I needed to use up a chicken breast and some mushrooms, so this was pretty much perfect. It probably ended up with a bit less chicken than called for, but I had a few extra mushrooms, so I think it all worked out in the wash. I also added some peas, just to have something green in there and make it a little more nutritionally complete.

Chicken Tetrazzini with Peas

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion (or 2 shallots), halved and sliced
• 1 tsp. garlic paste (optional)
• 250-300g mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 c. butter
• 1/3 c. flour
• 3 c. chicken stock
• 2 c. frozen peas (optional)
• 300-500g cooked chicken, shredded
• 225-300g dried pasta, cooked
• 3/4 c. grated Parmesan, divided
• 1 c. fresh breadcrumbs
• 1 Tbsp. margerine (or butter)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F) and oil a 23x33cm (9x13") baking dish.
2. Heat the oil over medium-low heat.
3. Add the onion and cook until softened (3-5 minutes).
4. Add garlic (if using) and mushrooms, cover, and cook until they release their liquid.
5. Uncover and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed or boiled off.
6. Add butter.
7. Once butter is melted, add flour to make a roux and cook, stirring, until no longer raw-smelling.
8. Slowly stir in chicken stock and cook until thickened.
9. Stir in the peas (if using) and cook until heated through.
10. Mix in chicken, pasta, and 1/2 c. of the Parmesan.
11. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
12. Pour into prepared baking dish and top with breadcrumbs and remaining 1/4 c. of Parmesan.
13. Dot with margerine (or more butter).
14. Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 15 minutes.

Dhingri Mutter (Mushroom and Pea Curry)

In theory this was meant to be "gucchi mutter" (morel and pea curry). However, morels are not native to New Zealand and getting them here is an extremely expensive prospect. I mean, they're expensive anyway. I've just been spoiled by being able to get them for free from my parents in the past. But, given that getting the required quantity of morels would've cost ~$100 here, I decided that maybe it was acceptable to swap them out for a different mushroom in this case. Especially since white mushrooms were on sale for $8/kg this week.

Dhingri Mutter

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2-4 Tbsp. ghee, divided
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 c. slivered almonds
• 3-4 tsp. garlic paste
• 2 tsp. ginger paste
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1/2-3/4 c. water
• 250g mushrooms¹
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. ground Kashmiri chilies
• 1/2 tsp. Kashmiri garam masala
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 c. frozen green peas
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Melt 1-2 Tbsp. of the ghee over medium heat.
2. Add the onions, almonds, garlic, and ginger and cook until nuts are browned (~5 minutes).
3. Pour 1/2 c. of water into a blender, add the tomato paste and onion mixture, and purée.
4. If the sauce looks too thick, blend in a few more Tbsp. of water.
5. Melt the remaining 1-2 Tbsp. of ghee over medium heat.
6. Add the mushrooms, cover, and cook until they release their liquid or morels look slightly shriveled (~5 minutes).
7. Add the sauce, salt, ground chilies, garam masala, and turmeric and stir to combine.
8. Add the peas, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until heated through and flavours blend (10-15 minutes).
9. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

---

¹ If you're going for the authentic gucchi mutter, then you'll want morels, thoroughly washed and cut in half. Otherwise, Iyer suggests sliced porobellos as a tasty (if very different) alternative. I just used white button mushroom, halved, for my curry and, honestly, they were great! ^Back

Rajmah Mutter (Kidney Bean and Green Pea Curry)

Here's another curry that I made while in NZ. I have to admit, it's been long enough that I don't really remember how it came out. But I assume it was good. (Since Iyer's recipes usually are.) But not remarkable. (Since I don't remember it.)

Rajmah Mutter

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2 tsp. coriander seeds
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns
• 1/2 tsp. fenugreek seeds
• 25 fresh or frozen curry leaves
• 2 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 1-2 fresh green Thai, serrano, or finger chilies
• 2 Tbsp. ghee
• 2 c. cooked kidney beans
• 2 c. frozen green peas
• 1 c. water
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 c. plain yogurt
• 1/2 c. half-and-half (10% MF)
• 2 tsp. cornstarch (cornflour)
• 2 Tbsp. cold water

Directions

1. Combine the coriander, cumin, peppercorns, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, ginger paste, and chilies and grind to a paste with a mortar and pestle.
2. Melt ghee over medium heat.
3. Add the paste and stir-fry for 30-60 seconds.
4. Stir in the kidney beans followed by the green peas.
5. Add the water and the salt.
6. Bring to a boil and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
7. Combine the yogurt and half-and-half and add to the pan.
8. Continue cooking for another 8-10 minutes.
9. Mix the cornstarch into the cold water.
10. Stir the cornstarch slurry into the curry, cook until thickened, and serve.

Thengai Muttaikose (Coconut Cabbage)

I made this one a while ago. Back in May, I think. So some of the details are a little fuzzy. I think, though, that I made this when I had some fresh coconut on hand. (Although it can also be made with reconstituted dried.) It was... alright. But not spectacular. Probably not one I'll bother revisiting, personally. But it was nice to try it out.

Photo goes here.

Thengai Muttaikose

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 c. water
• 1 c. shredded fresh coconut (or 1/2 c. dried, reconstituted¹)
• 2-4 fresh green Thai, serrano, or finger chilies
• 1-2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 Tbsp. skinned split black lentils (mapte beans/white lentils/urad dal)
• 4 c. shredded cabbage
• 2 c. frozen green peas
• 1/2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
• 12 fresh curry leaves

Directions

1. Add the water, coconut, and chilies to a blender and purée.
2. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
3. Add the mustard seeds, cover, and cook until seeds have stopped popping (30-60 seconds).
4. Add the lentils and stir-fry until golden (15-30 seconds).
5. Add the cabbage, peas, salt, and curry leaves.
6. Pour in the sauce from the blender.
7. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until cabbage is tender (~10 minutes).

---

¹ To reconstitute, pour an equal volume of boiling water over the dried coconut and soak for 15 minutes, then drain. ^Back

This is meant to be made with fresh Chinese-style egg noodles. I didn't feel like making a special trip out to the shop though, so we just used dry spaghettini. It worked just fine and was delicious.

I also didn't bother trying to cook the chicken in a grill pan like the recipe called for. I just cooked it in a normal frying pan. No pretty grill marks on it that way. But it seemed just fine otherwise.

For the vegetables... It was meant to use edamame and carrots. I don't particularly like edamame, so I used frozen green peas instead. Honestly, I think it would've been good with even more veg. It was good as-is. But I might be tempted to add some thinly sliced bell pepper next time.

Sesame Noodles with Chicken

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 2 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 1/4 c. light soy sauce
• 1/4 c. rice vinegar
• 3 Tbsp. orange juice
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. garlic paste
• 1 tsp. Sriracha
• 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts
• pepper, to taste
• 1 c. frozen peas
• 300g dry spaghettini (or similar)
• 1 bell pepper, thinly sliced (optional)
• 2-3 carrots, grated
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

Directions

1. Combine the oils, soy sauce, vinegar, juice, sugar, garlic, and Sriracha and mix well.
2. Season the chicken breasts with pepper and brush with 2 Tbsp. of the sauce.
3. Heat a pan over medium heat and add the chicken. Cook until no longer pink inside (5-6 minutes per side).
4. Remove from pan and slice.
5. Meanwhile, place the frozen peas in a colander.
6. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt lightly, and add the pasta, cooking until al dente.
7. Drain the pasta by pouring it into the colander with the peas.
8. Toss the noodles and peas with the bell pepper (if using), carrots, chicken, remaining sauce, and green onions.
9. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

I had intended to make some "lazy" steamed zongzi rice for dinner last night. But I forgot to put the rice in to soak. So that particular recipe had to be bumped to tonight and I needed to pick something else to make for dinner yesterday. Luckily I had another recipe queued up that was much quicker and easier to make. All that's required is a quick stir-fry of some pork belly with ginger and mushrooms, then just add a bit of sauce and water and stir in some rice and green onions. Easy peasy!

I reduced the shiitake mushrooms slightly for my rendition because I had a huge pile of cremini mushrooms in the fridge and liked the idea of using a mix. I also tossed in the last couple of handfuls of baby spinach. It was really enough veg for the amount of rice, but at least it was something and at least it used it up. If I'd been thinking, I would've thrown in some peas as well, but it didn't occur to me until too late. Maybe next time.

Photo goes here.

Pork Belly and Mushroom Rice

Slightly adapted from The Woks of Life

Ingredients

• 1-2 Tbsp. oil
• 1 Tbsp. minced ginger or ginger paste
• 250g pork belly, cut into 1cm dice
• 4-5 dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated and sliced (soaking water reserved)
• 6-8 cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. Shaoxing wine (绍兴酒)
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 3 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
• 3/4 c. mushroom soaking water
• 1 c. fresh or frozen peas (optional)
• 4 c. cooked rice
• 1-2 scallions, chopped

Directions

1. Heat wok over medium heat.
2. Drizzle in oil and swirl to coat.
3. Add ginger and stir-fry for a minute or two.
4. Add pork belly and increase heat to medium-high. Stiry-fry until pork starts to get crispy (3-5 minutes).
5. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry for another 3-4 minutes.
6. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the wine, sugar, light soy, dark soy, mushroom soaking water, and peas (if using).
7. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.
8. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
9. Add the rice and green onions and mix very well.
10. Serve as-is or topped with a fried egg and a bit of Laoganma.

They had whole, gutted and gilled salmon available at the grocery store here yesterday. They looked beautiful and fresh. And, notably, were about half the price per unit mass as the salmon fillets. So, given that, I figured I might as well just get a whole salmon and figure out how to cook it for dinner.

I did a mash-up of two different recipes for it. For cooking instructions, I followed a Jamie Oliver recipe that I found online. But I used the seasoning and side veggies from one of the Dish of the Day recipes. That one called for braising salmon fillets in a mixture of white wine and vegetable stock and then serving it with sautéed asparagus, leeks, and peas. For mine, I baked the salmon (and potatoes) as per Jamie Oliver, but stuffed it with leeks and lemon and then more-or-less braised the veggies to serve with it. It worked out quite well and we were all very happy with the results and looking forward to the leftovers tonight!

Roasted Whole Salmon with Potatoes and Spring Vegetables

Adapted from Jamie Oliver and Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 whole gutted and gilled salmon (~2kg)
• 1-2kg potatoes, sliced ~5mm thick
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 2 leeks, divided
• 1 lemon
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives (or 1 Tbsp. dried), divided
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh tarragon (or 1/2 Tbsp. dried), divided
• 2-3 Tbsp. oil, divided
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 500g asparagus, trimmed
• 1/4 c. white wine
• 1/4 c. vegetable stock
• 2 c. fresh or frozen green peas

Directions

1. If the salmon still has its scales, you will want to descale it. This is a messy process. Put down some towels or paper and be prepared for scales to go flying everywhere. Drag the back of a knife from tail to head at a 45° angle. Repeat all over the fish until you've removed as many scales as possible. Rinse the fish and your knife and do another pass or two until it feels like all of the scales have been removed.
2. Rinse the fish again, then dry thoroughly with a towel. Set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 250°C (475°F) and oil a large roasting pan.
4. Add the potatoes and onion to the pan, drizzle with 1 Tbsp. of the oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Rub the fish all over with the remaining oil and place it on top of the potatoes.
6. Trim the leeks, halve lengthwise, wash very well, and slice.
7. Zest the lemon.
8. Combine the lemon zest with half of the leeks, 4-5 tsp. of the chives, 2 tsp. of the tarragon, and a bit of salt and pepper and toss to combine.
9. Stuff as much of the leek mixture as possible into the salmon. Allow any excess stuffing to spill out onto the potatoes.
10. Slice the lemon and stuff some of the slices into the fish.
11. Make a few gashes in the skin of the fish.
12. Sprinkle some salt and pepper over it, making sure to get some into the gashes.
13. Place any remaining slices of lemon on top of the salmon (preferably over the gashes if possible).
14. Bake at 250°C (475°F) for 15 minutes.
15. Reduce temperature to 180°C (350°F) and bake for another 30 minutes.
16. Meanwhile, melt the butter over medium heat.
17. Add the remaining leeks and sauté until softened (3-5 minutes).
18. Add the asparagus and cook for another minute or so.
19. Add the wine, stock, remaining tarragon, remaining chives, and salt and pepper to taste; cover; and cook for 2-3 minutes.
20. Add the peas and cook until vegetables are heated through and just tender (another 2-3 minutes).
21. Serve the salmon and potatoes with the vegetables on the side.

Braised Turnips with Mushrooms and Peas

I dropped the ball last week and forgot to tweak our produce basket. Which means that we ended up with a surprise assortment of fruits and vegetables. One of which was a bag of turnips. TF and I don't really eat a lot of turnips. I've never particularly cared for them. That said, I wasn't about to let them go to waste once we had them. So that meant scrambling to redo this week's meal plan to work in all the random extra veggies we got.

It turns out that the Vegetable of the Day cookbook doesn't have much use for turnips either. They just don't appear in that many recipes. So when I came across this braised turnip dish, I jumped on it.

Sadly, I wasn't that impressed with how this came out. It was edible, but that's about the best I can say for it. The braising didn't really do great things for the turnip. And the mushrooms and peas weren't really harmonious with it either. It just seemed like a bunch of disparate elements that were all fighting with each other. Not a great success.

Maybe one day I will find a really great turnip recipe, but this definitely wasn't it.

Braised Turnips with Mushroms and Peas

From Vegetable of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 225g cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 450g turnips, peeled and cut into wedges ~1cm thick
• 2/3 c. chicken or vegetable stock, divided
• 1 c. frozen peas
• 2 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

1. Heat a pan over medium heat.
2. Add the mushrooms, cover, and cook until they release some liquid.
3. Add the garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
4. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
5. Melt butter over medium heat.
6. Add the turnips and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
7. Add 1/3 c. of the stock and cook until mostly evaporated (3-4 minutes).
8. Flip the turnip pieces, add the remaining 1/3 c. of stock, and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
9. Add the peas, return mushrooms to pan, and cook for a minute or two longer.
10. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

I'm digging pretty deep into my backlog again with this one. I can't even remember exactly when I made this. But it's in my notes and it does sound at least vaguely familiar. So I'm going to do a write-up for it before it gets lost entirely.

I have been doing better at not letting recipes slip through the cracks the last couple of years. But that still doesn't mean that I always write them up promptly. I'm now just getting to them eventually rather than not at all. (And I am at least getting to most of them somewhat promptly.) It's a definitely improvement. It's just not completely consistent yet. Even so... I feel pretty good about the effort we've put in the last couple years! Over 340 posts last year and, while I don't think we're on track to beat that this year, we might manage to break 300, which is still pretty darn good.

And here is a soba noodle salad recipe from who-knows-when to help get us there.

Soba Noodle Salad with Sugar Snap Peas

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 450g soba noodles or whole wheat spaghetti
• 150g sugar snap peas, trimmed and halved diagonally
• 3-4 small carrots, julienned
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh mint
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 3cm piece of ginger, minced
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 4 tsp. rice vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/3 c. natural peanut butter (preferably chunky)
• 1/2 c. chicken or vegetable stock
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
• 1-2 green onions, thinly sliced (optional)

Directions

1. Cook the noodles according to package directions adding carrots and peas ~2 minutes before they're done.
2. Drain noodles and vegetables and add cilantro and mint.
3. Heat oil over medium heat.
4. Add ginger and garlic and cook for ~1 minute.
5. Add the soy sauce, vinegar, pepper flakes, peanut butter, and stock and stir to combine.
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Reduce heat to low and simmer until thick (5-7 minutes).
8. Pour dressing over noodle mixture and toss to coat.
9. Allow to cool, sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onion (if using), then serve.

Mutter Kachoris (Fried Flatbreads Stuffed with Green Peas)

Iyer notes that these flatbreads are a popular breakfast food in northern India and often served alongside potato curries. I opted to serve them as a salad accompaniment to round out our light dinner last night.

Being deep fried -- and full of butter to boot! -- these are definitely not health food. But they are delicious! We all ended up having seconds last night.

Mutter Kachoris

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

Dough

• 1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. nigella seeds
• 1/4 c. unsalted butter
• 4-5 Tbsp. cold water

Filling

• 4-6 fresh green Thai, finger, or serrano chilies
• 3 slices fresh ginger (~6cm x 2cm x 3mm)
• 1 c. frozen green peas, thawed
• 1 Tbsp. mustard oil
• 1/2 tsp. dhania-jeera masala
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt

Directions

1. Combine the flour, salt, and nigella and mix well.
2. Cut in the butter.
3. Drizzle in the water while mixing with a fork. Use just enough water to get the dough to come together in a cohesive mass.
4. Divide into six equal portions, cover, and chill until ready to use.
5. Meanwhile, combine the chilies and ginger in a food processor (or blender) and mince.
6. Add the peas and pulse until finely minced.
7. Heat the oil over medium heat.
8. Add the pea mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until mixture is dry to the touch (~5 minutes).
9. Remove from heat and stir in the dhania-jeera masala and salt.
10. Working with one portion of dough at a time, roll into a circle on a floured surface. I found that I preferred rolling the edges slightly thinner and leaving the centre thicker.
11. Spoon ~2 Tbsp. of filling into the centre of the dough and fold up the edges to completely encase the filling and form a packet.
12. Press to flatten slightly, flip seam-side-down, and roll out to form a circle 10-12cm (4-5") across. Repeat with remaining portions of dough and filling.
13. Pour at least 2-3cm of oil into a wok (or use a deep fryer).
14. Heat oil to 190-200°C (375-400°F).
15. Cook the kachoris one or two at a time (depending on the size of your deep fryer). Slide them into the hot oil and press them down as the rise to the surface and puff up so that the cook evenly on both sides. Flip them over if necessary to achieve even browning.
16. Transfer to a rack or paper towels to drain.
17. Serve plain or with a curry of your choice.

Khoya Elaichi Mutter (Green Peas with Khoya-Cardamom Sauce)

I almost didn't make this curry. It was late. I'd already made a dal and TF had cooked some rice. And it was even a somewhat vegetably dal with lots of fenugreek leaves in it. So, in theory, I didn't actually need another curry. But I wanted one. And I've been eyeing this one for ages.

Unfortunately, it calls for khoya (milk solids). I've never made my own khoya. It involves a very long process of boiling milk down until it ceasing being milk and forms a solid, dough-like mass. It's simple, but time-consuming. So, on the rare occasions that I do cook with khoya, I usually buy it in ready-made bricks from the Indian grocery.

This is fine when I've planned ahead. But on days like today when I'm just trying to throw something together last-minute, I really don't want to have to deal with either option. Making the khoya or buying it are both too much hassle for me for a quick meal or side dish.

Hence, almost not making this curry. In the end though, I decided that I was alright with the prospect of a very late dinner and measured out some milk and started cooking it down.

It did, indeed, take quite a while, but the results were delicious! TF is completely in love with this sauce. She just wants to eat it on everything! And I have to admit, I am also a big fan. It's so good it kind of outshone the dal that was meant to be the main dish! I would definitely make this one again. That delicious creamy-spicy sauce is worth the effort!

Khoya Elaichi Mutter

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. plain yogurt
• 1/4 c. khoya
• 1/2 tsp. green cardamom seeds
• 1-2 Tbsp. ghee
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 2 tsp. ground Deggi chilies¹
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 c. water
• 450g frozen green peas
• 1/2 tsp. Punjabi garam masala
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Combine the yogurt, khoya, and cardamom in a blender and purée until smooth.
2. Heat the ghee over medium-high heat.
3. Add the cumin seeds and sizzle for 15-30 seconds.
4. Pour in the yogurt sauce and add the ground chilies and sea salt.
5. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until some of the ghee starts to separate (~5 minutes).
6. Add the water and the pease and bring to a boil.
7. Cook, uncovered, boiling vigorously (increase heat if necessary), and stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens (~15 minutes).
8. Stir in the garam masala.
9. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

---

¹ Iyer suggests that if you can't find Deggi chilies, then 1 tsp. of ground cayenne + 1 tsp. of sweet paprika will make a reasonable substitute. I opted to use 1 tsp. of ground Kashmiri chilies + 1 tsp. of sweet paprika for mine. This produces a slightly milder result than using cayenne, but I really enjoy the flavour of the Kashmiri chilies. ^Back

These were meant to be made with black sesame seeds -- which I could've sworn we had -- but I couldn't find them anywhere in the pantry, so I ended up rolling with toasted white sesame seeds instead. They were still nice that way, but it definitely didn't have the same visual effect as black sesame would have.

Steamed Sugar Snap Peas with Sesame

Slightly adapted from Vegetable of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 450g sugar snap peas, trimmed
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 tsp. black sesame seeds
• salt (optional)

Directions

1. Set up a steamer and steam the peas for 3 minutes.
2. Transfer peas to serving dish.
3. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
4. Add a little salt (if desired).
5. Serve hot or room temperature.

The Kidlet was having a friend over for dinner the other day and I wasn't sure what they liked, so I tried to play it safe with this chicken pot pie. I hoped it would be a fairly... unintimidating dish without any overly strong flavours or unusual ingredients. The Kidlet certainly liked it! I may need to work on dailing things in with the friend a bit, but it was a decent start.

In theory this is meant to make one 9" pie. In practice, I ended up with more filling than would fit in a 9" pie plate, so I ended up making an additional 4 small pies by pouring the excess filling into ramekins and topping them with a bit of the extra pastry.

Chicken Pot Pie

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

Pastry

• 210g all-purpose flour
• 6 Tbsp. shortening or lard
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/3 c. cold water

Filling

• 1 c. sliced carrots
• 1 c. fresh or frozen peas
• 1 c. fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 500g skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 c. chicken stock
• 1/2 c. dry white wine
• 1/2 c. half-and-half (10% MF)
• 2 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 small egg
• 2 tsp. water

Directions

1. Cut the butter and shortening into the flour.
2. Mix in the water, 1 Tbsp. at a time, until the dough comes together.
3. Shape into a ball, wrap tightly, and chill for at least 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, cook the carrots in salted water until tender-crisp (~3 minutes).
5. If using fresh peas and corn, boil them for ~1 minute. If using frozen, just add them to the boiling water and then immediately remove from heat. Drainth eveggies and set aside.
6. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).
7. Melt the butter over medium heat.
8. Add the chicken, season to taste with salt and pepper, and cook until browned on all sides (8-10 minutes).
9. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened (2-4 minutes).
10. Add the flour and cook for another minute or two.
11. Pour in the broth, wine, cream, and parsley and bring to a simmer.
12. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.
13. Add the veggies and adjust seasoning to taste.
14. Pour the filling into a 23cm (9") deep dish pie plate. (You may have some extra.)
15. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface.
16. Beat the egg with the water and brush a little egg wash around the edges of the pastry, then place the pastry, egg-side-down, over the pie.
17. Press pastry to adhere and crimp edges.
18. Brush the top of the pie wiht more egg wash and cut one or more small holes or slits in the crust.
19. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 200°C (400°F) for ~30 minutes.

Corn and Pea Empanadas

These were a huge hit! TF and the Kidlet both loved them. (And I quite liked them too!)

They're a little lacking in protein, so you'll probably want some sort of meat or beans to go with it. They still make a great start to a meal though, even if they're not a complete package on their own.

The dough required a lot more water than specified to come together, but that wasn't a huge problem. Just something to be aware of. I've updated the recipe to reflect this.

Corn and Pean Empanadas

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

Dough

• 315g all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• ~3/4 c. water

Filling

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced (or a few slices of minced pickled jalapeño)
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 c. frozen corn, thawed
• 1/2 c. frozen peas, thawed
• 1/2 c. tomato sauce
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Sift the baking soda into the flour and mix in the salt and pepper.
2. Slowly mix in water, a bit at a time, until the mixture comes together into a soft dough. (You might need slightly more than 3/4 c., but be careful not to make the dough too wet!)
3. Shape the dough into a ball or log, wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, heat the oil over medium heat.
5. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook for 3-4 minutes.
6. Add the jalapeño and garlic and cook for another minute or two.
7. Add corn and peas and cook for ~5 minutes.
8. Add the tomato sauce and cook until mixture thickens slightly (~5 more minutes).
9. Remove from heat and stir in the cilantro.
10. Divide the dough into 16 roughly equal portions and shape each into a ball.
11. Working with one ball at a time, roll out into a circle on a lightly floured surface.
12. Mound 2-3 Tbsp. of filling onto the centre of the circle.
13. Fold the circle over and crimp the edges together. Wet the edges a little if necessary to get it to seal.
14. Repeat with remaining dough balls.
15. Heat some oil in a wok or deep fryer. (Aim for a temperature of ~180°C/350°F.)
16. Fry the empanadas 2-4 at a time (depending on the size of your fryer/wok) until golden-brown on both side, flipping once.
17. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
18. Serve as is or with salsa, sour cream, hot sauce, and/or guacamole.

Mutter, Methi, aur Palak ki Subzi (Green Pea, Fenugreek, and Spinach Curry)

I enjoyed the green on green on green on green aspect of this curry. I think, flavour-wise, there are other spinach curries that I like better (like the recent cabbage and green pea curry that TF made, for example), but all-in-all, this one was pretty good. And it let me try something new.

Mutter, Methi, aur Palak ki Subzi

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1-2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 slices ginger (~4cm x 2.5cm x 3mm), minced
• 450g fresh or frozen spinach, chopped
• 1 c. chopped fresh or frozen fenugreek leaves
• 4-6 fresh green Thai, finger, or serrano chiles, chopped
• 2 c. water
• 2 c. frozen green peas
• 1 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 c. half-and-half¹

Directions

1. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add the cumin and sizzle for ~15 seconds.
3. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and stir-fry until they've browned slightly (2-3 minutes).
4. Add the spinach, fenugreek, and chilies.
5. Cover the pan and cook until the greens have wilted (~5 minutes).
6. Add the water and bring to a boil.
7. Reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened (12-15 minutes).
8. Add the peas, cilantro, and salt, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until peas are thawed and heated through (~5 minutes).
9. Stir in the cream and simmer, uncovered, until warmed through (~5 minutes).
10. Serve with rice and/or flatbread along with at least one or two other curries.

¹ Iyer calls for heavy (35%) cream here, but also notes that you can omit it entirely and simply purée some of the greens instead². I decided to split the difference and use a 50:50 mix of milk and heavy cream. I find half-and-half (either commercially produced or made on the spot by mixing milk and cream) is usually an acceptable substitute for cream in most curries, so I make this swap whenever I can. ^Back
2 Use this method if you'd like to make the dish vegan. Alternatively, I think a little oat or coconut milk would work well too. ^Back

We don't have shrimp very often anymore since the Kidlet started having bad reactions to shellfish. But, I picked up some small shrimp on sale and decided to give this a go as a brunch thing for me and TF.

I really like this salad! It's a great combo of flavours, satisfying, and easy to make. I do think it would be nice with a few capers added, but it's really good as-is.

I didn't have any fresh dill, so I just used dry instead. It's not quite as aromatic and vibrant as fresh would have been, but it was still tasty and much more convenient this way. I also ended up using a mix of peas and corn since I was a bit short on peas. I think both work well in this salad. And, while I did use the sweet onion as prescribed by the recipe, I think that green onions would make a decent substitute if you don't happen to have any sweet onions on hand. Oh, and I also added an extra egg just because I thought the proportions looked better that way. I might even consider adding a sixth egg next time.

For a somewhat lighter option, I think that you could probably get away with swapping out up to half the mayo with plain Greek yogurt. Especially if you added a bit of extra salt and/or capers.

Shrimp, Potato, and Egg Salad

Slightly adapted from The Good Egg by Marie Simmons

Ingredients

• 450g small potatoes
• 340g cooked and peeled tiny shrimp (150-200/lb. size)
• 1 c. frozen green peas
• 1/2 c. frozen corn (optional)
• 5-6 hard-boiled eggs¹
• 1/2 c. mayonnaise
• 2-4 Tbsp. minced sweet onion
• 2 Tbsp. minced fresh dill (or 1 Tbsp. dried)
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp. capers (optional)
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt²
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• cherry tomatoes (optional)
• lettuce (optional)

Directions

1. Boil the potatoes until fork-tender (~20 minutes).
2. Place shrimp, peas, and corn (if using) in a colander in the sink and drain the potatoes into the colander. (The hot water will thaw the shrimp and veggies.)
3. Peel and dice the potatoes and the eggs.
4. Combine the potatoes, eggs, shrimp, peas, corn (if using), mayo, onion, dill, lemon juice, capers (if using), salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Stir to combine.
5. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
6. Serve as is or on a bed of lettuce with cherry tomatoes.

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¹ I actually just dropped the eggs into the pot with the potatoes to cook. I took them out after 12 minutes and let them sit in a bowl of cold water to cool down while the potatoes finished cooking. ^Back
2 Reduce or omit salt if using capers. ^Back

I was supposed to make a beef and pumpkin stew for dinner last night, but I forgot about it until mid-afternoon and by then it was too late to start it. I'm making that stew today instead, but, in the meantime, I needed to find something else for dinner last night. I ended up settling on this lamb and pea salad combo.

The recipe calls for eight lamb chops. It specifies how thick they should be cut, but not which part of the lamb they should be cut from. I'm used to "lamb chops" without further disambiguation meaning loin chops. And, conveniently, I had a bunch of thos in the freezer. I only had seven, not eight, but I figured that was close enough. It wasn't until this morning, when I happened to glance at the next page of the cookbook and saw the recipe photo that I realized they had been intending for this to be made with rib chops. Or maybe it doesn't matter and any sort of lamb chops will work fine! I'm not sure, but I can at least now vouch for the success of loin chops. They worked very well for this.

Grilled Lamb Chops with Pea Salad

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

Lamb

• zest of 1 lemon
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp. garlic paste
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 8 lamb chops (loin or rib, cut ~3cm thick)
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• pepper, to taste

Salad

• 3 c. peas (fresh or frozen)
• 2 Tbsp. fresh mint, minced
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 100g feta, crumbled
• pepper, to taste

Directions

Lamb

1. Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic paste, and olive oil and mix well.
2. Place the marinade in a shallow dish and add the lamb chops. Marinate for 30-60 minutes, turning halfway through.
3. Set up your grill for direct heat cooking and allow it to preheat for 5-10 minutes.
4. Season the lamb with salt and sear over direct heat for 3-5 minutes per side.
5. Once lamb is cooked to desired doneness, remove from heat, season to taste with black pepper, and let rest for ~5 minutes.

Salad

1. If using fresh peas, blanch them in salted water for a minute or two and then shock in cold water to stop cooking. For frozen peas, simply thaw and proceed with recipe.
2. Toss peas with mint and oil.
3. Just before serving, stir in the vinegar and feta.
4. Season to taste with black pepper and serve with lamb chops.

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.

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

This recipe was supposed to include pancetta, but I couldn't find any at the new grocery store that I've been going to, so I used diced smoked tofu crisped in a bit of bacon grease instead. It was pretty good, but I think next time I might add a few olives as well.

TF and I both like bucatini, but we agreed that it was a difficult shape for this dish. I would be inclined to try a short pasta next time. I think orecchiette would work quite well. Gemelli might also be good and it's not a shape I find myself using that often, so this recipe would be a nice excuse. And if neither of those can be found, then I think shells or cavitapi would do well here.

Photo goes here.

Bucatini with Peas and Kale

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country December/January 2021

Ingredients

• 2 tsp. bacon grease or olive oil
• 90g smoked tofu, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. lemon zest, divided
• 2 Tbsp. chopped green or kalamata olives (optional)
• 1/2 c. dry white wine
• 2 c. vegetable or chicken stock
• 2 1/2 c. water
• 450g dried pasta
• 1/2 c. panko breadcrumbs
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/2-3/4 c. Parmesan cheese, divided
• 140g kale, chopped
• 1 c. frozen peas

Directions

1. Melt the bacon grease over medium heat.
2. Add the tofu and cook, stirring occasionally, until crsip (~5 minutes).
3. Add the garlic, 2 tsp. of the lemon zest, and olives (if using) and cook for another 30 seconds or so.
4. Add the wine and cook until mostly evaporated (~3 minutes).
5. Add the chicken stock and water and bring to a boil.
6. Add the pasta and cook until molto al dente (8-10 minutes for bucatini).
7. Meanwhile, combine the breadcrumbs, olive oil, salt, and pepper and microwave on high in 20- or 30-second bursts, stirring between each one, until golden-brown (2-3 minutes).
8. Stir 1/4 c. of the Parmesan and the remaining 1 tsp. of lemon zest into the panko mixture and set aside.
9. Stir kale and peas into pasta and cook for another minute or two until pasta is desired doneness.
10. Add remaining Parmesan and stir vigorously for 30 seconds.
11. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper and serve topped with the panko mixture.