C. sapidus

I have found bugs in dried Mexican chiles once or twice over many years. A spell in the freezer seemed to cure the problem. The only time we had a more widespread infestation was from fresh fruit stored ambient. But that was human error on our end.

Thai eggplant curry is one of my favorite things in the universe, but some dislike the texture. Or just cross-hatch a halved eggplant, stuff the cuts with fresh rosemary, garlic, and copious olive oil, and broil it under high heat. Delish. Anyway. Stir-fried shrimp with aromatic tomato-cream sauce: Stir-fry black mustard seeds until they pop, add garlic, and then stir-fry shrimp until partly done. Add a sauce of tomato paste, garam masala, cumin seed, cayenne, cilantro, minced jalapeno, bay leaves (sub for curry leaves), lemon juice, and coconut milk. Super easy. Stir-fried cabbage with fennel seeds: Stir-fry cumin seed, fennel seed, and sesame seeds, add sliced onion and stir-fry until browned, and then add sliced cabbage. Cook down the cabbage until browned, add cayenne, and finish with lemon juice and garam masala. A long-time favorite.

Dry-fried beef slivers: NY strip steak, de-stringed celery, ginger, and scallion whites, all cut into slivers. Stir-fry the beef until beginning to crisp, then mix in Shaoxing wine, Pixian dou ban jian, ginger, scallions, Sichuan peppercorns, and soy sauce. Finish with sesame oil off the heat. Lotsa flavor. Stir-fried rainbow chard with er jing tiao chiles, Sichuan peppercorns, and smashed garlic, also finished with sesame oil. Leftover rice to go with.

Let's call this "Mexican" fried rice: dinner leftovers (catfish, zucchini, and roasted chile Poblano in garlic-cilantro-lime sauce), plus chorizo, fish sauce, and an egg, topped with avocado.

Catfish al mojo de ajo con calabacitas: Garlic cloves sauteed and then blended with gelled chicken stock from a previous Mexican meal. Catfish fillets fried in the garlic-rich oil and then finished in the oven. Zucchini cubes, seared and then cooked down with roasted chile Poblano, the garlic sauce, and lots of cilantro. Lime wedges at the table. Arroz blanco: jasmine rice fried with white onion and garlic, and then steamed with chicken stock.

I remember HWOE. Welcome back!

Chorizo and feta omelet with sauteed shallot and garlic, topped with crema and Mexican oregano

Black bean chicken fried rice

Liuyang black bean chicken: marinate chicken thigh chunks with soy sauce and salt, and then fry twice until golden. Flavors include a whole head of garlic, sliced ginger, fermented black beans, shallots (sub for scallions), whiskey (sub for Shaoxing rice wine), red chili flakes, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Jasmine rice to go with. Mrs. C made carrots in the air fryer with garlic and Parmesan. Mustgo cucumber salad.

Mrs. C said we had some cooked ground chicken in the fridge, so I volunteered to make keema. Did all the prep: chopped onions, ginger, garlic, chiles, and cilantro. Measured black cardamom, cinnamon stick, ground coriander, ground fenugreek seed, and garam masala. Opened a can of coconut milk. Went in the fridge to find . . . very little ground chicken. Sooo, dinner was keema-flavored spinach and peas. I did add some gelled chicken stock from making Mexican food last week. It all worked out.

Stir-fried chorizo with dry-fried shiitake mushrooms, long beans, and roasted chile Poblano. Shallot, garlic, ginger, serrano chiles, red Hatch chile powder, cumin, and garam masala for flavor, and a little yogurt to tame the heat. Classic Mexican stir-fry. 😉

Zucchini and Mexican chorizo with tomato, onion, garlic, chiles, cumin, and herbs. Fried plantains to go with.

Pollo en cacahuate (chicken in peanut sauce): First time making this, but it won't be the last (Mrs. C is a peanut sauce fiend). Sear chicken thighs and simmer in chicken stock. Saute white onion, garlic, canela, and allspice in the pan drippings. Blend with reserved stock and crushed tomato, and then simmer with the chicken. Next time I'll add some arbol chiles with the spices. Calabacitas picadas con elote y rajas (chopped zucchini with corn and roasted Poblano chile strips): Classic new world combo of squash, corn, tomato, and chiles, plus white onion, garlic, cilantro, and S&P. I cooked this in the pan where the chicken had been seared, which added extra flavor.

We had our big holiday bash in mid-December, so just the three of us (younger son is visiting). Keema matar and patiala pilaf from Julie Sahni's 'Classic Indian Cooking'. A friend from Pakistan dropped off a homemade dal, which fit perfectly with the meal. I forgot to take a picture of the fried onions topping the rice, which added a lot of flavor. Y'all will just have to use your imaginations.

We did our big holiday bash in mid-December, but younger son is visiting for a couple of days. Looking like matar paneer and patiala pilaf for Xmas dinner. I do not expect the leftover carnitas to last long.

Leftover carnitas with long beans and egg in leftover avocado-tomatillo salsa, topped with more avocado and fried plantain.

My most stressful kitchen mishap was a couple of days before leaving my first apartment. Work handed out gift cards for turkey so I decided to try making mole Poblano. I had the nut-thickened sauce simmering happily (or so I thought) on the back of the stove and went off to do other things. When I returned, the kitchen looked like a particularly gruesome murder scene. The sauce was so thick that every bubble sent rusty-brown mole everywhere. Visions of a lost security deposit started dancing in my head . . . Spent the next couple of days scrubbing down the kitchen. And yes, I got my security deposit back. And the mole was delicious.

Carnitas: pork butt simmered with white onion, garlic, pickled jalapeno, Mexican oregano, and water to cover. When the liquid simmers away, bake in a shallow pan with orange juice, orange zest, and Pepsi. Served with white corn tortillas and tomatillo salsa with diced avocado (forgot to add cilantro - whoops).

Paneer cheese, grated and scrambled with onion, tomato, chiles, cumin seed, cayenne, turmeric, and garam masala. First attempt from Madhur Jaffrey's 'World Vegetarian', a gift from a friend. The last of Mrs. C's tangy sourdough bread to go with

Roasted Poblano, corn, and Italian sausage soup, courtesy of Mrs. C

Huevos camarones with olives, capers, sliced serrano, pickled jalapeno, green beans, onion, tomato, mint, and basil

Manchamanteles leftovers. The vultures had eaten all of the meat, so I was left with the pineapple-tangy, ancho-rich sauce, plus cubed sweet potato, plantains, and pears, with a garnish of pickled jalapenos. I added crumbled feta after picture time.

Beef rendang is not the most photogenic dish, and the last of the leftovers even less so. Tastes amazing, though. If you have never had rendang, picture a soupy curry where all of the lovely flavors have been concentrated to their essence.

Leftover palak paneer, made with onion, ginger, garlic, ghee, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, coriander, garam masala, dried fenugreek leaves, and a little yogurt. Finished with a tadka of dried red chiles and paprika fried in ghee.

Family holiday meal pics: Manchamanteles ("tablecloth stainer") is usually considered one of the 7 moles of Oaxaca. Sauce was dried ancho chiles (toasted and soaked), onion, garlic, peanuts, almonds, and stale bread, plus ground cloves, canela, and black pepper, all blended, strained, and fried. Meats included pork butt, chicken thighs, and chorizo. Simmered the meat in the sauce and homemade turkey stock until tender, and then added cubed pineapple sweet potatoes, and pears. Finished with cider vinegar, a little sugar, and fried plantains. Served with chopped pickled jalapenos. Takes a while but so worth it. Quinoa salad Palak paneer and carrot salad with pomegranate seeds. Palak paneer is sis's favorite, so we have it every holiday meal. One of my favorites, too. Mrs. C's steelhead with honey-sriracha glaze. Nephew caught in the act, grabbing some before anyone else was even seated. Baked sweet potatoes with a maple-ginger glaze Last of the baklava and store-bought cheesecake and cookies for dessert. Pre-meal goodies included mulled cider, and cheese, salami, and crackers.