So, we were experimenting with stir-fry composition, and happened upon a new favourite: Sriracha & (Rosemary) Potato.

It goes as follows:

Total preparation and cooking time: 25-30 mins.
Serves 2.

Recommended music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkSr9Lw5Gm8
(Because cooking is very much like building things.)

Equipment required:
– Some sort of stove
– Some sort of frying pan
– Some sort of stirring/spatuling instrument

Ingredients required:
– Some sort of cooking oil (we’ve been using grape oil, which is actually super-tasty)
– Two medium potatoes
– One medium onion (I prefer yellow) or 1/2 bunch of green onion
– Three half peppers
– Two cloves of garlic
– Sriracha sauce
– Some sort of soy sauce (we used Kikkoman low sodium)
– Rosemary (cf. Rosemary Potatoes)
– Some sort of herbs/spices (we used Oregano & Basil)

Pairs well with rice & greek salad, as seen here:

Directions:
– Turn on the stove to medium-low (I do 3/10 on our stove’s large burner, with both parts of the burner turned on)
–
– Thin-slice the potatoes, and cut these slices in four (I cut the potatoes in half, cut them into thin slices, and then put the pile on the cutting board, and cut again in four.)
– Add the potatoes and some cooking oil to the frying pan.
– You are going to want to stir on a regular basis. Potatoes are frying pan-sticky
– If you’re using a medium/cooking onion (not green onion), chop up the medium onion and add it to the frying pan. (I top and tail the onion, remove the outer layer or two, then slice it, then chop the stack of slices in four or six. I usually rinse the onion before chopping, but that was not enough to protect me today.)
– Chop up the garlic and add it to the mix (I do garlic the same way I do onions, top & tail ,then remove outer layer, and then slice, then cut stack of slices in two or four.)
– You may need or want to add a little more cooking oil, to prevent burning or sticking.
– This is a good time to add the herbs (rosemary is the most important), and the sriracha & soy sauce. For the sriracha, enough to go back and forth in the frying pan a few times, and perhaps 3-5 splashes of soy sauce.
– Chop up the peppers (I chop three in half, so I can get red/orange/yellow, and save the other halves for tomorrow’s meal). I wash them, remove the tops, rinse them, cut them in half, remove the bottom center part, then slice and then dice them. Throw them into the mix.
– You’re still stirring, right?
– Keep stirring until the potatoes are soft enough that you want to eat them. Total elapsed time was about 30 mins today. (Total time yesterday was about 25 mins at a stove setting of 4/10, but I was worried about burning the mix throughout the entire process.)

Serves 2.

Chili con Carne was the second thing[1] I ever learned to cook (Thanks JC!). I learned to cook it right after I moved out in 2nd year.

This recipe is in the tradition of what my mom (and I’m assuming my Baba) call ‘peasant cooking’. You take the things that you have on hand, and combine them in a way that makes the most sense. Hashes, casseroles, and stir-frys are similar.

This Chili works well with a variety of ingredients. It can be made vegan (and I often do) by not putting in the meat (as described below).

Chili Perhaps con Carne
Feeds about 8, takes about 1 hr

Ingredients:
– Meat if you want (1 lb lean or extra lean ground beef works well, I imagine chicken would also work well, or whatever else you have lying around)
– 2 small- to medium-sized yellow onions, or 1/2 to a full large one
– 1 can whole tomatoes (796 mL, if you don’t like them whole, crushed may work, but I’ve never tried it.)
– 1 can kidney beans (540 mL, some organic kidney beans come in smaller cans. This is fine.)
– 1 can tomato paste (156 mL, the small ones in the grocery store)
– Garlic, 4 cloves (not 4 heads, that would be delicious, but you would probably not taste anything else)
– Herbs & spices (I use oregano, rosemary, black pepper, basil, and sometimes cinnamon)
– Chili powder (actually not a requirement, surprisingly)
– Whatever vegetables you want to put in (peppers work really well, tomatoes could work, but are already present, broccoli may work, cauliflower and potatoes will give a more starchy/sweet taste, zucchini works reasonably well)
– Olive oil (you could use any cooking oil or butter here, even water in a pinch)
– Skillet (Thanks Y&C!), large frying pan, or wok
– Some type of stirring spoon (I use a large wooden spoon)
– Can opener

con Carne Process:
– Turn on the stove. Probably 375 degrees (190 Celsius), for me it’s 3 ticks less than middle on a large burner. 375 is where butter browns, if that’s helpful.
– Cook the meat[2]. For ground beef, this means browning the meat so that it is brown all the way through. I usually put all the meat in the skillet, split it up so more of it is in contact with the cooking surface, then add the olive oil.
– While the meat is cooking, add in the herbs and spices
– While the meat is cooking, chop up the onion(s). I chop them up into about 0.5cm slices, then into 1-2cm max-length bits from that.

Vegan Process:
– Turn on the stove. Probably 375 degrees (190 Celsius), for me it’s 3 ticks less than middle on a large burner. 375 is where butter browns, if that’s helpful.
– Chop up the onions I chop them up into about 0.5cm slices, then into 1-2cm max-length bits from that.
– While the onions are cooking, add in the herbs and spices

Common Process:
– While the onions are cooking, chop up whatever vegetables you’re putting in. I chop up peppers into about 1cm squares
– Throw the vegetables into the mix. Stir them in. Depending on the vegetable, you’ll want to order them by slowest-cooking to fastest-cooking. This is why I put the onions in first. I would put root vegetables (potatoes, carrots especially) in early, mushier vegetables like zucchini in a little later
– Open the can of whole tomatoes. Pour it in including the tomato juice. You will want to split the whole tomatoes in half using the wooden spoon, or they will feel like lava when you try to eat them.
– Open the can of kidney beans (keep the lid). Pour off the water (lid is helpful here). Rinse the kidney beans once or twice and pour off the rinse water (lid is still helpful). Pour the kidney beans into the mix. Stir.
– Open the can of tomato paste. Scrape as much of the tomato paste as you can into the mix (they don’t call it paste for no reason!).
– Stir.
– Let it come to a boil (bubbles popping), then reduce heat somewhat, stirring every few minutes. Let it simmer, with occasional tasting to see it it’s ready. For me, it’s ready when the texture of the vegetables is pleasantly smooth and yielding[3]. This usually takes 10-20mins.

Feeds probably 8.

[1]I’m specifically talking about things I can cook without a recipe. I did a lot of baking with my mom when I was growing up. Or perhaps I did a lot of eating cookie and cake batter. I’m not sure. It was a long time ago.

[2]I only ever start this dish with meat which is already cooked. There is more than enough moisture in the rest of the dish that it is not an issue. I tend to err on the side of caution with ground beef and chicken, as you want to make sure they are well-cooked. I cook them before adding anything else, so I can see that they are cooked.

[3]You may prefer your vegetables ‘al dente’. De gustibus non disputandum est.