Saturday, May 5, 2012

Sesame Chicken & Curry Noodles

I couldn't decide what to make.  Flank steak, pork tenderloin, stir fry....I just stood in the grocery feeling lost.  So I struck up a conversation with someone and stole their idea.  :)


Curry paste! In a food processor or with a mortar & pestle mix: 1/2 tsp. Turmeric, 3 cloves garlic, 2 fresh red chilies, 1 thumb-sized piece of peeled ginger, 1 Tbl. ground coriander, 1 tsp. ground cumin, 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom, 1/4 tsp. ground cloves, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, 2 Tbl. fish sauce.


In a wok, heat sesame oil over med-high heat and add in the paste to cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Pour in 2 Tbl. of the coconut milk, stir to combine.



Add into the wok: 1 each sliced red, yellow, and orange bell pepper, a handful of sliced shiitake mushrooms, a generous handful of fresh cilantro, 2 sliced scallions.  Cook until the veg are all cooked through, about 2-3 minutes.  Add the remaining coconut milk and soy sauce.



Add in 1 package of tofu, cubed, and 3/4 lb. of cooked whole wheat spaghetti, toss gently to combine and to allow the sauce to coat the pasta evenly.  Squeeze in the juice of 1 lime, and serve with chopped cilantro, sliced green onions, and lime wedges.



In a large skillet, cook 6 cubed chicken breasts in sesame oil until no longer pink, about 6 minutes.



In a small bowl combine: 1/2 c. honey, 1/2 c. soy sauce, 1 c. water, 2 Tbl. cornstarch, 1 tsp. freshly grated ginger, 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes.  Be sure to mix until the cornstarch is well combined.  Pour over the cooked chicken, cook until the sauce is slightly thickened.



Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds and sliced green onions over the top & serve with the curried noodles!  :)



Thursday, May 3, 2012

Stop what you are doing. Make this.

Spaghetti & meatballs.  Who doesn't love spaghetti & meatballs?  This morning I got the spag bug, and headed to the grocery, then to the Cheese Cave for a very special side dish.  Who has had fried zucchini flowers.......




Saute 1 chopped onion in olive oil until tender, then add in 1 stalk celery, 1 carrot, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 bay leaf, and 1 cinnamon stick.  Saute over medium heat until the veg are all soft & the cinnamon is becoming fragrant.


Add in 1 28 oz can of diced fire-roasted tomatoes, 1 tsp oregano, and about 1/2 of a jar of Trader Joe's sundried tomatoes.  Lower to a simmer, cover, and ignore it for an hour.  Don't mess with it.  It knows what it's doing.


1 lb. ground beef, 3 spicy Italian sausages crumbled, 1/4 c. fresh parsley, 2 cloves garlic minced, 1 Tbl. freeze dried oregano, 1 egg, SnP, and.....the most important part....1 slice of stale bread soaked in milk, then mashed into a paste.


Roll equal-sized portions of meat in panko, drizzle with olive oil, then bake @ 400 for 25 minutes.


Puree the red sauce, taste for SnP.


Ok....these...are amazing.  If you can get your hands on fresh zucchini flowers, stuff them with chevre & SnP, and dip in a batter of flour and sparkling water.


Fry in olive oil until lightly golden on each side.


Serve the flowers with red sauce, and top cooked pasta with red sauce, and a few of those crispy meatballs.  Your family will thank you.  (Even if they are only 3 feet tall.)  :)

Pork & Green Chile, two ways

Green chiles really do have something.  I mean, why are they so good?  Well, I'm not out to solve that mystery today, just to eat some.  I've shown a couple of different ways to serve this meal, but I preferred the second option.  You can also use a different cut of pork, as I used a lean tenderloin it didn't take long to cook.  It would be amazing with a pork neck or shoulder, and with an extended cook time, you could end up with some amazingly tender meat with way too much flavor for its own good.


Seasonings to rub on the meat, starting at 9 o clock: freshly ground cumin, freeze-dried oregano, smoked paprika, 4 cloves minced garlic


Saute 1 onion until soft, then add in 2 cans chopped green chiles, 2 pork tenderloins cut into chunks, spices listed above, SnP.  Stir, browning the meat and warming the spices.  Once the meat has developed color on its exterior, add in enough chicken stock to cover, and about half of a bunch of cilantro, chopped, and 2 cups of chopped tomatoes.  Lower the heat to a simmer & cook until the meat is tender and cooked through, mine took about 30 minutes.  Taste for SnP, add in lime juice to taste.


Long grain white rice, cooked with lime wedges, then once cooked and fluffed, tossed with lime juice.


Serving option # 1: Serve as a stew, with lime wedges, a scoop of rice, and warmed tortillas.


Fried Capers!!!  I love these, and I made them for option # 2: Pork tacos with lime rice & fried capers.  Just drain the capers, toss in fine corn meal, and fry for about 1 minute, or until the flowers start to open.


Serving option # 2: Blue corn tortilla, lime rice, chopped pork, chopped cilantro, microgreens, stewed tomatoes and green chiles.  Next time, I'll make a salsa verde too....it was the only thing I missed.  Enjoy!

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

A Veggie Main

Often a vegetarian main dish leaves a carnivore wanting a bit more, and many can be found sneaking into the fridge for a late-night snack when nobody is watching.  This tart looks light, but with the cheese it is deceptively rich.  Also, it's spring.  I'm pretty sure that spring actually means asparagus in some cultures, so eat it up while you can!  :)


Blanched asparagus, chillin' on my patio on a cloudy afternoon, because there was no room in my fridge.  :)


Pre-bake a puff pastry about 12 minutes, or until golden.  Mix equal parts of grated Gruyere & Fontina with egg yolks, freshly grated nutmeg, SnP, and minced shallots.  Spread on the puff pastry, keeping a 1 inch border.


Toss the asparagus with olive oil & SnP.  Top the cheese with the prepped asparagus.


Bake @ 400 for about 12 minutes, or until the cheese has puffed a bit.  Zest a lemon over top & enjoy with a salad!

Sunday, April 29, 2012

*screams* A Squidie Post!!


Don't....be skerd.  It's just a squid!  :)  They aren't hard to break down into an edible form, but it's a bit tedious.



AAAGH they're swarming!!  lol



1. Pull out head
2. Feel for the sharp point near the large opening, grab ahold, and pull it out.  It will be a large, oval-shaped clear poky thing.  It's the spine, and trust me you don't want to eat it!
3.  Near the tip of the body you will see 2 fins.  Pull at one while holding the body, and the skin will pull away to reveal a white flesh.  Continue pulling it off until all you have is a hollow white cone.  
4.  Starting at the pointed end, squeeze out "the guts"  
5. Done!



6. Find a sous chef and make her do it.  ;)



Blanch arugula, then toss in ice water.



Chop basil, I used Greek basil but any would be fine.



Toast breadcrumbs, then cool.  Toss with blanched, drained, & chopped arugula, garlic, SnP, chopped tomatoes, and olive oil.



Stuff the calamari.  This....is tedious.  And hard.  I won't lie.  But you'll get there.



A tomato sauce in the making: tomatoes, garlic, oregano, SnP.  Blend.



Simmer, then cool outside on your patio if it's cold and rainy, because it's faster that way.  :)


Pour the cooled sauce over your calamari, add white wine, and bake at 325 for 30 minutes.  Serve with a salad and more white wine.  Of course.  :)


Raw Tomato Goodness

Staring at my heirloom tomato plants daily got me to talking about raw tomato sauces with a friend this week.  They are very easy, and when tomatoes are in season and fabulous, this is how you want them!  Or...at least one of the ways.


A photo of almost everything, although I forgot to include the balsamic and capers.  My apologies.


Chop tomatoes, then toss with minced garlic, capers, SnP, oregano, basil, and olive oil.  Allow the tomatoes to marinate while you cook your pasta.


When the pasta is cooked, drain but do not rinse it.  Toss it straight into your tomato mixture and combine, taste for SnP, and dress with some balsamic.


Warm olive oil, garlic slices, and red pepper flakes until fragrant, but do not let the garlic brown.  In the seasoned oil saute 1 lb. shrimp until just shy of pink, add a splash of white wine and lemon juice, and  serve immediately.  If you add the wine and lemon any earlier your shrimp will just get tough and grainy.  Blech.


I served a cheesy garlic bread on the side, but a salad would of course also be fantastic.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

A BBQ for friends


The beginnings of a coconut rice pudding: cook long grain rice with orange peel & a cinnamon stick.  Then add to the cooked rice: 1 can cream of coconut, 1 can evaporated milk, 1/2 tsp almond extract.  Next time I'll try it with rum!  :)  Simmer slowly, watching it for scorching, about 20 minutes or until thick.  It can be eaten hot, room temp, or chilled.  I topped it with grilled mango and toasted coconut.


Speaking of toasting ~ in a dry pan toast garlic cloves, skin on, until black in spots.


Cool, peel, and chop.


To ground beef, add the chopped garlic, cilantro, scallion, 2 chopped chipotles, and the zest of a lime.  Form into burgers & grill until perfect!


Sweet corn, boiled in salt & sugar, then when cooked and hot toss in Old Bay.


Not a great photo, but everything tasted great!  You will have to trust me on this one.