Dominican turkey picadillo

We tried this picadillo recipe: https://www.sandravalvassori.com/turkey-picadillo/. This recipe is our favorite picadillo recipe to date. Our modifications: first, we used a mix of minced turkey (1 lb) and minced chicken (1/2 lb). Second, for tomato paste and tomato sauce, we used no-salt versions. Third, based on our pantry, we made some substitutions: 1/2 cup caper…… Continue reading Dominican turkey picadillo

Split pea and ham soup, Instant Pot style

We had a craving for split pea soup and were intrigued by this recipe: https://www.recipetineats.com/pea-and-ham-soup/ As a child, I first had split pea soup with ham at a family friend’s house, and I remember being astonished that it took several hours of simmering on the stovetop. This recipe offers a great way to make this…… Continue reading Split pea and ham soup, Instant Pot style

Japanese curry with cabbage and thinly sliced beef

We stumbled upon this version of Japanese curry, and it was delicious: https://www.japanesecooking101.com/pork-and-cabbage-curry/ Our modifications: first, instead of 12 oz thinly sliced pork, we used 10 oz thinly sliced beef. Second, we used less than 1/2 head of a small cabbage – probably closer 1/3 head. Third, we used 1/2 package of S&B hot curry…… Continue reading Japanese curry with cabbage and thinly sliced beef

North Indian-style yellow lentils (dal tadka)

I had a craving for yellow dal and stumbled upon this recipe: https://www.eitanbernath.com/2020/03/22/dal-tadka/ Our modifications: first, we made 1.5x of the recipe. Second, we didn’t have yellow lentils, so we used a combination of split yellow peas (1 cup) supplemented by toor dal (1/4 cup) and masoor dal (1/4 cup), which we soaked together for…… Continue reading North Indian-style yellow lentils (dal tadka)

Pasta e fagioli, pressure cooker style

We love pasta e fagioli, and we tried this Instant Pot version: https://inquiringchef.com/instant-pot-pasta-e-fagioli/ Our modifications: first, we used diced center-cut bacon strips (about 2 inches, cut into three sets of match sticks) instead of pancetta. For the beans, we used 8 oz dried cannelini beans that we had reconstituted using this 1 hour quick soak…… Continue reading Pasta e fagioli, pressure cooker style

Matzoh ball soup from frozen chicken, pressure cooker style

In our household, we routinely freeze extra pieces of raw chicken, including bits of fat and skin (e.g., chicken backs leftover from packages of chicken quarters). Today we made chicken soup from frozen, bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (3 wings, 1 chicken thigh, 2 drumsticks, 3 chicken backs and leftover fat / skin trimmings); carrots, celery,…… Continue reading Matzoh ball soup from frozen chicken, pressure cooker style

Burmese sour soup with chayote and catfish (chin-yay hin, version 2)

This is a Burmese recipe from my friend’s sister Ma Thicht, who is an incredible home cook. Basic soup ingredients: 1 medium bottle gourd (or two chayote squash), peeled and cut into 1/2” bite-sized slices; bamboo shoot tips, sliced into 1/4” lengthwise slices (see Note 1 below); 2 tsp (or up to 1 Tbsp) shrimp…… Continue reading Burmese sour soup with chayote and catfish (chin-yay hin, version 2)

Japanese curry with chicken meatballs, sweet potato, and Swiss chard

We had an extra bunch of Swiss chard, and we decided to try this recipe for the leaves (no stems): https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1026680-japanese-curry-with-chicken-meatballs?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share This was a delicious dish, with an unexpected combination of sweet potatoes and greens that worked well. Our modifications: first, for the meatball mixture, we followed reader suggestions to increase the panko from 1/2…… Continue reading Japanese curry with chicken meatballs, sweet potato, and Swiss chard

Ottolenghi’s spiced pea stew

We love peas, and we are fans of Ottolenghi. We tried his Persian-inspired recipe using frozen peas: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1026665-spiced-pea-stew-with-yogurt?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-shareo Our modifications: first, we found that the stew consistency at the end of cooking was less viscous than expected (more like a thin soup than a stew). In the future, we may reduce broth by 1/2 cup…… Continue reading Ottolenghi’s spiced pea stew