Marcella Cooking Stuff • June 14th - June 20th
June 14th - June 20th
This is the newsletter about dads. I have no shortage of dads in my life. I have my father, my stepfather, and two fantastic grandfathers that helped raise me.
My dad is...my dad. He's a marine, a police officer, rides motorcycles, works on cars, prefers Coke over water, and screams the whole time he is driving. He is incredibly handy and knows how to "fix" anything. He is never sweet and comforting but always tells me he loves me. Getting a "this is wonderful, I'm so proud of you" out of him is like pulling teeth. He has zero patience and can do everything better than you can. Or so he thinks.
He speaks his own language. A very sarcastic language that was hard to understand as a kid. As an adult, I have become fluent in "Stuart" and see how I am just like him in so many ways.
I have the same road rage. I scream the same profanities. I can get dirty and successfully tackle any project. I won't let you do that project because I can do it better and faster than you. I'm honest and very straight forward with everyone. My jokes dig deep but come from love. I'm generous, kind, and always show up when I say I will be there. Just like him.
My stepfather is the literal complete opposite. He's nice, sensitive, patient, emotional, caring, kind, healthy...the list goes on. Bobby made me pancakes one morning after he and my mom had to pick me up from a high school party after one too many drinks*. That's all you need to know about him. He's the nicest man alive.
*Disclaimer: that was the only time they had to do that.
When an old woman hit my Prius head-on going 50mph I called my dad who radioed the accident in and had the police and paramedics there in two minutes. Five minutes later my stepdad was running toward me coming to help.
They both show up for me, always. They are polar opposites and show up in different ways. It is something I have grown to really appreciate. All my dad bases are covered and I'm grateful.
I lucked out in the grandpa department too. I spent one, sometimes two, days a week with each set of grandparents as a kid. One taught me how to cook and the other has taught me all about wine. Two things that I greatly appreciate now. Both were engineers, into technology, and supported every crazy idea I had.
I haven't seen any of them in many months, thanks pandemic, and if I think about it too much I will start crying. If you are with your dad today, give them a huge hug and an extra one from me.
Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there just being dads.
Sunday
Strawberry Basil Ice Cream
Chocolate Chip Coffee Ice Cream
Grilled Corn Salad + Chicken
Let's jump right into the ice cream deets.
I wanted to try two different techniques. A traditional crème anglaise recipe and Salt & Straw's recipe with no eggs.
Salt & Straw is a west coast regional ice cream chain. They have nontraditional flavors and people looove them. I have actually only had their ice cream once but watched the head ice cream maker make ice cream in a Youtube video and wanted to try his eggless technique. The recipe is pretty standard except they don't use eggs add xanthan gum for texture.
I steeped 1c ground decaf coffee in half of the milk. Strained it and then continued following the recipe. I left out the milk powder because of allergies and added a little vanilla and chocolate chips at the end. The flavor was spot on. I love coffee ice cream, always have, and this was everything I like about coffee ice cream.
Now let's talk texture and consistency. This ice cream was light, airy, and almost felt whipped. It felt slick in your mouth. Remember CoolWhip? Totally yummy but totally artificial and made from oil. Do you remember the way it felt in your mouth? Slick! That's the only way I know how to describe the Salt & Straw recipe. To be fair I used goat milk vs. cream. That could have played a role in the overall outcome.
Was it bad? No. Did it kinda bug me? Yes. Will I still eat it? Of course!
Now to the crème anglaise recipe. The traditional technique of milk/cream and eggs to make a custard base. I found a David Lebovits recipe on Fine Cooking and decided to follow it. The only change I made was the substitution of goat milk and added a vanilla bean to steep with the basil leaves.
This recipe is it. Stop what you are doing, go buy an ice cream maker, and make this recipe!
It was very basil forward but that mellows out as the strawberry flavor develops in your mouth. I'm obsessed. Texturally, this is more my style. Rich, creamy, full mouthfeel. It feels real to me. Indulgent and comforting.
I will be making most ice cream with a crème anglaise base moving forward. We whip through a ridiculous amount of eggs in this house. If I'm out and really want ice cream, I'll use Salt & Straw's method. It's just not my first choice.
For dinner, we had my Grilled Corn Salad and grilled chicken breasts. This salad is a summer staple. You will see it maybe...four more times before summer is over. The chicken was leftover from chopped salads and just needed to be cooked. Nothing fancy just a yummy summer dinner.
Monday
Breakfast Taco
Grilled Pork Chops + Cucumber and Herb Salad
The tortilla press was finally delivered 👏🏼. Making fresh tortillas changed the breakfast taco game. Nothing fancy about these, same as always. I added pickled scallions and it reminded me of how essential acid is in cooking. Love love love.
Dinner was inspired by Andy Baraghani's Grilled Pork Shoulder recipe. I have pork shoulder in the freezer but it is portioned and cut into small pieces. We grabbed bone-in pork chops at the store and I used those instead. I used his marinade but added some fresh ginger. It was fantastic. I think the fattiness from the pork shoulder probably adds some extra fat, flavor, and richness. Next time I buy pork shoulder, I will try it out.
My salad was made of cucumbers, cilantro, basil, mint, shallot, serrano, and pickled scallions. I plated everything on a bed of rice.
As we were cleaning up Marco said "I remember what your rice use to be like, now look at it. It's perfect."
Thanks Mar 😂.
Tuesday
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Grilled Meatballs & Herbs
Watermelon & Tomato Salad
These chocolate chip cookies got packed up and shipped to the dads for Father's Day. I use Chris Morocco's recipe but I change a few things:
Browned all the butter
Added an extra teaspoon of vanilla, one tablespoon total
Used light brown sugar
Always a chopped chocolate bar, never chips
Used a 1.5 tablespoon scooper
Baked for 5 minutes, turn 180 degrees, 5 more minutes
That's what I do to get the perfect cookies.
A note about chocolate: I always use a bar and never chips. I like to have control of how big or small the chocolate pieces are. I like lots of little flecks and some big chunks. These big chunks turn into something I call chocolate puddles. A big gooey puddle of chocolate in the middle of a cookie is what I like! I even keep some big chunks and push them on top of the dough before it goes in the oven. This guarantees you have a nice puddle front and center.
Dinner was grilled meatballs, a variation of this recipe that we have talked about before, with grilled asparagus and scallions. At this point when I make meatballs I just use whatever I have on hand. I think that's why we eat them so much because they are always different. Parsley, chives, and dill were the herbs I used. I added lime zest and juice to the salsa verde.
The real star of dinner was the Watermelon & Tomato Salad. This was also inspired by the most recent issue of Milk Street. The key to this salad is having really good flavorful produce.
I soaked some shallots in white balsamic while I prepped the other ingredients. Watermelon, tomato, basil, feta, and shallots are arranged on a plate. Seasoned with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Finished with some good olive oil.
It was g o o o o o d! Fresh, summery, and full of flavor. I plated one pretty plate and threw the rest into a bowl. I kinda liked the big full bowl better.
Wednesday
Breakfast Fried Rice
Chocolate Chip Challah
Shawarma Spiced Grilled Chicken
Breakfast Fried Rice is a quarantine original from the very first weeks. I haven't made it in a while but this week we had it twice.
If you have leftover rice reheat it in a pan with any combination of soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, coconut aminos, and fish sauce. Whatever you have on hand. Add in crumbled bacon, spinach, scallions, or any other vegetable you want. Top with a fried egg or go the traditional route and scramble one it.
I'm still playing around with my challahs. This week's experiment was testing honey vs. sugar in a loaf with butter. I made two half loaves and added chocolate chips thanks to my friend Ryan, who gave me that idea.
I found the sugar was slightly sweeter and had a little more chew. The honey had a bit more complexity with flavor but I really had to look for it. Sugar was easier to roll out and looked nicer. I'm sticking with sugar for my butter loaf.
I had a piece for dessert and while it was SO good it reminded me more of decadent brioche dough. Next week's experiment will be a traditional recipe vs. butter challah.
I have been told I need to show my face more on social media...so I had a photoshoot with my challah after. I put on makeup and posed with a loaf of bread. LOL
Shawarma Spiced Grilled Chicken came from a craving for...shawarma. I was going to spatchcock and grill a chicken with a bbq rub but decided why not try something new.
Here is a recipe for Shawarma Marinade and here is a how-to guide for grilling a spatchcocked chicken.
I served big pieces chicken with really flavorful Missouri grown tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, oregano from my garden, thin-sliced serrano, grilled red onion, olive oil, and lemon juice.
The chicken was cooked perfectly. It was flavorful but I wasn't hit with shawarma when I took a bite. I think marinating chicken pieces and cooking them in a pan may help with this. You could also make a sauce after with the flavorful juices in the pan.
Marco rating 8/10.
"Perfectly cooked chicken but needs more shawarma flavor."
Thursday
Everything But The Bagel Salad + Latke Waffles?!
Chili Mango Frozen Yogurt
As I have mentioned before, we consume a lot of potatoes in this house. I'm always trying to think of ways to make them different. I grated 4 Yukon Gold potatoes because that's what I had on hand, and a half an onion. Mixed together and seasoned with salt and pepper. Popped it in a waffle iron for a while. I didn't time it but it was way longer than a normal waffle.
I wanted the whole thing to get nice and golden, like a waffle or latke, but that wasn't happening. The outline of the squares, where the iron presses the most, got great color. The rest was just fine looking. The flavor was amazing. Of course, it was amazing as it is just a giant latke!
I covered it with a heaping serving of Everything But The Bagel Salad. I typed up a recipe because this is a new favorite. Follow the recipe loosely. I put rough estimates for portions and ask you guys to make it however you want!
Here is my problem with making ice cream. It's so fun and I am very eager to experiment more BUT I have quarts of ice cream sitting around! Yes, tasty but I don't want to be eating this much ice cream. I need to make smaller batches to play around with more flavors.
Chili Mango was high on my list to test out. I went back and forth between crème anglaise base for super-rich creamy mango or yogurt for lite, bright, refreshing mango. Since we still have a good amount of coffee and strawberry basil left, I went with frozen yogurt. It was a good choice.
The mango shined with a hint of tang and creaminess. For the chili part, I added cayenne, ancho chili, and smoked paprika. I used that same spice mix plus sugar and salt to layer in more heat. I didn't measure these and the recipe is estimated. They may be on the light side. Taste test and adjust as needed!!
If possible try to use fresh ripe mangos. I have been getting Ataulfo mangos at Costco. They are way way tastier than Alphonso. I used to buy these by the dozen outside of our apartment in LA. On the corner of Ohio and Butler, a man name Martine sold them regularly. They were the best. These Costco ones are close to those.
Friday
Blueberry and Peach Crumble
Spicy Corn & Scallop Salad
Crisp, crumble, or cobbler? Which one is it? I admit I had to do a little reading before I posted the name of this. It's not a cobbler because cobblers are topped with dough. Pie dough, biscuit dough, or even cake batter. The only real difference between a crisp and a crumble is the textural difference from added nuts. I added nuts, making this a Blueberry Peach Crumble.
We had an overflowing amount of not so flavorful blueberries and a few ultra flavorful peaches that were getting a little too soft. Put them together with some added sugar, lemon, and vanilla and you have a decently flavored dessert, right? Right! The peaches shinned and were bursting with juicy melt in your mouth creamy flavor.
If you don't like nuts, you can absolutely leave them out, but they add a really nice textural balance.
I'll be making this again. Takes a few minutes to put together, semi-healthy 😉, and can be made with any fruit you have on hand. If all the sweets I have made recently, this is one I haven't been able to walk away from.
Scallop salad > Scallop pasta. I'm into the salad more. I like the bright flavors and texture with the scallops better. This Spicy Corn & Scallop Salad was a new creation. It's the perfect summer seafood salad.
My serrano was HOT. This salad had heat but it was mellowed out from the slightly brown butter that coats your mouth. The lime juice added bold acidity and the scallops are...scallopy. Golden, flavorful, and a little salty.
Marco rating 10/10.
Saturday
Potato Salad with Fresh Corn & Herbs
Slow-Roasted Salmon
We ate one meal on Saturday. We were so busy that we didn't eat an actual meal until dinner. Peanuts from the gas station don't count as a meal.
I picked up a piece of salmon while we were out and slow-roasted it. 325 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
I created a dressing with olive oil, white wine vinegar, shallot, dill, oregano, lemon zest, and half a lemon cut into small pieces. I meant to add capers but forgot 😡. I took half of this dressing and spooned it over the fish before roasting. The other half was used to dress a salad of grilled zucchini, grilled asparagus, radish, and baby romaine.
We often juice and zest lemons in recipes but using the fruit itself isn't as common. Try this sometime! It adds bursts of juicy tart flavor.
Marco rating 9/10
"The lemon chunks made the salad."
Potato Salad With Fresh Corn and Basil is a recipe from the most recent Food & Wine Magazine. I'm usually not a big fan of mayonnaise-based potato salads but I don't mind them as much when I use homemade mayo.
I used olive oil mayo that I made Friday and I only used about half of what the recipe called for. It was plenty and my recommendation is to start with about half, maybe even less. You can always add more if you feel it needs it.
The corn added crunch as well as sweet flavor and the herbs layered in brightness. I'm a fan and will add this to the summer rotation.
Ice cream sandwich made from my Coffee Chocolate Chip Ice Cream & Chocolate Puddle Cookies for dessert. Heavenly. Marco had a Chili Mango Frozen Yogurt popsicle and said it was fantastic.
Random thing of the week:
Well...I was just talking about how I haven't had a blender in over a year. Marco bought me a Vitamix this week!
My grandma also bought me the loaf pan that I so desperately needed. I am grateful.
Pet photo of the week:
While making the last latke waffle, I sat down and Ollie fell asleep on me. Rule number one of cats: Never move a cat that chooses to sit on you. Ever!
Thing everybody needs:
AN ICE CREAM MAKER DUH!!!
Truly life changing. I love cooking because I know what goes into my food and I get to experiment with flavors. I love a new cooking project. This ice cream maker is a game changer.
I have this Kitchen Aid attachment but any ice cream maker will do. You just need one!
Above is a picture of my dad and me at my preschool career day and at my wedding. Dads are the best.
See you next week,
Marcella