Cleaning out the Fridge

As I typed the title for this post I had the Eminem song Cleaning out my Closet stuck in my head.  So what does that have to do with anything else in this post you say?  Absolutely nothing.  It just made me chuckle so I thought I would share it with all y'all (You see I am going under the assumption that more than 2 people will read this post).

Anyway back to the reason for this post. I have participated in many discussions about the importance or lack there of for following a recipe exactly to the letter or measure as the case may be.  My thoughts are that if you want the recipe to taste exactly as the author intended it to be then by all means follow the recipe exactly. I am more of a culinary rebel as many of my past Chef instructors and friends will tell you. Cooking is much like art and once you understand the basics of the recipe you then should take some risk and make the recipe your own.

Now let's take it a step farther.....yes I'm about to suggest it....don't panic or call Martha I promise it's going to be OK........here it is...cooking without a recipe!

Yes I understand that cooking without a recipe for some folks can be a stressful ordeal.  There are 2 things that I feel are key when choosing to go this route.

1. Don't underestimate your own ability for awesomeness.
2. Don't be afraid to fail. (This one is especially important. You will find that you learn more from making a mistake than if you get it right every time)

So why am I rambling on about all this today?

Well let's get back to the title of this post. "Cleaning out the Fridge"

I was trying to figure out what to have for lunch today and thought that I would go with my usual pasta and sauce. So I started with a pot of boiling water and found an onion that was begging to be julienned and caramelized. I then came across a carrot that wanted to be added to the fun with the onion. Wait what is this leftover corn from last nights dinner! That's right into the pool with the other veggies. Add a little pepper and sea salt and while perusing the spice rack what grabs my eye.....that's right Turkish seasoning.(didn't see that coming did you) I put some orzo in the boiling water and now have 7-8 minutes to finish making whatever this is in the pot into something that won't give my stomach the rumblies.  Not a problem just add some ground beef and some tomato sauce......so I added the ground beef and decided to take a peak in the fridge to see what else might speak to me for a different sauce than tomato.  That is when the last 2 ingredients jumped out of the fridge.  Hoisin sauce and Greek vinaigrette dressing! Now quit making that face that I know you making. With all the ingredients combined it made a very tasty lunch for me.

Did the ingredients make sense together? Not really but that has never stopped me before and I encourage all ya'll to take a page from my book and try it yourself sometime.

So here is the order that I put everything in the pot, but as I didn't measure anything I can give approximations but it's up to you to season to taste and let me know how yours turned out.

1 small julienned onion put into a hot pan over medium heat with some olive oil to began the caramelization process.
Next I added one carrot that I biased cut and added to the pan.
After the onion has caramelized and the carrot is starting to become soft at about 1/2 cup or the corn.
Add salt and pepper to taste(I used about half a tablespoon of each) and about 1 & 1/2 teaspoons of Turkish seasoning.
Next I added a 1/2 cup of already cooked ground beef.
Last but not least add about 1/8 cup of hoisin sauce and 1/8 cup of Greek vinaigrette dressing and mix into the rest of the pot.

I mixed about 1 cup of cooked orzo with the above concoction and walla!!! Tasty Goodness.

Well I'll leave you to it for now and look forward to hearing stories of your kitchen adventures as well.

Until next time keep your stomachs happy and your mouths full....not entirely sure what that means but it sounds like fun.