Category: make ahead

Recipe: Village Chicken Stew

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A very simple and hearty chicken stew that is especially good with bone in dark meat cuts of chicken. This stew is cooked long, low, and slow and results in a very gravy-like stew with just enough flavor from onions and seasoning to make it hearty. This is in the Zambian style so serving with it nshima (corn meal porridge) and repu (collard greens) is traditional but you can make any type of carb side and vegetable want and it makes a really satisfying and mostly hands off meal if you have the time, perfect for a weekend dinner.

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Recipe: Kewa Datshi

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This is a homey and simple dish that is basically a cheese and potato stew. While a lot of Bhutanese food relies on many chilies this is only uses a few to flavor the dish with just enough heat to give it a light, almost sweet flavor. I found this dish very humble and simple but unfortunately that also meant it isn’t very flashing or tempting. I boiled it down a little more I think it usually is (as it seems to be served pretty watery) and added a little less cheese and found myself wishing that it had a little bit more flavor. I think this is an interesting template I might play around with in the future for how to cook potatoes though and its so easy that you should try it for yourself as well to taste a little bit of Bhutan at home.

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Recipe: Filipino-Style Spaghetti

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This spaghetti is special in that it is sweet and spicy with its bolognese-style sauce using a mix of banana ketchup and tomato sauce to give it a unique tang. I’d never had banana ketchup before but it really does taste very similar to tomato ketchup but a lot sweeter. In the original recipe the sauced called for adding even more sugar as this is a kids food favorite but I actually found it just on the edge of overly sweet without adding any extra sugar. While you can certainly make your own banana ketchup I’d suggest buying it for the nostalgia effect. I’m not sure I would ever make this again but it was really interesting to try.

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Recipe: Barley Risotto

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We ended up with a bunch of leftover barley which I thought I didn’t really like but my husband loves it so I figured I’d give this recipe a try and it worked out phenomenally. While I can admit this doesn’t end up with the texture of risotto because it’s a little too toothy even when cooked and it doesn’t give off as much starch it also doesn’t need to be babysat as much and has an earthy, nutty note that goes really well with the vegetables. I’ve made this 3-4 times already and it’s probably a lasting staple in our house.

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Recipe: Vegetarian Fleischnacka

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Since I love making fleischnacka I really wanted to see if I could make a meatless version just to see if it worked and it does! This version gets its deep umami flavors from a combination of eggplant, zucchini, and mushrooms that are slow roasted together with tomato paste and the ground really finely so they stick together in the roll. These don’t taste exactly like the meat version but they have their own delicious, deep flavor all its own.

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Recipe: Waterzooi

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This is a Belgian boiled chicken stew that historically used to be a seafood stew. It uses cream and egg yolks to thicken it. All the recipes include breaking down your own chicken and making your own stock but I suggest that you either do that on a separate day from making the soup itself or simply skip that step, buy stock and proceed from there. Breaking down a chicken and making your own stock will turn this simple recipe into an all day project but if you have the time, that’s okay. This is a delicious soup which is thick and rich and perfect with some crusty bread to soak up all the broth. Traditionally you leave the meat on the bones but my husband really hates that so I simply took it off after boiling the chicken parts.

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Recipe: Köttbullar med Gräddsås (Meatballs with Cream Sauce)

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I’ve never had the meatballs at IKEA so I can’t tell you how these compare but these meatballs are made very simply and served with a thick cream sauce that can’t be beat for its high marks in comfort. Traditionally these are paired with buttery rich potatoes, a simple pressed cucumber salad, and lingonberry jam but they’re also pretty good over rice or pasta with some fresh herbs.

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Recipe: Paratha

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If you want to impress someone you can make this absolutely wonderful, buttery and flaky paratha. While it doesn’t take that much time overall you’ll need to plan ahead because this has to sit and rise twice. It’s worth the wait because you get so many deliciously pull apart layers that make eating this kind of like eating a flattened croissant. If you can, use ghee but if you don’t have any on hand butter works very well. You can easily fill these or use flavored butter to make the experience extra decadent.

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Recipe: Masoor Dal

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Quick, delicious and filling red lentils made from pantry staples and things you probably have lying around the house. You can serve this with almost any carb you can think of: rice, roti, naan, paratha, even sourdough bread or biscuits if you want to go crazy and it comes together in 30 minutes without much supervision so it’s great for a weeknight or when you just can’t babysit dinner.

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Recipe: Frango com Manteiga de Amendoim (Chicken in Peanut Sauce)

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My husband really loves peanut flavored foods and this one was not an exception. This is tangy, creamy chicken sauce pairs really well with the chicken and is a nice change up from your weekly routine. You can add more chilies if you want a big kick too which goes really well with the soothing flavor of peanut butter. Also do not skip on topping this with some crushed salted peanuts because it will elevate the whole dish.

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