Who knows where the desire to cook this dish or that one comes from, what triggers a synapse to fire? I watched a brief video clip of a friend dimpling some focaccia the other day, sun-gold olive oil over a pillowy cloud of dough, and suddenly that was all I wanted to make and eat: eggplant focaccia with ricotta and olives, for instance; focaccia with sweet onions and capers; focaccia with crispy mushrooms (above). I took one look at the photograph of this platter of naan-o paneer-o sabzi, an Iranian dish of lavash, feta and herbs and — wham! Someone says caramelized zucchini and another responds, wow, and caramelized zucchini pasta is born. You catch a whiff of cilantro in the market, something crackles in your brain and there needs to be cilantro rice for dinner, or spinach-and-cilantro soup.

Source: New York Times August 11, 2021 15:00 UTC