Over the years I have learned that successful cooking does not mean every dish prepared is a hit the first time around. There have been things that I have made that failed miserably (mostly related to baking but that’s another post entirely), dishes that were met with “it’s okay” and a few that got a “it needs something”. The most important things to remember is to not take such events and comments personally. If you watch Top Chef, those guys cook for a living and sometimes make stuff deemed “inedible!” by the judges. What you should do is take advantage of the experience of making the dish and the opportunity to taste the ingredients together for yourself. Then you can determine what kind of "doctoring" it will need the next time around.
Case in point, I was looking for a chicken and pasta dish and came across one on Kalyn’s Kitchen that sounded promising (Chicken Penne Casserole). I also did what I rarely do which is follow the recipe to the letter…including the whole cooking the chicken breasts in the water thing. I made one slight modification in that I added a little more poultry seasoning to the cut up chicken before using it in the recipe because I was concerned the chicken would be bland. It looked and smelled great coming out of the oven and I was confident I had a hit on my hands.
The 11-year old liked it…but honestly pasta, a cream-like sauce and chicken was not exactly goingto be turned down by a kid who eats in her school cafeteria every day. My husband tried it and made the face. Your significant other has that face right? The one that reads “ I am thinking of how to say this in such a way that he/she doesn’t want to throw something at me”. His response,“it needs something like…” and then he looked at me pleadingly to try it myself so I could fill in the blanks. “Garlic” I said. And it did need more garlic, and the chicken would have benefited from a light sauté in butter or olive oil oh, and pepper and then I ran through a bunch of other scenarios in my head as we finished dinner.
So after dinner there is almost ¾ of a pan of this stuff left and I decide to pack it all into a large container and freeze it as an emergency meal. Fast forward two weeks and I need to whip up dinner for a night I won’t be home. I remember the chicken and pasta and decided to doctor it. I thawed it in the fridge overnight and into the next day. I came home, dumped it all in a large bowl and went in search of easy ways to make it better. I opted for ½ cup of leftover light alfredo sauce, black pepper and a tablespoon of Garlic Garlic . I mixed it all together, spread it into a large casserole and topped it with ½ cup of grated Parmesan. It went into a 425 oven for 20 minutes. The result was a text from my husband with one word: “Awesome”.
Doctoring is not that difficult and is the precursor to loving and using leftovers. Doctoring can also be a great time saver when you are going the semi-homemade route and using prepackaged foods. You know what flavors you like together so making a few tweaks to any dish or item is as simple as following your own palate. Many people tell me they are nervous about experimenting with a recipe while they are cooking it. That’s okay! Doctoring allows you to make a dish as it is written and then add to it when it’s done. Everyone is comfortable adding extra salt, pepper or adding hot sauce to something…why not expand those possibilities? The cream sauce you made seem a little boring? Add capers or sautéed onions. Grilled mushrooms sautéed and with a red wine reduction will overcome a bland steak. I always have canned tomatoes on hand to add to soups and stews that don’t seem to have enough acidity or depth. And I cannot count how many dinners I have rescued with cheese!
If you are using pre-made food: Packaged streamed vegetables love lemon pepper seasoning. A jarred pasta sauce can be a meat sauce with fresh garlic and basil in no time. Instant mashed potatoes combined with shredded cheddar, crumbled bacon and fresh chives makes a side dishlike no other.
Be reasonable about doctoring too. Some things will just be epic fails. A chef once told me “there is no coming back from burnt”. Be okay with yourself when something doesn’t work out. But also don’tbe afraid to try it again.
What dish have you “doctored” that you are proud of?
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