Substitutions
I hereby give you permission to substitute freely. Recipes are living outlines, not inviolable directives. Just remember that changing ingredients changes the outcome. Sometimes it’s better, sometimes it’s worse, but usually it’s just different.
But didn’t the chef have a reason? Often it’s personal preference. Or they chose ingredients and techniques that were convenient. That’s especially true for traditional dishes. Just be sure not to call it chicken marsala if you don’t use marsala wine.
Luckily for us, things that grow together go together. That is to say, if you buy locally and cook seasonally, it’s hard to go wrong.
Consider what you’re making. What’s the role of the ingredient in question? Pay particular attention to texture. How will it react to heating, slicing, blending? For something central, small variations amplify. But that’s not necessarily bad. For a garnish, the effect is more contained but also more immediate, since a garnish is the first thing you taste.
Last week we made chanterelles on toast with creme fraiche, pickled fresnos, and dill. Can we sub for chanterelles? The toast is doing the heavy lifting with regard to texture, so we can think pretty broadly about mushrooms. The pickled fresnos and dill provide freshness, spice, and acid. Nearly any herb or green could work. So could any number of pickles. How about maitakes with arugula and pickled red onions?
Creme fraiche is tricky. It’s hard to emulate the body of cultured dairy. Coconut milk is a good option. Maybe chart a whole new course and spread the toast with a puree like hummus or baba ganouj.
Our upcoming recipe is clams sauteed in coconut milk with gai lan (aka Chinese broccoli). We chose gai lan because it looked super luscious at the market. You could easily substitute bok choy or chard. If you’re allergic to shellfish, or clams just aren’t your thing, there are myriad protein options: tofu or shrimp would be great. Chicken thighs could work, too.
The bottom line: swapping ingredients is situationally specific. There’s no one-size-fits-all framework. The more you cook, the more you’ll see how the variables affect the system.
We’re glad you’re cooking with us.
Cheers,
Sten and Mac
Chef Snacks
Cooking Tip
Most nuts and seeds are interchangeable. Culinarily speaking. This holds true for nut and seed butters. You can make a very nice pesto without pine nuts: use hazelnuts, cashews, or sunflower seeds. Muhammara is one of my go-tos: a Levantine red pepper walnut sauce. However I pretty much always make it with hazelnuts because I like them more. Go nuts.
(Obviously this does not include allergies. Don’t eat things you are allergic to.)
