It’s Wednesday, which means by this time in the week you might already be looking forward to the weekend. But, I bet hardly anyone looks forward to Sunday evening. Sunday evening means the weekend is drawing to a close, it’s time to make sensible decisions, and go to bed early to be ready for work Monday morning. However, this Sunday (at least in the US) there’s something to celebrate – the mid-season premiere of The Walking Dead.

I love The Walking Dead, which is odd considering I’m afraid of zombies. I’ve been known to have zombie nightmares and my zombie apocalypse plan is to give up and get bitten. But still, I love The Walking Dead. I tend to watch mindless sitcoms, and for me this show is my jolt of drama, fear, and thrills. It’s not just the action I love, I really enjoy the characters. I like watching them evolve and deal with who they used to be and who they want to be, and have to be, now.

Also, I think the show is great because it’s pretty unpredictable. I wholeheartedly believe that any character could go at any moment. In most shows, you feel pretty confident that fan favorites and main characters are here to stay – but with this show I’m not so sure. Every week I just keep rooting for Daryl. On Mondays, I used to dissect every little thing with my coworker Erica. I miss that because it was always so fun to speculate. [Spoiler alert] Recently, a lot of the story lines have led to epic gun battles between groups of people – but then in the mid-season finale Beth’s scene was so quiet and intimate – yet so dramatic. The show always keeps me on my toes.

So to celebrate the show, I decided to make a cauliflower brain. I was inspired to make this by my friend Jubi who sent me a message asking if I had any recipes themed for TV shows. I didn’t, but I was into the idea because I adore themey stuff. I decorate for every holiday, I made Ryan a baseball cap shaped cake when the Nationals were in the playoffs, and I have Abraham Lincoln socks for Presidents Day. So why shouldn’t I also have foods perfectly matched for a TV viewing party?

I went with cauliflower because a whole roasted cauliflower looks sort of like a brain. And obviously, there’s nothing more Walking Dead appropriate than a brain.  Stab it with a big knife and you will have a bad-ass zombie killer center piece. Slice the cauliflower like a cake and serve to your guests. As we know for the show, we are all carriers for the disease so what’s the harm in eating a little zombie brains? Overall, this recipe is a little morbid, a bit spicy, and also pretty healthy.

A Thug Kitchen recipe inspired me to use Siracha, and I thought it would be perfect because you need a little spice and heat to survive among the Walkers and the hot sauce is a good stand in for blood. So, the sauce is adapted from Thug Kitchen and the rest is all Cooking is Messy, baby!

Messy level: Almost a one spoon recipe. Prepping the cauliflower is the most difficult part because I flung small pieces on the floor. Other than that, it’s simple seasoning, roasting, and smothering with sauce.

Walking Dead Inspired: Siracha Roasted Cauliflower Brain

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

55 mins

 

Ingredients

• 1 whole cauliflower head
• 1 clove garlic
• 4 teaspoon olive oil, divided
• cayenne pepper, to taste
• salt, to taste
• ½ cup Siracha sauce
• ⅓ cup rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 450°F/230°.
2. Remove any leaves from the cauliflower and cut off any extra stem, so that the cauliflower will lay flat in a pan.
3. Cut the garlic clove in half and rub it all over the cauliflower.
4. In a small bowl or cup, mix 2 teaspoons of the olive oil with a sprinkling of cayenne pepper and salt. Taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking.
5. Brush this olive oil mixture all over the cauliflower.
6. Put the cauliflower on a rimmed baking sheet or small casserole dish. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, in a small bowl or jar mix together the Siracha, rice vinegar, remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil, and sauce sauce. Stir or mix until well combined.
8. After the cauliflower has been in the oven for 30 minutes, remove from the oven and brush half of the Siracha mixture over the cauliflower. If it's a little more than half it's ok, just leave some. Return to the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes more. The cauliflower is done when a knife can be easily stuck through it.
9. Remove from the oven, and pour the remaining Siracha sauce over it.
10. To serve, stab with a knife and then artfully squeeze some Siracha, straight from the container, around the knife to look like dripping blood.
11. When ready to eat, cut into slices and serve with your favorite creamy dressing.

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I bought the corn when I made barley succotash and I’ve had the leftover bag ever since. When I need to add a vegetable for dinner, I often tell myself I’ll just heat up the corn, but I never do. I like corn on the cob, corn bread, and corn in things. But plain corn on the side isn’t very interesting to me and so the bag languished in the freezer. 

Then I saw a fairly recent post from Amateur Gourmet for corn chowder. I thought this would be perfect, but then he said it wasn’t worth doing with frozen corn. Sigh. It’s the end of the summer and corn season is over so I moved on.

Until it was Monday. On Monday nights I like to go to Zumba. I like to eat before Zumba so I don’t feel faint and famished but I can’t eat too much or I’ll feel sick. But, I also need to make something hearty enough so Ryan has a real dinner and not rabbit food. So I thought back to corn chowder, and advice be dammed, I was going to try it with frozen corn!

I’m so glad I did because this soup is freaking delicious! The soup is wonderfully flavorful. This is one of the best soups I have ever had. The corn gives it sweetness and the cayenne pepper (which is my personal addition) gives just the whisper of heat. And the cream makes it feel so rich, but with only one cup in the whole pot you don’t have to feel too guilty. It is hearty but not heavy (seriously, I went to Zumba and felt fine and thought about the soup the whole time). Ryan gave it a 9 out of 10. I kept loudly saying, “this soup is so good!” I was mad when I had to leave for class and couldn’t have a second bowl. Try it, this is a wonderful soup.

Adapted from Amateur Gourmet who adapted it from Jasper White.

Messy level: There is a lot of cutting prep work for this recipe, that’s the only reason I will give it a 2 spoon rating. Otherwise, it’s just dump it all in the pot and wait for it to get delicious.

Amazing Corn Chowder

 

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Ingredients

• 3-4 cups of frozen corn
• 4 oz of slab bacon, cut into ⅓" dice
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 5 sprigs thyme, leaves removed and chopped
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ⅛ tsp turmeric
• ¼ tsp ground cayenne pepper
• 1 lb Yukon gold potatoes peeled, and cut into ½" cubes
• about 5-6 cups of chicken stock (enough to cover everything)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbsp cold water
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tbsp minced chives

Instructions

1. In a large heavy pot, cook the bacon over medium heat. Cook until the bacon is crisp. Spoon out all but a tablespoon of the bacon fat.
2. Add the butter, onion, bell pepper, thyme, cumin, cayenne pepper, and turmeric. Look at the pretty spices! They will make the soup pretty too. Add a pinch of salt. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring every so often.
3. Add the corn, potatoes, and stock. Turn the heat to high and bring to a vigorous boil. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
4. Using a wood spoon, smash some of the corn and potatoes against the side of the pot. This will help thicken the chowder. Reduce the heat to medium and taste for salt and pepper.
5. Stir in the corn starch mixture.
6. Bring the soup back to a boil and stir until the chowder has thickened to your liking.
7. Turn off the heat and add the cream. Adjust for salt if you need to.
8. Serve and top with chopped chives.

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Now, back to cooking. For today’s post, I’m offering a recipe that is perfect for these cold days we’ve been having here in the DC area. This recipe is hearty, filling, and spicy. I guarantee this dish will warm you up. Now, I’ve told you about my tagine before but just in case you don’t remember, it’s a Moroccan earthenware slow cooker. As a kitchen appliance, it’s so pretty. It’s so pretty, I wasn’t sure I’d ever use it. And at first, I was having a hard time with the tagine, that is until my mom and I came across the cookbook Tagines & Couscous.

My mom and I were shopping at a Lecruest outlet store when I spotted the book. The lady who worked in the shop raved about it! She said it was so user friendly and they had made plenty of amazing dishes for their classes and taste tests. We were sold. Literally. Both us got a copy. Now I make this recipe (well, below is my adaptation of it) all the time. Honestly, I make this recipe almost every other week.

I have found some of the ingredients in the book hard to find (like rose water), but, when I really can’t find them, I’ve powered through with the recipe and it has still come out delicious. Also, please don’t be afraid of how many spices this recipe calls for. It’s an investment at first, but I’ve found them to be worthwhile and useful for other recipes. Additionally, If you don’t have a tagine, try this out with a dutch oven.

Finally, I heartily suggest making couscous as a side. You can find couscous in the same aisle as other grains. It’s such a great complement to this dish because it’s buttery and subtle and helps to balance the spiciness of the dish. And believe me, this dish does have some kick.

Ingredients: 

3 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

3-4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp turmeric

1-2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1 tbsp honey

2 cups carrots, cut diagonally into 2″ pieces

1 lb lean beef, cut into cubes (I use what Trader Joe’s packages as stew meat)

1 14oz cans of chickpeas, rinsed and drained (you can use up to 2 cans if you love chickpeas)

sea salt

chopped cilantro (optional, for garnish)

Directions:

1. If using a tagine, put the your heat diffuser over the burner. Put the bottom of the tagine on top. Pour in the oil and heat over medium-high until warm.

2. Add the onion and garlic. Saute until soft, about 5 minutes.

3. Add the turmeric, cumin seeds, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, and honey. Stir to coat the onions and garlic. Let the spices toast a bit, just for 1 minute.

4. Add the carrots. Saute for 4-5 minutes. Make sure they get coated with the spices.

5. Stir in the beef. Saute for about 3 minutes. Make sure you get the beef coated and it has started to brown. It’s ok if it’s 50% brown and 50% pink.

I’m sorry this picture is a little blurry, but I wanted you to see you don’t have to completely cook the meat.

6. Pour in enough water so everything is 50% covered. Bring the water to a boil. Place the cover on the tagine, and turn the heat to low.

7. Let everything simmer in the tagine for 40 minutes.

8. Add the drained chickpeas to the tagine. Stir everything together so the chickpeas also get some seasoning. Cook for 15-20 minutes.

9. Turn off the heat. Make sure the vegetables are tender and the meat is cooked through. You should have a nice stew-like meal swimming in some spicy broth. Season with salt, if desired. Garnish with cilantro, if you’re  using it. Serve over a bed of couscous.

Messy Level: I give this one three spoons because it is undercover messy. Yes, everything is in one pot and that makes it pretty clean. But turmeric is a sneaky nemesis! It makes the liquid yellow and everything that liquid touches will be dyed yellow. If you have cheap counter tops, like I do, you might end up with some stains so please be careful!

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