#claraskitchen

[eleanordubinsky]

#beachday #NJ style including a tasty stop at @claraskitchennj my favorite #restaurant in #Newark w/ @theatlantaamado & @duchaestrela (and by surprise @mieiwatsuki & Timothy!) #mmm #praia #morabeza #capeverdean #portuguese #cuisine #homemade #doce de #papaya #coconut #fullandhappy #sunday #claraskitchen

[jcalitagtag]

Spaghetti by me and fried chicken by the hubby. 🍗🍝 #claraskitchen #jointcookingeffort #spaghettinight #friedchicken

[jcalitagtag]

When you tryna be a wifey.. 🍲💁🏻 #claraskitchen #ginataangkalabasasitawokra #walanghipon

[ill337erate]

Recipe number whatever: maple mustard tofu

I gradually stopped writing these for some reason but I'm popping back for 1 mo to very briefly discuss this one So I tried this idea before but burned everything and it was horrible And today I got it right and I thought it was very good!! Since it's just something I made up don't think this calls for a formal post so here goes: - Get some firm tofu, drain and pat it dry. Since I'm an ogre I use a dishcloth and wring it dry while trying not to break it hah. Cut it however you want, for these kinds of things I like to go with 5mm slices cuz I think it absorbs maximum flavor but they are less sturdy than other configurations so [noncommital shrugging] - On the side, mix a tablespoon of mustard and a tablespoon of soy sauce [[as always--I'm don't use the measurement but an actual spoon]]. Then add maple syrup (or honey!) until the flavor reaches a balance you like. The tofu and this sauce (mixed with some warm water to make it more liquid) are the core of the concept, the rest of the ingredients I added & enjoyed but I'd say they're mostly optional - Sprinkle some lemon juice into sauce - Grate some nutmeg and cut up some garlic & ginger, heat up some oil, and fry them over medium heat for a bit until the aroma starts rising - Throw in the tofu. Fry the pieces on all sides for a bit until they get a little brown - Drown everything in the sauce and keep mixing & turning the tofu until the sauce has been absorbed to your liking - Devour

[ill337erate]

Recipe 10: Broccolli proto-soufflé

My mom calls it a fake soufflé?? I don’t know what makes a real soufflé but this is delicious and fluffy and I don’t care if it’s not a real soufflé. I still loved it. This is for around 2-3 servings!

I believe my mom used this recipe when we made it, so this is more or less just an English translation (with just a few differences)!

INGREDIENTS

- 1 broccoli

- 1 tablespoon of butter

- 1 onion

- 1 tablespoon cornstarch

- 2 beaten egg whites, 2 egg yolks

- A spoonful of double cream; if using regular cream, then a bit more

- Around a half cup of milk (1/4 if using regular cream)

- Salt

- Nutmeg

- Pepper

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

Boil some salted water and cook the broccoli in it for around 5 minute. While this is happening, you can separate the egg yolks from the whites. The yolks can be thoroughly mixed with the milk and cornstarch at this time. You can also beat the egg whites until they are fluffy. Drain the broccoli when it’s done and set aside.

Melt the butter and fry the onion on medium heat, until the onion starts browning. Add the broccoli and keep frying.

If you haven’t made the yolk/milk/cornstarch mix yet, do so now, and add to the frying pan. Add nutmeg, pepper and salt to taste. Turn the heat down and keep mixing until it has a creamy consistency. (In our case, it was pretty much immediate.)

Remove from the stove and mix in the cream. Then, slowly pour in the egg white while slowly mixing. Pour everything into a buttered dish and cook in the oven. The recipe didn’t provide a time but my estimate is it took around 15 minutes for the top to become a lovely golden-brown. And that’s that! Bon appetit!

I honestly can’t wait to make this again, it was SO GOOD

[ill337erate]

Recipe 9: Suspiciously Delicious Cabbage

Or rather, my take on the suspiciously delicious cabbage recipe found on the linked page.

I have been putting this off for like a week, but I really need to get back into the swing of things! So here goes:

INGREDIENTS

- Cabbage in thin strips. For one serving I’d say around one half cabbage

- One onion, finely chopped

- One clove garlic, even more finely chopped

- Ginger powder to taste

- Cream, around 100ml

- Potatoes. Judge amount by hunger. I went with around 4 medium-small ones

- Olive oil

- Pepper

- Salt

Heat up the olive oil in a pan with decently raised sides. Add the garlic and onion and fry on medium heat until the onion is clear and soft. In the meantime, boil your potatoes about halfway--in my case, I plopped some medium-small potatoes in boiling water for 10 minutes.

Add the cabbage and the ginger powder to taste. Keep stirring for around ten to fifteen minutes. During this time, your potatoes will be done boiling. Cut them into cubes and mix them with the cabbage as soon as possible. I left the peels on!

Then, set the heat to low, pour in the cream, mix it into everything, and cover the pan up. Abandon it for 10 minutes. This is why you want a pan with raised sides, so the liquid won’t spill out as easily!

After that, add salt and pepper to taste, and more cream if necessary (mix it while the pan is still on the heat). It is done! Bon appetit!

[ill337erate]

Recipe 8: Pesto pasta salad

It’s been a while since I posted any recipes so here’s something super quick and easy that I made today! It can certainly be made with less/other kinds of vegetables than the ones I list here, these are just the ones I had on hand.

INGREDIENTS

Short cut pasta (Farfalle, penne, macaroni... basically any kind that isn’t long noodles)

Green beans

Canned corn

Small tomatoes like cherry tomatoes chopped in half/quarters

Button mushrooms in thick slices cut in half

Pesto (suggestion for 1 serving: two teaspoons)

Olive oil (suggestion for 1 serving: 1 tablespoon)

Vinegar; I used apple cider vinegar (suggestion for 1 serving: 1 teaspoon)

Salt

[Reminder that my teaspoons and tablespoons are not the exact measurements but rather actual spoons]

Prepare the pasta according to its instructions.

Depending on your tastes and the vegetables you chose, you might want to leave them as they are, or cook them. In my case, I left the corn and tomatoes as they were, but boiled the green beans in water with salt and briefly fried the mushrooms in a little olive oil.

When the pasta and cooked vegetables are ready, let them cool. You can try to spread them out as much as possible so they’ll cool faster. Then put all the vegetables and pasta together in a bowl and add the pesto, olive oil, vinegar, and salt to taste. Mix, try it to see if the seasoning is to your liking, adjust accordingly, and bon appetit!

[ill337erate]

Recipe 7: Vegetable curry

Ok so basically all the curry recipes I make are very similar and it almost feels redundant to post this

buuuuut

this vegetable curry is really versatile!! you can pretty much make it from any vegetables you have lying around + curry + coconut milk + orange and/or lemon juice, if you have it. it’s great with rice!

I guess i’ll do this a bit differently this time and broadly describe the methodology?

so i like to make mine with onion, sweet potato, and eggplant, plus other random vegetables i have lying around that i can cut into large chunks (bell peppers, carrots, zucchini, chickpeas, green beans, pumpkin....). but really, any combination of vegetables should work! Finely chopped apples, lemon juice and/or orange juice add a nice sweet and sour to the curry. be careful not too use too much and overpower the other flavors though, trust me, an extremely sweet or sour curry is no bueno. for the spice, as per usual for my curries, i use a mixture of a curry powder + several additional spices (ginger, cardamom, cumin, coriander, curcuma, cinnamon).

start with olive oil in a pot on medium heat. when its hot, add the spices. if you have onions and garlic, fry those first. otherwise, you can add some liquid--juice from an orange or water will work. You want enough liquid so the first vegetable you add is mostly submerged. add the vegetables in order from the one you figure needs to cook the most, to the one that needs to cook the least, with enough time in between them.

while cooking the vegetables, try to keep enough liquid to submerge a good chunk of the veggies so they cook more or less evenly; i like to cover the pot to slow the evaporation and to speed up the cooking. you won’t want too much liquid when you’re done cooking though, so near the end you can evaporate the excess by setting the heat on high and leaving the pot open.

Once done, turn off the heat, but keep the pot on the stove. add the coconut milk to taste and mix it in over the still-heated hob. and you’re done! bon appetit!