Dateline: January 22, 2021 Ma La Shrimp and Stir Fried Mixed Vegetables

 OMG this dinner was superb!  No brag, just fact.  I am in heaven, spice, tingling mouth, crispy veggies and SHRIMP.

Ingredients

2 lb shrimp..... I used frozen

4 scallions, white part cut on the bias, green part cut into 2 inch segments

2 T garlic minced

2 T ginger, minced

3 T Doujiubang chili paste aka Pixian Chili Paste

2 t light soy

1 t dark soy

2 t shaoxing wine, for shrimp marinade

1 t rice wine vinegar

2 oz stock or water

4 T cornstarch or Potato starch 

1 t white pepper

1 t salt

1 t mala powder, ground black and szechwan pepper corns

2 T shaoxing wine or dry sherry, for pan sauce

Peanut or Neutral Oil

Method

1.  Rinse shrimp and devein, if necessary.  Place in a bowl and add white pepper, salt, mala powder, and shoaxing wine.  Mix together and set aside.

2.  Drain shrimp and but into plastic bag.  Add cornstarch or potato starch and mix well.  Each shrimp should be coated with some of the mixture.

3.  Heat enough oil in a wok to shallow fry the shrimp.  Working in batches, fry shrimp until almost done and coating is set.  Place on a sheet pan with a grate to drain off any residual oil.

4.  After frying, drain oil into a dish and wipe wok clean.  Add most of the oil back into the pan, minus any bits of coating floating around in it.  

5.  Reheat wok.  When hot add ginger and garlic.  Stir around for a bit and then add the doujiubang paste and stir fry until ginger and garlic are frying in a red colored oil.  Add in the soy sauces, wine, vinegar, and stock.  Stir to combine and add shrimp back into the pan.  Fry and stir to coat the shrimp well with the sauce.  Sprinkle additional mala powder over the shrimp.  Serve with rice.

Now for the Veggies.  Use whatever is in your fridge.  I had a couple of baby bok choy, some string beans and some brussel sprouts.  I used the microwave to pre cook the sprouts, 2 sessions of 2 minutes each.  That's my micro, yours may differ.

Ingredients

12 oz green beans cut into bite sized pieces

12 oz brussels sprouts, halved and pre-steamed.

3 baby bok choy, cut into quarters,  if necessary, cut quarters in half crosswise

1 T garlic, minced

1 T ginger, minced

3 T Peanut or neutral oil

2 scallions, sliced on the bias for the whites, and greens parts cut into 2 inch pieces

1 t dark soy sauce

1 t light soy sauce

2 T stock or water

1 T cornstarch or potato starch mixed with 1 T cold water

Method

1.  Heat wok and add oil.  When hot, add the ginger and garlic and stir for about 30 seconds.  Add veggies.  Stir fry until the veggies are softened and are fragrant.  

2.  Add soy sauces and stock.  Continue to stir the veggies.  When the liquid comes to a boil, add part of the slurry of starch.  Continue to mix the veggies.  If necessary, add another slurp of the slurry to pull the sauce together and get it to adhere to the veggies.  Serve with rice.

I opened a bottle of bubbly (Cremont) for this, just needed something to celebrate the meal with.  It went surprisingly well!  This was a memorable meal.  The shrimp were tender and spicy.  Begging to be picked up with the hands and fingers getting licked.  The veggies was really good as well.  The string beans were exceptionally sweet!  A nice foil for the spice of the shrimp.

Dateline: January 20, 2021 Chinese Night-Hunan Beef and Spicy Mixed Vegetables

 I bought some beef strips from FD a while ago and decided to pull them from the freezer and make something spicy to celebrate the Inauguration of Joe and Kamala!

I checked what was in the fridge, and found some brussel sprouts hiding in the vegetable drawer along with a lone bok choy and some leftover broccoli.  Perfect!

I chose Hunan Beef with Cumin after browsing through the NYT Cooking site.  I trusted the recipe as it was a riff on a Fuchsia Dunlop recipe.  I really love her recipes, haven't tried a dog yet!

For the veggies, I decided to wing it and come up with a stir fry that was easy, and quick, and could use the same pan as the beef.

Ingredients

1 package of brussel sprouts, sliced in half

1 bok choy, leaves cut into ribbons and stems chunked

couple of florets of broccoli, leftovers are great

2 small leeks, cleaned and chopped 

3 or 4 pieces of dried tangerine/mandarin peel

3 cloves of garlic, sliced

3 dried chinese hot peppers

1 T light soy sauce

1 T dark soy sauce

1 T chili crisp, Lao Gan Ma brand

2 T neutral oil, canola, peanut, grapeseed, etc

1/2 c stock or water

Method

1.  Steam the sprouts in the microwave for 2 sessions of 2 minutes.  You don't want to over cook them.  This will depend on the strength of your microwave.  Mine, the 2 sessions were perfect.  Hold to the side.

2.  Heat wok.  (I learned a new trick from the internet, if you have cast iron flame tamers, turn them upside down and set wok on top.  The cast iron will heat up and spread the heat better than just setting on the burner.  You're welcome.)  Add oil and swirl around the pan to coat the sides.  Add peels and hot peppers and fry until the peels turn dark brown and the peppers get dark as well.

3.  Add in leeks and stir fry until they start to wilt.  Then add sprouts and bok choy.  Stir fry to coat with the hot oil and begin to darken in spots.  Add the soy sauces, garlic and stock.  Stir and bring to a boil.  Add leftover broccoli and chili crisp.  Stir to incorporate.

4.  Taste, add salt, if necessary, or more Lao Gan Ma, and serve over rice

A shocking result, Bill was just gobbling up the sprouts.....I am not sure he realized that it was brussel sprouts!  It was a perfect foil for the beef.  The beef was also excellent, tender on the inside and firmer on the outside.  I think if I were a more patient cook I would have deep fried the beef instead of shallow frying it.  I did it in 3 batches and probably should have done 4.  My impatience did not effect the taste, just the crispness of the beef.  I would definitely make the Hunan Beef again, perhaps I would use some ground AND whole cumin seeds to amp up the flavor.

Dateline: January 18, 2021 Curried Vegetables with Chick Peas

 I had to clean out the vegetable bin and decided to try a prepared curry spice mix that I had. I used Shah's Vegetable Masala mix.

Ingredients

2 T ghee or olive oil

1/2 head napa cabbage, chopped in chunks

1/4 head green cabbage, chopped in chunks

2 carrots, peeled, chopped into chunks

4 stalks of celery, chopped into 2 in pieces

1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into large chunks

1 broccoli crown, peeled and cut into large chunks

1.5 c chunked butternut squash

1 jalapeno, chopped and seeded

1/4 polano pepper, chopped and seeded

1 small celeriac root, peeled, and chunked

1 large onion, sliced stem to root

2 T ginger, chopped and minced

2 T garlic, chopped and minced

2 Roma tomatoes cut into quarters

1 c chopped diced tomatoes, I used what was left from the can from the day before

equal amounts of tuscan kale and collard greens, stemmed and chopped in thick ribbons

2 T white poppy seeds

4 T Shah's vegetable masala powder, divided, 3 T and 1 T

1.5 c stock, I used chicken, but use what you have or water

1 can drained chick peas

Method

1.  Thoroughly blend and mash up the ginger and garlic together into a paste.  I used a spice grinder with a special cup and blend for wet ingredients.  Remove and hold aside.

2.  Heat up Instant Pot on saute setting.  When hot, add ghee and melt.  Then add onions and peppers.  Stir to coat and soften.  When softened and fragrant, add in the ginger garlic paste and stir to distribute.  Some of it will stick, try to scrap it up as best you can.  You will get rest when you add stock.  Add 3 T of the vegetable masala powder.  Stir to incorporate.

3.  Add cauliflower, broccoli, butternut squash, celeraic, celery, and chopped tomatoes.  Stir to coat all veggies with the paste in the pot.  Add 1 c of the stock or water, and scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the instant pot.  

4.  In a blender or spice grinder, put as many tomato quarters as can fit and the 2 T white poppy seeds.  The poppy seeds will help thicken the curry and will bind with the tomato juice and pulp.  Blitz up and add any remaining tomato quarters and blitz until well combined.  Contents will appear very thick and somewhat gelatinous.  This is a good thing.  Add to the pot of veggies.

5.  Stir well and add the leafy greens, cabbages, and the rest of the stock, if necessary.  Mix well.  Sprinkle the remaining 1 T of masala powder and stir again.  

6.  Press cancel. Set pot to Pressure Cook on Low for 5 minutes.  Use quick release.

7.  Open lid when pressure has released and stir contents.  Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.  There is plenty of salt and pepper in the veggie masala mix.  Add chick peas and stir.  If the veggies are cooked, then put on Keep Warm.  Serve with rice.

I over cooked the veggies by using 10 minutes of pressure on high.  DON'T DO THAT.  That is why I suggested 5 minutes on low pressure.  Veggies will remain in bigger chunks, flavor will not be effected if you over cook, but texture is!

This was really good, albeit, overcooked!  Bill was very happy and forgot all about the fact that there was no meat in the meal, except for the stock.  

Dateline: January 16, 2021 Chorizo, Black Bean Stew-Soup or Stoop

 A new butcher shop opened in the area, YEAH, and I made my first purchase there, some chorizo and chicken backs for stock.

I had about 1 lb of boar left over from last night, so I decided to make some chorizo myself and we could have a "taste off".  The boar was quite lean, and I didn't really think about that part.  I didn't add more fat until the very end.  I used mexican oregano, garlic, both fresh and granulated, cloves, hot smoked paprika and sweet paprika, beef trim (for fat), salt, pepper, vinegar and white wine.

After cooking off a small amount, I realized that I did not have enough fat in the mix.  I pulled the beef trim out and ground some of that up and added it to the mix.  It was better, but needed tweaking.  I add more garlic, more vinegar, more of both paprikas and salt.  I also added some olive oil.

For the taste off, I liked my flavor but the butcher shops texture.  Bill liked both.  I felt that the butcher shop chorizo would crumble a lot better in a stew, so I used that in the stoop.

Ingredients

1 lb fresh chorizo, not in casing

1 chopped onion

1 28 oz canned tomatoes

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

1/2 poblano pepper, chopped

1/2 anaheim pepper, chopped

1/2 jalapeno pepper, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

mexican oregano

salt and pepper

chili powder of your choice

1 cup stock

2 cans black beans, undrained

Method

1.  Saute chorizo in an instant pot until fat is mostly rendered.  Add chopped onions and all peppers.  Mix and saute until softened.  Add garlic, salt and pepper, and stir to mix in.

2.  Add 3/4 of the can of tomatoes and save the rest for another use.  Mix well.  Add in oregano and chili powder along with the cup of stock.

3.  Lock lid and set to pressure cook for 10 minutes on high pressure.   Use natural release.

4.  Add the black beans and mix well.  Lock lid and set on Bean/Chili, low pressure for 10 minutes.  Allow natural release.

5.  Taste and adjust seasonings.

Very tasty and flavorful, luckily there were some leftovers!  

Dateline: January 15, 2021 Boar Chili Colorado

I had a box of goodies delivered from D'Artagnan Thursday, and one of the packages of boar meat had defrosted a bit, so I took it out and decided on making Boar chili, but not my usual Chili Verde, but a Chili Colorado.  I found a good recipe from Hank Shaw on his website and decided to use it. 

I did soak and blitz the dried peppers and then strain them.  It does make a very silky sauce which was lovely.  I had a pot of chicken stock going, so no worries on that end, and everything else was in the pantry.

The richness of the red does not come through in this photo, it was a deep maroon/red.  The boar softened nicely, which I was a bit concerned about, as it was soooo lean.

How does one eat chili colorado?  As tacos, of course.  I made crema from yogurt, salt, and lime juice, chopped some red onion and had some string cheese that I shredded for the final piece de resistance.

The tacos were wonderful, albeit, a bit messy, but that is what napkins are for!

What would I do differently?  It was very mild, which is ok, but next time I will not hold back on spicier dried peppers, maybe some chili arbol or habaneros.  

Dateline: January 14, 2021 Cauliflower Puttanesca

Saw this recipe on Food52 and thought I'd give it a try.

I had all the ingredients and just felt in the mood for pasta.  Didn't want linguine, so I went with gemelle instead.  Bill, who doesn't like olives or anything brined, picked out the oil-cured olives and happily ate.

I decided to add riff a bit and threw in some collards and orange bell pepper and some butternut squash.  I did this for 2 reasons, for color and for disguise factor considering there were olives in the dish.  I also had some nutritional yeast that I threw in for a bit more umami.

The finished product was more than satisfying and down right comforting on a cool winter night.  I would make again with minimal changes.  Those changes being I would double the amount of cauliflower that I used.  I used 1/2 head instead of a whole head, and perhaps less pasta.

Dateline: January 13, 2021 Moroccan Chicken Tagine

I was in Kalustyan's and saw this packet of Tagine spice.  Brilliant, I thought, I have whole chicken legs at home that need to be cooked.

The recipe on the back of the package was simple and it turned out fantastic.

Ingredients

4 whole chicken legs, or assortment of dark meat chicken parts, with or without skin

2 onions, sliced

3 cloves of garlic, sliced

1 c pitted green olives, I used pitted castelvetrano  olives

Olive oil

2 T tagine spice mix

saffron, optional, just a sprinkle of threads

juice 1/2 lemon

2 small preserved lemons, chopped

2 T chopped coriander

Salt to taste

1 cup chicken broth

1 14 oz can of beans, I used pinto

Method

1.  Heat tagine or large casserole on stove, add 2-3 T olive oil and saute onions and garlic until soft.  

2.  Sprinkle over the onions and garlic 2 T of spice mix, saffron threads, lemon juice, and preserved lemons.  Mix together.  

3.  Add chicken parts to the pan and spread green olives over them, pour in the chicken broth and cover with lid.  Simmer until chicken is cooked and tender.

4.  If you used skin on chicken, then after it is cooked, put under the broiler for about 5-8 minutes until skin is browned and crisped up.

 

Dateline: January 10, 2021 Red Curry Salmon

I had some salmon from FD and wanted something other than seared!  I had a ton of veggies that needed to be used, so why not do a Thai Red Curry.  

Vegetation

 

Beautiful Salmon

Ingredients

2 salmon fillets, with or without skin.  I skinned mine

1 large red onion, chopped

several carrots, colors good

1 orange bell pepper, cut into bite sized chunks

1 green bell pepper, cut into bite sized chunks

2 or 3 cloves of garlic

1 can coconut milk, kept in fridge

1 bunch kale or collards, stemmed and sliced in ribbons

2-3 T red curry paste

1 t shrimp paste

Juice of 1 lime

stock, wine, or water

Method

1.  Remove can of coconut milk from fridge, and carefully spoon the thickened coconut cream off the
top and put into a large sauce pan.  Heat pan over medium and allow the coconut cream to bubble away.

 

After a bit, all of the water will have evaporated from the coconut cream and it will sound different in the pan.  At that point, add the curry paste and shrimp paste and stir to combine with the coconut cream. Simmer gently until the oil starts to separate out.

 

 

2.  Add the harder veggies (carrots, celery, etc) and stir to coat with the curry.  Cook for a few minutes, then add the softer veggies (onions, bell peppers, kale or collards), stir to combine with the curry and other veggies. 

 

3.  Add in the balance of the can of coconut milk, the lime juice and some stock, wine, or water.  Stir to combine and allow to cook until tender.

4.  Break fish up into large pieces and add to the pan when the veggies are tender.  Stir gently, and allow to come to heat.  When the salmon is cooked through, dinner is ready!

 

 

 

Dateline: January 9, 2021 PICANHA!

Servet came over and I cooked the picanha via sous vide, then torched the outside fat side to perfection with my NEW toy, S.A.F.E flamethrower.  I have been trolling Kickstarter, and have found many interesting projects to invest in, the ROTOQ, this torch, etc.  The torch acronym stands for Sears All Foods Equally.  It is a beauty, and does a much better job than the other torch I have been using.

Perfectly rare

Beautifully torched exterior

We rounded out the meal with grilled asparagus, baked potatoes, and this lovely layer cake that I made.

I bought this little layer pan kit from Michael's and decided I had to try it out last night.  I am not an accomplished baker, so every time I make something, I learn where I made my mistakes!  I have always thought that bakers were too fussy, trimming edges, brushing crumbs, evening layers, etc.....well, I learned the hard way that these "idiosyncrasies" a valuable tools of the trade.  The layers I baked had domed a bit, so with a serrated knife, I trimmed the tops down, but did not trim the edges.  One choice for the filling between the layers was a poor one.  I had 2 jars of toppings, one salted caramel, the other a chocolate salted caramel.  The plain salted caramel was a poor choice.  It tended to spill over the edge, and threatened to allow the layers to slide.  The other sauce, was like concrete, it held the layers together like glue.  The next learning bit was in icing the cake.  Because I did not trim enough of the dome off, there were large gaps between layer edges which had to be filled with frosting, chocolate buttercream from Nigella Lawson.  Here is where the second issue with the salted caramel came into play, because it was running down the side of the cake, the frosting was not adhering to it.  So I had to constantly back fill the holes and hope that I had enough frosting to cover the top and sides!  Live and learn!  The cake was a little 6 inches in diameter and 5 layers tall.  A cute cake, and I hope I can master it going forward.

Dateline: January 8, 2021 Lamb Chops and Roasted Root Veggies

The other day I was surveying the fridge, and decided that things had to be made to take up less space.  I had a couple of turnips, a huge rutabaga, some orange bell peppers and left over broccoli.  Chop up some onions, add garlic, and voila, dinner side dish.

As you can see, I cubed up the rutabaga and turnips, splashed some olive oil on them, and added some salt, pepper, cumin, and coriander.  Into a 400° F oven for about 40-50 minutes, keep checking, until they were crisped and deeply browned.  All of that turnip-y smell and flavor had disappeared and you were left with a crunchy exterior and a creamy interior!  A miracle!

Next step, get out the wok, and heat up some oil, fry the onions, peppers, and garlic until softened, add a little stock and some chopped preserved lemon, and lastly the broccoli.  Perfect.  A delightful side, if I do say!

step 1, cubes 

finished veggie side

The lamb chops were seasoned with salt and pepper and broiled for 5 minutes on the first side, and about 3.5 minutes on the second.  They were perfectly cooked.  Rare, but not raw, cooked to the bone and delicious too!