"I just can't cook without a recipe"

I love to teach cooking classes. It is one of my favorite things about being a Chef. It is so fun to bring new people into a kitchen and show them new, exciting techniques. I love to hear the "ooooh, that's how you do that!" and "Wow I always wondered how to do that!" comments when a tip or method really clicks with someone. I find cooking quite magical and I love to share the magic with others.

Eventually in every class someone will make the statement, "Oh I just can't cook without a recipe" and this is where I always throw down the gauntlet, "Yes you can". It sounds like a really lame response but it is the truth. The thing that everyone forgets, and maybe the piece that us Chefs want them to believe is that cooking is a science. Modern food trends like foams and warm peanut butter mousse may even encourage this belief. But the fact of the matter is cooking is magic not science. It is the magic of amazing flavors coming together....and I bet you know more about flavor combinations than you think.

Knowing the rules of cooking will improve your product, but work with what you know.....a hot pan, oil, vegetables and some seasoning. See what happens.

So feel free to substitute ingredients and try your own combinations. Grab a list of ingredients, choose a technique and don't use a recipe...I think you will be surprised. In fact here is a challenge:

The Un-Recipe for a Great Pasta Dish
Tomatoes
Zucchini
Onion
Garlic
Spinach
Fresh Herbs
Some Kind of oil or butter
Some Kind of Cheese
Some Kind of Wine or Vinegar
Some Kind of Cooked Pasta
Additional Items to make the flavor yours (will it have an Italian, Greek, Asian, Caribean, or South American Flair? What spices would you need to make it so?)