The Curious Cook

The first time I had tamales was about 6 months ago and ever since then I have wanted them again, so I thought I would try to make them myself. That may have been a quixotic idea, but I did it anyway. The process was long and there are a lot of moving parts, from making the masa to the filling, but in the end I enjoyed being able to explore Mexican cuisine. To go with the Tamales, even though I think they're technically supposed to be served alone, I made a simple avocado salad. It was a nice, fresh addition to the heavier corn and meat of the Tamales. * May I suggest that if you want to make tamales that you start the process very early and also to make them for a large group because they are naturally conducive to larger crowds Recipe: Masa (to be used in the Tamales recipe) 2 cups masa harina 1 1/3 cups warm water 1.) Mix masa harina and water to form a soft dough. you may need to add more masa harina if the dough is too sticky. Tamales Moreno For filling: 8 oz

For this dessert I really wanted to try something that I had seen on The Great British Baking Show, in both an ironic but also very serious way. Choux pastry, and more specifically Cream Puffs, had always piqued my interest because I was really curious as to how they worked scientifically. Turns out that making them didn't really answer that, but it did satisfy my curious mind and resulted in severe deliciousness. The pastry itself was actually worryingly easy to make (which may result in their reappearance at holidays and other family occasions), but the pastry creme I made to fill the puffs made up for that ease in spades. It was so user unfriendly that I actually had to make my first batch twice before getting it right so, a word for the wise, practice making your pastry creme before the day of because you are guaranteed to mess it up the first time. The upside, though, is that once you get the hang of it it becomes much easier and allows for some fun to be had with flavors. S

Burgers are a classic American food and I don't think my food education would be complete without making them. They were easy to make and the pay off was pretty good, so I can understand why they are such a staple. Also, unlike with the ribs I made, I decided not to reinvent the wheel and to just stick with a classic burger, which also meant that the toppings would be traditional (cheddar, tomato, onion, pickle, mustard, etc). To go with the burgers I bought sweet potato fries, which would have been a hassle to make had I tried to do them from scratch. Recipe: Classic Burger 2 lbs ground beef 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 2 tbsp onion powder Salt and Pepper 1.) Using your hands, mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Separate the mix into 6 balls and form into patties, placing them on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Let the burgers sit while you prepare the grill. 2.) When the grill gets hot, place the burgers on the rack and let cook for 5 minutes, then flip, a

One of the more different weeknight meals I've made, these Cornflake-Crusted Pork Nuggets were a delicious and easy weeknight meal. Usually, I'm not a huge fan of pork unless it's barbecue, but these nuggets were able to change my mind. I find that big hunks of pork (i.e. pork chops, pork loin, etc) can sometimes be a hassle to cut and can also be dry, but with these bite-sized pieces it was easier to not over cook them and there was no cutting necessary, which places them higher in the ranks of pork that I like. This was another meal taken from a Cuisine magazine, which is seemingly the best place to look for quick and fun weeknight meals. The other bonus of Cuisine is that they provide a side to go with pretty much every entree. They paired the nuggets with a mashed sweet potato with pieces of Anaheim chile strewn throughout as well as with a marmalade glaze to put over the pork. This whole combination doesn't feel like it would naturally go together, but it was act

I was inspired by my lovely school, Oberlin College, to make Falafel. Beans and other legumes make a regular appearance in our dining hall and this meal takes me back. I was also admittedly tired of making meat-centric meals, so I turned to the noble chickpea as an alternative. To accompany the simple Falafel I made Tabbouleh, a classic Mediterranean bulgur and herb salad. This really was quite a simple meal, as none of the parts had very many ingredients. The only step that proved to be vexing was the frying, because not only is this the first thing I have ever fried, but I also have a healthy fear of hot oil. Regardless, this turned out to be very delicious and I would totally recommend it to anyone who wants an easy vegetarian meal. Recipe: Falafel 2 cans chickpeas, drained 1 small onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tbsp ground cumin Dash of cayenne pepper 1 cup chopped fresh parsley 1 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp black pepper 1/2 tsp b

(The quality of this picture isn't the best, but believe me when I  say that it tasted better than it looks) For this Wednesday's post-work meal I decided to make a return to eggs, this time in the form of Omelets (which are way easier to make than Quiche, thankfully). There isn't much to say about why I wanted to make them other than the fact that it sounded good to me for this week, which is the untold perk of being the one in charge of making dinner. Recipe: Spinach and Mushroom Omelet                                                                               3 eggs Salt and pepper 2 tbsp oil or butter 2 cups fresh spinach 1 pint sliced button mushrooms Goat cheese 1.) Before making the omelet (as is takes less than 5 minutes) prepare the veggies. In a medium pan over medium heat, add the mushrooms and let cook until soft and brown, 5-9 minutes. When the mushrooms are done, put in a handful of spinach and let wilt, repeat until you have used all of th

Ribs! They are probably one of my favorite cuts of meat and I was very excited to make them, though I couldn't do it alone. The fact that I was planning to smoke them meant that I needed my dad's help because that is his wheel house. While it was a little intimidating, I am very proud of overcoming this culinary hurdle and am better for it (thanks Dad!). Because ribs are such a common place thing, I wanted to mix it up and to see if I could come up with a new(ish) flavor profile without a recipe. A part of cooking is knowing spices and pairings that go well together so I thought this would be a good opportunity for me to practice with and learn about spices. This was more or less a success, the final product being somewhere between here and curry. To go with these delicious, but admittedly confused, ribs I wanted to make the cauliflower "potato" salad my family eats (which retroactively makes sense because curry and cauliflower go well together). Recipe: Curry(?

For my second dessert I decided to make something that was cold weather appropriate. That meant something warm and gooey, which are stern requirements for this time of year. Apple crisp fits those criteria and is also quite an easy dessert to make, so that's what I chose. In the end, you can't go wrong with apples and streusel (and vanilla ice cream of course). Recipe: Apple Crisp Filling: 6 baking apples (I used Granny Smith), peeled, cored and cut into wedges 1 tbsp. lemon juice 1/2 cup sugar 2 tbsp. flour Topping: 1 1/4 cups flour 1/2 cup rolled oats 1/2 cup light brown sugar 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp salt 12 tbsp. chilled and cubed butter 1.) Preheat oven to 350 2.) For Filling: In a large bowl, toss together the apples, lemon juice, sugar, and flour. Pour the apple mixture into a buttered 2-quart baking dish and set aside. 3.) For Topping: In a large mixing bowl, mix flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. With a pastry blender or your fingers wor

For this Sunday dinner I decided to make something that took minimal effort so that I could enjoy more down time, as I have been pretty ambitious the past couple days when it came to the sheer amount of things I needed to do. This one pot, mostly unattended chicken and rice was perfect for just that. I am very pleased with how this turned out, the chicken was moist and tender and the rice was well seasoned and well cooked. Overall I'd say it was one of my best ones yet. I'll admit that it was a very simple recipe, so its maybe not too surprising that it went off without a hitch. Recipe: Chicken and Rice 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs 2 tbsp olive oil Salt and freshly ground pepper 2 medium onions, chopped 1 tbsp minced garlic 1 1/2 cups short grain rice Pinch of paprika 3 1/2 cups chicken stock 1 cup frozen peas 2 limes, quartered 1.) Put the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. When it's hot, add the chicken. Sprinkle with salt and

In celebration of the first snow here in Cincinnati, I decided to make one of my favorite cold weather meals, White Chicken Chili. The white part comes from the fact that there is no tomato in it, which allays any chance of my getting heartburn, but also allows for a new combination of flavors in the classic chili format. This recipe is not really a true recipe but is rather a rough estimate at what amounts of things I used, as this chili was relayed to me by my dad, who accepts "some of this and a little bit of that" as a standard of measurement. However, the nature of chili allows for some freedom when it comes to spice and meat selections, so this recipe is to be used merely as a guide to making it one's own. Recipe: White Chicken Chili 2 lbs chicken breast, boiled and shredded 1 lb Andouille sausage link, sliced 1 large onion 2 large poblano peppers, roasted and peeled 4 cups chicken stock 3 cans cannellini beans, drained 2 cloves garlic, minced 8 oz. c

For an easier week night meal, I turned to these simple Korean beef tacos with a side of quick pickles and bean sprouts. I have always enjoyed the flavors of Korean food, spicy and sour being prominent flavors in the style of cooking, and this recipe was able to capture this flavor profile in under an hour. In contrast the near disaster of Thursday's dinner, it was nice to be reassured of my cooking abilities and to have something that went off without a hitch. Recipe:  Korean Beef 2 lbs of thinly sliced sirloin or flat iron steak 1/4 cup duck or plum sauce 1/4 cup soy sauce 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil 1/4 tsp cornstarch 2 tbsp peanut oil 1.) Mix the duck sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil and cornstarch together and pour over sliced meat. Put peanut oil into a hot pan and quickly cook the steak, about 4-5 minutes. Slaw 2 cups shredded cabbage 2 tbsp lime juice 1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tsp sesame oil 1/2 tsp sugar 1/4 tsp smoked paprika dash of cayenne pepper 2 tbsp cho

This meal began as an excuse to learn how to make fresh pasta but ended with a lesson on NOT what to do when making ravioli. I intended to make two batches of ravioli, one filled with butternut squash and one with a classic ricotta. The squash, however, was apparently too wet and it made the pasta a gooey mess. But the cheese ones were perfect.  Aside from the disastrous events surrounding my squash, the experience of making fresh pasta was (at the risk of my sounding nerdy) pretty fun. Rolling out the dough and filling it was tiring, taking me over an hour to do so, but it was cool to take a ball of dough and end up with over 50 ravioli. In addition to my ravioli, I made a brown butter sauce with sage to go on the pasta, which was delicious, and a side salad with a simple vinaigrette. Overall, this meal was pretty good and I am very proud of making the pasta from scratch, even though it didn't turn out exactly as I had planned. Recipe: Fresh Egg Pasta 1 cup plus 2 tbs

Sunday is a day for hearty meals, and this first Sunday I decided to make a classic Pot Roast. This dish is something that, for me, conjures vague images of a housewife greeting her husband at the door, with the smell of a roast wafting from the kitchen; it is a quintessential staple of American cooking and has become a comfort food for many. The perfect Sunday food.  My reality is far from that of a mid-century housewife, but I reckon that my pot roast was up to snuff by any standard. Although, it took WAY longer than I was expecting. I don't know where I got the idea that it would be an easy thing to make when in all actuality this is the food with the longest cook time I've made yet. It was worth it though, because all of that time develops some pretty good flavors. My one disappointment with the dish, though, was that the sauce that was supposed to be left at the bottom was more of a chunky goo, because it seems I either didn't add enough stock or I cooked it for t

Tuesday, in an attempt to make something that didn't revolve around meat, I chose to make quiches. Quiche, for me, is a pretty hit or miss thing that one has to be in the mood for; the clear sense that it is just scrambled eggs dumped into a pie crust is sometimes a little unsettling. But I was able to control the flavors and make it into something that made me want to eat it. Making quiche turn out to be a pretty instructive thing because it taught me how to make and blind bake pastry, which is something that I had never done. I also got to explore eggs in a more heightened sense than with a simple scrambled egg; I made two types of quiche, one plain cheese with gruyere and one with spinach, prosciutto, and swiss. Also a FYI, quiche leftovers are great on the second day, so make enough to have two meals. Recipe: Savory Tart Crust 1 1/4 cups flour 1/2 tsp salt 10 tbsp cold butter, cut into chunks 1 egg yolk 3 tbsp cold water 1.) Combine the flour and salt in a food

This morning I had my first snafu in the kitchen. I was set to make my uncle's Swedish Pancakes, however we have somehow managed to misplace our griddle and that meant that I could no longer make the pancakes. Therefore, I had to dump out the batter I had just made and come up with something on the fly. I took to my cook books and found a quick waffle recipe, which, thankfully, turned out to be pretty good. This was a good lesson in working on your toes and also taught me to check for all equipment before starting to cook (this is what it means to learn something the hard way). I made a blackberry compote prior to the disastrous discovery and I spent so much time on it that the thought of tossing it out too was unthinkable, but it paired with the waffles well and made my life easier because it meant I didn't have redo everything. In the end one can never really go wrong with fresh fruit and waffles. Recipe: Quick Waffles 2 cups flour 1/2 tsp salt 3 tsp baking powder

My first dessert this month was inherited, in the way that my mom bought the ingredients for this cake a month ago, with the intention of baking it for Christmas. That, however, didn't happen and thus it became mine to make. It was a challenge to make, not only because it is my first ever cake from scratch, but it also had three separate components all which required a while to prepare. It was a chocolate cake, a chocolate pudding and a chocolate frosting —which all together took two hours and three bars of chocolate to make.  Unfortunately the recipe for this cake is nothing short of a tome, so I will not be including it on this blog.  (If anyone wants to find the recipe, please refer to the Jan./Feb. 2019 edition of Cuisine magazine.)

Chicken Cordon Bleu is something of a legendary dish, but I can't say that I knew what was in it before looking at the recipe. It sounds stupid, but I was actually surprised to find that it's just a stuffed chicken breast. But this also meant that it would be a viable option for me to make early on this month (or so I thought). And I must say, making Chicken Cordon Bleu made me feel like quite the chef. Over all, this may have been a little too much for me to do right off the bat, as it required no small amount of multitasking. Aside from the chicken, I also decided to make an accompanying mustard sauce and roasted broccoli, both of which I underestimated the cook time for. I had to enlist a little help from my dad to juggle everything, but in the end the dish turned out perfectly, if I do say so myself. Recipe: Chicken Cordon Bleu 4 boneless chicken breast Ham or prosciutto Gruyere 1 cup dry breadcrumbs 1/4 cup freshly minced parsley 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp black pepp

As I was trying to come up with things to make in my first week of this vast project I wanted to find things that interested me most. Risotto, specifically the mushroom variety, is something my mom and I enjoy; in fact, in my case, enjoy is a bit of an understatement. That's why I wanted to learn how to make it, because then I can eat it whenever I want. Unlike with my grilled cheese I chose to stick to the books with this, mostly because I have no clue how to make risotto, which is incredibly more difficult that a simple grilled sandwich. After making it, though, I have discovered that risotto is much easier to make than I imagined; a simple combination of Arborio rice, stock, mushrooms, and a large amount of stirring. Even though it has only been two days, I think that this is my favorite thing I have ever made. Let's see if that stands after my next meal. Recipe: Risotto con Funghi Secchi (Risotto with Dried Mushrooms) DISCLAIMER: I halved the recipe because I am

For my first meal, because of my virtual lack of knowledge, I wanted to start off with something that everyone knows how to make: grilled cheese. The humble grilled cheese and its classic companion, tomato soup, are a combo that perfectly breaks the ice to this monolithic project and begins the month with all of the cheesy goodness it deserves. When it comes to grilled cheese, it seems that the traditional wisdom is keep it simple, stupid; two pieces of a sturdy bread and a nice, meltable cheese toasted to a crispy, buttery golden brown. This is suitable for a quick comfort but it lacks a certain amount of depth for the adult palate, so I wanted to spice it up with a few additions and modifications. The result was a more "adult" sandwich, with salty notes from the Swiss and prosciutto, accented by the sweet tomato and buttery bread, which all together paired perfectly with the slightly acidic tomato soup. All in all, I was quite happy with the results of tonights dinn

Hello! My name is Eric and I am the Curious Cook (a title that I have so humbly granted myself). A second-year student at Oberlin College, I am an Art History and East Asian Studies double major, and am well on my way to becoming a functioning independent person. One hurdle blocking my ascent to the adult, however, (aside from my unwillingness to take responsibility for any form of cleaning) is my inability to feed myself. Sure I can toast a pop-tart or boil a packet of ramen, but the concept of the "meal" is something of an enigma and I wish to change that. I have always been somewhat of a foodie, which is something that I have inherited from my father and uncle who both love to be in the kitchen. In an attempt to become closer to them, as well as to be able to come one step closer to fulfilling my childhood fantasy of being a chef on the Food Network, I have decided to start this blog as a part of a project to teach myself to cook. To do so, I am relying on Oberlin's