Sometimes the best recipes are the result of an accident. Like when Allan didn’t have the ingredients I listed for the braised ribs so he improvised … and made the best ribs he’s ever had.
That’s why I always tell people that yes, they absolutely can (and should) substitute when making my recipes. (Stick a little closer on the baked goods, they’re more finicky.)
But sometimes the best meals aren’t because of the ingredients at all. For an example of total freedom to substitute, and how it leads to the most memorable meals, check out the latest Jam Today from Tod Davies at Exterminating Angel:
So here is a recipe for: Best Spring Dinner for Two.
Take one cool spring evening, at the end of a long, cool spring. Light a madrone fire in the hearth. Sit with the newspaper and a glass of rose and your husband and the dogs. (These ingredients can be changed to suit what you have in your pantry. For example: Take a warm summer evening, or a nippy autumn evening, or a cold winter evening. Play Mozart low rather than light a fire. Or Brian Eno. Sit with reading material of your choice, or sewing, or knitting, or … or … or … For company, choose from a wide variety of possibilities. You get the general idea, I’m sure.)
Then …
And it just gets better from there.
By the way … if you recognize the name, Tod is the source of the quote in the front of my first book.
