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Recipes to make again Part 4



I am back on the road, so cooking will be on hiatus for a bit.

My trip doesn't involve any fine dining locations, but culinary goals do include:

Meals

Amaranth Mexican Chocolate Cake

https://milkandcardamom.com/2017/11/07/amaranth-mexican-chocolate-cake/

Alright, I thought this was a quick dessert thing. But it's a whole cake - 6 eggs, 8oz dark chocolate, etc. I have a lot of amaranth flour, which people typically blend 1:3 with wheat flour in bread recipes. I've had it in bagels. This is the first recipe where I'm putting 100% amaranth. For me the end result is brownie-like, and only when it cooled did it have a notable taste.

It was my first time using a springform pan. I got it for a Yemeni honey cake recipe (Bint al Sahn), but I never got around to it. Better add that to the to-do.

Andes Mint Chocolate Cookies

https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/andes-mint-chocolate-cookies/

Chocolate sugar cookies (you can decide how much of a sprinkle of sugar to add before baking). Shortly after baking, smush an Andes mint on top of the cookie and it'll melt in place. After a minute you can either spread it like a frosting or leave it as a mushy mint rectangle.

Awaze Beef Tibs

https://unpeeledjournal.com/ethiopian-awaze-beef-tibs-recipe/

Based on an Ethiopian recipe. An authentic awaze paste typically includes more ingredients. Would try it again with a pinch more berbere, maybe tenderizing the ribeye a bit. I had an idea to make it more of an eggs benedict, but to save time made a stack of injera, beef tibs, and a fried egg.

Baccala alla Napoletana

https://www.seriouseats.com/baccala-alla-napoletana-neapolitan-style-braised-salt-cod-5212995

Didn't salt-cure, but followed this approximately with Trader Joe's tilapia filets. I thought this was tasty, but you need something substantial (rice, pasta?) to eat with it.

Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies

https://www.displacedhousewife.com/espresso-chocolate-chip-cookies/

I'll use a sprinkle or more of espresso powder on cookie dough or pancake batter, but this leans into it for a deluxe cookie. I used half chocolate chips and half confectionary chocolate disks (which were expiring). Really easy to spoon, bake, take off the tray, stack, and enjoy.

Haitian Potato Salad

https://m.haitiopen.com/culture/cuisine/haitian-potato-salad/

On a project in Haiti, we would get identical lunches delivered every day. The organizer arranged to get one without beets, so as I dig in I ask, "can I get mine with extra beets?" (maybe this is funny only for me). I didn't have beets as a kid, so I didn't identify this as specifically "Haitian" until I looked for a recipe.

The timings on the recipe are way off (the video is more realistic with 30 minutes / until fork-tender, this was 40 minutes for my beet).

K-Mex Adaptation

https://www.reddit.com/r/PutAnEggOnIt/comments/170rmfz/kmex_beef_brisket_tacos/

I made a burrito inspired by this photogenic brisket breakfast taco. Sadly I did not buy brisket or achieve an Insta-worthy photo, but I did forward the recipe to my brother! In the first Recipe post I mentioned that in 2020 we made a lot of ground meat + bell pepper + onion + spice mix.

My take:

Fry shallot and peppers in sesame oil. Add meat and break it up. When pieces are browning, mix in marinade and simmer. Serve on tortilla with over-medium egg.

Maple Brown Sugar Cookies

https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/maple-brown-sugar-cookies/

Comes out tasting like molasses cookies (makes sense since it's mostly brown sugar and maple syrup). Skipped the frosting and drizzled with honey. Not a FAIL, but it doesn't stand out.

Meatballs with TVP

https://sarahsvegankitchen.com/recipes/easy-meatballs-with-tvp/

I remade the Lamb Kofta recipe with these "meatballs". This was my first time using TVP and nutritional yeast (which was about to expire). TVP is soy with a breadcrumb texture which appears to be more common in Mexico. I included a half-teaspoon of MSG (should have used less), some white pepper, and beef broth. So there's less animal product... the concept is a little confusing (i.e. would an egg help?). Forming meatballs was a bit wet, but they came out of the oven looking alright.

One Skillet Mexican Quinoa

https://www.makingthymeforhealth.com/one-skillet-mexican-quinoa/

Cooking quinoa with onions, peppers, beans, and a tomato base. This was simple and tasty.

Pull-Apart Samoa Bread

https://www.sanjanafeasts.co.uk/2015/08/pull-apart-samosa-bread/

Made a half-recipe, which didn't quite fill a 9x9 baking dish.

You'll need to boil the potatoes and mixed veggies (I did carrots and broccoli) before starting on the spices of the filling. Instead of coarsely grinding spices, I did about 50-50 on pre-ground spice vs. seeds.

My ratio of bread-to-filling left it a little bland, so maybe I needed to make the dough extremely thin and eat with chutney.

Shorshe Ilish

https://rumkisgoldenspoon.com/shorshe-ilish/

This Bangladeshi fish dish moved onto my todo list after this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pA4wIOw0HjM Then I tried watching the first episode of "Tooth Pari", a Hindi series on Netflix, and a character cooks this dish.

I don't have the signature hilsa fish, Indian green chili, yellow mustard seeds, or mortar and pestle, so this recipe doesn't look quite the same. Marinate Trader Joe's tilapia in turmeric and salt, process jalapeño with black mustard seed and yellow mustard powder, fry in mustard oil, serve with rice.
I think maybe it could use some tomato paste?

Thai Coconut Curry Chicken Meatballs

https://www.servingdumplings.com/recipes/thai-coconut-curry-chicken-meatballs/

Made this with ground turkey - it seems like a good combination. Another possibility for TVP meatballs in the future.

Some Fails

Roasted White Bean and Tomato Pasta

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1024062-roasted-white-bean-and-tomato-pasta

Inspired by Italy's pasta e fagioli, which I made with Rancho Gordo's large white "royal corona beans". I tried soaking and then simmering the beans for a medium time-range before the roasting, and they ended up crunchy; probably needed more boil time to cook through. Used less olive oil and slightly lower oven temp (this was smoking up my kitchen).

Tempeh Makhani

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uX6CusfKQ8

Prepared the veggies on day one, used my food processor to grind things up the next day, but the end result wasn't that flavorful.

Asides

Pleasantly surprised to find a tray of lemongrass in the same section as rosemary and oregano in my local Kroger store (Mariano's).

King Arthur Baking got flack on conservative social media for a DEI program. I ordered "climate blend" bread flour, instant sourdough, and other things to support.

Baked a khachapuri without enough feta and mozzarella, so I used a lot of Mexican cheese blend. This gave it a good color and was overall OK.

I ordered bulk "Texmati" brown rice - after having it with lentils and other curries, the chewiness has become more familiar. I'm using a rice cooker so it gets cooked right. This can be a whole opinion flashpoint, but for me it's another impulse buy like a yoga meditation pillow, bulk lentils, bulk quinoa.

Kitchen Goals Update

I prepped and deep-fried pork tenderloin to make the full katsu curry rice!
On my second run-through, I made the curry on Day 1 and katsu on Day 2. So I don't need to cook it all at once, and Day 2 dinner isn't just leftovers.

My coworker suggested that I started a food blog, so maybe I should consider designing a site just for the food posts.

In the todo column for when I return home: