Twenty Dinners by Ithai Schori and Chris Taylor is truly a work of art. You all know how I feel about cookbooks. And in my opinion, a cookbook is hardly even allowed that title if not for gorgeous imagery.
I will say, it is not exactly a gluten and dairy free friendly cookbook, but that doesn’t stop me from proudly perching it on my shelf. There are still plenty of recipes I can make from this book, you just have to sift a little bit.
I especially love the stories of the two authors and how they both came together bonding over their love of spending time in the kitchen, and then inviting their friends in to spend that time with them as well. I feel like I so often put my energy into having a meal prepared and waiting for my friends to arrive, and then focusing my time on the presentation around the table. I love the shift in perspective of having friends involved in the chopping, sauteeing, peeling, etc. It can be hard for me admittedly, I am a bit of a perfectionist in the kitchen, and I like to contain my messes. This of course, can be hard when you have more than two people in a space. But that’s not what it’s about. A dinner party shouldn’t be about the presentation and the perfection, but about the time spent together with friends, which is what authors Schori and Taylor try to convey in each chapter centered around not just recipes, but a shared meal.
.jpg)
As far as the difficulty of the recipes, I found that there were a good variety ranging from beginner to intermediate, with hardly any ingredients lists calling for more than 15 items, and most were spices. There really were not any obscure items that you couldn’t find at your normal grocery store. One thing I noticed is that they do a lot of French inspired cuisine, which really intrigues me.
I actually ended up making their Stuffed Poblanos with Eggs and “Anna’s Chili Sauce” tonight. The funny thing is, I was actually planning on making stuffed bell peppers with the leftover quinoa and brown rice I had in the fridge, but I immediately knew their poblano recipe would put my sorry bell peppers to shame.
I already tried it, so I will have to say…I don’t know that I’m ever making stuffed bell peppers again. This recipe is a winner. Plus, the egg on top?! Genius.
.jpg)
Here’s the recipe.
You’ll need:
-grapeseed or canola oil
-2 poblano peppers
-salt
-2 cups grains such as rice, quinoa, or farro
-4 large eggs
Directions:
-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
-Heat a large cast iron skillet until it’s very hot. Coat with oil and let the peppers char on all sides. (If you don’t have a skillet, you can use the broiler in your oven as well.)
-Once cooled to the touch, cut peppers in half and remove seeds
-Lay peppers on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Season the inside with salt and fill with your cooked grains. Make a small well in the grains and crack an egg into it. Season with salt.
-Cook for about 15-20 minutes. (I cooked mine for 15 minutes at 350, then 5 more minutes at 400 because I don’t really like runny eggs.)
-To finish, dress with chili sauce.
For Anna’s Chili Sauce, you’ll need:
-6 tablespoons
-1/2 cup chopped red onion
-2 large garlic cloves
-pinch of salt
-1/4 cup of red chili powder (I used 1 tbsp because I used my mom’s Indian chili powder and that stuff can heat. 1 Tbsp was plenty hot with that stuff, so you’ve been warned.)
-1 tsp ground cumin
-1 tsp smoked paprika
-1 tsp mustard powder
Directions:
-Warm 2 tbsp of oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat.
-Add the onion, garlic, and salt and cook until the onions are soft and browned, but not caramelized.
-Add the chili powder and 1/2 cup water. Continue to mix until a thick paste is formed.
-Keep the sauce simmering over a low heat and add the remaining spices. Add the remaining oil a couple of tablespoons at a time.
-I ended up running my sauce in the blender so I would have a really smooth like texture, and added about another 1/2 cup of water, as well as another tbsp or so or olive oil.
.jpg)
.jpg)
I received this book from bloggingforbooks.org in exchange for writing this review.
