Category: Cook

Used up some items in the fridge and freezer, cooked up multiple meals: Braised radish and turnip greens with baby turnips, apple, …and ham shank; Kidney beans, mirepoix, …and ham shank, with (to-be-revived) polenta. There’s still more ham shank in the freezer.

Thanked a cutting board for its long service then tossed it. I should’ve done this a long time ago when the cracks appeared, but we have a history together going back 50+ years. Two replacement boards, one plastic, one teak, maintained a respectful distance.

Initially, I felt my pot pie was being disrespected when Dwight suggested I could toss in some carrots “going limp” in the fridge. The carrots turned out to be OK, so in they went. I have to admit, bakes are convenient for using up ingredients that may not look their best, solo, on the plate.

When Dwight was in his working years, I liked to welcome him home to weeknight meals that had an illusion of complexity. Tonight we had one of those quick weeknight meals. Rice from the rice cooker with veggies and tilapia cooked in a broth of coconut milk (from a can) with Thai curry paste (from… Continue reading Fast Food

It’s Sausage Saturday, its a warm day, it’s time for our first barbecue of 2022. I picked up the bacon brats at the local farmers market. We also barbecued (in foil) cabbage with soy sauce, butter, and garlic, and carrots with olives and olive oil.

I love my Zoji, Japan’s leading rice cooker brand. Fuzzy logic and induction heating produce great rice. However, the fuzzy logic doesn’t detect the type of rice and I forgot to change the setting from (short-grain) brown to sushi. It was edible, but rather aggressively cooked.

It always seems like a special occasion when we have paella. Made veggie paella for no particular reason. I’m still working on getting a good socarrat (deep fond), but this one tasted pretty good and delaminated from the pan nicely. Recipe.

The things I wish I’d known when I was young; e.g., Spam musubi is good. Fry Spam slices, coat with shoyu/mirin/brown sugar glaze.Stack in a musubi mold (or Spam can lined with plastic wrap): —Spam slice—Sushi rice mixed with a few drops of vinegar —Optional furikakeWrap with nori.

The things I wish I’d known when I was young; e.g. sauté mushrooms in a mono-layer, don’t be afraid of heat, and deglaze the pan with wine. And so much still to learn: I’ve yet to master the pan flip; Dwight can do it, but I’m afraid of sending the meal across the kitchen.