I first had this dish when living with my friend Genevieve post-college a few moons ago. Her father made a mean mole, and I’ve been searching out a good method and base recipe for it ever since. This one comes from Bon Appetit, and is pretty good – I have tweaked it to my tastes though as the original was a bit too citrusy for me. Mexican chocolate can be a bit difficult to find, but specialty stores or places like Whole Foods often have it. You can substitute bittersweet chocolate with a pinch of cinnamon if you can’t find it. This is an involved dish, but well worth it.
Main Dishes
Lamb Shanks
This was my first time making lamb shanks, and I was pretty happy with the results. They were very flavorful and tender. I served them with a side of savory polenta and garlic green beans and purple potatoes…made for a very festive meal! It also made some very nice lamb stock when finished.
Pumpkin Lasgane
This one of my favorite ways to make lasagna. The recipe calls for Swiss chard, but you can really use any leafy green you want. Spinach or kale might be really good. Honestly, I would almost double the greens – they cook down, and the contrast from the pumpkin is nice, but 2lb makes very little finished product. The original recipe, which came from Food and Wine and which I have copied here, called for heavy cream…I just use 2% milk for everything and it turns out great. I’ve also amended the recipe to add a hard gouda along with the parmesan, which goes well with the nutty flavors of the dish, but you can feel free to omit that, or replace it with any other kind of cheese you like.
Spiced Butternut Squash Soup
This is a new recipe we got from Eating Well magazine, and it’s pretty good. It needed some extra pepper, but I think there’s a lot of potential to season this to your tastes, and I would make it again. The recipe suggests to use plain yogurt for garnish, but I actually added a couple of generous spoonfuls to the soup for some added tang.
Italian Pasta Salad
This is a great pasta salad to have as a meal or as a side at a picnic. Lots of flavor and easy to adjust to tastes. I got this one from Chowhound, and we made this one for our Memorial Day picnic.
Mussels in White Wine
Mussels are one of my absolute favorite things, and this is a fast, easy way to make them. I just served this with some crusty bread on the side to soak up the sauce. Although this served two of us, it could easily have been for three, or even four with sides. We had to stuff ourselves silly to finish it all because the mussels wouldn’t keep. So keep that in mind if this is a meal for two.
Dan Dan Noodles
My favorite dish at PF Changs, but just as good at home. You could do this with shirataki noodles in place of the Udon noodles. Do watch the chili oil…the original recipe, which comes from Serious Eats, calls for 1 teaspoon. The first time I made this, I did use that and found it almost inedible – and I *like* a lot of heat. I wrote it in as a 1/4 teaspoon here, but feel free to adjust to your taste.
Pineapple Tofu Stir-Fry
This was my first attempt at cooking tofu, and I really liked it. Having read some articles about preparing the tofu first, I froze it and think next time I will skip that step; I didn’t love the spongy texture. I will definitely make it again, but next time will ramp up the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes for a little more flavor. This recipe comes from Eating Well magazine. I added a few extra veggies I had in the fridge.
Pad-See-Ew
One of my favorite dishes to order in Thai restaurants, and it’s relatively easy to make at home. This is good with either rice or shirataki noodles.
Om nom nom! 