Chickpeas, Mushrooms and Italian Sausage

This was an amazing dish considering I left my home this morning thinking I needed to go grocery shopping and then decided to skip out and graze lazily instead of cooking something I could keep for lunch at work the next day.  This laziness was inexcusable, considering I had just organized an Earth Day event at work, and one of the tips we gave was for people to take their lunches to work instead of ordering.

As it turns out, I had more than enough ingredients at home; I just hadn’t imagined them together before they actually came together in the pan.  Now I can go to sleep tonight without feeling like a hypocrite because I’ve got plenty of leftovers.  I served the dish below over brown rice, but it’s good alone as well.

Ingredients:

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3-4 cups cherry tomatoes, run through a food processor until minced with juices
15 brown Chinese mushrooms, or shittake mushrooms
1/4 cup diced red onion
2 T. butter
fresh basil
4 links (more or less 1 lb.) Italian sausage
lemon juice from one half a lemon
1 t. cumin
2 T. red wine vinegar
1/4 c. bread crumbs, finely ground 

Directions:

Brown sausage as whole links in pan, cooking covered over a medium-low heat with 1/4 c. water until cooked through. Partially cover, turn up heat and then brown slightly before removing from pan and letting drain.

Add 1/2 butter to a pan and let melt.  Add onion and saute until sweating and then add mushrooms.  When mushrooms begin to wilt, add the rest of the butter and bread crumbs.  Add cumin and red wine vinegar, and mix thoroughly.  Add chickpeas and combine, then add tomatoes.  Heat through for about 3 minutes, then add fresh basil in whole leaves and lemon juice.  Add sausage, cut into 1/2 in. pieces.  Combine and remove from heat.

Note:

That amazingly-talented woman on smittenkitchen.com has a chickpea and garbanzo bean recipe that I adore, and she has a breadcrumb base that I can’t get enough of.  It inspired this dish, and next time I make this dish, I intend to make it more like she does in her recipe.  That means using fresh bread instead of breadcrumbs, browning it as croutons in the pan with oil and adding cumin, then putting through the food processor with garlic and red wine vinegar.  It’s got a much stronger taste when done that way, and the fresh bread instead of breadcrumbs add a hearty and tangy meatiness. 

Creamy and Tangy Pasta

To be honest, the following recipe is quite strange and will probably seem unappetizing to many people.  This was definitely a throw-everything-in-your-pantry-and-fridge-into-a-pot sort of effort.  I was fighting urges when I made this dish – the urge to make a creamy, Italian sort of pasta dish with hearty potato, silky softened red onion, and a lots of French butter and the competing urge to make a tangy, spicy Asian stir-fry inspired by the homemade kimchi in my fridge (thanks to the pure generosity of one of my students).  In the end, I decided to combine them and see how butter and cream paired with kimchi.  Worried that I’d overdone it, I threw in some cheese to make it all gooey because melted cheese rarely detracts from a dish.

Ingredients:

2 T. butter
1 cup whole milk
Italian herbs
3 T. tomato paste
salt and pepper
1 small red onion, cut into thin slices
4 small white potatoes, cut length-wise and then sliced in thin semi-circles
1/2 cup sliced kimchi
3 T. colby-jack cheese, diced into small cubes
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups cooked pasta, lightly coated in extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat.  Add milk, tomato paste, Italian herbs, salt and pepper and whisk to create a thin sauce.  Add onions and potatoes, stir to heart through and then reduce heat to low.  Partially-cover pan and let sit, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are cooked through and onions are soft.   Uncover pan and increase heat until sauce thickens a little.  Remove from heat and combine in a large bowl with pasta, beans, kimchi and cheese cubes.  Serve immediately.

Note:

The sauce base of this recipe alone is great for pasta, and the dish may taste even better without the kimchi and cheese (it will definitely be simpler).  Also, I suggest sauteeing the potatoes and onions in butter and oil after making sauce and then combining them later.  Thinly-sliced potatoes taste great in pasta dishes when they are a little browned.

Me Gusta Migas

Few things in life make me happier than sitting at a comfortable home desk, listening to the news, sipping coffee with milk, and eating some rockin’ home-cooked migas as I slowly poke about, getting ready to go on some adventure on an extra day off.  Today is Qing Ming, a national holiday in China that translates to “Tomb-Sweeping Day.”  As usual, I’m enjoying the day off entirely differently than the people around me; they are visiting ancestors’ tombs, and I’m savoring the combination of a lack of obligations and plentiful sunshine.

Hungry and needing food to start things fresh after a night of margaritas and birthday cheers, I whipped up some migas.  First and foremost, please understand the awesomeness of that statement.  I live in China, where corn tortillas aren’t on every corner.  I have to scrounge through the foreign food stores, checking freezers in high hopes that they might contain more than just one brand of only flour tortillas.  Recently, I got lucky, and the frozen stack of not-very-good-in-Texas corn tortillas in my freezer is heavenly.  Missing Mexican food lately, and inspired by a recent success with cooking eggs, I made up this variation (I am usually wary of making eggs because I so often mess them up – and who messes up eggs?).

Ingredients:

2 eggs
2 corn tortillas, cut into small 1/2-in. squares
1/4 cup milk
salt and pepper
red chili powder
1/4 cup shredded cheddar or colby jack cheese
1/2 T. butter
1/2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
2-3 T. tomatillo salsa

Directions:

Heat butter and oil in pan.  Add tortillas and saute until crispy and beginning to brown.  Meanwhile, whisk eggs, cheese, spices, and milk.  Add to pan and scramble on low heat.  Remove from pan and top with salsa.

Note:

I love the almost dulcet sound of Amy Goodman’s voice as she forces all the inflection from it in an attempt to hide her utter disgust at the news bite she delivered just moments before.  Also, serve these migas in warmed flour tortillas for an even tastier breakfast.

Creamy, Cheesy Breakfast Tacos with Bacon

I made this as a hangover meal, and it was perfect, much like everything else going on that day.

Ingredients:

1 medium tomato, cut into 1/4-in. dice
4 eggs
1/4 cup milk
3-4 slices bacon
1.5 T. cream cheese
butter
red chili powder
2 T. diced sharp cheddar cheese
salt and pepper
flour tortillas

Directions:

Cook bacon, in strips.  Remove from pan, retaining grease.  Cook tomatoes and paprika in bacon grease until just breaking down.  Remove from pan.

Whisk, beat eggs with softened cream cheese, milk, salt, pepper and red chili powder.  Cook on low heat and scramble.  Quickly add bacon (torn into small pieces), tomatoes and cheese.  Stir to combine, heat through, and then remove from pan.

Heat tortillas in pan until hot and browning slightly.  Fill with egg mixture and serve as a folded taco or burrito.

Note:

Use flavored cream cheese, especially garlic-and-chive-flavored.

Butternut and Broccoli Bowties

Made this one up on a whim, out of hunger, and missing the sweet taste of butternut squash, which I haven’t really indulged in this winter, which is now gone.  I’m starting to sweat, just getting ready for work now.  Gone are the days of shivering my pants off just to function in daily life (I’ve had enough of sitting on freezing toilet seats).

Ingredients:

1.5 cups butternut squash, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 large head broccoli, cut into bit-sized pieces
6 cloves garlic, diced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
1/3 cup water
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
3-4 cups cooked bow tie pasta

Directions:

Saute butternut squash in oil until half-way softened.  Add broccoli, pepper flakes and salt and pepper.  Add garlic.  Saute for a minute, then add water.  Cover and simmer 5-10 minutes until vegetables are softened, and water is almost gone.

Add cheese and pasta and mix thoroughly.

Note:

After cooking pasta, add 1/2 T. olive oil and stir to coat.  Boil in well-salted water.

Beef Fried Rice with Thai Basil

I was trying to get rid of some chewy, over-marinated beef in my fridge that I was sorry to have bought upon retrospect.  But, by chopping it small, it went well as a flavor-enhancer to rice and vegetables all blended by a fresh, creamy mouth-kicking Thai basil spice blend.  The best part of this dish, though, is the velvety sliced shitake mushrooms that almost melt in your mouth.

Ingredients:

1.5 cups jasmine rice, cooked and cooled
1 small marinated beef steak (sweet black pepper, I believe), cut into thin strips
3 T. oil, plus some for eggs
1 package Holy Basil Fried Rice seasoning
10-12 shitake mushrooms, sliced
4 red Thai chili pepper, diced
3 green small chili peppers, diced
1 large bunch spring onions, chopped
3 eggs
salt and pepper

Directions:

Beat eggs, salt and pepper and half of the chili peppers and spring onion in a bowl.  Add half to oil in wok to make an omelet/pancake.  Cook other half to make a second pancake.  Set aside and cut into strips when cooled.

Heat remaining oil, seasoning package and beef and saute until beef is just beginning to brown.  Add broccoli and mushrooms.  When beginning to reduce, add rice and egg slices.  Add remaining peppers and onions.

Note:

Created from combined recipes from Jeni Wright’s Chinese Food and Folklore and the holy basil seasoning package recipe.

Minimalist Tofu Thai Curry

My roommate and I created this dish.  I used packets of spice blend from Thailand, imported with Thai all over them and very simple ingredients in them (just oil and spices, that’s it).  I used soft tofu, and it absolutely fell apart, to our delight; with coconut milk, the tofu becomes silky, and the dish just takes over your mouth.  Mixed with brown rice, it is hearty and divine.

Ingredients:

1 large or 2 small onions, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 red chili peppers, medium spice, chopped
1 package green curry mix
1 block soft tofu, cubed
1-2 T. soy sauce
cilantro, minced
coconut milk
oil
string mushrooms
peanuts (large handful)

Directions:

In a wok, heat oil and add onions.  Saute on medium-high heat until onions begin to brown.  Add peppers and then curry mix.  When peppers begin to soften, add coconut milk and bring to a boil.  Add water and/or regular milk to water down if necessary.  Add soy sauce.  Add tofu and peanuts.  Heat through and then remove from heat and add cilantro.

Note:

Serve with white or brown rice or toasted bread.  This recipe is adapted from a New York Times recipe called “Curry Tofu with Soy Sauce.”

 

 

Gong Bao Lotus Root and Tofu

I love lotus root, which I discovered here.  I didn’t discover tofu in China, but I hated it until I got here.  There’s simply no comparison because the delicious bean curd you get here and the plastic-like bland stuff I’d had before.  And lotus root…I have no way, really, to accurately describe it.  The consistency is amazing, and the taste is unique.

Ingredients:

1 cup firm tofu, sliced thinly
6-inch piece lotus root, cut into quartered slices
small red onion, halved, then quartered (each half)
green bell pepper, cut into large chunks
red wine vinegar
soy sauce
dumpling vinegar
red chili oil
salt, pepper, sugar
oil
ginger, peeled and sliced

Directions:

Heat oil in wok.  Add garlic and ginger.  Cook 1 minute.  Add tofu and lotus root.  Increase heat and cook until beginning to brown.  Add onion and bell pepper, saute.  Add more oil if needed.  Add salt, pepper and chili oil.

Meanwhile, whisk salt, sugar, vinegars and soy sauce in a separate bowl.  Pour over vegetables.  Cook vegetables in a separate bowl.  Pour over vegetables.  Cook vegetables and tofu until heated through.  Serve over brown rice.

Note:

Loosely based on a recipe from the internet for Kung Pao Chicken.

Creamed corny goodness

This recipe is not a bit healthy in any way, but for potlucks and food-gatherings that call for generally awesome food, it’s perfect.  I’m not sure where it originally comes from, but today I made it based off a recipe that my aunt or cousin sent my mom.  It was inspired by some dish my sister was used to eat at the Dixie Chicken or some Southern comfort food restaurant in College Station, Texas, where she went to school.  I suppose I should ask my mom or my sister to get some more specific details, but the nitty gritty doesn’t really matter all that much anyway.  What matters is that this creamed corn recipe is damn delicious.  Make it.

Ingredients:
-1 large bag frozen corn
-1 green bell pepper
-1 orange bell pepper (or red, or 2 green), diced
-1 poblano pepper (this was my addition), diced
-16 oz. cream cheese (I used two 8 oz. blocks), softened
-1/4 cup unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
-1/2 t. cayenne pepper
-salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
Put corn and diced peppers in a large pot.  Cover with about an inch of water and bring to a boil.  Once water comes to a boil, let it continue to cook for 8-10 minutes, until peppers begin to soften.  Drain vegetables and return to the pot.  Add butter and cream cheese and stir as they melt over medium-high heat.  Once the vegetables and cream cheese are thoroughly combined, add the spices and remove from heat.

That’s it!  Enjoy.

Some cooking videos

If you want to see how-to videos on a few of my recipes, check out this YouTube channel, brought to you by the blog El Oso’s Famous Kitchen.

My China Borracho Beans:

 

Albondigas (Spanish Meatballs):

 

…and the Sweet and Tangy Salsa that tops the meatballs:

 

Thanks, El Oso!

Enjoy.

Stir-fried lotus root

My newest culinary crush is lotus root.  Late to discovering the delectable taste and consistency of this crunchy, starchy, watery vegetable, I have gone lotus-root crazy recently.  I put it in a channa masala curry dish last week, and this week I adapted this recipe from the web to make a savory stir-fry I couldn’t stop picking at as I cooked some other dishes on my menu for the evening.  Here’s a picture of the lotus flower I took in Dali, Yunnan Province:

Lotus root is actually the stem of the lotus plant, and it stays in the water.  Large, strong plants, lotus are very important in the Chinese diet.  Even the petals are a common part of dishes, pickled, steamed, or stir-fried.  You can probably find them in your city if you’ve got an Asian market or grocery store.

Here’s a picture of lotus root in a wet market in Yangshuo, in Guangxi Province (Hint: it’s the flesh-colored vegetable between the carrots and the eggplants).

Ingredients:
3-4 cups lotus root, peeled and chopped in thick semi-circle pieces
1 T. sesame seeds
2 large green spicy pepper (mild spice)
1.5 T. soy sauce
1 t. sesame oil
2 T. chopped garlic
2 T. chopped ginger
1 T. butter
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:
Heat the butter and oil and saute the garlic and ginger until very fragrant.  Add the lotus root and begin to saute on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes.  Add peppers and continue to saute until peppers just begin to sweat.  Add soy sauce, sesame oil and sesame seeds.  Continue to stir and cook for another 1-2 minutes, then remove from heat.

Leek, Chinese mushroom and cabbage soup

My goal was to create a leek and mushroom soup of sorts, but I always forget how much more body Chinese mushrooms have than the mushrooms I used to cook with in the U.S. (usually button mushrooms).  This is mostly because I couldn’t afford more expensive, flavorful mushrooms back then.  I bought a lot of mushrooms in the wet market today and only spent just over 1 USD on them because they are so fresh and abundant here.  However, my desire to make a non-Chinese-food tasting leek and mushroom soup in vegetable broth failed.  This recipe is very Chinese tasting.

I combined vegetable and chicken broth because I didn’t have enough vegetable bouillon. I added cabbage to give the soup more flavor and to fill me up when I eat it for lunch this week.  The seasonings definitely made the soup cross the point of no return as regarding Chinese flavors, but the end result is delicious and clean-tasting (which is my way of describing very fresh, home-cooked Chinese food that noticeably differs from the saltier, oilier – though tastier – dishes you get in restaurants here).

Here’s some eye-candy in the form of mushroom selection in a street-side market in Dali, in Yunnan Province:

Ingredients:
1 small head cabbage, cored, 1-inch think slices
1 bunch Enokitake mushrooms
2 cups shitake mushrooms, sliced
2 small leeks
5 cloves garlic, sliced
extra-virgin olive oil
salt
vegetable/chicken broth
1-2 T. soy sauce
1 t. rice vinegar
1 T. hengshun vinegar
1-2 T. yellow sriracha sauce
black pepper

Directions: 
Saute leeks and garlic in oil until the onions are translucent.  Add the mushrooms and saute for a few minutes.  Add the cabbage and stir for another few minutes.

Add 6 cups broth and bring to a boil.  Boil until cabbage begins to wilt.  Add salt, soy sauce, vinegars, sriracha sauce and black pepper.  Let cook for 1 more minute until flavors are combined.

Avocado and mango salsa

I make this recipe a little differently every time, but if you follow the steps below, you’ll get something very much like what I usually make.  The key to this salsa, I think, is having the right mixture of seasoning ingredients (lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper) and dicing the large ingredients very small (almost to a mince).

Ingredients:
15-25 cherry tomatoes, diced
2 avocados, diced
1 large or 2 medium/small mangoes, diced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
green or red chili peppers (use serrano or jalepeno if you’ve got them)
juice of 1-2 limes
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup red onion, minced
salt and pepper

Directions:
Combine all ingredients except lime juice, olive oil and salt and pepper.  Add the remaining 4 ingredients to taste, erring on the conservative side until you’ve reached a taste you like.

Robin’s China borracho beans

Your beans rock like a KTV in an earthquake on a Saturday night.

–Ryan B.

Being so exposed to Mexican food and culture my entire life, I often made borracho beans before coming to China. The first time I tried to make this dish here, I searched high and low for pinto or even light-colored beans, but in vain.  Finally, I decided to use kidney beans, and developed an original interpretation of borracho beans that tastes much better than any of my attempts to make them at home before I moved here.  I saute the bacon in butter for 2 reasons: 1) just because I can, being in love with the idea of bacon cooking in butter, and 2) because the bacon here isn’t fatty enough and doesn’t yield the necessary lubricant for the vegetables to saute in.  I’m sure lime juice is a good garnish with the cilantro, but I don’t have that here, and I’ve never used a substitute.  I use the Philippino beer San Miguel, which is probably the closest thing to a Mexican beer that exists for a reasonable price in China.

I dedicate this recipe to Larry Nodarse, this version’s biggest fan on the planet.  Thanks for the love, Larry.  I’ve enjoyed making this dish each time as much as you’ve enjoyed eating it!

For a video of how to make these beans, starring yours truly (and special thanks to El Oso’s Famous Kitchen), click here.

Ingredients:
-2 cups (or more) dried red kidney beans
-2 T. garlic, minced and 5-6 cloves garlic, smashed and roughly chopped
-1 large white onion, chopped
-1 large or 2 small green bell peppers, chopped
-4-6 strips bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
-butter
-green or red chili peppers (use serrano or jalepeno if you can find them), amount depends on your tolerance of spice
-1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
-1 bottles Mexican beer (or whatever kind of beer you can use)
-2 tomatoes, chopped

Directions:
Soak kidney beans overnight or for at least 12 hours by covering them with 2-3 times as much water as beans and letting them sit.  Add more water if beans expand beyond the top of the water in the pot.

Once beans are thoroughly soaked (you should be able to bite into one, although it will still be hard), cover them in water (barely) and add smashed garlic.  Bring to a boil and simmer until beans begin to be soft (about 90 minutes).

In a separate pot, melt butter and add bacon.  When the bacon begins to brown but is not yet cooked through, add the rest of the garlic, onion, bell pepper and chili pepper. After they sweat and begin to soften, add the beans from the other pot with the garlic and water.  Bring to a boil and leave on high heat.  Once the water begins to evaporate, add one of the beers and continue to cook on medium-high heat.  When the liquid once again reduces, add the second beer and the tomatoes.  Continue to boil on medium-high or low heat until beans are thoroughly cooked.  Once they begin to soften, start smashing them with the spatula as you stir.  Continue to reduce liquid until it begins to thicken slightly to a consistency you desire.  Add the cilantro (and lime juice) just before serving.

The trick to making this dish mouth-watering and addictive instead of just savory is actually over-cooking everything a little.  The liquid becomes reduced to a point comparable to that of a thick stew.  The onion, tomatoes and bell pepper disintegrate so much that you can barely distinguish their skins amidst the dark-brown mixture that has basically melted together into a new entity.

Enjoy.

Lotus root channa masala with quinoa

Experimentation with Chinese vegetables and Indian flavors.  Delicious, homey, and clean tasting (as in healthy but hearty).

Ingredients:
2 T. minced galic
2 T. minced ginger
1 medium white onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
2 cups chopped, cubed lotus root
1 medium squash (like zucchini or summer squash; I used the Chinese variety)
1 can chickpeas, rinsed
4  medium tomatoes, chopped
salt and black pepper
1 t. yellow curry powder
1 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. ground 5 spice mixture
1.5 T. garam masala
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 T. butter
3/4 cup water
1 cup quinoa
mushroom bullion for making 1.5-2 cups mushroom broth (or use just water or any kind of broth)

Directions:
Heat oil and butter.  Add lotus root over medium-high heat and sautee until it begins to brown.  Add onion, garlic, ginger and bell pepper.  Let veggies begin to sweat (maybe 5 minutes).  Add tomatoes and spices.  After tomatoes, squash and spices.  After tomatoes begin to break down, add water, bring to a boil, and then simmer on low heat until a sauce begins to form.  Add chickpeas and slightly smash ingredients with spatula as you stir to combine.  Add salt and pepper and lemon juice.  Continue to cook until the mixture reaches a desired consistency.

Meanwhile, prepare 1 cup of quinoa in a mushroom broth.  Serve lotus root and chickpea mixture over quinoa.  Suggestion:  stir to combine quinoa and vegetables before eating.

Spicy Chinese Indian pad thai

My roommate requested a stir-fry noodle dish last night.  He originally asked for something carroty and gingery to go with some buckwheat noodles he’d bought last week.  Classically forgetting all details of the request except for the noodle part, I didn’t buy carrots or ginger but instead bell peppers, mushrooms, red onion and broccoli.  I had some chicken breast strips in the freezer that needed to be used, too.

I was having one of my hair-brained cooking nights last night, and I’m actually surprised I didn’t completely ruin the dish because I was cooking with reckless abandon…something that usually leads to strange or even inedible concoctions.

I used the wok for its size, depth and ability to cook a large volume of food quickly.  I started with fish oil over a medium heat and added sliced green, red and yellow bell pepper and red onion.  I made the slices of the onion and peppers large, but if I made this dish again, I’d make the slices for the peppers much thinner (maybe 1/4-in. thick).  The onions work well in thick slices.  I added salt and pepper and let the veggies begin to sweat.

While looking through my spices for inspiration, I decided to attempt an Indian fusion dish.  I added garam masala and ground cumin (about a teaspoon of each) along with some crushed red pepper flakes.  After a minute or two, I added bite-sized chunks of chicken.  As they began to whiten, I added broccoli and mushrooms.  I added more peanut oil and soy sauce and turned up the heat to reduce the liquids and make the ingredients brown slightly as they began to glaze.

To this now-huge amount of vegetables cooking over a high heat, I added more garam masala and cumin powder, hoisin sauce, sweet chili sauce and spicy chili oil.  Once the chicken was cooked through and everything was softened and glazed to my liking, I added the cooked noodles and continued to sautee on a high heat long enough for the noodles to brown slightly.

The result was good hot and even better cold the next day.  It was definitely a dish that tastes great – or better – as leftovers.  It tasted a little like Indian food due to the spices, felt a lot like pad Thai in consistency, and was full of Chinese-style vegetables.  It was a bizarre attempt at a tri-cultural fusion, but it seemed to work, or at least it was tasty.  With some tweaking, the dish could probably be even better.  It was a fun attempt at experimentation, and I feel successful because I didn’t ruin it by adding so many ingredients!

Ingredients:
-1 large red onion, 3/4-in. slice
-1 small red bell pepper, 1/4-in. slice
-1 small green bell pepper, 1/4-in. slice
-1 medium yellow bell pepper, 1/4-in. slice
-1 head broccoli
-1.5 cups sliced Chinese mushrooms
-8 strips chicken breast, but into bite-sized pieces
-1-2 T. garam masala
-1 T. ground cumin
-1-2 T. hoisin sauce
-1-2 T. light soy sauce
-1 T. sweet chili sauce
-1 t. chili oil
-1-2 t. salt
-1 t. freshly-ground black pepper
-1 t. red pepper flakes
-2-3 cups cooked buckwheat pad-Thai style noodles

Cold peanut butter noodle salad

Dressing Ingredients:
-6 T. crunchy peanut butter
-1/2 t. yellow curry powder
-3 T. rice vinegar
-3 T. warm water
-3 T. soy sauce
- 1.5 t. sugar
-1 T. Asian sesame oil
-1 T. minced fresh ginger
-1 t. red pepper flakes

Other Ingredients:
-8 oz. package udon noodles, cooked and cooled
-1 large yellow bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
-1/4 c. thinly sliced red onion
-1/4 c. chopped cilantro
-2 c. Chinese mushrooms, cut into matchsticks
-1/4 c. candied walnuts

Directions:
Mix dressing ingredients, pour over other ingredients in a large mixing bowl, and toss to combine.

Cabbage and Chinese greens slaw

Dressing Ingredients:
-1 peeled mandarin orange, slices each cut into 3 pieces and seeds removed
-2.5 T. rice vinegar
-2-3 T. minced red onion
-1 T. vegetable oil
-2 t. minced fresh ginger (only use fresh, folks!)
-1/2 t. Asian sesame oil

Other Ingredients:
-1/2 medium green cabbage, shredded
-2 c. dark green Chinese lettuce, shredded
-1 medium red bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
-2 c. Chinese mushrooms, cut into matchsticks
-1/4 c. chopped almonds
-1/4 c. roughly chopped cilantro
-salt and pepper

Directions: Whisk together dressing ingredients in a bowl. Add other ingredients and toss until coated. Season with salt and pepper. Add more oil and vinegar if needed.

Resurrection stew

I dedicate this original stew to the gays in my life. Tonight I hosted dinner for four of the sweetest men I’ve ever cooked for. They gave compliments, commentary and constructive criticism freely and genuinely. I spent four fun hours cooking a feast last night, and it turned out quite well. Three winners out of three and wonderful company are about as good as it gets.

I made two oldies, both of which are listed on this site. Quinoa, chayote and red onion salad is delicious, especially with an extra boost of lemon juice and vinegar. A reappearance of shrimp and scallion pancakes from Gourmet was also well-received because I substituted the shrimp for sliced, REAL kimchi. But, the winner of the night was a soup, a concoction of mine that had a long journey and is quite complex, but turned out especially savory.

The wet market was closed when I got off work at 8 p.m. last night. As disappointing as this was, a quick trip to Jusco was pleasant, especially since it turned out that my roommate was hanging around in there, probably looking for promotions, and was present to consult about our premeditated dinner party for the next night that was just then coming together. After 8, most of the produce goes on sale, especially the older stuff. Old stuff’s great for soups, and that just happened to be the centerpiece of the menu.

I bought a bunch of stuff and knew immediately that I had a huge undertaking ahead of me even though I tried to convince myself that I didn’t, especially considering I started on everything around 9 p.m. But eventually, I slowly, distractedly started on the soup, and the 3-hour-later result was spectacular.

I started with bacon and butter. My favorites. I couldn’t decide which would be better so I used them both. I couldn’t recall at the time whether I’d actually seen bacon sauteing in butter, 2 tablespoons of it to be exact. To the butter and not-so-fatty Chinese bacon, not yet cooked through, I added large-dice bell pepper, leeks, and carrots. After the leeks started to break apart, I added about a quart and a half vegetable broth, made with the bullion cubes again, and large chunks of white potatoes and winter squash. I also added, at some point in the aforementioned process, dried basil and oregano, yellow curry powder, salt, pepper, and Spanish paprika.

After realizing that my little brew was quite strange, with its many cubed vegetables and nothing else to hold it together except a liquidy broth, I began to panic. What’s so nice about this soup?, I thought. This looks like something concocted by someone who needs to eat, not someone who loves food. A brief consult session with my roommate later and I realized my soup needed saving. It was on a fast course to being a tasty but strange and apology-inducing liquid-and-chunks flop. As I racked my brain for inspiration regarding how to change my soupy mess, I remembered that I lived in a world of sweet, amidst a people with an eternal sweet-tooth so strong that it influences even the most salty and savory of dishes. Everything is sweet here. Why shouldn’t my soup be just a little sweet, too?

So, I added some sweet chili sauce, which is used all over the place here. That improved the flavor, but the soup was still lacking something in its substance. I thawed some frozen marinated peppered beef that had been hanging out in the freezer. I cubed it, browned those and threw them into the now-stew-like mixture of breaking-down veggies. After around an hour of bubbling, the soup had thickened, and the broth had taken on a thicker concentration. The beef cooked for about 10 minutes before I turned off the soup and let it cool. A day in the fridge later, it reheated in the pot to one of the most savory soups I’ve ever made.

So many things congealed. Perfectly almost-sparse beef chunks and bacon slices were hanging out with large, breaking down, completely saturated pieces of potato, hard squash, carrots and bell pepper. The onions were a backdrop, blending in with the broth. The strength of the broth (I added more concentrate than necessary) and the complexity of the spice mixture combined so well with the chili paste, which was this dish’s ninja. I forgot to tell the boys tonight about that little one, so it’ll remain a secret to anyone who doesn’t read this!

I laugh as I type this because of the extraordinarily large, expanded stomach in front of me, proving that I quite enjoyed myself at the dinner table tonight. Good red wine as accompaniment never hurts, either!

Ingredients:
-4 slices bacon, cut into 1 inch strips
-2 T. butter
-4-5 cloves garlic, minced
-2 large leeks, sliced
-2 large carrots, cubed (1/2 inch)
-green bell pepper, chopped (1 inch squares)
-salt, freshly ground pepper
-dried oregano
-dried basil
-2 cups winter squash, cubed
-2 large white potatoes, cubed
-5-6 cups vegetable broth
-Spanish paprika, curry powder
-2 T. sweet chili sauce
-marinated pepper beef, cut into large cubes and browned in 1 T. olive oil.

Directions:
1. Saute bacon and butter over medium heat.
2. Add garlic for 1 minute. Then add leeks, carrot, and bell pepper.
3. Add salt, pepper, oregano, and basil. Saute until leeks begin to fall apart.
4. Add broth. When potatoes begin to fall apart, add paprika, curry powder and chili paste.
5. After soup has cooked an hour, add browned, not-yet-cooked-through beef. Let cook another 20 minutes.

Bittman, I still love you, but I’ve finally learned to live without you

Tonight I had an itch to cook. After a winter of not moving around much in an attempt to avoid the wet, bone-gripping, never-leaves-you-even-when-you-go-inside Guangzhou cold, I’ve been feeling sedentary, and I just needed some uncomplicated, nutrient-dense, homemade food pumping through my system. Once again, I am struck by the infinite number of ways common vegetables, oils and liquids can be combined to be filling and delicious and make you forget that there’s not an ounce of meat in your dish.

My choice of ingredients was determined by my suddenly remembering that I had some organic, preservative-free vegetable bullion cubes at home that I’d snatched up in organic grocery store in Hong Kong. They’re the kind I used to buy back home, and I miss them. I’ve also recently discovered an open-air market right next to my new work location, which happens to be on the way home to my apartment. It’s so ridiculously convenient, I have no excuse NOT to cook.

I miss my huge red Mark Bittman cookbook, my bible, “How to Cook Everything.” It was falling apart and had sticky pages and water-stained pages, and food splatters, and it was woefully too heavy to fit in my luggage. I believe it sits on a shelf in my parents’ house, waiting for someone to pick it up and use it. Inspired by the possibility of making good broth from a really good concentrate (not the stuff you can find in grocery stores here, the quality of which is worryingly difficult to judge because everything is in Chinese characters instead of English), I immediately thought of the Soups section of Bittman’s book, the chapter that made me realize what an amazing cookbook I’d managed to buy and got the wheels of my attention to detail as pertains to food’s fundamentals and how they mix and match groaning to life with a slow, rusted, but persistent propulsion.

Two years after beginning to cook with Bittman’s suggestions, advice and shared knowledge, I realized tonight that I’ve retained quite a bit now that I don’t have easy access to basic, versitile, exploration-inspiring recipes to rely on as a crutch. I prepared my broth, not having a way to measure the amount of liquid but knowing it doesn’t matter because if the broth was weak, it’d be flavored by the sweating veggies. I started with the holy trinity, the aromatics onion, celery and carrot, because they seemed to be the base of every soup Bittman made, and I think he or someone else even referred to the white-green-orange triad by that delightfully blasphemous name. My bulk was white potatoes, which I knew would help make me full while everything else, much less substantial once it sits in the stomach, added the complex flavor. Dried basil, black pepper and dried oregano pumped the sauteeing aromatics up to a new level, especially once they really mixed with the butter/olive oil mixture everything was dancing around in.

I added the broth after, in this order, the aromatics and then potatoes (which I gave a minute to begin to brown). The potatoes cooked quickly due to the way I cut them, but before they finished, I threw in some whole wheat penne I needed to use up and a can of whole peeled tomatoes which I coarsely cut up with a knife in the can itself before pouring in. For garnish, I threw in a few tablespoons of minced celery leaves (which I use here as parsley since that beautiful herb is difficult to come by). The result was similar to a minestrone without the beans, and it was quite tasty.

But, I also wanted something crunchy and fresh – overwhelmingly fresh – and full of a medley of things and consistencies and flavors. The result was a slaw-like salad with mostly thinly sliced or shredded or crushed pieces of: green cabbage, romaine lettuce (mostly hearts of romaine), mango, yellow bell pepper, carrot, celery and almond. I tossed it with a dressing made of S&P, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, and extra-virgin olive oil, heavy on the tangy ingredients, and shaken to emulsify.

The almost all-vegetable result of these dishes was a full stomach that was absolutely packed with a large quantity of food and thus was satisfied, but not at all stuffed. And it’s so good for the immune system – much-needed right now. It feels good to be able to rely on my knowledge of basics I hadn’t even realized I’d absorbed when presented with an opportunity to cook coupled with a lack of time for and the inconvenience of printing out more creative recipes.

Soup Ingredients:
2 cubes vegetable bullion (or just use water and let the aromatics and potatoes cook longer in it)
about 1 liter of water
1-2 cups diced carrot
1-2 cups diced celery
1-2 cups chopped white or yellow onion
1 T. butter
1 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
3 medium-large white potatoes, quartered lengthwise and sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 regular can whole peeled tomatoes
1-2 cups penne
2-3 T. chopped celery leaves

Salad Ingredients:
1-2 cups cut (1-2 inch pieces) romaine (mostly hearts)
1 mango, sliced lengthwise
1 half head of green cabbage, halved and very thinly sliced
1 red onion, quartered and thinly sliced
2-3 T. chopped almonds
3/4 cup shredded carrot
3/4 cup thinly sliced celery

1 large thinly sliced yellow bell pepper

Dressing Ingredients:
proportion of 3:2:1 of extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar and fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper

How I learned to stop worrying and love stir-fry

I’ve never been a huge fan of stir-fry. Or rather, I wasn’t before I came to China. It’s a whole new world of single-container cooking here. Last night my view of cooking stir-fry changed, mostly because I finally made a good one. But, I had proper motivation.

John Legend made a speech at a commencement ceremony in which he said “Soul is about authenticity…the moments when sound and silence come together.” Well, I’m now convinced that truly inspired cooking happens when extreme hunger and creative inspiration have a love child. The former pushes the latter to be perfect because it so intensely salivates over the prospective result. So, ravenous with hunger but determined to make use of the fresh veggies in my fridge, I took some time to attempt a stir-fry relying only on wit and my knowledge of the Chinese dishes I so frequently eat in restaurants here.

Before I talk about the what I did, let me explain what I learned. I used to cringe from the idea of cooking stir-fries because they always came out too salty or too oily or too saucy or you-name-it-it-happened. But last night I had an epiphany; all the elements of what I know or have experienced from eating or making stir-fry came together in one of those moments where sound meets silence, and it finally all made sense. Cooking stir-fry isn’t about how much spice or seasoning or liquid you add. It’s not about the ingredients themselves or choosing perfectly matched components and flavor combinations. It’s about heat and the surface you cook on, the way you move the food, and not over-cooking anything. It’s about corruption, the altering of basic components just enough to make them taste like something completely different. Carmelize an onion, brown a potato, saturate an eggplant or wilt a green…do what you like with what you’ve got, as long as you keep a little of the original consistency and taste inside while dressing up the outer surface. One of life’s little pleasures is the occasional (or frequent) corrupting of the status quo. Take some meat or produce and give it a new way of co-mingling with your taste-buds.

Having a wok helps. Ladies and gents, I hate to brag, but mine’s got a 36-centimeter diameter, and it’s well seasoned. You can guide a metal spatula over it’s wide, deep bowl (no flat-bottoms allowed in my kitchen) with slow but consistent strokes in a way that allows you to toss, stir or fold your concoctions with the finesse necessary for any dish. And, it’s such a versatile surface. Never before had I truly known the world of vegetable tempura (try making a batter with soda water, flour and salt some time), and many of my old favorite recipes made in a wok taste much better. It’s the even distribution of heat, the ability to cook with high heat and a large surface area, to brown but not char, to give many ingredients a chance to taste the heat instead of working with a dissatisfying pile of ingredients all competing for a chance to touch the tin. Of course, it’s not necessary to have a wok to make stir-fry, but being well equipped never hurts.

So, here’s what happened. Red onion and white potatoes went into some corn oil for just a bit before salt started working its magic. When the potatoes were almost tender and the onion had just begun to break down, I added red and yellow bell peppers and went spice-crazy. After I was finished adding Spanish paprika, ground 5-spice blend, dried oregano, dried basil, freshly-ground black pepper and dried red pepper flakes, my veggies looked like they were covered in the snowy ash and dust of a post-apocalyptic landscape. I stirred again, beginning to fold instead of toss the ingredients, and then I added sliced mushrooms (with 2-3 inch diameter caps). A minute or two later, tomatoes and the surprise ninja of the night, large-dice pineapple joined the fun. To whet the wheel, I threw in about a tablespoon of hoisin sauce and a healthy splash of vinegar (the kind you dump those delicious Chinese dumplings into). After folding the ingredients again, I was finished. Of course, I gobbled up a bowl-full right away, but I recommend eating the result on rice or fresh salad greens. I ate the leftovers with some tofu cooked in soy sauce, which improved upon the flavors that had congealed overnight.

Next time I try a stir-fry, I’m making a curry. Coconut milk is readily-available here, and it’s DE-LI-CIOUS. Limes and lime leaves, however, take a little more digging!

Ingredients:
2 medium white potatoes, quartered and sliced (1/4 inch)
1 medium red onion, sliced (1/2 inch)
1 red bell pepper, sliced (1/2 inch)
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced (1/2 inch)
5-6 medium/large mushrooms, sliced (1/4 inch)
3 small tomatoes, quartered
1 cup fresh pineapple, chopped
1-2 T. each: hoisin sauce and vinegar (see above for description)
1-2 t. each: salt, freshly ground pepper, dried basil, dried oregano, dried red pepper flakes, Spanish paprika, ground 5-spice blend
high-heat oil

Sardine and avocado sandwich

I love this simple and hearty sandwich. I make it different each time, but the basics themselves were originally taken from the web from an article about Alton Brown losing weight. Imagine a tuna sandwich with some chest hair, more spunk and a sneaky charm. Oh, and if you’re mock-gagging because you don’t like fish or sardines or haven’t tried them, give this recipe a try and then make your judgments.

Get a can of sardines, either in brine or water or in oil (in China you can get them in chili oil, which is best in my opinion). open it up and reserve some of the oil if you’ve got that type. Otherwise, drain the water and put the contents in a bowl. Add oil from the can or some extra-virgin olive oil. Then throw in some salt n peppa, lemon juice and a secret ingredient of your choosing, preferably something that adds a kick, like some heat (dried or fresh chili, cayenne, etc.) or some boldness (smoked or sweet paprika). Or combine all spices by using Cajun seasoning. Mash it all up (and make sure you wiggle your hips a little in the process; it adds to the flavor).

Spread the resulting mixture on some toast, preferably with a little melted cheese on top (Swiss goes well, as does mozzarella). Add some sliced avocado (or, dress it up a little with avocado mashed with more lemon juice, salt, pepper and garlic power or fresh garlic). Cut your sandwich into two or four triangles just for fun and devour it in the three minutes it’ll take to get it down your gullet. Don’t forget to breathe!

Wish I could add a picture, but no digital camera at the moment. Maybe next time.

Albondigas (Spanish meatballs)

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. ground pork
1/2 lb. ground beef
cinnamon sticks
1 garlic cloves
1 piece of Abuelita chocolate
marjoram/Mexican oregano
nutmeg
pepper
1 bunch parsley
sugar
1 onion, minced
1 medium or 2 small tomatoes, peeled and diced
2 eggs
salt
handful of rice
water
1 cup port wine or dry red wine
dash – 1 tbs. apple cider vinegar

Directions:
1.  Mix together pork and beef.  Then, mix with cinnamon, garlic, chocolate, nutmeg, pepper, rice, 2 eggs, parsley, and salt.  Partition out and roll into meatballs.
2.  Brown meatballs in a large pan/skillet, in batches if necessary.  Then, place together in pan and cover with water.  Bring to boil and simmer until liquid is almost gone.
3.  Pour port into pan and simmer until gone.
4.  Whisk together apple cider vinegar, onion, oregano, and tomato.  Blend/food-process briefly or mashed together.
5.  Serve sauce over meatballs.

For a video of how to cook the meatballs, click here.  For a video of how to prepare the salsa, click here.  Special thanks to El Oso’s Famous Kitchen for making and posting the videos!

Killer meatloaf

I have never been a fan of meatloaf until I tasted really, really GOOD meatloaf.  I learned that it’s all in the ingredients and that I shouldn’t hate the dish for its reputation (and the fact that I had no taste for it as a kid).

My mind was changed by the best meatloaf recipe I’ve ever tasted in my life.  Actually, the two recipes below come from the same source; a New York Times article having to do with the director of the movie Julie and Julia (excellent movie).

Fancy Meatloaf
This recipe is the better of the two.  I went all out with this one, and it was worth it.  I can honestly say that this is probably my favorite thing to eat of all time.  I mean, better than ice cream, and that’s saying something.  I like this meatloaf dish better than anything I’ve ever had in a restaurant.  What makes this dish delicious besides the veal and ground beef (I highly suggest using grass-fed beef) is the pancetta and the Italian bread.  The bread, cut into larger chunks than usual, isn’t used in the form of bread crumbs that congeal the ingredients; rather, the bread acts like the marshmallows in Rocky Road ice cream and is melt-in-your-mouth delicious.  Use a good quality Italian loaf, and you won’t regret shelling out a little for this recipe.

Turkey Meatloaf
This second recipe is also ridiculously good, especially when you find out it’s made with ground turkey as well as ground pork.  It comes with an accompanying tomato sauce that makes this recipe slightly more traditional.

Seven-layer dip

This is another family recipe.  This version is actually an 8-layer dip, but I named it a 7-layer dip because that’s the traditional name for it.  I don’t know where this version originated from, but it’s one of the best versions I’ve tasted.  I usually prefer elements of a dish to be made from scratch, but this version is a winner and a definite crowd-pleaser just as it is.

Ingredients:
1 can re-fried bean dip (Frito lays kind)
3 avocados, mashed with lemon or lime juice
8 oz. sour cream
1/2 packet taco seasoning
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1 pack shredded cheddar cheese
1 large tomato, diced
1 can chopped black olives
1 bunch cilantro

Directions:
1.  Spread bean dip over a platter.  Cover with mashed avocados, spread evenly.
2.  Mix together sour cream and taco seasoning and spread over avocados.
3.  Next, sprinkle scallions, tomato, olives, and cilantro over first three layers.  Finish off with shredded cheese.  Serve with chips.

Beans and rice

This quick, easy side dish is a life-saver because it takes no time at all to make and is very tasty.  It’s originally from a weeknight meals magazine that I can no longer remember the name of.  As long as you have some broth or bullion cubes, canned beans and rice on hand, you can make this one.  The recipe calls for black beans, but I actually prefer red kidney beans in it.

Ingredients:
1 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 cup long grain rice
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 can black beans, drained, rinsed, warmed (15 0z).
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Lime juice to taste

Directions:
Bring broth, juice, sugar, and salt to a boil in a saucepan.  Stir in rice, cover, and reduce heat to low.  Cook 15-20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed.  Stir in butter.  Combine with black beans and cilantro.  Finish with lime juice.

Tacos a la Andrea

This recipe is not my own, but I can no longer find its source online.  It’s an excellent taco recipe and goes best with corn tortillas.  It uses a pork tenderloin and is wonderfully juicy and savory.

Ingredients:
1.5 tbsp. ancho chile powder (I highly suggest grinding your own in a coffee grinder)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. freshly ground cumin
1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of allspice
1.5 pounds pork tenderloin, cut into 1/3-in. cubes
1 medium white onion, chopped
2 tbsp. cider vinegar
5 tbsp. minced cilantro
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
flour or corn tortillas
mashed avocado, salsa and lime wedges for serving

Directions:
1.  In a large bowl, mix the ancho powder with the salt, oregano, cumin, pepper, cinnamon and allspice.  Add the pork, onion, vinegar and 1/4 cup of the cilantro and mix well.
2.  Heat the olive oil in a large skillet.  Add the pork and stir-fry over moderately high heat until browned outside and just cooked through.  Transfer the pork to a colander to drain, then sprinkle with the 1/2 tsp. of cilantro.  Transfer the pork to a serving bowl and serve with the warmed tortillas, mashed avocado, chopped onion, remaining cilantro, salsa and lime wedges.

Some old favorites

After clearing out the pantry in my apartment, I came across a stack of printed-out recipes I’ve had for years.  They’re some of my absolute favorites.  Here are the ones that can be found on the internet:

Butternut Squash and Hazelnut Lasagne
This recipe is from Gourmet magazine, and it is definitely gourmet.  The result of hours of cooking, sauce-making and preparation is a complex, crunchy, yet delicate medley of tastes that is definitely a crowd-pleaser.

Spiced Beef Corn Bread Cobbler
Another recipe from Gourmet magazine, this recipe reminds me of Southern comfort food with a complex twist. Cornmeal corn bread muffins cook gently over spiced beef in the oven, giving them a juicy underside that definitely adds a wow factor to the meal.  I used blue cornmeal instead of regular yellow cornmeal to add an interesting visual element.  This is a great recipe for company because it’s so traditional yet not at the same time.

Capellini Shrimp and Creamy Tomato Sauce
I’ve had several scampis, but this one continues to be my all-time favorite.  It’s probably the simplest scampi I’ve ever had, too, but simpler usually ends up meaning better – this recipe is a great example of that.

Spanish Spice Rubbed Chicken Breasts with Parsley-Mint Sauce
Brandon and I made this recipe for our anniversary one year.  It’s a Bobby Flay recipe from the Food Network, and it’s one of my all-time favorites.  The spice alone makes for a great rub recipe.  The parsley-mint sauce is a perfect touch to an already amazing flavor on the chicken.  The sauce recipe can be made by itself, too.

Vegetable (Navratan) Korma
This is an excellent Indian food recipe.  If you’ve never tried Indian food, this recipe is a great introduction.  It’s a mixed vegetable dish that, coupled with rice, will make a filling meal.  This recipe is from Manjula’s Kitchen, a web site of videos made by and Indian woman who provides recipes and teaches how to cook them at the same time.  Everything I’ve ever made from this site is amazing, which is hard to find for Indian food recipes outside of restaurants.

Zuppa Toscana
This soup recipe is the same as one made at the restaurant Olive Garden.  However, I prefer the homemade version because Olive Garden uses too little meat and kale.  By making the recipe hearty, it becomes a complete meal and is much tastier.

Mango and Avocado Salsa
I have only ever made this variation of avocado and mango salsa, not because it’s necessarily the be-all-and-end-all, but because it’s simple and perfect.  I love almost any variation of this salsa.

Chocolate surprise

My mom has made this recipe for family occasions ever since I was small.  It’s kind of a family recipe, and it’s ridiculous in its simplicity.  It’s got cream cheese, whip cream and pudding, all over a butter and flour crust.  Absolutely delightful.

I’ve written out the four separate layers because each one needs to be completed before adding the next.

1st layer:
Mix 1 cup flour and 1/2 cup melted butter (1 stick) together and spread over a glass pan (13 x 9 in.).  Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes.  Cool completely.

2nd layer:
Mix the following until creamy: 8 oz. cream cheese (softened), 1/2 cup powdered sugar, and 1 tsp. vanilla.  Stir in 8 oz. whipped cream.  Spread carefully over cooled crust.

3rd layer:
Whisk together 2 small boxes chocolate instant pudding and 3 cups milk.  Pour over 2nd layer before pudding sets.  Refrigerate contents of pan until pudding sets and is very firm.

4th layer:
Spread 8 oz. whip cream over pudding.  Sprinkle chocolate shavings or crushed pecans or walnuts over whipped cream.  Serve.

Brown bag apple pie

This is the best pie recipe I’ve ever tasted.  By cooking it in a damp brown bag, none of the crust becomes blackened, and the pie bakes evenly without char.  This recipe comes from Brandon’s mom (originally sent to him in an email), so I’ve written it out below.

Ingredients:
5 apples, peeled, sliced (preferably green)
9-inch pie shell
1.5 cups sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup and 5 tbsp. flour
3 tbsp. water
1/2 cup butter
1 brown paper grocery bag

Directions:
Slice apples in pie shell.  Combine 1 cup sugar, salt, cinnamon and 5 tbsp. flour.  Sprinkle water and flour mixture over apples.  In a bowl combine margarine, 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup flour.  Sprinkle mixture over pie.  Wet brown bag on the outside and place pie inside the bag.  Bake 1 hour at 425 F degrees.

A few desserts

Blackberry Cobbler
My mom made this for Easter this year.  It’s a pretty standard recipe, but it’s definitely a winner.

Turtle Pumpkin Pie
Got this one from Brandon’s mom after she made it for Thanksgiving last year.  It’s from the back of a magazine; in fact, it’s a Kraft food recipe, but it’s simple and delicious.  It’s got a graham cracker pie crust, a caramel topping over that, a layer of pumpkin-flavored banana pudding and then some whip cream.

Indian chai

First and foremost, I must mention that I have not actually tried this recipe.  While sorting through all my worldly possessions, I came across it in the back of a CD insert booklet for a Putumayo Presents: Music from the Tea Lands CD that I’ve had for years now.  I just noticed the recipe today, and as I’ve always wanted to make my own chai, I thought I’d add it here so I can access it when I’m finally able to prepare this one.

If you prepare it before me and think it’s not a good recipe, let me know!

Indian Chai
There are hundreds of variations of chai, the Indian spiced milk tea.  Here is a good basic recipe:

1.5 cups water
1 in. stick of cinnamon
8 cardamom pods
8 whole cloves
2/3 cups milk
6 tsp. sugar (or to taste)
3 tsp. any unperfumed loose black tea

Put water in saucepan.  Add the cinnamon, cardamom and cloves and bring to a boil.  Cover, turn heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add the milk and sugar and brings to a simmer again.  Throw in the tea leaves, cover and turn off the heat.  After 2 minutes, strain the tea into two cups and serve immediately.

Espinacas con garbanzos

I have had this post in my drafts folder for quite a while.  It’s probably been about a months and a half since I made it.  I probably won’t do justice to it with this post, but I had to get it out there.  This is simply one of the most delicious things I’ve ever made.

I found this recipe for Spinanch and Chickpeas, or espinacas con garbanzos, on another food blog I like (which is also on my blogroll) called Smitten Kitchen.  The woman who created and maintains that home-cooking blog usually gets her recipes from elsewhere but alters them slightly or adds suggestions.  Thus, the link will take you to her version, the one I followed, but it is not the original.  The dish is actually a standard one in Spanish cuisine, which I have heard is some of the most delicious food in the world.

As you can see from the picture, the dish is savory and gooey.  If you use dried chickpeas instead of canned ones, you’ll have a subtle hardness in the peas that makes this dish perfect in consistency as well as flavor.  I used frozen and fresh spinach; fresh tastes better, but the dish is great with either one or a combination.  And, if you have a pressure cooker, using dried chickpeas doesn’t take all day (though you can always presoak); I almost doubled this recipe, and they were done in about 30-45 minutes total.

The garnish for this dish is a sprinkling of paprika.  I tried it with both sweet smoked Pimenton and hot Spanish paprika; they both tasted fine, but I preferred the sweet.  It goes well with the subtle sweetness of the tomato sauce that helps congeal the other ingredients.

I made this recipe with a side of jasmine rice with some onions, turmeric and cumin.  It’s pretty much the same as the recipe described at the very end of this earlier post of mine.  I overcooked it a bit, but it still turned out pretty.

Escarole and leftovers soup

See my other post about this soup for some explanation on how it came to be. This is a Brandon and Robin original.

Ingredients:
6 slices bacon
1 shallot, diced
1 large carrot, chopped
4 large (or 6-8 small) radishes, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups stock
up to 2 cups water
1 head escarole, washed and chopped
1 potato, chopped into 1/2-in. pieces
bay leaf
1 cup bread, cut into 2-in. pieces
2 tbsp. parsley, chopped
1/2 cup frozen corn

Directions:
1. Cook bacon in large pot, then set aside to cool and drain fat into a cup
2. Add 2 tbsp. fat back to pot. Saute onion, garlic, carrot, radish and potato over medium heat until sweating (about 4 min.)
3. Add bread and saute until beginning to toast/brown slightly (about 3 min.)
4. Add bay leaf, stock and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil and simmer soup until potatoes are tender (about 10 minutes). Add more water if needed.
5. Add corn, bacon and escarole. Stir and heat through (for about 1 min.). Remove from heat.
6. Stir in parsley. Add salt if needed. Serve.

Spinach salad with almonds and kumquats

I also made this recipe last night. I always love a good salad, and this one is a great salad. For convenience and economic reasons, I typically make and eat simple green garden salads with a romaine base and cucumbers, radishes, and sometimes tomatoes added in. My dressings hardly vary, either; they’re usually a red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar based vinaigrette. I make these salads because they don’t require a recipe, they balance out my meals with some much-needed greens, and they’re easy to make.

However, I get really sick of romaine salads after a few weeks of eating the same ones over and over. Any variation is usually devoured as if it were the tastiest thing on the planet. The spinach salad I made last night was not only creative and delicious, it required several flavors I don’t normally think of using when making salad, and it inspired me to dress up my “usual” weeknight salad by incorporating some of these tastes.

The dressing is a mixture of rice vinegar, sesame oil, sliced kumquats (delicious!), ginger and shallots. Mouth-watering, right? Toss that with cilantro, mushrooms, toasted sliced almonds and spinach, and you’ve got a tangy, crunchy salad that’ll definitely have you reaching for this recipe again and again.

As a side note, if you’ve never used/eaten kumquats before (I hadn’t before last night), they’re a sweet, tiny orange-type fruit barely bigger than a large grape. You can eat the skin (you have to; there’s not much inside of them) after washing well. Just slice them up with the skin like lemon slices, and toss them in to a salad. They’re both sweet and sour and a good alternative to madarins.

Quinoa risotto with mushrooms and thyme

I made this recipe last night, as described in my other post. It’s easy and fast, and a great weeknight recipe. As I’ve mentioned before, quinoa is a complete protein as well as a healthy carbohydrate (it’s a whole grain), so it holds up very well as a main dish. Accompanied by salad, the risotto was very filling.

One thing I like about this recipe is that you cook the quinoa separately in water until it’s ready to be eaten. Most risottos require you to cook the grain by slowly adding hot liquid (water, broth, etc.) and letting each portion absorb before adding the next. After a while, you’ve got a cooked grain that tastes creamier than it would if you were to cook it in a covered pot with water.

The “risotto” aspect of this dish comes from the veggie/sauce mixture you prepare in another pan while the quinoa cooks and then mix in later. A white-wine-based sauce with two types of mushrooms adds the perfect mixture of flavors to the quinoa; no one ingredient is overpowering, yet you can still taste everything. That, of course, is a marker of a great recipe. I highly recommend this one if you’re just trying out quinoa, because if you’ve never had it before, it can take a little while to get used to both the texture and the taste.

Indian food: how-to and recipe web site

If you enjoy making Indian food (it’s my favorite cuisine) and don’t know about Majula’s Kitchen, check it out. She’s got really good videos and very authentic recipes.

One of my biggest complaints with most Indian food recipes is that they don’t taste authentic, even if I buy the real imported spices from an Indian food specialty store. These recipes taste wonderful; some are better than the dishes in most restaurants.

Panzanella recipe (Italian bread salad)

This is my and Brandon’s version of the dish Panzanella (bread salad), as described in my other post. You can use any combination of veggies and leaves; many versions use 20 or so large basil leaves (instead of spinach). Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 loaf rustic whole wheat bread (or any crusty bread, preferably Italian), hard and stale, cut in 1-2 in. pieces
extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
1 eggplant, chopped and prepared as desired (sauteed, roasted, etc.)
1-2 tbsp. minced garlic
2 cups grape/cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
2 cups packed baby spinach leaves (or a few handfuls)
1.5 cups 1/2 in. chunks of cucumber
balsamic vinegar (or other type)

Directions:
1. Soak sliced red onion in ice water and a dash of salt for the duration of prep.
2. Sautee bread pieces in olive oil, salt and tsp. garlic over medium-high heat until they are like croutons.
3. Add eggplant, heat through.
4. Remove from heat; let cool to room temperature.
5. In large bowl, combine bread crumbs and eggplant, tomatoes, cucumbers, drained red onions, and spinach leaves.
6. Prepare a balsamic and olive oil vinaigrette (1:3 ratio).
7. Drizzle desired amount of vinaigrette over bread salad mixture. Toss to combine.

Herbed potato salad

This recipe, from Gourmet Every Day, is simple to the point of perfection. Forget the “potato salad” part of the title; you won’t find mayonnaise, sour cream or even yogurt in it. It’s just olive oil, herbs, minced shallot and boiled potatoes (I recommend Yukon Gold, which I had luckily found on sale).

Potato salad doesn’t get much simpler or healthy than this. Add a very small bit of salt, and you’re good to go.

Mushroom and leek soup

This recipe is surprisingly good. It’s also from the Gourmet Every Day cookbook.

I was very skeptical when I picked out this recipe. For one, it yeilds only 3 cups, so it had to be made on a night when I didn’t need leftovers. Also, leeks can be pricey, and I often avoid buying them because recipes will call for one or two when they come in bunches of 3 or 4. I usually freeze the leftover leeks for making stock, but generally, I do avoid them altogether. Plus, they’re so hard to wash!

However, this recipe ended up tasting amazing. The butter and leeks completely assault your senses (in a good way) during the cooking of the soup, and mushrooms and butter are a combination meant for the gods. I used the ”Better Than Bouillon” vegetable broth paste again, and the slight tangy soy sauce taste in it went perfectly with the mushrooms and accompanying chives that are sprinkled on top just before serving.

This was one of the tastiest soups I’ve made in a long time, and I highly recommend it.

Barley and vegetable soup

This soup is amazing! It’s a full meal, too. You’ll need no side, and it’s a great way to eat a whole grain. The recipe yields a lot; don’t underestimate barley’s ability to quadruple in size. I added a zucchini to bulk it up even more, and I used chopped portobello mushrooms rather than button mushrooms. I used the “Better Than Bouillon” vegetable broth for this recipe, which has plenty of salt, so you probably won’t want to add any more.

The recipe is from Dr. Andrew Weil’s The Healthy Kitchen. (I’ve provided a link to the book’s site in the resource section for this blog).

Red lentil and carrot soup

This recipe was in a book I bought a while ago called Gourmet Every Day. It contains recipes from Gourmet magazine that are quicker and easier to make than most. They make great weeknight meals.

The soup is delicious, easy, and very interesting. I’m not very experienced with red lentils, but I realized, while cooking this soup, that they completely break down in a recipe like this. Because you also add some tumeric, you’re left with a very thick, yellow soup that almost looks like a pureed soup but has the benefit of having chunks of other vegetables in it, too (carrot and bell pepper).

It tastes great with green bell pepper, too, which I used instead of the red. Note that if you rinse the red lentils before cooking and then let them dry in the collander before using them, they will turn into a massive lentil clump that you’ll have to break up in the water. The red lentils seem to be more fragil than other lentils, especially since they basically disintegrate when cooked. I recommend rinsing them just before adding them to water or simply picking them over while dry before adding them to the water (as the recipe recommends anyway).

You’ll also want to add some salt in the end, because otherwise the soup will be bland.

Mushroom risotto

Excellent recipe from Dr. Weil’s Healthy Kitchen. Takes about 45 mins. from start to finish, including cooking and prep. The recipe is actually called “porcini risotto,” but I didn’t have the dried porcini mushrooms it called for, and I didn’t want to spend $5 just on a package of them. I used some generic dried mushrooms I had (that look to me like dried portabello strips). The prep. is simple – you just need to chop an onion – and you’ll have the oil heating in the pan within 5 mins. of starting this recipe.

If you’re debating whether you need to add the parmesan at the end, I highly suggest it. I perfectly ties the dish together in consistency and taste, and you won’t need any salt. Before I added the cheese, the dish tasted a little bland, especially because for the vegetable stock, I used some salt-free vegan bouillon cubes dissolved in boiling water. The saltiness of the parmesan adds the perfect final punch to the rice, so you won’t have to reach for the salt shaker the entire time.

Amazing gnocchi and tomato cream sauce recipe

Last night, Brandon made the most amazing meal. We have both been wanting to make some gnocchi again, but we opted to buy some pre-made at the store this time around since we didn’t have the time this week to make the gnocchi from scratch. So, we picked up some packets of spinach gnocchi at Central Market.

This is the recipe he followed. The result was a concoction of gnocchi, large (and numerous) chunks of melting mozzarella cheese (from a block, not the super-white and juicy fresh kind), a delicious tomato cream sauce and peas all tossed together in a large bowl. He cooked the gnocchi, drained it, and added it to the bowl. He then added some sauce (step 6 of the recipe shows how to make it), about 1.5 cups of cubed mozzarella, and 1.5 cups peas. The heat of the gnocchi and sauce melt the mozzarella; but, because the cheese is cubed and tossed cold with the hot pasta and sauce, it melts without spreading evenly throughout, creating amazing, oozing pockets of cheese.

This is obvious not a weight-loss recipe, but it’s an amazing one if you like gnocchi at all. It took about an hour to prepare. Because he used the spinach gnocchi, the dish was colorful, too, with 2 shades of green (pasta and peas), red (sauce) and white (cheese). Appropriate Christmas dish!

One more thought: I recommend the tomato cream sauce made by itself with any pasta. We had leftover sauce and plan to add it to some linguine later this week.

Favorites from Gourmet magazine

Cranberry and Celery Relish, November 2009.

This dish is fun – it’s got the sweetness of cranberry sauce but has celery to break up both the sweetness and the consistency. The celery acts acts a buffer; for the most part, you can’t taste it. It’s a unique recipe, but definitely worth a try during the holiday season.

Sauteed Green Beans and Brussels Sprouts, November 2009.

Great green side dish.

Squash and Red Pepper Pilaf, November 2009.

Delicious dish, excellent pilaf. I’d cut down on the amount of oil called for because the dish seemed oiler than it needed to be.

Stewed Potatoes and Green Beans with Tomatoes, November 2009.

Another savory side dish or entree. The tomatoes in this recipe flavor the mashed potatoes and make a wonderful medley of tastes.

Smothered Pork Chops with Mushrooms, November 2009.

I’m not a huge fan of pork chops, but this recipe makes the juiciest chops I’ve ever had. They’re melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Fried Sage and Shaved Chestnuts, October 2009.

Sweet. Potato. Gnocchi. Enough said.

Bulgur with Herbs, September 2009.

I’m always looking for whole-grain dishes that work well as a side or an entree. This one fits the bill and is delicious warm or cold. It’s also a fast recipe; it’ll take you less than 30 minutes, preparation included.

Roasted Cauliflower with Kalamata Vinaigrette, September 2009.

Great recipe for the time-pressed individual; this dish is so easy to make, it’s ridiculous. The dressing adds a salty tang to the cauliflower.

Baked Chicken Meatballs with Peperonata, August 2009.

This recipe is mouth-wateringly amazing. You’ll want to have it again and again. It’s a fun meal to make with someone else. The meatballs just melt in your mouth.

Rice with Fennel and Golden Raisins, July 2009.

I love making this one for holidays; guests love it. It’s slightly sweet and makes a great side to round out any meal.

(Grilled) Zucchini Pasta with Pecorino Walnut Crumble, June 2009.

I broiled the zucchini instead of grilling it. This pasta dish is another simple and tasty one. That walnut crumble adds the perfect crunch.

Mushroom Carpaccio with Pecorino Toscano, May 2009.

Good dish to entertain with for two reasons: (1) it’s unique but simple and very delicious and (2) it take no time at all to make. Put it out as an appetizer while the rest of the meal is finishing up.

Quinoa Salad with Fresh Hearts of Palm (or Chayote), May 2009.

I’ve only ever made this recipe with the substitution (chayote instead of hearts of palm) but it is a staple; some months I make it once a week! Any quinoa is very good for you and an excellent source of both healthy carbs and protein (yes, it has both; it is a unique grain in that sense).

Black-Eyed Pea and Ham (or Chicken) Salad, April 2009.

I love substituting cooked chicken (or even better – rotisserie chicken) for the ham to make a different sort of chicken salad (and, it’s bulkier, which is an added benefit if you like making a bunch for a week of sandwiches for lunch at work or school).

Fennel and Carrot Confit, March 2009.

I prefer to spend time in the kitchen making things from scratch rather than spend much time making a certain element of a dish “pretty.” However, this confit is pretty easy and extremely delicious with the added perk that it is, of course, beautiful as well.

Cheesy Chicken and Mushroom Lasagne, March 2009.

You’ll think you’ve died and gone to heaven with this non-ricotta lasagne. It’s definitely not low-fat, but it’s a good dish to make when you’ve got guests coming over (to impress).

Chicken Gyros with Cucumber Salsa and Tsatsiki, March 2009.

This recipe beats out anything you can get in most restuarants (with the exception of a good, authentic lamb gyro) any day.

Linguine with Brussels Sprouts Barigoule, March 2009.

This recipe is delicious. I never liked brussels sprouts until I started cooking them myself. This one’s definitely a winner.

Mushroom Strudel, February 2009.

These are delicate and delicious and surprisingly easy to make. They also make an adverturous appetizer when entertaining, and you’re guests are sure to love them.

Farmhouse Butternut Squash Soup, February 2009.

Delicious version of a common pureed soup. It’s got bacon for garnish!

Broccoli with Orecchiette, January 2009.

I make this dish once every 2-3 weeks. It’s very easy and takes little time. And, it’s melt-in-your-mouth delicious and a wonderful way to use broccoli. This is one of my favorite carbo-loading dishes before long training runs.

Butternut Squash with Radicchio Pappardelle, January 2009.

This dish is fun and colorful and quite a combination of tastes. A good way to use butternut squash.

Orange Pudding Cake, December 2008.

I typically don’t like cake because it’s so rich and sweet. But this “cake” is not overwhelmingly sweet and offers a delightful combination of tastes.

Italian Green Beans and Potatoes, December 2008.

I make this recipe about once every 2-3 weeks. It’s a tasty way to spruce up green beans and have a bulkier side dish. It calls for Yukon Gold potatoes, but it also tastes good with russet potatoes and everything in between.

Lentil Soup with Italian Sausage and Escarole, October 2008.

This one’s a staple of mine. I’m making it tonight, in fact! It’s a great all-inclusive meal and doesn’t take very much time.

Salt and Pepper Shrimp, October 2008.

This recipe uses cornstarch to bread shrimp instead of flour, making a nice thin crispy outer crunch while not overpowering the taste of the shrimp itself. Go ahead and take the shells off even though the recipe says to leave them on.

Zucchini Kofte with Beet-Bulgur Pilaf, October 2008.

While the zucchini kofte is delicious, my favorite part is the beet-bulgur pilaf. I’ve made the recipe several times; not only is it delicious and a great way to enjoy beets without them tasting too “beety” but it is also one of the prettiest dishes you’ll ever see. The beets turn the bulgur bright pink, and the dark greens mixed in make this dish look like it belongs in a Christmas feast.

Carrot Fennel Soup, November 2008.

Creamy and delicious pureed soup. The carrot and fennel are roasted first, and the soup is exquisite with or without straining through a fine seive.

Spaghetti and Swiss Chard, November 2008.

Personally, I’m always looking for ways to incorporate dark greens into my meals, and this recipe is a great use of swiss chard. Don’t bother with the garlic chips if you don’t have time for them; the dish stands alone without them.

Chilled red bell pepper and habanero soup

This recipe is one of the coolest I’ve ever made…literally!

Don’t let the habanero scare you. The soup is spicy, but mildly so (in fact, I’d serve it to any pallate, no matter the tolerance for spice). The moment the soup hits your tongue, you’ll be mesmorized; it’s cool, sweet and spicy all at the same time. It’s a warm taste that’s definitely best served cold.

Click here for recipe. Gourmet, August 2008

“You-won’t-believe-they’re-whole-wheat” blueberry muffins

If you like blueberry muffins at all, this recipe, which takes about 20 minutes to whip together, is a must-try. The title of the recipe doesn’t lie when it says you can’t tell the flour is whole wheat.

Click here for recipe. Gourmet, August 2009.

Shrimp and scallion pancakes

This recipe is just plain fun. You’ve got salty little pancakes with delicious batter dotted with tasty slices of scallion and halved shrimp pieces.

Next time you’re entertaining, whip these together (the most tedious and time-consuming part of the recipe is cleaning the shrimp) as an impressive finger food.

Click here for recipe. Gourmet, March 2009.

Zucchini latkes

These aren’t breakfast pancakes; they’re more like potato pancakes, also known at latkes. They’re delicious as an entree or appetizer. This recipe makes a lot of them!

Instead of sour cream, I use a tzatziki sauce (look it up; it’s a yogurt and cucumber sauce and is easy to make). Also, the kitchen towel step seems silly, but it’s necessary (latkes won’t cook correctly if they’re too watery).

Click here for recipe. Gourmet, December 2008.

Sweet-potato and kimchi pancakes

This is one of my all-time favorite recipes EVER. These pancakes are sweet, spicy, and tangy all at the same time. They’re a blast to make, too.

For the kim chi, I usually buy a small jar of pickled red cabbage, which you can find at most grocery stores. I don’t know if it’s the real thing, and I suspect it isn’t, but it tastes great, and kim chi is pickled cabbage, so it’s close enough for me!

Click here for recipe. Gourmet, October 2008.