Knots
This entry marks the finale of the blog in its current form. It seems likely that Scott and I will cook together in the future, and perhaps I will force him to bring his camera to those cooking endeavors just as I convincingly coaxed him into getting involved with this blog in the first place. We’ll see.
“Best I Ever Had” started with a fear of mine: yeast. It will end with the same ingredient, which I no longer fear. Knots start with making the same pizza dough recipe featured in the first entry, but you add whatever ingredients you want to end up in the dough of the knots. We made three versions: Feta Olive Knots, Caramelized Onion Knots, and Apple Cinnamon Knots.
“Know you got a roommate, call me when there’s no one there”
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Steamed Fish & Veggies Over Fettuccine
With the onset of spring weather at Haverford, which translated into 80+ degree days, the only thing I wanted to do was use the grill and eat summer-y foods. To accomplish both of these things, and make use of that frozen homemade fettuccine that was a product of ravioli-makin’, Scott and I decided to make steamed fish and vegetables. We used flounder, but any thinly cut sliced fish fillets will probably do. As for veggies, we chose zucchini, yellow squash, onions and tomatoes (functionally a vegetable in this dish), but, again, any thinly cut veggies will probably do. I expect some bias-cut asparagus would be delicious.
“Ha and you all ain’t even have to ask twice”
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Rosemary-Spiked Millet Porridge with Fruit Compote, Fennel and Pear
When Scott and I were making a bunch of salads and brainstorming what to do for a sweet salad, we can up with this conglomeration of stuff that ended up being truly delicious. We failed at thinking of a snazzy name for it, but whatever. It has a snazzy appearance and many layers of flavor. We decided to keep it separate from the salad entry because it is something else entirely, though we aren’t quite sure what that is yet. We also entered the process as skeptics, so the pictures are scarce. The recipe, though, is worth trying at least once.
“Never pay attention to them rumors and what they assume”
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The Salad, Three Ways
As an answer to our sandwich post from a while back (which we enjoyed creating so much), Scott and I decided to explore the world of salads. In doing so, I realized how large a part red onion plays in my diet. I knew it was significant, but seriously, I love that root a lot. We also went to Carlino’s again to get some of the ingredients (read: mozzarella and prosciutto). They have approximately two dozen varieties of prosciutto, my favorite dry-cured ham product. There was a period of my life where I didn’t eat pork unless it was prosciutto from Italy-that is how much I like it. But the fact that Carlino’s has two dozen varieties of this special meat means that I live walking distance from approximately two dozen varities of prosciutto. This is a fact I wish I did not know.
We made this salad and two others. Best afternoon of salad-eating ever.
“You know that I’m working, I’ll be there soon as I make it home
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Carlino’s
There is an Italian specialty foods store on County Line Road in Ardmore, Pennsylvania that induces all kind of food-related gyrations in yours truly upon entering. It is called Carlino’s. It is God’s gift to the Main Line. Enjoy a food porn tour, brought to you by Scott Schnur.
“Always felt like you was so accustomed to the fast life”
Chicken Tikka Masala
Sorry for the hiatus. School got the better of me(/us). Commence triumphant return.
My introduction to Indian food happened unfortunately late: junior year of high school, with Chicken Tikka Masala. (Some circles consider it the national dish of Britain. Ohhhh, precious colonialism and its effects on cuisine.) I decided that I wanted to learn how to make it, and the best recipe that I found was from the Pioneer Woman. Her entry is gorgeous and thorough, so definitely check it out. I hope you enjoy our version.
I promised I would make this dish for one of our friends, Connor, if he got the Fulbright. Luckily, the Tuesday after he got it (!!!!) was gorgeous and sunny, so not only were were able to celebrate Connor’s successes, we did so using the grill!
“Feeling for a fix then you should really get your fiend on”
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Mommom’s Ravioli
My grandma’s name is Serafina. She and my grandfather owned an Italian delicatessen in Orange, NJ where they made all of their own delicious specialty food from scratch. The ravioli, sold in this box designed by my grandfather, were their bestseller. After my grandparents retired, they stopped making fresh pasta regularly, but as I have developed my own cooking style, I wanted to learn the fundamentals of my culture’s food. Turns out, so did Scott. My grandmother felt a good entry point was ravioli.
Scott’s Two Cents: I really enjoyed getting to see Genna’s Mommom cook, and felt really privileged that I got to learn how do make “Ravs” (as I found out they’re called) at the hands of someone so good at what they were doing. It was readily apparent that most of her process was from muscle memory, and watching her cook was like watching a bat catch a moth in the dark- she was so obviously in her element that it ended up being a great performance on top of a great learning experience.
“Baby you my everything, you all I ever wanted”
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Chili, Cheddar-Honey Cornbread, Yogurt Topping
When I was younger, it never ceased to amaze me that adding heat to mixed up ingredients turned those ingredients into something entirely new. I have kind of gotten over it when it comes to baking and frying, but slow-cooking still impresses me. I cannot begin to explain the amount this chili improves in texture and flavor along the course of its six hour simmer. This recipe is great because we often stock these ingredients in our kitchens, but the ingredients are variable! If you don’t have the pork, you can leave it out or substitute with baked tofu, pan-friend tempeh, or more beans. The level of spiciness can be altered as well by increasing or decreasing the amount of chipotle peppers (either fresh or ground) and red chili flakes.
“When I get right I promise that we gonna live it up”
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Eggplant, Red Pepper, and Portabella Mushroom Caponata
With a refrigerator full of a bunch of vegetables that needed to be eaten and two hungry stomachs hankering for a flavorful lunch, I decided to make a variation on traditional caponata. Caponata is a Sicilian stewed eggplant salad that can be made in a variety of ways. The one most familiar to me has black olives, capers and tomatoes in addition to the eggplant. We ate this version spread on one of the chapatis, sprinkled with cheese, and toasted until melted. (Use whatever cheese you like, which was mozzarella, Pecorino Romano, and Parmesan for us here.) I also made a dip out of half of the caponata combined with some leftover pesto and extra oil that was great served with the chapatis and some more of that Brunet.
“You be up on everything, other hoes ain’t never on it”
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Whole Wheat Chapati
According to Wikipedia, “Chapatis are one of the most common forms in which wheat, the staple of northern South Asia, is consumed.” I found this recipe when it came up on my Google Reader, but I wanted to try a version with whole wheat flour. The bread is very versatile. It can be served with curries, masalas, or soups. See the next post for an idea for a flatbread pizza, but that isn’t necessary to enjoy chapati. I preferred it spread with delicious Brunet goat cheese while still hot from the pan.
“Uh, uh yeah, see this is the type of joint/You got to dedicate to somebody”
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