recipes – Page 30 – The Kitchen Illiterate

Extra Spicy Mexican Black Bean Pasta

Black Bean Pasta

I found this recipe on Epicurious a few years ago, and for awhile there it was a staple. Since I started this here blog, though, and have been attempting ever fancier dinners, it’s disappeared. The number of cans involved made me feel like it was just not appropriate for sharing, despite the fact that it’s really, really tasty. Yesterday I got a craving, though, and this neglected recipe called to me from the back of my recipe folder: “Eat me!” it cried. “Share me with the world!”

“Fine,” I replied, “but I’m going to fancy you up a bit.” To be honest, I didn’t fancy it up too much, and I’m sure there are better ways than those I devised. Mostly what I did was make it wayyy spicier. Which I love, but I think it brought my housemates to a sweat. Hey–if you’re going to go Mexican, don’t wuss out on the heat. Take it like a man! Or…something.

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Polenta with Pan Roasted Asparagus and Truffled Eggs

Eggs and Asparagus

You know you’ve found some good food writing when the first thing you read causes you to rush home and re-make their meal in your own kitchen. I’m not sure how I missed A Chicken in Every Granny Cart before, but on initial reading I love it. I like the pictures of the city mixed in with food stuffs, and the silly titles, and the general observations of things. And I looooved the idea for asparagus, polenta, and truffled fried eggs. Yum.

Of course, I didn’t have truffle salt, but only truffle oil. And I never made polenta before in my life. In fact, I’ve never had polenta before, at all. I’ve never even seen it. So whether mine turned out right is still a complete mystery to me. It was edible. I thought it was good. Was it proper polenta? I have no clue. Oh, and also? I’m crap at frying eggs. But truffle oil has the ability to make everything wonderful. Everything.

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Further Forays into Wokitude: Sweet and Sour Chicken

Pineapples anyone?

After the initial swoons over my newly acquired wok, I kind of left it alone and untouched in the pantry for the past few months. What happened to my burning passion to perfect Chinese food? Like many burning passions, it was sudden and powerful and died a young death. Until last night. I had spent some time perusing my own archives, in a fit of vanity, and also to remember what some of the favorites were, when that old spark came back–the wok spark. And back I went to the myriad poorly designed Chinese cooking websites to discover a new recipe.

I was torn between General Tsao’s chicken, a Crystal favorite, and Sweet and Sour chicken, which seemed easier, and laziness won out. I ended up cobbling together two different recipes, and I didn’t fry the chicken, they way it’s usually done in take out joints, because I’ve been eating enough excess fats these days. But I have to say I impressed myself with its take out joint verisimilitude. And no, it’s not bright red. Because you know how they get it bright red? Food coloring.

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Creamy Cannellini and Asparagus Pasta

Talk about comfort food!

A few months ago I found out my cousin Crimson, goofball extraordinaire and the only other one of my family out here on the east coast, also enjoys spending some time in the kitchen. Apparently she’s even been making some diy cooking shows which she has yet to post on the youtube. I think she should do that soon, because I’m sure they are beyond entertaining. I asked her to share a recipe that she cooks regularly, feeling a lot like a 1950s housewife sharing casserole recipes over the back fence. Except we shared over email. And it’s not a casserole recipe. And we’re neither of us housewives, though I’m getting really good at pretending I am.

Of course I changed it around just a little bit, because that’s what I do, but this was every bit as tasty as she claimed. I’m not sure I could eat it every week, like she does, because my arse would expand exponentially, but it was a hearty dinner that made everyone in the household happy, and I suspect it will make you happy, too, if you care to try it out yourself.

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Angel Hair with Scallops and Arugula

What do I do after a week of bad kitchen experiments? Cook something I’ve never made before, preferably something with a high chance of failure! Because I’m crazy like that. Not only had I never cooked scallops before, I’d never even eaten them, and thus had no idea what they were supposed to be like. Miraculously, they turned out, according to Mr. X, “perfectly.” Maybe I’m not such a kitchen klutz after all.

I’d been wanting to try scallops for awhile, in my eternal quest to always be cooking things i’ve never had before. I saw this recipe in the Williams-Sonoma Pasta cookbook and I thought the blend of ingredients sounded interesting–pine nuts, capers, arugula, lemon. It looked relatively easy, but still elegant and impressive. Which is exactly what it is. This would be an awesome first date dinner, and would guarantee at least some smooches.

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Pizza Chronicles, Part Four: Bad dough, but a good idea for leftovers

This is not my pizza dough

This has not been the greatest of all possible weeks in the kitchen. Sure, the swordfish kebabs were good, but could there be an easier dinner preparation? I didn’t even skewer the swordfish myself! I blame the stress–I spent most of the week worry about about how I am going to fund my graduate school education, and felt in no mood for cooking. And we had so many leftovers, what with Friday’s chicken cacciatore and Sunday’s tacos, it seemed wasteful to cook. I spent most of Monday trying to figure out what to do with the leftover chicken cacciatore, and suddenly, lightbulbs, brilliant idea! Put it on a pizza!

I maintain that this was a brilliant idea. It made an excellent pizza topping, even if I did have too much of it. But something atrocious happened with my pizza dough, and I am STILL mystified. I used the Giada recipe from a few months ago, which worked just fine then. Perhaps my measuring skills were a little more casual this time around, but I know they weren’t so far off as to have produced…what they produced.

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Buying fish the totally easy way: Swordfish Kebabs

Swordfish is delicious

When Crystal and I were at the Roche buying taco supplies, we saw the most glorious looking swordfish kebabs at the fish counter, and we had to have them. It seems a little silly posting about about this, because I kind of feel like there wasn’t too much cooking involved, but it was so delicious I have to.

I’m still teaching myself to like fish, and the more steaky things like tuna and swordfish are big favorites. Too bad they are so expensive (four of these kebabs cost us $20!). I will have to give up delicious things like this when I’m a poor student. I was also completely drawn in by skewered meat: We ate a ton of kebabs when I was growing up, but it’s something I never make anymore. That might have to change this summer.

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Brax’s Tacs, or: Crystal cooks!

Tacos and beans Every now and then, Crystal gets the impulse to cook, and I take full advantage. She usually pulls out a family recipe, and impresses me with the most Americanized Mexican food I’ve ever had. Canned gravy in the enchiladas. A casserole loaded with ground beef and cornmeal. And these totally delicious tacos, which are called Brax’s Tacs in the Combs family, after her grandfather, Braxton.

The tacos my father made growing up were messy and complicated time suckers that I have yet to have the inspiration to try on my own. I don’t remember the last time he made them, but I do remember that even when I was in school, he would usually refuse to get involved with all that hot oil. The Combs family tacos, on the other, while certainly time consuming, don’t frighten me with deep frying, and I suspect that long after Crystal’s gone away to Spain and then started up her spa in Napa, no matter where I live, I’ll be making tacos like these.

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Chicken Cacciatore: Rich People Food?

Chicken Cacciatore

When I was a kid, chicken cacciatore seemed to my mind the epitome of elegant dining. I have no idea why. My mom never made chicken cacciatore. I don’t ever remember eating chicken cacciatore at friends’ houses. I think the only time I had it might have been on an airplane, and I can’t imagine that airplane food circa 1986 would have led me to perceive that this was glamour food. All I know is that when I pretended I was rich and famous, chicken cacciatore was what I imagined eating.

I never translated this chicken cacciatore daydream into reality, probably because I forgot all about it, until I was flipping through Giada’s cookbook (yes, again), where she offers an excellent looking cacciatore recipe. Cacciatore means “hunter’s style,” but I’m not entirely sure why. Elise speculates that if a hunter was unsuccessful, his wife would have to kill a chicken for dinner from their henhouse. Chicken cacciatore is just chicken braised in a tomato-based sauce, which sounds kind of boring and not easily distinguishable from other chicken dishes. But somehow this simple dish of common ingredients ended up being something memorable and distinctive. Ahh, the magic of cooking. Or something.

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Another Mushroom Ragu

Mushroom Ragu Number Two

A few months ago I made this out of control rich and delicious mushroom ragu and intended to make it again, many many times. I think I even said I would attempt to make the gnocchi that went with it from scratch. Needless to say, that hasn’t happened yet. And I wouldn’t want to bore my guests here by making the same thing over and over again, so that particular mushroom ragu hasn’t made a repeat appearance.

But I did see this particular mushroom ragu in, yes, Giada’s Everyday Italian. I told you I’m getting obsessive. Though I’ve noticed this cookbook thing is becoming something of a pattern. At the beginning of the week it’s as though I subconsciously pick one cookbook from which I cook all week. This week was Giada’s turn. Maybe next week will be Middle Eastern week.

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