crumbs and summer spoils

I made a dish for a beans potluck. Three days prior, I started soaking the navy beans. One day prior, I spent a slow lazy morning simmering the beans with parmesan rinds and a pinch of salt. Then when they were soft and tender with just a bit of cooking liquid left, I dropped in a dollop of doubanjiang and let the pot marinate overnight. The day of, I wanted to boil off the rest of the cooking liquid while also infusing more of the intense doubanjiang into the bean babies. And then I burnt them instead.

David calls this piece "Distractions of a Modern Age"

He is correct. I distract quite easily. Especially in this modern age.

The end result was somehow made.. more delicious though?

This white bean dip was inspired by ladyandpups' mapotofummus. Beans were blended in more parm broth with a fragrant spiced oil, toasted garlic and peppercorns. Topped with ginger oil, and a quick saute of salted veg + leftover fake meat crumbles I had in the freezer.

I scooped up a bit with a rice cracker and oooo'd my way through surprise and wonder at what that extra flavor was that I couldn't put my finger on..

... ah yes. The byproduct of the burntness.

This is now a SMOKED mapo bean dip, and it was totally intentional heh.

Coming off my ladyandpups recipe high [it's been so long since I've revisited her book], I decided to try my hand at the sandstorm chicken as the centerpiece for BYOCO (bring your own chili oil) night. With only one modification - ranch powder instead of parmesan.

Plus sandstorm kabocha squash for the veggies, but also a really fucking delicious for the omnivores too.

Delicious side pieces include sesame noods, smashed cuke salad, wontons, and shrimp cocktail as the surprising spice palette cleanser. We ate in silence, sucking air through our teeth, taking deep breaths, and sweating until we finally opened the other living room window for a cross breeze. Ugh it was glorious.

Coming off my crumbly high (and also my recent education of pangrattato), walnut chicharron garlic variation because I didn't have cheese or panko. Over some simply roasted slices of cabbage.

Drink break for this Madre mezcal cocktail with some lactofermented peach juice.

Independent tomato high not coming off anything except Em bringing over a palette of tomatoes from her magical Buy Nothing group. And so commence a week of acid tummy.

Hand-pulled noodles in tomato curry with egg.

Giant vat of five spice tomato jam.

Fresh slices on sourdough discard pancake.

Simple roasted tomato salsa.

Classic tomato and egg of course.

Tomato and egg with bun rieu sauce.