Oops and Opportunities

When caught in an absolute whirlwind of life, I tend to unwind in the kitchen.  And boy have I been creative in the kitchen this past month!  Here are a handful of things I've been working on: 

Lavender Bitters

Winter Vegetable Bake

Greek Stir-Fry

Chicken Soup Pot Pie

Crepes

. . . and few dishes that were just OK to flat out bad.  (My darling bride and kitchen-mate was thoroughly unimpressed by Tilapia and Shrimp in an Orange Cream Sauce.)

Ask me how I recover from a bad recipe experiment. 

Well, after some minor embarrassment and scraping of dishes into the compost, I think back to where I went south.  More often than not, it was the wrong amount of one ingredient, the improper cooking temperature or a bad guess on cooking time (the last two can generally be summed up as "awful texture.")  If the principles of the dish are sound and I can identify the problem, I will try it again with tweaks.  On the other hand, if my panel of expert taste-tester (see "darling-bride and kitchen-mate" reference, above) suggests that I should abandon the dish altogether, I drop it like the proverbial rotten potato it might be.  I have thereby successfully avoided repeats of the Sesame Fried Tofu incident, the Scallops Encrusted in Tapioca Flour, or the dreaded Fried Squash Blossoms with Fish-Paste Filling.  (DON'T JUDGE ME!)

Now and then, however, one of those mistakes becomes serendipity.  Overcooking can lead to caramelization which can be delicious when everything else works out.  Too much of one spice can create a new emphasis on the palate.  And cooking something too long and at too low of a temperature can concentrate flavors and make everything a little more bold.  Here's a couple of near mistakes we've decided are worth keeping. 


Greek Stir-Fry
We emptied a family member's refrigerator of all the perishables that might perish before they return from vacation.  We combined the ingredients with a few things I had in our kitchen and then I cooked it way too quickly on too high of a temperature.  With a little doctoring, here is the happy result.

2 tablespoons Canola Oil
6-8 large stalks of Kale, de-stemmed and chopped (I used 5 stalks of Bok Choy (with stems) instead)
8 large Mushrooms, sliced
1/4 of a medium Onion, chopped
1 teaspoon of dried Oregano
1/2 cup Greek Yogurt
juice of 1/2 Lemon
1 brick of Firm Tofu, drained and cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup crumbled Feta Cheese

Heat a wok or deep skillet on high heat for 90 seconds.  It may start to smell like a hot skillet.  That's good.  Add the canola oil and wait for 30 seconds.  Swirl it around and add the kale, mushrooms and onion.  Let rest for 10 seconds, then flip it around with a spatula.  Saute for 2 minutes on very high heat, then add the oregano, yogurt, and lemon juice.  Get it hot again.  Add the tofu, stir and remove it from the heat.  Sprinkle with Feta cheese and serve over couscous.  Or rice.  Or left over polenta like I did.


Lavender Bitters
This started off as Cucumber Bitters, but that didn't work out AT ALL!  But it did make really great lavender bitters.

750 ml Everclear
1 12 inch English Cucumber sliced
8 oz dried Lavender blossoms
6 oz dried and crushed Orange Peel
40 drops Gentian Root Extract

Combine all the ingredients in a clean jar.  Shake every 2 days.  Filter thorougly and rebottle.  Use sparingly whenever an herbal punch is needed.