pine nuts

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The Global Pantry Cookbook review

There’s a food/cooking channel on Youtube that has several videos about “hacks” and “cheats” to quicken and/or elevate your home cooking.  I like that it’s not about gadgets, or some weird viral cooking method.  It’s more like “here, let’s replace traditional pasta with instant ramen to cut the time on this recipe.”  Or, “take a traditional recipe with potatoes but swap the potatoes with potato chips which will still taste good and cook quickly.”

“The Global Pantry Cookbook: Transform Your Everyday Cooking with Tahini, Gochujang, Miso, and Other Irresistible Ingredients” by Ann Taylor Pittman and Scott Mowbray reminds me of those videos.  Like the title suggests, here we’re taking a pantry ingredient (possibly a new-to you pantry ingredient), and using it creatively or using it to its fullest potential.

The book is broken down into: 

  • Wow-a-Crowd Snack and Apps,
  • Crunchy, Vibrant Salads,
  • Soups and Comfort Stews,
  • Rich and Hearty Beef and Lamb,
  • Pork is an Umami Superstar,
  • Poultry, Mostly Chicken,
  • Entirely Elevated, Irresistible Fish and Seafood (Sustainable, Too),
  • Meat-free Mains for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner,
  • Totally Satisfying Sandwiches,
  • Noodles, Pasta, Pizzas, and Breads,
  • Easy Vegetables and Starchy Things
  • Seductive Sweets and Frozen Treats

Some of the recipes that particularly appeal to me are: 

  • Shrimp boil hush puppies,
  • 5 Flavors of super-crunchy wokcorn (basic, sesame kettle with furikake, tahini za’atar, nacho-ish, white chocolate-strawberry),
  • Roasted cauliflower salad with quick-pickled raisins,
  • Spinach, grapefruit, and avocado salad with sesame vinaigrette,
  • Damn fine meatloaf with spicy onion glaze,
  • Hamburger steaks with rich onion gravy,
  • Rustic tomato galette with smoky bacon, melty cheese, and sweet onions,
  • 10 minute pan-seared scallops with yuzu kosho sauce,
  • How to build a damn fine veggie burger,
  • Tender multigrain walnut pancakes with plum compote,
  • Ground beef bulgogi sloppy joes with fiery napa slaw,
  • Korean fire chicken pizza,
  • Coconutty banana pudding with candied black walnuts,
  • Salty tahini and pine nut ice cream

The first recipe I tried was for “simply the best-est and moist-est turkey meatballs.” The ingredients are “soft but not squishy white bread”, evaporated milk, ground turkey breast, fresh parsley, salt, pepper, dried oregano, garlic, egg, and oyster sauce.  I make meatballs regularly enough that I had some doubts about the soft white bread.  I’ve always used dried breadcrumbs like panko.  I had some homemade soft bread that was a few days old, stored in the fridge.  Even though it was not in the instructions, I decided to put the specified amount of bread, sliced, on a plate to dry out for a few hours.  I’m glad I did but it ultimately did not help me with the end product.  This recipe has a lot of liquid in it.  The book warns you that “the mixture will be very soft” but it was gloopy.  I used a portion scoop but my meatballs barely held shape.  I had hoped it was just a matter of baking them up, but it was not.  I don’t think the photos do it justice, but instead of meatballs, I had meaty UFOs.

I am mildly amused that it’s stated in the book’s introduction, “we cross-tested each other’s recipes to make sure the steps are clear, times are accurate, and flavors are as they’re supposed to be.”  I want to know if there was any third party testing. lol!

Issues with the shape aside, the overall flavor was really good.  The oyster sauce is used as a glaze, which makes that very first bite tasty while giving a nice shine to the surface.  For personal preference, I think I will cut back some of the salt that goes into the meat mixture.  I found the saltiness of the oyster sauce to be very noticeable since it hits the tongue first, so the whole tasting experience was almost too salty. Meanwhile, my mom (who also got to eat some) absolutely loved them as is.

The second recipe I made was for broiled leeks with toasted pine nut sauce. The pantry ingredient for this one is Banyuls vinegar, which I had never heard of before. It’s a long-aged French vinegar, but the books says you can use a sherry vinegar. Sherry vinegar is quite possibly my favorite vinegar so I used the substitution. (Although I now want to purchase a bottle of Banyuls out of curiosity.) Overall, this dish is very easy to make. You make a sauce with toasted pine nuts, extra virgin olive oil, the vinegar, salt, fresh garlic, and black pepper. The sauce is served over broiled leeks. I had pine nuts hiding in my freezer so I took this opportunity to use them. The only thing that I did wrong is that I initially forgot to add hot water to the sauce to make it thinner, otherwise it’s a thick nut butter. So my plated photo was before I remembered to add the water. (Yes, I actually scraped off the sauce, added water, mixed, and then reapplied. lol!)

This was so good! But you do have to like pine nuts to like this recipe. I had sauce leftover which ended up making a lovely sandwich spread. (I used it for both turkey sandwiches and tofu sandwiches.)

And then, though there is no photographic evidence of it, I made the quick pickled raisins. The raisins are supposed to be served with a roasted cauliflower salad but I didn’t buy any cauliflower. I’ve made (and liked) quick pickled raisins before but never with sherry vinegar. (Banyuls was the original ingredient listed.) Also, this version added paprika to the liquid, which I had never done before. Overall, I enjoyed them, and added them to whatever I was eating for a pop of acidity and sweetness.

I had fun with this cookbook, and look forward to cooking from it some more. Other comments? Not every recipe has a photo, in case that matters to you. Ingredients are mostly listed in the volumetric system. Having said that, the baking recipes does offer weighed measurements in ounces for all of the flour which I really appreciate. Since this book revolves around pantry ingredients, you can easily find all the recipes for each pantry ingredient in the index. For example, I can easily see that ghee is listed in 8 recipes.

I think all home cooks who like to work with different ingredients from around the world will enjoy “The Global Pantry Cookbook.”

Disclaimer – I kindly received a copy of this book from Workman Publishing for this review.  I’m not getting paid for this post. The views and opinions expressed are purely my own.  This book is available for purchase through your favorite retailer, and will be released on October 10th.

Reference Links:

https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/scott-mowbray/the-global-pantry-cookbook/9781523516858/

https://www.anntaylorpittman.com/

https://www.instagram.com/scottmowb/?hl=en

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The Greek Vegetarian Cookbook, a review

Every once in a while, there comes along a cookbook that I know immediately I am going to like.  In my never-ending quest to try to eat more vegetables and fruit, I am always looking for new ideas or inspiration.  And for me right now, that is The Greek Vegetarian Cookbook by Heather Thomas.  The recipes in this book are mostly uncomplicated, unpretentious, but not boring.  

The book is also really enjoying to flip through, as every recipe is accompanied by a gorgeous photo.  The breakdown of the cookbook is basic:

  • Chapter 1 – Meze, Dips, and Snacks
  • Chapter 2 – Salads
  • Chapter 3 – Breakfasts and Brunches
  • Chapter 4 – Light Lunches
  • Chapter 5 – Dinners
  • Chapter 6 – Bakes and Desserts

Trying to narrow down a recipe to test for this review was a little tough.  The recipes that I was most interested in, some of the ingredients are not in season yet (here being in New England).  But here’s a snapshot of some of the recipes I want to make from this book:

  • Halloumi and Lentil Salad
  • Hummus with Fennel and Golden Beets
  • Cretan Tomato Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette
  • Crunchy Greek Islands Salad
  • Melon and Avocado Salad
  • Halloumi with Sweetcorn Fritters with Fried Eggs
  • Chickpea and Eggplant Pilaf
  • Baked Stuffed Vegetables
  • White Bean, Tomato, and Feta Baklava
  • Fresh Fig and Orange Cake

In the end, I went with testing out the Broccoli Salad with Yogurt Dressing recipe because I had most of the ingredients and the photo looked appetizing.  It’s almost embarrassingly easy. You re-hydrate some raisins. You boil some broccoli. You make a dressing of Greek yogurt, honey, and vinegar. And then you serve the broccoli with the dressing, some onion, sunflower seeds, toasted pine nuts, and the raisins.

And you know what?  I loved it. The recipe comes with variations which also sound good, and I’m tempted to try all the suggestions.

So, would I recommend this book to someone else?  Yes! I think I’d recommend this book to anyone to be honest.  Interested in the Mediterranean diet? Get this book. Interested in recipes easy enough for a beginner?  Get this book. Want to eat more veggies? Get this book. And if you do get this book, let me know what you think of it.  🙂

Disclaimer – I kindly received this book from Phaidon for this review.  I’m not getting paid for this post. The views and opinions expressed are purely my own.

Reference Link:

https://www.phaidon.com/store/food-cook/the-greek-vegetarian-cookbook-9780714879130/

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summer pasta salad, for one

It’s that time of year when I start fretting over my container garden. So far, I don’t have much planted. I have two pots of rosemary, one pot of sage, one pot of mint, one pot of thyme, and one pot of tarragon – all plants from last year. My shiso plant from last year seeded unexpected well on its own. So, I’ve got baby shiso in a pot… and in a couple of other pots too. Not to mention, I found some growing on around the porch. haha!  I pulled the ninja seedlings, but I’ve left alone all the ones in the pots. They are growing very slowly. Hopefully, I’ll have more luck with these than the ones I was trying to grow from seed last year. Last week, I bought some parsley, basil, and two cherry tomato plants. Today, I put some seeds down for cultivated purslane, zucchini, and salad greens in dirt.

Going back to the basil plants, I thought the taller growth needed some pinching back already. And then with my small handful of herbs, I decided that it was time to make lunch.

What follows isn’t a caprese salad. There’s no mozzarella cheese, no olive oil. This isn’t a pesto salad either. It was heavier on the pine nut flavor, and I skipped the Parmesan cheese and the garlic completely. And, to reiterate, it had no olive oil.

I chopped up some toasted pine nuts with my bits of basil (smelled so lovely), and then I had the gall to mush it with 1/2 of an avocado (and a tiny pinch of kosher salt).

To this, I mixed in some halved cherry tomatoes and some cooked multi-grain pasta. It was good and it was just enough for one person. I wish I had some baked chicken or grilled steak to go along with it. Oh well, maybe next time. It’s ok. I followed my pasta course with strawberries and yogurt.  A happy tummy is of the utmost importance!  (^_^)b

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a simple summer lunch

I don’t have anything of interest from the CSA this time around – some greens, a tomato (my sister took the other tomatoes), onions, beets, and parsley. I trimmed the parsley and put it in a cup of water, but it’s not doing so well. I guess I should have stored it in the fridge.

But yeah, nothing for making a great meal. On the other hand, the basil in my yard needed pruning, and a couple of small tomatoes were picked. My shiso plant is insane. I need to prune that too. I’ve learned that shiso works pretty well in salad. However, it’s a tougher leaf than something like basil so I think next time I’ll blanch it before adding it to a salad.

But really, this post is about the basil and the tomatoes. It made for an amazing salad for lunch.

Two slices of whole wheat bread were toasted and then torn.
A large handful of basil was cut into small pieces.
Three smallish tomatoes were diced.
A small serving of turkey deli meat was shredded.
A handful of pine nuts were toasted.
Some vinaigrette was drizzled into a bowl. (My vinaigrette was made from about two parts extra virgin olive oil and one part Trader Joe’s orange champagne vinegar.)

Mix everything together gently with your hands or some salad spoons.

Serve.

The pine nuts, I think, is what really makes this salad go from “boring” to “yum!” I would have put mozzarella cheese in it if I had any, but now that the salad has been made and devoured, I think the salad was probably better without it.