Redberry Hard Seltzer
Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
Cucumber Crunch Salad
Bianca Fiore Pizza
Gluten-Free Margherita Pizza
Margherita Pizza
Shroom-Me Pizza
Tag: food
Hot Stuff
When I want to get stuffed, I’m not talking about eating so much I feel like bursting. Rather, I’m craving morsels of that are stuffed within edible wrappers, bundles of sweet and savory surprises that unfurl themself on the palate. Understated or elaborate, celebratory or simply making ends meet, stuffed foods manage to transform everyday ingredients into something extraordinary. Merely taking one component and putting it inside of another makes it far more special than the equivalent laying side by side.
Those thin leaves of limp cabbage aren’t swampy greens the moment you discover they contain multitudes within. Suddenly, you have stuffed cabbage, packed with flavor, warmth, and comfort. Everything from tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, zucchini, and more become edible vessels for culinary creativity. Whether it’s a quick fix snack or a holiday entree, stuffed foods bring an element of joy, like delivering tiny gifts at every meal.
The category of “stuffed foods” is so vast and diverse, it’s hard to define the group as a classification altogether. Paring it down to just stuffed vegetables and fruits, the following recipes are a few of my favorite examples, created and collected over the past couple years. Clearly, I need to get stuffed much more often, too.
Wordless Wednesday: Soy To The World
Xian Sushi and Noodle – Salt & Pepper Tofu
Saigon Quan – Basil Eggplant with Tofu
Nori – Tofu Teriyaki Bento
Mikuni – Saving Nemo Roll
Loro – Oak Grilled Edamame
Annyeong Korean Tofu House – Tofu Bibimbap
Level Nineteen, Unlocked
Time really does accelerate as we get older. At least, we experience it differently, as days blur into the next, one after another in a largely unremarkable stretch, until we find ourselves at another milestone, seemingly out of the blue. So here we are, entering the 19th year of BitterSweet, in some unfathomable twist of fate. It was never meant to endure through such trials and tribulations, becoming such a pivotal part of my career and the subsequent life built around it, but it’s truly taken on a life of its own. Now verging on adulthood in its final teenage year, I think it’s here to stay, for as long as I do.
For this anniversary, which seems like a forgettable one, just on the precipice of the big two-oh, I thought I would share recipes to follow suit. Instead of compiling the most popular options, I’d like to shine a light on 19 forgotten recipes. These are pieces that I personally loved, going through great lengths to create, capture, and preserve in digital form, but for whatever reason, never hit it big and became lost in time. It’s to be expected when you have 200 recipes housed on wholly separate pages of this antiquated, unintegrated online platform.
I’m honestly thrilled whenever someone pulls out a lost gem and leaves a comment so please, dig deep; laugh at my old, terrible photos; taunt me for my overwritten intros; and of course, tell me what you love and hate about the recipes! Even for my beloved regulars that dutifully carry this burden, I’d implore you to take a look back. Given that even I forget about some of my work, I bet there are some hidden treasures you’ve overlooked, too.
Cheers to another year… Long live BitterSweet!
Wordless Wednesday: Firsthand Experience
Green & Tonic – Spinach, Feta, & Egg Sandwich
Big Nonna’s – Sicilian Brussels Sprouts
Ruchi Vegetarian South Indian Cuisine – Masala Dosa
Nissi VegMex – Birria Tacos
Bistro Vonish – Brussels Sprouts Mac & Cheese
Lil Nonna’s – Sicilian Slice
Boss Sauce
If tamales are on your agenda, doña sauce should be, too. Ubiquitous throughout Austin taquerias, high-end and low-brow, every plate is splashed with a shock of green salsa, clearly different from the rest. So commonplace that its absence is more notable than its presence, it didn’t even occur to me that it was a specific local phenomenon, invented just 20 years ago. More than just another salsa verde, salsa doña has secured a cult following without even trying.
What Is Doña Sauce, AKA Salsa Doña?
Invented by Bertha Gonzales while working at Tacodeli, it handily won an in-store salsa competition to snag a $30 prize. Given a Spanish honorific title out of respect, it became the signature flavor of this burgeoning chain, eventually being packaged for nationwide distribution. The amount of doña sauce being made everyday to meet the demand is staggering, to the tune of 60 pounds of jalapeños per individual taco shop, per day, to say nothing of commercial production.
Unforgettable Flavor
Built upon the smoky char of roasted jalapeños, garlic, and cilantro, such a simple foundation belies its complexity. Thick, rich, and creamy, it looks alarmingly like some dairy amalgamation at first, but that distinctive texture is all thanks to emulsified oil, much like an eggless aioli dip. Moderately spicy and somehow simultaneously cooling, brilliantly fresh and herbaceous, it’s hard to believe that this sensation comes together with only six common ingredients.
I Put That Sh*t on Everything
Tamales, tacos, burritos, nachos, queso, soups, burgers, wraps, sandwiches, salads, rice, refried beans… Stop me anytime, because the list of possible uses for salsa doña is truly endless. Anything that needs a little kick, regardless of the cuisine, is a prime candidate. The only thing I’d suggest not putting it on is your toothbrush, but then, you do you.
Often Imitated, Never Replicated
Tacodeli doña sauce copycat recipes abound. I don’t claim mine to be the most authentic since I wasn’t trying to recapture that lightning in a bottle. Instead, my version is inspired by the revered matriarch, leaning more heavily on the garlic and cilantro than other comparable renditions. Likewise, make it your own, dialing the ingredients up or down to taste. If you’d like yours hotter, leave the seeds in the jalapeños. Whatever you do, don’t let you tamales go naked. Especially when you’ve gone through the trouble of making such an important, labor-intensive holiday staple, they deserve the very best salsa to dress for the occasion.