Last year sucked. So far, this year has also sucked. Thanks for nothing, Covid.
For 2022, I decided that I wanted to try some new things to counter the suckitude. I’m the cook in my household and my kitchen is fairly well stocked (even though most of my pans are from the 90s and my range is so old they don’t make burners for it any more). So this year I have been trying at least one, new-to-me recipe each week.
We’ve had baked goods, dumplings, a couple of soups, and last night, a West African staple, akara (black-eyed pea fritters).
I’m cooking and baking recipes by Black chefs and recipe developers this month because it’s Black History Month, and I’ve found that, for me, because white everything is my default (because I’m white and am surrounded by mostly white people), it’s important for me to actively seek out the work of people who are different from me.
(To that end, upcoming recipes include Afghan Ashak, Korean Curried tteokbokki, and Mexican conchas… and more dumplings… lots more dumplings.)
I’m enjoying the cooking, so far. Most of it is plant-based, because I don’t eat meat and Dana can’t have dairy. (If you need to avoid dairy for whatever reason, the vegans have got you covered — some enormous creativity on that front.) Cooking from someone else’s recipe is an interesting way to get some insight into their thinking about food, and I’m enjoying reading the cookbooks (and web sites, and blogs). As with our “regular” food, there’s not a lot of tofu or meat substitutes in these recipes so far (tofu will make an appearance next week). There’s nothing wrong with tofu or meat substitutes, but I cook them about as often as most people use beef, which is to say, not daily.
I think, most importantly, it’s giving me an opportunity to try new-to-me things. It’s fueling my need to have novel experiences (a thing I have sorely missed during the pandemic), and in some ways (dumplings) it has been a way to experiment with food that I love but have a difficult time finding (because I don’t eat meat).
I’m making a chocolate cake with whipped ganache and berries for Valentine’s Day (from Black Girl Baking: Wholesome Recipes Inspired by a Soulful Upbringing, by Jerrelle Guy), and next week I’m making Lil’ Tofu Po’Boys with Creamy Red Bell Pepper Sauce (from Afro-Vegan: Farm-fresh African, Caribbean and Southern Flavors Remixed, by Bryant Terry).
So far, finding a new recipe to cook every week has been a lovely practice, and has yielded some fun surprises (those black-eyed pea fritters are the bomb). I’m looking forward to seeing what else we enjoy.
Carmen Yount 