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Recipe at Epicurious or 177 Milk Street.

Executive summary: peel and cut up broccoli, saving the stems and leaves. Boil the stems and leaves until fully tender, c. 10 minutes. Add fresh spinach until wilted, c. 20 seconds. Fish out the green stuff and put in a blender. Boil the broccoli florets in the same water for c. 3 minutes, fish out and rinse. Boil pasta in the same water to al dente. Meanwhile, add garlic, capers, lemon zest, and a little cooking water to blender, and puree. When pasta is done, drain it, return to the pot, toss with green puree and broccoli florets, more lemon zest and grated cheese (unless you want it vegan).

Yum: definite keeper. But both

shalmestere and I were bothered by the raw-garlic bite; for next time, we'll try parboiling the garlic with the spinach to take the edge off.

siberian_skys

From the French House website Here's the link: https://www.thefrenchhouse.net/blog/food/tomato-and-egg-salad.htm

Honestly I don't think I'd make it again. I found that the hard boiled eggs didn't work with this. I did like the dressing, though. It didn't help that the tomatoes weren't all that good and it was suggested by a friend that I may have over did the olive oil, but I didn't like the texture. I gave her the recipe over the phone and she added a bunch of ingredients to hers and said when I caller her back that it was pretty good. I also put cheese in mine. I think I'd leave out the eggs and replace them with mushrooms and maybe some other veggies, because the dressing is really good. It could be put over spinach leaves and mushrooms, maybe broccoli and cauliflower. I can think of quite a few things that would be better than hard boiled eggs.

fuzzyred

Afternoons again at work this week, so I chose to make a fruit salad instead of a more "traditional" meal. I forgot to consider that some of the fruit is almost out of season, but it still worked out okay. This recipe is from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook.

( recipe )

Thoughts and Variations
I probably threw in more than half a cup of strawberries, because when I measured, it didn't seem like enough so I added more. I chose vanilla yogurt and I used fresh ginger, although when I grated it it basically turned to water on me and I personally couldn't pick up any of the flavour. I also didn't toss the apple and peach with lemon juice because I just poured the dressing over the whole thing and tossed it, which seems to have taken care of the colour issue nicely. And I passed on the lettuce leaves.

I really like the dressing and I think it complements the fruit well. I am learning that I don't really like dishes that just throw a bunch of things together that leave with no real way to taste everything at once. I like fruit; I like all the fruits in this recipe (blueberries are meh); I could have just as easily eaten all these things individually instead of mixing them together. The dressing I would make again, possibly as a fruit dip, and if I did make this salad again, I would take more time and chop everything smaller so that I have a better chance of getting more than two fruit on my fork at a time.

monksandbones

My favorite and most-used cookbook is the Rebar Modern Food Cookbook, which comes from the long-lived local vegetarian ~~institution~~ restaurant Rebar Modern Food. My mom gave me the cookbook in 2007 to wish me good luck in the second year of my PhD programme, long before I moved to Victoria. I've been cooking things, and my own versions of things that evolved from it, ever since. And I still sometimes discover recipes that I've never cooked, but that look delicious once I'm paying attention! This recipe is one of those.

The recipe is actually "Parmesan Corn Risotto Cakes with Grilled Zucchini," but I didn't follow through with the cakes part, and I put the zucchini in the risotto. It turned out pretty well, worth the effort of making the fresh corn stock! And I think it might get better after sitting and reheating.

( Ingredients )

( Directions )

purplecat

As usual this is from The Roasting Tin around the World by Rukmini Iyer.

( Ingredients )

( Method )

Changes, Mistakes and Substitutions
The vermicelli wasn't fresh but it seemed to work fine once I'd got it in the casserole. Could maybe have used a minute longer to soften. I'd had a bit of mental confusion around amounts, so I had 600g chicken but only one tin of coconut milk. I also only had one red chilli, so added a pinch of chilli flakes to the spice mix to back it up. It seemed to work fine, though a bit more liquid would have helped with getting the vermicelli in the dish and, it has to be said, at the end I didn't weigh out the vermicelli and beansprouts I just added as much as I judged would fit in the liquid which I suspect was about half the amount in the recipe.

The shrimp paste nearly caused a marital row. We couldn't get it in our normal supermarket delivery and couldn't find any locally. I suspect this last statement is a lie since we have a plethora of "world" supermarkets not to mention smaller convenience and grocery stores within 15 minutes walk of our house - there was some story about which ones himself was prepared to enter to look for shrimp paste which I didn't quite follow. At any rate, we had this conversation over text message. I surfed the internet and said to get fish sauce instead. Himself favoured salmon paste and he continued to be very dubious about the fish sauce plan once he returned with both. The compromise was that I added a tbsp of fish sauce (considerably less than the internet would advise to substitute for 40g of shrimp paste) and it seemed to work pretty well, and helped bind the spice mix so I didn't need to add any coconut milk.

Verdict
Shrimp paste debate notwithstanding, this was a great recipe. I'd been getting a little dubious about the plan to cook my way through The Roasting Tin around the World since we'd had a run of recipes that were either disappointing or merely fine. But we really liked this and I certainly wouldn't have picked it out to try if I hadn't been working systematically through the book. It was hot without being overpowering (though obviously that's very much a subjective thing), and the citrus flavours make it very different from the Indian curries that we more normally have. I will obviously need to get some shrimp paste and see what it is like with that.

fuzzyred

This week I thought I'd try something a little different, so I made Chicken Swiss Bundles, which are essentially homemade Hot Pockets. The recipe comes from the tasteofhome 2012 Annual Recipes cookbook.

( recipe )

Thoughts and Variations
I used about 1 cup of mushrooms, because I had portobellos in the fridge that I wanted to use up. I cubed and cooked two chicken breasts, so the amount of chicken was probably closer to two cups than one. I didn't have honey mustard, so I used half a tablespoon each of honey and dijon mustard and that seemed to work okay. I didn't know what kind of frozen dinner rolls the recipe wanted (though I suspect now that they wanted *uncooked* ones), so I simply bought a bag of 12 "pee wee bun rolls" and used those.

For cooking, I used oil with the onions and mushrooms instead of butter, and I accidentally threw the garlic in at the same time. Because my rolls were already baked (and they were puffy) they didn't flatten down very well, though the top bun was worse than the bottom. The filling came together rather nicely and is tasty all on it's own, though because of the rolls I used, it got a little lost in the finished product.

This one felt like more work than it was worth to me, though perhaps it would have been easier if I used actual frozen dinner rolls. I still don't know exactly what the recipe was looking for though; my best guess is that it meant frozen dough that was ready to cook into dinner rolls. The flavours were pretty good though, so perhaps I will make the filling again and simply eat it plain, or with rice or tortilla shells.

Current Mood: confused

fuzzyred

Last week, I got a little side tracked so I didn't actually make my weekly meal until Wednesday. It comes from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook and was quick to make (only about 30-45 minutes)

( recipe )

Thoughts and Variations
I couldn't find fresh green beans so I used frozen ones, I used portobello mushrooms, and I used a 540mL can of Italian-style stewed tomatoes (17oz roughly). My pacakage of lima beans didn't have cooking instructions, so I used the green bean instructions instead and they seemed to work out fine. I forgot to cut the green beans though, so they are still whole. Using the whole can of tomatoes also didn't seem to hurt anything and the ragout thickened up just fine.

It tasted pretty good, but also kind of separate? The beans didn't seem to all play together very well and I felt like I needed more mushrooms to balance things out. I may try anither kind of ragout a different time, but I don't know if I will make this recipe again.

tielan

From Marie Claire: comfort by Michele Cranston, p84.

red capsicum, anchovy, and egg salad

4 eggs
3 roasted red capsicums
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp balsalmic vinegar
8 radicchio leaves
100g wild rocket (arugula)
1 tbpsn salted capers
8 anchovy fillets
1 handful flat-leaf parsley

Bring a saucepan of water to the boil and add the eggs. Boil the eggs for 5 minutes, then remove them from the pan and allow to cool

Cut or tear the roasted capsicum flesh into long strips, place strips into a bowl add oil and vinegar, then season with salt and ground black pepper. Toss to ensure capsicum is well-coated in the dressing.

Tear radicchio leaves in half and arrange over a serving platter, then top with the rocket and dressed capsicum, reserving the manitaing mixture. Peel the eggs, then cut in half and add to the salad. Scatter with capers, anchovies, and parsley, drizzle with the remaining dressing, and serve. Serves 4.

notes, thoughts, changes: One of the reasons I picked this recipe was that the eggs, parsley, rocket, and radicchio all came from the garden, so I could just make the meal as simply as that. I didn't have capers - not even nasturtium seeds ('poor man's capers') - but it was more than flavoured enough, and I was only making this for one, so I used a quarter of the ingredients and more or less adjusted to taste.

I'd definitely make it again.

siberian_skys

Here's the link to the website: https://justmicrowaveit.com/microwave-baked-ziti-pasta-for-one-serving/

It was pretty good. I used the pasta mentioned in the recipe. I don't mind it at all. Makes it easy to feed one person. I've used it a lot for things like Mac n Cheese or Chili Mac. I didn't have any mozzarella or cottage cheese so I replaced those with goat cheese and a Parmesan and Romano blend. It would be better, I think, if I had some other cheese choices to use. I would try it again.

glinda

In one of those previously under-appreciated joys, one of my oldest friends - in the sense that we’ve now been friends for literally half our lives - came up to spend the weekend with me. I love cooking for other people - especially now that it happens so rarely - so I was looking forward to a weekend of feeding another person not related to me, with both excitement and trepidation. The reason for the trepidation is that about ten years ago, she was diagnosed coeliac and since I went veggie about seven years ago we’ve been eating almost exclusively at Japanese restaurants as they were one of the few places - with occasional ventures into Mexican food - that could reliably accommodate both our dietary requirements with any level of variety.

The first morning I kept things simple and, having agonised over the gluten free bread - it can be very hit and miss - just got some gluten free cornflakes and served that with fresh nectarines and some nice coffee. However on Sunday morning I felt a bit more confident in my ability to make a decent Sunday brunch. There’s a recipe in my new copy of Meera Sodha’s East for a Masala omelette that I’ve been keen to make for a while and that my friend was keen to try, so I made a few wee tweaks - I’m a fresh coriander tastes like soap person, so subbed that out by adding some dried coriander to the egg mix, plus some spring onions for the flecks of green and as I prefer dried to fresh chillies I used some hot paprika instead for a lightly spiced version. The recipe doesn’t call for cheese in the omelette, but force of habit caused me to add some - this would be an ideal recipe to use up leftover paneer in if I’d had any left - and it worked surprisingly well.

I first saw and fancied making a version of this recipe in the Guardian absolutely ages ago, but the version in East is designed for four people and also has mushrooms - the recipe says 250g chestnut mushrooms, but I find that a mushroom per person is sufficient unless they're particularly small mushrooms, if you want your omelette to maintain structural integrity.

purplecat

From The Roasting Tin around the World by Rukmini Iyer

( Ingredients )

( Method )

Mistakes, Changes and Substitutions
Where was the ras-el-hanout? In the end himself looked up a recipe on the Internet and we made our own.

Where was the mint? Apparently it was beaten into submission by the Oregano plant (or more probably the Marjoram plant since I can't tell them apart and Marjoram is better suited to the British climate). We did without the mint.

It is possible the lemon came out of a bottle and did not include any zest.

Verdict
The cauliflower was slightly undercooked - even the smaller florets - while the cod was slightly overcooked. I'd have been inclined to cook the cauliflower a little longer and add the cod halfway through or even, if jettisoning the "One Pot" concept, to have fried the cod separately in a pan.

The dressing was really nice though, so worth a second attempt with adjusted timings.

valoise

A friend recently gave me some ripe tomatoes from their garden and I've got fresh time and basil in my garden so I decided to give this recipe a try. You can find it on the Food Network web page www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roasted-tomato-basil-soup-recipe-1940376 I liked it a LOT. The only deviations from the recipe: I forgot to add the red pepper flakes (it was good anyway), I sauteed the garlic & onion in olive oil instead of butter, and I used an immersion blender instead of a food mill to puree the soup. You could easily make this a vegan dish by using water or vegetable stock instead of chicken.

3 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 (28-ounce) canned plum tomatoes, with their juice
4 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 quart chicken stock or water

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss together the tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread the tomatoes in 1 layer on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes.
In an 8-quart stockpot over medium heat, saute the onions and garlic with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the butter, and red pepper flakes for 10 minutes, until the onions start to brown. Add the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, and chicken stock. Add the oven-roasted tomatoes, including the liquid on the baking sheet. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. Pass through a food mill fitted with the coarsest blade. Taste for seasonings. Serve hot or cold.

siberian_skys

This recipe came from the website Just Microwave It even though it isn't actually cooked.

Here's the link: https://justmicrowaveit.com/simple-tomato-salad/

The salad was really good and it was nice to find decent tomatoes for a change which is one of the reasons I waited to make is for so long. Florida doesn't do a good job of tomatoes for the most part.

I mostly followed the recipe with a couple of exceptions. I left out the basil, added black pepper and used garlic powder instead of minced garlic. I would make it again.

purplecat

Another recipe from The Roasting Tin around the World by Rukmini Iyer.

( Ingredients )

( Method )

Changes, Mistakes and Substitutions
I used half the quantity of jackfruit since there were only 2 of us. I also forgot the final steps with the oil and yoghurt (oops!)

Verdict
It's a nice curry but tasted mostly of coconut and tamarind and I'd have liked something that showcased the jackfruit a bit more since that was a new to us ingredient. Obviously, if I'd remembered to put the yoghurt in at the end that might have diluted the coconut and tamarind ness of it all.

May well make again though.

musesfool

This morning I made Nadiya Hussain's Egg Rolls, which are actually egg wraps, but still delicious no matter what you call them!

( Ingredients & Instructions )

My changes: I used 7 eggs instead of 6 since I didn't want to put one lone egg back in the fridge, and they were large eggs, not medium, so my wraps are probably fuller than the recipe means them to be. I only had regular tomato paste, so I used that, and instead of olives and mushrooms, I sprinkled shredded mozzarella over top of the eggs, but overall, these are easy and delicious. I imagine you can use whatever fillings you like, and probably other items to bind the eggs to the tortillas as well (I am already thinking about spreadable cheese in place of tomato paste). Definitely recommended!

*

Current Mood: full

siberian_skys

The recipe is Rachael Ray's and comes from the Food Network's website. Here's the link: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/oil-and-vinegar-slaw-recipe-1942496

It is really, really tasty. I had to use a smaller bag of slaw since that's what I had and guess at the amount of ingredients. I over did the black pepper, but that seems to be the only error in amount of ingredients. I also used a slaw mix that had carrot and broccoli in it instead of just cabbage. I would definitely make it again. I'm going to serve it today either on chicken tacos or as a side dish for them. I'm still surprised at how well it came out.

fuzzyred

I'm a bit late posting this, but since I was on afternoons this week, Monday's meal was once again lunch time food. The recipe for these sandwiches comes from the tasteofhome Contest Winning Annual Recipes 2010 cookbook.

( recipe )

Thoughts and Variations
I didn't make a lot of variations on this one, though with the exception of the lemon juice, curry powder, and mayo I was a little under (chicken) or over (most of the other stuff) on the measurements. I did my best, but this is a recipe that doesn't really require great precision. I wouldn't mess with the mayo, lemon juice, curry powder ratio too much since that is your sauce basically, but even that has some wiggle room, especially if you like your chicken salad a little lighter on the mayo. I chose to skip the lettuce because I would have had too much left, but I don't think the sandwiches suffered any for not having it. The butteriness of the croissants worked well with this, though you could certainly use regular bread if that is your preference.

This was a really good recipe and I found all of the ingredients mixed really well together. It wasn't too heavy although it is on the rich side, but there was a nice balance of sweet and savory and crunchy and that little bit of something from the curry powder. Seeing as how I ate the left over chicken salad just by itself and not in a sandwich (and it was still just as delicious), I'm definitely going to mark this recipe as a make again.

Current Mood: pleased

siberian_skys

From https://justmicrowaveit.com/microwave-mac-and-cheese-4/

I was starving last night and couldn't figure out what to make with what was in the cabinet and fridge, so it seemed like a good night to poke through my link that had been sitting in my bookmarks forever. Just Microwave It has a lot of interesting ideas. I'm going to try some more of them.

The Mac and Cheese wasn't bad. I really liked the Worcestershire Sauce. I added more than called for. It would have been a lot better if I actually had some milk, which I didn't. I used extra butter which didn't add enough creaminess. I also had some of Barilla's microwaveable elbow macaroni in the cabinet, so in stead of cooking the elbow macaroni as called for in the recipe, I put the steamer bag in the microwave instead. That worked great. Note to self, don't run out of milk.

fuzzyred

From two weeks ago, here is the "recipe" for Ham and Brie Melts from the tasteofhome 2012 Annual Recipes cookbook. Since these are essentially grilled cheese sandwiches, it feels a bit like cheating, but I have definitely not made them before and they *are* in the cookbook, so I'm going to roll with it.

( recipe )

Thoughts and Variations
I couldn't find apricot preserves, so I used apricot jam instead which seemed to work just fine. The Brie was maybe less than 8 ounces, but not by much, and was still enough for 4 sandwiches.

This actually made a really nice sandwich. I didn't measure anything, just spread the jam and the butter as appropriate to cover the bread. The sweetness of the jam was balanced by the ham and the cheese and it all made for a very nice sandwich, and a good change from a regular grilled cheese.

One thing I would change next time would be to test one sandwich and see if I mind leaving the rind on or not. I didn't realize it was edible, so I removed it like suggested, but I absolutely used the wrong knife and it was a gigantic pain in the rear. Being able to skip this step would be great if I don't mind the texture/flavour of the rind. Definitely a recipe to keep in mind next time I want a jazzed up grilled cheese.

Current Mood: pleased

fuzzyred

This is three weeks delayed, but here is the recipe for the Grilled Chipotle Salmon Tacos I made on July 19th. The recipe comes from the healthy living section at the back of the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook.

( recipe )

Thoughts and Variations
I used salmon fillets, although I don't actually know if the were skinless or not, and I think I forgot to rinse them. I used red potatoes and regular chile powder since I couldn't find ground chipotle chile pepper. I omited the cilantro and used snall whear torillas instead of corn tortillas, since I didn't care for the corn ones last time I used them.

As I don't have a bbq or grill or any kind, I put some oil in a frying pan and did the fish that way. I used medium heat on a gas stove, and the recommended timing, and my fish seemed to come out cooked just fine. Putting it all together was easy, although I did forget the sour cream on most of the tacos, and I didn't serve it with lime wedges either.

It was a pretty tasty recipe, although the fish got a little lost in all the ingredients, and the potatoes seemed a little incongruous with the rest of it. I'm not sure whether I would make this particular recipe again, although it did have the affect of showing me that fish tacos *can* be delicious, so I may be more open to trying other fish taco recipes, or ordering them at restaurants. All in all, I would consider this recipe a success, even if it did have a few flavour misses.

Current Mood: satisfied

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Cookbook Challenge!

February 2024

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Page Summary

hudebnik - Pasta with broccoli-spinach puree
siberian_skys - Tomato and Egg Salad
fuzzyred - Gingered Fruit Salad
monksandbones - Parmesan Corn (Zucchini) Risotto
purplecat - Malaysian Chicken Laksa with Beansprouts and Noodles
fuzzyred - Chicken Swiss Bundles
fuzzyred - Mixed Bean and Portobello Ragout
tielan - red capsicum, anchovy, and egg salad
siberian_skys - Microwave Single Serve Baked Ziti
glinda - Masala Omelette
purplecat - Ras-el-Hanout Roasted Cod with Cauliflower and Pomegranate
valoise - Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
siberian_skys - Simple Tomato Salad
purplecat - Slow-cooked Jackfruit Curry with Tamarind and Coconut
musesfool - Nadiya Hussain's Egg Rolls
siberian_skys - Oil and Vinegar Slaw
fuzzyred - Curried Chicken Salad Sandwiches
siberian_skys - Microwave Mac and Cheese
fuzzyred - Ham and Brie Melts
fuzzyred - Grilled Chipotle Salmon Tacos

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Pasta with broccoli-spinach puree

Tomato and Egg Salad

Gingered Fruit Salad

Parmesan Corn (Zucchini) Risotto

Malaysian Chicken Laksa with Beansprouts and Noodles

Chicken Swiss Bundles

Mixed Bean and Portobello Ragout

red capsicum, anchovy, and egg salad

Microwave Single Serve Baked Ziti

Masala Omelette

Ras-el-Hanout Roasted Cod with Cauliflower and Pomegranate

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

Simple Tomato Salad

Slow-cooked Jackfruit Curry with Tamarind and Coconut

Nadiya Hussain's Egg Rolls

Oil and Vinegar Slaw

Curried Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Microwave Mac and Cheese

Ham and Brie Melts

Grilled Chipotle Salmon Tacos

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