM on October 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Starting from the end: if I have leftover cheeses I like blending them with soft cheese, like cream cheese or a soft feta-type, and making little hand pies with store-bought puff pastry. Or store-bought filo if you are feeling fancy. They freeze well. You can put spinach in there too, for a spanakopita vibe.
Bulgur is traditionally used for tabbouleh, as you probably know, and you can use freekeh and millet in the same way, though with different cooking times for the grains. Remember to undercook them slightly, so they are still al dente when they have soaked up the juices and dressing. But you don't have to stick to the other traditional tabbouleh ingredients. Use whatever is in your box. I feel the most important things are to have more veg than grain, and to have plenty herbs in that veg mix.
Roasted pumpkin, walnuts and parsley would be awesome in a grain-based salad, season with lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Maybe use rose pepper instead of black or white. And a touch of fresh chili.
Or raw carrot strips, raw cauliflower (or thinly sliced kale) and thinly sliced red onion. A touch of mustard would work in the dressing for this.
During winter I make a lot of stews based on the principles of Moroccan couscous with seven vegetables. This is party food, but what I have learnt from making it is to make a stew where I dump several root- and other winter vegetables into the pot at the same time with some water and get out something rich in taste, but a bit gentle. Then add something punchy, like pickles or condiments or both. And the stew freezes well in single portions. Build on what you already know and expand from there.
A lot of vegetables do very well if you marinate them in olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper and grill them (or roast them) and then put them back in the marinade in a jar. They keep for about a week, and work in sandwiches, as appetizers or as side dishes. Experiment with what size chunks you like, depending on what you use them for.
Tsukemono are another great use for extra vegetables.
From the other things you have posted about food, I think you are so ready for this, since your options for improvisation increase a lot with a well-stocked pantry. I saw you recently made kimchi. Why not experiment and see how that goes with millet pancakes? You could also use your grains to stuff a vegetable in the style of this recipe. You can stuff eggplants, zucchini, onions, tomatoes, cabbages, leeks and probably a lot of other vegs I've forgotten. When I was a very poor student, I started each pay day with buying a lot of pasta, rice, olives, canned tomatoes, anchovies, tuna and olive oil. And tea. That way, I would not starve through the whole month. I had a good base of dried herbs and spices. Then the rest of the month, I'd look for bargains, like bread just before the stores closed or vegetables on the verge of turning bad. I think this was what gave me an ingredient-based method of cooking rather than a recipe-based method. Google has made this so much easier. If you just have a vague idea of want you want to do, you can type in that and the ingredients you want to use.
About books, there is the classic for this: MFK Fischer's How To Cook A Wolf.. It's more like an essay than a cookbook, and I think it's more inspiring for the method than for the actual recipes. Tamar Adler's An Everlasting Meal is a more contemporary take on the same method. I really like Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's Three Good Things, which is far more accessible.
Finally, improvisation is about knowledge, which I think you have in abundance, and also about accepting failure. Sometimes a concept just doesn't work. But you won't get sick or anything. It's just a learning experience.
posted by mumimor at 12:31 PM on October 27, 2023 [3 favorites]
Bulgur is traditionally used for tabbouleh, as you probably know, and you can use freekeh and millet in the same way, though with different cooking times for the grains. Remember to undercook them slightly, so they are still al dente when they have soaked up the juices and dressing. But you don't have to stick to the other traditional tabbouleh ingredients. Use whatever is in your box. I feel the most important things are to have more veg than grain, and to have plenty herbs in that veg mix.
Roasted pumpkin, walnuts and parsley would be awesome in a grain-based salad, season with lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Maybe use rose pepper instead of black or white. And a touch of fresh chili.
Or raw carrot strips, raw cauliflower (or thinly sliced kale) and thinly sliced red onion. A touch of mustard would work in the dressing for this.
During winter I make a lot of stews based on the principles of Moroccan couscous with seven vegetables. This is party food, but what I have learnt from making it is to make a stew where I dump several root- and other winter vegetables into the pot at the same time with some water and get out something rich in taste, but a bit gentle. Then add something punchy, like pickles or condiments or both. And the stew freezes well in single portions. Build on what you already know and expand from there.
A lot of vegetables do very well if you marinate them in olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper and grill them (or roast them) and then put them back in the marinade in a jar. They keep for about a week, and work in sandwiches, as appetizers or as side dishes. Experiment with what size chunks you like, depending on what you use them for.
Tsukemono are another great use for extra vegetables.
From the other things you have posted about food, I think you are so ready for this, since your options for improvisation increase a lot with a well-stocked pantry. I saw you recently made kimchi. Why not experiment and see how that goes with millet pancakes? You could also use your grains to stuff a vegetable in the style of this recipe. You can stuff eggplants, zucchini, onions, tomatoes, cabbages, leeks and probably a lot of other vegs I've forgotten. When I was a very poor student, I started each pay day with buying a lot of pasta, rice, olives, canned tomatoes, anchovies, tuna and olive oil. And tea. That way, I would not starve through the whole month. I had a good base of dried herbs and spices. Then the rest of the month, I'd look for bargains, like bread just before the stores closed or vegetables on the verge of turning bad. I think this was what gave me an ingredient-based method of cooking rather than a recipe-based method. Google has made this so much easier. If you just have a vague idea of want you want to do, you can type in that and the ingredients you want to use.
About books, there is the classic for this: MFK Fischer's How To Cook A Wolf.. It's more like an essay than a cookbook, and I think it's more inspiring for the method than for the actual recipes. Tamar Adler's An Everlasting Meal is a more contemporary take on the same method. I really like Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's Three Good Things, which is far more accessible.
Finally, improvisation is about knowledge, which I think you have in abundance, and also about accepting failure. Sometimes a concept just doesn't work. But you won't get sick or anything. It's just a learning experience.
posted by mumimor at 12:31 PM on October 27, 2023 [3 favorites]
supercook might help out? You put in the ingredients you have and it spits out recipes. It even will tell you what ingredients are missing if you want to make the recipe anyway, or run to the store.
I haven't used it in a while, but it was really awesome on days I couldn't think of anything to cook AND did not want to go to the grocery store.
posted by a non mouse, a cow herd at 12:34 PM on October 27, 2023 [2 favorites]
I haven't used it in a while, but it was really awesome on days I couldn't think of anything to cook AND did not want to go to the grocery store.
posted by a non mouse, a cow herd at 12:34 PM on October 27, 2023 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Pilaf quantities: for 1 cup grain/1.75 cups liquid (because veggies are going to contribute some wetness), I typically use about 1/2 cup aromatics and 1/2 cup other veg (these cook down a bit) AND 1/2 cup greens (these cook down a lot). If I use a nugget of frozen spinach for my greens (similar to this), I make sure to thaw the single nugget and squeeze out as much water as possible before I add it.
posted by maudlin at 12:57 PM on October 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by maudlin at 12:57 PM on October 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Oh! And if you want general inspiration about cooking from your pantry/fridge/freezer, you gotta watch some of June's videos. Her most recent stuff is here, but some of her old Delish/Budget Eats videos may also hit the spot. I was introduced to her through I Lived On My Pantry Leftovers For A Week And Made 20+ Meals (featuring Fred the cat).
posted by maudlin at 1:09 PM on October 27, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by maudlin at 1:09 PM on October 27, 2023 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Coming in to add that I've just reviewed the library copy of Perfectly Good Food and it is so 100% what I was looking for that it's as if the authors read this AskMe before writing it.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:53 AM on November 5, 2023
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:53 AM on November 5, 2023
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Jacques Pepin’s Fromage Fort came to mind
posted by staggernation at 10:40 AM on October 27, 2023 [3 favorites]