I had the unusual Monday off. The weather was dull. I stayed home. I always want to stay home but I never do. Even when I have nothing to do. When I have nothing to do I feel depressed about having nothing to do. The longer I sit at home on those days I have nothing to do, the more depressed I get. Must get outdoors. Must ride my bike. Must go on a long walk. Must. Do. Something. Why? I get a little manic sometimes.
Another weird compulsion is goofing around at my local cafe, noodling around on the internet for two and a half hours then rushing around to get ready for work, then 15 minutes before I have to be out the door, I'll either start to cook something or clean something.
So yesterday, I sorta played the game and indulged my impulses to cook and clean.
Whilst perusing my morning ritual of food porn, I came across a recipe for Jamaican Veggie Patties from 101cookbooks. Suddenly I was transported back to NYC and my days as a starving student living on Sicilian slices and Jamaican Beef Patties from Rays Pizza. Those damn beef patties were like crack. Flakey, strangely yellowish pastries filled with this wet spicy meat mixture that dripped orange grease all over many a peasant skirt. I pretty much hold these things responsible for the beginning of what turned out to be my life long commitment to Weight Watchers.
Oddly enough I wasn't even on 101cookbooks and I can't remember the trail that opened up the page but it was clearly some kind of divine intervention (at least my kind) that led me to a 5 year old post, but all the more proof that my loyalties are well placed. But being as ADD/OCD as I seem to be getting in my ancientude, I googled more recipes for Jamaican Beef Patties and settled on one from Emeril over on the Food Network. I was gonna attempt a hybrid of the two but cooled my jets and stuck with Heidi to start. They turned out better than I remembered and these didn't even have meat in them. Onions caramelized with a spice mix of all spice, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne and cardamom then add some garlic and that sets the tone for something really special. The best thing is you can use any mix of veg in these once you've got the base. Just dice it all small. Potatoes, carrots, corn, peas, beans...whatever. I'd always wondered why the pastry was so yellow. Turmeric. It also makes your mouth yellow. So though I will try the full meat version next, hopefully I'll find the perfect hybrid that'll keep me from knocking on the doors of Weight Watchers anytime soon.
oh...I also made the Shaved Asparagus Pizza. Again. The most repeated recipe in the Little Kitchen repertoire...AAAAAND the funny thing is JUST this morning, smittenkitchen posted a new recipe Asparagus Ribbon Salad! I made Egg Salad Toasts and Farro Salad where I use edamame for the first time (a nice surprise) in place of snap peas. I gave farro a little time-out after a debacle awhile back when I didn't know the difference between semi-pearled and unpearled farro and which resulted in a nasty dish featuring some waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay undercooked farro and waaaaayyy over-cooked everything else.
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