taste. enjoy. repeat.
Who doesn’t love Ree, the Pioneer Woman?
Pasta with Pancetta and Leeks
Follow the link for recipe.
Thanks to The Pioneer Woman
I’m Filipino American but I have to admit, I’m fairly ignorant about the wide array of dishes across the different regions of the Philippines. I was pleasantly surprised to find a braised pork dished called “Humba” that incorporates palm sugar, soy, salted black beans, and star anise - clearly influenced by Chinese cuisine - into a complexly layered glaze.
You can get the recipe at Rasa Malaysia. Really looking forward to making this dish!
Dear Vegetarian Friends,
For you.
With love,
Gustadora, the Carnivora
This week’s episode: DIY BBQ Part 2: Homemade Veggie Burgers & Potato Salad
It’s a little embarrassing to admit this: for over 10 years, I was a vegetarian, and I never even considered making my own veggie burgers. I don’t know why. I remember living mainly on salads, pasta, and black beans.
Maybe it’s because every veggie burger I tried was either a passable-at-best meat substitute from the freezer aisle, or some strange and unhealthy concoction pasted together by a well-meaning chef. I remember one veggie burger in particular that had a strangely soft texture. The reason? The chef made it by ‘soaking’ chunks of stale bread in an entire jar of mayo overnight, then mixing in a bag of frozen peas, carrots, and corn and deep-frying the whole thing. I was fairly horrified.
Luckily, I have Brendan, and although he’s never been a vegetarian himself, his veggie burger recipe is hands-down the best veggie burger I’ve ever eaten. His secret: fresh roasted vegetables. Seriously, that’s it. No fake veggie protein, no weird filler, and absolutely no jar of mayo.
This recipe is great for vegans, but you can add an egg to help hold the burgers together. I made more veggie burgers for a BBQ a couple of weeks ago using leftover Thai black rice from some take out and spiced them up by adding in 1 tablespoon of adobo sauce. I have a feeling they’d also be good with some minced smoked tofu mixed into the bean and rice base.
And like Brendan says, if you’re not a vegetarian, top these babies with a nice, thick slice of slab bacon. Chances are, you won’t even miss the beef.
Recreation of the Bone Marrow Dish at The Purple Pig.
The Purple Pig 500 N Michigan Ave. 312-464-1744
“One of the dishes I had was the bone marrow. It had such intense beautiful flavors. But they serve it to you still in the bone, and give you a small seafood-type fork. Something about digging this gelatinous texture out of a bone makes me a little uncomfortable. I would prefer if it were served already on a crostini, ready to eat. I decided to recreate this dish to take on the challenge of making a bone visually appetizing. I thought a warm earthy color palette would really help. The toastiness of the crostini highlights these colors, so it appears warm and crunchy. Also, I deliberately left some meat residue on the bone to give it more taste appeal. ”
via Stephen Hamilton.
This sounds delicious!
Spiced Kabocha Squash Soup
Chef Joshua Linton, aja, 660 N. State Street
Spiced Kabocha Squash Soup (4 servings)
For The Spice Blend:
- 1ea cinnamon, ground
- ½ tsp. mace, ground
- ¼ tsp. turmeric, ground
- ½ tsp. tellicherry peppercorns, ground
- ¼ tsp. smoked paprika, ground
- 2ea. cloves, ground
- 2ea. allspice, ground
- ¼ tsp. fenugreek, ground
- 2 tbsp. guajillo chile, ground
- 1 tbsp Kosher Salt
-Grind all together.
For the Soup:A:
- 1 oz Grapeseed Oil
- 1c Onion, Small diced
- 3ea Garlic cloves, smashed
- 1Tbsp Ginger, Chopped
- 2Tbsp Cilantro Stems, Chopped
- 1Tbsp Green Chile, Chopped
B:
- 1qt Kabocha Squash, Peeled, diced
- 12oz Coconut Milk
- 1 ½ qt Aromatic Chicken Broth
C:
- 3 Tbsp Maple Syrup, Grade B
- 1ea Lime Juice (1 lime)
- 1 Tbsp Kosher Salt
For The Dish: Heat Oil in a Large Heavy bottom Sauce pot. Sweat A in oil until translucent. Add Spice blend and toast thoroughly in oil. Be sure to scrape from the bottom of the pot to prevent burning. Add B, simmer until squash is tender. Puree entire contents in blender until very smooth. Season and adjust with C. Enjoy!
“Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.” - Groucho Marx
Buckwheat Banana Mini Muffins with Pepitos
1 1/4 cups buckwheat pancake/waffle mix
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
4 very ripe bananas, mashed
2 sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
3/4 cup turbinado sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup lightly toasted unsalted pepitos (green pumpkin seeds)
5 dozen mini cupcake liners
Preheat oven to 350 F with rack at middle position.
In a large bowl, gently buckwheat flour, all purpose flour, salt and both sugars. In a separate bowl, mix butter, eggs and vanilla extract until well blended. Slowly incorporate dry ingredients into moist ingredients using a low speed on your mixer. Mix for about two minutes.
Fill each tin to about 3/4 level. Sprinkle generous amount of pepitos into each muffin.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes.
Devour warm muffins with a cup of French Roast coffee.
