Recommend your favorite "aspirational" entree/dinner recipes
March 5, 2022 7:34 PM Subscribe
My recent effort to make the best chicken cacciatore I could came out so well that I'm inspired to make something else I haven't tried before - the kind of thing that's crafted with loving care and the resulting flavor nirvana justifies hours of effort and many intricate prep steps. Please, suggest me a new involved-but-worth-the-extra-work taste sensation to tackle next!
I'm looking for both main entrees and full-dinner recipes. I'm a reasonably experienced home cook so you can assume I'm familiar with popular stuff like pot roast, roast chicken, chili, lasagna, common pasta dishes, western and southern BBQ, even cioppino, paella, and gumbo - you get the idea. That said, radical twists on traditional recipes are welcome. Mexican and Italian cuisines are my favorite, followed by Thai and Vietnamese, but I'm very open to others as well.
Lack of caveats/snowflakes: I don't have any food allergies, I'm not avoiding anything in particular, and I'm a fairly adventurous eater. I have an electric smoker and I'm not afraid to use it. I'm willing to go a bit out of my way to track down harder-to-find ingredients if it's worth the trouble.
Thanks!
I'm looking for both main entrees and full-dinner recipes. I'm a reasonably experienced home cook so you can assume I'm familiar with popular stuff like pot roast, roast chicken, chili, lasagna, common pasta dishes, western and southern BBQ, even cioppino, paella, and gumbo - you get the idea. That said, radical twists on traditional recipes are welcome. Mexican and Italian cuisines are my favorite, followed by Thai and Vietnamese, but I'm very open to others as well.
Lack of caveats/snowflakes: I don't have any food allergies, I'm not avoiding anything in particular, and I'm a fairly adventurous eater. I have an electric smoker and I'm not afraid to use it. I'm willing to go a bit out of my way to track down harder-to-find ingredients if it's worth the trouble.
Thanks!
Dee Xtrovert's All-purpose Hungarian recipe is a really great Food Project that you can tweak to your liking
posted by nebulawindphone at 8:02 PM on March 5, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by nebulawindphone at 8:02 PM on March 5, 2022 [2 favorites]
Yes, I was going to recommend the Momofulo Bo Ssam recipe-full on project and one of the best things I’ve ever made-or Marcella Hazan bolognese. Even better, make her green lasagne with that bolognese and homemade pasta.
posted by purenitrous at 8:51 PM on March 5, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by purenitrous at 8:51 PM on March 5, 2022 [1 favorite]
Different types of mole might be fun to explore.
posted by leastlikelycowgirl at 8:52 PM on March 5, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by leastlikelycowgirl at 8:52 PM on March 5, 2022 [3 favorites]
Serious Eats Cassoulet is a multi hour affair with chicken and duck fat.
posted by fiercekitten at 9:02 PM on March 5, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by fiercekitten at 9:02 PM on March 5, 2022 [2 favorites]
Cassoulet. It's time-consuming, though the preparation isn't overly intricate and you don't have to do all the steps on the same day. If you make an effort to find the right ingredients (and get a proper dark crust) the results can be revelatory. Don't be tempted to substitute chicken for the duck confit.
Melissa Clark's NYTimes recipe is similar to a traditional Toulouse or Carcassonne style and it's spectacular.
Claire Saffitz's recipe on Bon Appétit is equally great and I especially like her use of the duck skin.
Remember when I warned not to use chicken instead of duck? Here's an exception. J. Kenji López-Alt's recipe isn't very traditional but it's delicious and, as always, he does a great job explaining the whys as well as the whats.
posted by theory at 9:03 PM on March 5, 2022 [1 favorite]
Melissa Clark's NYTimes recipe is similar to a traditional Toulouse or Carcassonne style and it's spectacular.
Claire Saffitz's recipe on Bon Appétit is equally great and I especially like her use of the duck skin.
Remember when I warned not to use chicken instead of duck? Here's an exception. J. Kenji López-Alt's recipe isn't very traditional but it's delicious and, as always, he does a great job explaining the whys as well as the whats.
posted by theory at 9:03 PM on March 5, 2022 [1 favorite]
A friend made me that Bo ssam I think eight years ago and I still remember it.
posted by ManInSuit at 10:00 PM on March 5, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by ManInSuit at 10:00 PM on March 5, 2022 [1 favorite]
I think following influences of the different types of cuisine that you love could lead to some really amazing new favorite dishes. For example, if you thread back from Mexican food to Spanish colonialism, you could try making squid ink paella, which at its most fussy involves a special pan and extracting your own squid ink. Or just traditional paella with fancy saffron and rabbit, which is really delicious. And of course you should dig into pre-Colombian dishes, which are thriving today in many forms in Oaxaca. Depending on what you can source, you could make toasty grasshopper topped tortillas, or a turkey mole, or any number of delicious dishes. Then there is tacos al pastor, one of my favorite food stories, because they are the delicious genius of Lebanese immigrants making shawarma in a version to appeal to locals and getting frankly the best taco out of it. Making the meat is a pain if you aren’t in a commercial kitchen or someone who just happens to have a giant vertical rotisserie spit, but it’s doable and might be worth it to you. There’s also a big African influence so you’ve got an entire continent to explore there. My point is, follow the cultural connections to find dishes that will be slightly familiar but mostly new to you.
And yes, I have had that Bo ssam and it is soooooooo damn good.
posted by Mizu at 2:41 AM on March 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
And yes, I have had that Bo ssam and it is soooooooo damn good.
posted by Mizu at 2:41 AM on March 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
vegetables Wellington from serious eats/J Kenji Lopez-alt is a great one. Several of his vegan experience recipes (like his mapo tofu) would be good contenders too.
posted by obfuscation at 4:23 AM on March 6, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by obfuscation at 4:23 AM on March 6, 2022 [2 favorites]
Chicken Marengo. The chicken part is complicated enough by itself, but find the original recipe with crawfish and a poached egg served on the side. Never heard it before this morning, but apparently it's sometimes called Napoleon Chicken
posted by SemiSalt at 4:59 AM on March 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by SemiSalt at 4:59 AM on March 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
The vegan ramen by Kenji Alt-Lopez uses every colander we have in the house (and we have a lot of colanders) and at least half a day of active cooking time, but it is so good that it has changed multiple people’s ideas of just how incredible vegan food can be. It’s astounding.
His meat versions are also outstanding, but were less paradigm-shifting because people expect something with that much meat to be good.
posted by joyceanmachine at 5:34 AM on March 6, 2022 [2 favorites]
His meat versions are also outstanding, but were less paradigm-shifting because people expect something with that much meat to be good.
posted by joyceanmachine at 5:34 AM on March 6, 2022 [2 favorites]
Cassoulet can take hours or days, depending on how "from scratch" you want to make it.
posted by never.was.and.never.will.be. at 6:52 AM on March 6, 2022
posted by never.was.and.never.will.be. at 6:52 AM on March 6, 2022
I think my last two answers have involved Ottolenghi cookbooks, but...
His pastilla recipe takes a bunch of hours and is sooooooo good.
posted by papayaninja at 7:08 AM on March 6, 2022 [4 favorites]
His pastilla recipe takes a bunch of hours and is sooooooo good.
posted by papayaninja at 7:08 AM on March 6, 2022 [4 favorites]
I made beef rendang at home recently and it was hugely satisfying.
posted by EXISTENZ IS PAUSED at 7:21 AM on March 6, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by EXISTENZ IS PAUSED at 7:21 AM on March 6, 2022 [2 favorites]
Peking duck and its fixings.
Tonkotsu ramen broth with the braised pork belly and soft boiled eggs
Zongzi aka sticky rice dumplings that are cousins to tamales.
posted by astapasta24 at 7:59 AM on March 6, 2022 [2 favorites]
Tonkotsu ramen broth with the braised pork belly and soft boiled eggs
Zongzi aka sticky rice dumplings that are cousins to tamales.
posted by astapasta24 at 7:59 AM on March 6, 2022 [2 favorites]
My favorite food project is the borscht recipe by Carême in Larousse Gastronomique. This is a previous comment, where I described it. But then as now, I can't find the recipe online.
I have scanned it, though, so I can send it to you if you like.
The recipe serves four, I think. But that is because it is for the Russian Zar. In real life, I have invited dozens of people over for it, and then served a lot of zakuski before the soup, and a roast leg of lamb after. (It could be any roast, just something that requires no effort, since the soup is a marathon cooking project).
posted by mumimor at 8:52 AM on March 6, 2022 [2 favorites]
I have scanned it, though, so I can send it to you if you like.
The recipe serves four, I think. But that is because it is for the Russian Zar. In real life, I have invited dozens of people over for it, and then served a lot of zakuski before the soup, and a roast leg of lamb after. (It could be any roast, just something that requires no effort, since the soup is a marathon cooking project).
posted by mumimor at 8:52 AM on March 6, 2022 [2 favorites]
seconding pastilla or b'stilla (in Morocco). Traditionally made with pigeon but can be made with chicken or any other poultry, it is eaten at weddings and other special events. It's extraordinary! I haven't tried the recipe I linked because I'm now vegan, but developing and making a vegan version of b'stilla is sort of my holy grail.
posted by QuakerMel at 12:17 PM on March 6, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by QuakerMel at 12:17 PM on March 6, 2022 [2 favorites]
I love my hand pulled noodles in a rich 5 spice lamb broth. The noodles take some practice to pull but you'll pick it up quickly and it's easy to reroll and start again if you mess up.
The broth takes a good 6 hours and takes as many meaty lamb bones as you can fit in a pot. I use whole spices and several bunches of green onion Add in some cubes of lamb shoulder a few hours before you serve, and some baby bok choy a few minutes before. Boil the noodles separately.
It's an impressive dish that is both comforting and exotic (unless you gre up with 5 spice as a common flavor profile). Highly recommended.
posted by ananci at 1:42 PM on March 6, 2022 [3 favorites]
The broth takes a good 6 hours and takes as many meaty lamb bones as you can fit in a pot. I use whole spices and several bunches of green onion Add in some cubes of lamb shoulder a few hours before you serve, and some baby bok choy a few minutes before. Boil the noodles separately.
It's an impressive dish that is both comforting and exotic (unless you gre up with 5 spice as a common flavor profile). Highly recommended.
posted by ananci at 1:42 PM on March 6, 2022 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: All of these are fantastic suggestions! I haven't decided which one to make first yet, but thanks to all and and keep them coming.
In the meantime I managed to snag a package each of beef marrow bones and smoked pigs feet in the frozen-meat section of the grocery store; I'll be making/reducing/freezing a sturdy savory bone broth this week for use in some future recipe TBD...
posted by Greg_Ace at 2:48 PM on March 6, 2022
In the meantime I managed to snag a package each of beef marrow bones and smoked pigs feet in the frozen-meat section of the grocery store; I'll be making/reducing/freezing a sturdy savory bone broth this week for use in some future recipe TBD...
posted by Greg_Ace at 2:48 PM on March 6, 2022
I was curious about the bo ssam because everyone seems to love it, and it is behind a paywall. But they have also given the recipe to Epicurious, and though there is a paywall there, too, it doesn't click in before you have used three free trial recipes.
Thinking about "project" food, another favorite is Fegato alla Veneziana, Venetian calves' liver. It is best with polenta made from scratch (not instant polenta). It isn't really complicated, it's more that you have to do it right, with patience. You'll find recipes for the liver with just 2 onions. Don't believe them. And lots of people will say instant polenta is just fine. I didn't even like polenta until I tried the real thing.
Another good recipe for a Sunday project is Mme Maigret's Coq au Vin. The recipe is reproduced faithfully, as published in Larousse, but the thing is that it is for a real rooster, not a supermarket chicken. You should reduce the cooking time for the chicken pieces to something more like 20-30 minutes if you are cooking with a regular bird, depending on the quality. Once in Belgium I have made it with a real huge old rooster, and it was great fun and delicious. I strongly recommend buying a free-range outdoors chicken if you can get one, though. And when you use a chicken rather than an older bird, it does become a rather dainty meal for four. Maybe add in an extra couple of breasts, or make a good appetizer.
The person who posted it shows it with fried potatoes, I think. It's better with a crusty baguette, or if you really need potatoes, then just steamed and pealed new potatoes, turned in cold butter and finely chopped dill while still hot. And a simple salad of lettuce and vinaigrette. Oh, and while sloe brandy is really a project to find, right now there might still be a fine plum brandy in Lidl, which is an excellent replacement.
posted by mumimor at 3:29 PM on March 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
Thinking about "project" food, another favorite is Fegato alla Veneziana, Venetian calves' liver. It is best with polenta made from scratch (not instant polenta). It isn't really complicated, it's more that you have to do it right, with patience. You'll find recipes for the liver with just 2 onions. Don't believe them. And lots of people will say instant polenta is just fine. I didn't even like polenta until I tried the real thing.
Another good recipe for a Sunday project is Mme Maigret's Coq au Vin. The recipe is reproduced faithfully, as published in Larousse, but the thing is that it is for a real rooster, not a supermarket chicken. You should reduce the cooking time for the chicken pieces to something more like 20-30 minutes if you are cooking with a regular bird, depending on the quality. Once in Belgium I have made it with a real huge old rooster, and it was great fun and delicious. I strongly recommend buying a free-range outdoors chicken if you can get one, though. And when you use a chicken rather than an older bird, it does become a rather dainty meal for four. Maybe add in an extra couple of breasts, or make a good appetizer.
The person who posted it shows it with fried potatoes, I think. It's better with a crusty baguette, or if you really need potatoes, then just steamed and pealed new potatoes, turned in cold butter and finely chopped dill while still hot. And a simple salad of lettuce and vinaigrette. Oh, and while sloe brandy is really a project to find, right now there might still be a fine plum brandy in Lidl, which is an excellent replacement.
posted by mumimor at 3:29 PM on March 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
Do you have a pasta roller? If so, make a lasagna (maybe Serious Eats' lasagna Bolognese or spinach lasagna) with homemade pasta, or a ramen with homemade alkaline noodles (that's a fun extra level of involvement because you have to bake baking soda beforehand to increase its alkalinity!).
If not, the hand-pulled noodles suggestion above is a great one. Here's my recipe for the noodles and some lamb-cumin deliciousness a la Xi'an Famous Foods. Which, speaking of, you should consider ordering some of their chili oil to add to your noodles (and any other food you make, it's so goddammed good).
posted by saladin at 4:06 PM on March 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
If not, the hand-pulled noodles suggestion above is a great one. Here's my recipe for the noodles and some lamb-cumin deliciousness a la Xi'an Famous Foods. Which, speaking of, you should consider ordering some of their chili oil to add to your noodles (and any other food you make, it's so goddammed good).
posted by saladin at 4:06 PM on March 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
Also if you're looking to veganize those noodles, subbing Impossible or Beyond ground beef for the lamb works shockingly well.
posted by saladin at 4:27 PM on March 6, 2022
posted by saladin at 4:27 PM on March 6, 2022
I'd try that epicurious bo ssam recipe, but instead of the oven, I'd smoke it at least for a while. That would be next level. Smoked meat tastes 1000X times better than roasted meat.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:34 AM on March 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:34 AM on March 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
If you want to use the smoker, I would suggest a choucroute garni. Starting from scratch will take you two+ weeks, as you have to make your own sauerkraut, salt pork, bacon, smoked ham hocks, and sausages.
Once you've done all that, though, it's a pretty simple braise of the sauerkraut, some potatoes, and the pig in some stock and white wine.
posted by backseatpilot at 1:26 PM on March 8, 2022 [1 favorite]
Once you've done all that, though, it's a pretty simple braise of the sauerkraut, some potatoes, and the pig in some stock and white wine.
posted by backseatpilot at 1:26 PM on March 8, 2022 [1 favorite]
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posted by nouvelle-personne at 7:43 PM on March 5, 2022 [5 favorites]