├── recipes ├── images │ └── frittata-for-leftovers.jpg ├── recipe-template.md ├── matzo-balls.md ├── bone-broth.md ├── great-coffee.md ├── sweet-potatoes.md ├── shirred-eggs.md ├── greek-salad-for-winners.md ├── perfect-roasted-chicken.md ├── shakshuka.md ├── frittata-for-leftovers.md ├── worlds-greatest-tomato-sauce.md ├── correct-pasta.md └── braised-pork-belly.md └── README.md /recipes/images/frittata-for-leftovers.jpg: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sjsyrek/dinner-for-devs/HEAD/recipes/images/frittata-for-leftovers.jpg -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /recipes/recipe-template.md: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | # Name 2 | 3 | _By Author_ 4 | 5 | Description 6 | 7 | ## Ingredients 8 | 9 | - 10 | - 11 | - 12 | 13 | ## Preparation 14 | 15 | 1. 16 | 2. 17 | 3. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /recipes/matzo-balls.md: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | # Matzo Balls 2 | 3 | _By Jennifer Kaplan_ 4 | 5 | ## Ingredients 6 | 7 | 4 eggs 8 | 1/2 cup seltzer 9 | 1/3 cup olive oil 10 | 1 cup Manischewitz Matzo Meal 11 | 12 | ## Preparation 13 | 14 | 1. In a medium mixing bowl beat eggs with a fork for 30 to 60 seconds. 15 | 16 | 2. Add seltzer and oil and beat together another 15 to 30 seconds. 17 | 18 | 3. Add matzo meal and mix together until just combined, don't overmix. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or until firm. 19 | 20 | 4. In a medium sized pot bring 3 quarts of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. 21 | 22 | 5. With wet or well oiled hands form matzo balls by gently rolling a spoonful of matzo ball batter to approximately 1-inch in diameter in the palm of your hands. 23 | 24 | 6. Drop matzo balls carefully into simmering salt water one at a time. Cover the pot and cook for 30 to 40 minutes. 25 | 26 | 7. Ladle into soup bowls with your favorite soup. Personally, I make a soup with chicken bouillon cubes and baby carrots. I let it sit in a big boiling pot for like 40 minutes. 27 | 28 | ## Reheating 29 | 1. Put the matzo ball in a bowl in the microwave for a minute. 30 | 2. Then put the soup in the same bowl and reheat the entire thing for a minute. 31 | 32 | This recipe is mainly from the [Joy of Kosher](https://www.joyofkosher.com/recipes/passover-matzo-balls/). 33 | 34 | This is an amazing video on how to make the matzo balls [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3IO-lwaHU0). 35 | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /recipes/bone-broth.md: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | # Let Nothing Go to Waste Bone Broth 2 | 3 | _By Steven Syrek_ 4 | 5 | It was only a matter of time before broth, the most boring of all possible soups, became a foodie trend. In New York City, you can line up for the privilege of buying this clear, almost tasteless liquid and persuade yourself that its alleged health benefits are, in fact, worth [over $100/gallon](https://brodo.com). But you needn't be on the [cutting edge of wellness](https://goop.com) or even a Native American wannabe who believes that [you should eat the whole animal](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j48GDZKZTUo) to appreciate the ease and practicality of making your own broth at home. Use it as stock, drink it when you're sick, or liven up any recipe that ordinarily calls for plain, boring water. Make a huge amount at once, and freeze it for later use. 6 | 7 | ## Ingredients 8 | 9 | - Bones from any one type of animal 10 | - Water 11 | - Salt 12 | - Time 13 | 14 | ## Preparation 15 | 16 | 1. Place all the bones in your largest saucepan, fill it with water, and bring to a boil. Add a dash of salt. Add a [bay leaf](http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/03/ask-the-food-lab-whats-the-point-of-bay-leaves.html), if you want. 17 | 2. Turn the heat down as low as it can go, and partially cover the pan (leave a small opening). Simmer for as long as you can, the longer the better. Eight hours is probably the minimum worth doing, because you want the bones to release their mineral content and also because marrow. If you have a slow cooker, you can just leave it going for a day or more. 18 | 3. Let the broth cool and then strain it out into containers for storage. Discard the bones and all the gross bits. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /recipes/great-coffee.md: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | # Great Coffee Wherever You Go 2 | 3 | _By Steven Syrek_ 4 | 5 | I don't want to get into any arguments about how to make the best coffee. This method has served me well for years. Its advantages over other methods are low cost and portability. Can you get better results by tweaking the settings on an expensive espresso machine? Probably. But who cares? Also, try taking an espresso machine camping. One note: do not buy pre-ground coffee. Buy whole beans. Buy them regularly. Store them in an airtight container in a cool, dry place away from sunlight. 6 | 7 | ## Ingredients 8 | 9 | - Your favorite coffee beans (I prefer espresso, but feel free to experiment) 10 | - An [Aeropress](https://aerobie.com/product/aeropress/) 11 | 12 | ## Preparation 13 | 14 | 1. Grind two scoops of coffee beans, preferably using a [burr grinder](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burr_mill), but a spice mill will also suffice. A medium course grind is a good place to start if you don't otherwise know what you're doing. Dump the ground coffee into the assembled Aeropress. 15 | 2. Boil water using your preferred boiling method. I use an electric water boiler, myself. It just makes life easier. 16 | 3. Pour the boiled water into a Pyrex glass measuring cup or other not-too-deep vessel with a spout. Put a meat or candy thermometer into the water, and watch it carefully. When the temperature hits 180 degrees Fahrenheit, pour the water into the Aeropress. This is the critical step: do not just pour the boiling water directly into the Aeropress. You can try higher temperatures, if you want, but I wouldn't go lower than 175 degrees. This is a matter of taste, but I find most coffee to be far too hot (and consequently) far too bitter. You should at least make a deliberate choice, even if it isn't my choice. 17 | 4. Follow the usual Aeropress process, and enjoy your brew. 18 | 5. Once you've figured out your ideal blend of bean, grind coarseness, and water temperature, go argue about it on [Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/Coffee/). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /recipes/sweet-potatoes.md: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | # Cook One of Those Huge Japanese Sweet Potatoes 2 | 3 | _By Steven Syrek_ 4 | 5 | This recipe will actually work for any large potato, but why make a plain white potato when you can have the king of all tubers: the big, purple [Satsumaimo](http://www.japanesefood101.com/index.php/more-information-on/satsumaimo/). So easy to cook this basically isn't even a recipe, one of these creamy, chestnut-y spuds is the perfect meal for the laziest of all developers. Stick it in the oven, come back later, and enjoy. Make sure you put something on top, though, or it can be a little cloying even when it's moist, just because there's so much of it. I cycle between butter, ghee, miso, and [kasu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sake_kasu). Miso you can find anywhere, but if you want to experiment with more varieties of it, you need to go to a Japanese supermarket. Kasu is sake lees, the sediment left over from the making of "rice wine." You may have to order it online, but it's totally, completely worth it. Since the potato will come out of the oven piping hot, you can also use it to insta-cook whatever fillings strike your fancy, sort of like a Turkish [kumpir](http://www.enjoy-istanbul.com/street-food/kumpir-turkish-baked-potato/). Search the Internet for ideas. 6 | 7 | ## Ingredients 8 | 9 | - Sweet potato(es) 10 | - Salt and freshly ground black pepper 11 | - Butter, miso, or kasu (optional) 12 | 13 | ## Preparation 14 | 15 | 1. (Pre)heat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (220 degrees Celsius). 16 | 2. Wash the potatoes thoroughly, and poke each one with a knife in a few places. 17 | 3. Did you remember to poke your potatoes with a knife? You really don't want to forget that step! 18 | 4. Put them in the oven on foil (but not wrapped in it). Bake for at least an hour, turning once. Larger potatoes may require slightly more time, but this is OK, because slightly too much time is better than not quite enough. 19 | 5. Remove from the oven, cut in half lengthwise, sprinkle with the salt and pepper, and add any other toppings. When adding butter/miso/kasu (or some combination thereof), I like to make further slits into each half of the potato so the topping seeps in. Yum. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /recipes/shirred-eggs.md: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | # Shirred Eggs for Lovers 2 | 3 | _By Steven Syrek_ 4 | 5 | Let's be honest. Eggs are the hardest thing to cook. If you can reliably cook eggs well, then you can cook anything. [Seriously](https://youtu.be/_Ft0cwxjBKE?t=51m). Baked eggs, as presented here, are a nice alternative to the usual pan-fried specimens. Best of all, they're dead simple. This particular recipe I will admit to having stolen from [Mark Bittman](http://markbittman.com). But Mark wants you to eat better, so he won't mind. Make these for your romantic partner for breakfast, and you won't have to worry about dessert. I _a-shirr_ you! LOL! 6 | 7 | ## Ingredients 8 | 9 | - Cooking oil or butter 10 | - Eggs 11 | - Salt and freshly ground black pepper 12 | - Freshly ground nutmug 13 | - Various bottomings and toppings (optional) 14 | - Toast (optional, but not really) with ground cardamom 15 | 16 | ## Preparation 17 | 18 | 1. Heat your oven (preheat?) to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius). 19 | 2. For each egg you plan to cook, put a little bit of butter or oil in a ramekin. Please don't tell me you don't own any ramekins. 20 | 3. If you want, you can add cream to the ramekin at this stage, harissa, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, cilantro, feta cheese, or anything else you think might go well with eggs. I have tried all of those. 21 | 4. Break 1 egg into each cup. 22 | 5. Sprinkle the tiniest amount of freshly ground nutmeg on top. This is my idea, and not Mark's, and I want you to know that. OK, I kind of also stole it from [The Flavor Bible](http://a.co/2vaHeP0), but I'm an [artist](https://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/03/06/artists-steal/)! 23 | 6. Put the ramekins on a baking sheet or just directly in the oven. If you're cooking more than 1 or 2, use a baking sheet to ensure consistency. 24 | 7. Bake for exactly 12 minutes. 25 | 8. Remove and let cool. Eggs will continue cooking after you remove them from heat, so don't be a perfectionist. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve with buttered toast. Eat messily. If you're a [baller](https://www.wikihow.com/Be-a-Baller), you'll also sprinkle your buttered toast with the tiniest amount of ground cardamom. This is also my idea, and it's a damn good one! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /recipes/greek-salad-for-winners.md: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | # Greek Salad for Winners 2 | 3 | _By Steven Syrek_ 4 | 5 | I refused to eat tomatoes for the first 25 years of my life, because for my entire childhood I was only ever served watery, pink tomatoes from late 20th century supermarket chains. Then I went to Greece. I was a vegetarian at the time, and if you're a vegetarian in Greece there's nothing to eat except tomatoes. Lucky for me. This is one of those recipes that's really just a mixture of good ingredients. Use good ingredients and get good results. Use bad ingredients and you might as well consume Soylent. In other words, use good ingredients. And get the best Greek salad ever. 6 | 7 | ## Ingredients 8 | 9 | - 2-3 small red tomatoes (tomatoes on the vine are perfect for this) 10 | - 1 small or 1/2 large cucumber (or use however much you want) 11 | - A handful of Kalamata or other Greek olives 12 | - 1/4-1/3 a block of feta cheese or a handful of feta cheese crumbles 13 | - Fresh oregano on the stalk, if you can find it 14 | - The best extra virgin olive oil money can buy 15 | - Salt and freshly ground black pepper 16 | - A few sweet piquanté peppers (aka Peppadews), whole or sliced (optional) 17 | - Fresh basil (optional) 18 | 19 | ## Preparation 20 | 21 | 1. Use a serrated blade to slice the tomatoes and a regular knife (or chef's knife) to slice the cucumber, both into cubes or any other pleasing but bite-sized shape. Dump into a large bowl. 22 | 2. Also cube the feta if it's in block form, and sprinkle it on top—as much as you like, but don't be ridiculous. 23 | 3. Add a reasonable number of olives (you'll eventually figure out the balance of ingredients you prefer). 24 | 4. Drizzle olive oil on top with an open heart. Crumble a mindful amount of fresh oregano on top of that, add a restrained dash of salt, and grind over the whole salad a free-spirited soupçon of pepper. 25 | 5. You can experiment with other ingredients, if you like. I will sometimes add some basil, cut up with kitchen scissors, or a few [peppadews](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peppadew) if the mood strikes me. Essentially, you can just grab anything that looks good from the olive bar. But start with the basic premise first before elaborating the plot. 26 | 6. Don't forget to toss your salad. Serve with compassion. 27 | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /recipes/perfect-roasted-chicken.md: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | # Perfect Roasted Chicken 2 | 3 | _By Steven Syrek_ 4 | 5 | Roast chicken is delightful and makes life better. This recipe is dead simple to prepare once you know it by heart, which you will after doing it once. You will also please everyone you serve it to, in addition to yourself. It requires only basic ingredients, and it's hard to get it wrong; chicken is rather forgiving even if you do. The trick is not to overcook it. I like the meat to touch 145 degrees Fahrenheit at the center, i.e. less than the [USDA recommendation](https://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/meatchart.html) of 165 degrees. This recipe will, depending on your oven, probably get you somewhere in between. Keep your prep area clean, treat raw chicken like toxic waste, and use a meat thermometer. But food safety involves a [number of factors](http://blog2.thermoworks.com/2016/04/thermal-tips-simple-roasted-chicken/), so don't trust me or [anyone else](http://www.barfblog.com/2017/03/cookbooks-give-readers-mostly-bad-advice-on-food-safety/). Do your own research, draw your own conclusions, and don't come to me with your salmonella concerns. Also, if you do it right, the skin comes out awesome. 6 | 7 | ## Ingredients 8 | 9 | - Chicken parts, not boneless (I usually use 4-8 thighs) 10 | - Extra virgin olive oil 11 | - Salt and freshly ground black pepper 12 | - Secret seasoning combination of your choice (optional) 13 | 14 | ## Preparation 15 | 16 | 1. Procure any number of chicken parts. You can try larger or smaller pieces, or even a whole bird if you want (definitely use a thermometer in this case). I prefer thighs, myself, and tend to cook 6-8 at a time. Breasts also work beautifully, but expect them to be a little bit drier. Do not use boneless cuts. 17 | 2. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit (or approximately 230 degrees Celsius). Check the temperature using a standalone oven thermometer. I make no guarantees about the results of your cooking endeavors if you deign to trust your oven's built-in thermometer. 18 | 3. Place the chicken parts _skin side up_ in a large, rectangular baking pan (with steep sides). There should be some space between them. Note: you can get better results if you preheat the pan a bit, too, along with the olive oil. In that case, you'll need to turn the chicken parts over a few times in the oil to cover them, then season. 19 | 4. Drizzle the chicken parts generously with extra virgin olive oil, and then sprinkle them judiciously with salt (preferably big, flaky kosher salt) and freshly ground black pepper (do not cheap out on your pepper or just stop reading now and go do something else). 20 | 5. Sprinkle the pan with any other seasoning of your choosing (optional). Many markets sell seasoning blends for poultry, so you could experiment with those. I've used cumin, sumac, thyme, paprika, and Japanese shiso pepper (these either alone or in combination) to good effect. You can swish things around a bit at this point, so at least the underside of the chicken parts are coated with oil (to prevent them from sticking to the pan), but making sure to maintain the space between them. 21 | 6. Put the pan in the oven, and bake for 15 minutes. 22 | 7. Use metal tongs to flip the chicken parts over, taking care not to rend the skin. 23 | 8. Bake for another 15 minutes. 24 | 9. Flip the parts carefully again so they are once more skin side up—this part is critical. 25 | 10. Bake for another 15 minutes. 26 | 11. Remove the pan from the oven, and let the chicken rest a few minutes, or until the pan juices calm down and stop burning you. 27 | 12. Serve with rice and/or your favorite sides, reserving the pan juices for gravy. Or top with [World's Greatest Tomato Sauce](worlds-greatest-tomato-sauce.md). 28 | 29 | Consider saving the bones from your dinner for use with [Let Nothing Go to Waste Bone Broth](bone-broth.md). 30 | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /recipes/shakshuka.md: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | # Shakshuka, Because Your Breakfast is Boring 2 | 3 | _By Steven Syrek_ 4 | 5 | I first ate shakshuka many years ago at a hard-to-find but supposedly famous little place called [Dr. Shakshuka](http://www.doctorshakshuka.co.il/) in Jaffa, Israel. The menu was entirely in Hebrew, and nobody there spoke English. I indicated to the nice woman who came to take my order that I would like to eat something. She smiled knowingly and before I knew it was piling my table with—I'm pretty sure—every item on the menu. And charged me for, at most, one of them. And so this dish became one of those travel discoveries I had to incorporate into my repertoire. Casting about for recipes, I eventually landed on a version by [Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi](http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/shakshuka-with-red-peppers-and-cumin-56389454) in their excellent [Jerusalem: A Cookbook](http://a.co/gnqU3ye). They were inspired by Dr. Shakshuka. Anyway, you can certainly just make their version, or any other—there are many. This one is the lazy programmer's version, a perfect breakfast of first resort, especially if you already made [tomato sauce](worlds-greatest-tomato-sauce.md). 6 | 7 | ## Ingredients 8 | 9 | - [World's Greatest Tomato Sauce](worlds-greatest-tomato-sauce.md) or other, inferior tomato sauce 10 | - extra virgin olive oil 11 | - the number of eggs you would like to eat 12 | - harissa or other spicy red pepper paste (it's fun to [make your own](http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/harissa-51185010), but you can just buy it, too) 13 | - ground cumin 14 | - salt and freshly ground black pepper 15 | - red bell pepper, sliced to your liking (optional) 16 | - mushrooms, sliced to your liking (optional) 17 | - garlic, chopped (optional) 18 | - coriander, chopped (optional) 19 | - feta cheese or plain yogurt (optional) 20 | 21 | ## Preparation 22 | 23 | 1. Place a large skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the olive oil. Watch the oil carefully. It should start to glisten and ever so slightly bubble. At that point, it should be hot enough to add the garlic. Add the garlic. 24 | 2. Just before the garlic browns, add the harissa, cumin, salt, pepper, and any optional veggies (but not the cheese or greens). How much, you ask? It depends what you like. I generally add a few generous dollops of harissa and what probably amounts to half a tablespoon of cumin. But I like spicy food, and I love cumin. So do whatever suits you. If you go nuts with the mushrooms, which is laudable, you might need to moisturize them with some extra oil. If you went easy on the harissa (come on, it's not _that_ spicy!), add a tablespoon of the tomato sauce. Or even just do that anyway. Smush everything together and stir around with the oil. 25 | 3. When the mixture has reduced slightly, or the added veggies are soft (6-8 minutes), add the tomato sauce. Simmer until the mixture has thickened enough that you can sort of almost sculpt it, about 10 minutes. 26 | 4. Using the back of a ladle or a big spoon, make one indentation in the sauce for each egg you intend to poach. Then crack each egg into its designated indentation. Try not to break the yolks. If you're fearless (or stupid), you can just crack them on the side of the skillet. This is what I usually do, even though it's a bad idea and I frequently end up fishing bits of shell out of the sauce. Be smart, and crack the eggs on a flat surface instead. Like a plate. You can even use little bowls and pour them in one at a time if you're a perfectionist—and why shouldn't you be? This is breakfast! 27 | 5. Gently simmer the shakshuka until the eggs are set. This is the hard part. Eggs are the hardest food to get right. 8-10 minutes should be plenty, slightly less if you cover the skillet (as I do). Your best bet is to remove the skillet from the heat just as the whites actually become white but before the yolks look quite done. 28 | 6. Let the skillet rest for a few minutes, and the eggs will finish cooking on their own. You're going to have to practice cooking eggs for awhile before you'll be any good at it, so err on the side of slightly undercooked (overcooked eggs are disgusting). 29 | 7. Take a photo of the skillet, and post it to Instagram. Serve to an admiring partner or, greedily, to yourself. If you're using feta, coriander, or some other green garnish, sprinkle it on top. If you're using yogurt, drop a spoonful or two on the side. Oh the colors! A respectable person eats shakshuka with crusty bread. Dip it into the yolk. Use it to clean all the sauce off your plate. Try to get on with your day. 30 | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /recipes/frittata-for-leftovers.md: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | # A Frittata for Leftovers, Especially Pasta 2 | 3 | _By Steven Syrek_ 4 | 5 | ![](images/frittata-for-leftovers.jpg) 6 | 7 | "Frittata" is literally the most delicious word to pronounce. It sparkles on the tongue, and everyone smiles when they hear it. Show up to a party with a frittata in hand, and you will be a hero as your humdrum get-together is transformed into a sophisticated midday meal at an Italian villa. This is a versatile dish, and even though it contains eggs, you should feel free to consume it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or whatever you call that meal when you finally stumble into your home at 3 am after a night of drinking too much. In the latter case, you should probably make it ahead of time. Although it's not mandatory, you would be a fool not to try out the full blown version of this recipe, which requires you to first master my [World's Greatest Tomato Sauce](recipes/worlds-greatest-tomato-sauce.md) and [Correct Pasta](recipes/correct-pasta.md) recipes. One problem with both of those recipes is the amount of extra food you can end up with. While you should be using your extra sauce to make [shakshuka](recipes/shakshuka.md), what about all that pasta you thought you wanted to eat? Wonder no more. 8 | 9 | ## Ingredients 10 | 11 | - Cooking oil 12 | - 1 medium onion, sliced and diced 13 | - 1..n cloves of garlic, where n is the amount of garlic you want in your frittata 14 | - Leftover pasta (technically optionally, but highly desirable) 15 | - Herbs and spices—whatever you have, whatever you like 16 | - 1 or 2 sausages cooked in [World's Greatest Tomato Sauce](recipes/worlds-greatest-tomato-sauce.md), cut into small pieces 17 | - Cheese(s), following the simple rule that more cheeses are better than fewer cheeses, grated 18 | - 8 eggs, whisked (but not _really, really_ whisked) 19 | - Salt and freshly ground black pepper 20 | - Any leftover vegetables, cooked or uncooked, that you feel guilty about not eating (I'm looking at you, single unused bell pepper), cut into small pieces (optional) 21 | - Any leftover meats, shredded or cut into small pieces (optional) 22 | 23 | ## Preparation 24 | 25 | 1. Preheat, which is to say heat, your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (or 200 degrees Celsius) 26 | 2. Set your cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until warm. Flick a water droplet into it—if it sizzles, then it's ready. If you do not own a cast iron skillet, you should turn off both your stove and oven, go out and buy one, season it, and then resume this recipe. 27 | 3. Add your cooking oil to the skillet. Allow it to heat up before adding any other ingredients. 28 | 3. If you're cooking with raw meat, brown it in the oil and then remove. 29 | 4. Sauté the onions until translucent. Add the garlic, if you're using it. 30 | 5. Add in the veggies one type at a time, depending on how long they normally take to cook. Potatoes take longer than mushrooms take longer than peppers. If you're bold, you can even try cashews, pistachios, or hazelnuts. Rice is also an option. You probably have leftover rice from old Chinese takeout. As always, consider jalapeños. 31 | 6. Add the meat, and mix it around. If you want to use tofu, add that now, too. 32 | 7. Add the herbs and spices. You can't go wrong with a stalk or two of fresh coriander and parsley (chopped), a few fresh basil leaves, a handful of oregano, thyme, or majoram, a sprinkling of cumin seeds, or something hotter and spicier. Feel free to experiment. Add a teaspoon or so of salt. Add the pepper. Don't worry about overdoing it, because you're going to be adding eggs soon, and they need to be bullied around so they don't dominate the dish too much. Secret ingredient: a little bit of freshly ground nutmeg. _For the win_. 33 | 8. Stir everything around and cook for another minute or two. 34 | 9. Make sure the mixture is spread out evenly, and sprinkle the grated cheese on top. You can use whatever cheese you have. Fontina, cheddar, Gruyère, Parmesan, and feta are all fine choices, though some go better with others. I suppose you could use mozzarella and Gorgonzola together with the Gruyère and Parmesan and call the dish a Frittata Quattro Formaggi—this is a decent method of making friends for life. 35 | 10. Let the cheese melt a little, then pour the whisked eggs on top of the whole mixture. Tilt the skillet to make sure the eggs evenly cover everything. Cook for another minute or two. You should see the eggs just start to set around the edge of the skillet. 36 | 11. Put the whole pan into the oven, and bake for 8-10 minutes. 37 | 12. Remove the skillet from the oven, and cut a slit into the center of the frittata. If the eggs are still runny, bake for another few minutes. 38 | 13. Once the frittata is fully cooked, let it rest for around 5 minutes. 39 | 14. Cut into wedges, and serve. You would not be wrong to eat it with hot sauce. 40 | 41 | Leftover frittata will keep for several days, so don't worry about making too much. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /recipes/worlds-greatest-tomato-sauce.md: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | # World's Greatest Tomato Sauce 2 | 3 | _By Steven Syrek_ 4 | 5 | I always thought I would take this recipe, more like a family tradition, to my grave. Why? Because I liked the idea of taking something to my grave. But that would be depriving even some small part of humanity of the deeply satisfying pleasure of homemade tomato sauce—or as my mother still calls it, gravy. The problem isn't that people aren't making their sauce correctly. It's that most people don't make their own sauce at all. My family is Italian-American, so I've been eating homemade sauce my entire life. My father taught me how to make it myself, and I've been doing it now for about 20 years (as of this writing). Both of my parents, both well into their seventies, still do it, too. This means that it's almost impossible for me to enjoy eating out at Italian restaurants. Most of them are mediocre, and even the good ones aren't worth the money when you can just spoil yourself like this. Do it. It takes time, but the steps are simple. Just go code or something while it's simmering of a Sunday. 6 | 7 | ## Ingredients 8 | 9 | _Note: I do this largely through intuition, so I don't have exact measurements to offer. Adjust the amounts of these ingredients to your taste and depending on how much sauce you are making. I generally fill a five quart sauce pan and freeze whatever I'm not using immediately. This is the best way to go._ 10 | 11 | - Canned San Marzano tomatoes: whole, crushed, or pureed (stop here if you're not willing to use them or incorrectly think that fresh tomatoes are better—your fresh tomatoes will never be good enough) 12 | - As many Italian sausages as you can fit into the pan, one layer with room to breathe, preferably fennel but garlic is OK (leave them out for the vegan version, which I made for years so don't worry it's fine) 13 | - Whole cloves of fresh garlic, peeled and thinly sliced 14 | - Fresh basil 15 | - Extra virgin olive oil 16 | - One large yellow onion, peeled _but not sliced or chopped_ (seriously, a big one) 17 | - Salt and freshly ground black pepper 18 | 19 | ## Preparation 20 | 21 | 1. Open the can(s) of tomatoes. You'll burn the oil in the next step if you don't have the tomato pulp ready to go. If you bought whole tomatoes, chop or puree them in a blender or food processor, depending on the consistency of sauce you desire. If you bought crushed or diced tomatoes, you can leave them as they are for a chunkier sauce or go ahead and puree those, too. 22 | 2. Set a burner to medium, and heat up the largest saucepan you have—five quarts is ideal. When warm, add a generous splash of olive oil. When the oil begins to glaze over and just barely bubble with tiny, little baby bubbles, add the sausages. You should hear a sizzling sound that reminds you of your childhood. If you don't, the oil isn't hot enough. If you see smoke, the oil is too hot (and likely ruined). Brown the sausages, turning them frequently. When they look pretty, remove them. 23 | 3. Immediately add the sliced garlic. You already sliced it, right? It's called [mise en place](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mise_en_place), you barbarian. The garlic will sizzle and start to darken in color. Just before it turns brown, add the tomato pulp, or puree, or whatever you have. All of it. Scrape the sides of the cans with a spatula if you have to. Waste nothing! 24 | 4. Stir the sauce with a wooden spoon. 25 | 5. Add the browned sausages. 26 | 6. Add the whole onion. 27 | 7. Add as much basil as you can stand. I used to chop it. Then I just tore it up with my hands. Then I saw the guy from [Di Fara Pizza](http://www.difarany.com/) cutting basil with kitchen shears, so now I do that. 28 | 8. Drizzle in some more olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. 29 | 9. Stir the sauce. 30 | 10. Cover the pot, but leave the lid slightly ajar. Lower the heat to the absolute minimum. Heat gently for 3-6 hours, the longer the better (but not so long that it turns into paste). Stir the sauce every 15-30 minutes. 31 | 32 | The trick is to let the flavors gradually blend together as the sauce simmers and thickens. But you don't want it to burn, so you need to stir it periodically. This is the most critical factor of the recipe. You must stir the sauce. If you don't, it will burn. If you burn the sauce, pour the entire contents of the saucepan into your bed to teach yourself a lesson and start over. This time, stir the sauce. _Do not ruin my sauce!_ 33 | 34 | Eventually, even at the lowest heat setting, the sauce may begin to boil. This is especially likely with gas burners. Find a way to raise the pot above the heating element. I just use metal tongs, but a wok ring or diffuser are also options. [Ask the Internet](https://www.chowhound.com/post/stove-burner-smaller-665499) for advice. 35 | 36 | When the sauce is done, it will just look and smell done. It will have a delicious, oily sheen that says, "Feed me to a prospective mating partner." The sausages and whole onion will be especially popular among those who want to know your secrets. Tell them nothing. 37 | 38 | _Use with the [pasta](correct-pasta.md) and [shakshuka](shakshuka.md) recipes._ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /recipes/correct-pasta.md: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | # Correct Pasta 2 | 3 | _By Steven Syrek_ 4 | 5 | This is the correct way to make pasta. It's slightly more complicated than just boiling water, but not much. In fact, it's still easy enough that you might as well do it the right way. 6 | 7 | ## Ingredients 8 | 9 | - Dried or fresh pasta (do not discard the packaging without noting the recommended cooking time) 10 | - Salt 11 | - Extra virgin olive oil (optional) 12 | - Freshly ground black pepper 13 | - Parmesan cheese 14 | 15 | ## Preparation 16 | 17 | 1. Fill your largest saucepan (five quarts is typical) with cold water. [Do not ever](https://nyti.ms/2kgWiQY) cook with warm or hot water directly from the tap, thinking it's a shortcut. Do not use a smaller saucepan, thinking that you're saving either time or the environment. Go eat [salad](greek-salad-for-winners.md) instead. 18 | 2. Place it on your largest burner, and set the heat to the highest setting. I wouldn't do this five minutes before you plan to eat. 19 | 3. Go read an article in the [London Review of Books](https://www.lrb.co.uk/). 20 | 4. When the water comes to a rolling boil, sprinkle in some salt. Don't overdo it, or your pasta will taste salty, not seasoned. And don't add salt to the cold water first, as you may discolor your nice cooking equipment. You can add a tiny bit of olive oil to keep the pasta from sticking together, but it's not strictly necessary. 21 | 5. While the water is still boiling vigorously, dump in all the pasta at once. If you're using spaghetti, you'll probably [want to have broken](http://www.ef.com/english-resources/english-grammar/future-perfect/) it up in advance. If you used a large enough saucepan, as specified in step one, the water should keep boiling even after you've added the pasta. If you didn't, the water may stop boiling when you add the cold pasta, and you'll end up standing there looking sad, wishing you'd heeded my advice. Too bad. 22 | 6. Stir the pasta with a wooden spoon, so it doesn't just settle and stick together. Leave the heat on high, and resist the temptation to cover the pot. Or cover the pot, and learn the hard way why you shouldn't. 23 | 7. While the pasta is cooking, empty out your sink and place a large colander into it. If you do not own a colander, turn off the stove, go buy one, and start over again with step 1. Don't worry, pasta is cheap. Unless you used fancy fresh pasta or actually went to the trouble to make your own (costly in time, at least). In either of those cases, you really should have known what you were up against. 24 | 8. When the pasta has cooked for exactly as long as its packaging specifies, empty the saucepan into the colander. You should probably wear oven mitts to do this. If the handles of the saucepan don't burn you, the water vapor from the boiling water you dump into your sink will. If you prefer your pasta more [al dente](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_dente), you can take it off the heat a bit early. You may have to experiment, though, to find what you like best. Overcooked pasta can become rubbery and gelatinous. Undercooked pasta will cause gustatory stress-rejection. Old pasta may take longer to cook. This whole operation could be affected by your [altitude](http://www.denverpost.com/2008/05/05/cooking-pasta-at-altitude/). 25 | 9. At this point, your pasta is ready for consumption. If you're making pasta salad, let it cool completely before refrigerating it or adding anything else (like veggies or mayonnaise, which you don't want to cook). If you plan to serve it with a sauce, for example the [World's Greatest Tomato Sauce](worlds-greatest-tomato-sauce.md), your best bet is to return the pasta to the saucepan immediately and just as immediately combine it with the **hot** tomato sauce, which you surely had simmering happily in its own little saucepan nearby. If you take a cold jar of store-bought tomato sauce out of your refrigerator and dump it on top of your pasta before serving it, the malevolent forces of the universe will take notice and align against you. If you do it right, the pasta will absorb the tomato sauce (or pesto or whatever sauce you use) and cook a little bit more. This is A Good Thing. 26 | 10. Portion out the pasta onto plates to serve. Or _a plate_ if you're dining alone. Sorry. If there's any sauce left, you can pour more on top. Grind out some pepper over your nice dinner, and then add the coup de grâce: Parmesan cheese. If you followed my advice from the [front page](../README.md) of this repo, you bought a chunk of real, Italian Parmesan cheese and not that pre-grated [wood pulp](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-02-16/the-parmesan-cheese-you-sprinkle-on-your-penne-could-be-wood) garbage. If you even think about letting that inferior, non-food product touch my tomato sauce (remember: even if _you_ made it, it's still _mine_), I will be furious. Instead, buy the real thing and grate it with a [microplane](https://us.microplane.com/kitchen_en_us/). The Parmesan will fall upon your pasta like a soft morning snow. You can't add too much. If you must, you can use a "cheese grater." If you must, I suppose, you can also pee into your sink. 27 | 28 | Use your leftover pasta in [A Frittata for Leftovers, Especially Pasta](frittata-for-leftovers.md). 29 | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /README.md: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | # Dinner for Devs 2 | ## Simple recipes for lazy programmers 3 | 4 | I love cooking and learning about food. I have met quite a few developers who feel the same way. Recipes are just like code, right? I have also met quite a few developers who do not feel this way, and who use ignorance as an excuse for a poor or uninteresting diet. Your meal choices are your own, but if you'd like to have a few easy-to-memorize, go-to dinner options, here are some possibilities for your next meal. Bon appétit! 5 | 6 | _[Pull requests](https://github.com/sjsyrek/dinner-for-devs/pulls) made in the implied spirit of this repo are welcome and encouraged. Use the provided [recipe template](recipes/recipe-template.md). Please submit your own experience making a recipe as an [issue](https://github.com/sjsyrek/dinner-for-devs/issues)._ 7 | 8 | ### Basic assumptions 9 | 10 | - Only use freshly ground black pepper (i.e. buy black peppercorns in a grinder). If you use pre-ground pepper from a shaker, please move on to a different website. 11 | - [Kosher salt](http://www.bonappetit.com/story/what-is-kosher-salt) is preferred to other varieties, but you can use fancy sea salt or whatever if you must. Don't use the cheap stuff. 12 | - Most dried herbs are a waste of money, but there are exceptions. Dried oregano is fine, for example (especially if you can get it still on its stalk), but dried basil and things like garlic salt are garbage. Learn to tell the difference. 13 | - Dry roast your spices before using them to bring out their flavors. 14 | - Do not purchase Parmesan cheese that looks like sawdust—[it probably is](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-02-16/the-parmesan-cheese-you-sprinkle-on-your-penne-could-be-wood). 15 | - [Plugrá butter](http://plugra.com/product-information/) or any butter with a slightly higher fat content ("European butter") is preferred, especially for baking. Do not buy salted butter. Certainly do not buy margarine, or I will find you. 16 | - Let butter warm to room temperature before you use it. Or just [don't refrigerate it at all](http://www.thekitchn.com/does-butter-really-need-to-be-refrigerated-224036). Likewise for [eggs](http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/09/11/336330502/why-the-u-s-chills-its-eggs-and-most-of-the-world-doesnt). 17 | - Get the best extra virgin olive oil you can find, preferably Greek. 18 | - Safflower oil is a good, healthy choice for high temperature cooking, including frying, but only when you specifically don't want the oil to have any flavor. 19 | - If you burn your cooking oil, dump it out and try again. It's ruined. 20 | - In general, "burnt" is not a flavor, and may be [carcinogenic](https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/diet/cooked-meats-fact-sheet). 21 | - If you need to dump out copious amounts of oil or fat, let it cool and pour it into the garbage. If you pour it down the sink, [you will regret it](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/apr/21/huge-10-ton-fatberg-removed-chelsea-sewer-london). 22 | - Never put food into a cold cooking vessel. Heat it up first, along with any cooking fat you may be using. 23 | - [Blanch and shock veggies](http://dish.allrecipes.com/blanching-and-shocking-vegetables/) when appropriate before cooking them, if you can spare the time. That means having ice available. It's worth it. 24 | - Learn [how to cut onions](http://www.seriouseats.com/2016/11/knife-skills-how-to-slice-and-dice-an-onion.html) correctly. Do not just dice them for everything. Do not cut off the tip of your thumb. 25 | - If you invest in no other serious tool for cooking, at least get yourself a decent [chef's knife](http://www.wusthof.com/products/classic-ikon#/1). 26 | - Use a serrated blade when slicing tomatoes and other thin-skinned foods. Learn to use a paring knife. Use kitchen shears (the big scissors in the wooden knife block you bought at Target) to cut anything weird or stubborn. I use them to cut basil, because slicing it seems stupid. 27 | - Deposit your "cheese grater" in the nearest trash receptacle and purchase a [microplane](https://us.microplane.com/kitchen_en_us/). 28 | - A [mandoline slicer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At02GJDnVUs) can be handy, if you actually remember to use it. Try not to hurt yourself. 29 | - Develop a relationship with a [cast iron skillet](http://a.co/7PTdZAl) as soon as possible. Learn [how to clean it](http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-clean-a-cast-iron-skillet-cleaning-lessons-from-the-kitchn-107747) (hint: don't ever, _ever_ use dish soap), and make sure you keep it [seasoned](https://www.wikihow.com/Season-a-Cast-Iron-Skillet) so it doesn't rust. It will rapidly become your best friend. 30 | - Get an oven thermometer and use it. 31 | - Get a meat thermometer and use it. 32 | 33 | ### Recipes 34 | 35 | - [Perfect Roasted Chicken](recipes/perfect-roasted-chicken.md) 36 | - [Greek Salad for Winners](recipes/greek-salad-for-winners.md) 37 | - [World's Greatest Tomato Sauce](recipes/worlds-greatest-tomato-sauce.md) 38 | - [Correct Pasta](recipes/correct-pasta.md) 39 | - [Shakshuka, Because Your Breakfast is Boring](recipes/shakshuka.md) 40 | - [Great Coffee Wherever You Go](recipes/great-coffee.md) 41 | - [Matzo Balls](recipes/matzo-balls.md) 42 | - [Let Nothing Go to Waste Bone Broth](recipes/bone-broth.md) 43 | - [A Frittata for Leftovers, Especially Pasta](recipes/frittata-for-leftovers.md) 44 | - [Shirred Eggs for Lovers](recipes/shirred-eggs.md) 45 | - [Life Changing Braised Pork Belly](recipes/braised-pork-belly.md) 46 | - [Cook One of Those Huge Japanese Sweet Potatoes](recipes/sweet-potatoes.md) 47 | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /recipes/braised-pork-belly.md: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | # Life Changing Braised Pork Belly 2 | 3 | _By Steven Syrek_ 4 | 5 | Of all of my recipes, this one is the greatest. If you are the kind of person who appreciates pork—and I mean, you hear the word "pork" and that's enough to revive your spirits no matter how deep and dark your depression—then prepare to enter pork nirvana. By making this dish, you will also learn three important culinary techniques: brining, searing, and braising. Your taste buds will convince you how essential they are. The original inspiration came from a cookbook published by [Mission Street Food](http://www.missionstreetfood.com), now justly famous for its [Mission Chinese](https://www.missionchinesefood.com) outposts in San Francisco and New York. If you're ever on either of the two North American coasts, I recommend a detour to visit one of them. My version of their classic pork belly recipe is the one I do from memory. It's a bit less specific, because I haven't referred to the cookbook in years, but the results are just as spectacular. It's even a victim of its own success, because now people come to our parties expecting it and, as you will soon find out, it's dangerous food to make. I was hesitant to include this one in a repo that is putatively focused on "quick and easy" meals, but it's just too good not to share with the world. And it's theoretically not too difficult or time-consuming, either. Make it once in awhile, and you'll have leftovers for a week. There's nothing quicker or easier than that. 6 | 7 | ## Ingredients 8 | 9 | - A hefty slab of pork belly 10 | - Water 11 | - 1/3 cup kosher salt 12 | - 1/4 cup sugar 13 | - Dry roasted spices, various 14 | - Braising liquid 15 | 16 | ## Preparation 17 | 18 | 1. Cut off some of the fat from the pork belly and chop it up. Alternatively, buy lard. You will need a fair amount of fat for the searing process. 19 | 2. Using a very, very sharp knife, score the fatty side of the belly with shallow slashes about half an inch apart. Do this again in the other direction to form a crosshatch pattern. 20 | 3. If you have a large piece of meat, you may want to cut it into pieces that will fit into your biggest frying pan comfortably. 21 | 4. Prepare a brine by combining the salt, sugar, spices, and water. I generally dump the dry ingredients into a huge ziplock bag, add some water, slosh everything around, add the pork, and then top up the water. You could also use a container and weigh the belly down with plates (the meat will float). For the spices, I use a completely random assortment of things like cumin seeds, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, whole star anise, a cinnamon stick, black peppercorns, whole allspice, green cardamom pods, juniper berries, and a bay leaf or two. That's just off the top of my head, though. If I were to go look in my cabinet, I might find another half dozen options. Just use a sprinkling of each. If you dry roast them first (and cool before adding the water), you'll release more of their flavors. 22 | 5. Refrigerate overnight or for half a day if you're pressed for time. 23 | 6. Remove the pork belly from the brine and pat dry. Remove as many of the spices as you can. I'm always too lazy to do this, and I always regret it later when they turn into charcoal during the searing process. 24 | 7. Heat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit (150 degrees Celsius). If you want to really do things the right way, you should also heat your roasting pan and braising liquid, too (see step 10, below). I generally bring my braising liquid to a boil, and then leave it simmering until it's time for the roasting step. 25 | 8. Heat your largest skillet over medium-high to high heat. When hot, add the pieces of pork fat and render them as much as possible. Or, if you're using lard like a smart person (smarter than me, that is), wait until it liquifies. You'll need enough to penetrate the crevices you scored into the meat. When the fat pieces are rendered, remove them and discard. Or eat them—they'll be delicious. 26 | 9. Next is the searing process. _Important: you are about to add giant, fatty pieces of meat into super-hot oil! You are very likely going to burn yourself. The results will be worth the agony, but be prepared to feel like you've been through a war afterward. Keep as much of your skin covered as you can. Wear oven mits while manipulating the meat, and remember that you also have a face_. One at a time, place the pork belly pieces into the pan, fat side down. You want to avoid overcrowding the pan, so sear them in stages, if necessary. If the cooking fat is hot enough, you should achieve a nice sear—the outside of the meat is golden brown and crispy—in fewer than 5 minutes. When the fat side is done, flip to sear the meaty side. Repeat until all the pieces are seared. 27 | 10. Place the meat into a roasting pan and cover with hot braising liquid. For the braising liquid, you have many options. A basic pork or vegetable stock is fine. You could also use apple juice or beer combined with water. I like to add soy sauce to mine and sometimes a little wine. I have, in the past, even dumped the rendered pork fat from the searing step into the braising liquid. The point is to develop a master stock that you can use over and over again. There's a giant tub of dark, porky braising liquid in my fridge right now, as I type this. I don't worry about it ever going bad, because a) there's an inch thick layer of fat on top creating an airtight seal, b) it's so salty by now I doubt anything could live in it, and c) I boil it before use. Once you have this stock in your repertoire, you'll never have to start one again from scratch. 28 | 11. Cover the roasting pan with [parchment paper and only parchment paper](https://www.marthastewart.com/269281/parchment-vs-wax-paper). Cover the parchment with two layers of foil. The second layer makes for a better seal around your pan, because it will crumple together with the first layer. 29 | 12. Put the pan in the oven, and go for a jog. When you return, your entire house/apartment will smell like pork. I hope you like that sort of thing. Braise for 4-6 hours, the longer the better as far as I'm concerned. 30 | 13. Remove from the oven and let cool. Remove the meat from the braising liquid. Strain the braising liquid into a container for future use. You have just amped up its porkiness for next time. Congratulations, chef. 31 | 14. Do what you will with the meat. If it's cooked correctly, it will fall apart when you try to cut it up, so just smash it. Serve in tacos or flatbread or just on its own. You can also refry the pieces to give them a satisfyingly crunchy exterior. This is the perfect technique for reheating the leftovers. Pork belly goes well with Sriracha, coriander sauce, tamarind chutney, candied dates, jalapeños, pickles, and many other things. Probably everything. Don't eat this too often, or you may prematurely die. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------