Dinner Diary Days 5 and 6: Attempt at Curry and Beans
Two recipes on the New York Times site piqued my interest this week—one because it seemed like a tasty way to prepare a variety of vegetables, the other because it sounded easy and satisfying. The result: a fail and a “meh.” Neither recipe will I make again.
I won’t include recipes that didn’t work for me on this blog, not because I don’t believe that you couldn’t do a much better job with them than I did, but because I only want to give you dinner ideas that I believe are absolutely worth your while.
New recipes come into my rotation three or four times a month, and they are inherently risky ventures. I would guess about 10 percent of these make it past my panel of judges. I like to cushion them between family favorites so that no one, including me, loses faith in my ability to cook. There’s nothing quite so demoralizing as working really hard on a new recipe, beginning with tracking down the ingredients and ending in a frazzle in the kitchen as you follow the directions to the letter, only to have no one like it. UGH.
The first new recipe I tried was a vegetable green curry, basically lots of different vegetables chopped up and simmered in a curry sauce made from store-bought curry paste and coconut milk. Easy, right? I muffed it from the get-go. I read in the reviews that the brand of curry paste I bought (Thai Kitchen) was Really Hot. So instead of adding the called-for 6 tablespoons (which reviewers said would send you to the hospital), I opted for 1 tablespoon.
Once everything had gone into the pot, my sauce didn’t cover my veggies, and I worried that they would never cook, so I put the lid on as they simmered. As a result, my sauce didn’t reduce. I ended up with overcooked zucchinis and undercooked sweet potatoes in a thin, bland sauce.
Based on the heat level, I knew I couldn’t add any more curry paste. I added a bit more salt, but that was all I could do for this sad pot of veggies, which never rose beyond dull. To add insult to injury, the dish smelled fantastic, so everyone came to the table with expectations far exceeding reality.
The second recipe appealed because it was so simple: sauté garlic and onion in a cast iron skillet, add tomato paste, then add white beans, water, and herbs. Simmer for a few minutes, sprinkle with shredded mozzarella (or other cheeses to taste), then pop in the oven to melt and brown. Serve with a sliced baguette and a green salad.
How could this not be a crowd pleaser? It’s basically deconstructed pizza with some beans. With simple recipes, you always hope that the sum will equal more than the parts. Well, this one tasted just as simple as it was, and not that interesting. It barely had enough flavor to stand up to the bread. We all ate it, and my daughter was her usual enthusiastic self, but it struck me as a stupid waste of time.
In between these two duds, I made Greek-Style Nachos, also from the New York Times. I can’t include the recipe here, because it is Exactly the Times’ recipe, not my own adaptation of it. If you are a subscriber, you can find the recipe on their cooking site website.
The only change I make is using veggie crumbles (I like Gardein brand, but any is fine) instead of lamb. It’s a yummy meal of toasted pita triangles topped with warm, cumin-spiced “meat” and onion and covered with a yogurt-feta-mint sauce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and olives. It’s a bit of work (allow an hour), but filling and delicious.
It always takes me a while to rebound from a new recipe fail. I cycle through a bunch of negativity: Why do I bother, my family is so difficult, I am such a lame cook, it’s so hard to find good recipes, and how can the New York Times get away with publishing recipes that are objectively NOT tasty?
But, as my mother says, “Hope springs eternal.” I’ll get that itch again, see a recipe full of promise, get my hopes up, and go for it. As I get older, I also beat myself up a bit less when things go terribly wrong. Julia Child said to never apologize, and I try to live by that. A crummy meal can be just as much work as a delicious one.
Onward!