Fooding
Our first CSA box showed up yesterday. We ordered the Ugly But Yummy box, which is supposed to have fruits and veg that aren't grocery-store-perfect but are fine to eat, and the only things that didn't look absolutely pristine were the pears, which are a bit banged up.
We didn't get the tomatoes; apparently they ran out and instead substituted kiwi fruit. Now we have to think of something to do with kiwi, since neither of us is much for eating it plain. I found a kiwi salsa recipe that looked promising, except that we discovered that for once we don't actually have any jalapenos in the freezer.
We ate the carrots following a recipe in Deborah Madison'sHow to Cook Everything Vegetarian Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, which has been my go-to vegetable cooking book for years now. The carrots were so sweet, way more so than you usually get with grocery-store carrots.
What we'd change: We had to throw more cumin and coriander in it because they were invisible. I'd start with twice as many seeds to toast and grind. I'd also dump the zest because it as too limey. The olive oil was too assertive--I'd go for a neutral oil, and maybe less of it. The cilantro was invisible as well, so no point in bothering.
The Tex-Mex flavors were a bit discordant with the rest of our meal--I knew that going in--but a version with olive oil and lemon instead of lime would work well for a more Western European cuisine, I think.
We had the chicken with the carrots and rice. As I said above, the carrots were a bit discordant, but with lemon instead, they'd have worked. With the chicken, I think I'd use thyme instead of basil, as the sauce was distinctly redolent of pizza to me, but![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
myrialux didn't mind it.
As dessert we had the final pieces of a cake we'd made a few days ago. I'd dug up a book called The Joy of Chocolate that my dad gave me and Mom for Valentine's Day back in 1985 (and was completely confused as to why I'd be annoyed that I didn't get actual chocolate, and instead got something that meant work for me if I wanted chocolate).
This is the recipe I've made the most from it, because it's so simple. You mix everything up in the pan it's baked in.
It's a good cake--not too sweet. After 3 days it gets a little bit dry, but it's still good even at that point. Here's a photo:
As I said above, I've baked it throughout the years without marshmallows and they're not needed. Nice, but not necessary, so if you're stuck in the house with no marshmallows, you can dust it with powdered sugar, make your favorite frosting, or just eat it plain. It's quite versatile.
We didn't get the tomatoes; apparently they ran out and instead substituted kiwi fruit. Now we have to think of something to do with kiwi, since neither of us is much for eating it plain. I found a kiwi salsa recipe that looked promising, except that we discovered that for once we don't actually have any jalapenos in the freezer.
We ate the carrots following a recipe in Deborah Madison's
Grated Carrots with Lime-Cumin Vinaigrette About 6 servings
Shredded in the Cuisinart rather than properly grated because neither of us was willing to stand there and grate carrots. Also, this allowed us to skip the blanching-in-boiled-water step the recipe called for, which would soften the grated bits up some.
1 lb carrots, grated
Vinaigrette:
Makes about 1/2 cup
1 garlic clove
Salt
Zest of 2 limes (We had 1.5 limes)
2-3 Tb fresh lime or lemon juice to taste (We juiced all 1.5 limes)
2 Tb chopped scallion
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and minced (we discovered we had none so put in a bit of Bull Canyon chile powder)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/3 cup olive oil
2 Tb chopped cilantro (could not taste it; I expect it's fine to leave out)
I ignored all the instructions except for toasting the seeds and grinding them to a powder, and just threw everything in the blender because neither of us could even with mortar and pestle and mincing and chopping and whatnot.
And instead of using all of the vinaigrette, I used 4 Tb of it with the carrots because I didn't want to hide the carrots' flavor. If they weren't as good, I'd have used more of the dressing.
What we'd change: We had to throw more cumin and coriander in it because they were invisible. I'd start with twice as many seeds to toast and grind. I'd also dump the zest because it as too limey. The olive oil was too assertive--I'd go for a neutral oil, and maybe less of it. The cilantro was invisible as well, so no point in bothering.
The Tex-Mex flavors were a bit discordant with the rest of our meal--I knew that going in--but a version with olive oil and lemon instead of lime would work well for a more Western European cuisine, I think.
Garlic Lemon Chicken Breasts 4 servings
Another hybrid. I've had this crockpot chicken thigh recipe in my mind for a while, but of course completely forgot that we had chicken thighs in the freezer, so messed with it to make a quick pan-fried/braised version with chicken breasts.
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (we had a GIANT single breast that weighed a pound frozen separately, so I carefully sliced it parallel to the cutting board, and then each piece in half to make four thinner pieces roughly the same size.)
2.5 Tb butter (divided into 1.5 and 1 Tb)
3 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper
Scant teaspoon dried basil
About 1/3 of a lemon, zested
1 cup water, divided into 1/2c and 1/2c
1 generous tsp Better than Bouillon base (chicken, reduced sodium)
[if you don't have Better than Bouillon, just use 1 cup chicken broth or stock]
1.5 Tb white wine
1 Tb all purpose flour
The 1/3 of a lemon from above, juiced
Pat the chicken breasts dry with a paper towel, season with salt and pepper.
Melt 1.5 Tb butter in pan over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken breasts on one side--put them in, and just let them stick; don't touch them until they start to release from the pan on their own. You want a nice buildup of fond on the pan for flavor. Take them out of the pan and reserve on a plate for now.
Dump the garlic in and sautee until fragrant but not burned, usually 20-30 seconds. Add basil, lemon zest, 1/2 cup water, Better than Bouillon, and wine. If you're me, forget to reserve the lemon juice and dump it in along with everything else. Deglaze the pan.
Turn heat to medium or medium-low, depending on how powerful your stove is. Put chicken breasts back in, seared side up, along with any juices that have come out while they were sitting. Cover the pan and let cook until the chicken breasts are done to your taste, probably 5-7 minutes. (I usually take them out when the thermometer hits about 155°F-ish, as the temp will rise a little bit as they sit.)
Remove the chicken to a clean plate. Add the rest of the water (or chicken broth, if using), and whisk in the 1 Tb of flour until there are no flour lumps left. Bring to a boil and let reduce to your taste. Once done, turn the heat off and stir in the final 1 Tb of butter to finish the sauce. Put the chicken and any accumulated juices back in to warm up a tad, and serve.
We had the chicken with the carrots and rice. As I said above, the carrots were a bit discordant, but with lemon instead, they'd have worked. With the chicken, I think I'd use thyme instead of basil, as the sauce was distinctly redolent of pizza to me, but
myrialux didn't mind it.As dessert we had the final pieces of a cake we'd made a few days ago. I'd dug up a book called The Joy of Chocolate that my dad gave me and Mom for Valentine's Day back in 1985 (and was completely confused as to why I'd be annoyed that I didn't get actual chocolate, and instead got something that meant work for me if I wanted chocolate).
This is the recipe I've made the most from it, because it's so simple. You mix everything up in the pan it's baked in.
Craters of the Moon Cake 6-8 pieces
The recipe says it's great for kids, because you can watch the vinegar foam and bubble. The one child I showed it to wasn't impressed. I think she was expecting a volcano.
1.5 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar (it doesn't specify light or dark, or packed or loose. It doesn't really matter that much)
1 tsp salt
4 Tb cocoa powder
5 Tb butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1 Tb white vinegar
1 cup milk
2/3 cup mini marshmallows (I have discovered these are optional)
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Take a 9- or 10-inch cake pan, and put the flour, both sugars, salt, and cocoa right in it. Mix carefully. When you have stirred it very well, you will have light brown moon sand.
Take a spoon and make a big crater in the center so the bottom of the pan shows through. Make a medium-sized crater elsewhere, and a little crater on the other side. Spoon baking soda into the medium-sized crater.
Pour the melted butter into the large crater. Pour vanilla into the smallest crater. Pour the vinegar into the medium-sized crater and watch how it becomes a bubbling, foaming volcano (well, not a GIANT volcano...). When it stops foaming, pour the milk over everything and carefully mix it all together until it looks like smooth mud.
Scatter marshmallow 'rocks' over the surface.
Bake for around 35 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center comes out dry. Let the cake cool in the pan.
Cut portions of moon and serve directly from the baking dish.
It's a good cake--not too sweet. After 3 days it gets a little bit dry, but it's still good even at that point. Here's a photo:
As I said above, I've baked it throughout the years without marshmallows and they're not needed. Nice, but not necessary, so if you're stuck in the house with no marshmallows, you can dust it with powdered sugar, make your favorite frosting, or just eat it plain. It's quite versatile.
Did you conflate two different books?
Re: Did you conflate two different books?
Re: Did you conflate two different books?