Sometimes I surprise myself

Tuna, rice and asparagus - The lunch I didn’t plan, might not repeat, but still remember

This was my lunch the other day. Simple, light and very, very tasty. Also, super quick to make, however, not what I originally intended to eat.

There is a tuna salad recipe that I got from my Tia Rita (my aunt)—a very simple and delicious dish that she has made since I can remember going to Italy as a kid. Fast, easy and delicious; what's not to love about that? It's just ideal. All it takes is some rice, vegetables (bottled or canned salad mix, ideally in oil) and tuna.

This was the plan. That's not what happened.

Like many things in the kitchen for me, I often start with an idea, and somewhere along the way, a few things happen that lead to a completely different outcome. Usually, it’s one of these scenarios:

1. Surprise addition:
   I find something in the fridge or pantry that I forgot we had. I start thinking: Can I use this? Does it make sense here? I imagine the taste as part of the dish and how it might taste. If it fits, I add it.
2. Change of direction:
   I find something we have to use before it goes off, or that gives me that "actually, what if I do this instead?" kind of feeling. A new version of something or an entirely different dish. It's a playful sense of curiosity and experimentation, I taste it in my mind and think "let's find out".
3. Adapt and overcome (also known as improvisation):
   What I thought was there, it's not. An ingredient or more are missing. Adjustment (improvisation) is required, is the only way. This has led in the past to incredible WOW moments, as well as “oh well, it’s what we had” or "I thought it would work" ones.

In this case, it was option number two.

The rice is ready from the night before, my plan is to make that tuna salad; however, as I start collecting the ingredients, I find out a couple of things that alter the destiny of my lunch.

First, I remember we have a few cans of tuna we brought back from Spain a few months ago; it comes in a slightly sweet tomato sauce. Second, I spot a bunch of asparagus that had been sitting in the fridge and need to be used.

I think about it, put them together in my mind, like the prospect and go for it. And I'm glad I did.

I get down to business. Prep and cook, all done in about 15 minutes.

The aftermath

It was delicious. The kind of delicious that makes you (me) pause mid-bite and go, DAMN!.

Everything was in the right place. The sauce from the tuna added the right amount of juiciness and sweetness. The pepper and the olive oil made asparagus pop, as they always do.

This was the kind of delicious that sets a precedent and future expectations... As long as there is a next time. Because the truth is that many times, when "experiments" like this happen, I don't always repeat them.

It normally goes two ways: I will try again multiple times for about two months and then stop, or I won't try again ever.

And that's the thing...

Many great dishes that end up on our table always have a degree of improvisation; that's how I do it, even when following a recipe (which I sparsely do).

They all have a dash of unplanned and spontaneous. They come out of nowhere, they surprise you, they hit you in the face, and that’s exactly what makes them special.

That’s what I love about cooking, this combination of freedom, creativity, accidents, surprises and experimentation that can lead to something slightly or vastly different, just with one little tweak. Something small can turn a simple idea into a flavorful masterpiece.

So, I might not make it again, but I’m glad I made it once.