Justin & Meredith Winokur's Kitchen Cooking Notebook
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posts/2021/04
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Feta Broccoli/Broccolini and Chicken -- back to top
I made a modified version of the "TikTok Feta Pasta" from Grilled Cheese Social (LOCAL). I used that as the basic idea but instead of pasta, I did stir-fried broccoli and broccolini. I did two packs and two heads and stir fried them with oil and salt to cook and soften them. I then also cooked cubed chicken after tossing it with flour. I followed the Washington Post's note to not change the oven temp.
When it was all done, I mixed it together.
It was really good and really filling. I think the broccoli worked better than the broccolini but I wanted to use it up.
In general, I really like the idea of using broccoli (and chicken) with a pasta sauce. It's a way to add flavor and something interesting with keeping the calories lower.
I made Sous Vide Barbecue Pork Ribs [Serious Eats] with some minor changes to the rub and process. I kind of combined the specified rub with my modification I like to do for Sous Vide Barbecue Pulled Pork Shoulder [Serious Eats].
I only had one rack so I made the rub:
I put it on the night before, sealed it, and then cooked it at 165°F for about 11.5 hours. I used the oven method and I did half dry (but without more rub) and half with Sweet Baby Rays.
Honestly, I thought they were just okay. Certainly not amazing or anything super special. I do not know if I just don't know what good ribs should taste like or if I don't love ribs.
I liked the texture of the sauced ones but the flavor of the dry-rub.
English Toffee with Piñon -- back to top
I made English Toffee from Joy of Baking (LOCAL)
I read a lot of different recipes and discussions including this food52 discussion and decided I liked this recipe the best. At least from reading. The corn syrup is supposed to help stop it from crystalizing and the baking soda lightens the texture by producing some air bubbles. Also, while it is long, the vide was informative.
Some recipes use cream of tartar to make an invert sugar. I am not opposed to them if this one doesn't work out
I toasted piñon while I was starting. I should have done this first since it got a bit hectic as the temperature rose and I still had to take out the nuts and split it. I think it worked out fine time wise but I did forget to pam the parchment paper before starting. It didn't matter in the end.
I went to about 293° or so. It made more than I expected so some will have fewer pine nuts underneath. It shouldn't matter too much though.
I just kind of eye-balled it on the chocolate chips. I also started them a bit late but it was fine. I had not trouble spreading them. In fact, using an offset spatula made it super, super easy!
It got a nice crunch but maybe a bit too easy to crunch. I also didn't think it had the richness of the store bought one. I will have to look into that. And maybe skip the baking soda to see how it is with more crunch.
It wasn't bad though. Just not as good as I had hoped...
It made 1 lbs 5 oz. Also, realizing that I would end up eating it all, I took what I wanted and vacuum sealed the rest.
Lemongrass and Turmeric Chicken -- back to top
I made the chicken from Spicy Lemongrass & Turmeric Rubbed Roast Chicken & Sauce [The Food Lab]. I spatchocked it yesterday and set it up with a dry brine. I made the rub and let it sit on (and under the skin of) the chicken for about 3 hours.
I followed the basic idea of the sauce but went heavy on the garlic and maybe the ginger (I didn't measure. I just kind of winged it). I also used a full serrano pepper.
I cooked it at 465°F until it registered 153°F in the breast.
I also roasted some tater tots and tossed them with cheese then put them back in.
The whole meal was very good. I was very happy with how the chicken came out. The color was messy but fun. And there was lots of flavor but the flavor of the chicken itself still shown through!
I didn't plan to make a sauce and instead was going to serve it with store bought but then I forgot that too. Oops!
Peruvian Chicken -- back to top
I made Peruvian-Style Roast Chicken & Spicy Jalapeño Sauce [The Food Lab] at Bill and Ann's house. I got two chickens at HEB though, despite being nominally the same, one had thick yellow patches on the skin and the other looked more normal.
I used the same spices as last time using whatever brands Ann had. I do not know if it was the different kosher salt (Morton's vs Diamond) but the whole thing came out a bit salty. Not bad by any means, but salty! Other than that, it came out really good.
Also, it didn't smoke like it did at our house. May be because it wasn't a convection oven so I will try ours without convection next time.
The sauce was also with no changes but when I was cutting the jalapeños, it smelled super spicy so I cut out all of the ribs and seeds. That made it not as spicy as I would have liked. I also probably went heavy on the cilantro.
Cutting it went well enough though I left a lot of breast meat on the bones. I ended up picking out a lot of the meat which you see in a pile in the middle.
Spinach Artichoke Orzotto -- back to top
I made Spinach Artichoke "Orzotto" (orzo cooked like risotto) from The Kitchn (LOCAL). Meredith found the recipe and asked me to make it. I did it at Bill and Ann's house. I added three cloves of garlic at the same time as the orzo (after the shallots) and also forgot the last butter. Also, they didn't have frozen artichoke hearts but I got (the last one!!!) quartered artichokes pictured below. I used HEB Brand broth and then some low sodium Better Than Bouillon. Likely more of it too
It was very good. We really liked the flavors and the creaminess. It took a lot of active time to cook it like this but it was pretty easy and, again, super flavorful. We will be making this again! Probably pretty soon too!
After the success of the orzo last week, Meredith asked me to make One-Pot Creamy Wild Mushroom Pasta [The Kitchn] with orzo. I did about half cream and half milk. I also uses 8 oz fresh mushrooms and a can (8oz drained) of mushrooms since we didn't have enough.
I added the orzo when you would add the pasta. At the 12 minute mark, it was very much too wet. We let it go another 12 which probably made it absorb more and also boil more water away. I liked it a lot though it didn't have the same creaminess (even though this one had cream!) as the one done risotto-style.
I would do it again but I would probably do more reading a devise a way to combine the methods if possible.
We also had pan-fried smoked sausage on the side.
Spinach Artichoke Orzotto -- back to top
After the success of it last week, Meredith asked me to make Creamy Spinach Artichoke Orzotto [The Kitchn] again. I followed the recipe remembering the butter but forgetting the cheese. I also used a whole onion instead of a shallot and I again added garlic (5 cloves this time since I wasn't using a shallot).
Also some Texas-style sausage. I overcooked it a bit but it was still very good.
Cookie Dough Milkshake -- back to top
Meredith made a Cookie Dough Milkshake from Liz Moody (LOCAL). Her notes:
I didn’t read the directions, so I just threw everything into the blender and blended it. You were supposed to make a dough out the nut butter and a few other ingredients and pulse that part in so it’s chunky. It was still good.
At Meredith's request, I made a copycat HEB Love Dip from Glitter and Graze (LOCAL). I followed the recipe except for the lemon juice (since it was so little).
I only tried it before the fridge. It was good in its own right, but nowhere near the richness and flavor of real Love Dip (we still have a little bit). It lacked depth of flavor and savoriness. It did have the color (and spice). I think mine was a bit too much tomato flavor and too much cilantro. The recipe was annoyingly non-specific about either!
I made a double batch of No-Knead Brioche [Bread Illustrated by America's Test Kitchen]. Like last time, I measured out the amount of additional flour but this time I used 2 oz extra total so 1 extra oz each. I think I liked this more. Next time I made it, if this is what I find, I will add it to the recipe. You also need to mix (knead?) really well.
I made a double batch so one was in the slightly larger pan. On the recipe they say the times should be different; both rising and baking. I decided I didn't care enough about rising and when baking, they basically were both ready at the same time (or a bit late). Depending on where I probed, I got 190°F to 195°F. This is a bit too warm for Albuquerque altitude.
I tried really hard to have nice tops but they still came out wonky. I do not know what to do but it also doesn't matter much. I separated the larger one (larger pan, same amount of dough) since it didn't mash together as well and froze that. The other was good, as usual!
