Chasing the New

The new potato season has started, so I have started cooking with potatoes again. Naturally, I made some Kartoffelbrei (mashed potatoes) and Kartoffelpuffer (potato pancakes), two staples of my childhood. This got me thinking. I like to try new things and discover new tastes, one of the reasons I have a never-ending list of ideas, but on that quest, old classics and favourites get left out.

Over the last few years, I've tried so many new flavours, textures, dishes and drinks. Consequently, it is becoming increasingly difficult to discover something that is truly new, since the library of references has grown so large that I can almost always point to something similar. Still all of those references where new initially. One of the first things I distinctly remember as something new was, was kasuri methi in butter paneer masala, which is also the first recipe on this blog. This year trying andouillette and lacto fermented asparagus might qualify.

Even is it really necessary to seek out new tastes when something simple and familiar can be amazing? For example take a peak piece of fruit or a vegetable, eating a mango or the first local tomatoes in season was incredible. Trying really good mustard for the first time changed my view of this everyday condiment. When it comes to dishes, it's often the case that familiar flavours that are well executed are just as challenging as something entirely new. One dish that falls into that category this year is the celery in walnut cheese sauce at Øens Spisested. I have tried to replicate it, but I haven't found a good recipe yet.

Although there are dishes that I make more frequently, when I look through my notes and northern German cookbooks, I realise there are many others that I haven't made in a while but should make again. It's fun to see how you can combine two cuisines. One of my personal favourites was using the Huangmenji flavour profile for German cabbage rolls. I should do this more often to create my own familiar but new.