#and oversalt my lemons

[ukusreticence]

With Salt too.

@toaster-with-a-wifi-router

[eldritchmochi]

ever since i developed an allium allergy a few years back, ive noticed just so many posts to the effect of "onion & garlic power go on EVERYTHING 🤣🤣" and, now that im good at cooking without either of them, im just like...... yall don't know how to season food worth shit

[sysboxes]

In general, do you prefer sweet, spicy, salty, savory, plain/bland, and/or sour stuff

do the taste preferences vary by alter (if you’re a system which I think all the current mods are?) or is there some things the system generally likes?

If only most of the system likes it, why do others in sys not like it? (If comfortable sharing)

Mod Weeping ❤️- most of us prefer sweet stuff or occasionally savory stuff. We also love sour in the answer that we fucking love citrus- we will eat straight limes. And love lime and/or lemon on almost everything. We also loveee garlic. Although there are a handful of ppl who just LOVE spicy food, especially this one alter. She will eat spicy food until the body is crying but it doesn’t bother her- it usually burns the mouth of whoever is close by tho lmao. There is one alter who can’t handle citrus well tho and it makes him feel really sick for some reason?

Mod Morpho 🦋 — I have such a big sweet tooth, but I also heavily salt alllllllll my food. I don’t think the taste preferences really vary at all between us tbh.

mod wonder - oo, i think my preference is just carbohydrates in general. pasta, bread, rice. i adore salmon too. i love a lot of sweet stuff, but especially semi-sweet or dark chocolate things. sweet fruits like peaches are really fun. i can’t do spicy, partially due to allergies, and partially because i can’t handle a cheeto’s worth of spice. tastes very much do vary by alter for us, we never know what we’re gonna be in the mood for. some don’t eat meat, some prefer savory or salted or sweet, etc.

Mod luxray 🐈‍⬛️⚡️- Honestly anything that ain't plain ill eat, Being mexcian and all ya kinda half to lol, I LOVE LOVE LOOOVE dark chocolate and bitter-sweets, licorice, etc, though as a basis spicy candy will always br my favorite

Mod Bugz - My go to with the flavoring options is Spicy because any single one of those options (sweet, savory, salty, and I'd debate sour). I don't like bland food, to the point I won't eat bland things unless its a thing of being polite. Taste preferences do vary from alter to alter, and there's actually a really funny thing that happens each morning when the debate of "coffee or monster" starts bc it's a pretty even split of alters liking coffee or monster or both (and some who prefer teas, but they are usually fine with either option).

Mod Avon - SPICY!!! Love me some spicy food. I also love sour foods! Our parts do vary with what they like to eat. Also, yes, I do oversalt my food (I have POTS, the kind that is helped by salty foods, soooo).

[diolanza]

my muses and flavor

cupid-they like salty fish, savory steak, and spicy peppers. they do tend to like things on the sweeter side or spicier side if given the option. sweet n' spicy is their favorite flavor profile. think how marinara can be both! paella is one of their favorite foods and they like how earthy it can taste.

perospero-sweet sweet sweet. if he liked coffee, it'd mainly be creamer or sugar. he also likes things on the more peppery or savory side. one of his favorite foods in canon is beef tongue, so i could see him being more focused on flavor rather than texture or anything else. he does not do well with spicy, but still likes his foods to be spiced very well and evenly.

caesar-savory, maybe a little bit of spicy. his palette is very mediterranean, lots of oil, tomatoes, mushrooms. flavorful and savory. he does like spicy food, but not too spicy, otherwise it just makes his mouth go numb and he doesn't like it. he doesn't like super sweet things either.

evanidus-a sweets guy. likes spicy, savory, bitter n' all that, but cookies, cupcakes, and candy have his heart. not as much as perospero, but he definitely likes things like extra frosting. he's not picky though, so as long as something is edible he'll eat it, he just has his preferences.

vanta-he likes bitter and more earthy flavors. what he likes is influenced by his devil fruit, so he likes a lot of veggies. things like soups and salads are his go to. he likes salty things too and sometimes actually oversalts things because he likes the flavor so much. he does like sweet stuff, but in the sense of how fruit is sweet rather than how sugar is sweet.

eros-really spicy! the hot chip-liker of my muses. he doesn't like spicy just because it's spicy though. if it's so spicy it makes your mouth go numb he doesn't enjoy it. he likes savory meat too, like a big juicy steak. not much for really sweet stuff because it makes him sick.

pizi-sour! they like stuff with lemon, sour candies, and drinks that have lime. their favorite food is sour candy. similar to eros, they like spicy a lot and have a much higher spice tolerance than eros. they don't like super salty or super sweet though and both flavors will make them gag if they're too strong.

[coleopterologist]

seared northern halibut w/ beurre blanc, herb sauce, savory lemon curd, and roasted purple cauliflower

[robustcornhusk]

thinkin' bout beans:

i find creamier, softer white beans - cannelini, gigante & corona, unusual variants thereof, navy, etc - easiest to love on their own and base a meal around, but that's a consequence of how i usually cook, rather than a statement on the beans themselves. all beans are worthy of love. (there's probably an exception but i haven't found it yet)

an easy 2-3 person meal (2 if you're excessive appetite people like me, 3 otherwise), not for anyone you're trying to impress*:

it's not a beautiful picture but it's the most recent i have:

olive oil (probably 2-4 tbsp)

1 onion, cut in half and then sliced pole to pole (not into halfmoons, the other orientation)

garlic cloves, however many your heart desires (my heart usually desires 2 or 3), sliced

1-2 tsp red pepper flakes

1-2 cups cooking liquid from the white beans, or stock or broth, as desired

1/2 lb dried white beans, cooked**

1-2 tbsp white miso (optional)

a green and leafy vegetable, like 6-8oz if it's sturdy like kale, probably more like 12-16oz if it's wilty like spinach (optional)

croutons***

parmesan or similar, for garnish (optional)

herbs as garnish (optional - lemon zest mixed with flat parsley is great)

heat olive oil in a saute pan over medium to high heat; add onion (eta: with a pinch of salt). cook, stirring often enough to prevent it from burning, but allow it to get a little browned. once the onion is browning, add in the garlic slices and cook another minute.

once they're cooked, add in the liquid/stock. if you're using miso, add it now and get it mixed in; otherwise, add the beans.

if using a sturdy vegetable, add it now; you might want to throw a lid on there to get them to wilt. bring just up to a boil, then lower the temperature and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes. if you're using a wilty vegetable, add it at the end and simmer just long enough to cook it.

divide into wide shallow bowls, garnish, serve.

---

the cook time is in total about 25 minutes - a little less than 10 for the onion, 15 or a little more for the beans and greens - and i only have to get the onion sliced before i can get started actually cooking, so it's usually ready about 30-35 minutes after i get started. the 10-15 minute vegetable window is also usually long enough for me to make the croutons there, or herb garnish.

infusing the oil at the start with herbs like rosemary is nice, or infusing herbs into oil and adding in at the end. you could probably cook sausages with it, too, but i don't know when i would work those in - i think the usual thing would be cook them first, then reserve them from the pan and keep cooking in the same fat.

eta: re salt, add a pinch with the onion to make it cook right, but don't add any more until after the miso's gone in. this is easy to oversalt: the stock/bean broth and the miso can both be pretty salty, so be careful!

---

＊ certain parties disagree with that assessment, and say that if i stopped being self-deprecating about it, people would love it. and maybe they're right, but the problem is i don't have a good name for it. you will see many takes on this dish called "brothy beans" and i hate it! i hate it! they're trying to make "brothy beans" happen!

＊＊ put half pound of beans in a big pot, like a dutch oven or a stockpot, and probably about 4quarts of water, 5 if you have space, and 1tbsp of salt. vigorously boil for ten minutes, stirring a couple of times, then simmer 50-90 minutes, stirring less frequently. at the 40 minute mark start tasting them, both to see if they're done (cooked through and creamy), and seeing if they need more salt. if they start splitting, it's fine, but maybe turn down the heat a little more.

＊＊＊ i prefer using sandwich bread to Fancy Loaf Bread, unlike every other crouton-making asshole out there. easier to cube. just as crunchy but doesn't rip up my mouth.

preheat oven to 450f. line a baking sheet with parchment (or not, you'll just have to clean it after). cube a couple of sheets of bread, however many looks right. (i usually do 4-5?)

in a bowl, mix together 4tbsp olive oil, 2tbsp acid (vinegar, lemon juice, etc), a hefty pinch of salt (if you're using kosher salt, this'll end up being like 1/2tsp - use half as much if you're using table salt, which is fine-grained and denser), any herbs you want (go heavy if you do!), black pepper. optionally, add a 1/2 tsp mustard like dijon to help emulsify it. basically it's salad dressing.

toss the cubes in the salad dressing, then spread them on a baking sheet. bake them for 8-10 minutes, tossing in the middle.

[persephinae]

oh i wanted to write down my recipe for my broiled trout i made for dinner (which was delicious as hell)

you start by making the garlic butter lemon wine sauce:

- melting 3 tablespoons of unsalted real butter on a low simmer in a cast iron skillet or nonstick skillet

- add 1/2 -1 tablespoon of parsley to preference

- i used a fancy blend of spices but it’s basically ( basil, thyme, tarragon, fennel, rosemary, oregano, dill, marjoram, and chervil)  - about 2 tablespoons all mixed together

- dash of salt & pepper (not a lot, you’ll be adding to your dish later and you don’t want to oversalt at this point)

- sautee on low for a few minute to infuse

- then add about 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and add about 1/4 cup of a nice white wine (not cooking wine, real wine) - i used pinot grigio, which is a mildly sweet white wine and not as dry as Sauvignon Blanc.

- let this cook down and infuse on low for about 10 minutes, add about 2 cloves of garlic (fresh pressed, finely chopped, or from jar) and let cook for a few minutes more (don’t overcook or burn your garlic, it will ruin the sauce and it will just taste like burned salty garlic)

- pour sauce into an oven safe casserole dish

- put fresh trout in dish, making sure to coat the trout in the sauce a few times, then add a final layer of salt, pepper, parsley, and spices

- then put under broiler for about 10-12 or so minutes (when the fish is almost done, but not quite)

- i added a layer of parmesan cheese & italian style bread crumbs to give the trout a nice lite crust under the broiler

- cook for about 5 more minutes or so (watch so it doesn’t burn, you just want it to finish cooking at this point and get a little crust).  the fish is done when it flakes off with a fork but is still moist (very important.  you don’t want to overcook your fish)

while this was cooking I sauteed some spinach in butter and added a little bit of the same spices i used on the fish

the wine sauce turned out so good I really didn’t need a carb side dish, and just dipped bread in the sauce tbh

[docholligay]

HLF: what are some cheap, easy ways to lift different kinds of canned soups?

Oy gevalt, I dunno. It depends on how we’re determining lift, because it’s really easy to make them more filling! Adding rice to tomato soup, or boiling a potato in a chicken noodle, all of that is really easy and cheap and makes it stick to your ribs much more. 

But making canned soup GOOD, is another matter. And when I say this, don’t think I dislike canned soup, I LOVE canned soup, but that doesn’t make it good, and if I ate it all the time, I would like it significantly less, I feel. Truthfully if you have a freezer and are like, “I need 12 bucks to equal six meals” and you can afford the time to work for one of them, making and freezing soups is a way better way to go than progresso. 

That being said, nothing in life is impossible, and we should not surrender at the first sign of difficulty. The first thing we’re going to want to do is break down that oversalted, hyper processed taste, and we’re going to do that with a handful of different ideas. Cream is one of them, but cream is expensive in itself. I always have it around because of cooking purposes, but it’s not cheap unless you’re using it for other stuff. That being said, if you’re eating a bunch of canned soup, the 2 dollar (in my state) investment for the tiny box is well worth it. Add cream slowly while stirring, so it doesn’t curdle. Other choices are white wine, which will give a tang and a freshness. This needn’t be a bottle. A bota mini is about $4.50, will last through about six servings if you do about 3 oz of wine into your soup, and lasts a month without refrigeration, and even after a month, it’s totally usable, it just starts to drop in quality. A squeeze of lemon juice can add brightness, if you’ve got some left over. 

The next thing I’m going to battle is the blandness. For being so salty, there’s really nothing else there. Rosemary is lovely in a chicken and dumpling, or dill in a chicken noodle, of basil in a tomato. Look to your condiments, too! A bit of whole grain mustard in a cream soup, a bit of curry paste in a tomato! Stir in some herbs and pepper, making it more complex and lovely than the Chunky soup people ever intended it to be. 

Leftover veggies, even cooked ones, can be great! Extra boiled carrots, sauteed mushrooms, anything that can bring to the table a sense of texture that is sadly lacking in canned soups will improve the entire experience. If you have leftover chicken from another dinner, add that! Or beef in a tomato is always great. A handful of cooked shrimp in tomato is also really excellent. 

Here’s the order of operations I would use:

Put canned soup in pan, and heat slowly to a simmer. Add your leftover veggies, if using, and let simmer a bit. Add your stronger proteins (anything not fish), let simmer, and taste. This’ll help you establish a baseline. Add your herbs/condiments and pepper, tasting. Lastly, add your wine or cream (or both), allowing a simmer until the soup comes together! 

[goron-king-darunia]

Annon-Guy: Do you know the what kinds of food the Symphonia Characters like (the 10 heroes, Kratos, Richter, Alice and Decus)? I know Colette likes fruit (way too much), Raine likes Lemons, Emil doesn't like herbs, Genis HATES gels, Richter likes herbs, and Alice likes tea and candy (at least when Alice isn't using them as explosives for some reason). Also, sense Marta became a better cook, Raine, Richter and probably Alice are the only bad cooks out of them.

This is a toughie because I haven’t played the original Symphonia in a while but here’s what I know and what I think. Lloyd is a coffee boy. Not just because of the skit. It’s also because of his color scheme. Fight me. Lloyd’s definitely a meat and potatoes sort of guy and I think he’d be really into curry and beef stew. Colette absolutely is the queen of fruit. Anything fruit is her domain. Fruit sandwiches, for goodness sake. She also hates bitter foods. So I get the feeling she would live exclusively on fruits if you let her. Genis isn’t picky, I don’t think. As long as the food is good, it seems like he’d eat it. The kid seems like the kind of nerd who liked broccoli as a little bambino because broccoli looks like tiny trees.  Raine has no tastebuds, can’t conceptualize flavor profiles, and thinks exclusively in terms of “what hasn’t been done yet? Let’s try it!” without ever thinking “there’s probably a reason this hasn’t been done yet. I don’t remember if it was canon that she liked lemons other than the skit where she says she wants to try stuffing lemons with rice as a meal but I totes think she’d go bonkers over some lemon snowcones. It’s also pretty clear in the narrative that the reason Raine can’t cook is that she experiments too much and always tries to push the envelope. She doesn’t want to do anything conventionally.  Sheena is one of the better cooks in the party and seems like she enjoys most things too. I definitely don’t see her as liking sweets as much as the rest of the party, but, again, I haven’t played ToS in a few years so I’ve largely forgotten their canon food preferences. Zelos seems like the kind of guy who is really picky because he’s super privileged. Seems like the kind of dude who can tell every cheese in the world apart my sight and smell alone. Dude hates winter because of trauma, so he seems like the kind of dude who’d be down for summer foods all the time. Like watermelon. Because watermelon is a pretty big deal in Japan (most tropical/non-native fruit is a big deal, actually. Or it was before canned fruit became commonplace) So I feel like, in the Symphonia world, watermelon would be a big deal and Zelos would be all over that shit. Regal is down for some casseroles, that’s what I feel. I have no idea why. I feel like if you put down a pan of gratin or funeral potatoes he’d eat the hell out of it. Also seems like he’d know what every wine in Aselia tastes like by label alone. Presea strikes me as the kind of person who would really like jellybeans and skittles if they were a thing in the Symphonia world. She also gives me major girl scout vibes and probably knows all the edible plants in Ozette. Richter likes herbs but he never really clarifies what else he likes. He doesn’t seem too concerned over the lack of veggies based on what we’re told in Successors of Hope, so it seems he exclusively likes herbs and not veggies as a whole. Dude seems like a meat and potatoes kind of guy and I headcanon that he really likes fish and eggs. It’s stated that the reason Richter can’t cook is that he’s never really done it before. The time he cooks for Emil in the side quest is literally supposed to be his first time. I feel like if he got the chance and someone taught him, he’d be able to. But yeah. Without the opportunity to learn, he’s gonna be a garbage lethal chef for a while. XD Considering his food looks normal, though, I’m not sure where he’s going so wrong. The guy clearly understands what food is meant to look like and I don’t think he’s like Raine and just refusing to follow recipes. So I have no idea what Richter’s problem is supposed to be in the game. He’s just... cursed to be bad at cooking. I’ve found out recently that Aster’s favorite food in canon is Donuts. Boy goes bonkers for them apparently. Successors of Hope shows he’s pro vegetables. So either he enjoys veggies himself or he is just... very concerned about other people being healthy so he can eat all the donuts. I headcanon that he loves all sweets but especially donuts and if you don’t force him to eat real food, he’ll just eat donuts. I also headcanon that Richter doesn’t allow him to have coffee because Aster goes too crazy on it. Emil expressly asks for steak during one skit where Colette is cooking and she cheerfully offers “apple steaks” and he seems really disappointed. So he clearly likes meat. He also says in the skit with Richter that he doesn’t like herbs but will try to like them. This leads me to believe that he’s a baby who eats the blandest things on the planet and only seasons with salt and pepper like a weenie. How do you not season your meat with herbs, you dummy?! I headcanon that he likes sweets but given that he’d rather have steak than apple steaks, he seems to prefer meat above sweets (LOL, gay. XD [JK but meat being a euphemism is funny to me]) Marta does learn to improve but it’s stated that the reason she was bad at cooking, to begin with, is that she never tasted her food, leading me to believe that she overseasoned everything. More specifically, I think she oversalted everything. Because it’s very hard to SEE when you oversalt something. If you add too many herbs, you can see that. If you burn it, you can see that. Marta had no idea her food was bad until after she tasted it. Which leads me to believe she oversalts things. As for what she likes, she seems to like Emil’s cooking first and foremost. She seems like the kind of person who would like fresh baked bread and weird ice cream flavors like rose or mango. Alice is shown in one of the credits cards with Decus offering her flowers but she’s just thinking about Generic Meat Drawing. This could just mean that she’s thinking of food and doesn’t care but I choose to interpret that as Alice being 10/10 carnivore. Give her a whole roast pig and a tower of napkins and she’ll be happy as a clam.  Decus? I have no idea. If he has a fave meat, I bet it’s mutton. Dude seems like he’d like eggplant but that might just be because he’s purple.

[sanguinifex]

How to cook almost any kind of meat, ever.

I realized it’s the 28th and I still haven’t done the monthly recipe yet (though I’ve been meaning to!), so here we go. (Honestly, I’m starting to wish I’d done a purely recipe Patreon! I’m probably better at cooking than novels. But you, too, can get recipes from me, for $5/month.)

I really only have one way to cook most kinds of meat in the oven. It ends up tasting like any number of different dishes, but that’s just the sauce—technically, it’s a marinade. The sauces provide enough variety to keep everyone satisfied, and meanwhile this technique creates juicy, tender meat every time. Sometimes I will cook meat in a pan, or as part of a soup, and then there’s meatloaf, or casseroles, but for non-ground or cubed meats, this is my favorite way.

What this is good for: Chicken thighs, chicken breasts, pork chops, pork loin roasts, turkey roasts, and beef roasts. I prefer to use boneless meat, as it’s less fuss, but it can work with bone-in, up to even quartered chickens. This technique can be used for frozen meat, since doneness is measured via internal temperature anyway, but it works best and is faster with already-thawed (or never-frozen) meat.

It’s pretty simple: 2-4 pounds of meat, 1 cup of sauce, a glass casserole dish, aluminum foil, and a 350°F/175°C oven. Pour the sauce over the meat and baste the meat in it, possibly after having rubbed the meat with salt and herbs first, cover the pan with the foil, and bake until the meat reaches 195°F/90°C (usually 30-45 minutes, if thawed, depending on the cut of meat). To produce more browning, you may uncover the meat and broil for 5-10 minutes at the end, making sure to baste first.

Where it gets interesting is in the variety of sauces. These can be anything from complex affairs that have to be cooked in and of themselves, to plain white wine and a little salt.

Sauce 1: Lightly rub the meat with herbs/spices and kosher salt (be careful not to use too much salt!), then pour 1 cup of wine or fruit juice into the pan. If you’re using a “cooking wine” from the grocery store (in places where grocery stores don’t sell alcohol, or that you don’t have to be carded to buy), it will already be salted. Check the label.

Sauce 2: Mix ½ cup honey and ½ cup Dijon mustard and about half a tablespoon of salt, plus maybe a splash of soy sauce and half a teaspoon of garlic powder. (It should be reminiscent of concentrated Gatorade, wrt the sweet/salty ratio, if you take a taste before it goes on the meat.) It will be a very thick sauce, so make sure to coat the meat thoroughly. Goes best with chicken thighs.

Sauce 3: ½ cup plain yogurt, ¼ cup honey, ¼ cup lemon juice, 1 Tbsp oregano, 1 tsp garlic powder or ~2 cloves pulverized fresh garlic, and 2-3 tsp coarse salt. Optionally, garnish with chopped red or mixed bell peppers before covering the pan. This will rival the best Mediterranean chicken you could get at a Greek restaurant. Also, the sauce by itself is a wonderful salad dressing.

In a pinch, you can even make a sauce from ¼ cup soy sauce, ¼ cup molasses, a teaspoon of five spice powder, and ½ cup water. It’s not the most glamorous meal ever, but it sure worked, that evening. You can also use “pre-prepared” marinades such as salad dressings or prepared sauces, if you have to. The important thing is having a certain amount of liquid with concentrated flavor, and covering the meat to keep the moisture in.

Good flavor combinations:

Salt and sugar. I cannot emphasize how crucial it is to combine salt and sugar for good flavor. People often think that mixing salty and sweet things is exotic, but that is actually the secret to pretty much anything tasting good. That’s why cookies and cakes contain small amounts of salt, and why pretty much any sauce or soup recipe I make contains a small amount of molasses or honey. (Or sometimes not small—see the honey mustard sauce, above. But it’s fairly rare to just add white or brown sugar to savory dishes—it’s usually honey, molasses, or fruit juice: things with their own flavors which are also very sweet.) If you think of a teriyaki sauce, that’s an example of a fairly standard “savory” flavor that contains a fairly large amount of sugar. A surprising number of people don’t realize that it is so sweet, because it’s also salty, and because they mentally categorize it as “asian food” and ascribe the flavor to that. You don’t need to add terribly much sugar to meats, but they do taste better with about a teaspoon (in molasses or honey form) per pound of meat, and if you’re on a diet, you should be watching out for sugars in meat dishes at restaurants, because that’s definitely a thing there.

Soy sauce is an almost universally appropriate way to add umami flavor. Umami is a sort of “brown” mouthfeel that comes from things like browned meats or fats—or think of miso soup, a similar soy product. If you are unable to have soy, a product like “coconut aminos” (sold in organic sections or health food stores” can make a good alternative. Be aware that coconut is a tree nut. A dash of soy sauce or a substitute adds depth and complexity, and a little salt. Molasses produces a similar effect, but adds a lot of sugar—which may be too much, if the sauce already contains something like fruit juice! For thicker sauces (and soups), miso paste is also good to have around, since it has a similar flavor profile but much less liquid and volume per amount of flavor.

Basil, black pepper, and tart cherry: This is another favorite, at my house, especially with chicken or turkey. I will probably make it for Thanksgiving. Black pepper is an aromatic more than a hot spice. (Still, some people are very sensitive to spicy things, so if you’re cooking for one of those people, make sure to use finely ground pepper instead of coarse ground or cracked.) It is most aromatic when it is freshly ground. Basil, a member of the mint family, is associated with savory Italian tomato sauces (and, by the way, I could write an entire rant on how to season tomatoes), but it is also very aromatic and well suited to sweet, fruity sauces and dishes. Do not underestimate the power of basil and black pepper with any kind of fruit. For a meat marinade, though, rub the meat with salt and the seasonings. I think I also add a dash of coconut aminos. This is a place where you do want that lighter taste. “Tart cherry” juice still has a lot of sugar, so you don’t need to sweeted it—it’s tart because of an abundance of citric acid, not due to any lack of sugar. You can have a similar flavor with lemon juice and honey, or red grape, apple, and a couple tablespoons of lemon. With the juices produced by cooking chicken, this tart cherry mix can become the main component of a splendid gravy. Remember, brown gravy is just a roux made with clear broth or drippings instead of milk! (Use 2 Tbsp butter, etc, for a gravy roux, unless you plan to make quarts of it. “Clear” wrt broth or drippings means it doesn’t have significant amounts of starch or dairy.)

Lemon and yogurt: Mentioned above, really. I just want to emphasize how good lemon and yogurt are together, in cooking.

Herbes de Provence and wine: Herbes de Provence is a common spice blend containing savory, marjoram, thyme, lavender, and rosemary (and sometimes other, similar herbs). It is usually much more convenient than measuring out all those herbs separately, and is great as a meat rub. If you are using wine as a marinade, this, salt, and pepper are typically the only things you really need. A note: wine tends to keep salt “locked into” the meat, in my experience, much more so than juice or other non-alcoholic marinades, so be careful not to oversalt meat cooked in wine.

Onions: You can’t really go wrong with finely chopped onions. They will probably caramelize.

Dried fruit as a garnish: Use with marinades that range sweeter. It works best if chopped, and anything larger than about a raisin can be chopped artistically, for good measure.

I’m looking at my word count, here, and this is probably more than you ever wanted. But, now you have ideas for quite a number of meals! Basically, if you think it would taste good together, try it. Then use any leftover sauce for a gravy or soup, or to add an interesting twist to mashed potatoes. Have fun!

[quieteating]

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Nopi

Apparently Nopi stands for North of Piccadilly.  With such a clever play on words, I expected the food to be short and precise, reflecting the name of the restaurant. 

The dining room, with white and minimalist decor in a high ceiling cavern only served to reinforce this perception.   The scrupulous looking salad on the left and freshly baked bread also helped to suggest that if you only live once (YOLO), this would be somewhere that you would probably want to try.  Appearances aside, it was now my turn to give it a test.

Bread with olive oil.  The bread was excellent, appearing on a tasteful wooden board and a side of olive oil.  With a soft, bouncy and delightfully plain interior with harder and earthly tasting exterior, this was a good start.

Marinated olives.  These went well with the bread and they fulsomely tasted of olive.  Not like inferior olives I have known.

Asparagus, miso tahini, wild garlic, pickled chilli.  With carefully calculated fiery tint added by the chilli, the garlic and tahini served to highlight the clean (and healthy) taste of the asparagus.  The only issue was that there was not more.

Lake District beef bavette, kimchi, shiitaki ketchup.  The mushroom sauce was interesting, especially when beef was added to the mix.  A different take on mushroom steak, this worked well.

Soy cured smoked duck, loquat mustard, celeriac remoulade.  This was a curious dish.  The duck meat was good.  The fat less so.  My companion and I discussed this issue at length.  We concluded that trying to cook the duck meat slightly pink, the fat had been overlooked as it was rather unpleasantly chewy.  The mustard could have done with more kick too, it was rather too mild and sadly didn’t really add anything to this dish.

Whole lemon sole, burnt butter, nori, ginger.  We had an issue with the fish as it was not only the butter which was burnt.  The fish had had a bit too much burning itself and was zealously oversalted.  This unfortunate series of events lead to something which was dried out and tasted almost like I was licking a salt block.

It was so bad that I did something my companion was loath to do.  Send it back to the kitchen.  It just was that bad…

Truffle polenta chips, parmesan, aioli.  Meanwhile, I concentrated on the other dish on the table.  These were rather good and I applaud the vision and skill to mould polenta into long chips.  I tried to draw these chips out for as long as I could while I awaited a return of the fish but there is only so long that you can make four chips last.

Take 2.  This had a little less carbon and a lot less salt.  Unfortunately, this meant it tasted of absolutely nothing.  Well nothing good.  It tasted rather lackluster and unfortunately it seemed that our patience would not be rewarded.  It was not worth the wait for it to be redone.

Given the degrading quality of the meal as time went by, we decided it would probably not be a wise idea to stick around for dessert.  I wouldn’t want to speculate on what might happen to the ice cream.  However, if there is a positive to take away from this meal, it is that I can now add another arrow to my witty quiver.  So if people ask me where to go for food which is overcooked, overpriced and over here, I would say there is nopi going to Nopi.  That is, no point.  

  A quiet eating 6/10.

Lunch (2 courses) was GBP35 excluding drinks and service.

  Nopi

21-22 Warwick St, Soho, London W1B 5NE

[docholligay]

Silverleaf 3: Secret Lesbian Pineapple

The next installment in the Silverleaf series that Ben is sponsoring on Patreon! If you like this, please let him know on this post (Also me, let me know.) All of Silverleaf is here!

As it happened, Haruka was the one who had cleaned her living room most recently, and so it was Mina who made the brave journey down the hallway, past the nasty cat in 309, and delivered herself and Haruka’s beloved oversalted alfredo sauce to her warm and cozy apartment.

It was not very big, but Haruka had done it up nicely, with Mina’s help. The couch was long enough for her to comfortably stretch out on, and a large basket of soft afghans purchased from thrift stores rested under the side table, and could usually be found to have a small grey cat sleeping in it. Her small kitchen had her favorite mugs hanging under the countertop. She had deep cereal bowls and money enough to fill them.

It was not fancy, but it was hers, and it was here she found contentment.

It helped that it was hard to feel lonely, with a friend to bring Italian.

“So like…,” Haruka wound the pasta around her fork, twirling it in the bowl thoughtfully, “you were saying earlier, about the orchestra teacher…”

“Haruka,” Mina looked over at her and slurped a noodle through her lips, the edge of it jumping up and hitting the edge of Mina’s mouth and depositing a splash of sauce, “I know you watch a lot of movies, but this is nuts.”

Haruka leaned over and brushed the sauce off Mina’s mouth with a napkin. “What the fuck do you even mean?”

Mina gestured dramatically, reenacting her story. “I mean, you get these ideas in your head that the quiet princess in the castle needs to be saved by you, butch knight in shining armor” She withdrew a sword from the air and gave a chivalrous grin,” from the dragon, and then at the end you two go to prom together and we all jump in the air at the end as an upbeat song rolls over the credits.” She punctuated it by jumping up from the couch.

Haruka scowled “I don’t--”

Mina grabbed the sides of her face. “Haruka, sometimes the girl IS the dragon, and that’s what’s going on here. I’m trying to help you.”

“She sent me fruit.”

“What is that, lesbian code?” Mina gripped the sides of her face harder and glared into her eyes.

“No,” Haruka murmured through fish lips, “Like fruit...on the counter”

Mina whipped her head around and looked at the partially eaten bouquet. “Sinister. The butch’s natural affinity for snacks is a clever trap indeed.” She jumped over the back of the couch, walked over and examined the strawberries.

Haruka turned around, resting her arm on the edge of the couch, “Not to say something fucking crazy,” her cat jumped up and nuzzled her, purring, “but maybe she’s just being nice.” She turned her attentions to the cat. “Mousie, baby, Aunt Mina’s losing it, isn’t she? Yes she is, oh you’re a good kitty.” She kissed Mouse on the head. “Muah muah muah muah.”

Mina shook her head. “Hey remember when you thought you were tough, wasn’t that a trip? Where’s old yelly Haruka when you need her?”

It was a joke, but in the way Mina often joked, it was not a joke at all. Haruka had been made of stone, and in the way stone often does, she had nearly shattered under the blow of her destroyed Olympic dreams, and nearly split by Yuki’s leaving. She had grown back a softer and more organic thing, but Mina was used to worry, now, and she privately wondered if Haruka’s life might have a three strikes and you’re out policy. She’d struggled so hard after Yuki left. She hadn’t dated since.

The way she had been in college was, Mina realized, likely more fragile than she was right now, but it was easier to deny it, when Mina didn’t have to see the mood shift in her eyes, when she could ignore Haruka’s slumped shoulders when she thought no one was looking.

Befriending a lesbian was indeed an undertaking, and possibly a mistake.

It was up to Mina to protect the princess from the dragon.

__

Michiru took a delicate bite of the lemon pastry, and dabbed at her lip with a napkin. “I’m not entirely certain how my greeting a new instructor affects you in any way, shape, or form.”

Mina sat down at the table in the lounge and pointed her finger at Michiru. “Just stay away from Haruka with your secret lesbian pineapple shit, Kaioh.”

“Are you interested in Haruka, Miss Aino?” Michiru looked at her with a sly sideways glance, a delicate smile playing across her lips.

If Mina had been looking, she might have noticed Rei, in the corner, listening for the answer in a way she might have described as subtle, but even Usagi stared at, and she might have delighted in such. But Michiru’s high crimes distracted her from this temporary joy.

“I am EXTREMELY interested in Haruka,” Mina leaned forward over the table, eyebrows furrowed, “and you--” she stopped herself and stood back up, nearly tripping over herself, “Oh god, that’s not what you mean, oh god, not like that, no, no.”

Michiru gave a low, disapproving hum. “Then why, praytell, are you so exceptionally interested in whether I do or do not pursue her?’

“Because I am interested in her welfare, and there is a long list of women who you’ve made miserable. This school is a fucking monument to your chewing people up.” She pointed a finger, and stuck her chin in the air, “One may smile and smile, and be a villain.”

“Forbear to judge, for we are sinners all.” Michiru smiled her sly smile,  “I’m quite sure that individual from the Shakespeare festival might attest to that, at the very least.”

MIna scowled. She hated Michiru. She hated an assortment of things about Michiru, each as unique as chocolates in a box. That she could go Shakespeare for Shakespeare with Mina.  The way her voice lilted in a way that seemed to be passing judgment, even as she commented on the weather. That she matched Mina in beauty and in conquest. That she saw things as they truly were. Perhaps that most of all.

“Listen this isn’t about me. Besides, they were--”

“Somehow complicit in their downfall, and you are innocent and blameless, yes, that seems correct.” She folded her napkin, the pastry finished, and elegantly rose from her seat. “In any case, Haruka is an adult woman, and she can do what she likes, with whoever she likes, and unless you two have an arrangement of which I am not aware, I am not required to ask your permission to show her a kindness.” She picked her purse off the table. “I shall take my leave. Rei, if you did, after all, want those tickets, you may as well come get them from my office.”

Rei nodded, still looking at Mina with her mouth pursed, as if not deciding whose side she wanted to take in this argument and so simply disapproving of them both.

“I have my eye on you, Michiru.” Mina called to the door.

“Excellent, that will give you a marvelous view of my walking away.”

Michiru, for her part, was a bit insulted. There were a number of presuppositions Mina had made about her, first being that she had intended for all those relationships to ever be serious in the first place. She wasn’t entirely certain how other women’s inability to read the seriousness of the situation, or lack thereof, could be taken as her fault. If a woman had ever impressed her, she would have stayed.

She had dated the English teacher for two months, for example. That was hardly a trifle.

She and Rei continued down the hall wordlessly. They had worked out a strange friendship, over these years, and while Rei enjoyed Michiru, she was never quite certain that she understood her. It seemed as if she should be understandable, and yet it eluded her in a way few things did.

“Michiru,” Rei looked over at her as they entered her office and Michiru took the tickets from the desk, “You have a ton of dates,” She indicated to the calendar on the wall, where Michiru’s fine script noted her social engagements, “Why do you care? I mean Hanuka or whatever her name is, isn’t really…” she gestured into the air, as if Michiru would suddenly see that Haruka wasn’t worth the trouble it caused in the teacher’s lounge.

Michiru was quite annoyed to discover she had no ready answer. Why did Haruka interest her so much? There was a certain level of blue-collar slumming to her, but it would hardly be Michiru’s first dalliance with such a thing.

“The point is not Haruka herself,” she decided, “but rather the principle of the matter, Mina thinks she is the highborn tyrant of the entire Arts department.”

“Yeah, but I mean--”

“Although I know you are terribly fond of her.” Michiru smiled knowingly, and the remark had its intended effect, Rei turning the hot red of her shirt and stammering, thrown deftly off the trail.

Rei sparked like a toaster in a sink. “Oh, I am not, she makes all these things up and YOU saw her at the festival going home with whoever the hell that was,” Michiru picked up her violin case and continued to listen to Rei prattle, secretly pleased, “anyway Mina is not my type even a little bit, even at all, you know, I’ve always said you and I should go on a double date with someone from your circles, that’s much more my type, I think we both know.”

“Why, of course, Rei, how foolish of me.” Michiru touched her shoulder. “Enjoy class, I’m off to lunch.”

They said their goodbyes, Michiru relieved that the strangeness had passed. It very likely was Mina’s influence that made Haruka so terribly fascinating. She was just a girl, as they all had been, and Michiru liked new things, and to be denied anything on any reasoning was anathema to her very soul.

She rounded the corner and Haruka was there, bag slung over her shoulder, Pikachu lunchbox in hand, headed for the lounge. There was a certain sway in her walk that drew a smile across Michiru’s lips, that strange mix of boyish womanhood that had charmed her since she could first remember being charmed by anything at all.

“Why, hello.”Michiru purred.

Haruka stopped, a silly grin on her face. “Afternoon!” She held up her Pikachu lunchbox. “Practically ate half of it I was so nervous.”

“Well,” She stepped in closer to Haruka as the bell rang, “How fortuitous.I was wondering, if you might accompany me to lunch today.” She smiled at Haruka, holding her violin case in front of her. “I have completely neglected to bring anything, really, I am helpless.”  She gave a self-depricating laugh.

Haruka smiled and shrugged. “I guess, if you want me to come.” Any warning Mina might have given her had gone from her mind, carried away on the gentle tides of Michiru’s soft teal waves. “I could use some. And it’d be...nice to get to know someone, here, at school. You know, I have lots of friends of course, and dates, and, but….anyway, yeah, let’s go.”

“Delightful. I do insist on treating, you know.” They walked side by side down the hallway.

“Oh, you can’t do that.”

“Oh you must allow me! Then I might have cause to collect, later.”  She flipped her hair and the full weight of rose and jasmine filled Haruka’s nostrils.

Haruka laughed. “Okay. If you say so.”

Down the hallway and around the corner, behind a thick oak door where girls sat, practicing lines, Mina looked up from her desk, alarmed. “By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes.”