I think that it’s important to stress the creative aspect of cooking.  Once you have the hang of the art and you are familiar with what combinations work best, a cook will find that a cookbook and recipes are not always necessary when throwing together a week night meal.  Sometimes a cook will use the knowledge that they have accumulated and make a quick and savory meal simply from throwing a bunch of stuff together.  It’s something all cooks should strive for when the decision is made to become prolific in the art of cooking.

Tonight I needed something quick and something made from accessible ingredients available in my pantry and freezer.   I had penne pasta, ham, and the usual staples.  I decided to make a ham-y pasta with a savory bechamél sauce.  Obviously a pancetta or prosciutto would have been better, but the ham did quite well.

Just cube up some ham.  I made two servings so I only used about 1 cup of cubed ham.  Throw the ham in a dry skillet (i.e. no oil) and sauté until the ham starts to brown slightly.  It will look like this:

Remove the ham from the skillet and prepare to make your bechamél sauce.  Don’t be intimidated, it’s an easy sauce that you can use all the time.

Simply use equal parts of butter and flour (I used 2 Tblsp. of each) and cook the two for about two minutes.  This is to cook the raw flour taste out and it makes a slightly nutty taste.  Now you add milk or cream.  Milk is perfectly fine.  I used about 2 cups of milk and stirred vigorously until the sauce started to get thick.  At this point, turn the heat down and start adding seasoning.  A very traditional spice for a bechamél is nutmeg.  It adds a warm and spicey taste to the sauce and I highly recommend it.  You only need a tiny bit (1/4 tsp.).  There was no need to add any additional salt since ham was going to be a part of the dish but I added black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder (1 tsp. each).   About 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese went in last for a little zing (and more salt).   I then added the pasta and stirred to coat.  Then I tossed in the ham and served warm.  I served it with a side of green vegetables (green beans, but spinach would have been delicious too).  This was a quick, and lovely dish that I just kind of threw together.  And you know what?  It was awesome.

Don’t be afraid to experiment.  Not every delicious meal made in your kitchen needs to be a big event right out of a cookbook.  Give yourself a little bit of credit and allow your skills to grow by playing around with food and flavors.    Enjoy!