Project "Start Here" Chapter 3

Where did we leave off?

Chapter 1 and 2 were honestly very nice to me. I felt my skills improving, I felt like I had mastered some tricky techniques, I felt confident and optimistic going forward.

And then Chapter 3 happened.

It's NOT that Chapter 3 is hard, or that instructions are unclear. It is simply that my schedule got busier. I began to over exert myself in my day-to-day life. This lead to easy, silly mistakes. Sometimes mistakes that ruined the entire dish.

Chapter 3 is all about grains. Rice, lentils, beans, quinoa, and so on. They take time and preparation, but are relatively straight forward, especially with Sohla's guidance. She preps you thoroughly with a lesson on the different boiling methods, why you should soak your grains ahead of time, and how to know when your grain is perfectly cooked.

I still ate lots of yummy food. I (mostly) recovered all of my dishes. But if there's anything Chapter 3 taught me, it's to slow down. Plan ahead. And it is OKAY if you have to try again, or separate recipes out into multiple days.

So let me tell you the stories of all of these recipes.

Perfect Pot of Steamed Rice:

Straight forward, simple, made good rice. Learned the importance of soaking rice ahead of time...but also that if you are in a pinch, it's not really that serious. (forgive me!)

Rating: 10/10 easy and a staple

Quinoa Crunch Salad:

Same concept as above except it's quinoa, which is debatably even harder to mess up! You bake half of it in the oven after cooking for an added crunch. I enjoyed this a lot!

Rating: 9/10

Green Goddess Dressing:

Not a grain, but a dressing to pair WITH the grain. I will never not enjoy a green goddess. Easy as that.

Rating: 9/10

Basic Pot of Creamy Legumes:

This is where issues occurred. I forgot to soak the beans. Multiple days in a row. So I thought I would take a quick shortcut and let the beans boil for a few minutes, and then let them soak a few short hours instead of overnight.

Well, a few minutes turned into an accidental hour and a half of boiling. The kitchen smelt like burnt beans for days. The beans were unsalvageable, no matter how hard I tried. I ate Annie's Mac N Cheese that night.

Rating: N/A (I did remake later and they turned out delicious though!)

The Creamiest Polenta

Another slight...fail. In my defense, it was my first time making polenta and I CERTAINLY let the pan get too hot. The flavor was truly delicious, but the polenta turned gummy and filmy. I did still eat it though...and dare I say I enjoyed the film?

Rating: 6.5/10 (would've been a 10 had it been made correctly)

Ginger and Turmeric Rice Porridge with Cilantro Chutney

Though admittedly not the biggest rice-cooked-in-a-porridge-way fan, the flavors in this were so good! The cilantro chutney atop this very gingery dish. I would enjoy this any day, but especially if I had a cold. AND I cooked it right, which at this point in the month was a win.

Rating: 7/10

Charred Lemon Risotto:

This was a redemption for me! It was simple, and I found it unique that it required no actual broth. Just charred lemons, lemon juice, starchy water, and parm. And a few other things of course. Nonetheless, it was quick, easy, and delicious!

Rating: 9/10 simple and delish dinner

Taco Party Black Beans

This was bean redemption, as these beans turned out delicious and NOT burnt! Instead of too much physical heat, I did add one too many Adobo's. And these leftovers WILL grow in spicy-ness overnight, making a sweaty situation for me at work the next day. These beans got mashed, spiced, and turned into a delicious taco salad. How fun!

Rating: 8.5/10

Brothy Black Lentils with Dandelion Greens & Tons of Toasted Garlic

The most time consuming aspect of this was the need to peel upwards of 40 cloves of garlic. I recommend requiring a friend or loved one to help you. But then that garlic gets all roasty and toasty, along with the black lentils and dandelion greens. Served over crispy, crusty bread, this dish is easy yet impressive!

Rating: 9/10 my next go-to appetizer

Baked White Beans with Dates

These had the same heat and tomatoey vibe as your traditional baked beans, but the addition of dates added a fun, slightly sweet twist! These are another one that take quite a bit of time, but I had thoroughly planned ahead at this point in the month. I was on TOP of it. No more forgetting to soak.

Rating: 9/10

Black Sesame & Nori Rice Pilaf

(and also Tomato & Tumeric Rice Pilaf, Coconut & Pea Rice Pilaf, Chicken-y Chive Rice Pilaf, & Korma-ish Rice Pilaf)

Yes, that's a lot of rice pilaf. Sometimes Sohla will show you the basic fundamentals of a classic dish, then give a few spin-off ideas using that same technique. Such as these pilafs. Once you master one, you master them all. And I must say, the Tomato & Tumeric one was my favorite.

Rating: 8.5/10 easy but effective learning strategy

Cheesy Macaroni Pomodoro

This was certainly my favorite dish in this chapter, not only because of the flavor but because of how EASY it was. Garlic and Tomato Puree get nice and saucy along with butter, mac, and lots of parm. It took maybe 20 minutes start to finish, and the end result is like grown up, reduced down Spaghettios. Incredible.

Rating: 10/10

Chilled Green Tahini Soba

These were the perfect spring noodle dish. The tahini sauce is savory, herby, and the pickled onions on top make it "zingy." Plus, it was easy to throw everything together in 20 minutes or less. It was my boyfriend's personal favorite of the mix this chapter, so do with that what you will!

Rating: 8.5/10

Spaghetti with Zucchini, Pecorino and Mint

When we got to the pasta section of the cookbook, I knew this was my time to shine, and the past few dishes proved that to be true. This, however, was unlike any other pasta sauce I had made before. Excessive amounts of Zucchini get cooked all the way down into a paste, which eventually gets a bunch of other yummy stuff added to it and turns into a delicious pasta sauce. I loved everything about this EXCEPT the mint. To me, it was off-putting. However to many, MANY others, I'm sure it is delicious. Rating: 5/10

Chicken Soup with Masa Dumplings

I've admittedly never worked with masa before. The masa gets combined with boiling hot water to make dumpling balls, which get plopped into a pool of chicken broth and black beans. I burned my hands many times, but the end result was well worth it.

Rating: 8/10

Zhaleh's Classic Saffron-Stained Tahdig

(and Double Dill Tahdig, and also Summer Corn Tahdig)

I have never made Tahdig before, and I have been missing. out. The contrast in texture is a big win for Tahdig, but the flavor is also what made the classic so good. It was subtle, yet addictive. The dill Tahdig, while much stronger in flavor, was also fantastic. What a way to end the chapter.

Rating: 9/10

And that's chapter 3! It taught me grit, perseverance, and determination. And that I can't wait to see what's next, of course.