The Ones that Got Away

If you were paying attention, you may have noticed that things don't quite add up on this blog. We have covered five recipes from the New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone here. However, my last post mentioned that I have already made eight recipes. Lest you think I'm trying to pull a fast one (and I wouldn't blame you for thinking that, seeing as I have 1,503 recipes to get through), I can assure you that I have in fact made all eight recipes. Actually, now I have made nine. Lets take a moment to recap, shall we?

Three of these recipes have no or limited pictures, because I hadn't had the idea of starting a blog when I made them. The three recipes that slipped under the radar were Olive Paste (pg 78), Glazed Sunflower Seeds with Shichimi Togashi (pg 80), and Smoked Chili Salsa (pg 63). Also, the morning after I stayed up until 11:00 counting recipes and blogging about it, I made **drumroll** Scrambled Eggs (pg 500). Yes, Madison does include a recipe for scrambled egg. Yes, it's as easy as it sounds. Yes, it TOTALLY counts toward my 1,503 recipe total. Just so we're clear.

The Olive Paste recipe was a smashing success. It's a fabulous condiment that will apparently store in the fridge indefinitely. We used it on mozzarella, tomato, and basil sandwiches. It was DELICIOUS! The olive paste added a wonderful layer of salty umami to the sandwich, and turned it from something good but ordinary into something really special. I will be looking for lots of uses for my olive paste from now on.

The Glazed Sunflower Seeds with Shichimi Togashi were going to be used in another of Madison's recipes: the Kale Salad with Cider Vinegar. However, I was very rushed when I was making the salad, and I took a number of shortcuts. My version was just OK, but I know I left out some key ingredients. I will be attempting this salad again. The seeds, however, turned out very well! They were amazingly easy to make, and had lots of flavor considering how few ingredients were involved. These seeds would be a welcome addition to any salad, and without the Shichimi Togashi (which is optional anyway), they are quite versatile indeed!

The Smoked Chili Salsa is officially my husband's new favorite food. He's a bit of a spice fiend, and this condiment is not lacking in the spice department. I like the flavor well enough, but it's too hot for me. Paul, on the other hand, has been putting it on everything. He even dabbed it onto his French Toast the other morning. I was nearly sick. It wasn't really designed for French Toast. It was, however, designed for things like eggs and quesadillas. Thankfully the recipe makes an entire quart of salsa, otherwise I would probably have to make this at least once a week.

Finally, the scrambled eggs. I have pictures of these, because what's a blog without pictures? These eggs are basic, no frills, no surprises. The frills and surprises will come in the variations that follow. This recipe did contain a nugget of kitchen wisdom. Madison specified cooking the eggs slowly over low heat. I usually cook my eggs quickly over high heat while I'm doing five other things. As a result, my eggs brown on the bottom and have a rubbery texture. By cooking these over low heat and stirring them regularly, they ended up with a pillowy, velvety texture and a nice clean flavor. Go figure, you learn something new every day!

Farm eggs sourced locally will provide the best flavor for this simple dish.

Butter, not olive oil, always. Eggs need butter. Or bacon grease.

Beautiful fluffiness, no brown.

Add Smoky Chili Salsa if you dare.

***Disclaimer: All representations of Deborah Madison's recipes on this blog are intentionally incomplete. Do not attempt to copy a recipe from this blog. I have intentionally left out critical steps and ingredients to avoid copyright infringement. All recipes should only be attempted when referencing the book in which they were originally published.***