Martha & Marley Spoon (07-28-16)

At Marley Spoon, they believe cooking should be a pleasure, and they know that with full lives and busy schedules, it can be a challenge. To help make weeknights easier and dinners more delicious, they take the thousands of dishes they’ve created and deliver them right to your door.

Cooking with Marley Spoon means eating sustainably, supporting small food businesses, and saving time to make time for everything else you want to do. They offer the best of the best in their boxes, including grass-fed beef, Berkshire pork, American-caught shrimp, artisanal cheeses and much more.

They want you to cook what excites you, which is why they offer ten recipes to choose from every week. You’ll always find something for everyone at your table, including kid-friendly dishes, healthy eats, gluten-free recipes and more.

What sets Marley Spoon apart from other quality meal prep delivery kits is their partnership with Martha Stewart. Along with her recipes comes her unsurpassed culinary knowledge to help you cook a delicious meal in the least amount of time. Every dish embodies Martha's love for seasonal ingredients, tried-and-true smart cooking techniques and delicious flavors.

My husband and I love to cook our own homemade meals throughout the week, usually repeats... chili, spaghetti, soups, grilled meats and veggies. But this enables us to take it a step further and make delicious dinners that we wouldn't think to just make on the fly. With Martha & Marley Spoon, you can incorporate gourmet meals into your diet with minimal effort.

The first meal I chose to create was the Caprese Stuffed Portobellos with Bulgur & Herb Salad. "Did you know the colors of a Caprese salad mirror those of the Italian flag - red, green, and white? In this recipe, large portobello caps take on the classic flavors of a Caprese salad."

For this dish, I supplied my own olive oil, salt and pepper, while Marley Spoon provided bulgur, portobello mushrooms, fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, basil, mint, and parsley.

I cooked the bulgur according to the instructions, but for the life of me, I could not get it of an edible consistency. So there was no side and I didn't need the mint. But that's okay because a giant portabello can be an entree and side by itself.

To prepare the mushrooms, I removed the stems, and coated with oil, salt and pepper. Then I broiled five minutes on each side until tender.

Caprese Stuffed Portobellos
with Bulgur & Herb Salad

The filling was super easy to make. I cut the mozzarella into bite-sized pieces, halved the tomatoes and picked basil leaves from the stems. Tossing them all together, I added oil, salt and pepper. I filled the mushroom caps with the mixture and returned to the broiler for about three minutes until the cheese was melty.

Okay... there is nothing I love more than a fresh caprese salad. NOTHING, I SAY! It's a must-have at any authentic Italian restaurant. And, if I can get my hands on really fresh mozzarella, and a good vinaigrette, I'll make up several days worth of it, but accidentally eat it all in one day. So needless to say, I was crazy excited that this was one of the recipes to choose. And it did not disappoint. The mushrooms were delicious, as all mushrooms are, and the topping was perfect. Those flavors were just meant for one another. I would never have thought to shelve the vinaigrette and prepare the salad this way, so this is one I will be doing again. And a refrigerator magnet for you!!!
                                                                                                                                                                   

The second meal I made was the Miso Cod & Bamboo Rice with Sesame Spinach. "Bamboo rice gets its gorgeous green hue from young bamboo. It has a subtle herbal flavor and is a good source of vitamin B."

In addition to the oil, salt and pepper, I also had to supply my own granulated sugar. One thing that was different than any other recipe I've gotten from a meal preparation kit was that they suggested using what they termed a "neutral oil" like safflower, vegetable or canola. I've never not used olive oil in a dish.

Marley Spoon provided me with the mirin, white miso, bamboo rice, spinach, sesame oil, rice vinegar, sesame seeds, and cod fillets. 

To make the miso glaze, I combined the mirin, white miso and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly until the sugar had dissolved. As it was cooling, I began boiling the bamboo rice in hopes that the grains would be tender. Now I'll tell you what. I consider myself a fairly good chef but I cannot cook rice (and apparently bulgur) to save my life! After it has boiled a few minutes, I start tasting for consistency. Okay, not cooked, not cooked, not cooked. And all of a sudden, MUSH! URGH!

Miso Cod & Bamboo Rice
with Sesame Spinach

So I moved on to the spinach. Spinach is so good steamed. You can't really mess it up unless you just way too preoccupied and forget about it. It takes a minute, maybe less. After it was finished sweating, I drizzled with sesame oil, rice vinegar and toasted sesame seeds, seasoning with salt and pepper.

On an oiled baking sheet, I covered the cod with the miso glaze. Then I broiled it for about 6-8 minutes until the fish was browning on top and cooked through. I served it with the spinach and bamboo rice, and sesame seeds sprinkled on everything.

I don't know what I did wrong, but this was terrible. Completely inedible. The fish was slimy and the miso too sweet. The rice was a big pile of rubbery mush. The spinach was fine, but I didn't care too much for the rice vinegar. This was a disaster. I'm sure it was operator error though. Everything should have come together nicely, and it certainly was drool-worthy reading the description. I just did not have success with this dish.
                                                                                                                                                                   

Finally, it was time for the Roasted Tomato Tortilla Soup with Corn & Chilies. For this recipe, Marley Spoon supplied me with plum tomatoes, yellow onion, an ear of corn, cilantro, a jalapeno, garlic, white corn tortillas, vegetable broth, pinto beans, and a lime.

I had to provide olive oil, salt, pepper, and... a blender. Well, s**t. I don't currently own a blender. I don't currently have any dollars. I don't currently have someone to borrow one from.

What I do have is some innovation. I wasn't able to make this recipe. But I was able to thaw out some ground beef to fry up with the garlic, cook and mash the beans with the onion, and roast and shuck the corn with the jalapeno. So we had ourselves some Tex-Mex tacos topped with cilantro and lime juice with some tasty sides.

The two dishes that didn't work out were SO NOT the fault of Marley Spoon. They are a fantastic company and anytime I've used them in the past, everything was amazing. Plus, those caprese salad-inspired mushrooms were worth what I would have paid for this box. Which brings me to the outstanding customer service that Marley Spoon has. This order was free to me because the previous month, the shipment was delivered (by the delivery company) to the incorrect address, in the middle of June. And although that also was not the fault of Marley Spoon, they quickly offered me a new box.

Martha & Marley Spoon usually costs around $10 per meal per person. I received my first box for half off, which is fairly common among these programs, so look for the deal. I highly recommend them. Highly.

Happy cooking!