For The Missing Ingredients

For The Missing Ingredients “The whole is something besides its parts”

Is it possible to make your favorite dish without one of its key ingredients? Does chocolate cake really need flour? Is it necessary to add lettuce to salad? Does macaroni and cheese taste good without dairy? Is there such a thing as pesto without basil?

The absence of these ingredients does not take away from the taste, texture, or aroma of the final product. These dishes are not defined by their key ingredients but instead by their textures, preparation processes, and your experience in consuming them. The chocolate cake is rich without the flour; the grilled vegetable salad is just as crunchy and even brighter than a salad with lettuce; the cheese-less macaroni is creamy and tasty regardless; and the pesto is still earthy without the basil.

Aristotle speaks of a whole that is greater than its parts, and his words ring true in gastronomy: a dish as a whole is more significant than the ingredients which typically compromise it. Taking away one part of the dish does not diminish the final product.

The following recipes all exemplify that the lack of an essential ingredient does not ruin a particular dish. It is important to think outside the box by focusing on these other factors and pairing unrelated flavors to bring the dish together as a whole. Food offers us endless possibilities; there is always a unique combination ready to please our palates.

Words by: Valeria Gutierrez and Prashanti Kodali Photos by: Ngan Tran and Brandon Portillo

A Pesto without Basil

Ingredients:

4 cups tightly-packed leafy greens (spinach, watercress kale, arugula, mint, etc.) ⅔ - 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated 1 cup olive oil ½ cup of nuts of your choice (almonds, walnuts, pine nuts, etc.) 4-6 garlic cloves Salt and pepper to taste 1 cup olive oil ¼ tbsp lemon juice (optional)

Instructions:

Choose which greens and nuts you want to use to make this recipe. Different nuts pair well different greens. Through trial and error, I found that almonds nicely complement spinach and walnuts with kale or arugula. The possibilities are endless!

In a food processor, emulsify the leafy greens, nuts, parmesan cheese, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Do this for 3 minutes or until the ingredients are coarsely chopped.

On a lower speed slowly add the olive oil to the food processor. Continue running the food processor until the oil is fully mixed in with the other ingredients. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if necessary.

This recipe makes approximately 2 cups of pesto and can last for 2 weeks in the refrigerator or 2 months in the freezer. Enjoy!

A Chocolate Cake without Flour

Ingredients:

½ cup water ¼ tsp salt ¾ cup sugar 18 oz (about 2 cups) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter cut into small pieces, at room temperature 6 large eggs, at room temperature

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 325 °F. Grease one 10-inch round cake pan and set aside. In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the water, salt, and sugar and stir until the salt and sugar completely dissolve. Remove the mixture from the heat and set aside.

Melt the chocolate until silky and smooth. Transfer the melted chocolate into a large bowl. Use an electric mixer to beat the chocolate and the unsatled butter together, adding one piece of butter at a time. Once incorporated, add in the heated sugar-water mixture and slowly beat in the eggs one at a time.

Pour the batter into the greased cake pan. Place this pan into a larger and deeper oven tray. Fill the larger tray with boiling water until the water reaches halfway up the sides of the cake pan.

Bake the cake in the water bath at 325 °F for about 45 minutes or until the edges of the cake are firm and the middle is still a bit wet and wobbly. Allow the cake to cool and chill overnight before serving.