Meal No. 3661: Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos

The fun dinner experiment on Tuesday night was bang bang shrimp tacos, and boy howdy was it ever delicious. It also meant a lot of bowls to clean by the time it was all put together, because this was an air fryer version of panko-crusted shrimp, dipped in egg and spiced tapioca starch, and I was very pleased with how those buggers turned out. The bang bang sauce is a breeze and came out sweet and creamy. And the slaw had a great spice and onion punch to it, which was perfect as the bed of the taco fixings. It took both hands to manage it, and it was messy as heck, but I'm going to enjoy bringing this one back for a future meal, for sure.

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"Air Fryer Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos," from Maddie Ireland of Munchin' with Maddie. [Published 16 July 2024]

Meal No. 3312: Cuban Mojo Roast Pork

Back on Monday, March 6th, the RoHo crew of regulars gathered for the first time in weeks, and on this occasion it was in honor of Kristen's recent birthday. I was left to my own devices in planning out the menu and took advantage of the nice sale I'd come across on pork shoulders—perfect for piloting a new recipe for mojo pork roast. With an elevation in the authenticity that comes about when the recipe author draws on his own deep cultural roots, the evening's centerpiece was a marvelous pile of succulent lechón asado, onion-y and garlicky, with warm spices and the tang of the citrus it was cooked in. The cooling creaminess of avocado-cilantro lime sauce helped it become suitable to sandwiches—and this batch of it was particularly stunning.

And why not keep on pressing the quality envelope of the meal through homemade buns, with eager dependence on the recently uncovered "Beautiful Burger Buns" recipe from my faithful guides at King Arthur?

Oh, so very much better than storebought ciabatta rolls, as past practice indicates I was willing to settle for.

This meal called for Mexican coleslaw, so I broke out the air fryer to up the ante with a pseudo-grilled corn effect, to a worthy end. With a small touch of heat in the creamy dressing, and with roasted bell peppers and black beans as well, this was a hearty side (or sandwich topping, depending!).

We had ourselves a great evening, because that's what a gaggle of good friends like this makes possible.

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"Slow Cooker Cuban Lechón Asado," from Cory Fernandez of TheKitchn.com. [Published 10 December 2022]

"Cilantro Lime Sauce," from Alexa Blay of Key to My Lime. [Published 04 September 2019]

"Grilled Corn" achieved via air fryer, based on "Air Fryer Corn Kernels," from Nicole Radcliffe of the Cole in the Kitchen blog. [Published 08 August 2022]

"Beautiful Burger Buns," from Ellen "Moomie" Dorsey of King Arthur Baking. See also the accompanying blog post, "Burger Buns with a Beautiful Backstory," by PJ Hamel. [Published 28 June 2021]

"Mexican Coleslaw," from Christin Mahrlig of SpicySouthernKitchen.com. [Published 08 August 2017]

"Taco Seasoning I," from Bill Echols on AllRecipes.com.

Meal No. 2312: Pan-Seared Filet Mignon

The evening meal was oh-so-delicious tonight: filet mignon, lightly seasoned, seared in the cast iron skillet to a perfect rare temperature; then served with a pile of roasted asparagus and a small side salad topped with homemade Caesar dressing. For thems what wanted it, there was also a batch of air fryer french fries...and they are just not as good from that as they are when dumped to a sizzle in the deep fat fryer.

Meal No. 2305: Braised New Mexico-Style Pork in Red Chile Sauce

Gorgeous Braising Sauce of New Mexico Chiles

Saturday night offered another great gathering of the most regular Roediger House regulars for hanging out and watching a new favorite streaming series. So of course there also needed to be some grub to serve at dinnertime, and I thought we might be ready for a second go of carne adovada (I'd first made it back in August.) Two sort of similar sides were offered up as well: Mexican street corn salad with black beans, and Mexican coleslaw. It was rather a festive feast and that was some damned fine pork.

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"Braised New Mexico-Style Pork in Red Chile Sauce (Carne Adovada)," by Annie Petito. In Cook's Illustrated, Number 154 (September/October 2018), p. 6-7.

"Mexican Street Corn Salad," by Joanna Cismaru. From JoCooks.com. [Published 04 May 2017]

Guidance for air roasting corn from "An Air Fryer Makes Eating Vegetables Easier and More Delicious," by Annaliese Griffin on Quartzy.com. [Published 10 January 2019]

"Mexican Coleslaw," from Christin Mahrlig of SpicySouthernKitchen.com. [Published 08 August 2017]

"Taco Seasoning I," from Bill Echols on AllRecipes.com.