I Am Not a Muse(d).

Often, I find myself in a cooking rut where I am basically making the same five dishes over and over again. The imagination suffers, the desire to try new recipes disappears and I have to search for a muse.  The muse came in two forms this time, one by the efforts of my own lily white hands and the other by the efforts of two men's sheer genius.


Lemongrass and Mint

 

Herbs, herbs, herbs!  I have revived my indoor herb garden.  I love seeing the beautiful, leafy green fronds in my ceramic pots and inhaling their sweet, spicy, fresh aromas.  I have planted sweet basil (lots and lots), Thai basil, German thyme, lemongrass, mint.  I am still hunting for some rosemary, cilantro (which I am excellent at killing), lime thyme or lemon thyme. I think this pot is too small  to get the large stalks of lemongrass found in the Asian markets, but that's okay. I am using these for their citronella qualities (I usually buy my lemongrass already minced because I just can't be bothered with that ;)).  I also planted 4 seedlings of lemongrass in the ground so maybe, just maybe, something magical will happen there.

Dearly Beloved and I also made a much more concerted effort to actually plant a garden this year.  We have tomatoes (grape, brandywine, Amish red, San Marzano, romas and goliaths), cucumbers (killer frost attacked the week after we set those in the ground, so we may have none), leeks, garlic chives, pumpkins (11 vines!!!), sugarbaby watermelons, strawberries, cantoloupes, corn, peas and mammoth sunflowers.

Since I was already elbow deep in the muck and mire, I also planted flowers to pretty up our yard: poppies, peonies, wildflowers.  But I digress - on to the other muse!

I have been eyeing 2 cookbooks for quite a while.  In this day and age, when it is usually easier to find a recipe you want to try somewhere on the internet, cookbooks are not so much a necessity as they are a luxury.  These two books are truly that.  My Vietnam is a retelling of Luke Nguyen's original cookbook Songs of Sapa, but with more recipes and tales.  As I try to recreate my mother's recipes, his recipes are a great starting point for me.  My mother's banana bread pudding is a beautiful, striata of crustless, day-old french bread, sliced fingerling bananas and an amzing thick custard.  It is quite intimidating, but perfect for an end of workday snack.  Luke Nguyen offers a simpler, but equally delicious version made with bananas, flour and sweetened condensed milk baked in a springform pan.  Much more approachable for me.  I also love the stories he tells about revisiting Vietnam.  I hope to have my own stories soon!



Momofuku is the brainchild that stems from David Chang's search for eating and making perfect ramen.  He traveled to Japan to learn secrets of the trade, came back and opened an eatery naming it after the man who invented ramen.  Now I loves me a good bowl of ramen!  I am  not talking about the 20-cent-package-dried-stuff-with-tinfoil-bag-of-sodium-seasoning.  I am talking about a rich, steaming broth flavored with everything that simmers for hours and hours on end (much like my own country's pho broth), noodles and a smorgasboard of add-ins such as mushrooms, scallions, chicken, pork or beef, a perfectly poached egg.  That being said, the recipes in this book are not limited to just ramen.  David Chang is genius - his creative variations on classic Asian dishes are so packed with amazing flavors.  I have already made the steak ssam and roasted pork belly with steamed buns. Both were a hit - so much so that Dearly Beloved requested them again. He HATES repeat meals!

My goal is to cook every recipe in these two books.  Of course, I will post about my attempts, however humorous, here.  Oh, I almost forgot (so much to catch up on!) - I took a food photography class.  I don't know if it improved my photography skills at all, but I learned quite a bit on how to make food look appetizing (apparently, I have to take the photos in my livingroom, not diningroom).  Hopefully, this means I can stop stealing other people's culinary successes!

Spaghetti Carbonara

Traditional carbonara is served with the egg, either lightly poached or completely raw, perched in the middle of the plate of spaghetti.  The idea is to break the yolk and let its gooey, ooey goodness run down over the pasta (a la the picture to the left).  I love runny yolk eggs - poached in my ramen, over spinach salads, a fried egg over rice with nuoc mam and a delicious grilled pork chop, so the traditional concept is one that I would wholeheartedly embrace.  This recipe mixes the egg yolks in with the cream, which is in itself, embraced by the Romans. 

Being the bacon, egg, pasta lovers that we are (and, for me, peas), what is not to love about Carbonara?  This is one of my go to dishes for a quick and easy, after work meal.  The flavors are ridiculous and it is as comforting as one of Mom Susie's quilts.

5 teaspoons olive oil

4 shallots, diced

1 large onion, cut into thin strips

1-2 cups of diced pancetta or bacon (we are big bacon eaters - we used a LOT of peppered bacon)

1 clove garlic, chopped (2 for us)

1 (16 ounce) package fettuccini or spaghetti pasta

3 egg yolks

1/2 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1-2 cups of frozen peas (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

- Heat olive oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Saute shallots until softened. Stir in onion and bacon, and cook until bacon is evenly browned. Stir in garlic when bacon is about half done. Remove from heat.

- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain pasta, then return it to the pot.

- In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks, cream, and shredded Parmesan. Pour the bacon mixture over the pasta, then stir in the cream mixture. Season with salt and pepper.

Peach Chicken Salad with Mint Vinaigrette

Back in the day, when my friends and I were more ambitious about improving our cultural wellbeing...or when we just wanted to find any excuse to drink heavily, we would hold wine nights.  We selected a wine of choice, learned all we could about the wine, brought a bottle of said choice and a dish that would pair well with it. Some friends came back from a trip to the concord region (Pennsylvania) and brought a collection of US wines from the area.  That day, I made a raspberry chipotle glazed, roasted pork loin to pair with a true concord wine (mmmmmm, grape juice kicked up a notch) and Spencer brought an amazing peach chicken salad with a mint vinaigrette to pair with a concord riesling.  Below is the salad recipe, courtesy of the amazing Spencer:

PEACH CHICKEN SALAD
3 medium fresh peaches, peeled and cubed
2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
1 medium cucumber, seeded and chopped
3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion

MINT VINAIGRETTE:
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup minced fresh mint
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
4 lettuce leaves

In a large bowl, combine the peaches, chicken, cucumber and onion; set aside. In a blender, combine the vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, mint, salt and pepper; cover and process until smooth. Drizzle over chicken mixture; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until chilled. Use a slotted spoon to serve on lettuce-lined plates.
 
Note from me:  I don't like the taste of raw onions, even red ones.  This is a trick my mama taught me - soak the onions in the vinaigrette for about 15 to 20 minutes before pouring over the salad to get rid of the raw onion kick.  The flavor will be much milder.

Customer's Choice (a/k/a I love the parenthesis)

I have this cookbook that I treasure - The Betty Crocker Cookbook (abridged version).  It is red and old, the spine is broken and the pictures would not meet any of the appetite invoking pictures you see on cooking websites these days.  This cookbook belonged to my mom.

Back in the day, my parents owned a little eatery (not quite diner, not quite deli...a dineli, if you will) in a busy business park just north of the SR 201 (back in the day, we called it the 21st South Freeway).  Easily seen from the freeway, it is now a Subway, but you can tell from the title of this post the named it went by when we owned it.  We inherited the name, but my people's knack for naming businesses is going to be fodder for another post in the future.  I spent my entire junior high and sophomore career here.  I worked for my parents for the bargain price of $50 per week (obviously very blissfully unaware of child labor laws) and saved up to pay cash for my first car - a very chic, used, white Audi 1000.

We offered breakfast, sandwiches, a salad bar (where I discovered my dislike for the intensely tinny taste and aroma of canned beets and kept me from enjoying the deliciousness of a fresh, roasted beet for decades because I thought beets naturally came from a can), 2 different types of soup and a variety of entrees and specials each day.   She didn't need recipes for the familiar Asian dishes we served, except (I cringe to type this) the egg foo yung (a "Chinese" I'm sure no true Chinese person has ever heard of).  The curled up post-it notes mark pages in the cookbook of the recipes my mom used for the restaurant - foods that she was not familiar with cooking but she was a natural and made them all tasty - except the sweet and sour meatballs.

This cookbook was printed in 1978 and aimed for the economic young housewife (we were not gender neutral back then) - many of the recipe titles start with the word "economic".  I had thawed some ground beef without a purpose, so I pulled out this cookbook and thumbed through it.  Aha!  Economy Beef Stroganoff.  Now My Beloved loves beef stroganoff but as I skimmed through the recipe, I knew there would be quite a bit of changes.   We will call my version Upgraded Beef Stroganoff.  Definitely a success, MB had 2 plates full.

1 1/2 pounds beef for stew, cut in 1/8′ slices (ME: 1 lb ground beef)
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/4 cups beef bouillon (ME: is that the same as beef broth?  I used beef broth) 
2 tablespoons catsup (ME: though I know My Beloved would not have minded this ingredient, he puts ketchup on his tacos, but I am not of the same tongue-set.  Omitted)
1 small clove garlic (ME: accidentally forgotten - a frequent side effect of changing recipes)
1 teaspoon salt (ME: 1/2 tsp sea salt)
8 ounces sliced mushrooms (ME: lots and lots ofSa mushrooms)
1 medium onion chopped (ME: cut onion in half, sliced in thin wedges)
3 tablespoons flour (ME: 1/4 cup)
1 cup dairy sour cream (ME: 1.5 cups)
4 cups hot cooked noodles (ME: is that a whole bag?  I used a whole bag)
1 tablespoon butter (ME: already had 2 T, don't need a third)
1 teaspoon poppy seed  (ME: what the hell for???? Omitted)
(ME: 1/4 c. red wine - this is approximate.  I just did one turn around the pot of wine)
(ME: 1 t. Worcesteshire sauce)

Because I made such changes, the instructions below are the steps for my version.
- saute onions in 2 T butter until caramelized, add mushrooms and cook.  Remove and set aside.
- in the same pot, saute garlic until fragrant and add ground beef. cook until done
- add wine, 3/4 c. beef stock, worcesterhire sauce, salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.
- mix 1/2 c. beef stock with flour, add to beef mixture and return to boil for a minute or two (cooking off the flour taste)
- add sour cream - at this point you want to reduce the heat to LOW.  You want the sour cream to heat slowly, not boil

Serve over the buttered noodles and enjoy with some tivo'd episodes of The Daily Show!

My New Go To Chicken Dish!

A coworker brought in some leftovers last week - poached chicken with a soy/ginger/scallion sauce over it.  It was heavenly!  The chicken was so tender and flavorful.  I had a couple of slices for lunch with a very generic salad (lettuce, tomato, cucumber, avocado, soy/ginger dressing).  Of course, I had to beg for the recipe and she rattled it off to me.  The recipe below is my version of it - partly because, as stated, I don't follow directions and partly because I couldn't remember the whole conversation.

Dear readers, this is a great "go-to" dish.  Easy, but doesn't taste easy!  You can make it days ahead, the flavors just get better and better.  You can also serve it cold or warm (I like it cold for a light spring or summer dish).  I will post pictures the next time I make it.

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
grated fresh ginger (about 4 tablespoons)
4 scallions (green and whites), chopped (I actually used the entire bunch, but I love scallions)
2 T. sugar
2 t. sesame oil
1/4 c. soy sauce (or to taste)
2 T. sherry (I used mirin)
1-2 T of canola oil (or another mild flavored oil for sauteeing)

My coworker told me to poach the chicken in water.  However, I like to use my "master stock poached chicken" method (borrowed from Kylie Kwong).  I place the chicken in a pot large enough to hold all the breasts in a single layer.  I add enough water to cover by about 2 inches.  I add 1/2 a peeled onion, 1 large chunk (2-3 inches) of ginger that I have lightly bruised and a couple of cloves of peeled garlic (also bruised).  Bring all of this to a boil, then quickly turn the heat down to a low simmer.  Do not let the water return to a boil or you will get a tough bird.  Cover and let it simmer in the stock for about 20 minutes.  Then turn the heat off and let the chicken keep poaching for another 15-20 minutes.

In the meantime, heat the canola oil in a pan over medium heat.  Saute the ginger and scallions until they are fragrant.  Add the soy sauce, sherry (mirin), sugar, sesame oil and stir until the sugar dissolves.  Keep it on the heat, stirring, until the sauce comes to a boil.  Then turn off the heat.

Remove the chicken breast from the stock and let dry.  Slice them on the bias and arrange in a serving dish (make sure the dish has sides to hold the sauce).  Poor the sauce over the chicken, making sure to cover all he pieces.  The longer you can let it sit to absorb the sauce and flavor, the better.  I like to refrigerate it overnight because it is so delicious!  I serve with rice and a salad.

Bangers and Mash (I know! Right?)

There is something to be said about food from the United Kingdom....it's bland.  With the exception of that fine, layered dessert, English Trifle, I just find most of it bland.  So when I heard of the dish Bangers and Mash, I thought "that sounds delicious" - with a name like that and ingredients like sausages and mashed potatoes, what's not to love?  Then I heard that it was a traditional English dish and thoughts of deliciousness died right there in my head.  Just to confirm, I made a traditional Bangers and Mash recipe last night for dinner and my beloved confirmed.  Bland.

Not to be daunted, I am determined there is a way to bring this dish up a notch (or seven) and make it full of flavor.  As a side note, the term "bangers" is attributed to the fact that sausages, particularly the kind made during World War II under rationing, can explode under high heat if not cooked carefully. Modern sausages do not have this attribute.  And I say they are the worse for it.

Bangers:
- 1 lb. (or more) sausages Traditionally, cumberland sausages are used.  I don't know what those are, but I don't have high hopes for their flavor.  I used Colossimo's New York Style sausage.  What makes them New York style, you ask?  I have no clue.  They looked like every other Colossimo sausage.
- Lots of shallots lots and lots and lots

The recipe I tried called for boiling the sausages.  That was not a typo, my friends.  It said "boil".  I say "grill".  But brown the sausages in a little bit of butter and olive oil first.  This is not really for the sausage's sake, but for the shallots.  Flavor, flavor, flavor!  While the sausages are grilling, saute the shallots in the pan drippings from the sausages on LOW HEAT.  This is very important, you want a nice, slow, delicious caramelizing of the shallots.  This gives them a wonderful, sweet, nutty, brown flavor.  If the heat is too high, the shallots will crisp up and burn, imparting bitterness.  Not to mention how bitter I will be for such poor treatment of the royal shallot.  If you want to turn this into a gravy, add 2 T. of flour, cook gently to cook off the flour taste (5 minutes), then add chicken stock and reduce to thicken.

- 5-6 potatoes I say go with Yukon golds - nothing beats their texture for creaminess
- butter
- heavy cream
- creme fraiche, sour cream or crema mexicana
- salt
- pepper

Quarter the potatoes and put in a pot of cold water.  Set to boil for 20 minutes or until fork tender.  You will notice I didn't put in portions for the other ingredients.  This is really to taste.  I love my mashed potatoes - I love them creamy and rich and just full of flavor.  I also love "flavored" mashed potatoes - so divine.  For my preferences, I used about 1 stick (8 T) of butter, 2-3 tablespoons of the creme fraiche and just kept adding the heavy cream as I mashed until it was as creamy as I wanted.  Then, and here is my big finish on these mashed potatoes, throw in about 1/2 of the slowly sauteed, uber rich shallots...and mix it all together.  If you do make the shallots into gravy, then you can skip this part...or not.  Season with salt and pepper.

Can you just taste this?  Creamy, shallot mashed potatoes, topped with 2 perfectly grilled bangers, topped with a rich, shallot gravy.  I don't even think I need to post a picture.

Jack Shrimp (ish)

When I lived in the OC, I'd take PCH home...it is an amazingly pretty drive along the coast. In Newport Beach, a little eatery called Jack Shrimp sits across from PCH, facing the ocean. More often than not, I'd stop on the way home to sit on the patio with a good book and big bowl of their Jack Shrimp, washing it all down with a belgian pale. I'm sure their other dishes are delicious as well, but I can't guarantee it. In all the times I've been there, I've only ordered the Jack Shrimp. Below is my attempt at recreating the dish. I think I came pretty close! There is not shoreline here, but our shady back patio and a bottle of blue moon makes up for it.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 c butter
5-6 cloves of garlic, crushed
2-3 shallots, thinly sliced
1 t celery seeds
1/2 t fennel seeds
2 t rosemary
LOTS of ground pepper
1 6oz can tomato paste
1 c white wine (I used a Marlborough sauvignon blanc)
2 quarts chicken stock
2 lbs EXTRA LARGE prawns (Tiger Prawns if you can find them), deveined but not peeled
French bread

- Heat olive oil and butter in an enamel dutch oven, add the garlic and shallots and saute until they start caramelizing and you can smell the yummy aroma
- Add celery seeds, fennel seeds, rosemary and pepper. Saute for a minute or 2 to release their flavors
- Add the tomato paste and saute until everything is well blended (for lack of a better description). I gauge everything with the smell test - all of these ingredients should smell delicious...that's how you know you've sauteed enough.
- Deglaze the pot with wine, let it cook until the desired amt of alcohol has burned off (the desired amount is up to you).
- Add the chicken stock - bring everything to a full boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Allow it to simmer for 1/2 hour to an hour (longer = more intense flavor).
- When you are ready to serve, add the prawns. HINT: once you've added the shrimp, do not allow the stock to return to a full boil - that will result in tough shrimp.

As soon as the prawns are cooked, serve in bowls with lots of crusty French bread. You do not need utensils for this. Use the bread to mop up the sauce and peel and eat the shrimp. Trust me, you will not want to waste one single delicious drop of this. It's even better the next day, when all the flavors have melded.

Bulgogi: Korean Grilled Beef in Lettuce Wraps

I have always wanted to learn how to make this dish since watching Anthony Bourdain visit Korea in one of his "No Reservations" episodes. Korean food is usually served with little side dishes called "banchan" - little dishes of kimchee, bean sprouts in sesame, cucumber kimchee, potatoe, korean pancake (panjeon).

For the Beef Marinade:
1 lb (450g) thinly sliced rib-eye, flank or skirt steak
1/2 Nashi pear, thinly sliced
1 tsp. sea salt
3 TBL toasted sesame oil
2 tsp. raw sugar
1 finger of ginger, peeled and sliced
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. light soy sauce

Combine meat with all seasonings for marinade in non-metal bowl or zipper plastic bag, and marinate at least 8 hours or overnight. The pear is added less for flavor than as a natural meat tenderizer. If nashi pear is not available, you can use 1 kiwi or a slice of papaya to accomplish the same thing, but June warns not too marinate more than 3-4 hours if you use these fruits because they are much more potent tenderizers than the pear, and will turn the meat to mush! (Sounds like a great science experiment, doesn’t it?)


Have ready at the table:
Small container of oil for grill
Washed and dried green and/or red lettuce leaves, torn into 4” pieces
Banchan dishes
Bowls of cooked medium grain rice, 1 for each diner


- Remove meat from refrigerator and let come to room temperature. Drain marinade and discard. Gently pat meat dry.
- If using butane stove and grill at table, pre-heat grill over medium-high, and add about 1 TBL oil to grill plate. Carefully add slices of meat using tongs or long chopsticks to keep yourself away from hot oil. Oil may sputter, so take care — we seated the children present at the heads of the table so they were farthest away from the grill and stove. Turn heat down to medium-low, and turn meat over once to brown both sides. Diners can help themselves directly from the grill as the meat cooks. Using clean tongs or chopsticks, remove meat to serving plate if it cooks faster than people are eating.
- Let each person assemble their own wraps:
* Lay a piece of lettuce on your plate
* Add a mouthful of rice, about 1 TBL or so, on top of the lettuce
* Add a couple of slices of cucumber kimchee, bean sprouts, and kimchee
* Top with one slice of bulgogi
* Wrap lettuce around fillings
* Munch, swallow, repeat!

I have also had this dish at Korean restaurants where you place a mouthful shredded lettuce dressed in a sesame vinaigrette on your plate, add a slice of grilled beef and top with thinly sliced, pickled daikon radish rounds. If you pick eveyrthing up with your chopsticks, it will naturally (or not so naturally) fold like a mini soft taco.

Possible accompaniments:

PICKLED RADISH/CUCUMBER
Use this basic method and dressing for either daikon or cucumber


If you want both pickles, repeat recipe for each vegetable
1/2 small daikon radish OR 1 English of other long cucumber
2-3 TBL sugar


Peel daikon and cut lengthwise, then thinly slice into half-moons or thin strips. If using cucumber, peel leaving thin stripes of green peel for contrast, then cut in half cross-wise on the diagonal, then lengthwise. Thinly slice cucumber on the diagonal.Place vegetable in colander set over a bowl or plate. Sprinkle sugar evenly over and through vegetable. Set aside for 30-45 minutes to just wilt veggies (cucumber will take longer than daikon).

Meanwhile make dressing:
3 TBL rice vinegar
1/2 tsp. raw sugar
1/2 -3/4 tsp. sea salt
1/2-1 tsp Korean red pepper flakes (can substitute Aleppo pepper)

Combine vinegar, sugar and salt in medium bowl. Taste for tartness — salt will mellow the sharpness of vinegar, but it should still be tart. Add pepper flakes and mix through.Do not rinse vegetable! Add lightly sweetened, wilted vegetable to dressing and set aside for about 1 hour for flavors to infuse. Divide pickles into 2-3 small serving bowls and place bowls around the table to allow each diner to easily reach the pickles as they assemble their bulgogi rolls.

Memories of My Mom: Che Chuoi

Che chuoi is bananas simmered in coconut milk and tapioca pearls. The end result has the consistency of tapioca pudding (with slices of banana). Though sweet, it is not really considered a dessert as Vietnamese people really don't eat desserts. If necessary, they will cap a meal with a dish of tropical fruit over ice. Ches are more commonly served as a sweet snack. Growing up, I was usually the only person in my family who really liked this dish...so when my mom made it, it was all for me!

In Viet Nam, there a quite a few different types of bananas. chuoi xiem (Lady's Fingers bananas or King Bananas) are 3-4 inches in length with a very thin peel. They are much more delicate than an American banana with a sweeter taste and honey-like aroma. These are my favorite bananas to use in this recipe.

3 c water
3 c coconut milk
3/4 c small tapioca pearls, soaked in warm water for about 15-20 minutes
3/4 - 1 c sugar (or more, depending on your preference for sweetness - I use vanilla sugar that I made with vanilla beans buried in a jar of baking sugar)
1/4 t salt
1 bunch of chuoi ngu, peeled and quatered (or 4 or so chiquitas, halved lenthwise then cut into 2 inch pieces)

- Heat the water in a sauce pan to boiling, turn the heat down to simmer and add the coconut milk. Drain the tapioca pearls and add them to the coconut, stirring frequently to keep them from clumping and burning.

- When the mixture has thickened slightly, add the sugar and stir.

- Once the pearls have taken on a clear look and a soft in texture, add the bananas. At this point, you'll want to be extra careful when stirring to keep the bananas from breaking up or mushing. Let it simmer until the bananas are warmed through.

Note: you can add colored tapioca threads for a little more aesthetics, or top with chopped roasted peanuts or sesame seeds. You can also add one pandan leaf (tied) to the simmering pudding for flavor (it has a fragrant banana-like scent). I would actually do this if I knew where to find pandan.

Memories of My Mom: Bo Luc Lac

Bo luc lac translates to "shaking beef" because the beef is seared in a wok at high temperatures and you shake the wok to ensure even cooking. It was always a good day to come home from school and see this waiting for us on the counter. Mom would make the vinaigrette to pour over, but salt/pepper/lime is much easier and just as delicious.

The beauty of Vietnamese cooking, for me, is that it is peasant food. I'm always skeptical when I hear about 'high end' Vietnamese restaurants because frou frou would take the soul out of the dishes...it is like listening to a coffee shop singer in a 15,000 seat amphitheater, good concert but not a great one. The best foods are the street vendor foods like the pate chaud or the banh mi (sandwiches), but I am learning that my people are wizards with a grate, some charcoal and chopsticks - everything becomes street vendor food, even pho!

This dish is no exception - marinated cubes of beef quickly seared and served over a bed of mixed greens, cucumbers and tomatoes with steamed rice and a little dish of salt/pepper/lime to dip the meat in. Nothing fancy, but the flavor is so, so good! This is the first dish I ever made for David - it's my "secret weapon", if you will. One bite and he was powerless to resist me. ;) :) ;)

- 1 to 2 lbs of beef tenderloin, cut into cubes slightly larger than bite-sized

- 6 cloves of garlic, crushed (this is where pre-peeled garlic and a minichopper comes in quite handy)

- 2-3 T soy sauce

- 2-3 T fish sauce

- 1 T sugar

- 2 T oil (veg or olive) - optional

- freshly ground black pepper (lots!!!)

- one sweet onion, peeled and cut into wedges

- spring mix or watercress...or both

- 1 cucumber, peeled and sliced on the diagonal

- grape tomatoes

- hard boiled eggs, cut into wedges (optional)

- salt

- pepper

- lime juice

- Mix the garlic, soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, pepper and oil together and marinade the meat for at least an hour...but if you can overnight, it will taste better.

- Heat a small amount of oil in a wok over high heat. Saute the onion until soft and translucent. Put onions in a bowl and set aside.

- In the same wok, sear the meat in batches so that they will brown evenly but still be medium-rare to medium in the center. If you overcrowd the pan, the meat will give off too much juice and start to braise. Try to avoid this.

- After the meat is seared, quickly saute the onions a second time in the same wok so that they will take on a golden hue and the flavors from the meat. Mix the onions with the meat and pour over the spring mix salad (with cucumbers, tomatoes and eggs).

- Each person should get a small dipping bowl of equal parts salt/pepper. Squeeze a wedge or 2 of lime juice over the salt/pepper.

- Serve the beef with steamed rice. It is best to dip the beef in the salt/pepper/lime mixture before eating.

Baked Penne with Italian Sausage

Another wonderful, comforting recipe from Kristin!!!!!

Baked Pasta with Sausage, Tomatoes and Cheese
Ingredients
1 (1-pound) package penne (or ziti)
1 pound Italian sausage (I am using Colosimo's red wine sausage)
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 (14.5-ounce) cans petite-diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
Cooking spray
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded fresh mozzarella cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.
- Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain the pasta, and set aside.
- Remove casings from sausage. Cook sausage, onion, and garlic in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Add the tomato paste, salt, pepper, and tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Combine cooked pasta, sausage mixture, and basil. Place half of the pasta mixture in a 4-quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Top with half of mozzarella and half of Parmesan. Repeat layers. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until bubbly.

Memories of My Mom: Bo Nhung Dam

Another specialty of my mothers. This translates to beef dipped in vinegar. Thinly sliced beef cooked at the table in a vinegary stock, then wrapped in rice paper with herbs and cucumbers, dipped in Nuoc Cham and YUM!!! You can't try to imagine the taste of this one as the ingredients probably won't make sense. Just know that the flavors are so perfectly suited in this dish! You'll need a heating unit that you can use at the table. Below is enough for 5 adults...6 if you count my little brother twice...

- 3 lbs of thinly sliced eye of round (if you go to a Vietnamese butcher, ask them to slice it for pho)

- 2 lbs shrimp, peeled and deveined. If they are large, slice them in half.

- Herb Plate: chinese coriander, cilantro, mint, perilla

- 1 head red leaf lettuce, leaves taken apart and washed

- 4 dua chuot (pickling cucumbers), peeled, halved lengthwise and sliced

- sliced fresh pineapple (optional)

- rice paper

Vinegar Stock (Hot Pot)

- 1 can Coco Rico

- 1/2 to 1 c rice vinegar

- 1-2 shallots, finely sliced

- 2 to 3 T lemongrass, finely minced

- 1 onion, thinly sliced

- juice from 1 can pineapple

- 2 to 3 T sugar

- pinch of salt

Serve with Nuoc Cham dipping sauce

- Saute the shallots and lemongrass in a little bit of oil until they are fragrant. Add the remaining ingredients for the hot pot and bring to a boil, then let simmer for about 20 minutes for the flavors to meld.

- At the table, keep the stock at a simmer, dip the meat in long enough to just cook them - alternate between beef and shrimp.

- Wrap the meat in rice paper, cucumbers, lettuce, herbs...dip in nuoc cham and enjoy!

Memories of My Mom: Chao Ga

Chao Ga is rice porridge or rice congee with shredded chicken. It would take the place of chicken noodle soup in our household. Mom would poach a chicken in a 'master stock' and then strain the stock to cook the rice to make a soup. Then she'd add the shredded chicken and some cilantro, scallions, caramelized shallots and lots of ground pepper. As a variation, she would make this with ground pork/shrimp or plain with salty scrambled eggs (I've made this version before, since it's quick and easy - Dave and Nora like it!)

My better half has been pretty sick so I thought I'd try this to help him feel better (or at least NOT make him feel worse).

For the stock:

1 chicken

1 onion, peeled and cut in half

1 2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and lightly smashed

3-4 cloves of garlic, peeled and lightly smashed

kosher salt

4 qts (plus) water

- In a large stock pot, heat over HIGH heat just a touch of canola oil and quickly saute the onion halves, garlic and ginger to bring out the flavors. Add the water , chicken and enough kosher salt to season the chicken. Poach until the juices run clear when the chicken is stabbed with a chopstick (and yet another great purpose for the amazing invention of the chopstick) - about 25 to 30 minutes.

- Remove the chicken and let it cool. Strain the stock through a mesh strainer lined with quadruple layer of cheesecloth (or a layer of cloth flour sack).

For the Congee:

- 1 cup (or so) jasmine rice

- 1 clove garlic, crushed

- 1 shallot, finely sliced

- stock from the poached chicken

fish sauce

cilantro

shredded chicken

ground pepper

- In a medium saucepan, saute the rice, garlic, shallots in a tiny bit of oil until fragrant. Add the stock (about 3-4 quarts) and cook the rice until it is very tender (even allowing the rice to break). The consistency should remain soupy. Add fish sauce to taste (about 1-2 tablespoons).

- Ladel the soup into bowls and top with shredded chicken, chopped cilantro and lots of freshly ground pepper for garnish.

Curl up on the couch with a good book and enjoy!

Memories of My Mom: Banh Pate Chaud

My mom was an amazing cook! She would make wonderful meals and invite friends and family over - there's no way anyone would say no. The connotative meaning of "Nỗi Lòng Của Mẹ" is "the rising a mother's heart" - rising the way bread dough rises and fills its enclosure - which is fitting because this is how she expressed the enormity of her love for us. Birthdays were always our favorite foods, weekend meals meant my mother getting up at 4:00AM so that we'd have a big, steaming pot of her homemade pho waiting when we finally woke up. I was a super finicky eater, so my mom would make things one way for everyone else, then a different way just for me. (She'll be happy to know that I'm serving my penance for that when I cook for Nora and Eddie.)

I loved helping my mom cook - all my kitchen habits come from years of watching her work her magic in the kitchen....well, except the habit I have of using every pot in the house. I'm posting all of her recipes essentially to keep them safe. It's a combination of googling and memories - google to find several versions of the basic recipe and adding memories of my mom in. Here is the first of her recipes.

Banh Pate Chaud - a vietnamese puffed pastry stuffed with seasoned, ground pork, shrimp and mushrooms (or any combination). It makes for a delicious and addicting appetizer or snack! Traditionally the recipe calls for adding 2 T of pate (liver), but none of the kids liked the flavor so my mom added shrimp...or just made plain pork.

2 boxes of frozen puff pastry (my mother, of course, made her own puff pastry...but later on, even she admitted the frozen stuff was just as tasty and a million times more convenient)
1 lb lean ground pork
1/2 lb ground shrimp (fresh crab meat is delicious too!)
1/2 c chopped wood ear mushrooms (or shitake)
2-3 T spns of fish sauce (all of these measurements are approximate)
1-2 T spn of soy sauce
2-3 shallots minced
2-3 T spns of sugar
1/2 t spn of salt
fresh ground pepper
1 egg
butter

- In a large bowl, add the ground pork, shrimp and mushrooms and season the meat with all of the ingredients above (except the puff pastry). Once all of the ingredients are added, with your hands you want to mush all of the ingredients together until all of the seasoning is evenly spread throughout. Hands are very important - it's very difficult to get everything evenly seasoned with a utensil.

- After it is well mixed, divide and shape roughly into 12 (or however many pastries you're making) semi-flat balls. (I will come back and post pictures when I make this Thursday morning for TDay). If the size of the meatballs are large, you should first steam them in a bamboo steamer for about 15 minutes to ensure thorough cooking.

- With a cookie/biscuit cutter or a cup, cut the puffed pastry in circles that will fit the meatballs. Place one of the meatballs in the circle and place another circle on top. My mom would put a round collar in between the 2 circles so that they would puff higher (I'm going to try that).

- Press the edges of the puffed pastry together with a fork to seal. Brush the bottoms with melted butter and the top with an egg wash.

- Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes until they are golden brown and puffed.

ENJOY!!! (will edit to add pictures)

Kristin's Perfect Pot Roast with Garlic Mashed Potatoes

I'm not joking - this is like crack in a crockpot. In Kristin's own words:

Yankee Pot Roast
- 1 roast (whatever cut you like)
- carrots (however many you like, I just used baby carrots- about a half a big bag, I was also thinking parsnips would be good in this too...)
- 1 onion, chopped
3/4 - 1 cup beef broth (depending on the size of the roast)
1 can diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 Tbl dried parsley flakes (you can use fresh to but I did not have any on hand)
salt and cracked pepper (not sure how much I put in- maybe about a tsp of each??)

Sear roast in a little bit of olive oil and then just put everything in the crock pot to cook all day. (I added carrots part way through cooking time) I am sure that this would be good in the oven as well- whatever you want to use. I love the crock pot though because you do not have to babysit it and it comes out sooo tender!

Garlic Mashed Potatoes (I liked them so much when you made them that I tried them out myself!) got the recipe from this website: http://www.mashed-potatoes-recipe.com/garlic-mashed-potatoes-recipe/ I just did not add the parsley like the recipe said- probably would be good though
- 3 pounds russet or yukon gold potatoes
- 1 whole bulb garlic
-1/2 cup half and half (half milk half cream) (I did not have cream so I just used whole milk)
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley

Bring potatoes to a boil then reduce the heat and let them simmer for 15-20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and put them back on the stove for a few minutes, don’t burn them. After that, set them aside and not it’s time to move our attention to garlic. While the potatoes are boiling and simmering we will take the garlic bulb and cut the top of the whole garlic head. Oh, the garlic is still un-peeled, you don’t need to peel it. Now put the garlic into a heat resistant pan and cover it with drops of olive oil. Take some aluminum foil and cover the garlic (so it doesn’t burn) and put it into the oven.
How long does it take for garlic to bake? About the same time that it takes the potatoes to cook so you can do this simultaneously. Garlic is baked when is soft and as I said it will take about 20 minutes.

When the garlic is done let it cool down a bit, then squeeze the garlic out of it’s clothes with a fork and add it to the potatoes. (I put the garlic through a garlic press so it would be really fine). Now we are back on the old tracks. Mince the parsley and also add it to the potatoes, also add some pepper for the taste and some salt (if necessary) and mash the potatoes.

Heat cream, milk and butter and mix them into the potatoes. You could also do this before you mash the potatoes and garlic, maybe it tastes better if you do it after, but I don’t think so.

Parsnips, Carrots and Leeks Gratin

My very good friend, Beej, made this for a Thanksgiving dinner we attended. It was soooooooo amazingly good - one of those things I couldn't stop eating despite my intolerance for dairy.

2 tablespoons butter (I add 2 T of olive oil too so the butter won't burn)
2 - 3 shallots, finely sliced (this is my own addition)
2 pounds leeks (white and pale green parts only), halved lenthwise, rinsed, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces (about 5 cups)
1½ pounds large carrots, peeled, cut diagonally into ¼-inch-thick slices
1½ pounds large parsnips, peeled, cut diagonally into ¼-inch slices
2½ cups whipping cream
2 teaspoons of poultry seasoning
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ cup coarsely grated Parmesan cheese

- Position rack in top third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish.
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium-low heat. Add shallots and leeks and sauté until soft and beginning to color, about 15 minutes. Transfer to large bowl.
- Cook carrots and parsnips in large pot of boiling salted water until almost tender, about 3 minutes. Drain well; place in bowl with leeks.
- Whisk cream, sage, mustard, salt and pepper to blend in medium bowl. Pour cream mixture over vegetables and stir gently to combine.
- Transfer to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle Parmesan over. Cover dish with foil. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead; refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before continuing.)
- Bake gratin 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until vegetables are tender, top is golden brown and cream is thickened, about 30 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes. Serve hot.

The Most Homemadest Lasagna I've Ever Made

This is not to say that everything about this lasagna is homemade. The sausage is courtesy of Colosimo's and the noodle are Barilla's homestyle (read: flat) rustic noodles. I am typing this without the luxury of having tasted it, so I'm just guessing how that will turn out...but it smells pretty darn good! It is freaking FANTASTIC!!!

3 cloves garlic
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 lb ground beef (I used 91/9 lean:fat ratio)
1/2 lb Italian sausage (I use Colosimo's red wine sausage, remove casings - mmmmmm)
1/2 t. ground fennel
1/2 t. basil
salt & pepper
1 qt jar + 1 pint jar marinara sauce (Susan's Magic Sauce per previous post)
16 oz ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 lb sliced mushrooms (I use button & cremini mix)
shredded mozzarella
shredded parmesan

- Soak the noodles in hot water while you do the rest (I usually use Barilla's rustic no cook noodles, if you use these, they do not need to be soaked).

- Saute garlic and onion until tender and translucent.  Add ground beef, sausage, fennel and basil (also some salt/pepper to taste) and cook until done.  Remember to constantly break up the chunks of meat...unless you like big chunks of tough meat. Add the marinara, let simmer for 20 minutes.

- While the marinara is simmering, mix ricotta with egg and Italian seasoning, a handful of mozerella and parmesan, set aside.

Assembly:
- meat sauce
- noodles
- ricotta mix ("painted on" is the phrase used from the Peanut Gallery)
- mushrooms
- mozerella/parmesan
-------------------------
- meat sauce
- noodles
- ricotta mix
- mushrooms
- shredded mozzarella/parmesan
-------------------------
- meat sausce
- noodles
- mushrooms
- meat sauce
- mozzarella/parmesan (lots of it - no...really, LOTS of it)

Baked at 350 for 40 minutes (with foil on), then another 15 minutes without to brown the cheese on top. Let's hope it's as good as this post makes it sound!  Really, it is that good!

Susan Sanderson's Marinara Sauce

This is an ALL DAY activity, so bring out a good book and send the kiddies to the neighbor's to play. Time consuming and messy (think Tomato Graffiti), but so very worth it! Padded shoes are in order...really, your feet will hurt!

12 qts. ground tomatoes - for all of you wondering how many fresh off the vine, peeled, pulverized tomatoes that is: LOTS. LOTS and LOTS and LOTS. Think in terms of bushels....and don't pick your own in 90+ degree weather.
- peel the tomatoes and puree them

- pour the pureed tomatoes into a LARGE (10 quarts or so) pot

- cook on medium heat, until the sauce has reduced by 1/4



7-10 onions (I use 7 large onions or 10 medium ones), pureed

10-12 cloves garlic, pressed

- add garlic and pureed onions to tomatoes

- let the sauce reduce again



2 c sugar

4 T salt

12 HEAPING (I mean it) T dried oregano

6 HEAPING T dried basil

3 HEAPING T dried thyme

6 bay leaves

- Add all the spices/herbs to the sauce

- let the sauce reduce again



3 twelve ounce cans of tomato paste

- let the sauce reduce again



To make the sauce smoother and less chunky, use an immersion blender to puree it further. Ladel in the prepared canning jars and seal

Shanghai Noodles

Summer is a great time! June - October, to be exact...FARMER'S MARKET!!! I went on Saturday and found some delicious treasures:

- fresh made shanghai noodles
- snap peas
- shiitake and beech mushrooms

Mmmmmmmm...I'm thinking stirfried shanghai noodles with prawns!!!! My own 'house special', if you will.

1 lb shanghai noodles, blanched

1 lb prawns (I use 15-20 count)

1 lb snap peas, blanched (they should still be crispy)

1 lb mushrooms (use your favorites, but know that some mushrooms - such as portabellas - are too strong in flavor to use in stirfry. I used a combination of shiitake and beech)

1/2 small head of cabbage, sliced (not too thinly)

2 eggs, beaten

1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon sesame seed oil
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 sliced onion
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1-2 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoons sugar
Canola oil
Black pepper to taste

In a bowl, mix shrimp, cornstarch, coriander and sesame oil. Set aside. In a hot wok, coat with canola oil, and quickly scramble the eggs (note: I usually make thin egg crepes and slice them fine rather than scramble, but either method is fine). Remove eggs from heat and set aside. Stir-fry the shrimp for only 2 minutes keeping them rare. Set aside. In the same wok, add a little more oil and caramelize garlic, ginger and onions. Add cabbage, chicken stock and oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar - cook until softened. Add mushrooms. Add noodles, peas, eggs and shrimp. Toss to heat through. Season with black pepper (I like to garnish with cilantro sprigs). Serve!

Chicken Pesto with Penne

This one passes muster - have tried it twice...with success! Penne, linguine, fettucine...a good pasta that will hold the creamy pesto.

2 T butter
2 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/4 c heavy cream
1/4 c pesto sauce (recipe from November 20, 2008) - you can add more if that's your preference
shredded roasted chicken (I use Costco - it can't be beat!)
1 lb penne (or your pasta of choice...just don't use angel hair, it's too light), cooked
shredded asiago and parmesan cheese, (about 3 T. each)
salt and pepper to taste

- Heat butter and olive oil in a skillet, add garlic and saute until fragrant. Add shredded chicken, pesto and cream and cook until heated through, add salt and pepper. Add pasta and toss to coat with the sauce, let it heat so the sauce thickens and absorbs in the pasta. Turn off heat and add the cheese - toss well to mix.