Delicious & Dragons

Because if I called it paella the Spanish inquisition would descend upon me with a swiftness that would rival a hasted tabaxi monk. This was actually slightly inspired by kimchi fried rice, so I took some leftover sauce from the pulled pork, pickling liquid from the kimchi and used that as a flavor base to cook the rice in. Served with some roasted zucchini. Much to my dismay I undercooked the rice, but the basic idea of cooking rice paella style is worth exploring further, because the bits that were right were really tasty.

Occupational hazard of handling molten hot sugar aside, this one is a nice treat to make use of the power of baking soda. Just dump a teaspoon into the caramel and watch it go. Then pour it like some delicious lava with scents of toasted nuts, butter and vanilla and watch it slowly solidify into a candy.

When you are undecided whether to make gyoza or bao, why not make something in between and crisp up the bao in a pan at the end of steaming? Bao plainly steamed are delicious as it is, but this makes for a nice variation of texture.

Alliterations aside, this was interesting to try. Rather than your usual brioche or potato buns baking larger pão de queijo and putting some pulled pork in between. The chewiness of the buns is unusual and it’s kinda tasty, but I don’t think I’ve hit the right balance of ingredients just yet. Could definitely use more pork, maybe a touch of crème fraîche for some freshness.

Update: I tinkered with ingredients, a bit of sour cream and mustard, more pork, some cucumber slices and lo, it really made for a better sandwich that has a nice balance of tastes and textures going on. Yay.

I hadn’t done pulled pork in a while, but the basic principle stays the same. Spices of your choice, flavorful liquid that balances salt, umami, sugar and acid, low heat and a lot of time.

I’m sure one could come up with a catchier name, but considering I had just had some leftover potato mash and zero plan how to do this, it worked out pretty well. Combine with flour, egg and cheese, bread, fry until golden brown. Served with guacamole.

The good thing about melty cheese is that it’s versatile. In this case it did a good job of melting into all the nooks and crannies of the roasted broccoli to make for a satisfying sandwich.

I heard of a dish where you throw a bunch of cheese in a pot and keep it melted just right so you can dunk pieces of bread in it. Sounds simple enough? Alas, certainly not! You see, the cheese must be kept in a precarious equilibrium of heat, liquid and the other ingredients. A little bit too much or too little of anything, and you’ll end up with some rubbery cheese goo or a split oily mess of a sauce. I think I’m getting the hang of it though. And side note, kimchi mac and cheese is delicious.

I was getting a bit sick and needed something hearty, so I cooked up some potatoes and kale with spices, onions and beef stock to make a nice soup to warm me up.

There certainly can be a fate worse than eating pho for leftovers.