Hi! Long time no post! Today I am going to extol the tremendous virtues of Sherry. Dry. Which I actually like to drink as well. (what don’t I like to drink?) (I mean seriously, I enjoy vermouth!)
But it is Sherry that has made my mountain dishes have that depth of flavor that, let’s face it, is sometimes hard to achieve without chicken broth.
OK
Beet soup.
A carrot, a celery stalk, 1/2 and onion dice/slice sauté in a little olive oil, when soft toss some sherry in there and let it cook off then
A qt of veg stock, 2 small bay leaves and three cloves and three diced previously roasted and skinned beets and some salt and pepper
Let it simmer a while
I left it in the fridge overnight and then the next day I added some chopped orange peel and the juice of one orange, fished out the bay and cloves (which really make a difference) put it in the blender and added some brown rice I had lying about.
MMMMMM.
Frozen Perch Fillets with brown rice
Make some brown rice. Or whatever whole grain you’ve got around. Sautee a1/2 an onion and a diced carrot in olive oil, again sherry it when they’re soft, cook off and let carmelize a bit
Meanwhile
Dice up some tomatoes and some marinated artichokes, lightly grease a baking apparatus, put in your THAWED perch fillets* cover with chopped tomatoes and artichokes, a squeeze of lemon, a little s and p and bake at whatever the bag says – 400 or so, until fish flakes easily with a fork.
Ok, while your fishes they are baking,
Toss an appropriate amount of rice in with the carrots and onions, and add say, an also appropriate amount of chick peas and toss it around over high heat, until you know, it’s hot and some of the rice is a little crispy.
Plop your fillets on top of your rice and delicious!
* I bought Wholey’s frozen perch fillets because they were wild caught, and all the “fresh” fish at the counter was farmed and frankly looked like shit. I know that the politics of eating fish are very complicated right now, what with the over fishing and the ickyness of farming – but whatever. I always take supposedly wild over farmed, even if it’s been frozen. This much thought about the politics of fish production and health concerns from a woman who eats wendy’s.
And perhaps the most successful stir fry I’ve ever made:
1/2 an onion, a carrot, a stalk of celery, a clove of garlic, and some fresh ginger if you have it. I didn’t.
heat up a pan real hot, swirl in some oil (peanut or canola) add garlic sauté for just a little bit, to flavor the oil and remove garlic (if you were doing the spicy dried chili thing you would do that here now in the same way)
add onion, carrot and celery, sliced fine, to the oil, stir it up! When starting to soften add some, wait for it, Sherry!* And cook it off, add a little water. I had cooked off some kale, so add that, or whatever greens you like.
Add a little water and soy sauce boil off the water
Add brown rice and cubed tofu and sesame seeds, hot it all up and add soy sauce and toasted sesame oil to taste.
MMMMMMMMMM.
*dry sherry is very integral to asian home cooking in the states. I don’t know why. Maybe because rice wine was difficult to get for a long time – I don’t know – but I suppose that you could use Mirin instead of Sherry in this one.
And as a side note – it is snowing big flakes and the sun is sort of diffused and glowing everything and I feel like I’m in the little house in the snow globe. The little house on the mountain with the bare trees and rolling fields and whirl pool bathtub…!
Lots of loving!
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
too much vodka beet salad
ok so, I went to the organice farmers's market in the strip on saturday and got a little bunch of beets, and some little carrots, and a few little zuchini - yum!
and this is what happened to the beets, to purify my slightly toxic system:
Beet greens washed and sauteed in peanut oil with some mirin
Beets boiled until soft. (I was not going to turn on the oven for roasting)
extra firm tofu cubed (1/2 a block)
all tossed together with toasted sesame oil, toasted sesame seeds, and rice wine vinegar - served over white rice with goma shio. which I have also seen as one word, but it's two on the jar. Black sesame seeds with salt and sugar. and soy sauce. the japanese kind. the name of which is escaping my seive brain at the moment, and I finished it, so the bottle is gone...
mmmmmm. happy happy.
I adore goma shio. especially with avocado and shredded carrots with soba noodles and tofu in a miso-rice wine vinegar-aforementioned japanese soy sauce* - sauce. more mmmmmm.
The desire to cook things is overwhelming today and even though it is about 90 degrees with 90% humidity - blueberry muffins will be baked and lime syrup will be made. It's the sadness and existential lonliness - makes me want to nest and nourish.
*tamari. ai. the memory, it has these blank bits sometimes.
I just looked it up and actually, it is shoyu. to paraphrase the new Joy of Cooking - tamari is a Japanese term misapplied to japanese soy sauces of varying qualities. True tamari is brewed without wheat and is rare in Japan. It is dark and recalls the ancient ways of making soy sauce learned from the chinese.
who knew? anyway, it is less salty and a little sweeter than chinese soy sauce.
and on another note - to reference the vodka - Why is it, that there is this game, the wait until the bar is closing game? Is everyone that coy? Do people not like to sleep? I do not like to go to bed at 4am as I prefer to get up around 6:30am. Anyway. One of the mysteries of the world. Thank god the bars don't stay open until 4am.
I do not like to start drinking these days because I am the sort of drinker that doesn't stop with one. So, I haven't been at all. But it was a strange night at the bar - and I guess sometimes these excesses are necessary for further other causes.
cheers!
and this is what happened to the beets, to purify my slightly toxic system:
Beet greens washed and sauteed in peanut oil with some mirin
Beets boiled until soft. (I was not going to turn on the oven for roasting)
extra firm tofu cubed (1/2 a block)
all tossed together with toasted sesame oil, toasted sesame seeds, and rice wine vinegar - served over white rice with goma shio. which I have also seen as one word, but it's two on the jar. Black sesame seeds with salt and sugar. and soy sauce. the japanese kind. the name of which is escaping my seive brain at the moment, and I finished it, so the bottle is gone...
mmmmmm. happy happy.
I adore goma shio. especially with avocado and shredded carrots with soba noodles and tofu in a miso-rice wine vinegar-aforementioned japanese soy sauce* - sauce. more mmmmmm.
The desire to cook things is overwhelming today and even though it is about 90 degrees with 90% humidity - blueberry muffins will be baked and lime syrup will be made. It's the sadness and existential lonliness - makes me want to nest and nourish.
*tamari. ai. the memory, it has these blank bits sometimes.
I just looked it up and actually, it is shoyu. to paraphrase the new Joy of Cooking - tamari is a Japanese term misapplied to japanese soy sauces of varying qualities. True tamari is brewed without wheat and is rare in Japan. It is dark and recalls the ancient ways of making soy sauce learned from the chinese.
who knew? anyway, it is less salty and a little sweeter than chinese soy sauce.
and on another note - to reference the vodka - Why is it, that there is this game, the wait until the bar is closing game? Is everyone that coy? Do people not like to sleep? I do not like to go to bed at 4am as I prefer to get up around 6:30am. Anyway. One of the mysteries of the world. Thank god the bars don't stay open until 4am.
I do not like to start drinking these days because I am the sort of drinker that doesn't stop with one. So, I haven't been at all. But it was a strange night at the bar - and I guess sometimes these excesses are necessary for further other causes.
cheers!
Friday, May 19, 2006
From here to there, to here.
These be the collected posts from the previous bowl of water.
see, I couldn't hold out forever! Super tart. For the tartlettes I ended up whipping a 1/2 pint of cream and folding about 1/2 of that in.
in a medium stainless steelor enamel saucepan, whisk together until light in color:
3 large eggs
1/3 c sugar
grated zest of one lemon
add
add 1/2 c strained lemon juice
6 T unsalted butter cut into pieces
cook, whisking over medium heat until the butter is melter. Then whisk constanly until the mixture is thickened and simmer gently for a few seconds. Using a spatula, scrape the filling into a medium-mesh sieve set over a bowl and strain the filling into the bowl.
Stir in 1/2 t vanilla
let cool cover and refrigerate to thicken. Keeps for about a week.
Reduced fat lemon cud
prepare as above except decrease the eggs to 2 and increasing the sugar to 3/4 c and lemon juice to 2/3 cup. Omit butter or add just a couple tablespoons to mellow tartness.
from the exciting new Joy of Cooking
must eat dinner right now. don't ask. ok, well, I'll tell you: uh, canned Cento soup with greens added and grilled cheese. mozz on that nice friendship farms seedy french. I am so excited.
today-ugh, see now I'm posting and I'm so hungry...
today R and I went to the TicToc Room. This is a place of childhood fancy, sort of, dining, located in a local department store. (Kaufmann's)
I used to get the "Tea Plate" as a child, yes, a variety of tea sandwiches, including housemade date and nut bread with cream cheese. And what do these sandwhiches surround? ohhhh yeahhhhh...
A little individual red jello mold with fruit. Whipped Cream optional. I declined. Sitting on a lettuce leaf.
Ah it was lovely. The surroundings were less swank than I remembered and more mauvey - or was it tan? ugly anyway, lunch counter sort of place...
but the tea plate? brilliant.
R had the most awesome veggie comfort food plate with potatoes au gratin that were like mac cheese made with potatoes, fried eggplant slices (quite greasy, not much eggplant but totally delicious) and green beans and carrots. And a salad.
yummy.
will post lemon curd recipe next time.
in the meantime check this awesomeness out! I want to do this.
Unlike the site's author I am omnivorous, but have been briefly vegan. (While avoiding dairy for a much longer period.) (Cheeseburgers do me in everytime.) (But I am a mean vegan cook!)
And also, while I grew up in the suburbs it was in the seventies and my mama shopped at Tom's Butcher Block (he always gave me cherries, and started my lifelong love of Torrone Nougat), and at Moio's bakery, and at the farmer's markets. As well as at the grocery store, she did after all have three kids. (But until my younger siblings were born she made all of the household bread)
Tom's is gone, but we still go to Moio's. And still prefer to go to the small local shops. But the fact that fuckcorporategroceries lists shops is outstanding and something that I will attempt to do maybe over there in the side bar.
Because everyone should know that the sandwiches and potato salad at the Shadyside Market are out of this world.
oh and across from the parking garage there was a place called "DOGMA" - hotdogs and juices? and wireless internet???
I am so there.
anyway! I am really really going to eat dinner now.
dukka
3/4 c blanched almonds
3/4 c hazelnuts
1/2 c coriander seeds
1/4 c cumin seeds
6 T sesame seeds
toast, process - serve with bread and olive oil.
found in spice book...
most delicious pie crust ever. EVER.
I got a bee in my bonnet the other morning for CRAB QUICHE. Oh yes oh yes. And although Ms. tk tried to persuade me to make tomahto and goat's cheese quiche instead...oh no. It was crab or nothing. And it was delicious. I used the pie crust recipe from the New Basics, and also modified their quiche lorraine recipe. Both worked out well, but the baking time was significantly longer that specified. My oven is the prime suspect for the discrepancy. I should get an oven thermometer. It makes this bad whoosh! whoosh! noise too, when it has been on for awhile.
To accompany the crab we had spinach salad from Sheila Lukins Around The World. I was relying heavily on the Silver Palate tuesday. The recipe called for spinach, hardboiled eggs, and mung bean sprouts. I went to 5 places looking for mung bean sprouts. At first I thought, well, maybe they are out of season. But then I thought, "They're Sprouts! Sprouts have no season!" But they were nowhere to be found in the purported produce section of town. Even at the big Asian store.*
When I bemoaned this fact telephonically to my father his response was, "I bet one of those Big Giant Eagles would have them." I know he was trying to be helpful, but I ALREADY THOUGHT OF THAT. Who spends more time in grocery stores? Huh? HUH? Uh Huh, that's right!
So, la and la and la. I used celery and carrots instead. The dressing is really darn tasty, although oddly enough, the next day on the leftover salad it was bland and tasteless and I had to zing it up. Weird. I also added toasted sesame seeds, cos, well you know. There's alway a place for nuts and seeds!
I was hoping that the crab would last long enough to use on Sunday for the SuperBowl, but experts agree that today is the last day that crab is going to be edible. So for lunch I am sauteeing some of that baby spinach in butter and tossing the crab with it and squeezing some lemon juice over all of that and then piling it on a sourdough roll with some sliced tomatoes. Mmm.
Although I have yet to get to any of the exciting previously mentioned excitements, I did make oven dried tomatoes. Which are tomatoes, I used cherry, tossed with oil and salt and or herbage and cooked for hours and hours in a slow oven. Which is 250 here, and what? Gas Mark 1? TK?
So those went on top of toasts with garbanzo bean dip: Garbanzo beans, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt. Maybe a little water to thin it out. Parsley, basil or both. Basically hummous with out the tahini. White beans can be used too...
My mom makes a great white bean dip that she spreads on toasts and tops with proscuitto. I think its just white beans and some sage and s&p and olive oil...
OK, enough enough. The coffee is kicking in and I am getting way to chatty!
*but the black beans for the orange chili oil were bought. Oh, hey! Maybe I'll do that sunday while I'm making spin/arti dip for the game festivities...
I was going to put all of the recipes, but they're pretty standard. The dressing is as follows:
1 tsp grated orange zest
2 T fresh orange juice
1 T rice wine vinegar
1 T white wine vinegar
2 t soy sauce
1/2 t Dijon Mustard
1/4 c peanut oil
1 T dark sesame oil
whisk or shake and voila!
PS I burnt my bun.
One thing I've tried and a few for next week
Millennium Moroccan Marinade (1/2 recipe)
1 1/2 C tomato sauce
1/4 c fresh oj
1/2 c fresh lemon juice
1/8 tamari sauce
2 cloves garlic
1/8 c honey
1/4 t red pepper flakes
1/2 t ground coriander
1/4 t ground cinnamon
1 t ground cumin
1/2 t ground fennel seeds
1 t ginger
1/2 T balsamic
blend
Ok, this kicks ass! I think I would make it more orange-y and less tomato-y. But I tossed cauliflower and mushrooms in it and marinated tofu and tossed it all in a casserole and baked the shit out of it and had it over brown rice with toasted almonds and pine nuts and it was delicious. It does need a green salad with it and so I had baby spinach with gorgonzola and pear with lemon juice and evoo. mmmmmm.
the following are on my list of things to do:
Chinese cracker jack (china moon)
1/2 c sugar
1 T kosher salt
1 T black pepper
1/4 ground cinnamon
1 1/2 star anise broken into points
6 whole cloves
2 t Szechwan peppercorns
2 c toasted and skinned peanuts and hazelnuts
blend sugar, salt, pepper and cinnamon
grind other spices and add to sugar
heat cast iron skillet until a bead of water evaporates
add nuts toss 1 min until nut oils rise to surface
add 1/2 sugar and toss until caramelized
add other 1/2 sugar and shake until sugar melts again
turn out onto foil lined baking sheet
separate when cool enough to handle
pickled ginger
1/2 lb peeled fresh ginger
1 1/3 c unseasoned rice wine vinegar
3 T cider vinegar
2 T distilled white vinegar
1/2 c plus 1 T sugar
1 T plus 1 t kosher salt
cover ginger with boiling water let stand for 2 minutes, then drain, put ginger in clean glass or plastic container
combine remaining ingredients in non aluminum pot
heat until salt and sugar dissolve and pour over ginger
let cool and refrigerate
I have had the above many years ago and it puts jarred pickled ginger to shame. At the museum where I used to work managing the cafe the chefs did it for the menu to go with an Asian art show...wow. It was so good. They were very talented they were. At some point either before or after that exhibit they went to Mexico and she got pregnant, and you know what? I have never seen their child. It is strange how that happens, we were crazy tight, and then...poof.
I need to get a thermometer for this 'un. And they didn't have chinese black beans at Whole Foods and I was too tired to drive 1/2 way across town to the Asian market that would have still been open. So, Sunday I will do this:
Chili orange oil
1 1/2 oranges minced zest
1/4 c red pepper flakes
1 1/2 T Chinese black beans chopped but not rinsed
1 clove garlic smashed
1 c corn or peanut oil
1/8 c Japanese sesame oil
combine all in non aluminum pot bring to 225/250 on deep fat fry thermometer
over moderately low heat stirring occasionally let bubble for 15 minutes
remove from heat and let stand until cool, pour all into glass or plastic container
store at room temp
One thing I've tried and a few for next week
Millennium Moroccan Marinade (1/2 recipe)
1 1/2 C tomato sauce
1/4 c fresh oj
1/2 c fresh lemon juice
1/8 tamari sauce
2 cloves garlic
1/8 c honey
1/4 t red pepper flakes
1/2 t ground coriander
1/4 t ground cinnamon
1 t ground cumin
1/2 t ground fennel seeds
1 t ginger
1/2 T balsamic
blend
Ok, this kicks ass! I think I would make it more orange-y and less tomato-y. But I tossed cauliflower and mushrooms in it and marinated tofu and tossed it all in a casserole and baked the shit out of it and had it over brown rice with toasted almonds and pine nuts and it was delicious. It does need a green salad with it and so I had baby spinach with gorgonzola and pear with lemon juice and evoo. mmmmmm.
the following are on my list of things to do:
Chinese cracker jack (china moon)
1/2 c sugar
1 T kosher salt
1 T black pepper
1/4 ground cinnamon
1 1/2 star anise broken into points
6 whole cloves
2 t Szechwan peppercorns
2 c toasted and skinned peanuts and hazelnuts
blend sugar, salt, pepper and cinnamon
grind other spices and add to sugar
heat cast iron skillet until a bead of water evaporates
add nuts toss 1 min until nut oils rise to surface
add 1/2 sugar and toss until caramelized
add other 1/2 sugar and shake until sugar melts again
turn out onto foil lined baking sheet
separate when cool enough to handle
pickled ginger
1/2 lb peeled fresh ginger
1 1/3 c unseasoned rice wine vinegar
3 T cider vinegar
2 T distilled white vinegar
1/2 c plus 1 T sugar
1 T plus 1 t kosher salt
cover ginger with boiling water let stand for 2 minutes, then drain, put ginger in clean glass or plastic container
combine remaining ingredients in non aluminum pot
heat until salt and sugar dissolve and pour over ginger
let cool and refrigerate
I have had the above many years ago and it puts jarred pickled ginger to shame. At the museum where I used to work managing the cafe the chefs did it for the menu to go with an Asian art show...wow. It was so good. They were very talented they were. At some point either before or after that exhibit they went to Mexico and she got pregnant, and you know what? I have never seen their child. It is strange how that happens, we were crazy tight, and then...poof.
I need to get a thermometer for this 'un. And they didn't have chinese black beans at Whole Foods and I was too tired to drive 1/2 way across town to the Asian market that would have still been open. So, Sunday I will do this. Maybe tomorrow, if I get up and going in time to procure aforementioned, but as I start the new "sleep regulating routine" this evening, I am really just hoping I get up and going in time to go to yoga. At Noon. I am scared of the regulated sleeping.
Chili orange oil
1 1/2 oranges minced zest
1/4 c red pepper flakes
1 1/2 T Chinese black beans chopped but not rinsed
1 clove garlic smashed
1 c corn or peanut oil
1/8 c Japanese sesame oil
combine all in non aluminum pot bring to 225/250 on deep fat fry thermometer
over moderately low heat stirring occasionally let bubble for 15 minutes
remove from heat and let stand until cool, pour all into glass or plastic container
store at room temp
enchiladas!
Last night KC and H came over for dinner. It was determined that we would do Mexican. KC wanted her old roommate's enchiladas- he was contacted, information was retrieved, and lo. His ultra secret wonderful enchilada recipe is the one on the side of the Old El Paso enchilada sauce can.
We subbed spinach for the beef called for, and had Goya Mexi rice that was surprisingly tasty, but I am a sucker for boxed rice.* And Whole Foods veggie refried pinto beans that were quite delicious. They were heavy on the cumin, I think. That was a good thing, and they have replaced Bearitos as my favorite canned refried bean.
And salad of course. Romaine with orange sections, sunflower seeds, almonds, lime juice and Briann's Italian because I seem to be out of not only olive oil, but all oil.
KC and I drank a Granacha that was really a little too sweet for my liking, and yummy Valley of the Moon Sangiovese.
Now, I would have preferred to drink the Cousino Macul Reisling I'm so excited about these days, but I was vetoed on the white wine. And no one really felt like drinking beer. There you have it.
* When I was very poor my favorite treat was boxed cheddar and broccoli rice with canned tuna and chopped tomato. mmm!
Oh hey! I just remembered that no one ate any caramel ice cream. I win!
see, I couldn't hold out forever! Super tart. For the tartlettes I ended up whipping a 1/2 pint of cream and folding about 1/2 of that in.
in a medium stainless steelor enamel saucepan, whisk together until light in color:
3 large eggs
1/3 c sugar
grated zest of one lemon
add
add 1/2 c strained lemon juice
6 T unsalted butter cut into pieces
cook, whisking over medium heat until the butter is melter. Then whisk constanly until the mixture is thickened and simmer gently for a few seconds. Using a spatula, scrape the filling into a medium-mesh sieve set over a bowl and strain the filling into the bowl.
Stir in 1/2 t vanilla
let cool cover and refrigerate to thicken. Keeps for about a week.
Reduced fat lemon cud
prepare as above except decrease the eggs to 2 and increasing the sugar to 3/4 c and lemon juice to 2/3 cup. Omit butter or add just a couple tablespoons to mellow tartness.
from the exciting new Joy of Cooking
must eat dinner right now. don't ask. ok, well, I'll tell you: uh, canned Cento soup with greens added and grilled cheese. mozz on that nice friendship farms seedy french. I am so excited.
today-ugh, see now I'm posting and I'm so hungry...
today R and I went to the TicToc Room. This is a place of childhood fancy, sort of, dining, located in a local department store. (Kaufmann's)
I used to get the "Tea Plate" as a child, yes, a variety of tea sandwiches, including housemade date and nut bread with cream cheese. And what do these sandwhiches surround? ohhhh yeahhhhh...
A little individual red jello mold with fruit. Whipped Cream optional. I declined. Sitting on a lettuce leaf.
Ah it was lovely. The surroundings were less swank than I remembered and more mauvey - or was it tan? ugly anyway, lunch counter sort of place...
but the tea plate? brilliant.
R had the most awesome veggie comfort food plate with potatoes au gratin that were like mac cheese made with potatoes, fried eggplant slices (quite greasy, not much eggplant but totally delicious) and green beans and carrots. And a salad.
yummy.
will post lemon curd recipe next time.
in the meantime check this awesomeness out! I want to do this.
Unlike the site's author I am omnivorous, but have been briefly vegan. (While avoiding dairy for a much longer period.) (Cheeseburgers do me in everytime.) (But I am a mean vegan cook!)
And also, while I grew up in the suburbs it was in the seventies and my mama shopped at Tom's Butcher Block (he always gave me cherries, and started my lifelong love of Torrone Nougat), and at Moio's bakery, and at the farmer's markets. As well as at the grocery store, she did after all have three kids. (But until my younger siblings were born she made all of the household bread)
Tom's is gone, but we still go to Moio's. And still prefer to go to the small local shops. But the fact that fuckcorporategroceries lists shops is outstanding and something that I will attempt to do maybe over there in the side bar.
Because everyone should know that the sandwiches and potato salad at the Shadyside Market are out of this world.
oh and across from the parking garage there was a place called "DOGMA" - hotdogs and juices? and wireless internet???
I am so there.
anyway! I am really really going to eat dinner now.
dukka
3/4 c blanched almonds
3/4 c hazelnuts
1/2 c coriander seeds
1/4 c cumin seeds
6 T sesame seeds
toast, process - serve with bread and olive oil.
found in spice book...
most delicious pie crust ever. EVER.
I got a bee in my bonnet the other morning for CRAB QUICHE. Oh yes oh yes. And although Ms. tk tried to persuade me to make tomahto and goat's cheese quiche instead...oh no. It was crab or nothing. And it was delicious. I used the pie crust recipe from the New Basics, and also modified their quiche lorraine recipe. Both worked out well, but the baking time was significantly longer that specified. My oven is the prime suspect for the discrepancy. I should get an oven thermometer. It makes this bad whoosh! whoosh! noise too, when it has been on for awhile.
To accompany the crab we had spinach salad from Sheila Lukins Around The World. I was relying heavily on the Silver Palate tuesday. The recipe called for spinach, hardboiled eggs, and mung bean sprouts. I went to 5 places looking for mung bean sprouts. At first I thought, well, maybe they are out of season. But then I thought, "They're Sprouts! Sprouts have no season!" But they were nowhere to be found in the purported produce section of town. Even at the big Asian store.*
When I bemoaned this fact telephonically to my father his response was, "I bet one of those Big Giant Eagles would have them." I know he was trying to be helpful, but I ALREADY THOUGHT OF THAT. Who spends more time in grocery stores? Huh? HUH? Uh Huh, that's right!
So, la and la and la. I used celery and carrots instead. The dressing is really darn tasty, although oddly enough, the next day on the leftover salad it was bland and tasteless and I had to zing it up. Weird. I also added toasted sesame seeds, cos, well you know. There's alway a place for nuts and seeds!
I was hoping that the crab would last long enough to use on Sunday for the SuperBowl, but experts agree that today is the last day that crab is going to be edible. So for lunch I am sauteeing some of that baby spinach in butter and tossing the crab with it and squeezing some lemon juice over all of that and then piling it on a sourdough roll with some sliced tomatoes. Mmm.
Although I have yet to get to any of the exciting previously mentioned excitements, I did make oven dried tomatoes. Which are tomatoes, I used cherry, tossed with oil and salt and or herbage and cooked for hours and hours in a slow oven. Which is 250 here, and what? Gas Mark 1? TK?
So those went on top of toasts with garbanzo bean dip: Garbanzo beans, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt. Maybe a little water to thin it out. Parsley, basil or both. Basically hummous with out the tahini. White beans can be used too...
My mom makes a great white bean dip that she spreads on toasts and tops with proscuitto. I think its just white beans and some sage and s&p and olive oil...
OK, enough enough. The coffee is kicking in and I am getting way to chatty!
*but the black beans for the orange chili oil were bought. Oh, hey! Maybe I'll do that sunday while I'm making spin/arti dip for the game festivities...
I was going to put all of the recipes, but they're pretty standard. The dressing is as follows:
1 tsp grated orange zest
2 T fresh orange juice
1 T rice wine vinegar
1 T white wine vinegar
2 t soy sauce
1/2 t Dijon Mustard
1/4 c peanut oil
1 T dark sesame oil
whisk or shake and voila!
PS I burnt my bun.
One thing I've tried and a few for next week
Millennium Moroccan Marinade (1/2 recipe)
1 1/2 C tomato sauce
1/4 c fresh oj
1/2 c fresh lemon juice
1/8 tamari sauce
2 cloves garlic
1/8 c honey
1/4 t red pepper flakes
1/2 t ground coriander
1/4 t ground cinnamon
1 t ground cumin
1/2 t ground fennel seeds
1 t ginger
1/2 T balsamic
blend
Ok, this kicks ass! I think I would make it more orange-y and less tomato-y. But I tossed cauliflower and mushrooms in it and marinated tofu and tossed it all in a casserole and baked the shit out of it and had it over brown rice with toasted almonds and pine nuts and it was delicious. It does need a green salad with it and so I had baby spinach with gorgonzola and pear with lemon juice and evoo. mmmmmm.
the following are on my list of things to do:
Chinese cracker jack (china moon)
1/2 c sugar
1 T kosher salt
1 T black pepper
1/4 ground cinnamon
1 1/2 star anise broken into points
6 whole cloves
2 t Szechwan peppercorns
2 c toasted and skinned peanuts and hazelnuts
blend sugar, salt, pepper and cinnamon
grind other spices and add to sugar
heat cast iron skillet until a bead of water evaporates
add nuts toss 1 min until nut oils rise to surface
add 1/2 sugar and toss until caramelized
add other 1/2 sugar and shake until sugar melts again
turn out onto foil lined baking sheet
separate when cool enough to handle
pickled ginger
1/2 lb peeled fresh ginger
1 1/3 c unseasoned rice wine vinegar
3 T cider vinegar
2 T distilled white vinegar
1/2 c plus 1 T sugar
1 T plus 1 t kosher salt
cover ginger with boiling water let stand for 2 minutes, then drain, put ginger in clean glass or plastic container
combine remaining ingredients in non aluminum pot
heat until salt and sugar dissolve and pour over ginger
let cool and refrigerate
I have had the above many years ago and it puts jarred pickled ginger to shame. At the museum where I used to work managing the cafe the chefs did it for the menu to go with an Asian art show...wow. It was so good. They were very talented they were. At some point either before or after that exhibit they went to Mexico and she got pregnant, and you know what? I have never seen their child. It is strange how that happens, we were crazy tight, and then...poof.
I need to get a thermometer for this 'un. And they didn't have chinese black beans at Whole Foods and I was too tired to drive 1/2 way across town to the Asian market that would have still been open. So, Sunday I will do this:
Chili orange oil
1 1/2 oranges minced zest
1/4 c red pepper flakes
1 1/2 T Chinese black beans chopped but not rinsed
1 clove garlic smashed
1 c corn or peanut oil
1/8 c Japanese sesame oil
combine all in non aluminum pot bring to 225/250 on deep fat fry thermometer
over moderately low heat stirring occasionally let bubble for 15 minutes
remove from heat and let stand until cool, pour all into glass or plastic container
store at room temp
One thing I've tried and a few for next week
Millennium Moroccan Marinade (1/2 recipe)
1 1/2 C tomato sauce
1/4 c fresh oj
1/2 c fresh lemon juice
1/8 tamari sauce
2 cloves garlic
1/8 c honey
1/4 t red pepper flakes
1/2 t ground coriander
1/4 t ground cinnamon
1 t ground cumin
1/2 t ground fennel seeds
1 t ginger
1/2 T balsamic
blend
Ok, this kicks ass! I think I would make it more orange-y and less tomato-y. But I tossed cauliflower and mushrooms in it and marinated tofu and tossed it all in a casserole and baked the shit out of it and had it over brown rice with toasted almonds and pine nuts and it was delicious. It does need a green salad with it and so I had baby spinach with gorgonzola and pear with lemon juice and evoo. mmmmmm.
the following are on my list of things to do:
Chinese cracker jack (china moon)
1/2 c sugar
1 T kosher salt
1 T black pepper
1/4 ground cinnamon
1 1/2 star anise broken into points
6 whole cloves
2 t Szechwan peppercorns
2 c toasted and skinned peanuts and hazelnuts
blend sugar, salt, pepper and cinnamon
grind other spices and add to sugar
heat cast iron skillet until a bead of water evaporates
add nuts toss 1 min until nut oils rise to surface
add 1/2 sugar and toss until caramelized
add other 1/2 sugar and shake until sugar melts again
turn out onto foil lined baking sheet
separate when cool enough to handle
pickled ginger
1/2 lb peeled fresh ginger
1 1/3 c unseasoned rice wine vinegar
3 T cider vinegar
2 T distilled white vinegar
1/2 c plus 1 T sugar
1 T plus 1 t kosher salt
cover ginger with boiling water let stand for 2 minutes, then drain, put ginger in clean glass or plastic container
combine remaining ingredients in non aluminum pot
heat until salt and sugar dissolve and pour over ginger
let cool and refrigerate
I have had the above many years ago and it puts jarred pickled ginger to shame. At the museum where I used to work managing the cafe the chefs did it for the menu to go with an Asian art show...wow. It was so good. They were very talented they were. At some point either before or after that exhibit they went to Mexico and she got pregnant, and you know what? I have never seen their child. It is strange how that happens, we were crazy tight, and then...poof.
I need to get a thermometer for this 'un. And they didn't have chinese black beans at Whole Foods and I was too tired to drive 1/2 way across town to the Asian market that would have still been open. So, Sunday I will do this. Maybe tomorrow, if I get up and going in time to procure aforementioned, but as I start the new "sleep regulating routine" this evening, I am really just hoping I get up and going in time to go to yoga. At Noon. I am scared of the regulated sleeping.
Chili orange oil
1 1/2 oranges minced zest
1/4 c red pepper flakes
1 1/2 T Chinese black beans chopped but not rinsed
1 clove garlic smashed
1 c corn or peanut oil
1/8 c Japanese sesame oil
combine all in non aluminum pot bring to 225/250 on deep fat fry thermometer
over moderately low heat stirring occasionally let bubble for 15 minutes
remove from heat and let stand until cool, pour all into glass or plastic container
store at room temp
enchiladas!
Last night KC and H came over for dinner. It was determined that we would do Mexican. KC wanted her old roommate's enchiladas- he was contacted, information was retrieved, and lo. His ultra secret wonderful enchilada recipe is the one on the side of the Old El Paso enchilada sauce can.
We subbed spinach for the beef called for, and had Goya Mexi rice that was surprisingly tasty, but I am a sucker for boxed rice.* And Whole Foods veggie refried pinto beans that were quite delicious. They were heavy on the cumin, I think. That was a good thing, and they have replaced Bearitos as my favorite canned refried bean.
And salad of course. Romaine with orange sections, sunflower seeds, almonds, lime juice and Briann's Italian because I seem to be out of not only olive oil, but all oil.
KC and I drank a Granacha that was really a little too sweet for my liking, and yummy Valley of the Moon Sangiovese.
Now, I would have preferred to drink the Cousino Macul Reisling I'm so excited about these days, but I was vetoed on the white wine. And no one really felt like drinking beer. There you have it.
* When I was very poor my favorite treat was boxed cheddar and broccoli rice with canned tuna and chopped tomato. mmm!
Oh hey! I just remembered that no one ate any caramel ice cream. I win!
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