Freestyling is my primary approach to cooking. You can't let yourself be bound by the restraints of a recipe. I see them as starting points, research a handful, interpret and recombine the data... then go for it. A friend of mine does the same thing but calls it "experimental cooking night" her creations are always delightful and satisfying.
BRB. Need more meatloafy goodness. Ok. Better now.
I started with a mirepoix, a chunky one. I added an egg, bread crumbs, worcestershire, tarragon, marjoram, tabasco, lots of fresh ground black pepper. Then I squished it all up together with my fingers, it was great! (do I have the opposite of sensory processing disorder? I want to experience a wide range of textures constantly...dough, yarn, clay...meat apparently...hmmm).
I put the squishedness in a loaf pan. The loaf pan has been on high rotation here lately (like Broken Bells was in July) as my banana bread is extremely popular, with Frandz*. There was some mirepoix still in the skillet, I threw some beer on it, added a little ketchup and then put it on top of the loaf. I then topped that with more ketchup. Yah ketchup!
At this point I have eaten about 1/4 of it. I need it to cool off faster so I can put it in the fridge so I will stop grazing it like a birthday cake...or a pie with many many tiny pieces cut off at varied angles.
And now I am working on bread. Freestyling with pastry and bread can be a bit trickier as they are more of an exact science then meat loaf. I am starting simple by subbing some home-ground oat flour for some of the regular flour...and cutting the yeast back a little...and the salt.
I'm planning on taking a loaf to give to Katana, who's cutting my hair in the morning...if it comes out well.
*somedays he will just eat a banana bread, slowly slice by slice, all day...nothing else.
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