Can I get an Amen?

If you cook like I do, spontaneously and usually without a recipe, then The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, will have you singing hallelujah.  Unlike a classic cookbook, The Flavor Bible has no recipes.  Instead, it lists hundreds of common and uncommon ingredients in alphabetical order (random examples include: chicken, cardamom, pork, raspberries, tomatoes, rum, saffron, etc.) and under each ingredient appears a list of other ingredients that would go well with the main ingredient.  The authors compiled these cross-referenced lists with the help of expert chefs from around the country.  Each entry also tells you what techniques work best for the particular ingredient (for rutabagas, the scripture says thou shalt boil, braise, deep-fry, puree, roast, or steam). In the case of an herb or spice, the bible tells you when in the cooking process you should add the ingredient in question for optimal effect. 

The Flavor Bible takes a lot of the guess work out of improvisational cooking.  To be sure, there is something exciting about throwing a bunch of ingredients together and hoping that you hit the jackpot.  But there is also nothing worse than having your alimentary alchemy yield a dish decidedly more leaden than golden...

It's perfect for this time of year when I roam around the farmer's market grabbing whatever looks good without really giving too much thought to how I will use it.  These sweet tooth mushrooms are a great example.  The forager who was selling them knows I like wild mushrooms and he bade me to into his stall to partake of the sweet tooth's pungent perfume.  One whiff and I was sold.

Later that day, armed with the knowledge that sweet tooth mushrooms were similar in flavor to chanterelles, I looked over the contents of my fridge and the list of flavor matches listed under mushrooms.  Providence had filled my fridge with corn, onions, butter, and fresh sage--a mushroom match made in heaven according to The Flavor Bible.  After a quick chop, I sauteed the lot in a cast-iron skillet.  In about the time it took to cook some pasta, these flavors melded.  I added the pasta and a little of its water to the skillet, sauteed it all for another minute, dusted with pecorino romano cheese, and sat down to devour this divine dish.