The Dilemma of Creative Boundaries

Balancing Planning vs. Instinct

The general belief and consensus around my fellow Virgos is that nothing excites us more than details and frameworks. We thrive on order, to-do lists, and ultra-organization.  Any wrench thrown in our planning sends us into a tailspin. While I see some of myself in that stereotype, the truth is I’m a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kinda Virgo, especially when it comes to cooking.

Since starting to cook regularly for myself and others, I approach each dish like a painter in front of a blank canvas or a sculptor with a block of clay—viewing the empty plate as a conduit to express my inner world. It's about sharing flavor combinations that tickle my tongue, textures that surprise me, and the nuances of my ever-evolving palate that push me forward.

When it comes to cooking, and in some ways in life in general, I rely on the delicate balance of instinct and logic. For me, adhering to systems and rules within any creative practice tends to feel restrictive and stifling, so I often rebel. Perhaps that reaction stems from some deep childhood experience or trauma, but WHO WANTS TO GO THERE? Instead, I focus on self-awareness—a battle I'm determined to win. 

Where was I? 

Yes, so I’m more of an instinct and logic kinda gal when it comes to cooking. 

What does that mean? 

Well, for example, a magret de canard that springs back softly under my touch tells me more about its readiness than any timer ever could. When I cook, I constantly taste and adjust, adding a dash of this or a pinch of that to strike the perfect balance of flavors and textures that reflect me and delight my guests. I rarely follow a recipe; I grab ingredients as I need them and I go with the flow, no matter how chaotic. 

It’s easy to get away with that sort of ad-libbing behavior when cooking for myself or supper club guests in my tiny kitchen. I often skip the basics of culinary art like extensive mise en place and planning, confident that everything will work out.

However, in a professional kitchen, I've learned that having a plan and systems aren’t stifling—they’re liberating. Knowing exactly what ingredients are available, their quantity, and freshness frees chefs to creatively tackle unexpected challenges. This lesson hit home during what I affectionately called #tortillagate—a crisis when the head chef's tortilla plans fell apart due to a series of unfortunate events during prepping.

Note: No one called it #tortillagate except me, I love a corny joke. Sue me. 

With lunch service looming and a critical menu item missing, chaos and panic could have ensued. Instead, the chef and sous chef took a breath, and calmly brainstormed, making use of recently delivered seasonal produce and their shared culinary instincts. Their swift decision was to replace the tortilla dish with thinly sliced roast beef served with a side of chimichurri and potatoes, incorporating a recent delivery of rhubarb in the chimichurri for a little razzle-dazzle. Maybe I should’ve joined the brainstorming, but I chose to observe and listen. As an intern, I wanted to witness seasoned professionals in action, seeing how they used the tools that they have (the ingredients) and knowledge (confidence) to climb out of a hole in real time.

While I'm not rushing to embrace spreadsheets and frameworks just yet, this experience helped reframe my thinking. Planning and organization empower action, encouraging creativity and the ability to adapt on the fly—a foundation of knowledge and confidence that serves beyond a professional kitchen.

Drawing from this lesson, I wanted to flex my creative muscles in my home kitchen and experiment with ingredients I already had on hand before my weekly grocery shopping run. 

Dear reader, I’m ashamed to admit it but my refrigerator was in shambles. S.H.A.M.B.L.E.S. I’m talking wilting herbs swimming in murky water, neglected oat milk begging to be thrown out, various pickled veggies, and a random bottle of champagne. At that moment, pickled red onion and cauliflower, and a glass of champagne seemed like a perfectly excellent dinner option. 

But I persevered, I’m not a quitter quand même. 

I pushed past the pickles and removed the dead herbs to find a surprising stash of labneh, a thick and velvety strained yogurt. And 'nduja, a savory, spicy, and slightly smoky spreadable Calabrian pork sausage.

I thought to myself, well these two things, the labneh and 'nduja could surely work, but in what capacity? Over rice? No, too boring and basic. In a stew? Well, that’s just bonkers to even consider boiling yogurt. And then I had my ah-ha moment.  In addition to these ingredients, I also had butter, flour, egg, salt, pepper, and a trusted arsenal of dried herbs.  After a quick rundown of what I could make, I landed on 'nduja and labneh agnolotti with a brown butter sauce. 

I figured that the spiciness of the ‘nduja would be tempered by the cool labneh, which would also add a refreshing lightness, preventing the entire thing from feeling heavy, especially after it's finished in the butter sauce. 

So I made my dough, the filling, attempted to make the perfect agnolotti shape (an uphill battle), and finished it all off in a silky smooth, slightly sweet, and nutty butter sauce.  

The result? A delicious and comforting meal that showed me planning and instinct are not rivals when it comes to cooking they’re complementary. Some of the best outcomes come from having a plan while remaining open to embracing spontaneity.

The delicate balance allows us to push ourselves creatively, both in and out of the kitchen, even if everything isn’t prepared down to the very last detail.

Glossy, tasty ‘nduja and labneh agnolotti

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It looks like I’m on a once-a-month publishing schedule, which isn’t too bad I guess. A part of me thinks I should increase the frequency, but I also like the element of surprise when POUF! I am there in your inbox with something I really want to get off my chest. Quality over quantity, right? Anyway, let me know if you’d like more frequent Kitchen Stories and I’ll try my best to deliver. No promises, though!

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'Nduja and labneh agnolotti with a brown butter sauce

The Filling:

• 2 generous tablespoons of ‘nduja, removed from the casing

• 1 tablespoon of labneh, keep a little extra on the side 

• Salt to taste, you won’t need any pepper with this

Pasta Dough:

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour 

• 1 egg yolk

• 1 large egg

• 1/2 teaspoon olive oil

• A pinch of salt

Sauce

• 120 grams of unsalted butter 

• 1 tablespoon dried herbs, I used parsley

• Salt and pepper to taste

I started by making the pasta dough and while it was resting I worked on the filling and then went back to shaping the dough. The pasta dough comes together quite easily. 

Making the pasta dough: 

1. You can either make a mound with 1 cup of flour on a clean surface then make a well in that mound or pour the flour into a shallow mixing bowl and create a well in the bowl. 

2. Add the whole egg and egg yolk, I love an extra yolky pasta dough, salt, and olive oil to the well

3. Using a fork, gently beat the egg and gradually incorporate the flour until a dough forms.

4. Knead the dough for about 10- 15 minutes until smooth, elastic, and bounces back when pressed with a finger. Meaning the dent doesn’t stay too long.  If the dough is too dry, add a few drops of water; if it’s too wet, dip in your extra ½ cup of flour and sprinkle a bit on the dough

5. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest for at least 30 minutes

Filling time: 

1. Put ‘nduja in a medium-sized skillet without additional fats, like olive oil or anything else

2. Cook on medium heat

3. The ‘nduja will quickly begin to melt and form a silky paste

4. Stir using a wooden spoon or spatula to ensure it’s cooked evenly

5. Cook for about 2-3 minutes until it’s fully melted 

6. Pour melted ‘nduja into a heat-resistant bowl 

7. Let cool for 1 or 2 minutes 

8. Add labneh to the bowl and mix until the nduja is fully incorporated. You want to have a balance of spicy and silky smooth, so taste and add more labneh if it’s too spicy. 

9. Transfer to a piping bag

Shape the agnolotti 

Note: This method makes sense to me, but I’m not sure if I do a good job of explaining it. Let me know if anything is unclear. That said, I’m still working on the execution of this method. Sometimes the agnolotti is perfectly shaped and other times my hands just can’t do the thing. Also, when I made this version I didn’t use a piping bag which was a mistake because I didn’t add enough of the filling by eyeballing it and using just a spoon. It was still good enough! 

1. Divide the dough into 4 pieces and flatten each into a narrow rectangle

2. Roll out your rested dough on a lightly floured surface with a rolling pin or use a pasta machine to create thin sheets. Your dough is thin enough when you hold it up to the light and can the shadow of your hand.  

3. Once thin enough, place the sheet in front of you with the long side facing you

4. Pipe about 1 teaspoon of the filling down the length of the dough, spacing them about 1inch apart

5. Brush a little water around the filling mounds to help seal the pasta

6. Fold the side of the pasta that’s closest to you over the filling, fold it over a bit because you’ll want room to cut it 

7. After folding the dough over, press down the entire length to seal Once your dough is folded over, press down the length to seal, and be sure to remove as much excess air as possible

8. Use a pasta cutter to trim the excess on the long side of the dough and you can discard the trimmings 

9. Your agnolotti should resemble little pillows at this point 

10. Cut between each mound of filling with a motion moving away from it, to create a little pocket 

Cook the pasta: 

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil 

2. Slowly add agnolotti and cook for 2-3 minutes or until they are tender and float to the surface 

Make the sauce:

1. Melt the butter in a skillet on medium heat

2. When bubbles start to form, swirl the butter in the pan so that it cooks evenly and doesn’t burn 

3. Once the butter begins to foam, add the dried herbs and mix

4. Turn the heat on low

5. Add the cooked pasta and gently toss 

6. Plate and enjoy :)