So we’ve made it to the end of our 4week class, that has expanded to 6 weeks. I hope you guys have had as much fun as I have during Solve Your Dinner Dilemma. It’s certainly exceeded my expectations in how rewarding it can be to connect with students from all over the world.
This week we’re talking inspiration and motivation – some of my favourite topics. I personally believe that you can find inspiration anywhere and for me that’s especially true when it comes to cooking. So I’m sharing some tips with you this week, along with my own sources of inspiration and motivation. And stay tuned for an exciting new development at the Stonesoup Virtual Cookery School…. more about that later.
week 6 recipes & tips for inspiration
– beetroot ‘pesto’ – swap in an unexpected ingredient in an old standard
– the classic mixed green salad -perfect a classic – Heston Blumenthal has 2 books and a couple of TV shows devoted to just that.
– rice noodles with fresh tomato sauce & rocket – Try some fusion or mashup 2 different cuisines. Fusion may have earned a bad reputation in the 90s (wasabi icecream anyone?) but that doesn’t mean you can’t successfully take elements from 2 different cuisines and combine them to make something wonderful. Best to look for parallel or similar elements and swap them over. Like Chinese rice noodles and Italian pasta – both a neutral vehicles looking for a great sauce. Try it sometime. You might surprise yourself.
– linguine with instant ‘pesto’ – Try ‘deconstructing’ something. For a while there, deconstruction was one of the most popular techniques employed by cutting edge creative chefs. While it may sound scary, it’s just about taking a dish and presenting the same elements in a different way.
– the minimalist lentil burger -Try going veggie for a month or have an experiment to see what it’s like for people that are coeliac or intolerant to dairy. Even a week can be enough to give to a different perspective and break you out of your current food rut.
I was really surprised how different my persepective on food became when I was vegetarian for a month earlier in the year. I hadn’t realised how limiting it can be to eat in many restaurants as a vegetarian. But the good thing was it did get me to try things I wouldn’t have normally touched, like the veggie burger and veggie lasagne at the local pub. Who knew they would be a better choice than the steak?
– crisp tofu with white beans & gremolata – Explore different protein sources? Mixing up the protein can be a surprisingly simple way to completely rejuvenate a dish. And if you don’t normally eat say lamb or fish, trying them can add a whole new dimension to your cooking repertoire.
– sardines with chickpeas -Explore things you think you don’t like. As we age and experience different things our taste buds change. So you may surprise youself when you try something you hated in childhood with your adult taste buds. Trying something prepared in a different way can make a massive difference as well. When I was little I HATED my mum’s boiled brussels sprouts with a passion. But the first time I tried pan fried brussels I was hooked.
– thai stir fry of cashew nuts & chicken – Explore different ethnic cuisines. In Australia we’re really lucky with our multiculturalism because there are so many cuisines available to explore without even having to leave the country.
– ‘european’ beef burgers with red wine sauce – Have a posh junkfood night. OK this mightn’t inspire everyone, but my Irishman and I have been exploring our junk food loves but giving them a bit of homecooked loving.
– how to host a chocolate tasting – One of my favourite desserts it to get a few different types of chocolate and let everyone help themselves. It’s so much fun comparing and discussing. But this can be done with anything from olive oils to honey to your favourite chocolate cookies.
further tips for staying inspired and motivated
eat out
I often get inspired to cook new things from dishes I eat at restaurants. And it’s a great excuse to try new places in the name of ‘research’.
travel
OK. So I know we can’t all just pack up and head off to Morocco for a month. But when you are planning a trip, it can be an added bonus if you visit somewhere with an interesting food culture. Some of my most enlightening food moments have happened away from home.
subscribe to inspirational food blogs
If you haven’t already signed up for the free stonesoup email updates, do so immediately!
Then have a look at my current favourite food blogs:
101 cookbooks – for healthy vegetarian recipes and the occasional sweet treat.
what katie ate – her recipes definitely aren’t minimalist but the photography is truly inspired.
orangette – as much for her writing as her recipes.
sprouted kitchen – wonderful photography AND recipes
delicious days – a gorgeous food blog based in munich
entertain
There are few ways I’d rather spend an evening than with a few good friends around my table with a few good bottles of wine. Cooking for others can be very rewarding and a chance to try things you wouldn’t normally bother with just for yourself.
explore new food websites
While google can be useful, I find I get much more inspired by seaching on specific websites for whatever I’m looking for.
australian gourmet traveller – still my all time favourite food magazine
nigel slater – the man is a food writing god.
nigel slater’s column in the guardian – for when you need more St. Nigel.
jamie oliver – like him or not. You have to agree that for a chef jamie writes some really wonderful recipes.
donna hay – sometimes the cuteness and perfectness of it all annoys me – but still some great recipes.
read cookbooks
What can I say, my favourite books tend to be cookbooks. I’ve been rediscovering my local library this year which is a great inexpensive way to explore new authors.
Here are a few of my alltime favourites.
Tender Volume 1. A cook and his vegetable patch by Nigel Slater
His words alone are enough to keep me enchanted for hours, but Nigel Slaters recipes are also some of my alltime favourites,.
A year in my kitchen by Skye Gyngell
A wonderful book of cooking by the seasons from an Australian chef living and cooking in London.
Moro – by Sam & Sam Clarke
Another London chef book but this time focusing on Moroccan and Spanish cuisine – simply love all their books but this first one has the most classic dishes.
The Bourke Street Bakery Cookbook – by Paul Allam & David McGuinness
My go to book for all things bread, pastry and sweet treats.
Danks Street Depot – by Jared Ingersoll
A wonderful little Sydney cafe, I’ve pretty much cooked my way through this book and had some wonderful results.
play the what’s in the fridge game
Although we covered it in the art of adaptation, I still believe that my best creations come from when I just make something up from whats on hand.
resolve to try new things
If you struggle to get inspired, why not make a little promise to yourself to try one new ingredient a week? Or even try a new recipe a week? Sometimes making a conscious commitment to something is all we need to get moving.
further reading
on stonesoup: secret single behaviour – how to get excited about cooking for 1.
on stonesoup: how to get rave reviews for your cooking
on stonesoup: how to make your cooking look as pretty as a picture
on stonesoup: feel the fear and cook it anyway – how to become fearless in the kitchen
what now?
watch this space(!)
Add to my Old Favourite Recipes