Just a look back at this month and home-eats, some of which were the products of online classes that I’m offering now! This is not, by any remote stretch, all we ate this month at home, just the ones that for one moment stood out long enough for me to snap a photo and think they might be interesting.

Classic ceviche of lenguado, or sole. Chilies on the side to be added to taste (we had a friend of Henry’s over for dinner out on the patio and he’s not totally keen on spicy), and also a bit of cancha, toasted, salted corn kernels, added in to taste.

A quick and simple chicken and vegetable stir-fry – with chicken, peppers, onions, tomatoes, baby portobellos, corn, and a soy glaze, all over brown rice. Another friend over for dinner on the patio.

BLT sandwiches, heavy on the LT, with mayo on one slice of toasted whole grain bread and peanut butter on the other. It’s a Midwest (and apparently southern too) classic, and the way I always liked them made. I was surprised living on the east coast that people didn’t eat them that way. Peanut butter and mayo is actually a thing. (Don’t get me started on the Ohio/Kentucky border special of bananas rolled in mayonnaise and peanuts… it’s bizarrely good, but makes me feel like I’m doing something wrong.)

A Chupe de Frutos del Mar – chupes are a type of thick Peruvian soup of fish, shellfish, or both, like we did here. This was for an online class. A base of onions, peppers, garlic, and tomatoes, then some potatoes and lots of seafood (ling cod, calamari, shrimp, cockles). The broth is a seafood broth flavored with miso and finished with a splash of cream. We had so much that we invited yet another friend over to share in the dinner – sat out on the patio and had a great meal. We’re actually thinking about reopening Casa SaltShaker and just using the patio table for now, while weather is still good (and likely will be for several months).

And, what the heck, there were fresh figs in the market, so I drizzled them with a fruit molasses and some slightly whipped cream. We’re living large!

And, another online class – Paella Valenciana – almost classic on my end (my student went classic) – I only used chicken, no rabbit, as Henry won’t eat anything that has rabbit in it. Fresh broad beans and flat green beans were a nice find in the market, because they’re not always available here. We even got the borderline burnt socarrat crust just perfect.

And, a comfort food whim – chicken and dumplings – on a recent night. Coat the chicken in flour, salt, and pepper. Fry it until golden brown. Set it aside. Cook carrots, celery, onions, and garlic in the same pan until soft, sprinkle with flour and toast that. Deglaze with white wine. Return the chicken to the pan, top it up with chicken stock, bring to a simmer and cook until the chicken is done. Remove the chicken, let cool enough to handle, then chop up the meat and skin. Add dumplings (flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, butter, milk) to the boiling liquid – they’ll puff up and cook through in about 10-12 minutes. Add the chopped chicken back in and a handful of chopped chives or other herbs. Serve it up!

And that’s a wrap on February! Hit me up for an online class – they’re loads of fun. We also did an online “Introduction to Argentine Wines” class complete with a four-bottle tasting!