Riffing Recipes 101
How to riff and where to start, PLUS Mary's Rotisserie Chicken and Dumplings.
I had a lovely exchange last week with my friend, Joelle, about the journey of becoming confident in the kitchen. How do you progress from recipe-dependency to successful improvisation? We agreed that it all comes down to riffing.
It starts small. Maybe it comes from dislike for a certain ingredient: what would happen if you swapped ACV (apple cider vinegar) for lemon juice?? It ends up tasting delicious and far more in line with your preference. Then, your Instacart shopper delivers chard instead of kale, and you have to improvise. You realize that cooking chard down just a little bit balances the flavor, and you actually love it.
And then it happens. Suddenly, you’re loving the food you cook, you’re wasting less, and you’re confidently riffing recipes.
2 Tips on Riffing
1. Follow the advice of Samin Nosrat:
My completely unoriginal but oh so true tip: Start with Samin. I’m sure you’ve heard of it if you haven’t already read it, but Salt Fat Acid Heat by Samin Nosrat is nothing short of a revelation. It arms you with the fundamentals of good food, so much so that’ll feel confident in your swaps. I’ve found it especially helpful in learning how to make vegetarian food more satisfying: if I can’t use an animal fat, what plant-based richness can I opt for instead? This will give you all the building blocks you need.
2. Trust your senses!!!
The only way to make sure your food is seasoned properly is to taste it. Taste as you go and trust what you’re experiencing. The recipe is a recommendation. There are a million factors that could impact the outcome on any given day. Taste your food. Make adjustments.
Smell your cooking! The reason why recipes will say “until fragrant” is because that’s the precise moment of optimal flavor (and before it’s burnt). If something isn’t fragrant when it should be, play with the heat: what happens if you crank it up a notch? If something smells kinda burnt, immediately remove from the heat and give it a taste.
Riffable Recipes
Start with Soup
Soup is the perfect canvas on which to learn, because if you overdo any given ingredient, you can always balance it out with something else and give it a little more time to simmer. It’s forgiving, satisfying, and always delicious.
The Recipe:
“The Stew” Spiced Chickpea Stew With Coconut and Turmeric
My Riffs:
Add chopped sweet potatoes, frozen peas, or broccoli
Opt for cilantro or basil instead of mint (or top with all three!!)
Add 1 tsp cumin for flavor (I do this in almost everything)
Swap out veggie/chicken stock for miso broth or dashi
Simmer cod filets in the soup at the end
The Recipe:
White Bean Soup w/ Crispy Kale
My Riffs:
Make it vegetarian! Opt for meatless chorizo instead of bacon
Add spinach before blending for more nutrients
Sauté leeks alongside onion
Top with Greek yogurt
My Go-To Swaps
I’ve already mentioned how much shame I carry as a picky eater who also identifies as a “foodie.” Part of how I cope is by hosting a lot and making really sneaky swaps. Mind you, this is not a comprehensive list, and these don’t work 100% across the board, but broadly speaking, these are easy swaps to make:
CELERY ————————> FENNEL
VEGGIE BROTH ————> MISO BROTH
TOMATOES ——————> STONE FRUIT
RAW ONIONS ——-—-—> PICKELED SHALLOT
ACV ——————————> RICE VINEGAR + LIME JUICE
MAYONNAISE —————> KEWPIE MAYO OR GREEK YOGURT
SOUR CREAM —————> CREME FRAICHE
BLUE CHEESE —————> GORGONZOLA
Speaking of swapping celery for fennel…
Mary’s Rotisserie Chicken and Dumplings
It has come to my attention that MANY people in my life don’t know my favorite comfort food: Chicken and Dumplings. It’s the food equivalent of the best hug from your favorite person. Kind of like a deconstructed chicken pot pie?? No one can refuse it (even Katie, a pescatarian, is a convert).
1 rotisserie chicken
Veggie scraps
Olive oil
3 large carrots
1 large head of fennel
1 onion
3 garlic cloves
Red pepper flakes
2 tsp cumin
Fresh rosemary sprig
2 Bay Leaves
Parmesan rind
Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup shredded parmesan
4 tablespoons butter
2 cups + 3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups + splash of heavy cream
1. Break down the chicken + make bone broth:
Remove the chicken meat from the chicken carcass. Set chicken meat aside in the fridge. Place bones and skin in a stock pot along with any veggie scraps you might have in the freezer. Cover fully with water. Bring to a boil and simmer at least 3 hours. Strain + cool. You’ll use half of the broth for this recipe, and you can freeze the other half for the future.
2. Prep your ingredients:
Dice the onion, fennel, and 3 carrots. Crush garlic and set aside.
3. Start the pot:
Heat a few glugs of olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium high heat. Add the diced onion, fennel, and carrots with a pinch of salt. Sauté until the onion starts becoming translucent. Add crushed garlic.
4. Bring on the action:
Add crushed red pepper flakes (measure according to your spice tolerance) and cumin. Stir. Add butter and stir. Once melted, add 3 tbsp of flour and stir vigorously, cooking out the “flour flavor.” Whisk in 1 cup of bone broth until no lumps remain.
5. Simmer time:
Add the remaining bone broth, shredded chicken, splash of heavy cream, bay leaves, and rosemary. Bring to a simmer and add parmesan rind. Let simmer at least 1 hour.
6. Prep the dumplings:
In a bowl, combine 2 cups of flour, baking powder, freshly ground black pepper, parmesan cheese, pinch of salt, and heavy cream. Mix until it forms a shaggy dough. Form dough into 8 equal balls.
7. Final stretch:
Remove parmesan rind, bay leaves, and sprigs of rosemary from the pot. Season to taste. Drop dumpling dough balls into the simmering pot. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
8. Serve:
Ensure each bowl gets at least 2 dumplings with their serving. Garnish with lots of black pepper and the fronds from the fennel bulb.
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Dilly Dally Dinner!!!!
We are officially. SOLD OUT!!!!!! Everyone on the guest list will be receiving an email this week of all the details. I truly cannot wait to share this night with you next Saturday.
In the meantime, I hope you riff a recipe or two.
Happy Eating!!
Mary