I’m one of those cooks who looks at cookbooks to get an inspiration, but who never FOLLOWS a recipe — haven’t since I was 10. Gran cooked measuring by ‘handfuls’ and ‘pinches’ and so do I. So, generally, did Mom. But—I can convert.

I cook by smell. I start something like meat cooking, think of what might taste good tonight and add a bit. THen if I think it needs more, I take a whiff of what’s cooking alternated with bottles of spices and add what smells good and tasty with whatever’s going. [The trick is to smell with your mouth open: that lets your whole taste-smell sense operate.]

Or I cook by generalities: I know there are two items in Chinese Five Spice that I can easily live without (anise and licorice root) but I like the general smell. So I look at the label and find out what’s in it and make my own on the fly: I don’t own anise or licorice root…

well, I was hungry for Chinese pork. The red-edged sort, with Chinese mustard. But the allowable serving of that doth not a meal make, and rice is right off our diet because of carb content. So what’s a veggie that goes well with pork? Cabbage.

The recipe, as it evolved—1 medium cabbage sliced thin; a 1/8 cup of olive oil to prevent a burn; 1/4 cup of water to steam with; lidded pan. To this add a teaspoon each of [powdered]: cinnamon, clove, allspice, Chinese ginger; red chili flake [the sort you shake onto pizza]—-and cook until done. It will be hot and bitter. Now! Stir in 1/4 cup soy sauce and 1/2 cup Splenda, and stir; serve beside half a dozen slices of Chinese pork bbq, with sesame seeds and Chinese mustard.

The cabbage tastes like cinnamon and cloves and is quite sweet, a lot like a dessert; the pork, well, either you like it or not. And you can cut back on the hot in this recipe if you’re careful of hot: the cinnamon, chili, and the ginger are all heat-sources.

Anyway, it’s quite tasty, ranked as a do-again in this household.