The Syndicate

ok I was talking about my favorite breakfast recipe on discord and [mention]dunya[/mention] wanted to try it so here's the details of the most amazing breakfast dish in the world

backstory: when I was in college this amazing Mexican woman named Amparo ran a breakfast station at the dining hall where she made several delicious Mexican breakfast dishes (and you could watch her cook in front of you with her mad skillz) and this one, called "Amparo's Special," was one of my favorites. I miss her food but I figured out how to approximate it at home.

you need (for one person-- adjust as necessary for servings):
2 eggs
potatoes -- I use either ~2 medium Yukon Gold or a handful/~7 small fingerling/dutch baby gold
baby spinach -- uhh idk like 3-4 oz? whatever a good serving is? I don't pay attention to amounts
1 small shallot
cooking oil
salt
black pepper
salsa -- I usually use tomatillo/verde, in the original Amparo had her own thin-ish red salsa that she made
sour cream
cotija cheese

ok so first I always microwave the potatoes to start them cooking/softening up a little, so I poke holes in them with a fork and microwave them with a little bit of water for 1.5 - 2 minutes, and meanwhile dice the shallot
Then slice the potatoes into bite-size chunks, heat some oil in a pan and throw in the shallot and potato. Saute them for a couple minutes and then I usually throw in a few tablespoons of water and cover the pan to let it kinda steam in there.
Meanwhile start heating water in a small pot (to sorta boiling or just under) to poach the eggs. I've always heard that you're supposed to add a little bit of vinegar to the poaching water so I do that too. Break the eggs into a ramekin.
When the potatoes are just about done, add the spinach and stir until it's completely cooked. Oh and definitely add some salt at some point, I usually add it with the spinach.
After putting the spinach in pour the eggs into the poaching water (they cook really quick and you don't want to overdo the yolks, and I like to have the potato-spinach mixture ready on the plate to put the eggs on top so I wait until it's about done). Put the potato-spinach mixture on a plate and after about 2 minutes of poaching carefully spoon the eggs out.
Top with a couple tablespoons of the salsa, a nice dollop of sour cream, some lovely crumbles of cotija, and a healthy dose of freshly ground black pepper. Mix up all those delicious flavors and glimpse heaven

Also, boyfriend & I made cheese fondue (with bread, apples/pears, & broccoli/cauliflower) last night and shared it with some friends in the dorm. Fun thing to do every once in a while, though it takes like $20-$30 worth of cheese -- good thing I had a $50 Trader Joe's gift card from his mom Now I also have a bottle of sherry, having some now for dessert (along with those amazing meringues)

I'll share this lovely and super-simple dinner I made last week -- tried the baked-egg-in-avocado thing (one of the yolks spilled but it was still good) and also baked a tilapia fillet and some cherry tomatoes all together, and sprinkled some delicious fajita seasoning on it all




edit: did not expect the pic to be so big whoops sorry

Posting this here because Bea asked about it. One of my favorite recipes.

Baked Tilapia with Cilantro Cream Sauce


The Fish:
1.5 lbs tilapia fillets (I generally use one fillet per person)
1 Tbsp melted butter
salt & pepper

Heat oven to 375. Line a baking pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. Brush fillets lightly with butter and sprinkle salt & pepper. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

The Sauce:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp lime juice
salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil in small saucepan over medium heat, saute garlic & onion 1 to 2 minutes. Add cream, bring to a simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in cilantro, lime juice, salt & pepper and simmer for an additional minute.


IMO this is best over high-quality fettucine and sauteed asparagus, so I have these cooking as well while the fish is baking.

Quarter them, braise them in butter for a while (I don't know the exact method but this is basically how my mom prepared brussels sprouts and they were fantastic)

My mom and I made an amazing pizza tonight! Prosciutto, caramelized onions, cherries, sage, gorgonzola... it was to die for



idk why the pic is so big o.o

Last night was spaghetti carbonara, and a green salad with hazelnuts, goat cheese, craisins and balsamic vinaigrette. Oh man that was so delicious.

re: desserts. I am loving rosewater lately. I made rosewater pudding a couple times and it was excellent. The other night I made rosewater cardamom mexican wedding cookies.

^oh man that looks amazing

Mongoose wrote:What are everyone's thoughts on molecular gastronomy?

I think it's awesome! I used to love watching segments about it from Anthony Bourdain etc. But also what Bea said

this sounds awesome (ha, sounds, get it) http://pitchfork.com/news/53998-detroit ... ads-kid-a/

mongoose you put the R in the wrong place in mascarpone >:|

Tonight was penne with mushroom-olive cream -- a delicious recipe, one of my favorites and appropriate for all you veggie folk!

I improvised a simple dinner tonight -- threw together a curry rub and grilled a couple tilapia fillets with it, sauteed some zucchini & onions (let them sit covered a bit and was pleased with how tender they were mmm), served the fish over couscous with the veggies on the side. It was easy and good, I impressed myself

I LOVE green curry omg and lemongrass <3 Thai curry is the best

Epignosis wrote:I figured you were both vegetarians- neither of you mention meat, your avatars are meat, your user names are meat.

I LOVE bacon. I've even done bacon-wrapped marshmallows roasted over a fire, lol. >_>


I could never be vegetarian, let alone vegan (though I know several people at Reed who are) D:

Mmmmmm those risottos sound fantastic. Especially Bea's

http://www.dinasaurhedcult.com/forums/s ... #post76092 I posted it on HV a while back, there it is. Probably should have cited where I originally got it from >_> could easily google for that, that's how I found it originally

I love food

I made dinner tonight -- one of my favorite recipes. Tilapia with cilantro cream sauce over lemon-pepper fettuccine and asparagus.