A fusion ragù of sorts. I used Impossible instead of ground beef. I also reversed the cooking order a bit. The author has you start with browning the meat and then add aromatics, which cook in the fat given off by the meat. I started by sautéing the aromatics (onion, garlic, and ginger) in a bit of oil, because I didn’t think the Impossible with render enough fat. You mix in some brown sugar, gochujang, and tomato paste, and then add water and soy sauce and simmer. I did end up adding a bit more water because I thought my sauce was getting too dry. You are to serve this over any starch. I chose gluten-free ramen noodles (rice and millet). I threw a bunch of fresh basil on top. We really liked this, far more than expected. The flavor is definitely more Asian than Italian, though not particularly Korean. The basil, which is not called for, makes it seem almost Thai. It’s a very umami-packed sauce. Will repeat.
I also liked this one a lot (made it before the COTM month), though I found it much improved on day two compared with day one. The flavors took a while to really meld. I served it on udon (which was a great combo ) - I think the basil sounds like a delicious addition.
I planned on making this but just didn’t remember to pick up missing ingredient. I read quite a few positive reviews on this recipe. Quite a few used spaghetti.
Thanks to hirsheys for her review. This is another recipe that, without a review, I could easily have passed over. When she said it was like what you get at a streetcart, I was sold. Plus: beans! LLD is away, so Lulu and I have been having lots of old favorite beanapalooza meals, but I wanted to be sure to get this one in this time, and I’m so glad I did. I absolutely loved it. I love the dill in this so much. I did go somewhat off recipe with the tahini sauce. I added much less water, and much more lemon, and I grated in a clove of garlic. This made it perfect for my tastes. I especially loved the crunchy bottom. This was enough food for maybe 3 people with nothing else served. I think I probably should have served a salad on the side. I can’t wait to have this again
The French Onion White bean Bake is the first recipe I made from this book and we really enjoyed it! Pure comfort food. It definitely benefits from being served with something crisp and fresh. I was tempted to add sherry in addition to the vinegar called for since I put sherry in my FO soup. It didn’t need it, though I still may try that next time. Aldi sells a bag of shredded gruyere/swiss, so I used that for ease. Will definitely repeat.
Batons of tofu are tossed in olive oil, sesame oil, and cornstarch and spread out on a sheet pan. Asparagus and scallions are tossed in some olive oil and spread on another sheet pan. Both pans are roasted simultaneously, then allowed to cool a bit. Cooked soba noodles are tossed with some sesame oil, then tossed with the roasted veg and tofu, peanuts, fresh mint, and lime juice. I riffed based on what I had available and used cilantro instead of mint, and lemon juice instead of lime. I also used a Korean noodle that was a buckwheat/rice combo.
Nothing fancy, but it was an easy meal to put together, tasty, and satisfying. I would make it again, and I’d like to make it using the mint as called for.
This was quite good. Sometimes cumin’s aroma puts me off, so I added coriander too. I wanted that pure turmeric-dill herbiness but it ended up perfect. I was skeptical about boiling the canned beans, so I added them with a few minutes left. I was also wondering about the necessity of the tahini sauce but it really added something. I love it when a recipe proves all my doubts wrong! But some yogurt would have been good too. I got lazy and did not make it as crispy as I could have, but it’s good either way,
Is the spaghetti cooked when you add it? Otherwise it seems like the broccoli florets would be really over-cooked if they’re being boiled as long as the pasta.
No, the spaghetti is not cooked when you add it. The broccoli comes out tender, but not overdone to my taste. If you like crunchy broccoli, then you would need to modify the recipe.
I have had a ridiculously busy year and haven’t had much time to cook, but today I finally had the chance and turned to this book knowing that it has lots of quick options. This one is another winner. The dish is quite easy and very tasty, especially given how few ingredients there were. (Just garlic, poblanos/anaheims, serranos/jalapenos, rice, cumin, ground pork, spinach, and limes.) The rice is supposed to crisp up and mine didn’t clump well, but no matter. Will try again in a different pan next time. I used two seeded serranos and didn’t find it spicy at all - will leave the seeds next time. Though I didn’t find it underseasoned, I also agree with other EYB reviewers and think more cumin would be welcome. Still, all in all it is a keeper that I will definitely keep in my back pocket. Looking forward to another dish from this book that I have planned for later in the weekend if I can make time.
This is SO good. Garlic, lemon, chilies, beans, shrimp, wine … my favorites! She directs you to cook the shrimp first, but to me it made more sense to just add the marinating shrimp to the stewy beans when they are a few minutes from being done. I also added a few handfuls of baby spinach to the stewing beans, which made it a full meal for me. I made half a recipe, and ate the whole thing, so I don’t think this serves 4, unless you have maybe some bread and a salad on the side. Main thing is that you should definitely make this. I can see adding mushrooms (or replacing the shrimp with mushrooms). Can’t wait to eat this again. Oh, and it is really really easy to make.
