I cook — a lot — for the whole family. These are my notes as they come to me. It's a combination of culinary discoveries as well as tips that are typically applicable to a variety of dishes.
- 04/14/2024: Don't buy packet gravy: Fry onion and garlic, then add re-hydrated dry, or fresh mushrooms. Add salt, a good glug of soy sauce, lots of black pepper, and dried herbs of choice. Cook off excess moisture. Incorporate flour to gently coat mixture, and finally add stock or water+bouillon (both work) to desired consistency. This has more depth and takes only a few minutes to compile.
- 12/09/2023: Leftover mashed potatoes make a great reason to have kopytka. Of course, boiling potatoes purposely for the dish is just fine too. (There's a niceness to the texture when freshly boiled potatoes can be put through a ricer)
- 12/09/2023: Crepes were our flat bread growing up. My mother would make a large batch in the morning, we'd enjoy for breakfast, and a pile would sit throughout the day. Quick snack with a slice of ham after school, or my favourite: strawberry jam. They are fool-proof, despite their usual decadent presentation. 2 eggs, one heaping cup of flour, pinch salt/sugar, then whatever dairy's in the fridge — usually a mix of yogourt and kefir. Whisk until thick, let sit for a bit, then dilute with water, done! Not as hard as the world makes it out to be :)
- 11/08/2023: Katsu Curry is a wonderful confluence of my childhood and modern food interests in one. The fried pork loin takes me back, and the rich curry (with apple! key!) elevates everything to a place my current palate highly appreciates. My goto recipe is from a wonderful Japanese couple
- 09/26/2023: Never throw a chicken carcass away. Use it for stock or gravy, then rid of it. Also, I prefer to burn my onion (on the BBQ side burner) for additional unami in the stock.
- 09/26/2023: Making your own bread is one of life's greatest hacks.
- 09/07/2023: Always toast your spices.
- 09/05/2023: TikTok (specifically, @haileecatalano) changed how I make pizza sauce. Previously would cook pasata with spices, herbs, oil. Now, I dump a canned of Kirkland diced tomato into a bowl, add spices (salt, pepper, choice of dry herbs), and a drizzle of honey. Mash that up, done! Beautiful & bright pizza sauce.
- 09/05/2023: To make an excellent pomodoro, it can be as simple as butter, onion, and good (canned or fresh) tomatoes. The onion poaches in the tomato sauce and the butter adds a creamy flavour & texture. Once the onion is translucent it is removed, and the sauce is done (season to your liking)
- 09/05/2023: Used white pepper for the first time today, in a sesame chicken dish. It added a earthy, almost herby (bon appétit describes it as herbaceous). Will try with pork next!