pickled tomatoes.

This is a downscaling of Gabrielle Hamilton's recipe for pickled cherry tomatoes, also I removed the turmeric because it kept distracting me. 

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prune's pickled tomatoes.

INGREDIENTS
400-500g cherry tomatoes, halved
2 scallions, greens and whites, sliced diagonally
1 fresh jalapeno, sliced
½ cup white vinegar
2.5 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp flaky salt
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tbsp thinly sliced garlic
2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp black peppercorns
2 tsp ground cumin
1 bay leaf
½ cup blended oil (50/50 canola/olive)

METHOD
In a pickling jar combine tomatoes, scallions, and chile. In stainless steel saucepan, bring vinegar to a boil, add brown sugar and salt and cook until dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. In a bowl next to stove combine garlic, ginger and spices. Heat oil in stainless steel saucepan until hot, add ginger/garlic/spices and cook, stirring constantly, for 4 minutes, until “aromas are released”. Remove from heat and carefully stir in vinegar mixture. Immediately pour over tomato mixture. Wait at least a day to eat, lasts 5-7. 

pandan macaroons.

There are not many recipes for the pandan version online, I guess I'm about to find out why (Editor's Note: I did not find out why, everything went fine). 

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pandan macaroons.

INGREDIENTS
2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup raw sugar
2 egg whites
1/4 tsp fine salt
1/4 tsp pandan extract

METHOD
Set oven to 180C. Wet your hands. Use a tablespoon to put one rounded spoonful of the mixture into your hands. Roll mixture into the ball, then pinch the top. Place macaroon on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining coconut mixture. Bake macaroons until just golden on top, about 15 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

VARIATIONS
-add 1 packed tbsp minced lime or lemon zest

tandoori carrots.

I don't think this recipe can be improved really. 

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tandoori carrots. 

INGREDIENTS
2 tsp garam masala (or vadouvan)
1 tsp. fennel seeds, lightly crushed
1/2 tsp hindustani/Surinaamse masala
1/2 tsp fine salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup whole-milk Greek or goat yogurt
500g carrots, peeled and cut to human finger size, try to get all carrots the same size please
4 tbsp salted butter
1 small shallot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely grated

1/3 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro, chopped
1/3 cup lightly packed fresh mint, chopped

METHOD
Heat the oven to 240°C with a rack in the middle position, lightly grease a sheet of baking paper on a baking sheet.

In a small bowl, mix together the garam masala, fennel seed, and ½ teaspoon each fine salt and cracked pepper. In a large bowl, mix the yogurt with 4 teaspoons of the spice mix. Add the carrots and toss to coat. Distribute the carrots in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet.

Roast until well charred and a skewer inserted into the carrots meets no resistance, 25 to 30 minutes; stir the carrots once about halfway through.

Meanwhile, in an 8-inch skillet over medium, melt the butter. Add the shallot and garlic, then cook, stirring, until beginning to brown and crisp, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the remaining spice mix and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds. Remove from the heat and set aside.

When the carrots are done, add the spiced shallot mixture, cilantro and mint directly to the baking sheet and toss with tongs. Taste and season with salt and pepper, then transfer immediately to a serving platter.

NOTE: Don’t let them stay on the baking sheet which will char the tender herbs and onions. Cover with foil if your other dishes are not ready.

pao de queijo II.

So, it seems like this is a great tasting recipe but possibly has too much liquid as written below, or at least we need to look at the tips for how to get things to rise whilst remaining remotely spherical. 

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pão de queijo II.

INGEDIENTS
1 cup milk
4 tbsp butter
1/4 cup peanut or corn oil
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste, possibly up to 1 tsp

2 cups tapioca flour
2 eggs, beaten

1 and 1/2 cup cheese, grated (we used a mix of 50% pecorino and 50% dry mozzarella...the important thing is that it should be mostly hard dry cheese)

METHOD
Preheat oven to 175C. In a sauce pan, combine milk, salt, oil, and butter and bring to the boil. Remove from heat, stir in tapioca flour, then stir in eggs and cheese. Let cool for 15 minutes or until handleable. With floured hands, shape dough into golfball-sized spheres and bake for 20-25 minutes until puffed up and golden. Makes 9 or 10. Maybe 12.

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complicated fries.

Ethan Chlebowski's recipe for oven fries that feel a bit like fryer fries. The secrets are parboiling, vinegar, steam, and high heat. 

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oven fries. 

INGREDIENTS
10-12 small potatoes, cut into 1cm fries, your goal is to fill one baking tray in one layer
2 liters water
1 tbsp table salt
2 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp neutralish oil

METHOD
Turn on oven to 232C, convection. Boil water. Add salt and vinegar to water until salt dissolves and bring to a boil again. Add potatoes and boil for 8 minutes. Drain and let steam for 5 minutes in a colander. Add fries to baking sheet in one layer and toss with olive or peanut oil. Bake for 15 minutes, then flip each fry and cook another 8-15 minutes, depending on brown/burntness. 

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oranje.

 Adapted from the wildly successful NYT recipe. 

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carrot risotto. 

INGREDIENTS
600g carrots, peeled
1 and 1/2 tbsp store-bought or homemade chile crisp, plus more for serving

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 small onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/4 tsp ground coriander
½ cup dry white wine

1 cup short grain rice

Parmesan, for serving

METHOD
Same old risotto instructions. 

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rice cakes.

Not the styrofoamy ones.  Tteokbokki.

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doenjang jjigae.

I haven't enjoyed many of The Korean Vegan's recipes to date, but maybe my expectations were too high, you know how that can go. Yesterday I made an adapted version of her doenjang jjigae and it's great. 

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doenjang jjigae. 

INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 tbsp gochugaru

1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 green onions, greens and whites separate
5 large shiitake mushrooms, sliced

1 substantial sweet potato, peeled and cubed
3 tbsp doenjang
2 tbsp soy sauce

500ml vegetable stock, I used mushroom
400-500g firm tofu, Nguyen-d and cubed

METHOD
Need to write. 

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pacific, terrific.

I've owned two or three copies of this cookbook over the years, and today I decided that it just might have aged better than almost any other multiple-cuisine cookbook I own. 

Hear me out: I'm not comparing it against bibles like Marcella or Madhur Jaffrey; I'm saying that for a 1990s "Asian fusion" cookbook, most of the recipes are still pretty viable. Here's one: 

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mushroom risotto with snow peas, shiitakes, and crispy ginger. 

INGREDIENTS
7 dried shitake mushrooms
½ cup cold sake
¼ cup light olive oil (do not use virgin or extra-virgin)
1 cup chopped onions
¼ cup chopped shallots
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons best-quality curry powder
1½ cups Arborio rice
6 cups mushroom stock

Peanut oil, for deep frying the ginger
2 heaping tablespoons julienned fresh ginger
4 ounces snow peas, trimmed

NOTE: this recipe originally called for 250g shrimp, am rewriting. 

METHOD
1. Soak the dried shiitakes in the cold sake for 1 hour. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid. Remove and discard the stems and cut the caps into thin slices.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onions, shitakes, shallots, and minced ginger and cook, stir-ring, for 5 minutes. Add the curry powder and stir for 1 minute. Add the rice and cook, stirring, for another 3 minutes. Add the reserved mushroom-soaking liquid, then raise the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring continuously, until the liquid evaporates, about 4 minutes.

3. Slowly stir ½ cup of the simmering stock into the rice. Reduce the heat to low and keep at a simmer. Cook the rice, stirring frequently to keep it from sticking to the pan, until the stock is absorbed. Continue adding more stock, ½ cup at a time and stirring frequently until it is absorbed and there is 1 cup of stock remaining, 15 to 20 minutes.

4. While the risotto is cooking, prepare the fried ginger. Pour peanut oil to a depth of 1 inch into a small skillet and heat to 375° F.

Add the ginger and cook until crisp, about 2 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove to paper towels to drain.

5. Stir the shrimp into the risotto, and continue adding the remaining 1 cup stock, ¼ cup at a time, for 10 minutes. Stir in the snow peas and salt to taste. Cook until the shrimp is cooked through and the rice is creamy, but still slightly al dente, about 5 minutes more. Divide among 6 serving bowls and garnish with the fried ginger.

SERVES 6

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celiac notes.

It looks like we're going to be conducting our first gluten-free experiment in a while, here are some targets. 

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OTTOLENGHI
Baked mint rice with pomegranate and olive salsa. 
Baked rice with garlic confit, tomatoes and cinnamon. 

Ginger egg-fried rice. 
Pasta with yogurt, peas, and chile. 
Pasta with feta, tomato, and fennel seed.

Baked rice with garlic, curry leaf, and saffron. 

MEERA
Workers' curry. 

ANNA JONES
Corn risotto.
Brown butter new potatoes. 

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sloppy go.

This worked pretty well as something to put on a witte puntje so as not to slit ones wrists due to boredom. 

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sloppy go. 

1 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp gochujang
2 tsp vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sake
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp honey

1 small onion, diced small
200g plant-based ground meat, unflavored 

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i see red.

Since the royal we is having a sober summer, here's a NYT recipe that just crossed my path, this makes a lot. 

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phony negroni. 

1 medium navel orange
1 cup dried hibiscus leaves, 30g? 
1 tsp whole black peppercorns
1 pinch ground cloves
½ cup sugar
1 liter water

2 (12-ounce) cans tonic
1 cup unsweetened grapefruit juice

Ice, for serving
Orange wedges, for serving

Use a vegetable peeler to peel the orange, avoiding as much white pith as possible. In a small saucepan, combine the orange peel with the tea bags, peppercorns, cloves and 1 liter water. Bring to a boil over high heat.

Add the sugar and cook, stirring, until dissolved, about 1 minute. Cover, remove from the heat and let cool completely, about 2 hours. Strain the tea and discard the solids. The cooled, brewed tea can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

To serve, in a large pitcher, stir together the tea, tonic water, grapefruit juice and about 1 cup ice. Divide among rocks glasses filled with ice and garnish with orange wedges.

Tip: To make one serving, fill a rocks glass with ice. Pour in 1 ounce of grapefruit juice, 2 ounces of the tea and 3 ounces of tonic water; stir to mix. Garnish with an orange wedge.

ginger risotto.

Recipe in progress. 

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risotto with daikon or sweet potato and miso butter.

INGREDIENTS
3 tbsp sesame oil, separated, possibly less, or actually use this amount 

6 scallions, whites and greens separated
1 tbsp microplaned ginger, possibly twice this? version 1.0 did not taste remotely of ginger
1 cup shortgrain rice
3/4 cup sake or white wine
2 cups porcini or dashi stock (1 cube)

1 tbsp miso
2 tbsp butter

300g daikon or sweet potato, obviously two very different choices
250g chestnut mushrooms, halved or quartered

METHOD
Heat oven to 200°C.

Toss daikon and mushrooms in 1 tbsp sesame oil. Roast daikon and mushrooms for 35 minutes, turning halfway through. 

In a medium ovenproof saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onion and ginger and cook, stirring until translucent, 5 to 8 minutes. Add rice, and stir until grains are shiny and well coated with oil, about 2 minutes more. Add wine, and continue cooking and stirring until liquid is absorbed, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add stock, stir to combine. Cover saucepan; transfer to oven. Bake until almost all of the stock is absorbed, about 25 minutes. While it's baking combine miso and butter to make, you guessed it, miso butter. Take the rice out, check for doneness, it should still be barely inedible. Add roasted vegetables, return to oven. After 6-8 minutes, remove from oven, add miso butter. Serve immediately, topped with the scallion greens or your choice of garnish. Furikake? Togarashi-spiced Rice Krispies? Crispy onions is the easy answer. 

Serves 4, sometimes less.

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a taste of winter.

Made it 4 times so far, it's solid. 

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mushroom bourguignon.

INGREDIENTS
6 tablespoons butter

450g mushrooms, quartered
250g shallots or sweet onions (one big onion is fine)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 thick winter carrots, cut into coins
1 parsnip, possibly 2 if you like them, cut into whatever shape you like
3 garlic cloves (2 minced, 1 grated to a paste)
1 tablespoon tomato paste

2½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
1½ cups dry red wine
1½ cups beef, mushroom or vegetable broth
2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce, plus more to taste
3 large fresh thyme branches or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 rosemary sprig
2 bay leaves

optional
Smoked paprika, for serving
Polenta, egg noodles or mashed potatoes, for serving
Finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, for serving

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METHOD
Add 2 tablespoons butter or oil to a large Dutch oven or pot and set it over medium heat. When hot, stir in half the mushrooms and half the shallots/onions and throw in the rosemary sprig. (If it doesn’t all fit in the pot in one layer, you might have to do this in three batches, rather than two.) Without moving them around too much, cook the mushrooms until they are brown on one side, about 3 minutes. Stir and let them brown on the other side, 2 to 3 minutes more. Use a slotted spoon to transfer mushrooms and onions to a large bowl or plate and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Repeat with another 2 tablespoons butter and the remaining mushrooms and onions, seasoning them with salt and pepper as you go. Finish by removing the last batch of mushrooms and onions from the pan.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Add another 1 tablespoon butter or oil to pan. Add carrot and parsnip and sauté until lightly golden and everything starts to soften, 5 minutes. Add the 2 minced garlic cloves and sauté for 1 minute longer. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Stir in flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute, then add wine, broth, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, thyme and bay leaf, scraping up the brown bits at bottom of pot.

Add reserved cooked mushrooms and onions back to the pot and bring to a simmer. Partly cover the pot and simmer on low heat until carrots and onions are tender and sauce is thick, 30 to 40 minutes. Taste and add more salt and soy sauce if needed. Stir in the grated garlic clove and saute for 2 minutes. Serve over polenta, noodles or mashed potatoes, topped with minced parsley and a tiny pinch of smoked paprika if you feel like it. 

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how many times do you live.

The most adult mac and cheese possible. 

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sage and blue cheese mac + cheese with hazelnuts and red grapes.

INGREDIENTS
2 handfuls seedless red grapes

olive oil 
flaky salt

8 sage leaves
2 tbsp salted butter

50g mascarpone or cream cheese
75g blue cheese
(these cheese amounts are approximate, you want a sauce that mostly tastes like salty blue cheese but is also creamy like mac and cheese)

zest and juice of one lemon
2 tbsp hazelnuts, skinned and coarsely crushed 

1 Belgian endive, coarsely chopped
1 small handful arugula

200g dried lumache rigate (medium-sided ribbed macaroni)

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METHOD
Roast grapes for 20 minutes at 220, turning halfway through and checking often to make sure nothing's burning. Sauté sage leaves in butter on low heat for 10 minutes, careful not to burn the butter. Nutty brown butter is OK. 

Melt cheeses in a small saucepan. Add lemon zest and juice and hazelnuts to melted cheeses, salt to taste. If sauce is a little thick you can add some pasta water during the next step. Cook pasta.  

Toss the pasta in the cheese/nut/lemon sauce, add sage butter, ladle into plates and garnish with grapes, arugula and endive. Sprinkle with flaky salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

Serves 2.

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street life.

I just listened to someone outside on the street try to open a bag of Doritos for roughly 90 seconds. I looked outside after the first 30 seconds because the clarity of the sound itself was so incongruous, like why can I hear that like it's happening inside my room and yet I do not have a bag of Doritos. Weirdly, thankfully, I could not hear the triumphant crunches afterwards, but also, if it took you that long to open a bag of Doritos, wouldn't you just Tasmanian Devil fistfuls of that shit for the world to hear. 

how to ruin a night on earth.

 Become convinced that you've lost your wallet. 

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regrets, i've had a few.

 But let's focus on the small lessons first. 

1) If you have a good bakery in your neighborhood, support them. Don't buy shit nutritionless crap that was made 45 minutes away in an industrial warehouse or factory. If you have a good anything in your neighborhood that's owned and operated by people you can actually see and talk to and the vibe is good, spend your money there. 

2) Stop trying to impress or prove yourself to people you just met. None of the people you admire/respect did this when you met them. 

3) The sooner you can get comfortable with silence and inactivity, the better. Filling up your mind with serotonin-jacking distractions will not lead you anywhere, unless that distraction is a creative endeavor, in which case you are one of the luckiest kind of people there is. 

4) There is nothing inherently wrong with routine, for many things this is the only way they can be done. Baking bread, exercise, sobriety, for example. 

5) Work on your flexibility, like yesterday. 

6) If you have never made your own croissant and egg sandwich at home with a great croissant from your local non-industrial bakery, you are missing out on something important. 

7) If you have stage fright or performance anxiety, invest some time in getting over it at the earliest age possible. Being afraid of expressing yourself in front of other people is not going to lead to a more satisfying life. 

8) Addiction is difficult. Try to cut yourself some slack if you are one of the afflicted. 

9) Learn how to give up on things, unless your tendency is to give up on everything, then learn how not to. 

10) Accept that the end is coming, and live your life accordingly. 

self-archival.

like the song says: 

As if i needed a reminder
ohhh that I do only what i wanna
So I go through with this

I knew happiness when I saw it

https://youtu.be/weL8HTY1NJU?si=fd7NXIwFaL-Xsl4V&t=235

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archivaris.

You know what's a really weird way to get to know somebody? 

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