Putting the Oregano to Work and Other Kitchen Happenings

One of my favorite things to do is challenge myself to use the remaining ingredients used in a planned dish to create an impromptu, unscripted dish. I do this for various reasons: creative exercise, preventing waste, and uncontrollable frugality (which I swear is a genetic trait I inherited from my mother). Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. Monday night it worked quite deliciously, and I got to use my fresh oregano sooner than I thought I would (waiting on those veggies from the CSA). It was just a simple, summer pasta salad made with leftover, precooked pasta from a bolognese dinner, but it totally hit the spot, a quick, fresh meal to end a long day. Since the pasta was already cooked, all I had to do was chop up a (complimentary) tomato, pluck a handful of oregano leaves off the peduncle, slice them into thin strips, and toss the tomato and oregano in the pasta with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Easy, herb-inspired yums!

I also like substitutes for "traditional" ingredients, and while this isn't herb-related, I'm going to share anyway (because it has potential to be herb-related). This revelation emerged from a culinary situation that was equal parts misfortune and serendipity. Tuna salad is my lunch this week, and as I began to gather the various ingredients (mayo, olive oil) and available accoutrements (onion, celery, salt, pepper), I found that two of the items had gone bad: the celery and the mayo. Celery is an inconsequential ingredient, but something like mayo is pretty important, even though I use it sparingly (that's what the olive oil is for, to add moisture). Son of an orangutan's aunt, I thought to myself. I had just come from the grocery store and really didn't feel like going back out, but I was counting on the tuna for lunch! What to do, what to do? I scanned the fridge, and hidden under containers of hummus and parmasen cheese, I found some idling goat cheese. Voila! Yes! With its creamy consistency and tangy flavor, goat cheese could work as a viable mayo substitute--in concert with the olive oil--and perhaps be even better. I dumped the remainder of the goat cheese in with the tuna and onion, added olive oil, sprinkled in a dash of salt and fresh ground pepper, and mixed up my experiment. Results: total yum! Indeed, I like this version of tuna salad way better than a mayo-based version; it's more flavorful, and the mayo ick-factor is completely eliminated. I'm eager to try it again and experiment with adding some fresh herbs (see, told you I'd tie in herbs some how!). I love how something potentially inconveniencing ended up in a new discovery that improved upon my existing tuna salad paradigm. It's the little things! =)