Recipe Review from 5/3/2021

A very good week for new recipes. Good dishes with just the right amount of leftovers. 

Tucson, 2020.  Botanical Gardens

The Meal Plan
Sat (YMCA function/Husband turkey hunting) (S) - Mujadara
Sun (L) leftover mujadara (S) sloppy joes
Mon (Yoga) leftover joes
Tues - cod and lentils out
Wed (Yoga) leftovers joes
Thurs - cod and lentils
Fri - ??

Lunches - leftover mujadara and tabouli (tabouli from the Classic Moosewood Cookbook)


Mujadara (Milk Street, Eating Well) vegetarian, with a vegan option
The recipe I made was from the Milk Street Cookbook. I had forgotten about the Eating Well version from the Jan/Feb which is done in the Instant Pot. I've linked to the Eating Well version as an option, because, Instant Pot! The main difference between the two recipes is Milk Street used basmati rice vs Eating Well using brown rice.

I greatly enjoyed this dish and probably would have enjoyed it more had I remembered to buy the yogurt. The Milk Street recipe says it serves four - but I easily had 6-8 servings as a main dish. So if you're serving along side of something, plan on having leftovers. Don't skip the onions if at all possible! They completely round out the dish. Yum. Just...yum

Serves 4 (I got 6-8)

Pan Seared Cod with Radish and Lentil Salad (Eating Well, May 2021)
Outstanding. Just...excellent! Loved the flavors in this - the creamy cod, the tangy dressing over the lentils, with just a little crunch from the radish and pecans. Don't be put off by the ingredient list, this one does come together in about 45 minutes and assembly can happen while the lentils are cooking. Try not to skip the mint in this one, it really does add to the dish.

I do have one small grumble tho - cooking the cod in cornstarch. A lot of recipes are calling for tossing the meat in cornstarch for better "browning". All I get is a unappealing mess. Granted, it could be because I don't have a non-stick skillet and I'm using a cast iron pan. If you have a tried and true way of cooking your fish, I'd recommend going with that.

Photo from EatingWell.com

Serves 4

3 cups low-sodium no-chicken or chicken broth
1 cup dried black lentils (see Tip), picked over and rinsed
3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard
¾ teaspoon salt, divided
½ teaspoon ground pepper, divided
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
½ cup chopped pecans, toasted
½ cup thinly sliced radishes
1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint, plus more for garnish
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
1 ¼ pounds cod fillet, cut into 4 portions
¼ cup cornstarch (I advocate for skipping)


Combine broth and lentils in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a low simmer. Cover and cook until the lentils are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat and drain any remaining broth.

Meanwhile, whisk vinegar, mustard and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in 4 tablespoons oil. Reserve 2 tablespoons vinaigrette in a small bowl.

Add the lentils, pecans, radishes, shallot, mint, parsley and 1/4 teaspoon salt to the dressing in the medium bowl and stir to combine.

Pat cod dry and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Dredge the cod in cornstarch, pressing to adhere and gently shaking off any excess. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cod and cook, flipping once, until it’s golden brown and flakes easily with a fork, 8 to 12 minutes.

Serve the lentil salad topped with the cod and drizzled with the reserved 2 tablespoons vinaigrette. Garnish with more parsley and mint, if desired.


Sloppy Joes (modified from America's Test Kitchen)
While I've learned a lot from the Cooks Country/Cooks Illustrated/America's Test Kitchen franchise over the years, I've also come to realize that yes, it is possible to over engineer a dish. This recipe is kinda straddling that line. If you're browning meat that is only going to be covered in spices and sauces, do you really need to encourage additional browning with baking soda? No. I get the feeling that sometimes they just need to try and make a basic recipe "appear" new and improved when really, it's just making extra work.

I don't like extra work or unnecessary ingredients.

That being said, I did try the baking soda bit (had the Husband mix it up) and I could tell no discernible difference. And are you going to be able to tell when the meat is no longer pink when covered in tomato sauce? No. You are not - cook 5-8 minutes. I DID skip the cornstarch at the end because the mixture was already plenty thick.

I DID keep the baking soda for cooking the onions. That is kinda cool how they break down into a very saucy mixture.

Overall, a very tasty homemade sloppy joe mixture that is a little bit over-engineered and can be slightly simplified. I liked the balance of sweet and spice, but this can be tweaked if you like more sweet or more heat. Recommended.

Photo from America'sTestKitchen.com

Serves 4 (I got six servings out of this)


2 tablespoons water, divided
½ teaspoon plus ⅛ teaspoon baking soda, divided
1 pound 85 percent lean ground beef  (I used ground bear Italian seasoned)
½ teaspoon plus ⅛ teaspoon table salt, divided
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
½ onion, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons packed brown sugar, plus extra for seasoning
2 teaspoons paprika
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ cup tomato paste
⅓ cup ketchup
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, plus extra for seasoning
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon cornstarch
4 hamburger buns


Combine 1 tablespoon water and ½ teaspoon baking soda in small bowl. In large bowl, toss beef with baking soda mixture and ½ teaspoon salt until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and remaining ⅛ teaspoon baking soda and stir to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in sugar, paprika, pepper flakes, and remaining ⅛ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring constantly, until paprika is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until paste is rust-colored, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add beef and cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until beef is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Mash beef with potato masher until fine-textured, about 1 minute. My note: Use wooden spoon to gently break up any large clumps. Add ketchup, vinegar, and Worcestershire and stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits.

Combine cornstarch and remaining 1 tablespoon water in small bowl, then pour cornstarch mixture over beef and stir to incorporate. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens and coats beef, about 1 minute. Season with salt, extra sugar, and extra vinegar to taste. Spoon beef mixture onto buns and serve.