So-Called Recipes: Judge for Yourself!

I haven't added a new post in a week's time. The last few meals have been forgettable, and I must say that I miss meats. I don't miss eating them, but I do miss cooking with chicken, fish, or beef.

Even my failsafe meal is a chicken, red pepper, and broccoli stir-fry with rice - no special tricks, just what it sounds like - and it's not quite the same without the chicken. You don't get the light gravy / sauce when you add a cornstarch solution, for instance .. \:

Ah well. I suppose that it wouldn't be worth doing, were it easy. I continually tell myself that this vegetarianism will do me good: I'll pick up new culinary tricks, and in time I will become a better cook after a year's length of cooking with constraints.

But now? Woe is me .. or woe are my flatmates, who have agreed to eat my experiments. So far they seem to genuinely like my meals, or at least do a wonderful job of hiding their displeasure.

So-called Recipe #1: Curry Noodles

Ingredients:
angel-hair pasta,
1 medium jalapeno pepper,
3 tsp curry powder, 2 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp thyme,
2 tsp honey,
olive oil or other cooking oil,
salt, water, cornstarch,
innards of green bell peppers (rest to be used later),
leftover mango preserves from last week's scallion pancake debacle.

Steps: Self-explanatory. Finely dice the bell pepper and jalapeno, then saute them first in a small saucepan. Coat them with all the spices and let the mixture smoke a little (but not burn!). Then add water, beware the sizzle, and mix well while slowly adding honey.

When mixture begins to simmer, mix a cornstarch solution and add half to the pot. Lower the heat and stir into a nice gravy, then add mango preserves and water. Let simmer again, and add remaining cornstarch.

One last simmer and it's ready: serve with drained angel-hair pasta.

Motivation: Nothing too revolutionary, but there seems a surprising lack of sweet-and-spicy foods out there. The fruit and honey should offset the curry and jalapeno sufficiently, without sacrificing either flavor.

This might work rather well as a meatless dish; chicken or beef might confuse the juxtaposition. Better to keep it simple, noodles and sauce, to determine whether this is a good balance or not.

Retrospective Alternatives: Instead of toasted almonds, crushed peanuts would be fine. Finely chopped scallions or cilantro on top wouldn't be bad, either. After all, you can never have enough cilantro. (;

So-called Recipe #2: Not-Quite-a-Murakami Salad

Ingredients:
1 peeled cucumber, 3 Roma tomatoes, 1 bunch red seedless grapes,
sesame oil, olive oil, rice vinegar, red pepper flakes, sesame seeds

Steps: Even more self-explanatory. Cut cucumber into discs along the long side, then quarter discs. Do the same with tomatoes, but half-discs, and cut grapes in half, making sure to hold grapes firmly while cutting; otherwise you can slip and slice your fingers.

Toss into a sufficiently large bowl, dress with oil and vinegar, and sprinkle sesame seeds as a final flourish.

Motivation: Last time, the Murakami salad tasted exactly and sadly as it should be (ask if you want to know what it is). Never again, I say!

I've kept the cucumber and introduce tomatoes for a juicier texture. The dressing itself is plain, but the grapes allow a surprising sweetness. This works well for those people who like eating salads, one well-mixed forkful at a time.

So-called Recipe #3: Something from the Oven

It's a secret. q; Ask if you really want to know.

One thing is obvious; this must have used the aforementioned bell peppers .. but when? .. how?!? (;

Anyways, I'll see if I have any new ideas for Tuesday. Happy cooking.