beer can chicken (episode 1)

I'l admit that I did not spend any time looking at the episode to make an episode-accurate beer can chicken. I followed this recipe for "beer chicken thighs." I used drumsticks and the entire bottle of beer. For better or for worse, my kitchen smelled like beer while it was cooking. The outcome was solidly okay. If I were to make it again, I'd double the amount of seasoning. While the chicken was juicy, it wasn't particularly flavorful. The taste of the beer came through well.

clam and tomato risotto (episode 2)

Shizuku notes that she only used ingredients from the convenience store, which influenced my choice of ingredients. I also made use of an onion quarter from my fridge that looked like it was going to go bad. End result was interesting---the clams themselves weren't prominent, but the clam juice added a nice depth of flavor. I was surprised by how the parmesan and clams went together.

Ingredients: 1 can clams (mine were minced), 1/2 jar pasta sauce, quarter onion (minced), oil, rice (1 cup uncooked). Top with parmesan and basil (to taste).

Seasonings: 1/2tsp each parsley, garlic powder, and salt.

Process:

1. Heat up oil. At medium heat, add onion and seasonings. Cook onion until translucent.
2. Add can of clams (including juice) and pasta sauce. Bring to a boil.
3. Add rice. Stir until incorporated. Turn off heat.
4. Add 2tbsp parmesan and a few torn basil leaves. Stir until incorporated.
5. Serve. Top with whole basil leaves and parmesan.

ham and cheese with homemade salsa (episode 2)

I used this video and made salsa. I realized that eating this with ham and string cheese wasn't appealing, so I mixed it with beans, rice, and cheese. Picture not included.

sausage & mushrooms sauteed w/ garlic (episode 2)

This was solidly "okay." Very savory dish; end result would depend heavily on mushrooms. The dish in the show looked like it used straw mushrooms. I prefer baby bella and portabello, so I went ahead and used those. Would've been better on top of rice.

Ingredients: 1lb chicken sausages, 1lb baby bella mushrooms, 1 medium-small portabello mushroom, 5oz onions, 1tbsp garlic, 2tbsp soy sauce, 1tsp cornstarch, salt. Sesame oil would be good here. reference.

Process:

1. Remove stems from mushrooms and slice thinly. Slice sausages to preferred size. Slice onions into similar size to sausages.
2. Heat oil. When hot, add garlic.
3. Once garlic starts to brown, add sausages. Stir occasionally.--> should've waited to add garlic until mushrooms are slightly cooked. Garlic burnt while onions were cooking.
4. Once sausages start to brown, add onion. Stir occasionally.
5. Once onion is translucent, add mushrooms. Stir occasionally.
6. When mushrooms are at half their original height, add salt (by preference), soy sauce and cornstarch. If I had sesame oil on hand, I'd add it here.
7. Continue cooking until mushrooms are fully cooked---about 1/4 original height. Taste as you go; looking for soft but not rubbery.
8. Optional: add (fresh) lime juice.

cheesy potato pancakes (episode 2)

I started with this recipe and omitted the sugar. End result was tasty. I mixed ham into a few.

Ingredients: 1 4oz bag of dried mashed potatoes, parmesan, 6tbsp rice flour, sliced string cheese (leftover from ham & cheese w/ salsa).

Process:

1. Cook mashed potatoes according to instructions on bag. Add in additional seasonings---I added 2tbsp of parmesan from last episode's recipes.
2. Season to taste---I added a few pinches of salt and 1tsp of cumin seeds. Add rice flour.
3. Heat oil and cook until dark on both sides.

bacon-wrapped healthy vegetable skewers (episode 3)

She didn't mention what vegetable she was using. To me, it looked like asparagus---or maybe I wanted an excuse to eat asparagus. I referenced this recipe.

Finnish bacon-wrapped mushrooms (episode 3)

I used this recipe. Should've cooked the bacon for longer. I didn't enjoy the final result---it's a very savory dish. The flavors didn't mesh well together; the bacon, mushroom, and filling are equally strong, which I found repulsive. The flavors are competing for attention, and not complementing each other.

spicy tandoori chicken

I used this recipe for garam masala. I scaled that recipe down to 1/2 and used all of it. I started with this recipe for the rest of the marinade. However, I used 4lb of chicken thighs and removed the skin. I let it marinate for about 1hr, then cooked it in the oven at 425F for 1hr. Not very spicy, but otherwise pretty tasty.

dry curry

I glanced at this recipe before cooking. It's from Kikkoman, so it should be authentic...I use a single-serving bag of this seasoning that's available at my grocery store. Some seasoning specifically for curry would probably be a better choice. I used coconut oil because a) I enjoy coconut-based curries and b) I had some coconut oil laying around that I wanted to start using up.

Ingredients: 1lb ground turkey, a carrot (cut finely), an onion (cut finely), a chili pepper (had one in my fridge; why not?), a few cloves of garlic (cut finely), 2tbsp coconut oil, laab-namtok seasoning, 4tbsp (or 1/4c) soy sauce; green bell pepper for serving.

Process:

1. Melt 2tbsp of coconut oil.
2. Cook garlic. Once it starts to brown, add onions and cook until translucent.
3. Add ground meat, the rest of the vegetables, and the other seasonings. Cook at medium heat until liquid has evaporated.

churrasco (episode 6)

I looked at this marinade and this recipe. I used the ribs that I couldn't fit into the feijoada. I also baked it in the oven...I doubt this could be called churrasco. I saw the various prices of steaks and decided that I wasn't paying that much per pound. I picked this recipe because of the citrus marinade.

Ingredients: .75lb ribs (the ones I had were labelled "pork butt boneless Southern style ribs"), a sour orange, oregano, salt, garlic

Process:

I used the leftover pork ribs from the feijoada. Mixed in: juice from one large sour orange, .5tsp oregano, 1/4tsp salt, 2 large cloves of garlic. Let sit for one hour.

Wrap in aluminum foil. Set oven to 325degF and cook for 1hr30min---longer will be better.

feijoada (episode 6)

I referenced this recipe as well as this video. I used kidney beans because that's what's in the anime. Tbh, anime-style would've used fewer ingredients, but a coworker seemed very invested in this, so I couldn't take shortcuts. While farofa isn't featured in the anime, I'll be making a side of it.

Ingredients:

• Pig foot + hock
• 2lb pork shoulder, cubed.
• 12oz linguica, sliced thin.
• 12oz salt pork, sliced thin.
• .75lb smoked neck bones
• .75lb pork ribs, cubed. (This was all I could fit in the pot...)
• An orange
• 1lb kidney beans
• Seasonings: some bay leaves, 1tsp of cumin, 1tsp pepper.
• An onion (medium to large), diced.
• A head of garlic (minced, crushed, whatever).

Process:

1. Night before cooking, soak pig foot in water (this will draw out blood). Change water whenever you remember to. Cut salt pork and let it sit in water (this will draw out some of the salt); change water whenever you remember to. Soak beans.
2. Day of: boil pig parts (in my case, foot + hock) in water for ~5 min to clean them. Strain.
3. Start by cooking the salt pork. I was looking for the fat to start to render.
4. Cook garlic until brown; cook onions until translucent. Add spices; I did 1tsp each pepper and cumin.
5. The onions were starting to brown, so I added a bit of water.
6. Add remaining raw meats, bones, foot, and hock. Add about a mug of water---try to let the meat be partially submerged. Let simmer for an hour. (those smoked neck bones will smell really good...also, if you're anything like me, make sure you have a second pot. Before adding the beans, I divided it into two pots.)
7. Add beans, sausage, and orange half; simmer for at least 2.5hr.

cachorro quente (episode 6)

I watched this video. In the show, we see a red sauce and onions, so I focused on that.