Stuffed Portabellos

my favorite author is Nicholas Evans, he wrote the Horse Whisperer. i didn't particularly care for the movie (tho, hello Mr. Redford) but when i read the book, oh mercy, his lyrical prose was moving. i even drove 2 hours to NoVa to meet him at a bookstore where he was promoting his book the Divide. (for reals, loverly brit-ish accent...) anyway, a few years ago he, along with a few members of his family accidentally consumed some poisonous mushrooms, they are now on a dialysis regimen and on the kidney transplant list. oh the horror!

i like mushrooms, i always have. but i've also always had a very healthy respect for not putting random things in my mouth when hiking or camping. (let's be clear, i haven't been camping in forever but if i ever go again, i'm avoiding any kind of foraging of wild vegetation blah blah blah...) for this month's challenge, i used portobellos, big & beefy, a perfect item as a side but really, capable of being a stand alone entree. which is what i had for dinner friday night.

Stuffed Portobellos

adapted from Bon Appetit Hon

once again, no exact measurements

2 big portobellos, gills scraped off

1/2 onion, diced

1/2 zucchini, diced

1/4 fennel, sliced thinly

1 heirloom tomato, diced

1 small apple, diced

splash of olive oil & balsamic vinegar

goat cheese

preheat oven 350F.

drizzle a splash of olive oil and balsamic vinegar over mushrooms, both sides. bake in oven for 5 minutes, both sides. meanwhile, saute up onions in a bit of oil until softened. add in the apples and zucchini, about 5-7 minutes, until the zuchs are soft. put the cooked mixture in a bowl and cool slightly, add in the fennel and tomatoes, mix well, season with salt. throw in a bit of goat cheese, it'll a melt a bit.

take out the 'shrooms and scoop mixture on top. return to the oven and cook for another 5 minutes. top with a bit more cheese and serve.

just so you know, the 'shrooms shrink a smidge.

Cheesecake Throwdown

big k and i have discussed it. we've neglected this blog for too long. we blame pat. him and his chicken/biscuit challenge...

this month's challenge is Cheesecake.

deadline: August 15th.

Bowlful of Fall: Pumpkin Gnocchi & Wilted Kale

like my cousin, i am not a fan of pumpkin. pumpkin pie makes me suicidal. ok, not really but i don't like the stuff. i've played with pumpkin before, making a soup and challah. when i decided to make pumpkin be this month's challenge, it was my intention to celebrate the coming autumn season (even tho i lament the cold), but also to play with an ingredient i normally avoid.

i went with pumpkin gnocchi, figuring that the pumpkin flavor wouldn't be overwhelming. i know Pat already did gnocchi for the roll challenge but whatever. i also decided to incorporate another ingredient i don't usually play with: kale. tis the season, yo. the finished product turned out well, the gnocchi wasn't too pumpkin-y, the kale was mild and a perfect complement to the gnocchi. success!



Wilted Kale

for this portion of the recipe, it's my typical angry asian style of dumping whatever is in my fridge into the pan.

a bunch of kale, cleaned and rough chopped
1 small onion, diced
1 garlic clove, diced
handful of shiitake mushroom, sliced
a few sprigs of thyme
olive oil
salt/pepper to taste
lemon juice

in a large pan, heat up the olive oil. add in the onions and sautee till translucent. throw in the garlic and mix around, be sure not to burn it. add in the kale and maybe a splashful of water. i pulled some thyme leaves off the stem and added that too. i cooked this for about 20 minutes, or until i finished making the gnocchi, making sure to add a spoonful of water every now and again. at the last minute, i threw in the mushrooms.

Pumpkin Gnocchi

1/2 cup pureed pumpkin, either fresh or from a can
1 large egg yolk
12 Tbl flour, i divied it up 6 AP, 6 Whole Wheat

mix together the pumpkin puree and egg yolk in a medium sized bowl. add half the flour until incorporated. slowly add the rest of the flour, by tablespoon, until a dough forms. on a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for a few minutes. if the dough is still too sticky, add more flour, but a little at a time. when it doesn't stick to everything anymore, divide the dough into four balls. roll them out, into snake-like formations. with a dough cutter, (i don't have one, i used my pizza cutter), cut out little 1-2" pieces. i've seen gnocchi with cute indentions and whatever on them. i wasn't interested in that, i was hungry...

to cook the gnocchi, bring a pot of water to boil. add about a tablespoon of salt. cook the gnocchi in batches. when they're first put into the pot, they sink right to the bottom but when they're cooked, they float up to the surface. easy.

add to the pan of kale and allow to mix thru.

to serve, i added a splash of lemon juice. separately, the kale came out great, i would've been happy to nibble on it sans gnocchi, which turned out nice too. but together, it was lovely. just like autumn in a bowl.

Lavender Lament

it's just been one of those months. it's been rainy and dreary, sapping one of their energy and in my case, inspiration. Spring should be a time of rejuvenation, not lackluster, half hearted attempts in the kitchen. plus, my challenge for this month is awesome: using herbage. spring herbage at that.

i chose to use lavender, which incidentally is now going to be my color for the summer. i've played with lavender before, liking the fresh earthy taste. it's not as awesome as thyme but i do like it alot.



this past month i've made 3 loaves of bread. one recipe was actually for Rosemary Olive Oil Bread that a fellow twi-friend shared with me. it did come out well but i forgot to take pictures. next, i used a romantic rosemary bread recipe, substituting lavender. the first go, i brought half the loaf into work. the second half i breaded for another food challenge. today's loaf will go towards a panzanella salad for dinner. i'm thinking the floral scent will add a lovely spring taste to it. :)

Romantic Lavender Bread
from recipezaar

3 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup lukewarm water (120F)
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh rosemary or fresh lavender blossoms, finely chopped
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon salt
6 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (approximately)
yellow cornmeal, as needed
coarse salt, for sprinkling on loaves (optional)
spray bottle filled with cold water, for spritzing loaves



Combine yeast and lukewarm water until well blended and let sit about 10 minutes- it should look foamy and thick (if your water was too hot or your yeast is bad, it will not get foamy and you'll need to start over).

Combine buttermilk, oil, rosemary (or lavender), 1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp salt in a mixer bowl, then add the yeast mixture and combine well.
Add flour gradually, beating slowly until enough flour has been added to form a dough ball that leaves the sides of the bowl in one mass.

Dump any remaining flour onto a flat surface, dump dough onto that surface, and with floured hands knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 5-10 minutes.

Set dough into a large greased bowl, flip dough over to grease both sides, cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise until doubled in bulk- about 1 1/2 hours.

On dough has risen, place dough onto a floured surface and cut into equal halves and form each half into a round loaf shape.
Set loaves onto a large greased baking sheet dusted with cornmeal.
Cover with a clean, slightly damp towel and let rise 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Using a serrated knife, slash the top of each loaf with an asterisk (*) pattern and sprinkle each with a little coarse salt (optional).
Bake in center of the preheated oven for 15 minutes, spritzing occasionally (at least 2-3 times).

Continue baking another 45-55 minutes (no more spritzing) or until the loaves sounds hollow when rapped on the bottom and they appear golden brown.

Let cool on racks completely.



til next time, keep your kitchen clean. seriously, you don't want mice up in there.

asianized enchiladas

remember when i said i wasn't that hot for mexican or latin american food some time ago? the stuff's grown on me. i like it a lot now. i think the combination of rice and beans is almost genius. my long weekend in PR last week solidified that cheese melted over meat topped with salsa is damn good.

be con's challenge of something rolled made me wrack my brain for something latin amercan. enchiladas seemed easy enough and definitely good enough that i could have it for leftover during the week. my spin was to use japanese eggplant for the filling. weird combo, i know but when i was at the asian market they looked so appetizing, i couldn't resist buying them.

i was quite happy with the end result. it was different. i didn't pay much attention to what i used and how much so. sorry! i chopped up the eggplant into bite size pieces. sauteed with chopped onions until soft. i used taco mix and dumped a can of green chili peppers for the added spice. alright, filling done. i had flour tortilla hanging out so i wrapped up the eggplant filling and lined them in a casserole dish, poured enchilada sauce over it and topped with cheese. baked in the oven at 350 til cheese is melted. done. i paired my asian enchilada with avocado. yuuuuuuum.

til next time,
Angry Asian

individual moussaka

greek food is hit or miss for me. i am particularly partial to moussaka because it reminds me of lasagna. i kept it real simple, made it in individual ramekins and topped with a bechamele sauce.



Moussaka

thinly slice up an eggplant (i used a chinese eggplant)
1/2 stick of butter
1/4 cup of flour
1/2 cup of milk (i used buttermilk because that's what i had)
tomato/spaghettie sauce (i had some leftover with meat)



for the bechamele sauce, i melted the butter in a sauce pan, added the flour and stirred till incorporated. add the milk (or buttermilk) and stir till thickened. salt and pepper to taste.

assemble in layers, first with the eggplant, the tomato sauce and then another layer of eggplant. top it all off with the bechamele sauce. if i had had bread crumbs available, i would've added that to the top but i didn't, so i sprinkled some oats. bake in preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes.



watch that growing ass and stay warm!

scallops: 2 ways

without fail when i go to a fancy restaurant, i usually get one of two things: lamb or scallops. for this month's challenge i wanted to tackle my fear of cooking scallops at home. i made it two ways, seared, topped with lychee onion salsa and baked, topped with a sesame soy ginger sauce. both turned out really well, i mean, i liked both a lot.

handling scallops isn't as difficult as i thought. i just had to make sure it was fresh and dried completely. i seasoned with just kosher salt and pepper.

Lychee Onion Salsa:
a few lychees, chopped (i used canned)
small onion diced (red onions or scallions can be used too)
dash of lime juice
green onions, sliced (i only threw this in for the color)

mix all ingredients in bowl and refridgerate til ready to use.

Sesame Soy Ginger Sauce
few slices of candied ginger, julienned (fresh is fine too, i just wanted to use up some of the candied stuff)
splash of soy sauce
splash of sesame oil
red chile, sliced tiny (for color and some bite)
green onions, sliced (again, for color)

mix all together. i know i'm not giving any measurements, it's all about taste. i also heated it up in the microwave for about 20 seconds before topping on the scallops.

preheat oven to 400F. place 4 seasoned scallops on baking sheet. bake in oven for about 8 minutes. (i think it's entirely up to you on how well you want it done, as well as the size of the scallops. just do it til it's about opaque.)



for the remaining 4 scallops to be seared. in a pan, add a drizzle of olive oil and heat til hot. carefully place the scallops in pan, being sure to keep them apart from each other to prevent steaming. sear fro about 2-3 minutes on one side and about 1-2 minutes on flip side.

plate respective scallops seperately. for the seared scallops, i topped with the fruit. it came out sweet and tender. for the baked scallops, i topped with the sesame soy ginger sauce. it was really good too.



i'm really pleased with how well these came out. what i liked most was that it was all done quickly, under 30 minutes. great party food!

so until next time, may your kitchen bring forth much love to your tummy!

Auriane's Mom's Leek and Potato Soup

this is what my friend Auriane wrote me to inspire me this month:

Hello love,

Well, with your time off, I thought you could use a few cooking inspirations... I think you should create a healthy (maybe even use the Cuisinart to finely grind broccoli and add a bit) leek and potato soup with bacon for your current challenge. Bacon would compliment leek and potato so well, dontcha think? The soup comes out a lovely creamy green, and tastes like heaven. Very soothing, especially in the winter time. Is it cheating to use a recipe? Because my mom has a great one, if you need.

Love,
Auriane

and so that is what i made...

Auriane's Mom's Leek and Potato Soup
copied and pasted from email

2 medium leeks, 2 medium peeled potates in bite size chunks, 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil, 4 cups of chicken broth (bouillon cubes broth is fine).

Cut off ends and tough green parts of leek. I just use the white part, with about an inch of the green part. French from the countryside often use the whole leek, and just cook longer, but I think the tough leaves are bitter tasting. Slice leeks sideways to rinse very thoroughly and get out all sand/dirt (this is the only hard part of leek soup). Slice into 1/2 inch rounds, and saute in butter or olive oil over medium heat until the leeks begin to change color slightly (they'll get brighter). Do not brown them! Add the potatoes and saute for another minute or two, stirring. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to low, cover and cook until potatoes are tender about 15 minutes. You can eat it this way, or put it in a blender or cuisinart to make a delicious cream soup--don't over process. It's yummy to sprinkle with pepper and stir in a big spoon of fresh cream or sour cream in the bowl.

verdict:
j'adore this soup. it did not come out green tho. i didn't add broccoli and use the greens of the leeks. i actually have a container in the freezer for consumption later this month. and of course, i added some bacon on top.

stay warm out there doorknobs, it's effing cold!

This ain't your momma's meatloaf

One meal that always fills my belly is meatloaf with mashed potatoes. now, the thought of packing meat into a loaf pan is just....weird. it doesn't seem right. and sometimes it's weird to me that i even dig this meal so much due to growing up a vegetarian. even know i eat minimal meat. anyway, so that is my comfort meal. my go to dinner when i want to eat something hearty. however, now that i'm kicking 30 up the wahoo and constantly watching the scales (except for bakery tour days) i don't make it the old fashioned way with beef and potatoes and all the good stuff. instead i've taken the lighter route.

instead of beef i used ground turkey. here's what i added to the meat for some extra flavor:
-crimini mushrooms
-1/2 onion
-red pepper flakes
-garlic
-sea salt and pepper
-handful of bread crumbs

i always put a glaze on top. there is no recipe for it. i throw ketchup, brown sugar, and worcestershire into a bowl and mix. i taste and add what i feel is necessary. sometimes i add spices, but tonight i kept it at these three ingredients.

i put the meat mixture in the pan, topped it with the glaze, covered with foil and baked @ 350 for 35 minutes. i don't know where i got 35 minutes but it seems good. once it's cooked i take off the foil and put it back in the oven with the heat off just to brown the top a bit.

ok, so on to the mashed potatoes. i do love a tater. but i needed something tonight that wouldn't stick to my gut for the next 2 days. my twist is to use cauliflower. here's what i did:

-steamed 1 head of cauliflower
-heated a little 1/2 and 1/2 with butter in a pan
-once the cauliflower is cooked, i put it in my mixer and added the butter/cream mixture.

true, they're not JUST LIKE mashed tates, but omg, i love it. add some sea salt with pepper and that's good eats.

i needed a vegetable so i did something that Lan actually taught me....the avocado salad. i changed it up a bit from what she showed me waaaay back in the day. i chopped an avocado and a yellow tomato. i added some grey salt, pepper, lemon juice and touch of extra light evoo. delish.

so while it's not your traditional meatloaf comfort meal, it's certainly delicious and better for you. matt even went in for a second helping.

dessert:

i had to add my hot cocoa drink to this even though it's probably the most simple things. however, this is the drink i adore. when it's cold out it warms my bones. i don't make it so much in the summer b/c it's sweltering out, but tonight i did just for you guys! i'm not sure what makes it so special to me except that it could be what relaxes me so well....especially when i'm snuggled under an electric blanket.

tres simple recipe. i add milk to a small saucepan (medium low heat please!), 2 tb of unsweetened cocoa, 2 tb of sugar (or add more if you like it sweeter). mix that up, heat it through. meanwhile, add a hefty shot of Irish Cream to your mug. and by hefty i do mean 1/4 of the way up. ok, not that much, but make sure you can taste it. add the chocolately mixture to the mug once heated through and enjoy. i don't add whip cream or anything like that usually. a little too much in my opinion.

so that's it. i'm stuffed, but feeling good and i believe i'm ready to snuggle in and get some sleep. until we meet again fellow doorknobs, keep those buns and ovens hot!