ND Food & Travel Posts

Asides

An Indonesian fast-casual restaurant, Rendang Republic, opened in my extended neighborhood. I tried their takes on a chicken sandwich (Nashville style with Indonesian flavors in the cole slaw) and a beef rendang sandwich (reminded me of a banh mi - I would recommend this one). You can also get a proper rendang rice bowl.

Rao's is the go-to expensive pasta sauce at grocery stores these days. I recently tried Ciao Pappy's Calabrian Chili sauce (not so memorable) and Sauz's Hot Honey Marinara (a good mix).
Last summer I stopped buying canned crushed tomatoes for lentils, and got a 16-box order from Colavita. When I was setting up my doomsday prepper closet I got marinara from them, but haven't tried it yet.

It's been over a year now since Foxtrot and Dom's closed. Fresh Market replaced a Dom's location in Lincoln Park last fall, and is planning to move into the other location in Old Town. A few Foxtrot locations reopened, but others are still frozen in time. Someone complained about the Sears Tower location last month:

Recipe to go with Brooklyn Delhi tikka masala sauce: Mustard oil, fry bell pepper and jalapeño first, then paneer, simmer in sauce, finally add heavy cream, a little asafetida powder, and kasuri methi / fenugreek leaves.
Recipe for whole wheat orzo: fry garlic, cook orzo in chicken broth, serve with Alfredo + sriracha. Add Trader Joe's premade chicken meatballs.

Meals

Dishoom-inspired Paneer Ruby

https://hotcooking.co.uk/recipes/dishoom-inspired-paneer-ruby/

The Anti-Chef channel did a recipe called "Chicken Ruby" made by UK restauraunt Dishoom. I looked up the paneer version, which is essentially the same base. I used green cardamom pods plus powdered cardamom, regular chili powder, and had to add water.
I liked this, but ate it with a good helping of rice because the tomato flavor is a bit extra.

Garlic Parmesan Salmon & Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

https://www.thegoodbite.co.uk/recipes/garlic-parmesan-salmon-rosemary-roasted-potatoes/

Very similar to Escalope Salmon from a year ago, but I preferred this recipe. No fish stock/broth here. My mini potatoes were closer to 20–25 minutes bake time.

Lahori-style Lamb Karahi

I saw Latif make an Afghani lamb recipe recently, but then in Googling landed on his older Lahori-style recipe. This could be one of the best things that I've cooked? Probably a bit much when it comes to the oil.

Orzotto Alla Carbonara

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1024776-orzotto-alla-carbonara

I tried making it with whole wheat orzo; it was OK. I shouldn't have added any salt on top of the pancetta.

Picanha

https://steakschool.com/cuts/what-cut-of-beef-is-picanha/

Saw this cut on reddit, and since then bought it twice at Fresh Market. Also saw it at a Portuguese market once. You add coarse salt, pepper, and either garlic powder or rosemary and souvlaki seasoning.

Poached Fish with Soy Glaze

https://cookingwithlei.com/poached-fish/

The soy glaze had a satisfying flavor, but I wasn't fully on board with the end result. Used apple cider vinegar and rice vinegar as a substitute for rice wine.

Smashed Broccoli Pasta

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DE762eDxVqi/

I made this while visiting home while looking for something easy. I should have read this a bit more carefully as I ended up mashing the broccoli after combining with the pasta. Also the spices at the house were quite old.

Trader Joe's Pancake Bread

https://www.tablefortwoblog.com/trader-joes-pancake-bread-copycat-recipe/

Saw it less and less, and now reportedly discontinued by Trader Joe's. I finally got around to making this recipe at home. It was a while since I baked anything and it took a bit extra prep time. This has a lot of butter and sugar!

Fails

Oxtail Stew

https://www.jocooks.com/recipes/oxtail-stew/

I was browsing H-Mart and decided to see what I could do with oxtails. Difficult getting meat off the bone, not sure if I messed up in the braising or cooking stage.