Category: recipes

Parents for all recipe categories

Finally, Arroz con Pollo

I have been thinking about Arroz con Pollo all week, but the madness of the end of the semester has kept me out of the kitchen. I have been subsisting on bad take out sandwiches, jarred spaghetti sauce, and Boboli. Well, tonight I decided that I’ve been out of the kitchen too long. I took a break from my frantic preparations for my presentation tomorrow to finally put together the dinner I’ve been dreaming of since I watched Jorge Ayala beat Bobby Flay’s ass on Throwdown with his delectable-looking Arroz con Pollo.

I’m not sure my version is anywhere near Ayala’s, but I’m pretty satisfied. The texture ended up more creamy and risotto-like than I expected, but is that ever a bad thing? I realized when I was cleaning up and putting away leftovers that I forgot to add the crushed tomatoes, but I don’t think the flavor was lacking anything for that. And I’ve discovered that adobo seasoning may be one of my new kitchen favorites. The only thing that pushed this a little toward the not-so-favorite dinners is that I’m not a huge fan of chicken thighs. I don’t know why I don’t just realize that once and for all and stop cooking them. I think using bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts rather than thighs would have made this just that much more awesome.

Continue reading Finally, Arroz con Pollo

Shrimp and Red Pepper Carbonara; or, What’s the big deal about carbonara, anyway?

Shrimp and Red Pepper Carbonara

I tried to make fettuccini carbonara last year for Mr. X, and the result: scrambled egg pasta. I tried to make a very similar Chinese noodle dish a few weeks ago, and the result? Scrambled egg pasta. I have been having a hard time getting this egg sauce thing down, but this week, I believe I finally perfected it. I decided to jump in there and give it another go, and hey! No scrambled egg pasta! However, I did find myself wondering, What is the big deal about carbonara, anyway? I mean, it was good, sure, but was expecting transcendent, and it was not that.

That’s not to say it wasn’t good, and if you like carbonara generally, I’m willing to bit that you would really like this version, with shrimp and blackened red peppers and, of course, bacon.

Continue reading Shrimp and Red Pepper Carbonara; or, What’s the big deal about carbonara, anyway?

Spring Risotto with Gremolata

Spring Risotto

Boston is finally showing signs that spring might appear sometime soon. The trees are budding, the crocuses are blooming, and last Thursday the temperatures hit 72 degrees and I got to leave the house without a coat. The first warm days of the year fill me with a kind of joy I can barely express. I feel instantly lighter. Boston winters are HARD, especially for a wimpy California girl like myself, and I sometimes forget that they’re ever going to end. That first day of sunshine and light breezes gives me hope, and although I know it’s not quite over yet, that winter doesn’t truly end in Boston until mid-May, a 65 degree day here and there is like getting a little gift.

I celebrated the first warm day of the year last Thursday by making an excellent fresh vegetable and herb risotto. I adapted the recipe from something I saw in a recent Bon Appetit: a spring pasta full of vegetables and topped with a blend of parsley and lemon. I thought instantly it would make a great risotto. So I opened up the windows, put some music on, poured myself a glass of wine, and set about making the first risotto I’ve made in months.

Continue reading Spring Risotto with Gremolata

Southwestern Tofu Scramble

Tofu Scramble

I’m not always a big fan of tofu. The texture can be kind of funny, and if you aren’t liberal with the seasonings, you pretty much have a plate of bland. But I came across this recipe a few weeks ago and felt  drawn to it, probably because I am drawn to anything that has the word Southwestern in its title. And I liked it so much that I actually made it twice in two weeks, which is something that just does not happen in this kitchen, as Miss Crystal can well attest.

I will admit, however, that the first time I made it I changed it up a bit, and the second time, I followed the recipe pretty exactly. And frankly, it was a little bit disappointing the second time, even with the addition of homemade quacamole. I don’t know what I was thinking, fiddling with something that was so perfect the first time around, but you can bet I’ve learned my lesson, and I’m here to provide you with the altered and (to my mind) perfected version. Aren’t I just so kind and generous? (Ha!)

Continue reading Southwestern Tofu Scramble

I’m talking about some savory bread pudding

I promised it, and here it is: Spinach and Mushroom Bread Pudding. And it was just as awesome as I thought it would be. Of course, someone at work pointed out to me that it’s pretty much strata, so all my excitement about the crazy innovation of making a savory bread pudding was kind of depleted. But my excitement about eating it was not. Strata, bread pudding, who cares? It is delicious.

I want to experiment with other additions: different vegetables, different bread, different herbs and spices. Maybe some meat (I’m telling you, everything is better with sausage). The basic recipe can be a great blank slate for all kinds of wildness. I am thrilled with the possibilities, and for once, I’m actually kind of happy that we still have some cold weather ahead, because this puppy requires the oven to be on for over an hour, and that’s just not a good thing in August.

Continue reading I’m talking about some savory bread pudding

Jambalaya Pasta; or, Everything is Awesome with Sausage

Jambalaya Pasta

When I first started getting into the cooking, I felt a bit of a fondness for Rachel Ray. Her recipes were always easy and creative, and I had a crush on her yellow and green 30-Minute Meals kitchen. But after awhile her overwhelming enthusiasm for pretty much everything started to grate on me. And as I started learning more about food and cooking techniques, I noticed that she occasionally does things to food that aren’t in its best interests. And THEN all of her pre-cut and packaged food started to REALLY grate on me and I haven’t been able to watch since.

But Sunday night, as I perused various cooking websites trying to plan my meals for the week before hitting the market, I came across a recipe that sounded intriguing: a cross between jambalaya and pasta. Yes, it was a Rachel Ray recipe, and I’m sorry but I can’t bring myself to call it what she calls it: Jambasta. No, I will not call anything in my kitchen Jambasta. I will, however, make this in my kitchen again, because it is pretty darn good.

Continue reading Jambalaya Pasta; or, Everything is Awesome with Sausage

Roasted Butternut Squash and Chickpea Salad

Roasted Butternut Squash and Chickpea Salad

Last week was by far the craziest, busiest week I’ve experienced in grad school. But though I couldn’t find time to share my culinary endeavors here, I was, in fact, endeavoring (er?). And one of those endeavors involved some roasted butternut squash. I saw a recipe for this butternut squash salad on Orangette months ago, and while she may not have been able to hold out for winter to make it, I somehow managed to hold out until winter was almost over (at least, I hope winter is almost over). And honestly, I think this salad is more springy than wintery anyway. Sure, there’s roasted squash in there, but the lemony tahini dressing and the cilantro give this hearty salad a bright, summery taste. Perfect for bridging these last few months of cold, grey Boston.

Continue reading Roasted Butternut Squash and Chickpea Salad

The way a carne asada is meant to be

Alright, it might not look that appealing to you, but when I saw this picture I was instantly filled with longing for home, and for carne asada burritos the way they’re meant to be eaten. Leave out that stinkin’ rice. Lettuce? Bah, that’s for rabbits. A truly delicious carne asada burrito has nothing but meat, guac, and salsa. And I am so, so homesick for delicious, San Diego-style Mexican food.

Curried Lentil Stew is Not Photogenic

A cup of red lentils

Why is vegetarian food often so unattractive and difficult to photograph? All the vegetables and grains look so beautiful before they’re cooked, but inevitably the outcome is monochromatic mush, and no matter how good it tastes, it refuses to look lovely on film or even to look that appealing in my bowl. Which is a shame. Because this Curried Lentil Stew, which I found at Everybody Likes Sandwiches, is freaking delicious, but I have a feeling that meat-eating manly men like Mr. X would take one look at it and flee. Kale? Mushy lentils? Rice? Noooooo!!!

Well whatever, then, more for me. A lot more for me: This recipe could feed 10 people. It would be a great thing to make before a week when you know you’re going to be really busy, so you could just subsist on this huge bowl of healthy lentils rather than resorting to take out or something horrifically full of sodium and preservatives. In fact, I suspect that I will in future do just that, and I wish I could send a big bowl of it to Miss Crystal in Spain before her next round of finals.

Continue reading Curried Lentil Stew is Not Photogenic

Semolina Wheat Bread

Semolina Wheat Bread on my new cutting board

Baking bread is one of those things that is really hard to find time to do when you’re in grad school. I am very rarely home for more than two hours at a time, and even the famed No-Knead bread requires some pretty tricky timing maneuvers. So, since I’m on spring break this week and have all kinds of time, instead of buying a fresh loaf of bread for my morning toast-and-peanut-butter breakfasts, I decided to bake myself up a loaf of something tasty. Well, something hopefully tasty. My skills with all things dough-related tend to vary widely, but yesterday I was up for a gamble. And thankfully, despite the fact that the dough was a pain in the arse and the bottom of the loaf stuck to the pan and tore clean off despite having oiled said pan, this bread is something of a triumph.

I first got the idea of using semolina flour bread from Panera, actually. When I was in San Diego at Christmas, I went to Panera for the first time so my mom and I could buy bread for dinner. I was immediately intrigued by their semolina loaf, so we bought it, and were not disappointed. The texture was perfectly grainy and the flavor was just a little different, and a lot delicious. Ever since then, semolina bread has been in the back of my mind, but the aforementioned grad school responsibilities kept me from semolina experimentation. But isn’t that what spring break is for?

Continue reading Semolina Wheat Bread