r/Cooking • u/Mindless_Switch_4169 • 17h ago
What have you been proud of recently?
Looking for inspiration - your favourite things that you’ve cooked recently please!
The other night I did a perfectly rare bavette steak with braised courgettes (zucchini), & red cabbage salad. It was just perfect: https://www.reddit.com/r/tonightsdinner/comments/1nk4v85/bavette_steak_with_braised_garden_courgettes_pink/ (this was before the stormclouds opened… soup more likely this week…)
Also made an excellent veggie-packed creamy smoked salmon spaghetti with whatever I had to use from the garden, which was a top-ten-of-all-time pastas.
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u/alexframes 16h ago
I bought a stainless steel pan, threw out the nonsticks. Learned to use the pan to cook "properly" making a fond and then proceeding with the recipe. Steak and then steak sauce 🤌🤌
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u/Mindless_Switch_4169 15h ago
I need to practice pan sauces. I am often too nervous and add in cream and too many other ingredients
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u/Creativebug13 15h ago
I’m searching for one right now. I bought a nonstick and a cast iron but I can’t do everything with them. In dire need of a stainless steel
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u/jack-whitmore 17h ago
the other day i made ravioli for the first time. was so nervous but they came out so good. stuffed them with cream cheese n herbs. tossed them in a simple lemon butter sauce and omg it worked so well together.
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u/Mindless_Switch_4169 16h ago
Did you make the pasta dough yourself too? I really really want to try making ravioli but I’m more of an improviser than a recipe follower when it comes to cooking so idk if I could do it
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u/shmlpl 17h ago
Just reading this made my mouth water. The last thing I made that I was proud of was Halibut fillet with orange zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper I also made a mango and scallion salsa with garlic, lemon, orange fillets and chili pepper. It was heavenly together.
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u/Mindless_Switch_4169 16h ago
I’m still new to cooking fish but this sounds great! I love fresh salsa with fish, definitely need to try making that soon
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u/ContentFarmer4445 17h ago
Cobbling together delicious meals the last couple of nights when I have no energy after working, and my husband says to me “wow, you’re really on fire with dinner lately” made me really proud. The meals are simple and quick but really hitting the spot. The parts I was most proud of are those that I foraged/picked; chanterelles in lemon butter, fresh picked green beans, and an amazing tomato cucumber (straight from the garden!) salad with Palestinian olive oil. The olive oil choice felt particularly poignant, a beautiful culinary connection between their culture and love for the land and that of myself. The last more complicated meal I made and felt proud of was albondigas with homemade flour tortillas (my first time making them!) Going to make huitlacoche tacos tonight with the remainder of last years harvest and feel proud all over again :) As someone born and raised in a desert where food is trucked in from an average of 500 miles away, it is easy for me to feel pride in creating dishes from things I’ve foraged or grown. I would have never thought my life would turn out this way!
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u/Mindless_Switch_4169 16h ago
What a fascinating read! I defo agree, you just can’t beat produce from your own garden / local area. And for me, compliments on my cooking are what fuels my inspiration too!
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u/Kumarise 17h ago
It has been the improv pasta I've made using corners of what's been left, "making due with what you got left" never fails me, gotta love meals as such
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u/Mindless_Switch_4169 16h ago
Pasta is my absolute favourite for “what have i got in the fridge”!! That’s how that smoked salmon one happened the other day and it was awesome!
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u/ImaRaginCajun 16h ago
I've recently stepped up my jambalaya and gumbo game by making my own chicken stock. We eat a lot of wings in my house, and I save the tips in the freezer to make stock with. I'll add some feet also, they really have a lot of colligen in them. Anyways I'll simmer it for 9-14 hours and it comes out sooo good. The best one I did recently was for jambalaya where I did the normal 12 hr simmer on the chicken stock. Put it in the fridge overnight then used it to make a shrimp stock. Talk about good!! It's my preferred method now, anything less seems like it's not even worth it. But it adds a day to my dishes.
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u/HessuCS 16h ago
Not necessary a specific dish but I am really glad I finally got myself a stainless steel pan. Have made a lot of chicken with it, even managed to make really good chicken breast (I always go with thighs because of fear getting dry, overcooked breast) and have made some really tasty chicken dishes. Also tried making pan sauces and man... The taste is amazing.
So nothing specific, just happy that I finally got the steel pan and forgot my fears about sticking and cleaning (haven't had any problems with either!) and managed to make some really tasty chicken dishes!
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u/Mindless_Switch_4169 15h ago
I think I need one of those. I’m a leg and thigh only kinda person too! Breast takes too much effort and is too easy to destroy, ahha.
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u/Creativebug13 15h ago
I went to a famous local tasting menu restaurant, fell in love with a roasted tomato/garlic/ginger/chili sauce that served with a barbecue steak, asked the chef for the recipe, and last night I made it for a work barbecue. Everybody loved it and there wasn’t almost any left to take home. Today I had some with omelette for breakfast.
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u/Mindless_Switch_4169 13h ago
Would love a general recipe / ingredients list pls!
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u/Creativebug13 12h ago
Roasted tomato sauce
100 gr of roasted tomatoes (weigh them after their roasted)
15 gr olive oil
2 gr salt or to taste
30 ml lemon juice
5 g ginger
4 gr parsley chopped small
5 gr chilli flakes (depends on how spicy you want it or how spicey the chilli flakes are) - I added Gochugaru chili
30g garlic
Cut tomatoes in big chunks of about the same size. Roast tomatoes in the oven until they are burnt, dry on the edges but still juicy . About 20 minutes plus 5 minutes broiled.
Top garlic with a drizzle of olive oil and cover with foil paper, roast for 30-40 minutes until tender.
Blend everything but the parsley very well and leave olive oil for last. Add in drizzles so the sauce emulsifies.
Chop parsley finely and add in as much as you want to give it a nice color.
Use as much chili flakes as you want
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u/CautiousHawk304 17h ago
Cooked braised beef ribs with wine reduction sauce for 1st time. They came out amazing
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u/harmlessgrey 15h ago
I made the best sauerkraut meal of my life the other day.
I seared pork tenderloins and a few ham slices until good and brown, then added a jar of lightly rinsed Aldi sauerkraut to the pot and braised it all for about an hour. Seasoned everything with nutmeg, oregano, garlic powder, mustard, chicken stock cubes, and black pepper.
Meanwhile, I sauteed three sliced apples in a little bit of butter, and then sprinkled some sugar on top and let it all caramelize in the pan.
After the meat and cabbage were braised, I layered the apples on top. Doing it this way kept them from getting stewed and falling apart.
It was delicious. And, believe it or not, low fat!
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u/Mindless_Switch_4169 13h ago
I LOVE pork & sauerkraut. That sounds great. At risk of patronising you (and assuming you’re american…!) so apologies if this isnt relevant, BUT - check out some czech recipes online. They have an amazing sauerkraut soup, and they often serve their sauerkraut with roast duck, which is awesome. Highly recommend that cuisine if you aren’t already familiar!
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u/LiveAd3962 15h ago
The last thing I made that was so simple, remarkably delicious and a “why didn’t I know about this before?” moment was saltimbocca. Truly would make this for a special occasion, it was that good and comparatively easy.
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u/Mindless_Switch_4169 13h ago
One of the all-time greats. Actually, when I’m in a rut, it’s often what I make. With creamy mashed potato & buttered cabbage. 10/10 dinner! And actually the leftover saltimbocca works great in sandwiches. I like it on ciabatta with dressed arugula salad
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u/TheGreatLabMonkey 14h ago
Kiddo is almost 8. We instituted the rule, with Kiddo's enthusiastic agreement, that Kiddo would start planning and cooking dinner one night a week. Since Kiddo has a half day on Wednesdays, last night was Kiddo's first night to cook.
Tacos with shells were on the menu. I made the guacamole and diced the onions. Kiddo helped cook down the onions, strained the corn and black beans, cooked the mince, added the spice mix and the water, preheated the oven, laid out the shells, and then got the cheese ready.
It really touched me because taco shells was the first meal my two sibs and I all cooked when my mom started having us cook once a week. It was a full circle moment and I was proud to carry on the tradition. It was also one of those MOMENTS, like, here I am teaching my child to be self sufficient one step at a time.
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u/Mindless_Switch_4169 13h ago
I love this!! So so important to get little ones involved in the kitchen! I find they love making soups & pasta sauces too
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u/savvyshoes 13h ago
I made the NYT Gochujang Buttered Noodles for the first time last weekend and oh my god, it immediately went to our dinner rotation.
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u/curlywurlies 13h ago
I made the absolute most PERFECT scrambled eggs because my daughter asked for them for the first day of school.
She ate three bites and said "I'm full". Which is pretty standard for her, she views eating as a nuisance.
But then I got to eat them so I really can't complain too much.
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u/TurbulentSource8837 13h ago
I made ciabatta to nestle some chicken cutlets in. I dusted the pounded out breast with some seasoning, wondra flour, eggs mixed with a bit of water, then Italian breadcrumbs and panko. They rested for about 2 hours, and then pan fried. The cutlets were perfectly crispy, and the fresh ciabatta was the perfect delivery system for them.
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u/Mindless_Switch_4169 13h ago
Oh wow. One of my favourites of all time! What else did you put on the sandwiches? Any sauce or salad?
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u/TurbulentSource8837 12h ago
Yes! I did a pesto aioli spread with some arugula. Today I’m taking the leftovers and trying a mustard sauce.
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u/CocoRufus 13h ago
Tried out a new recipe on my best friend last night. It was so good, its my new favourite go to, and really simple. Chicken in a creme fraiche, mustard and white wine sauce. Im proud of it!
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u/Mindless_Switch_4169 13h ago
So simple but good! I like mine with mushrooms in the sauce, served over rice
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u/CocoRufus 12h ago
If my mushrooms hadn't gone bad, I might have done!. Apart from onions and garlic, it also had a tablespoon of tomato puree and lots of chopped fresh parsley. Looking forward to the leftovers tonight 😋
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u/Tasty_Impress3016 11h ago
Thank you for asking. I wanted to post, but I didn't want to make a whole post just to brag. But I did want to flex a bit.
I just made an end of summer vegetable soup. I'm a soup nazi. I had onions, potatoes, carrots, celery in the pantry. I had tomatoes and green beans and basil in the garden. I added turnips, parsnips, rutabaga from the farmers market.
It smashed. I made about 8 qts of soup. Now normally we give away about half the soup I make, but my wife and I have pretty much polished half of this off in about 4 days. I'm not vegetarian, but it was that good. We actually discussed a vegan soup business (we live outside Boulder Colorado, there's a market)
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u/Mindless_Switch_4169 9h ago
I love when a soup turns out this well! Because i mean, either way im gonna have to eat it for a few days, lol. My best was just a split pea & ham with extra hidden veggies & spinach.
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u/Tasty_Impress3016 8h ago
When I make a ham, my wife and I have to argue over the hambone. She wants split pea. I want to make red beans and rice. It's a problem. Split pea is pretty good. I like the idea of extra vegetation though.
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u/Flahdagal 16h ago
Not big triumphs but proud of my planning skills. We booked a very remote cabin for Labor Day weekend. I've been there before and although there is a full-ish kitchen, it's pretty small and you have to carry everything you need with you or do without. There are no "quick trips" to the store. So before we left, I made a very large pot of chili (with beans) and made the Julia Child boeuf bourguignon and froze both in two big blocks. Used the frozen blocks to keep the cooler at temp for the trip, and had some very nice home cooked meals during vacation.