Pot Luck

NYTCB Project January 2023: Launching Year 2

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So many sticky notes! … And after a year there are quite a few sticky pages as well.

Maybe it’s because I am still riding the new-year energy, but I am happy to be posting just a month’s worth of recipes this time. Having reflected on the first year, I have decided to make my goal a more manageable minimum of 3 new recipes per week. We were away for a week in January, so we only managed 9 this month. Hopefully, it will average up over the course of the year. I also hope to post at least once a month. We’ll see how that goes!

I am grateful for the interest so many have shown in this project. As promised, here are some reflections as we head into the second year of this adventure:

On the book itself: I continue to be awestruck by the time, energy, and expertise Hesser and her team brought to bear. I am so grateful to them for bringing this book into the world. One of the reasons I chose this book is that it represents the work of many, many chefs, cooks, and recipe-writers, many of them non-professionals. That, and the fact that the age of the recipes spans more than a century, makes this an extremely eclectic and varied collection. This variety comes with challenges. Despite Hesser’s extensive editing, recipes are inconsistent in their level of specificity. Many recipes use terms like “small” or “large” in lieu of measurements. Words like “thick” (how thick?) and “cooked” (how cooked?) have generated some anxiety. I am a pretty experienced cook, so I have managed, but I think this presents some unnecessary difficulty for beginners. The lack of photos is a blessing and a curse. The book is huge as it is. Adding a lot of photos would have made it unmanageable (and unliftable!) However, there have been times when I wished I had a visual for reference. Overall, I am still in love with this amazing volume, even if I find myself talking back to it sometimes. It truly contains multitudes.

Stuff we have purchased: I have had some questions about what, if anything, we have had to buy especially for the project. The short answer is “a lot”. Here is a partial list:

  • an ice cream maker
  • a mandoline
  • 2 kinds of special mustard
  • a lifetime supply of juniper berries
  • a pastry cutter (and then I found the one I had taken when we cleaned out my mom’s house, so if you need one I have an extra)
  • several cake pans, a cake “keeper”, an offset icing knife, and a package of cake testers ( I have spent my life until now avoiding cake-baking)
  • 2 frozen rabbits
  • 4 kinds of olive oil
  • a food mill
  • a metal “kitchen” ruler
  • a coffee grinder that I use just for spices
  • an unreasonably large jar of Chinese sesame paste
  • quark (look it up)
  • a panini press
  • 3 kinds of olives I had never heard of
  • soooo. much. butter.

I’m sure that list will continue to grow. In the meantime, here are the recipes we made for the first time in January. As always, I am indebted to my numerous, often involuntary, tasters. Stay warm and happy cooking!

#124 Warm Cabbage Salad with Goat Cheese and Capers, 1990 (p. 181) This is my favorite kind of recipe: Quick to make, but complex, interesting, and delicious. It is notable that everyone in the family went for seconds – not the norm around here for cabbage-based dishes. It is excellent warm, but also very good cold the next day. I will make this again (and again) Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

#125 Cauliflower Soup with Cremini Mushrooms and Walnut Oil, 2001 (p. 147) This simple soup was flavorful and satisfying, if not very visually appealing. Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.5/5

#126 Black Bean Soup with Salsa, 1987 (p. 129) This soup had amazing flavor, inspiring SAH to deem it “heavenly”. In the book, this soup is paired with the Jalepeno Corn Bread Muffins we made back in December. While we didn’t make the two together this time, I would definitely do so in the future. They would complement each other very well. This soup has much to recommend it, but it had a huge amount of liquid, which made the consistency a bit strange. I double-checked the recipe to make sure I had used the right amount. We ended up draining off a good deal of the broth to use as cooking liquid for rice. Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5

#127 Pumpkin-Black Bean Soup, 1986 (p. 127) It’s true! We love black bean soup around here. This recipe did not disappoint. In contrast with #126 the texture is thicker and “softer” and the flavor profile is less traditional. Despite the fact that the pumpkin gets top billing, it is very much in the background. Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

#128 Georgia Pecan Turkey Salad, 1998 (p.487) This was an excellent way to use the leftover Turkey breast we’ve had hanging around in the freezer since Thanksgiving. It was tasty and fun, more so because the combination of sweet pickle relish and celery salt reminds me of the way my mom used to make tuna salad. This was delicious on freshly baked buttermilk biscuits. Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

#129 Old South Buttermilk Biscuits, 1949 (p. 698) This recipe had me asking myself (out loud), “Why don’t I make homemade biscuits more often?” These were crispy on the outside and wonderfully soft and flaky on the inside. Yum! Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

#130 White Bark Balls, 2007 (p. 755) These were a bit of a disappointment, both in terms of how the recipe was written and how they turned out. Don’t get me wrong, the combo of Rice Krispies, peanut butter, and white chocolate could not be all that bad, but tthe flavor and texture were blander than expected. Also, despite the fact that I made them the exact size specified (I used the ruler referenced above.), the recipe yielded only 20 balls. If I make this again (and I might…) I will attempt to make them smaller, which will almost certainly improve the overall result. Unanimous rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5

#131 Marina Anagnostou’s Spanakopetes (Spinach Triangles), 1978 (p. 64) and #132 Mediterranean Lentil Salad with Lemon–Thyme Vinaigrette, 1993 (p. 291) I paired these as a vegetarian dinner for my patient and supportive book group. We had read Call me Athena: Girl from Detroit by Colby Cedar Smith, so I was going for a Greek-ish theme. Both dishes were tasty and satisfying without being too heavy. I still don’t love working with phyllo dough, but the instructions for the spinach triangles were excellent and the result was visually pleasing as well as delicious. The lentil salad serves more than the recipe indicates. I have since doubled it and taken it to a potluck for 30 people. Overall rating for both: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

Chicken Fajita Pasta

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Adapted from Skinnytaste One and Done by Gina Homolka and  Heather K. Jones

  • 1 pound thin-cut boneless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin (divided)
  • 1 teaspoon sweet paprika (divided)
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder (divided)
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (divided)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt (divided)
  • 3 teaspoons olive oil (divided)
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 cups vegetable stock
  • 1 10-ounce can diced tomatoes with green chiles
  • 7 ounces celentani or other corkscrew/elbow pasta
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 2 sliced Haas avocados
  • Chopped scallion (optional)
  • Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
  • Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

In a large bowl, combine the chicken with 1 teaspoon of the cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of the paprika, 1/4 teaspoon of the chili powder, 1/4 teaspoon of the garlic powder, and 3/4 teaspoon of the salt. Toss to coat.

In a Dutch oven or large pot, heat 2 teaspoons of the olive oil over high heat. When the oil is very hot, add the chicken and cook, stirring, until browned and cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion and peppers along with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1/4 teaspoon chili powder, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant and well-combined, about 30 seconds. Transfer to the plate of chicken.

In the same pot, combine the broth, tomatoes and uncooked pasta. Stir well and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and cook until the pasta is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Return the chicken and vegetables to the pot, stir well and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the sour cream.

To serve, spoon 1 1/2 cups into bowls and top each with avocado and other toppings of your choice.

Cindy’s Coleslaw

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Submitted by Rob Anning

  • 1 bag coleslaw
  • 1 package Oriental flavor Ramen Noodles (crunch up noodles)
  • 6 Tablespoon vinegar
  • 4 Tablespoon sugar
  • Slivered almonds
  • Sunflower seeds
  • ¾ cup oil (I use ½ cup)

Mix oil, flavor packet from noodles, vinegar, and sugar. Mix in other ingredients. Let sit over night (so noodles will soften).

I make it in a Tupperware bowl and tumble it whenever I go by the fridge to be sure the noodles saturate well.

Turkey Supreme

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· 7 ounces elbow macaroni, cooked and drained

· 1 Tablespoon cooking oil

· 1 pound ground turkey

· 1 medium onion, chopped

· 1 clove garlic, finely chopped

· 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce

· 1 Tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

· ½ teaspoon dried oregano

· 1 cup plain, non-fat or low-fat yogurt

· 3 ounces cream cheese

· 1 ½ Tablespoon snipped fresh parsley

· 2 cups shredded low-fat cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 350°.

Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Crumble turkey into skillet; stir in onion and garlic. Cook until turkey is no longer pink. Drain.

Stir in tomato sauce, Parmesan, and oregano. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Mix yogurt, cream cheese, and parsley until smooth. (A food processor is good here if you have one.)

Spray a 9” x 13” pan with cooking spray.

Layer macaroni, yogurt mixture, and turkey mixture in prepared pan. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

Bake, uncovered, 35 minutes.

Serves 6.