Pyaaz Murghi (Chicken Breast in Onion-Turmeric Sauce)

This was a nice tasty easy chicken curry. I don't have much to say about it other than that. Not a fave, but I did enjoy it.

Pyaaz Murghi

660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer (p. 153)

Ingredients

• 2+2 tbsp oil, divided
• 1 red onion, coarsely chopped
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp turmeric
• 500g boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced @ 2cm
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 1 tsp Punjabi garam masala
• 3 (5cm×2.5cm) slices fresh ginger, julienned

Directions

1. Pour 2 tbsp oil, onion, salt, and turmeric into a blender. Puree to form a smooth paste.
2. Toss the chicken cubes with the paste and marinate for 30-60 minutes.
3. Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Add the chicken and marinade and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 5-6 minutes.
5. Deglaze with ½ C water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until cooked through, 5-10 minutes.
6. Stir in the cilantro, garam masala, and ginger. Return heat to medium-high and simmer, uncovered, until the sauce thickens slightly.

I, once again, found myself needing to come up with revised dinner plans at the last minute and, once again, I turned to a curry recipe to solve this. Shockingly, this curry is not a recipe out of 660 Curries! I was perusing the Dish of the Day cookbook and spotted this recipe and figured it would be a nice way to use up my last sweet potato.

I ended up adjusting the proportions slightly (adding more tomatoes and peas than the original recipe called for), but stayed pretty true to the original. And it turned out surprisingly well! I'm usually a bit wary of making curries from recipe authors other than Iyer, but this one turned out nicely. It wasn't an all-time favourite, but it made for a satisfying dinner. Especially with the addition of some brown rice and a few spicy turmeric pickles!

Chickpea & Sweet Potato Curry

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 fresh Thai or jalapeño chile, seeded and minced
• 1 Tbsp. Madras curry powder
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-cm dice
• 1 can (540mL) chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or ~2 c. cooked chickpeas)
• 1 can (400mL) coconut milk
• 1 c. water
• 1 1/2 c. frozen peas
• 1 small can (~400mL) diced tomatoes

Directions

1. Heat the oil over medium-low heat.
2. Add the onion, ginger, garlic, and chile and cook until onion is transluscent (5-6 minutes).
3. Add the curry powder and cook for another 30-60 seconds.
4. Stir in the salt and pepper.
5. Immediately add the sweet potato, chickpeas, coconut milk, and water and stir to combine.
6. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.
7. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until sweet potato is tender (~10 minutes).
8. Add the peas and tomatoes and cook until heated through (~5 minutes).
9. Serve over rice/pulao with hot pickles, chutney, and or cilantro.

I made these a while ago, but it doesn't look like they ever got written up. I remember encountering a few issues which meant they didn't come out quite as intended, but they were still fine. And they were fun to make. I'd love to try them with cornflakes next time!

Chocolate Crackles

From Edmonds Cookery Book

Ingredients

• 250g vegetable shortening
• 1 c. icing sugar
• 1/4 c. cocoa powder
• 4 c. crispy rice cereal or cornflakes
• 1 c. fine desiccated coconut¹

Directions

1. Melt the shortening over medium-low heat.
2. Sift in the icing sugar and cocoa powder and mix well.
3. Stir in the rice cereal and coconut until thoroughly combined.
4. Spoon into paper cupcake cases and chill for 30 minutes.

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¹ The recipe doesn't specify whether the coconut should be sweetened or unsweetened. Having now tried it with unsweetened coconut, I feel fairly confident in saying that it's meant to be sweetened coconut. That said, they were still perfectly edible with the unsweetened variety, just not as sweet as I'd normally expect a dessert to be. ^Back

I watched these being made as one of the "technical bakes" on an episode of Great British Bake-Off. They looked pretty fiddly. Maybe not as fiddly as brandysnaps or some of the other technical bakes, but still not all that approachable.

It's been a while since I made these, so some of the details have gotten a little fuzzy. But, if I recall correctly, the chocolate was the biggest issue for me. I couldn't get it to coat the bottom nicely and I had trouble getting it to hold the marks from the fork. I think I probably needed to let it cool down a bit more to give it a bit more body and thicken up.

Florentines

From Edmonds Cookery Book

Ingredients

• 150g butter
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 45g honey
• 2 Tbsp. cream
• 130g sliced (flaked) almonds
• 15g soft (plain/standard/pastry) flour¹
• 1/2 c. chopped glacé cherries
• 2 Tbsp. chopped mixed peel
• 150g dark chocolate

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
2. Melt the butter, sugar, honey, and cream in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
3. Reduce heat to low and add the almonds, flour, cherries, and mixed peel.
4. Cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes.
5. Place four 1-tsp. portions of the mixture on each baking sheet and spread each one into 7-cm circle. (They will spread even more in the oven, so don't crowd them.)
6. Bake the trays, one at a time, at 200°C (400°F) for 8-10 minutes. Watch closely as they burn easily!
7. Once the Florentines are then, golden, and bubbling, remove from oven and let cool on pan for 1 minute.
8. Use a spatula or knife to form them into neat circles while they're still a bit soft.
9. Slide the whole sheet of baking paper onto a cooling rack and leave to cool and harden.
10. Bake the next tray the same way and keep repeating the process until all of the mixture has been used up.
11. Once the Florentines are cooled, melt the chocolate and allow it to cool slightly.
12. Spread the underside of each biscuit with a coating of chocolate.
13. Use the tines of a fork to make wavy lines in the chocolate, then set aside so that the chocolate can cool and set.

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¹ Given how little flour is needed for this recipe, it probably doesn't matter too much whether you use hard or soft flour. I would think that this would also make it an ideal candidate for converting to gluten-free. Simply swap out the plain flour for a 1:1 GF flour! ^Back

Vanilla Frosting (American Buttercream)

This is an american buttercream. It's made of whipped butter and icing sugar with just a touch of cream (or sometimes milk) added to adjust the consistency. It is not my favourite icing since it tasted pretty much exactly like what it is: a big gob of sweetened butter. But it is very quick and easy to make and it's easy to add whatever flavours or colours you desire.

Vanilla Frosting

From The Perfect Cake by America's Test Kitchen

Makes 5 c. (enough for a 20-30cm, two-layer cake)

Ingredients

• 4 sticks (450g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 c. heavy (35%) cream
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 450g icing (confectioners'/powdered) sugar

Directions

1. Beat the butter, cream, vanilla, and salt on medium-high speed until smooth (~1 minute). Use the paddle/flat beater of your stand mixer if you have one.
2. Reduce speed to medium-low and gradually add the sugar until it's all been incorporated and the mixture is smooth (~4 minutes).
3. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy (~5 minutes).
4. Cover and store in the fridge if not using immediately.
5. Chilled icing should be left to stand and soften at room temperature for ~2 hours before using. Then beaten on medium speed until smooth (2-5 minutes).

Variations

To make 3 c. (enough for 12 cupcakes or 1 sheet cake)

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 sticks (285g) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 Tbsp. heavy (35%) cream
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 285g icing (confectioners'/powdered) sugar

To make 6 c. (enough for a 20-30cm, three-layer cake)

Ingredients

• 5 sticks (565g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 c. heavy (35%) cream
• 4 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 565g icing (confectioners'/powdered) sugar

Almond/Coconut Frosting

5 c.

Ingredients

• 4 sticks (450g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 c. heavy (35%) cream
• 1/2 Tbsp. almond/coconut extract
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 450g icing (confectioners'/powdered) sugar

3 c.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 sticks (285g) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 Tbsp. heavy (35%) cream
• 1 tsp. almond/coconut extract
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 285g icing (confectioners'/powdered) sugar

6 c.

Ingredients

• 5 sticks (565g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 c. heavy (35%) cream
• 2 tsp. almond/coconut extract
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 565g icing (confectioners'/powdered) sugar

Coffee Frosting

5 c.

Ingredients

• 4 sticks (450g) unsalted butter, softened
• 3 Tbsp. instant espresso or coffee powder
• 1/4 c. heavy (35%) cream
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 450g icing (confectioners'/powdered) sugar

3 c.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 sticks (285g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. instant espresso or coffee powder
• 2 Tbsp. heavy (35%) cream
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 285g icing (confectioners'/powdered) sugar

6 c.

Ingredients

• 5 sticks (565g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 c. instant espresso or coffee powder
• 1/4 c. heavy (35%) cream
• 4 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 565g icing (confectioners'/powdered) sugar

Orange Frosting

5 c.

Ingredients

• 4 sticks (450g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 Tbsp. orange zest
• 2 Tbsp. orange juice
• 1/4 c. heavy (35%) cream
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 450g icing (confectioners'/powdered) sugar

3 c.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 sticks (285g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 Tbsp. orange zest
• 1 Tbsp. orange juice
• 2 Tbsp. heavy (35%) cream
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 285g icing (confectioners'/powdered) sugar

6 c.

Ingredients

• 5 sticks (565g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. orange zest
• 2 1/2 Tbsp. orange juice
• 1/4 c. heavy (35%) cream
• 4 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 565g icing (confectioners'/powdered) sugar

Peppermint Frosting

5 c.

Ingredients

• 4 sticks (450g) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
• 1/4 c. heavy (35%) cream
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 450g icing (confectioners'/powdered) sugar

3 c.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 sticks (285g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 Tbsp. peppermint extract
• 2 Tbsp. heavy (35%) cream
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 285g icing (confectioners'/powdered) sugar

6 c.

Ingredients

• 5 sticks (565g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 Tbsp. peppermint extract
• 1/4 c. heavy (35%) cream
• 4 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 565g icing (confectioners'/powdered) sugar

When I requested a cabbage in my produce basket recently, I was expecting a smallish cabbage -- something in the 1-1.5kg range. What I got was a truly massive 4.5kg behemoth of a vegetable! So the upshot of this is that we now have a truly terrifying amount of cabbage to use up. We've used up some in frittatas and egg rice already, but this was my attempt to use up a bit more.

Sadly, although the chicken and sauce for this was great, the cabbage salad was pretty so-so. I mean, there isn't much to it, so maybe that's to be expected. But I've often been surprised by the gustatory impact of similarly simple dishes in the past, so I was hoping that this might be a repeat of that situation. Alas, it was not. But the rest of the dish was still great. Especially with the added scrambled eggs! And TF mixed up a batch of a different cabbage salad to go with the leftovers tonight. (The remainders of the original cabbage salad got mixed into the egg rice this morning.)

I also think this meal would be great with peas added either instead of or, better yet, as well as the cabbage.

Panko-Crusted Chicken with Cabbage Salad

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country October/November 2020

Ingredients

Cabbage Salad¹

• 4 c. thinly sliced green cabbage
• 1 Tbsp. toyomansi (or 1/2 Tbsp. each light soy sauce and calamansi or lime juice)
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 tsp. toasted sesame seeds
• 1 green onion, sliced (optional)

Sauce

• 1/4 c. ketchup
• 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. Roman mustard (or Dijon mustard)
• 1 tsp. light soy sauce
• 1 tsp. dark soy sauce

Chicken

• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1 c. panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 c. flour
• 8 chicken cutlets (~100g each)
• 1/2 c. oil, divided

To serve

• 6-8 large eggs
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• ~4 c. cooked rice
• 2 c. green peas, cooked or thawed frozen (optional)
• 2 green onions, sliced (optional)
• 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Directions

1. Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss to combine. Set aside.
2. Combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and stir to mix.
3. Beat the two eggs with the salt and place in a medium bowl.
4. Combine the panko and flour and place in a wide, shallow plate or dish.
5. Dip the chicken cutlets into the egg mixture, then coat with panko.
6. Heat 1/4 c. of the oil over medium heat.
7. Add 4 of the coated cutlets to the pan and cook until cooked through and crispy and golden on both sides (~5 minutes per side). Remove from pan and set aside.
8. Add the remaining oil and cook the remaining cutlets in the same manner.
9. Beat the remaining 6-8 eggs with any residual egg from breading the chicken. Beat in a Tbsp. or so of the sauce if desired.
10. Add the remaining 1 tsp. of sesame oil to the pan and pour in the eggs. Let cook most of the way, then flip and turn to allow any still raw egg to finish cooking. Use lifter/spatula to break into large curds as the eggs finish cooking.
11. Slice chicken cutlets into strips ~1cm wide.
12. Serve rice topped with peas (if using), chicken pieces, and scrambled eggs.
13. Drizzle with sauce and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.
14. Serve cabbage salad on the side.

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¹ Alternatively, replace the cabbage salad specified here with Cabbage Salad with Sesame-Dressing. ^Back

These eggs are ideally meant to be made with chanterelles, but Simmons notes that using a mix of oyster, shiitake, and white button mushrooms also works well. Given that, I decided to go with a combination of shiitake and creminis for my version.

Scrambled Eggs with Wild Mushrooms and Fresh Herbs

Slightly adapted from The Good Egg by Marie Simmons

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 225g mushrooms (preferably chanterelles)
• 1/2 c. chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tsp. fresh thyme
• 1 tsp. fresh rosemary
• 1 tsp. fresh marjoram¹
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 6 large eggs
• buttered toast

Directions

1. Melt the butter over medium heat.
2. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until wilted (~3 minutes for chanterelles, longer for other mushrooms).
3. Add the parsley, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, and garlic and cook for another minute or so.
4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
5. Break the eggs into a bowl or large measuring cup and beat with a whisk.
6. Reduce heat to medium-low and pour eggs into pan with mushrooms.
7. Cook, stirring gently, until eggs are soft-set (3-4 minutes).
8. Serve with buttered toast.

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¹ I actually ended up using ~1/3 c. fresh parsley + 1/2 Tbsp. of Italian seasoning in place of the combination of fresh herbs suggested here. (I would've used the full half cup of parsley, but we only had 1/3 c. left.) ^Back

This is a fastasic, easy-to-make soup. I've seen the combination of coconut and lime before, but the idea of using mandarin as the citrus element was new to me. It works quite well though! It makes for a nice, light meal or first course.

The original recipe called for a combination of enoki and oyster mushrooms. I didn't have either of those, but I did have some shiitake and cremini. I used those instead and I was quite happy with my results.

Coconut-Mandarin Soup with Mushrooms

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 c. chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 (430mL) can lite coconut milk
• 1 Tbsp. mandarin orange zest
• 1/2 c. mandarin orange juice (from 3 mandarins)
• 1 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 1 tsp. Thai red curry paste
• 1 serrano chile¹, seeded and minced
• 2-3 c. chopped mushrooms (preferably a mix of enoki, oyster, shiitake, and/or cremini)
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh Thai basil
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2 c. steamed rice

Directions

1. Combine the broth, coconut milk, orange zest, orange juice, fish sauce, red curry paste, and chile and bring to a boil.
2. Cook for 5 minutes, then add the mushrooms and cook for another 5-6 minutes.
3. Stir in basil, salt, and pepper.
4. Serve over steamed rice.

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Variations

Vegan Version

Ingredients

• 1 c. vegetable broth
• 1 (430mL) can lite coconut milk
• 1 Tbsp. mandarin orange zest
• 1/2 c. mandarin orange juice (from 3 mandarins)
• 1/2 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
• 1 tsp. Thai red curry paste
• 1 serrano chile¹, seeded and minced
• 2-3 c. chopped mushrooms (preferably a mix of enoki, oyster, shiitake, and/or cremini)
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh Thai basil
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2 c. steamed rice

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¹ I didn't add the chile to my soup since I was worried about making it too spicy for the Kidlet. I do think that it would have been nice though. I had actually intended to use a thinly sliced red Thai chile as a garnish that could be individually applied, but I forgot. ^Back

This was tasty, but also annoying to make; it needs the zest and juice of a whole lemon plus some lemon juice, and wants you to use a food processor (which we don't have) to prepare the patties. We ended up making do with a potato masher and a blender, and I've revised the instructions somewhat to take into account some lessons learned there, but, likely as a result of this, the "patties" disintegrated in the pan and it ended up being falafel crumble.

Falafel Crumble with Lemon-Tahini Sauce

Healthy Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan (p. 72)

Ingredients

• Sauce
• ⅓ C tahini
• ¼ C lemon juice
• 3 tbsp yoghurt
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 (440g) tins chickpeas, drained and rinsed, reserving 1 C of the liquid
• ½ red onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 5 fresh mint leaves, chopped
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 1 egg
• ½ C panko
• 4 pitas, split to form pockets
• thinly sliced tomatoes and lettuce for serving

Directions

1. Combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and whisk vigorously to combine; set aside.
2. Mash chickpeas in a large bowl.
3. Combine the onion, garlic, parsley, mint, lemon juice and zest, spices, and egg in a blender. Blend on low until until smooth. If there is insufficient liquid, add chickpea liquid in small amounts until the blender engages.
4. Combine blender contents and panko with chickpeas, mix well, and shape into 8 patties.
5. Pan-fry over medium heat until golden brown.
6. Serve in pitas with tahini sauce, tomatoes, and lettuce.

Fusilli Corti alla Campagnola (Fusilli with Eggplant, Zucchini, and Bell Pepper)

As if often the case with Hazan's recipes, I find the ratio of sauce to pasta a bit low, so I cranked up the sauce significantly here while leaving the pasta quantity alone. End result was tasty but lacking in protein; might want to be served as a side dish, or perhaps combined with eggs somehow.

Fusilli Corti alla Campagnola

The Classic Pasta Cookbook by Guiliano Hazan (p.122)

Ingredients

• 450g dry, store-bought fusilli or similar pasta
• ½ C olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 chinese eggplants (about 600g), peeled and cut into 1cm cubes
• 1 zucchini, cut into 1cm cubes
• 2-3 bell peppers, cored and cut into 1cm squares
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 (400mL) tin diced tomatoes
• fresh basil, chopped

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large, deep-sided skillet over medium heat.
2. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, ~5 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add the eggplant. (It will immediately soak up the oil; this is normal.) Cover the skillet and cook for 5 minutes.
5. Uncover and stir in the zucchini, bell pepper, and salt. Cook, stirring often, until tender, 5-10 minutes.
6. Add the tomatoes and continue cooking until they have reduced and separated from the oil, another 5-10 minutes.
7. Cook the pasta al dente, then stir the basil into the sauce, toss with the pasta, and serve.

Based on the ingredients it looks like this recipe was aiming for a galbijjim sort of vibe, only with less fruit in the marinade, no veggies in the stew, and made with steak instead of short ribs.

Personally, I found the finished dish a little too sweet for my tastes. I think I'd be inclined to cut back on the brown sugar and/or omit the honey next time. But it was quite good. And the meat was very tender. I did kind of miss the veggies though. I'd be tempted to toss in a carrot or two next time, just to lighten it up a bit. It's very nice overall though.

Korean-Style Beef Bowls

Slightly adapted from Healthy Instant Pot by Alexis Mersel

Ingredients

• 1 yellow onion, coarsely choppsed
• 1/2 c. soy sauce¹
• 1/2 c. brown sugar²
• 1/4 c. sesame oil
• 2 Tbsp. mirin
• 8 cloves garlic
• 2-3cm piece of fresh ginger³, peeled
• 2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 Tbsp. honey⁴
• 1 Asian pear
• 1kg stewing beef
• 1 red onion, halved and sliced thin
• 6 radishes, sliced thin
• seasoned rice vinegar⁵
• cooked brown rice, to serve
• 2-3 scallions, sliced (optional)
• 1-2 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Directions

1. Add the yellow onion, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, mirin, garlic, ginger, pepper, and honey to a blender.
2. Peel, quarter, and core the pear and add it to the blender as well. Purée until smooth.
3. Pour the marinade over the beef, turn to coat, cover, and marinate (in the fridge) for 4-24 hours.
4. Meanwhile, place the red onion and radishes in a bowl and pour in enough vinegar to cover them. Cover and store in the fridge for at least 15 minutes and as long as 2 weeks.
5. When the meat is done marinating, transfer it and the marinade to the InstantPot and pressure cook on high for 35 minutes followed by a 15-minute natural release.
6. Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat from the sauce, then switch the InstantPot to sauté medium for ~10 minutes to thicken the sauce a bit.⁶
7. Serve the beef over rice, topped with sauce, pickled veggies, scallions, and sesame seeds (if using).

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¹ I used a mix of dark and light soy sauce. ^Back
2 I actually used 1/4 c. of this Splenda brown sugar blend stuff which is supposed to be equivalent to 1/2 c. of brown sugar. I might try cutting it back to 1/3 c. of brown sugar or 3 Tbsp. of the Splenda stuff next time though, just to cut the sweetness a bit. ^Back
3 I used 2 Tbsp. of ginger paste in place of the fresh ginger for this. ^Back
4 I would consider omitting the honey next time. ^Back
5 The original recipe calls for white wine vinegar with a pinch of salt added to it. I already had some nice, vinegar-y cucumber and onion salad on hand, so I just used that in place of the onion and radish blend this time around. That said, if I were doing it again and didn't have any appropriately prepared veggies already on hand, I think I'd be inclined to just use seasoned rice vinegar here. ^Back
6 I was very, very tired by the time the beef was finished yesterday and I actually completely forgot this step. So we have very saucy beef indeed. Whoops! ^Back

Surprisingly, this is an egg recipe not from the egg book! I decided to peruse some of the digital cookbooks we got in the Humble Bundle a while ago and figured I'd give one of their frittatas a try.

Their approach is slightly different than Simmons'. They add milk to their eggs to make a savoury custard and only cook it on the stovetop for a few minutes before transfering it to the oven to finish cooking. Ms. Simmons, by contrast, uses no milk and cooks the frittata entirely on the stovetop with only a brief and optional stint under the broiler to brown the top if desired.

I like both approaches just fine. I do think it's a bit easier to get the frittata to cook through properly in the oven. But either way works. And, as far as I'm aware, neither method is the "traditional" way which involves flipping the frittata over partway through cooking. And, while I have, successfully flipped frittatas before, I don't really want to attempt that most days, so I'm content to use one of the easier (but perhaps less traditional) approaches.

Tomato, Arugula, and Goat Cheese Frittata

Slightly adapted from Healthy Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 6 large eggs
• 1 c. milk
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 100g fresh goat cheese¹, crumbled
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil², divided
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 c. chopped tomatoes (preferrably cherry or heirloom)
• 140g (~5 c.) coarsely chopped arugula, divided

Directions

1. Beat the eggs with the milk, salt, and pepper.
2. Stir in the cheese and set aside.
3. Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).
4. Heat 1 Tbsp. of the oil over medium heat.
5. Add the garlic and cook for a minute or two.
6. Add the tomatoes and cook until softened and some of the juices have evaporated (3-5 minutes).
7. Stir in 4 c. of the arugula and cook for a few seconds.
8. Pour in the egg mixture and cook until the bottom begins to set (5-6 minutes).
9. Transfer to oven and cook until fully set (15-20 minutes).
10. Top with remaining arugula and olive oil and serve.

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¹ The recipe calls for goat cheese and that's what I ended up using. But what I actually wanted to do was try swapping in some pressed cottage cheese for the goat cheese. Sadly, I wasn't able to get any this week, so I grabbed the goat cheese instead. I think the cottage cheese would be really nice here though. And it would make it a little more WW-friendly. Maybe next time... ^Back
2 The original recipe calls for 1/4 c. of olive oil + more for drizzling! I thought that sounded like way too much, so I cut it back to 1 Tbsp. + 1 additional Tbsp. for drizzling on at the end. Which feels much more reasonable to me. ^Back

As I've mentioned several times by now, I have been working my way through a lot of recipes in the egg book this summer. I appreciate what a variety of preparations it presents. I've been mostly leaning into the scrambled eggs, frittatas, and omelettes because they are relatively easy and familiar, but it's been fun to try some of the others as well.

Among the many different forms of eggs that appear in the book is a small selection of sweet omelette recipes. I found the idea of a sweet omelette quite bizarre, but there have been plenty of other bizarre-sounding recipes that turned out to be great once I gave them a chance. And we had some lovely fresh peaches that needed to be eaten. So I figured I might as well give it a go.

Sadly, this was not one of those sounds-weird-but-actually-great recipes. It wasn't awful, it just wasn't great either. And we all agreed that while it was okay, it would have been much better if the filling was used in crêpes rather than in an omelette.

Still... if you're game and want to give a sweet omelette a try, have at it!

Peach, Honey, and Toasted Almond Omelette

Slightly adapted from The Good Egg by Marie Simmons

Ingredients

• ~1/2 c. thinly sliced peeled peaches
• 1 tsp. honey
• ~1/16 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 2 Tbsp. water
• 1 tsp. unsalted butter
• 1 Tbsp. sliced almonds, toasted
• icing (confectioners'/powdered) sugar, to serve

Directions

1. Toss the peaches with the honey and vanilla and set aside.
2. Beat the eggs with the water.
3. Melt the butter over medium-low heat.
4. Pour in the egg mixture and cook, covered, until nearly set.
5. Add the peaches over half the omelette, reserving any juice.
6. Fold the omelette over and cook for another 2-3 minutes on each side to ensure the middle is fully set and the peaches are warmed through.
7. Transfer to plate and top with toasted almonds and a dusting of icing sugar.

This is a simple vegetable side. It's somewhere between a salad and a quick pickle. It's very easy to make and requires very little active time. You just need to start it far enough in advance to give it at least an hour for the flavours to develop before you serve it.

This reminds me a lot of how I used to eat cucumbers as a kid: in a little dish with some white vinegar, salt, and pepper. Using cider vinegar instead of white, adding a bit of sugar, and diluting the mixture with a bit of water all help to tone down the acidity a bit. I still like my childhood version, but I do think this mellower take is probably more broadly appealing. And letting it sit for a while before serving gives the vegetables a chance to really absorb the flavours.

I made my salad with Vidalia onions since I had some on hand for another dish anyway, but the write-up says that regular yellow onions worked fine here as well. And I used an English cucumber because that's what I had on hand, but apparently when the folks over at ATK tested this recipe their tasters preferred field cucumbers to English. It's not like it's bad with English cucumbers though, so use what you have and enjoy!

Cucumber and Onion Salad

From Cook's Country June/July 2019

Ingredients

• 1/2 cider vinegar
• 1/4 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 450g cucumbers
• 1 onion, halved and sliced thin

Directions

1. Mix the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and pepper until dissolved and set aside.
2. Peel the cucumbers, halve lengthwise, and slice thin.
3. Add the cucumbers and onions to the dressing and mix well.
4. Cover and chill for at least an hour before serving.

The plan had been to make some Korean-style marinated beef for dinner last night. Kind of like galbijjim, but with stewing beef rather than short ribs.

That was the plan. Unfortunately, I got started a bit late and didn't get the beef marinating in time. So we ended up having to do a quick pivot to another dinner plan. I knew we had a package of slightly freezer-burnt pork chops in the chest freezer downstairs, so I figured that this simple InstantPot recipe would be a good way to use them up. And it worked out great! The pork was delicious and so was the kale that went with it. And it harmonized well with the turnip (daikon) cakes that we decided to fry up to go with dinner too. So, despite being in a bit of a flap leading up to dinner, everything worked out really well in the end.

Lemongrass and Garlic Pork Chops

Slightly adapted from Healthy Instant Pot by Alexis Mersel

Ingredients

• 2 stalks lemongrass
• 3 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 1/4 c. brown sugar
• 6 cloves garlic¹, minced
• 2 large shallots², minced
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• ~1.4kg thick-cut bone-in pork chops
• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 1 c. chicken or beef stock
• 300g frozen chopped kale³
• cooked rice, to serve

Directions

1. Remove any tough outer leaves from the lemongrass, press firmly with the flat of the knife, then slice very thin and set aside.
2. Combine the soy sauce, fish saue, sugar, garlic, shallots, and pepper and mix well.
3. Mix in the lemongrass.
4. Pour over the pork chops and turn to coat.
5. Cover and marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
6. Set InstantPot to "sauté medium" and add the oil.
7. Remove the pork chops from the marinade (reserving the marinade) and sear in the InstantPot, working in batches and cooking each pork chop for 2-3 minutes per side.
8. Remove the pork chops from the InstantPot and set aside.
9. Add the stock to the pot and scrape the bottom to losten any stuck on bits.
10. Pour in the reserved marinade and turn the InstantPot off.
11. Return the pork chops to the pot and seal the lid.
12. Pressure cook on high for 10 minutes followed by a 10-minute natural release.
13. Release any residual pressure and transfer the pork chops to a serving dish.
14. Pour all but ~1/4 c. of the sauce over the pork chops.
15. Set the InstantPot back to "sauté medium" and add the kale.
16. Cook until the kale is heated through and the flavours have had a chance to mingle (3-5 minutes).
17. Serve the pork chops over rice with the kale on the side.

---

¹ We were running a bit low on garlic, so I just used a few Tbsp. of garlic paste instead. I think I put in ~2 1/2 Tbsp. of paste, but I wasn't being too particular abou the measurement. ^Back
2 I had half a red onion in the fridge already, so I just minced that very fine and used it rather than going to the trouble of getting shallots special for this dish. ^Back
3 The original recipe calls for 150g of baby spinach, but suggests that chopped kale or bok choy would make good substitutes. I decided to go with kale since that make my life easier. But 150g didn't look like very much at all. So I decided to just use the whole 300g bag. I think this produced a much more reasonable amount of greens for the quantity of pork. ^Back

Tomato and Basil Frittata with Asiago

The chickens are still full steam ahead on eggs, so I've been continuing to try to keep ahead of them with more recipes from the egg book. I really liked this frittata. Although I'd be tempted to try to cook the tomatoes down a bit next time. The results were delicious, but a bit... juicy. I think that the tomatoes might have benefitted from being cooked with the garlic for a little while before the eggs went in the pan. Possibly something to try for next time. I was still very happy with this iteration though, so I don't want to mess with it too much.

Tomato and Basil Firttata with Asiago

Slightly adapted from The Good Egg by Marie Simmons

Ingredients

• 8 large eggs
• 1 c. grated Asiago cheese¹, divided
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, divided
• black pepper, to taste
• 2 c. diced fresh tomatoes
• 1/4 c. (or slightly more) torn fresh basil
• 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions

1. Beat the eggs with 1/2 c. of the cheese, 1/4 tsp. of the salt, and a bit of black pepper.
2. Toss the tomatoes with the basil, remaining 1/4 tsp. of salt, a bit of pepper, and half of the oil.
3. Heat the remaining oil over medium-low heat.
4. Add the garlic and cook until the garlic begins to sizzle.
5. Pour in the egg mixture and stir once or twice.
6. Cook for a minute or two, then add the tomato mixture in an even layer on top.
7. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, then work a spatula under egg and lift up the edge to let some of the uncooked egg mixture flow under it. Repeat several more times around the edge of the pan.
8. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 c. of cheese, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until set (10-15 minutes).
9. If frittata is still not quite set on top (or if you prefer the top to be browned), remove the lid and stick it under the broiler for a minute or two.
10. Cut into wedges and serve.

---

¹ Simmons suggests one experiment with different cheeses in place of the Asiago. She specifically mentions Parmesan, fontina, and ricotta salata as good ones to try. In light of this (and the fact that I didn't have any Asiago on hand) I opted for a 50:50 mix of Parmesan and Romano. I used the Romano in the egg mixture and then topped the frittata with the Parmesan and I can say that I would heartily recommend this combination in the future. ^Back

I don't make white bread very often. I mostly stick to whole wheat. Sometimes I'll play around with other grains or legumes or various things. But plain white bread doesn't show up very often. But this was the last bread recipe in Edmonds that I hadn't made yet. And we'd been out of bread for a while and I wanted something that would come together relatively quickly. So this fit the bill.

It was fine as bread goes. Not great. A bit bland. And I think it would've worked better in 20cm loaf tins rather than the 25cm ones the recipe called for. But it is fast (as home-made bread goes) and it's fine if you just need something to put a bit of jam on. I definitely prefer something with a bit more interest, but this works as a basic recipe.

White Bread

Slightly adapted from Edmonds Cookery Book

Ingredients

• 625g hard (strong/high grade/bread) flour
• 20g instant yeast
• 5g (~1 tsp.) sugar
• 10g (~1/2 Tbsp.) coarse sea salt
• 400mL water
• 30mL oil

Directions

1. If using an electric mixer: Put all the ingredients in the bowl of the mixer fitted with a dough hook and mix on slow until dough forms.
   If mixing by hand: Combine the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt and mix well. Then pour in the water and mix until dough forms.
2. Mix or knead by hand until dough becomes smooth and elastic (5-8 minutes with an electric mixer or 15-20 minutes by hand). If kneading by hand, work the oil in during kneading.
3. Shape the dough into a smooth ball and place in a covered bowl to rise for ~30 minutes.
4. Grease two 20cm (8") loaf pans.
5. Knock the dough back, divide into four equal portions, and round each one.
6. Place two dough balls into each loaf pan, cover, and set aside to rise (30-45 minutes).
7. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).
8. Bake loaves at 200°C (400°F) until crust is golden-brown and crumb is cooked through (25-30 minutes).
9. Cool in tins for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to finish cooling.
10. Brush crust with a little butter while the loaves are still hot if desired. (This will give the crust a nice shine.)

I had originally planned on trying out a celery salad recipe from "The Cookbook" this week, but I didn't quite get around to it and ended up giving this celery and herb salad a go instead. Sadly none of us really liked it. Now, to be fair, I did deviate from the recipe a bit. This was partly because I couldn't find all the ingredients and partially because I got mixed up about what we had on hand and a little bit because I was trying to make it a bit healthier and I know that I normally find most vinaigrettes too oily anyway. But perhaps if I'd been able to follow the recipe more closely it would have come out better.

I've chosen to relay the original reicpe below, not my franken-version. I've included notes detailing what changes I made so that you'll know what NOT to do. Good luck!

Celery and Herb Salad

From Vegetable of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

Vinaigrette

• 1 shallot¹, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard²
• juice of 1 lemon
• 4 olive-oil packed anchovy fillets³
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt⁴
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/2 c. olive oil⁵

Salad

• 1 head of celery⁶, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 1 bunch of radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 1/2 c. coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 Tbsp. coarsely chopped fresh tarragon⁷
• 2 Tbsp. coarsely chopped fresh dill⁸
• 4 large eggs, hard-boiled
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Combine the shallot, mustard, lemon juice, anchovies, salt, and pepper in a blender.
2. Blend until smooth and then, with the blender running, gradually add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Set aside.
3. Combine the celery, radishes, parsley, tarragon, and dill in a large bowl.
4. Add ~1/2 the dressing and toss to coat.
5. Peel and quarter the eggs and add them to the salad.
6. Drizzle with a little more dressing.
7. Serve, seasoning to taste with salt, pepper, and additional dressing.

---

¹ I used 1/2 of a small red onion instead. I usually find this to be an acceptable substitute for shallots, but it now occurrs to me that I probably should've tossed a clove of garlic in as well. ^1
2 I used home-made Roman mustard as I generally use to two interchangeably and don't bother keeping store-bought mustard on hand anymore. (Unless I want a bit of yellow mustard for hotdogs or something.) ^Back
3 I used 4 whole anchovies packed in olive oil and chile flakes. Again, I've never had any issues with making this substitution and I find that the whole anchovies generally break down much better than the anchovy fillets. (Plus they're much cheaper!) ^Back
4 I think I may have forgotten to add the salt. I don't think the salad tasted particularly under-seasoned, but perhaps a bit of extra saltiness would have helped the overall flavour, I don't know. ^Back
5 I only used 1/4 c. of oil to make my dressing. That said, TF and I both tasted it after mixing and thought that it tasted fine and didn't need the rest of the oil. I know that this will have resulted in a smaller overall amount of vinaigrette, but there still seemed to be plenty enough to dress the salad. So, if neither the flavour nor quantity of dressing was an issue, then I don't really think reducing the quantity of oil was a problem. ^Back
6 I think the celery is actually probably the most likely culprit for the less-than-optimal results. I used an heirloom "leafy" celery variety. It was lovely, but the flavour was definitely a lot stronger than your bog standard celery. I'm used to celery tasting more-or-less like crunchy water. It has a lot of texture, but not much flavour of its own. That was definitely not the case for this celery! It actually tasted distinctly celery-y (like celery seed, but in the actual vegetable). This is great for things like soups and stir-fries, but maybe the flavour was a bit too much to blend harmoniously with the other salad components in this recipe. If I try it again, I'll make sure to use a blander variety of celery. ^Back
7 Sadly, I wasn't able to get any tarragon this week, so I just had to leave it out. I'm sure that won't have helped the final results. ^Back
8 Our old dill plant isn't doing so hot right now and the new one is still too small to harvest much from, so I could only get ~1 Tbsp. of fresh dill. I tried adding a little bit of ground dill seed (a scant tsp.) to compensate, but this doesn't work as well in salads as it does in soups and stews. That and the missing tarragon probably didn't do any favours for the success of this salad. ^Back

Chocolate Cupcakes (Unusual Recipe)

I don't really go on the Something Awful forums these days but, years ago, I used to like to read the CAKE thread. It's long-dead now, but before it closed and got archived, I went through it and collected all the recipes that people had shared over the years. I now have a huge file containing all the recipes and links. There's been some bit-rot over the years, so not all the links work anymore, but that's why I made my own copy of everything: so that I could still have access to the recipes even if the various sites went down.

At one point someone posted some photos of some cupcakes they'd made and mentioned that they'd used a recipe from this "Ming Makes Cupcakes" site. I grabbed that recipe and decided that while I was there, I might as well save ALL of the recipes for later reference.

I haven't had a chance to try most of them yet, but I think I've done at least one of the other "Ming Makes Cupcakes" recipes and had good results. I appreciate how straight-forward they are. The ingredient lists are usually pretty brief and simple and the instructions, while sometimes a bit laconic and lacking in detail, are direct and involve a minimum of faff.

Despite feeling generally happy with this set of recipes, this particular recipe did make me a bit nervous. The mixing instructions were very different from what I'm used to: Mix the acid and base directly and set aside while you make the rest of the batter? Melt the butter; don't cream it? Make a batter that's already verging on losing all cohesion and then add even more wet ingredients? None of that sounds right! And the icing was just as weird. I've never made icing by pouring hot melted butter into icing sugar before!

The whole thing was very strange and I was a bit worried that I was going to end up with a sad chocolate disaster rather than a tasty dessert. But they actually came out very nice! They were light and fluffy, but still pleasingly chocolatey. And the icing tasted rich and didn't have that you're-actually-just-eating-a-lump-of-sugary-butter taste and mouthfeel that most American buttercream tends to have. I was really shocked! Especially given how simplistic the recipe seemed. What a pleasant surprise!

So, TL;DR: Don't panic if your batter is sloshing around and ends up looking like extra-dark chocolate milk; it's supposed to.

Chocolate Cupcakes

From Ming Makes Cupcakes

Ingredients

Cupcakes

• 1/4 c. buttermilk
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 c. unsalted butter
• 1/4 c. natural cocoa powder
• 1/2 c. water
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 c. soft (plain/standard/cake) flour
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Chocolate Icing

• 1/2 c. unsalted butter
• 75g cocoa powder (either natural or Dutcched)
• 450g icing (powdered/confectioners') sugar.
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 4-5 Tbsp. milk

Directions

Cupcakes

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a muffin tin with papers.
2. Mix the baking soda into the buttermilk and set aside.
3. Combine the butter and the cocoa powder and melt over low heat, mixing thoroughly.
4. Remove from heat and pour in the water. Mix to combine.
5. In a separate bowl, combine the fugar, flour, and salt.
6. Pour the cocoa mixture into the dry ingredients and mix a little bit.
7. Mix in the egg.
8. The batter will already seem quite thin by this point, but go ahead an pour in the buttermilk and vanilla and mix that in too.
9. The batter will be extremely runny; this is fine. Don't be tempted to adjust the batter and add more flour.
10. Pour ~1/4 c. of batter into each muffin paper and bake at 180°C (350°F) for ~20 minutes.
11. Remove from oven and turn out onto wire rack to cool.

Chocolate Icing

1. Melt butter over medium heat.
2. Cook, stirring often, until butter begins to smell nutty.
3. Meanwhile, sift the cocoa and icing sugar together and set aside.
4. Once the butter is ready, pour it into the icing sugar mixture and stir a bit.
5. Add the vanilla and stir a bit more.
6. Add the milk, 1 Tbsp. at a time, until the desired consistency is achieved.
7. Once the cupcakes are cool, use either a piping bag or an offset spatula to generously frost each one.

I've picked up a few cookbook bundles from Humble Bundle over the years, but I haven't ended up using them much. To be fair, that's true of a lot of my hardcopy cookbooks as well. The problem is that -- between the Internet, the curry cookbook, and our collection of Cook's Country magazines -- I already have a massive pile of easy-to-access recipes that I haven't tried yet. So it can sometimes feel a bit awkward or difficult to pull things out of other books and sources.

But, I kind of wanted to mix things up a bit this week. So I decided to leaf through some of my Humble Bundle books. I started out looking for good sweet potato recipes, but then ended up branching out and just looking for anything that looked like a good way to use up ingredients on hand.

I knew I had some ground chicken in the freezer, so I figured I could do these meatballs over some pasta with some sort of salad on the side and call that dinner. My original plan had been to just serve them with spaghetti and maybe give the "French salad" from "The Cookbook" a try. But that was before I had a mix-up with the meal plan earlier in the week which left me with surplus radishes in the middle of the week. Thus, I swapped out the French salad for a celery and herb salad from one of the other Humble Bundle books. And then I ended up coming across half-off tortellini at the grocery store on Tuesday and figured no one would be sad if I swapped the plain spaghetti out for that. And, indeed, they weren't! (Although this change did mean that TF now needed a fist full of Lactaid to go with her meal, but it was still enjoyed by all.)

Despite the meal being a big success once I managed to get it to the table, I did experience a few issues during cooking. I don't know if my sauce was too thick or what, but the InstantPot just could not seem to get up to pressure. It steamed and rattled a bit, but never sealed. (And yes, I did check to make sure the valve was in the proper position.) Eventually it started beeping in distress and alerting me of a burn.

Luckily the burn didn't seem to be too severe; just a little light scortching at the bottom of the pot which I was able to scrape and stir in to no discernable detriment. And the meatballs seemed like they were pretty much cooked at that point, so I wasn't too worried. Just to be on the safe side, I put it on slow cook "high" for a bit while TF got a pot of water boiling and cooked the pasta.

As noted, the meal was still very good. I liked it a lot. But I am a bit disappointed that I wasn't able to cook it as directed. Maybe next time I'll try adding a bit more stock and see if that helps it to get up to pressure more easily. Barring that, I think that this would also work quite well as a "fast" slow cooker recipe provided you had the time to cook it for a few hours, rather than just a few minutes.

So, with that in mind, I have provided the recipe with the original cooking instructions here. Just be aware that they did not work as written for me. Keep an eye on your pot and if it seems to be having trouble sealing, turn it off and finish cooking your sauce by another method.

Turkey Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

Slightly adapted from Healthy Instant Pot by Alexis Mersel

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, minced
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 c. dried breadcrumbs
• 1/2 c. grated Parmesan
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh Basil
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 450g ground turkey or chicken

Sauce

• 1/2 c. (or more?) chicken stock
• 1 (800mL) can crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 c. tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning (optional)
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp. dried garlic
• 1 tsp. dried onion
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon or Roman mustard
• up to 1 tsp. coarse sea salt¹
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2-4 Tbsp. olive oil²
• cooked pasta or spaghetti squash, to serve
• extra basil and Parmesan, to serve

Directions

Meatballs

1. Turn the InstantPot on to sauté "low" and add the oil.
2. Add the onion and cook for ~5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the garlic and cook for another 3-5 minutes.
4. Turn off the instant pot and set aside.
5. In a large bowl, combine the egg, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, basil, pepper flakes, salt, pepper, chicken/turkey, and sauté mix and add well.
6. Shape mixture into small (2-3cm diameter) balls and set aside on a plate.

Sauce

1. Add the crushed tomato, tomato paste, basil, oregano, Italian seasoning (if using), pepper flakes, garlic, onion, mustard, salt, pepper, and oil to the Instant Pot and mix well.
2. Carefully drop the meatballs into the sauce and gently turn to coat.
3. Seal the lid and pressure cook "high" for 10 minutes followed by a 10-minute natural release.
4. When the sauce is done, toss it with freshly cooked pasta or spaghetti squash and top with additional Parmesan and basil.

---

¹ You may not need the full amount of salt if using store-bought stock or broth. Taste your sauce before adding any salt -- or raw meat! -- and then add up to 1 tsp. of salt as needed. ^Back
2 The original recipe called for 1/4 c. of oil to be added to the sauce, but I halved this amount to try to make it a bit healthier and cut the calories. However, it's possible that the lower fat content also contributed to the scortching. I think that the most likely culprit is the thikness of the sauce, but I can't completely rule out the oil as a factor. Just something to keep in mind... ^Back

My original plan had been to make a sour cream and chutney omelette this morning. I knew we still had a little bit of sour cream left and it was already past its expiry, so I figured that'd be a good way to use it up. Unfortunately, I was a bit too late with my clever plan and the sour cream had already gone off. This left me scrambling for an alternate breakfast plan.

I would have tried one of the sweet omelette recipes in the book except I had already added salt and pepper to the eggs and I didn't think that would be very harmonious with, for example, jam and toasted almonds. So, at that point I was pretty much locked in to doing a savoury omelette. And I had to make it with ingredients that I had on hand.

I ended up going with the caramelized onion, ham, and gruyère omelette recipe and making a few substitutions. I know that tocino SPAM and extra old cheddar may not exactly lend the same flavour to the final dish as some nice ham and guryère would, but it was still a nice omelette and, importantly, it was ready in time for the Kidlet to have breakfast before heading off to camp for the day!

Caramelized Onion, SPAM, and Cheddar Omelette

Adapted from The Good Egg by Marie Simmons

Ingredients

• 4 tsp. unsalted butter, divided
• 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 6 large eggs
• 1/4 c. water
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 c. diced SPAM
• 2 Tbsp. grated Cheddar

Directions

1. Melt 1 Tbsp. of the butter in a medium pan over medium heat.
2. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and brown (~30 minutes).¹
3. Meanwhile, beat the eggs with the water, salt, and pepper.
4. Melt the remaining 1 tsp. of butter in a large pan over medium-low heat.
5. Pour in the egg and cook until bottom and edges just begin to set (~2 minutes).
6. Push the cooked bits into the centre and let the raw egg flow to the edges of the pan. Try to smooth it out so that you have one even layer of egg again.
7. Cover and continue to cook over medium-low heat while onions caramelize and SPAM crisps.
8. Remove the onions from the pan and set aside.
9. Add the SPAM and cook until crispy.
10. Remove from pan and set aside. (You can combine it with the onions if you like.)
11. At this point the surface of the egg should be set or nearly so. Add the onion, SPAM, and cheese to one half of the omelette.
12. Fold the bare half of the omelette over to cover the topped half and cook until the cheese starts to melt.
13. Flip and cook for a minute or two more if the egg isn't quite set yet.
14. Transfer to a plate and serve.

---

¹ If you have time, try turning the heat down a hair and cooking the onions for an hour or more. This should yield even better results, but requires more time and patience than I had available this morning. ^Back

I had intended to make some barley with kale and a celery salad with boiled eggs for dinner last night. I succeeded in making the first of those two dishes, but I didn't end up getting all the ingredients that I needed for the second, so I was left scrambling trying to come up with an alternate dinner plan.

With a few adjustments, these noodles fit the bill. I ended up using thinly sliced stewing beef instead of steak. And the proportions were a bit different in my version since I was short on noodles but had more beef and more mushrooms than the recipe called for. I kind of like the results though. Lots of stir-fry, not too many noodles. It worked out pretty well in the end!

Photo goes here.

Korean-Style Noodles with Marinated Beef and Kimchi

Slightly adapted from Healthy Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2-3 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. mirin
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 Tbsp. gochujang
• 1/4 c. toasted sesame seeds, divided
• 400-450g flank steak or stewing beef, thinly sliced across the grain
• 150g bean thread noodles
• 2 Tbsp. canola oil, divided
• 250-350g shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 1 c. julienned carrots
• 1/4 c. sliced green onion
• 1/2 c. (or more) kimchi

Directions

1. Combine the sesame oil, soy sauce, mirin, brown sugar, garlic, gochujang, and 2 Tbsp. of the sesame seeds in a measuring cup. Mix well.
2. Pour half the mixture into a bowl and add the beef. (Set the other half of the mixture aside for now.)
3. Cover the bowl and marinate for at least 30 minutes (or as long as 4 hours¹).
4. Place the noodles in a heatproof bowl or pot and add very hot top water to cover. Let stand until softened², then drain and set aside.
5. Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbsp. of the canola oil in a wok over medium-high heat.
6. Add the beef and stir-fry until it begins to brown (~3 minutes).
7. Transfer the beef to a bowl and set aside.
8. Add the remaining 1 Tbsp. of oil to the wok and return to medium-high heat.
9. Add the mushrooms and onion and stir-fry until they begin to soften (~3 minutes).
10. Add the carrot and green onions and stir-fry until the onions are soft and lightly browned (another 4-5 minutes).
11. Add the noodles and toss to combine.
12. Return the beef to the wok and add the reserved sauce. Toss to coat.
13. Remove from heat and serve topped with kimchi.

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¹ Be sure to store the meat in the fridge if marinating for longer than 30 minutes. ^Back
2 The original recipe says that this should take ~10 minutes, but mine only took ~3 (which is more in line with what I was expecting based on the thinness of the noodles). I suspect that their tap water may not have been as hot as mine. Keep an eye on your noodles and drain them when they seem ready. ^Back

This is a pleasingly simple and straight-forward recipe to put together. It takes a little while for the barley to cook, but requires very little effort and doesn't require many ingredients.

It may not necessarily work as a stand-alone dinner, but it makes a great base with some greens and pleasant flavours. Just add some protein (and maybe a few more veggies) and you're good to go!

Barley with Kale and Lemon

Slightly adapted from Healthy Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 tsp. stock concentrate (eg. Better Than Bouillon)
• 1/2 c. pearl barley
• 300-500g chopped kale (preferably black kale)
• 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest
• 1-2 Tbsp. lemon juice

Directions

1. Fill a small pot about halfway with water and the stock concentrate.
2. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and add the barley.
3. Reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until barley is tender (~40 minutes).¹
4. Meanwhile, heat the oil over medium heat.
5. Add the onion and cook until golden (~6 minutes).
6. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two.
7. Add the kale and red pepper flakes and cook until kale is tender (and either wilted or thawed depending on whether you used fresh or frozen).
8. Stir in the cooked barley and lemon zest.
9. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice. (Use 1-2 Tbsp. according to your taste.)

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¹ My barley had absorbed most of the liquid by this point. If yours still has appreciable liquid, drain it before continuing with the recipe. ^Back

Katarikai Goshtu (Eggplant Stew)

Iyer presents this as a chunky eggplant curry in a rich tamarind broth. Apparently it is more typically served mashed, rather than chunky, but Iyer prefers the un-mashed texture and I didn't really feel like going to the extra effort of mashing it. I think it would've been fine either way, personally.

Sadly, the Kidlet didn't really like this one. But TF and I both did. It still doesn't surpass a good baingan bharta as my favourite eggplant curry, but it is very nice. And it's also relatively easy to throw together, which I appreciate.

Photo goes here.

Katarikai Goshtu

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1/2 tsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 2 Tbsp. skinned split black lentils/mapte beans (urad dal)
• 1 Tbsp. coriander seeds
• 4-6 dried red Thai, cayenne, or arbol chilies
• 2 Tbsp. ghee
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 large eggplant (~680g), peeled and cut into 1.5cm cubes
• 1/2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
• 15 fresh curry leaves
• 1 tsp. tamarind paste or concentrate
• 1 c. water

Directions

1. Heat a pan over medium-high heat and toss the lentils, coriander, and chilies with the oil to coat.
2. Add the oil-coated mixture to the pan and toast over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes.
3. Transfer mixture to a plate to cool.
4. Once the spices are cool to the touch, transfer to a spice grinder, grind, and set aside.
5. Now melt the ghee over medium-high heat, add the mustard seeds, and cook, covered, until the seeds have stopped popping (30-60 seconds).
6. Add the eggplant, salt, and curry leaves and stir-fry for 4-5 minutes.
7. Dissolve the tamarind paste/concentrate in the water and pour it over the eggplant.
8. Stir in the ground spices.
9. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is very soft (10-15 minutes).
10. Serve with ven pongal, idli, or another substrate of your choie.

Dahiwaale Rajmah (Kidney Beans in Yogurt Sauce)

Yogurt curries can be a bit hit-or-miss for me, but I liked this one. And so did TF and the Kidlet. Great success!

Photo does here.

Dahiwaale Rajmah

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 c. plain yogurt
• 1 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. chickpea flour
• 1/2 Tbsp. garlic paste
• 1/2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 3-4 fresh green Thai, serrano, or finger chilies, chopped
• 1-2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 1 tsp. Punjabi garam masala
• 3 c. cooked kidney beans
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Whisk the water into the yogurt.
2. Mix in the chickpea flour, garlic paste, sea salt, and turmeric and whisk until smooth.
3. Mix in the chilies and set aside.
4. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
5. Add the ginger and stir-fry for a minute or two.
6. Add the tomato and garam masala and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tomato softens (3-5 minutes).
7. Add the kidney beans and yogurt sauce and bring to a boil.
8. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens (10-15 minutes).
9. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.