Ah, spuds. Potatoes. Those super versatile, no one is ever the same, full of carbs, but still ever so delicious bundles of goodness. I seem to have s number of different kind in my pantry and fridge right now, so I thought I would do a small series on their versatility. First up: a new version of the baked potato called a Shingled Potato Bake. Simple (just peel, cut, oil and bake) and yummy. Best done with starchy potatoes like Idaho / Russets. Great to accompany a roast on a Sunday.
So today, Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday is called Green Thursday in Germany (not the only name, and no, I am not Catholic nor generally religious, so I am not going into the whole details of why, yadda yadda yadd… you all have the ability to google for yourselves), and some people eat green food today. Typically things that are leafy and herby and spring like. This year, given my work schedule, it kind of crept up on me (and Easter is particularly early this year) so I had to do what was in the house. Although, in my house, this involves quails eggs and smoked gouda. So, yeah, I’m a little odd when it comes to stuff in my fridge.
Coq au Vin is my favorite food on earth, hands down. This is also one of the best recipes that I make. A little background: when I started falling in love with cooking again (no, I was not always a recipe junkie, though food has always been an important part of my life), I fell in love with Julia. Yes, that Julia. I think that a lot of women admire her for the fact that she was just an ordinary woman who picked up cooking later in life and became one of the most influential cooks of an entire culture. So I made her Coq au vin recipe. Coq au Vin is a very old concept — like back from the Romans — but her recipe was straight forward. I have made variations on her it for 5 years now, each time changing it until I have come up with what I consider perfection. I have learned a lot about cooking since I started — like knowing you shouldn’t add all the wine at once otherwise all the tanins end up ruining the dish, or by adding ground dried porcini, the umami flavor is boosted (doesn’t make it taste more mushroom-y). Anyway, I love this recipe. Be forewarned: it takes a minimum of 3 hours. You can stop just before the rue-making stage though, if you need to divide the effort over 2 days.
And now for something completely different: Mexican Food. Not something that I am particularly good at making, but I suspect that is more because I don’t *practice* making it enough, because these tortilla with shredded beef and spicy slaw turned out pretty amazing. Experiments on a Sunday afternoon.