Seeking Culinary Inspiration

By Britt Allgood

I have been in a cooking funk of late. Well, maybe more of a rut - a deep, long, seemingly endless rut. With the forced isolation of the past year, I bet many of us have gotten into a food rut! My heart and taste buds go out to those who rely on delivery services for their sustenance. I mean you can only eat so much pizza, Chinese food, or tacos even on a Tuesday (which it happens to be).

So, how do I overcome these culinary bouts of stagnation? I look for inspiration anywhere I can find it. Sometimes it's cooking shows like Chopped, or Dinners, Drive Inn’s and Dives but mostly I turn to my cookbooks. I must admit, I’m a bit of a recipe hound. I find them on the Internet, take them off cans or from magazines.

But my most favorite source of cooking inspiration are my cookbooks. (You know those things in the corner of the kitchen collecting dust that your Aunt gave you when you moved out on your own, or you inherited from a much loved Grandma.) Some may have been gag gifts like my Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook, but I will tell you there are some amazing recipes in these tombs.

My most recent cookbook acquisition is called Heroes’ Feast, The Official D&D Cookbook. Yes, I’m a geek who plays “Dungeons and

Dragons” on occasion. In college, I had some friends in a group called the ‘Society of Creative Anachronism’ which is a living history group focused on the 17th century. This group would have large gatherings to learn skills, practice combat, and eat. I learned to appreciate old ways of cooking in clay pots, or chicken and fish roasted in a salt crust. They were inspiring…but I digress.

Discover Something New

When you are in a cooking rut, pull out a cookbook you haven’t used in a while - or recent decade. Open to a random page and see what you find. Sometimes it’s a garnish or something too elaborate to attempt for a weeknight meal, but you may discover something truly amazing.

I did that very thing and found a recipe for a Chili Rubbed steak with pineapple salsa over pasta. The cookbook was a gift for test driving a car but it was assembled by Food and Wine magazine and many of the recipes are incredibly delicious.

Another cookbook that I love is one published by my brother as a fundraiser many years ago. I may have one of the only remaining copies but he and his friends assembled some fabulous recipes. His recipe for spinach casserole is one of my favorites and I’m going to share it with you too.

The world is still coming out of its funk but maybe we will get through this a bit easier with some good food and hopefully soon, some good friends. Live, Laugh, Love, and Eat Well.

Penne with Chili-rubbed Flank Steak and Pineapple Salsa

Serves 4

1 LB Flank or Top Sirloin steak

¼ cup plus 1 teaspoon olive oil

¾ tsp Chili Powder

¾ tsp salt

½ cup crushed pineapple, drained

½ jalapeno pepper with seeds, chopped (add more if you like the heat)

1 small red onion, chopped

1 TBSP lime juice

¼ cup chopped cilantro ¼

tsp fresh ground black pepper

½ LB penne pasta

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook your penne pasta for about 13 to 15 minutes.

While the water is heating, heat your broiler. Rub the steak with 1 tsp of oil, ½ tsp of chili powder, and ¼ tsp of salt. Broil the meat until medium rare, about 4 minutes per side. Let it rest for 5 minutes and While the steak is broiling, combine the pineapple, remaining ¼ cup of oil, jalapeno pepper, onion, lime juice, cilantro, black pepper and remaining salt and chili powder in a large stainless steel or glass bowl. After you have sliced the steak, stir it into the salsa.

Drain your pasta and toss it with the steak and salsa. Enjoy.

Spinach Casserole

Serves 4

1 - 10oz package of frozen chopped spinach

1 - 3oz package of cream cheese, softened

½ stick butter (soft)

1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

Parmesan Cheese (I like a lot)

Preheat oven to 350° F. Cook spinach and drain. Mix with cream cheese and butter. Put artichoke hearts in an 8x8 inch casserole dish and pour spinach mixture over the hearts. Top with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350° F for about 30 minutes.