The Kitchen Pallette

My dear friend H. offered this advice on cooking. She has been a vegetarian her entire life, and is one of the best chefs I know.

‘Cooking, if approached as an art, can be very much like painting. When looking for inspiration before making a meal, I first prepare the "pallette." I gather the main ingredients thinking about a balance of colors, textures and flavors. I usually try to have at least 3 colors of vegetables and some source of protein like tofu, beans or eggs. I also try to get the soft vs. crunchy proportions just right and take special care not to overcook vegetables. As for taste I try to get happy combinations of salty, sweet or sour and spicy by using:

Salty- soy sauce or Tamari; feta or goat cheese; black bean paste, peanut butter, Tahini

Sweet- hoisin; mirin, pomegranite juice /paste, paprika, ginger, cinnamon/ clove/ cardamom, raisins, coconut milk

Sour- balsamic vinegar, rice wine vinegar, tamarind, lime or lemon, plain yogurt

Spicy- Sambal Olek chili, Harissa paste, cayenne, cumin, thai curry pastes (panang is the hottest), garlic, garam masala (indian spice mixture), tumeric

All of the above are staples I regularly keep in the kitchen.’

Thanks, H! You rock.