IP Recipes for Land, Air and Sea!

If only the urge to write struck me as often as the need to cook, I’d have this book half done already! Just this week I wrapped up my 48th recipe, Lobster Rolls, when I was able to find a pack of tails for the bargain price of $50 at Costco. For right now however, I am still reaching into the past and trying to recall the details of recipes gone by so I can catch you all up. But stay tuned down the road for that lobster roll story though; that’s one you’ll want to try!

It’s July. No one wants #29 Clam Chowder at this very moment, certainly not in a heavy sourdough bread bowl, as was the serving suggestion. Come September, refer back to this memo, because you’ll want to have this on your table! I’m something of a clam chowder snob, or as much as one can be without having spent much time on the east coast. I have zero interest in Manhattan clam chowder, which is an abomination to me, but this one hit all the right notes of celery, potato, onion and of course lots and lots of clam bits swimming in a creamy base. Cardinal chowder sins are: 1) skimpy clammage, 2) thin soup, and 3) bland seasoning. I would go a step further and also say that I don’t like it when I have to wait too long for anything I want to eat, so a soup that simmers all day long is just cruel. This was in my bowl in under 45 minutes and had great flavor, thanks to bay leaves, cooking sherry, seasoned salt and Old Bay. There was an optional ingredient I considered trying, Zatarain’s Shrimp and Crab Boil Concentrate, but I was suspicious of the author comment “for an extra ‘kick'”… That could mean so many things, usually along the lines of “spicy”, so I skipped it. If you’re into “kick”, give it a whirl! Either way, this is a 10 of 10.

I couldn’t love this any more if it were Taco Bell delivery and they actually got your order right! It was quick, it was simple, it was delicious. #30 Fiesta Chicken Tacos achieved the Trifecta, and then throw in “cheap” to top it all off! Normally I am a beef taco girl, and I never purposely choose chicken when ordering Mexican food unless it’s a quesadilla. While I don’t think I will suddenly abandon carne asada or barbacoa when next confronted with a menu, I do think I will make these chicken tacos at home again. A mere 12 minutes stood between me and dinner, and the cooking liquid packed a flavorful punch. The chicken breasts poached in a mixture of salsa, chicken broth, taco sauce and a variety of seasonings (it’s already a miracle I liked this so much, given my distaste for taco sauce) and then shredded up beautifully using the hand mixer method. I admit I didn’t think that would work at all, but when it’s tender enough, it absolutely does! Once the chicken is shredded all that’s left is adding back as much sauce as desired and filling your shell of choice, then topping. Only suggestion is to spring for those flat bottomed hard shells or invest in the cute fluted taco holders; I had to do quite the balancing act to get this glamour shot before the tacos keeled over. 10 of 10 for flavor and adaptability; you can take this concept in a million directions!

Fun fact: #31 Beef Stroganoff was the very first “grown up” recipe I tried to make from the Good Housekeeping cookbook my grandmother bought for me as a teenager. Thus began my love affair with cookbooks and learning the culinary arts. I think it took me four hours to make that first time because I had to read every step over and over, plus my knife skills were markedly less developed at the time. I had to cook mushrooms! Ew! I had to use ONIONS!! DOUBLE EW!! Oh how times have changed, because now those ingredients are part of what made this IP version so delicious. Also it was an excellent use of our 1/4 cow, which is slowly diminishing in the freezer. For some reason the butcher who broke down the beef gave me “stew meat” that measured about 3 inches square, so once I cut them into actual bite sized pieces, this was a breeze to prepare. I always cheat and buy the pre-sliced mushrooms, so the only other effort was dicing an onion and making the egg noodles on the stovetop. Additionally this recipe called for a packet of onion soup mix, so I’m glad I got over my aversion to the greatest flavor enhancer since salt! “My” beef stroganoff has always been my favorite, something of an amalgam of that Good Housekeeping version and tweaks I have perfected over the years to the seasonings. I like to use flank steak, which was incredibly cheap when I was in my youth but now costs roughly as much as an ounce of gold.
This called for stew meat or chuck cubes, but really I see no reason you couldn’t go as cheap as hamburger or as expensive as steak if you want. His flavor profile included surprising touches such as Boursin cheese, Dijon mustard and sauvignon blanc, none of which has ever been part of my plan, but I will say he knows what he is doing. I’ll give him a 9 of 10 (just because mine is still best!)

This is what it’s all about, right here. If you’ve ever wondered why someone would challenge themselves to make every single recipe from a cookbook, despite knowing there will be recipes for dishes they do not like, #32 Chicken Shawarma (or something like it) is the answer. Sometimes you find recipes you probably never would have made that you DO like! I have had a tiny little packet of shawarma seasoning residing in my cabinet for at least six years based on someone recommending it. I didn’t know what to put it on, what flavor to expect, nothing, so I just never got around to it. Well friends, my eyes have been opened, and now I know I like at least one Middle Eastern dish! Hummus and baba ghanoush notwithstanding. The author did state that his version is adapted from the traditional flavors he experienced when visiting there, but I like what he did with it. I built the mix from scratch with paprika, curry powder, seasoned salt, black pepper, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, cayenne and hot pepper flakes. Not enough flavor for you? There’s also three cloves of garlic! All this was sprinkled over onion wedges cooked in butter and chicken thighs and pressure cooked with garlic broth. Serve it all up with tzatziki in pita rounds, and you have yourself a treat! 11 of 10; a bonus point just for giving me something I have never tasted before. Maybe he even deserves an extra point if I finally use that packet of shawarma languishing in the spice cabinet.