Cooking Without a Recipe

The Widow Wyile has a question
for you 

do you cook
without a recipe
or are you too nervous or shy
to blend without direction?
do you follow your nose
measure by eye
combine on a hunch?
or do you stick
to recipe guides? 

intuitive cooking
the Widow Wyile wishes
you to know
is a constant wonder
sensational opportunity
marvel of mixing
gustatory gumption
salivary satisfaction 

to cook without a recipe means
you know
a thing or more
about culinary procedures
paring    peeling
sautée   roux   rare  and cooked
through
you have a sense or more
about pairing   planning
timing and combining
     umami
sweet   spicy
salty   sour
and one more 

to be such a chef
you must have
a thing or more
to cook
in your larder     your pantry
your stores
staples are good
            specials add zest

cooking without a recipe presumes
you have a sense for ingredients
a flare for flavours that combine
well and a will
to take a chance
yet not confound
bitter   batter   butter
bisque   whisk   broil and boil 

cooking intuitively means
you don’t get fussed
about precision and substitution
because it is not
so hard
to pass up on lard
when duck fat will serve
or to say bye bye
butter
avocado hello
a recipe needs a cook
but you can put food together
without the help of a book 

intuitive cooking is about
approximation
experimentation
a certain panache
about matters you can mince
slice and dice
be they vegetable animal
fruits of the sea or nuts from a tree
what matters most
are your good food intentions
braise them with praise
in a pan on a blaze
you’ll soon have sauce
or some gourmet garnish
for whatever strain of grain
legume or tuber
repeat   repeat
with difference
or without
cook up delicious bi
tri octa cultural variations
flavours you can stand
based on what you have to hand

such mixing and mashing
slicing and spicing
pinching of this
dashing of that
inspire variations   permutations
on tomato sauces
vegetable broths
stir fries on rice
porridges   pancakes  pies 

let’s face it
you’re playing for real
with your food
cooking up
nameless new creations
you are likely never
to have again
though you think
you’ll remember
your casual
confident        curious
nature will cause you to add
a dollop or sprinkle
of this a squirt
or a twist of
that next
intuitive
lime

spoon flip ladle / stir up a star/ garnish with herbalicious yodel