And greasy Joan doth keel the pot
Nov. 6th, 2009 10:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pameladeanI'm planning one more post on how the revision of the book is coming, and then I will stop babbling at you guys for a while and get back to work.
I didn't do a great deal of cooking over the summer, even though it was much cooler than usual and I could perfectly well have cooked in comfort. But as the fall approached, I did considerably more, and I wanted to record the essentials of it.
Eric and I like to cook on our dates. We are working on a vegan vegetable soup that does not use a tomato-based stock. The first result was interesting but rather difficult to deal with, especially since cookbooks are not joking when they say that tarragon is pervasive. It becomes more so in the leftovers. The second attempt was far better. Both Eric and Raphael liked it better than I did; it still tasted thin to me. We have theories, however. Eric and I also made red-cooked shrimp and a simple stir fry of bell peppers, summer squash, mushrooms, and spinach for everybody in the household, and those were a great success.
On my own, cooking just for Raphael and me, I have made:
Fish chowder, using soy milk instead of cream. I invented this several years ago, and it's amazingly good.
Vegan lasagna, using whole-wheat noodles, an evolving sauce that I make at home because it's cheaper than jarred sauce, soy crumbles, soy mozzarella, and usually spinach and mushrooms, although various other vegetables have been pressed into service as well. The sausage-style soy crumbles cost more than the regular, so I need to remember to buy regular and just add some fennel, sage, and red pepper. I also need a bigger pan. I'm pleased to have finally gotten down a recipe using whole-wheat noodles that does not involve cooking the noodles first.
Black-eyed peas with kale. I've been vaguely dissatisfied with this recipe for some time, though Eric and Raphael like it, but I made it in a cast-iron skillet and caramelized the onions. I'm usually too impatient to do that, but I was making whole-wheat biscuits at the same time, which meant I didn't want the pea dish to be done too early; and also caramelizing the onions without burning them is easier in cast iron. It really transformed the dish.
Seitan stew, or, if seitan is in short supply, seitan and tofu stew. This is basically a standard beef stew recipe with seitan -- onion, garlic, potatoes, carrots, celery, and a rotating set of herbs and spices that always includes black pepper, sage, paprika, and bay leaf. I use brown rice flour to thicken it because, at least for me, it lumps up less than wheat flour. I put broccoli in the last batch, with some trepidation, and it was very good.
Fish paella. Eric and I made this for the household too, with steamed broccoli on the side, and some rolls, I think. This is actually a vegetable paella dish from David's and my Spanish cookbook, modified to use fish instead. The actual fish and seafood ones are too confusing for an ordinary dinner. I have used tilapia, cod, and polluck for the fish. Tilapia works best, but the others are fine.
Thai green curry tofu. The recipe is for shrimp and tofu, but shrimp is pricy. Eric and I made it for a dinner chez![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
minnehaha, and B. remarked that one didn't actually need the shrimp, the sauce was so flavorful.
Penne pasta with tomatoes, spinach, and sheep's-milk feta. The feta is expensive, but I got some on sale recently for less than the cost of soy cheese. This dish is easy and extremely tasty. You just slice a couple of onions and some garlic and fry them gently in olive oil while the water boils for the pasta. Add some crushed red pepper and basil leaves if you like, or whatever other herbs you like in tomato-based dishes. Add a large can of diced tomatoes. When the water boils for the pasta, put the spinach in with the tomatoes and onions. When the pasta is cooked, drain it and add a 7-oz package of sheep's-milk feta, tossing until the cheese is more or less evenly distributed. Add the tomato-spinach mixture, mix thoroughly, try to leave some leftovers. I use whole-wheat pasta, but I guess you don't have to.
I'm sure there's more, but that's what has come to mind for now.
Pamela
I didn't do a great deal of cooking over the summer, even though it was much cooler than usual and I could perfectly well have cooked in comfort. But as the fall approached, I did considerably more, and I wanted to record the essentials of it.
Eric and I like to cook on our dates. We are working on a vegan vegetable soup that does not use a tomato-based stock. The first result was interesting but rather difficult to deal with, especially since cookbooks are not joking when they say that tarragon is pervasive. It becomes more so in the leftovers. The second attempt was far better. Both Eric and Raphael liked it better than I did; it still tasted thin to me. We have theories, however. Eric and I also made red-cooked shrimp and a simple stir fry of bell peppers, summer squash, mushrooms, and spinach for everybody in the household, and those were a great success.
On my own, cooking just for Raphael and me, I have made:
Fish chowder, using soy milk instead of cream. I invented this several years ago, and it's amazingly good.
Vegan lasagna, using whole-wheat noodles, an evolving sauce that I make at home because it's cheaper than jarred sauce, soy crumbles, soy mozzarella, and usually spinach and mushrooms, although various other vegetables have been pressed into service as well. The sausage-style soy crumbles cost more than the regular, so I need to remember to buy regular and just add some fennel, sage, and red pepper. I also need a bigger pan. I'm pleased to have finally gotten down a recipe using whole-wheat noodles that does not involve cooking the noodles first.
Black-eyed peas with kale. I've been vaguely dissatisfied with this recipe for some time, though Eric and Raphael like it, but I made it in a cast-iron skillet and caramelized the onions. I'm usually too impatient to do that, but I was making whole-wheat biscuits at the same time, which meant I didn't want the pea dish to be done too early; and also caramelizing the onions without burning them is easier in cast iron. It really transformed the dish.
Seitan stew, or, if seitan is in short supply, seitan and tofu stew. This is basically a standard beef stew recipe with seitan -- onion, garlic, potatoes, carrots, celery, and a rotating set of herbs and spices that always includes black pepper, sage, paprika, and bay leaf. I use brown rice flour to thicken it because, at least for me, it lumps up less than wheat flour. I put broccoli in the last batch, with some trepidation, and it was very good.
Fish paella. Eric and I made this for the household too, with steamed broccoli on the side, and some rolls, I think. This is actually a vegetable paella dish from David's and my Spanish cookbook, modified to use fish instead. The actual fish and seafood ones are too confusing for an ordinary dinner. I have used tilapia, cod, and polluck for the fish. Tilapia works best, but the others are fine.
Thai green curry tofu. The recipe is for shrimp and tofu, but shrimp is pricy. Eric and I made it for a dinner chez
minnehaha, and B. remarked that one didn't actually need the shrimp, the sauce was so flavorful.Penne pasta with tomatoes, spinach, and sheep's-milk feta. The feta is expensive, but I got some on sale recently for less than the cost of soy cheese. This dish is easy and extremely tasty. You just slice a couple of onions and some garlic and fry them gently in olive oil while the water boils for the pasta. Add some crushed red pepper and basil leaves if you like, or whatever other herbs you like in tomato-based dishes. Add a large can of diced tomatoes. When the water boils for the pasta, put the spinach in with the tomatoes and onions. When the pasta is cooked, drain it and add a 7-oz package of sheep's-milk feta, tossing until the cheese is more or less evenly distributed. Add the tomato-spinach mixture, mix thoroughly, try to leave some leftovers. I use whole-wheat pasta, but I guess you don't have to.
I'm sure there's more, but that's what has come to mind for now.
Pamela
