Chef's Hat

[stoutfellow]

A week or so ago, my microwave died. (Actually, "died" is probably not the right word; "went into convulsions" is closer...) I will replace it eventually, but for the moment I'm using it to force myself out of my frozen-meal rut. At one time, it was my practice to cook something large, usually a casserole-type dish, on Sunday and eat it all week; I plan to resume that habit.

Today, I pulled out my old copy of The Enchanted Broccoli Forest (a vegetarian cookbook, sequel to The Moosewood Cookbook) and settled on their recipe for "Indian Pulao". ("Pulao" is not in my dictionary; I'm guessing that it's cognate to "pilaf/pilau".) It's a brown-rice dish, with carrots, bell peppers, shredded coconut, raisins, nuts, and various spices - just the kind of multitextured, multiflavored dish I love. I just ate the first batch; it was pretty tasty, and I expect it will improve as the ingredients get to know each other better. (That's the best thing about casserole-type dishes, the way they get better with age.) So my new resolve is off to a good start.

Also today, the Padres regained first place in the NL West, beating the Dodgers 2-1, and the Chargers crushed Tennessee 40-7; they've won their first two games by a combined score of 67-7.

Today has been a good day.

Comments

[toraks.livejournal.com]

Pulao/pilaf/pilau -- all the same thing, just how you transliterate it or the language it's originally from.

I'm glad you liked it! The Indian spicy dishes will often taste better on the second day after soaking together in the fridge.

(by the way sounds yummy!)

[hornedhopper.livejournal.com]

"At one time, it was my practice to cook something large, usually a casserole-type dish, on Sunday and eat it all week"

This was my kind of cooking, too. I was especially fond of making Middle Eastern dishes that had meat, grains, veggies, and nuts. If I like to eat something today, I'll like it just as well tomorrow, etc. And on Sat. night, too (g).

It's been a very long time since I've *cooked,* however, because El Teflon Spouse finally decided that he was sick of eating the same thing every night and *he* took over the cooking. Suits me. I'm not very domestic by habit. With him now away so much, though, and Alec agreeing to try to eat some other things, I've had to step back into the ring.

One thing I never learned was how to use the outdoor grill. So, a couple of weeks ago I bought a Weber cookbook that literally showed you even how to turn a gas grill on! And what parts of the chicken are what and how to cook them. Even better are the scads of marinade sauces and rubs. I've made chicken several times and marinaded a steak. Alec pronounces them good, and I'm excited because I like grilled food, but had no idea how to *make* it. My favorite, so far, is a lime marinade sauce for chicken breasts. Mmmm.

[filkferengi]

Sounds yummy; good for you [in more ways than one ;)]!