We tried this recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/3506-chipotle-chili-sauce To make 2 cups (16 oz) of while peeled tomatoes, we used a 14.5 oz can of no salt whole peeled tomatoes plus 3 small Roma tomatoes (peeled). We also used 3 chiles in adobo sauce. We found the sliced onions intrusive; the next time we will mince them (or… Continue reading Chipotle chili sauce
Mexican-style beef fajitas
We tried this recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/3505-fajitas-meat-filled-tortillas-with-hot-sauce It is harder to execute than expected: the instructions call for halving the skirt steak width, which we did with a boning knife. We tried oven-broiling the individual slabs of skirt steak, but they wouldn’t brown in the oven. So we resorted to a hard sear on medium-high heat in… Continue reading Mexican-style beef fajitas
Mexican pinto bean stew with fire-roasted tomatoes (frijoles charros)
We tried this recipe: https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2016/06/frijoles-charros-mexican-pinto-beans-bacon-recipe.html Our modifications: first, we made fire-roasted tomatoes following this recipe: http://piglettedc.tumblr.com/post/176167609311/fire-roasted-tomatoes-broiler-version-we-tried Second, we used about three ½ inch matchsticks (1 ½ inch width total) of 5 frozen bacon slabs. Finally, to reduce sodium overall, we used homemade fire-roasted tomatoes (instead of canned), no-salt chicken broth, and reduced or omitted most… Continue reading Mexican pinto bean stew with fire-roasted tomatoes (frijoles charros)
Fire-roasted tomatoes, broiler version
We tried this method for a recipe that called for 28 oz canned fire-roasted tomatoes: https://www.thekitchn.com/quick-tip-roasting-tomatoes-un-59853 We lined our rimmed baking sheet with foil. To maximize exposure to the flames in our gas oven broiler, we cut our Roma tomatoes in half lengthwise. For 28 oz canned, we substituted with 1 ½ lb Roma tomatoes… Continue reading Fire-roasted tomatoes, broiler version
Mexican-style wild mushroom quesadillas
We tried this recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016137-wild-mushroom-quesadillas Our modifications: first, we used a mix of yellow oyster (8 oz) and cremini mushrooms (8 oz), which we finely chopped before sautéing (rather than mincing after cooking). Second, for the cheese, we used 6 oz each of freshly grated muenster and fresh mozzarella. Finally, we added a pinch (¼… Continue reading Mexican-style wild mushroom quesadillas
Greek-style braised cabbage with chickpeas and bulgur
We tried this NYT recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1013499-cabbage-with-tomatoes-bulgur-and-chickpeas Our modifications: first, we used about half a medium head of cabbage, julienned into ¼ inch width. Second, we used 2 cups unsalted chicken broth instead of water (see Note below). If you use water or vegetable broth, this is a vegetarian dish. Third, instead of 14.5 oz canned… Continue reading Greek-style braised cabbage with chickpeas and bulgur
Homecooked chickpeas
This is not a recipe as much as a post about method. Instead of using 14.5 oz canned chickpeas, we soaked ¾ cup dried chickpeas in room temperature water (enough to cover the beans by two inches) and ¼ tsp salt, which we soaked overnight in the fridge. We generally followed tips from this post… Continue reading Homecooked chickpeas
Lentil stew with butternut squash and carrot
We tried this NYT recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1013357-lentil-stew-with-pumpkin-or-sweet-potatoes We used 1 lb butternut squash (the smallest we could find) (see Note below) and 1 carrot instead of ½ lb squash and 2 carrots. We finished the soup (after turning off heat) with juice from half a lemon. We also found this recipe took about 2 hours to… Continue reading Lentil stew with butternut squash and carrot
Pressure cooker classic American beef stew
We tried this recipe: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2016/10/pressure-cooker-beef-stew-recipe.html It was supposed to take less than an hour, but with prep and multiple steps involved, it took over 2 hours and was quite complicated. Our modifications: first, given the diameter of a standard pressure cooker, we recommend cutting the chuck roast steaks into 6 pieces rather than 3 to… Continue reading Pressure cooker classic American beef stew
Pressure cooker classic beef chili
We tried this NYT recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019159-pressure-cooker-classic-beef-chili We substantially reduced the chili powder from 2 Tbsp to 2 tsp and used no-salt kidney beans and diced tomatoes. We also used red bell pepper instead of green. This whole recipe took less than 1 hour from prep to serving. We omitted the garnishes. (July 2018)
Cooking Adventures 