savory things | a whisk and a spoon

Everyday Dorie: Black Bean-Chipotle Dip

May 12, 2022 at 7:36 pm | Posted in cook the book fridays, everyday dorie, groups, other savory, savory things, snacks | 2 Comments
Tags: dip, everyday dorie, savory

Guac is my usual tortilla chip dip, but I’m game to switch up taco night botanas with something as tasty as this Black Bean-Chipotle Dip. This couldn’t be easier…just whiz up a can of black beans with some seasonings and there you have it. I wouldn’t skip the lime and cilantro, but I used taco seasoning in place of cumin, scallion instead of red onion and red Fresno pepper in lieu of green jalapeño. I did use the ground chipotle, but why not sub in a canned chipotle in adobo or another type of ground chile powder instead? You can play around with what you have and what you like. You can also use leftovers as a spread for burritos or breakfast tacos, or even leave this chunkier and more salsa-like than I did…lots of possibilities, so you bet I’ll make this more often.

For the recipe, see Everyday Dorie by Dorie Greenspan, and head over to Cook the Book Fridays to see what we all thought.

Tuesdays with Dorie DC: Chocolate-Olive Cookies

May 3, 2022 at 12:01 am | Posted in cookies & bars, DC, groups, savory things, snacks, tuesdays with dorie | 4 Comments
Tags: baking, cookies, savory, snacks

Chocolate-Olive Cookies…I know what you’re thinking. Sounds strange, right? I think so, too, and having made them, I can confirm that is indeed the case. A barely sweet cocoa shortbread-style cookie with chopped cured black olive bits mixed through, this is the last “cocktail cookie” recipe we had left to tick off the list. You get the bitterness from the cocoa and a salty funkiness from the olives, and while they weren’t bad alongside the red wine Dorie recommends to go with, I don’t think I’ll make them again.

For the recipe, see Dorie’s Cookies by Dorie Greenspan. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll!

Tuesdays with Dorie BWD: Cottage Cheese Biscuits

April 26, 2022 at 1:04 pm | Posted in biscuits & scones, breakfast things, BWD, groups, other savory, savory things, snacks, tuesdays with dorie | 6 Comments
Tags: baking, savory

I’m not the most competent biscuit maker, but thankfully these Cottage Cheese Biscuits were easy to get together and baked off pretty nicely. Would I have really known the dough had cottage cheese in it if I hadn’t been the one to squish it in there? Probably not, but the biscuits had a nice tender crumb, so I think it did something behind the scenes. I made half a recipe and cut four square biscuits so I wouldn’t have any re-roll to deal with. I actually froze the unbaked biscuits for a few days before baking them off, since I picked up my cottage cheese container in the fridge one day and noticed it was getting to the use it or lose it point (i.e., a couple days past the date)!

When I did bake off the biscuits, I turned two of them into egg and bacon sandwiches, a suggestion Dorie threw out there and I grabbed (and tucked into little paper sleeves). The other two are still unbaked and in the freezer, but I have a feeling they’ll get the same treatment.

If you don’t have the book Baking with Dorie: Sweet, Salty & Simple by Dorie Greenspan, get it and join us as we bake through it every second and fourth Tuesdays. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll and all the other participation deets over on Tuesdays with Dorie!

Everyday Dorie: Double-Stuffed Deviled Eggs with Crab

April 8, 2022 at 5:04 pm | Posted in cook the book fridays, everyday dorie, groups, other savory, savory things, snacks | 4 Comments
Tags: eggs, everyday dorie, savory

Double-Stuffed Deviled Eggs with Crab…oh, how fancy! I’m a fan of deviled eggs and sometimes get them as bar-type snacks out, but rarely do I make them myself. This is a luxe version, with a crab salad filling hiding under a more traditional seasoned mayo-whipped yolk mix.

The dude here and I could probably take down a whole dozen of these, but that doesn’t sound so health-conscious, so I just made one whole egg for each of us. To tell the truth, I measured nothing in either filling mixture. I mean, for two eggs’ worth, it seemed easy enough to eyeball it. Dorie says to adjust for taste anyway, so I just did it to taste to begin with. (I added a squirt of lemon juice to the yolk mix, btw.)

The crab salad has a surprise addition of apple bits. I was going to skip that, but I did have a green goldrush apple in the fridge, so I went all-in and even added some slices to garnish my egg-shaped plate. Tail feathers, if you will. These are delightful. Crab, to me, is the superior crustacean– tastier than lobster– and I did pay dearly for a small pot of picked lump meat. It’s fine, and I used just a bit of it here, so I can probably make two other crabby recipes out of what’s left, but if I were having people over for champagne, oysters, potato chips and deviled eggs (my dream party), I’d probably try to show off the crab salad as the top layer.

For the recipe, see Everyday Dorie by Dorie Greenspan, and head over to Cook the Book Fridays to see what we all thought.

Everyday Dorie: Chicken and Beer Stew

March 25, 2022 at 5:27 pm | Posted in cook the book fridays, everyday dorie, groups, other savory, savory things, soups | 4 Comments
Tags: everyday dorie, savory, stew

This Chicken and Beer Stew is really supposed to be Beef and Beer Stew, but as I don’t eat read meat, I made some mods so I could try it, too. I actually nominated it for this month, thinking it would be good for St. Paddy’s day, when really it’s based on a Flemish carbonnade. I’m all over the place.

I swapped boneless, skinless chicken thighs, turkey bacon and chicken stock for the other meaty stuff, but followed all the flavorings (spices, mustard, a bit of brown sugar, dark Belgian ale, etc) and flavor-building steps (browning the meat, caramelizing the onions forever, etc) Dorie had listed. I did not, however do the multi-hour oven braise for my dish, because I knew the chicken thighs didn’t need that. I just kept everything on the stove-top for cooking. Following Dorie’s “chockful of vegetables” suggestion, I added in some carrot and baby potato chunks, and let everything low-bubble braise on the stove for 30-45 mins. When the saucy stuff was reduced a bit and everything else was tender and stewed, I called it done. Well, almost. My stew was kind of pale in comparison to the dark color of a beef one. I stirred in a dash of super-dark mushroom soy sauce, my secret ingredient for boosting color and umami when I am doing red to white meat replacements.

The weather is always up and down here in March, but the past several days have been chilly, so it was a nice cozy dinner for last night. I didn’t bother to cook noodles as Dorie suggests, since I had those potatoes in my stew. I like the little bit of sweetness the dish has, but I did save adding the splash of cider vinegar to the pot until after it was off the heat, so it would cut that and brighten the flavors up a bit. I’m looking forward to round two tonight, as stuff like this usually gets better the next day.

For the recipe, see Everyday Dorie by Dorie Greenspan, and head over to Cook the Book Fridays to see how the group liked this one.

Everyday Dorie: Carrot-and-Mustard Rillettes

March 25, 2022 at 2:46 am | Posted in condiments, cook the book fridays, everyday dorie, groups, other savory, salads, savory things, veggies | 6 Comments
Tags: everyday dorie, salad, savory

Carrot-and-Mustard Rillettes…hmmm…one of the stranger “things on toast” I’ve made. Rillettes are shredded meat confit, but there’s no meat to be found here. Instead we have toasted bread, spread with a Dijonnaise-type mix and topped with steamed carrots and Comté cheese cubes that have been tossed in more even mustard and some spices.

Strange, but good, and with just enough pungent mustardy heat to make you pay attention when you take a bite. I used some homemade sourdough and drizzled the assembled toasts with the good olive oil and then put on a floof of micro greens. A little, messy, but it was a nice change-up from the kale salads I make for lunch several times a week. Carrot toast may become a repeat thing around here.

For the recipe, see Everyday Dorie by Dorie Greenspan, and head over to Cook the Book Fridays to see what we all thought.

Tuesdays with Dorie DC: Cocoa-Cayenne Cookies

March 1, 2022 at 12:01 am | Posted in cookies & bars, DC, groups, savory things, snacks, tuesdays with dorie | 7 Comments
Tags: baking, cookies, savory, snacks

We find ourselves today in the Cocktail Cookies section of the book. We only have one savory cookie left after this! Dorie created these Cocoa-Cayenne Cookies to go with red wine. They are barely sweet, have a bit of a kick and a very tender crumb. I think I rolled mine a tad too thin, as a couple of them crumbled to bits when I moved them around. That’s our secret because I ate the bits. It’s almost a mind trick to bite into one of these cookies and get the spice of chili powder and the bitterness of cocoa, rather than the chocolatey sweetness you’d expect by looking at them. They do, in fact, go well with red wine, so maybe the real trick is to just pour another glass.

For the recipe, see Dorie’s Cookies by Dorie Greenspan (it’s also here). Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll and please join us anytime!

Everyday Dorie: Pasta with Sardines, Fennel and Walnuts

February 11, 2022 at 5:15 pm | Posted in cook the book fridays, everyday dorie, groups, pasta, savory things | 4 Comments
Tags: everyday dorie, pasta, savory

The thing about fishy-fish like sardines is that people either love ’em or hate ’em. I’m a lover, so sign me up for a big bowl of Pasta with Sardines, Fennel and Walnuts (or pine nuts, if you are sticking faithfully to the recipe). This very classic Sicilian dish also has capers, raisins, tomatoes and lemon in the mix. Although my husband is half Sicilian, the love of sardines doesn’t swim though his blood, so I made this one all for myself. I splurged on a fancier jar of olive oil-packed sardines because I wanted to use that oil in the saucy stuff that coated the pasta. The dish is salty, briny, oily, sweet, and acidic all at once. There is a lot going on, but to me, it all works so well. I have half a jar of sardines left, so I’m going to try another version of this recipe later in the week.

For the recipe, see Everyday Dorie by Dorie Greenspan, and head over to Cook the Book Fridays to see how the group liked this one.

Tuesdays with Dorie BWD: Whip-It-Up-Quick Cornbread

February 8, 2022 at 1:30 pm | Posted in breakfast things, BWD, groups, other savory, quick breads, savory things, snacks, tuesdays with dorie | 4 Comments
Tags: baking, cheese, savory

Seems like I’m always looking for something to go with a pot of chili this time of year, and I think I’ve found it with this Whip-It-Up-Quick Cornbread. A buttermilk cornbread you can bake right in a skillet, this one really does come together in a jiffy, and it has a plush, moist crumb. One of the best I’ve made. You can leave it plain or go wild with your fave add-ins. I used some hot pepper flakes, chives and a bit of white cheddar.

If you don’t have the book Baking with Dorie: Sweet, Salty & Simple by Dorie Greenspan, get it and join us as we bake through it every second and fourth Tuesdays! Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll and all the other participation deets over on Tuesdays with Dorie!

Everyday Dorie: Cauliflower Tabbouleh

January 28, 2022 at 5:44 pm | Posted in cook the book fridays, everyday dorie, groups, salads, savory things, veggies | 3 Comments
Tags: everyday dorie, salad, savory

Cauliflower– it’s so hot right now. Turns out that something once viewed as boring, pale and bland has the “caulipower” to transform itself into pizza crust, rice, tots, and a cream sauce substitute. No longer do we over-steam and under-season hacked up crumbly florets and toss them in melted butter so we can sadly choke them down; we gleefully and wildly slather cauliflower with every spice and paste we can get our hands on and roast it whole (one of my favorite ways to prepare it, btw) or deep fry it in nugget-form and drench it in delicious sauce. We even eat the leaves, which just a few years ago were generally regarded as trash. And now we make Cauliflower Tabbouleh out of it! I joke. I eat tons of cauliflower, and have nothing but supreme veggie respect for it. In fact, two weeks ago I got my teeth whitened and it sustained me for four days in a row, in the forms of pureed cauliflower-potato soup and cauliflower cheese pasta.

Back to the matter at hand…when I think of tabbouleh, I think of a salad that’s very heavy on the chopped herbs, with a little tomato and bulgur mixed through. An herb salad really, rather than a grain salad. This one of Dorie’s is definitely cauliflower-based– the cauliflower this time standing in for bulgur– but there’s room to mess around with ratios, mix-ins and seasonings if you’d like. I stuck pretty much to Dorie’s suggestion of chickpeas, raisins, almonds, mint and parsley mixed into grated cauliflower and tossed up in a lemony dressing. I made a nice big bowl of the stuff, and it was a good lunch for a couple of days.

Dorie recommends tasting the salad after it’s assembled to adjust the seasoning and then letting the salad sit for an hour or more before plating it up. I tasted mine yet again after it rested, as I find I usually like a little fresh lemon squeeze and olive oil drizzle right before serving.

For the recipe, see Everyday Dorie by Dorie Greenspan, and head over to Cook the Book Fridays to see what we all thought.