#018 - Soup Dumplings and Hunan Beef

We went to Paris!  It was incredible.  The museums, the architecture, and of course... THE FOOD.  We simply had to cook French food when we got home.  So we made: Quiche Lorraine: A pie crust filled with a custard ( eggs + milk + heavy cream ), that's filled with shredded swiss cheese, scrumptious bacon bits, and sautéed onions.  Oh, la, la!!! Creme Brulee: A dessert made of a cold, smooth custard bottom and a hard top of blow-torched sugar.  Divine!!! Enjoy!

Luscious Lamb Chops.  Decadent Pasta.  Simply, divine! We pulled these recipes from Carla Lalli Music's, 'Where Cooking Begins'.   Herbaceous grilled lamb chops: Lamb chops marinated in olive oil, red wine vinegar, crushed coriander seeds, mint, rosemary, and basil. Pasta all'amatriciana with confit tomatoes: Fusili pasta with confited tomatoesk pancetta, red onion, grated parmesan cheese, and crushed red pepper. It's a great recipe book.  There are specific recipes, but also guides on methods of cooking, like confit. Enjoy!

We made Loaves & Fishes!  Well, a loaf & a fish.  We received a wonderful cookbook as a gift: Ottolenghi Test Kitchen.  We cracked it open.  The two recipes that stood out to us were spiced soda bread and tahini salmon.  So, we got into the kitchen and got to it. The spiced soda bread was insanely delicious.  The tahini salmon tasted great and gave us a lot of ideas for the future. Enjoy!

On this episode, we cook up a couple delicious Philly Cheesesteaks!!!  Steak, sauteed onions, sharp provolone cheese - what a trio!  We jazz it by adding in bell peppers and seasoning.  Don't forget to toast your hoagie!

Well, we got Covid and we got Tapas!  For this episode, we cooked a few Spanish Tapas while we were self-isolating.  We cooked: Patatas Bravas Spanish Tortilla Pinchitos Lots of potatoes, eggs, and meat skewers!  We enjoyed all of what we cooked, however the seasoning for the Pinchitos stole the show.  Later in the week, we used the same spices & marinade with Pork and Lamb.   Enjoy!

We try our hand at Brazilian food.  For this edition, we cooked three dishes: Picanha, Camarão No Leite de Coco, and Arroz e Feijão.   Picanha is top sirloin cap, a delicious cut of beef.  Camarão No Leite de Coco is shrimp cooked with peppers in a coconut milk sauce.  And, Arroz e Feijão is rice and beans -- a classic!   This was a great meal and did not require too much labor.  Thank you, Brazil!

This episode brings us to CHINA!  We're trying our hand at two delicious recipes from two different provinces:  Soup Dumplings ( Jiangsu Province)  & Hunan Beef ( Hunan Province ) We labored for hours prepping the dough, folding the pleats on the dumplings, reducing a soup into delicious gelatin, frying up marinaded flank steak -- suffice it to say, this was a lot of work, but a lot of reward too!  A most enjoyable meal.   Nothing like some hot dumps on a wintry evening to warm your soul.

We made Indian food!  This was our first time cooking Indian food.  We made three dishes for our meal: naan bread, punjabi chana ( chick peas in a tomato-based spice sauce ), and butter chicken ( also known as: murgh makhani ).   All of the food was delicious & the sauces had deep, complex flavors that really stood out.  This was fun for us AND it's fun for you!

Welcome to the first episode in our International Food Series.  We are starting our Tasty Travels in JAPAN!  We made Miso Ramen with Pork Shoulder, Bok Choy, and Softboiled Eggs.  It is a delicious, savory meal that is perfectly warming -- especially as the weather turns cooler heading into Autumn.  We discuss the rich history of Japan, Miso, and Ramen.  Enjoy it!

We're talkin' octopus.  We share many Fun Facts about octopuses, like: octopi have 3 hearts!  We're also talkin' how to grill octopus.  Why?  Because we did and it was delicious!