Chris Hennes

Creamy Zucchini, Corn, and Roasted Poblanos (p. 52) Calabacitas y Elote con Rajas y Crema This simple taco filling is just sauteed zucchini and corn mixed into rajas with crema and cilantro. I've never met a rajas-based dish I didn't like, and this was no exception. It has a great rich flavor, and I loved it topped with crumbled cotija. Once again I used cilantro instead of epazote. I should have started the seeds earlier!

Salsa-Braised Fish (p. 64) Pescado Horneado con Salsa de Molcajete Chorizo Rice with Lentils (p. 256) Arroz con Chorizo y Lentejas The Salsa-Braised fish is from the stuff-you-should-memorize chapter (it's the same variety of salsa as the previous evening). The rice is from the rice-cooker chapter, though again I used the stovetop. Just about any protein would be good braised in the salsa, so it's hard to go wrong there. I used halibut steaks, but my wife suggests that chicken might actually be better here. The rice is good, with the predominant flavor being chorizo, so make sure you use a chorizo you like the flavor of. I wound up with the lentils being a bit underdone, but actually like it that way since they added a nice texture to the dish. All told the meal took about 45 minutes to prepare, which wasn't too bad for a weeknight dinner. There were no pre-made components, everything was done in one shot.

In case you thought I was just imagining things, and that this was a straight-up traditional Mexican cookbook, I give you... Peanut Butter-Banana-Salsa Negra Sandwich (p. 43) OK, so he doesn't actually include a recipe for this, per se, he does list it as a "Simples Use for Sweet-Sour Dark Chipotle Seasoning". Since I love peanut butter-banana sandwiches, I couldn't resist giving it a shot. I have to admit, it took my brain a few bites to process what was going on. And it was HOT. This sauce has serious kick. But all told it actually does work remarkably well. I'm not saying this is going to replace a regular PB&B in my life, but every now and again when I'm looking for some adventure, why not?

Four Secret Weapons Green Chile Adobo (p. 33) Adobo de Chile Verde Roasted Garlic Mojo (p. 39) Mojo de Ajo Asado Sweet-Sour Dark Chipotle Seasoning (p. 40) Salsa Negra Quick Red Chile Adobo (p. 37) Adobo Rápido de Chiles Secos Tonight's project was to make Bayless's four "secret weapons", which he then adapts into many other recipes. In addition to formal recipes he also provides a half-dozen or so general ideas for using each. Most of these are pretty standard, though he does try to provide a more approachable red chile adobe by calling for powdered ancho chiles instead of whole ones. Fortunately he does also provide instructions for whole chiles, since that's all I've got.

Roasted Tomatillo Sauce Base (p. 69) Salsa de Tomate Verde Asado Roasted Tomatillo Enchiladas (p. 73) Enchiladas Verdes Posting this here seems a bit like cheating. It's still from that chapter he calls "Go-To Meals to Know By Heart" and this is definitely one that I know by heart. But it's delicious, so why not? The only difference I can see in this recipe from his previous ones is that the cilantro is added a bit earlier in the process, and is optionally replaced by epazote. Well, my epazote hasn't even germinated yet, and the cilantro is taking over the universe, so I stuck with the cilantro I've always used. The book also explicitly lists a half dozen filling variations, including some vegetarian options, which is nice if you aren't used to thinking of this recipe as being so flexible. I was boring and stuck with the chicken since I had a breast leftover from making stock last week.

I'm not doing any sensing that would require a pull-up or pull-down resistor since I'm just using the DHT22.

My cookbook use is completely different: I typically only use one cookbook at a time, and stick with it for weeks. I find it's a good way of learning about new and unfamiliar cuisines, especially if they have a lot of specialty ingredients that I can buy all at once and then use up in the course of going through the book. Once I've gone through it I often won't revisit it for years. Right now I'm transitioning from Fuschia Dunlop's Every Grain of Rice to Rick Bayless's new More Mexican Everyday.

Herb Green Chicken and Rice (p. 258) Arroz Verde con Pollo Finally, a day this week I am actually home for dinner! I made something quick and easy from the Rice Cooker chapter (a section devoted to recipes developed for the rice cooker) in a part of the book called "Daily inspirations for busy cooks." Tonight, that's definitely me. This is a simple dish of rice cooked in a cilantro/poblano/chicken stock sauce and served with shredded chicken and peas. Assuming you like cilantro, it is delicious. I made it on the stovetop since I don't have a rice cooker and it worked fine, though of course requires more attention to getting the rice cooked properly.

I use a small transistor to switch the power to the fan from the Arduino's 5V supply. The digital pins can't supply enough current.

I got home from work at 9pm today to find this sitting on my doorstep: clearly, a midnight snack was in order... Roasted Tomato Salsa (p. 57) Huevos Rancheros (p.60) Right... not breaking any new culinary ground here just yet, but still a great "snack." Clearly if you've got one of Bayless's other books (Salsas that Cook, to name an obvious one) you've seen both of these recipes before. And indeed, the first chapter revisits a few of the classic sauces used throughout the rest of the book and presents some basic meal options. The chapter is titled "Go-To Meals to Know by Heart", and that's exactly what it presents. Most of the dishes will look familiar to those who own his other books, though there are a couple riffs that are new to me. The real meat of the book comes in the following chapters. In this book Bayless no longer shies away from some of the more esoteric Mexican ingredients. Nopales, chayote, epazote, even hoja santa appears as an optional embellishment (but no huitlacoche, I'm afraid!). Even though he is now engaging with a broader range of traditional ingredients, he doesn't hew too closely to the traditional Mexican dishes like you might expect from a Diana Kennedy book. Bayless is clearly playing the role of the high-end chef here, with interesting, modern dishes that use Mexican flavors in sometimes unexpected ways. Yes, there is some traditional fare in here, but honestly if that's what you're after I'd send you to Kennedy's many books first. The production values in the book are very high, as you'd expect from a celebrity chef cookbook. There are tons of pictures, and not just of the lovely finished dishes. He includes plenty of in-process shots showing what things should look like along the way, which I think would be very helpful for someone new to Mexican cooking, or even to cooking in general. The overall tone of the book is very personal. Many of the recipes are actually presented in the first person: "I then scoop the avocado into a bowl and...", etc. I make no secret of the fact that I'm a big fan of Bayless and own many of his previous cookbooks. In my opinion, this may be his best yet. I think we're now at a point where many of us have libraries full of books covering traditional Mexican cuisine, and those books are fantastic. This book is not one of those. Instead, I think it is great for its unexpected twists. It takes flavors, techniques, and ideas from Mexican cuisine and applies them in ways that are new (to me, anyway). It reminds me very much of the menu at Topolobampo: clearly Mexican, but also clearly Rick Bayless.

I bought a chicken today, so I've got a couple breasts (the rest went to making stock). I've got a few bits of other proteins in the freezer.

The containers are: 12"x12" Square White Pot, 12" Tall. And yes, one per herb (I also have my peppers in them, I have 24). They have great drainage and are inexpensive when bought in bulk like that. I then run a drip line to each of them individually. That way I can put higher-flow heads on the herbs that need more water, and low-flow heads on things like the rosemary, which might prefer no water at all!

Twice-Cooked Swiss Chard hui guo niu pi cai Action shot, courtesy of my wife: The finished dish: I'm racing the weather here for dinner (the trouble with outdoor cooking...) so we're keeping it simple, just the chard and rice. The chard is delicious, and surprisingly "chard-y". In some of these dishes the sauce is the principle flavor, with the other ingredients serving predominantly as vehicles for that flavor. In tonight's case, the chard is definitely the predominant flavor, with the sauce serving as an accent. I think this dish would be particularly good with a richer stock than the one I used, more along the lines of the Superior Stock used in the bok choy dish I posted about earlier.

Pock-Marked Old Woman's Tofu (Vegetarian Version) ma po dou fu (mala doufu) Mise en place: Finished dish: I'm having ma po for lunch again this week. I discovered last time that there is no need to thicken the sauce at all when it's intended for reheating, so I skipped the starch thickener step. I also added the chili flakes, which she indicates are optional and which I skipped last time.

OK, here's today's haul... Ancho chiles Chorizo Cotija Crema Guajillo chiles Huitlacoche (hey, you never know!) Jalapenos Masa Pasilla chiles Pinto beans Poblanos Posole Tomatillos Tomatoes Bring it.

Chef Chen Dailu's Spicy Sesame Noodles hong you su mian I'm surprised I hadn't posted about these before (or if I did I couldn't find it), since I've made them several times. I've played around with various noodles, today using a very thin option that was OK, but not as good as wider ones, I think. I also added a bit of chicken stock today to make it a little brothier, and skipped the greens this time around. This is a very fast, easy dish that can be made with all cupboard ingredients, so it is a handy Sunday lunch.

I make my own tortillas, that's what the masa is for. Cumin stock is good, and cilantro is growing like a weed (literally, I often pick mine out of the lawn). I should check my bean stock, but I'm good on lard. I wonder what sorts of dried chiles I will need.

Certainly at the high end, but I'd guess that in a cookbook dedicated to "everyday" Mexican it doesn't make much of an appearance. My bet is that the target audience of this book has exactly zero access to the stuff.

I was excited to see Bayless publishing a new cookbook this month, More Mexican Everyday. He's one of my favorite chefs both for his cooking and his cookbooks, and I love Mexican food. Plus, living in Oklahoma I have access to pretty much all of the necessary ingredients. Has anyone else ordered this? I'm headed to the local mercado this afternoon to stock up on ingredients. The cookbook arrives tomorrow, but I won't have time to shop later in the week so I'm going to guess at the necessities based on the Table of Contents. I figure masa, crema, and poblanos are a safe bet! Plus some tomatoes and jalapenos. What am I missing?

I've been remiss in posting this year's entries. I'll get started with the herbs, which are the only thing this far along... Hoja Santa (needs water!) Tarragon Mint Sage Oregano Garlic Chives Thyme Chives Marjoram Rosemary

Xie Loban's Dan Dan Noodles (Vegetarian Version) niu rou dan dan mian I posted the non-vegetarian version of this dish above. In this version dried shitaake mushrooms take the place of the beef, along with a little extra dark soy sauce. I again tried to serve this the way she instructs in the book instead of tossing it all together in the wok first. In this case the result is not so different as with the other dan dan noodles, this sauce is much less brothy. The vegetarian version is every bit the equal of the meat version, and has the added benefit of being made entirely with cupboard ingredients (which is why I made it: no meat on hand).

The "Mrs. Yu" in question is her former Chinese teacher Yu Weiqin (whom she does call "Teacher Yu" in the story).

That makes sense given her writeup of the dish. I wonder if it's intentional. Do you find that in general her translations are literal (or are attempting to be literal)? Or does she adapt them to her audience? E.g. at least here in the US a student would refer to their teacher as "Mrs. So and So" rather than "Teacher So and So". Classic Dan Dan Noodles dan dan mian Stir-Fried Greens with Dried Shrimp bao xin cai chao xia pi Tonight's dinner highlights what a difference actually following the recipe makes! I've made these dan dan noodles several times in the past, but to serve them I always tossed everything in a wok at the end and gave it a few tosses, then plated from there. The actual recipe instructs you to sort of layer things in the serving platter, sauce on the bottom, noodles in the middle, and meat on top (OK, so I put the ya cai and green onions on top, too). This results in a much brothier dish, since of course heating everything in a hot wok results in significant evaporation, and I think the noodles also absorb more of the sauce. Anyway, the texture is very different. And better her way! I love both the dan dan noodles recipes in this book. They are very different from one another, but are both great dishes. I also served a stir-fried cabbage with dried shrimp. Wow, salty. This is another case where I need to go back and follow the recipe more closely, as it is likely that I didn't actually have 14 ounces of cabbage, and in fact may have had more like half that. The portion sizes were good as a side, but I needed to actually weigh it and reduce the other ingredients to match in this case.

I hadn't seen it, thanks for the link. I'm definitely on the Sichuan Cuisine bandwagon, Every Grain of Rice is a great cookbook, as were her previous offerings. On that note... Mrs. Yu's Sweet and Spicy Cold Noodles yu lao shi liang mian Last time I made this I included the optional sesame paste, and used a commercial chilli oil rather than homemade. This time I left out the sesame paste and used homemade chilli oil in large quantity. I was surprised to discover that I prefer the version with the sesame paste, I think from now on I'll go back to including it. The homemade oil is of course a worthwhile change. This seems to keep OK overnight in the fridge so I'm having it for lunch tomorrow.

Zhajiang Noodles zha jiang mian I didn't see any reason to make anything else to serve with this, we had it tonight as a stand-alone meal. The sauce is very simple, basically just sweet fermented sauce with a splash of Shaoxing and some ginger. I think the identical dish would be good on rice instead of noodles.