Some of my best recipes come about when my cupboard is practically bare and I have to get creative to make a decent meal. Surprisingly, most of the meals turn out to be quite tasty. I think it’s because we so often get into a rut with our cooking that it’s only when something drastic happens that we allow our creativity free rein. And that’s when magic happens.
I had just such a Mother Hubbard moment recently.
With just a few seemingly mismatched ingredients I created a meal I actually want to record in my recipe book.
I’ll share the recipe in a moment but first I wanted to continue this conversation about creativity and the muse.
Where does that spark of inspiration come from? Is it always present but somehow like a radio dial that goes in and out of focus? Does the muse hibernate? Is the muse a sort of fairy godmother who only visits occasionally before heading to the next person in need of a bit of magic? I’d love it if you’d share your thoughts in the comments.
The other night, I was visited by the muse in a striking way. I was flooded with words and had to get them out of me and onto paper. And recently the muse visited me in a quieter way as I was trying to make a meal out of practically nothing.
I’m not sure where this creative spark comes from but I do know that occasionally it is a creativity born of necessity.
Mother Hubbard Stuffed Shells
(A magic spell for the impoverished)
Take the handful of pasta shells left in the ancient box at the back of the cupboard. Boil in salted water until done. Set aside to cool.
Cook cannellini beans with salt and garlic until done.
In a food processor blend the last handful of green pumpkin seeds with the cheap olive oil you normally wouldn’t touch. Add a tiny clove of garlic, minced. Add in two or three tablespoons of nutritional yeast, pepper, salt, and warm water (just enough to make a thick sauce consistency).
Spoon this Vegan cheese sauce into the bottom of a casserole dish.
In a small bowl mix the last of the shredded mozzarella, a few spoonfuls of Greek yogurt, salt, pepper, minced garlic, and seven gooseberries you picked that morning feeling so incredibly grateful for the bird who planted it at the corner of your house two years ago. What a miracle it was to see the gooseberries appear one year. This, this is the magic ingredient. Chop those gooseberries into little pieces and blend with the cheese yogurt mixture.
Stuff the pasta shells with this mixture and layer in the casserole dish. Spoon cannellini beans on top and bake in preheated oven (375 F) for 20 minutes.
It turned out to be just the perfect blend of cheesy, savory, nutty with the tart almost currant taste of the gooseberries. A magic recipe born of necessity that now has a permanent place in my book of recipes.
Not that your Mother Hubbard ingredients are the same as mine, but still. I encourage you to create something out of nothing and see how you do. You might surprise yourself by how wonderful it turns out.
p.s. the green papery thing I’m holding in the photo is one of those magical gooseberries.
That is a very imaginative recipe! It must have been magic that inspired you :)