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Two dishes based on freshly made chili paste and one from commercially available forms, all delicious.
Thai Curry Vegetables
so nice to have vegetables! to think that we used to bitch about the long wait to get our hands on animal proteins and now my body is demanding the opposite.
mortar-and-pestle operation was quickly defeated by the power of plugged-in appliances…
Thai Curry Mussels
no leftovers to take home. not a single shell.
Dan Dan Noodles
mysteriously spicy.
My new favorite sauce – Harissa. This little concoction packs heat! Something about toasting spices whole before grinding and meshing a paste together using mortar and pestle just really makes a preparation like this special. 
Each sauce incorporates peppers, each takes on a paste consistency but all completely different products. Romesco is creamy, nutty, and mild peppery. Harissa is toasty heat with a long finish. Piri-piri is caustically sour and pungent. All in all, great shocks to the systems on a cold winter day.
4 Moles, 4 proteins. Labor intensive and time consuming but well worth it.
Turkey with Mole Poblano
Pork with Mole Negro
Chicken with Mole Amarillo
Rabbit with Mole Rojo
Representive photo here — hint — it ain’t chicken.
Mexican Hot Chocolate and Churros. Thanks, Chef Merlo!
Low and slow over several days, Boston Baked Beans and Feijoada (Brazilian national dish, a black bean and meat stew) finally made it into our bellies. And the wait was well worth it. Baked beans are sweet, tangy, and sticking soft. What a great dish to learn and pay respect to our locale. Feijoada wasn’t eaten with the whole traditional spread but definitely lived up to the meatiness that’s so important to the dish (think ham hocks, 2 different sausages, and pork shoulder meat).
Moving on to our study of fats and oils,
Mongolian Beef
flashed-fried or oil-blanched slice of beef was very tender in the final dish
Bang Bang Ji Si (Bang Bang Chicken)
freshly toasted sesame seeds paste and oil really jazzed up the flavors
Som Tom (Thai Green Papaya Salad)
nut oil is essential to the profile of this refreshing mix
(substituted cashew for peanut to avoid triggering allergy)
included some not-so-green papayas due to a ordering mix-up but ended up with a nice dose of natural sweetness
Deep-Fried Chicken (not pictured)
butter milk soaked.
It’s not very often that we get free rein on a dish. Aside from select practical exams, today was one of the few incidences where one’s creativity can shine.
Dish: leafy salad with a vinaigrette
Rules: use at least 2 of the 3 lettuce varieties (romaine, radicchio, and endives) and vinaigrette must combine oil & water-based ingredients.
Grades takes into account competency level of vinaigrette making and all the factors that goes into composing a ready-to-eat dish.
Here’s what I presented — Radicchio and Endives Salad dressed in a Honey Mustard Vinaigrette (white balsamic vinegar and olive oil) with Eggs, Blue Cheese, and Candied Spiced Cashews (cinnamon, ginger, and garam masala) — sort of a “bitter & spice” plate.
Other individually evaluated tasty bites for today — Pommes Sarladaise (potatoes fried in duck fat), Butter-Poached Shrimp (must try it with lobster next time!), and Pork & Duck Rillette (not pictured).
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