In looking for connections and unifying links in cooking, sometimes association leads to confusion. I am the first to get hung up with the connection of ingredients or perhaps with an underlying theme, which I let drive and dictate the development of a dish and the assemblage of ingredients. Recently, we started working with lettuce trunks or stems. In seeing these often discarded pieces as a central element, it led me to look at other stems. We had mushrooms and basil on hand, and I looked to utilize their stems in a dish with the lettuce cores. A compilation of all kinds of stems. Sounds neat, could be fun. Though sounding out a dish and then executing the pieces are often two quite different processes. What I did learn is that mushroom stems may have a purpose on their own, as do minced basil stems. However, not all stems need to be served together. In looking more closely at my associative tendencies, I see a fair amount of time spent examining the connections and the paths they create. While it is essential to look at these connections, it is equally important to realize that associations do not always lead to an ideal pairing; rather, they may just open new thoughts and approaches.
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