In defence of spontaneity
and a spur-of-the-moment summer smoked trout salad
It was shortly into my marriage that I knew I was in trouble. We were having dinner at my in-laws’ house in August when my mother-in-law asked me “So, what are your plans for Thanksgiving?”
My heart sank. It wasn’t because I didn’t want to spend time with my husband’s family. It was more about the unknown, the moments that I couldn’t imagine yet but that just might happen and that I just might miss if we locked in. Committing so far in advance to anything was closing all the doors of possibility that lay ahead.
When you’re not a planner by nature - or nurture - living in a scheduled, plan-ahead world can seem stifling. And while there’s no question that planning is critical - in business, in our personal lives, to help us achieve our goals, ambitions and the right outcomes - there’s also an element of flexibility and creativity that can get lost.
Death by planning
If you’ve spent any time in business you’ve probably participated at some point in the strategic planning process. Great time, effort and brainpower come together to define the company’s direction, future path, key priorities. Budgets set, deadlines created, teams assembled.
And then the unexpected happens. An industry crisis; a change in leadership. Or perhaps most devastating of all - a global pandemic.
If there’s one thing that the past year has taught us, it’s that our ability to adapt has, in many ways, proven to be more useful than our planning skills. After all, planning is often based on the past, while creative thinking imagines the future.
It’s where the non-planners like me can shine. In our ability to both see the art of the possible and to seize the moment, magic can happen. And while the best magic tricks take years of practice and planning, the fairy dust of real magic is created in a moment of impulse and inspired imagination.
The stage door moment
Sometimes a magical moment can get amplified in the minute.
We were in New York seeing Der Rosenkavalier, one of my husband’s favourite operas, with some of his favourite performers. This was to be one of the last times that soprano Renee Fleming and mezzo soprano Elīna Garanča were performing in roles that had defined their careers. In an epic production lasting more than three hours, the two women shone, their performances as soaring as their voices.
Standing ovations complete, we wafted our way out of the Lincoln Center close to midnight. As we headed to the street to hail a taxi, on impulse, I asked my husband if he knew where the stage door was. No, he did not, and anyway it was late. But I persisted. Why not find that stage door, meet those women, be groupies for a moment, and prolong the evening’s magic?
Reluctantly, he followed me as I used technology to guide us into the labyrinthine underbelly of the Center. And there we were, amidst a clutch of super fans. As the performers came out, relieved of heavy makeup and wigs, we applauded them, they generously posed for selfies and the connection created formed an indelible memory.
It was made all the more special because it was unplanned, a moment we would not have mourned if it did not happen, yet made all the more precious because it was spontaneous.
Spontaneity in the kitchen
To make the leap between unplanned moments and unplanned cooking may seem a stretch, but I would contend that the same spirit of flexibility, creativity and ingenuity that might lead you to a stage door can also lead you to a delicious dinner, even if you haven’t had time to plan it. It’s all about having the right staples in the cupboard.
The key is to choose good quality ingredients to start with. Yes, beans are probably better from dried, freshly made pesto can’t be beat, and seared tuna is divine in a salad. Still, a jar of high quality imported tuna, organic canned beans, and top drawer jarred pesto are excellent sub-ins. With a little imagination and some salad greens, a lovely summer salad can be made in minutes.
Smoked Trout Salad with Pesto Beans and Greens
serves 2
It was 5 pm on Tuesday and I hadn’t planned anything for dinner. I went to my freezer and saw that I had a whole smoked trout filet languishing on the shelf. Why not a smoked trout salad? Dinner dilemma solved. It’s also as tasty with a good quality oil-packed tuna instead, and since you’re much more likely to have a jar or tin of tuna on the pantry shelf, it’s made easier by half.
Ingredients
1 14-ounce (398 ml) can of cannellini beans (about 2 cups)
⅓ cup pesto (homemade or store bought), more to taste
1 10-ounce (295 gram) whole smoked trout filet* or a 6-ounce jar of good quality oil-packed tuna
4 cups mixed salad greens (Little Gems are lovely mixed in with some baby arugula – but hey – use whatever’s in the refrigerator)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
Fresh herbs to finish, optional (chervil is particularly nice)
Salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon juice to taste
*a whole smoked trout filet will give you plenty for the salad, with some left over to make these delicious scrambled eggs tomorrow morning
Drain and rinse beans and gently heat in a small saucepan, or microwave for one to two minutes. Stir the pesto into the warmed beans and set aside. The beans can be made ahead and left at room temperature until ready to serve.
In a medium bowl, mix salad greens and cherry tomatoes with salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon juice to taste. Start with a teaspoon or two of the lemon juice; you want it to heighten the flavour, not overpower it. Place in a serving platter or immediately divide between two bowls, and top each bowl with 1 cup of beans.
Remove skin from the smoked trout and break into bite sized pieces. Divide the trout between the two salad bowls, finish with herbs if using and serve.
