Thanks for highlighting this recipe at just the right time! I saw this report and I had asparagus that needed using, so I put ricotta, mint, and sourdough on my grocery list.
I also didn’t blanch the asparagus. I had a container of chopped shallot and spring onion waiting to be cooked, so I sautéed them and the asparagus in olive oil. The combination of these flavors with the ricotta and mint was very satisfying. I have plenty of the sautéed asparagus left for a repeat tomorrow.
grated fresh ginger, so good with carrots (as @mig knows from a soup she knows.) Just blitz up EVOO and tahini with the other ingredients and drizzle and toss with the lightly cooked carrots. Chill this, I didn’t like it at room temp.
SERIOUS EATS’ HALAL CART-STYLE CHICKEN AND RICE WITH WHITE SAUCE
(from the Serious Eats website)
I had only chicken breast, not thighs as called for, but the marinade worked and kept the meat tender, plus I was super careful not to overcook. The oregano/garlic/coriander/lemon/EVOO in the marinade/paste (there’s a bit on the plate) get smooshed onto the chicken and flavors it for a few hours. Then sear and cook and chop. The rice is wonderful, and pretty!
The white sauce I wasn’t happy with – a whole tablespoon of sugar was too much for just a cup of sauce. I like sweet on meat, but this didn’t seem right. Next time I’ll just leave it out. Altogether a success though.
QUICK PICKLED CARROTS (from the Serious Eats website)
I had enough curiosity about this recipe to try it, but not high hopes. Wrong! The second cold carrots dish I made this week. The carrots were supposed to be in longish peels, I just sliced 'em diagonal and thin, let them pickle overnight. (The recipe implies that they are ready in about 2 hours.) The brine includes ginger (so good with carrots) shallot, garlic, peppercorns–of course vinegar, and sugar. And I ate them one after the other all day long.
I find most of these “white sauce” recipes bizarre – the original sauce was a cross between a thin raita and a diluted toum, mild and creamy with a hint of garlic and scant flecks of green that could have been either dill or cilantro, but weren’t strong enough to worry about.
This dish is on a regular rotation with us. We grow long eggplant in our garden year round, as well as the thai basil. The recipe is very versatile, you can use pork, chicken, even tofu. The 2 distinctive ingredients that absolutely make or break this recipe however is the thai bean paste, (tao jiew), and a LOT of thai basil, we add over a cup of the leaves to the finished dish.
