My favorite dish is cleaning out the fridge on Sunday night and improvising a great medley.
The wonderful world of home appliances now makes it possible to cook indoors with charcoal and outdoors with gas.
I like poached eggs, but I'll make scrambled or fried or whatever anybody wants.
I may find something that looks interesting and then go on to alter the recipe by adding spices, things of my own. I also look for time-saving recipes, dishes that can be prepared ahead and stored.
Baking is too precise for me. I cook with a pinch of this or that.
Omit and substitute! That's how recipes should be written. Please don't ever get so hung up on published recipes that you forget that you can omit and substitute.
I'll transform anything as long as it's edible.
Cooking at home is easier than cooking in the restaurant because you don't have to write a menu or try to please everybody.
I had these recipes that say do this, do that. Who MAKES these rules?
Italians allow anything in their cooking.
Just because I am a chef doesn't mean I don't rely on fast recipes. Indeed, we all have moments when, pressed for time, we'll use a can of tuna and a tomato for a first course. It's a question of choosing the right recipes for the rest of the menu.
One of the troubles with food is that people take themselves too seriously. This is why I'm very happy for people to change my recipes, alter them, replace one ingredient for another.
I think people make it too systematic in a way, like it's a chemistry formula. Food is not like that; food is very forgiving. Connecting and making do with a lot of the food elements can be fun and exciting.
You don't have to stick with these recipes. They're guides. As I say, they're a way in. Have fun with them. It's an easier way to cook in a busy life, once you get the hang of it.
I appreciate recipes that tell you what can be changed and what must remain fixed. 'The Zuni Cafe Cookbook' by the late Judy Rodgers is superb at this.
