Category: Food

bookmark_borderRecommended food and coffee houses from my travels

Posted on by PAO Productions
This is a listing of notable restaurants and food establishments I've enjoyed in various cities across the United States and Canada. These were found during my various road trips, and represent where I had a good personal experience with the food and/or service. In a sense, this is a list of recommendations and placed I would revisit, though it should be noted that individual experiences can vary across different time periods.

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bookmark_borderIndian-inspired rice

Posted on by PAO Productions

I've always liked flavorful and aromatic rices, and Indian-style rice was an early recipe candidate for me once I began to focus more on cooking. Here is my current recipe, put together by combining and tweaking elements of multiple other Indian rice recipes I've made, and with the end result having actually been approved by at least one Indian acquaintance. As always, authenticity matters less to me than whether I like the final result.

Note that this recipe makes use of some ingredients that give the end result a more characteristically "Indian" or "ethnic" taste that will likely be at odds with what many people (based on experiences at local Indian restaurants) are expecting. If this an issue, omit the ingredients in blue.

Ingredients:
  • 1 1/2 cups basmati rice
  • 2 1/4 cups water, divided into 1/2 cup and 1 3/4 cup portions
  • 1/2 g Spanish saffron
  • 1/2 tsp methi seed (fenugreek seed, available in Indian markets)
  • 1 to 1.5 T oil (I use olive)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 green cardamom pods, cracked
  • 8 whole cloves
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seed
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1/4 tsp hing (available in Indian markets)
  • 1 T freshly grated ginger
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
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bookmark_borderHomemade vegetable stock/broth

Posted on by PAO Productions
Vegetable stock
Vegetable stock

There are plenty of vegetable stock recipes out there. This is one I've come up with that has worked so far for me. There is no salt or pepper in my version, and as usual for my recipes, this uses fresh (not canned!) ingredients.

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bookmark_borderMoroccan spiced vegetable stew

Posted on by PAO Productions
Moroccan spiced vegetable stew
It's beginning to warm up here in north Texas, which means it will soon be time to move away from winter recipes in favor of ones that rely more on seasonal fruits and vegetables. As a last hurrah for the colder weather, I'm going to share a recipe I put together by combining an idea I saw on Instagram with a quick broth recipe and Moroccan seasoning mix. After some tweaking, I eventually came up with what is presented here. This dish has proven to be quite popular at potluck dinners, and for when I need to prepare something warming that pairs really well with bread. Whether it should be called a soup or a stew is a matter of individual opinion, but I've always referred to it as a stew.

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bookmark_borderVegan baking powder biscuits

Posted on by PAO Productions
I gave up most dairy products a long time ago, and I've never looked back. Cow's milk isn't something meant for humans to consume, as evidenced by the fact that most of the world's people develop an intolerance to lactose as they get older. But like a lot of people, I have my food weaknesses, and two of my most particular weaknesses are breads and fried foods. And two of my favorite breads from back in the day are pancakes and biscuits.

Unfortunately, despite various attempts over the years to come up with a good replication of the baking powder biscuits I grew up with, I always came up short when it came to replacing the buttermilk and nailing a good texture. Finally, after gaining some new knowledge concerning buttermilk substitutions, and after some more trial and error and tweaking, I came up with the recipe that I'm presenting here. These biscuits aren't quite the same as the ones I grew up eating - they have a softer texture and some natural sweetness due to the use of sweet potato - but they are good enough to keep as my "go-tos."

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