I got super busy with work and summer classes, etc. But to the food. I'm afraid I'm going to forget all the things I've made. I've also been doing lots of thinking about food.
Cheese Quiche.
After much delay, the Quiche God made, flaky butter crust, warm soft swiss insides and all. I was quite pleased. Nutmeg + Swiss = Heaven. It was worth all the difficulty of pre-baking the shell and having it puff up even though I poked holes in it. But yes.
I took a hiatus from omelettes because I got sick of eating eggs every morning, so I think my omelette skills need some work. This morning was further proof of that.
Lets see, what else have I made....
White beans with cream and herbs, and white beans with butter, lemon and herbs. Bother were excellent, but they were definitely made as side dishes. This vegetarian was not made to eat side dishes all her life. I will prevail!
I took some adventures with red lentils and indian spices also and made a wonderful dish using a coffee grinder as a spice grinder. Will have to compare this method to the mortar and pestle. Where does one buy a mortar and pestle?? Ebay, I suppose.
Also, had my first cooking excursion over a camp fire. I made a veggie and tofu stirfry and learned two things. #1: Tamarind Concentrate is the fucking god of asian sauces. Oh yes. Thank you, Indian Grocery Store. #2 The secret to making dishes taste like they came from the Chinese Delivery Place down the street? Sugar and Oil (GrapeOla, to be exact), Brown Sugar is preferred. All Hail Fat and Sugar. #3: Grated Zucchini makes stirfry BAMF. Wonderful idea. Thanks, JC (That's Julia Child).
Well that was 3 things...
Last night, I made Hummus with Tahini for the first time. So creamy and good. Also made Baba Ganoush and learned that I still cannot tell the difference between male and female eggplants. One has more seeds. One does not. One is bitter, which is why my dip is bitter. Sad. Must rewatch Alton Brown's eggplant show.
Also, found this wonderful book called the Flavor Thesaurus. Best Book Invented. I opened to a random page which called Coriander and Garlic the "Beauty and the Beast". Coriander is light and flowery. Garlic is, well, garlicy. They were meant to be together. I pulled out the coriander from indian excursion day and mashed it with some garlic and olive oil with the end of a meat hammer, still for want of a mortar and pestle. Then I dumped some of that in with some green lentils. Amazing. I'm as in awe as I was when I made potato and leek soup. Mixed that up with some quinoa and popped it in the fridge. Hello, excellent lunch.
Well, gotta go. Eggplant steaks are calling.
