Try experimenting with flavours you're not familiar with

Surely, we’re getting tired of talking about supply chains.

Let’s face it, most of us probably did not consider this a major problem before the pandemic.

Then, in 2020, we hoarded household goods. On top of the toilet paper crisis, there were shortages of yeast as we had time to bake when we were locked in our homes. Gardening tools and seeds were also sometimes in short supply because we had time to plant and nurture when travel was an absolute no-go.

Now we’re back here again in the approaching winter of 2021, though supplies are starting to balance, thankfully.

But what if we look at this as a flavourful opportunity?

And how do we do that? In a word: experiment.

Ingredients we may not have thought of, or were afraid to try, might be more abundant these days and Google or Pinterest can provide oodles of odd recipes with whatever you may find. Better yet, pick up weathered cookbook from a used book store, the library or from an elderly family member’s shelf.

An old recipe book is how I first discovered Russian Vinegret (sic). Beets, pickles, potatoes, carrots, onions whirled into a bright pink salad.

Thanks to Chef Phil Tees, who oversees the kitchen at Liquidity Bistro and handles Sunday workshops at Road 13, I also discovered that finely diced beets and pickles can be turned into a delicious vegetarian vinegret-like tartare with garlic oil and the right spices.

Speaking of spices, head to a local market that specializes in a special cuisine to gather a few new ideas. There are plenty: Penticton’s Maharajah Grocerz or Global Grocers, Sun Asian Market or Mediterranean Market in Kelowna, Global Grocers or Oliver Eats in Oliver (of course); the latter for meats and cheeses. And that’s just to name just a few.

A couple of excellent online shops for nuts and seeds – that you can then roast with your newfound spices – if you’re patient with delivery schedules and can’t find what you’re looking for—Ayoub’s out of Vancouver or Rancho Vignola based here in the Interior. Rancho’s in-person harvest sales are wrapping up, but general online ordering begins today.

There is almost always a way to adjust when an item or ingredient is in short supply, and none of us can control the current circumstances we’re in.

But when there’s no cream for your morning coffee, you can grab a bag of Coffee Crisp Hot Chocolate mix and make yourself a “Coffee-Coffee Crisp Mocha” for a few days.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.