Macadamia Nuts

Week: 7
Ingredient: Macadamia Nuts
From: Martin’s, Harrisonburg, VA
Recipe: Macadamia Coconut Tart

If you believe my past food experiences, the only way to eat macadamia nuts is in White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies. Of course, that is ridiculous. With the versatility of other nuts—almonds, walnuts, pecans, and hazelnuts, to name a few—macadamias must be more than a one-hit wonder. So, when I decided to cook with macadamia nuts this week, my only goal was not to make White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies.

My cookbooks were lacking in macadamia recipes, but the internet was quite accommodating. Most of the recipes I found seemed to follow a theme; if they did not include white chocolate, they had some tropical ingredient. Banana, coconut, pineapple, and citrus were all common. However, I did find some interesting oddballs, like Cream of Macadamia Nut Soup. Unfortunately, I did not have all the right ingredients to make that, so I opted for something more mainstream: Macadamia Coconut Tart.

If you took pecan pie, converted it into a tart, replaced the pecans with macadamia nuts, and added coconut, you would have Macadamia Coconut Tart. It is pretty simple—and delicious. Macadamia nuts are buttery on their own, and with all the butter in the tart, I experienced buttery bliss. With the delicate flavor of the nuts and coconut, keeping the ingredients simple was the right thing to do. Some brown sugar and vanilla rounded out the flavors nicely. I would definitely make the tart again.

Conclusion: Macadamia nuts are creamy, mild, and a little sweet. I tend to find lots of uses for different types of nuts, and I am sure macadamias will be the same. They are slightly more expensive than some other varieties, so I will not keep them on hand all the time. Still, I think they deserve a place in my nut repertoire—and not always beside white chocolate or a tropical ingredient.

Prunes

Week: 6
Ingredient: Prunes
From: Martin’s, Harrisonburg, VA
Recipe: Chicken with Almonds and Prunes¹

Prunes have a bit of a ... reputation. The kind of reputation that makes 9-year-old boys laugh. I have to admit that I laughed quietly to myself when the grocery store worker scanned the big container of prunes I was purchasing. Eighteen ounces of prunes have a lot of fiber—enough fiber to create a potty-humor-worthy situation. I’m buying prunes, I thought to myself, and for a brief moment, I was amused by the type of funny that would normally elicit in me a roll of the eyes (accompanied by laughter, of course).

So, why prunes? As with many culinary adventures, it started with a recipe. In any cookbook, there is bound to be at least one recipe that catches my eye. In Classic Kosher Cooking, it was “Chicken with Almonds and Prunes.”¹ I cannot explain my draw to this dish unless it was its uniqueness; it was unlike anything I had ever cooked or eaten. The ingredients were all familiar but in a combination I do not think my mind would have ever dreamed up on its own. Prunes, to me, were the defining ingredient. I have childhood memories of eating prunes, but always straight from the container, never cooked. I guess I was intrigued (and probably hungry).

I followed the recipe to the letter. The chicken was seasoned with cinnamon, ginger, salt, and pepper. After sautéing some onions, I added the chicken and browned it. Prunes, orange juice, honey, and lemon juice were added, and then the dish was simmered until the chicken was cooked. Roasted almonds topped it, and I served it with plain white rice. In the end, I thought the dish was unremarkable. I liked the combination of flavors, but I found it to be too sweet. If I was going to make it again, I would replace some of the orange juice with chicken stock and cut back on the honey.

Mediocrity aside, I am so glad I tried this dish. The absolute best part of this whole thing was the fragrance that filled my kitchen while the chicken was browning. The aroma of onions and cinnamon cooking together was intoxicating. It reminded me of some strange cross between fresh, hot cinnamon rolls and Mom’s chicken and dumplings. Maybe that sounds gross, but I do not know how else to describe it. I can only tell you that the curious scent had me salivating and daydreaming of onions and cinnamon. In my mind, the flavors blended sublimely into dishes savory and delectable. There is no doubt that I will be pursuing this enticing flavor combination in cooking endeavors in the near future.

Conclusion: “Chicken with Almonds and Prunes” was not a huge hit, but that will not stop me from eating or cooking with prunes in the future. On the contrary, I feel like I have rediscovered an incredible food. I sampled a few uncooked prunes while I was preparing the dish, and they have a sweet, rich, fruity flavor. Delicious! Also, prunes are incredibly healthy; they are full of fiber, nutrients, and antioxidants. They make a far better snack than so many other foods I could keep in my pantry or desk drawer. It is no wonder that marketers have been trying to win back the public with an alternate moniker: dried plums. I wholly recommend prunes to anyone who is not deterred by the prune stigma. Just be sure to eat them in moderation lest you become the object of little boy humor.

¹Sara Finkel, Classic Kosher Cooking (Southfield, Michigan: Targum Press Inc., 1989), 80.

Chorizo

Week: 5
Ingredient: Chorizo
From: Martin’s, Harrisonburg, VA
Recipe: Jalapeño Chorizo Tacos (improvised)

I have to confess that I was totally unprepared to try something new this week. I would have gone to the grocery store yesterday, but the approximately two feet of snow we got between Friday and Saturday thoroughly ruined any weekend plans I may have had. So, I was forced to get creative with what I had on hand.

Fortunately, a couple weeks ago I bought some chorizo. I have had chorizo a few times at Mexican restaurants, but I had never tried it at home. I remember that I did not really know what I was looking for when I bought this chorizo. If I had read the Wikipedia article on chorizo beforehand, I might have been prepared to face the many kinds of chorizo they had at the grocery store. Without that knowledge, I opted for the chorizo that looked the most natural. That ruled out the ones that looked like red hot dogs and the ones with less appealing ingredient lists. In the end I selected a smoked chorizo that came in two long links.

I do not remember why I had nearly a pound of fresh jalapeños in my refrigerator, but that was also fortunate. With some leftover tortillas, it was clear to me that I would make jalapeño chorizo tacos. And so I did.

You have heard those stories where someone asks her grandmother for a special recipe, right? And, of course, there is no recipe. Grandma just throws a little of this and a little of that together, does her magic, and it comes out right. Well, that is how it was with my jalapeño chorizo tacos. I cannot tell you how I did it, but they came out great. I promise I am not trying to brag here. I am no professional chef, and I make absolutely no claims that my tacos were authentic Mexican cuisine. No, what I am saying is that it was like I was on autopilot, and at the end, there were delicious tacos. I think that means, according to the Dreyfus Model of Skill Acquisition, I am competent, and maybe even proficient, in at least some aspects of cooking. (Sorry. I just had to throw in a little geekery!)

Conclusion: Chorizo is full of fat, but what good sausage is not? It added a nice smokiness to my tacos, but its other flavors were somewhat masked by all the jalapeños and other seasonings I used. Nonetheless, I am sure it could add great flavor to many other dishes. I will definitely use chorizo again.