When I first typed out the recipe for this very forgiving flatbread pizza, I added the word "optional" after "freshly grated nutmeg" and "fresh thyme" and then thought long and hard about why. For as long as I've been editing recipes I've been using "optional" as a way to say "I realize this is an ingredient you might not have on hand" or "I realize this is an extra step you might not want to take on a night that allows for not a single extra step" or "If this is the ingredient that makes dinner a deal-breaker with your kid, by all means omit!" Have you noticed that you don't ever come across "optional" in a serious recipe collection? (A quick flip through
Optional
Optional
Optional
When I first typed out the recipe for this very forgiving flatbread pizza, I added the word "optional" after "freshly grated nutmeg" and "fresh thyme" and then thought long and hard about why. For as long as I've been editing recipes I've been using "optional" as a way to say "I realize this is an ingredient you might not have on hand" or "I realize this is an extra step you might not want to take on a night that allows for not a single extra step" or "If this is the ingredient that makes dinner a deal-breaker with your kid, by all means omit!" Have you noticed that you don't ever come across "optional" in a serious recipe collection? (A quick flip through