Category: Book Reviews

Review of books I have read or listen to!

Snickerdoodles (Alice in Cookiewonderland)

Snickerdoodles (Alice in Cookiewonderland)

It has been 1610 days since I sat down and penned my inaugural post, Jamigos 2.0 to launch 3jamigos.  As I reflect on that number all I can think is WHAT TOOK ME SO LONG TO INCLUDE MY FAVORITE COOKIE?  I mean, sheesh, of the 100 cookie recipes I have posted, it doesn’t include my all-time favorite non-shortbread cookie (notice how I slipped in that qualifier, shortbread=cookie perfection).  Unbelievable, and how did I discover this faux pas?

I was tasked with making cookies for an End of Summer Party for our political action group (sanity saver).   I automatically went to my blog and typed in S N I C K E R D O O D L E S in the search box and waited, NOTHING popped up.  A quick search of my cookie index revealed, what the heck, no Snickerdoodles.

Are you kidding?

I’ve never posted Snickerdoodles on my blog?  Hellooo, time to fix that.  I got busy, made a batch for the meeting, snitched a couple to have with an ice-cold glass of milk, and sat down to write this post.

EVERYONE needs a scrumptious recipe for Snickerdoodles.  Buttery, sweet and spicy, crispy edges, soft chewy center,  finished with cinnamon sugar.  The quintessential cookie.  My favorite recipe comes from the cookie maven, Alice Medrich.  Unlike other recipes I have seen, hers are made with just butter. Yep, no shortening in these bad-boy bites of sweet cinnamon bliss.  The recipe is from her small but mighty book, Cookies and Brownies, long out of print but available on the secondary market. The book is worth getting just for this and her Lemon Bar recipe. Well written with easy-to-follow directions, it’s a keeper.  My copy is frayed and tattered, well worn from use.

Cream butter and sugar together to smooth but NOT fluffy.  Add eggs, beat until blended.

Add flour and stir just until combined.  Don’t overmix.  The mixing changes the consistency of the cookie.  Fluffy butter-sugar mixture gives a cakier cookie, go for smooth and creamy.  After adding the flour mixture do not beat the dough too much or you will end up with a tough cookie.

Gather dough into a disc, shape doesn’t matter.  Keep the thickness to about an inch.  This will make it easier to scoop and form the cookies after chilling.

After chilling the dough,  use a 1 tablespoon ice cream scoop (#70) to form balls.  Shape the scoops into smooth balls and roll in cinnamon sugar.  Use a good quality cinnamon, like Penzey’s . This is a great cookie to make with the kids or grandkids, never met a kid that didn’t like to roll balls of cookie dough in copious amounts of cinnamon sugar all the while licking their fingers.

The one tablespoon scoop yields a cookie about 2 inch in diameter.  All well and good, BUT, the smaller you make the cookie the harder it is to end up with a cookie that has crisp edges and a soft center.  If that is what you are looking for, try making bigger cookies. Increase your baking time by a couple of minutes.

Bake cookies 8-10 minutes until the edges are golden brown.  I like the centers soft, if you like crunchy cookies, bake them a bit longer.  How long?  Don’t know, I don’t like them that way.

Snicker Doodles

Course cookies
Cuisine American
Keyword Snickerdoodles
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes

Equipment

  • Cookie sheets, lined with parchment paper or greased

Ingredients

  • 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (13.5 ounces)
  • 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ pound unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)
  • cups sugar 10.5 ounces
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400° Position rack in the middle of the oven.
  • Combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and mix thoroughly with a whisk or fork.
  • In a medium mixing bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter with the 1½ cups sugar until smooth and creamy, not fluffy. Beat in the eggs just until blended. Add the flour mixture and stir or beat on low speed just until incorporated. Gather the dough into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes.
  • Mix the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon in a small bowl. Form level tablespoons of dough with an ice cream scoop, into 1-inch balls. Roll the balls in the cinnamon sugar and place 2 inches apart on the lined or ungreased cookie sheets.
  • Bake for 8 to 11 minutes, until the cookies puff and begin to settle down. To create crevices, when cookies puff, tap cookie sheet on rack. This causes the cookie to sink, creating crinkles. Rotate the cookie sheet from front to back halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking. Bake until the edges are golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a couple of minutes. Remove cookies with a spatula to a wire rack. Don't let them cool completely or the cookies will stick to the sheet. I bake on ungreased sheets to minimize spreading.
  • Cool the cookies completely before stacking or storing. May be kept in an airtight container for several days.
Peanut Butter Mochi, that’s my Jam

Peanut Butter Mochi, that’s my Jam

My cookbook addiction continues unabated. One of my new favorites is A Common Table by Cynthia Chen McTernan.  It’s a beautiful cookbook filled with not only mouthwatering photographs of her food but wonderful stories about her family and friends. Her recipes are approachable and her writing inviting.  In contrast to the cookbooks of yesteryear, today’s cookbooks, like A Common Table, breathe life, warmth, and a personal connection into each recipe.  It makes me want to call my Mom, my kids, my aunties and uncles and say, “Hey, come on over we gonna cook, eat, and talk story”.

Have You Eaten Yet? (code for I ❤️ you)

This is not a cookbook that strives to teach one to cook, it’s more like a series of love letters, first and foremost to her family and friends, and then to all of us.  Her soulful, homey food reflects her southern upbringing, her Chinese heritage, her hubby’s Hawaiian-Korean-Irish roots, and their lives together. These are recipes I imagine are passed down from grandmother to mother and mother to daughter.  Each generation adding its own personal stamp.

Two Red Bowls is Cynthia’s blog, ground zero for her food and family tales.  She has managed to juggle a toddler, a newborn, a blog, and a book, no small feat.  Wow!

Onto her delicious food.  Needing a gluten-free dessert to bring to a potluck, I instantly thought of the peanut butter mochi in her book.  Mochi, made of glutinous rice flour, is chewy, dense, and all the craze right now.  Imagine a marshmallow but dense, chewy, and only slightly sweet. Mallows on roids.  To top it off, soooo easy to make.  Literally, one bowl plus a wooden spoon. The addition of peanut butter brings a familiar flavor and texture to the mochi, a great intro for the uninitiated.  Did I mention GLUTEN FREE?

The gold standard for rice flour and readily available is Koda Farms Blue Star Mochiko.  Ground into a fine powder, it blends quickly and is easy to work with. Throw the flour, sugar, eggs, and milk in a bowl.  Stir, don’t worry about overmixing (no gluten), pour, and bake.  The batter will resemble a thick, elastic pancake batter.

Plop the peanut butter evenly into the batter so that everyone gets a bite of peanut butter, and then it’s oven time.  Midway through baking, sprinkle crushed peanuts on top.  Next time I am thinking of using honey-roasted peanuts, to really accentuate the play on sweet and salty.  The batter will puff while baking, not to worry, it will flatten as the mochi is cooling.

Once it has cooled a bit, dig in, warm mochi is yummy.  I cut mine into squares and then further divided half of the squares into rectangular bars.  Just so delicious, the combo of chewy mochi, pockets of oozy soft peanut butter, and the crunchy peanut topping-the trifecta of yum.  It’s hard to resist and eat just one. It’s dense in texture and calories but so worth it!

I think you could make this milk-free by using coconut milk in place of milk. I have yet to try it.  Andrea Nguyen, Asian cookbook author extraordinaire created a riff by adding black sesame paste, Black Sesame Peanut Butter Mochi, which looks delish, I am so going to make her version soon.

Peanut Butter Mochi
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5 from 2 votes

Peanut Butter Mochi

Gluten free and delicious.  Made with sweet rice flour a dense, chewy, a totally addicting treat! A quick and easy recipe!
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine Asian, Asian-American
Keyword Mochi, peanut butter, sweet rice flour
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 16 Servings

Ingredients

Filling

  • 6 Tbsp Peanut butter Natural, creamy or chunky
  • 2 Tbsp Powdered sugar

Cake

  • 1-1/2 Cups Sweet rice flour 225gm
  • 3/4 Cup Granulated sugar
  • 1/8 Tsp Salt
  • 1 Cup Whole milk
  • 1/2 Cup Vegetable oil
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 Tsp Vanilla
  • 1/2 Cup Roasted peanuts Or substitute honey roasted peanuts
  • 1 Tbsp Brown sugar Optional, to be added to plain roasted peanuts,

Instructions

  • For the peanut butter filling, whisk together the peanut butter and confectioner’s sugar until smooth. Set aside.
  • Preheat the oven to 350F. Line an 8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper, letting the paper go up the sides so you can easily lift the cake out later on.
  • In a medium bowl, combine the sweet rice flour, sugar, milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla, whisk until smooth. Don’t worry about overworking the batter when making the cake, sweet rice flour is GLUTEN FREE.
  • Pour half the batter into the prepared baking dish. Used 2 small spoons or small teaspoon ice cream scoop to drop spoonfuls of the filling evenly across the batter, then pour the remaining batter over the filling. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
  • While the mochi is baking, place the peanuts in a food processor or blender and pulse until finely chopped. Remove the mochi cake from the oven, sprinkle of the crushed peanuts across the top. The cake maybe puffy so spread nuts as evenly as you can. The cake will fall as it cools.  
  • Return the cake to the oven and bake until the center bounces back when pressed, an additional 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool about 20 minutes before trying to lift the parchment paper to remove the cake from the pan. 
  • Enjoy warm or at room temperature. The mochi slices cleanly when cool, but is delish warm.
  • Store in an airtight container and keep at room temp if cool, or refrigerate. Microwave pieces on high with 15-second blasts to refresh.
Keep Calm and Salmon On

Keep Calm and Salmon On

Growing up, most meals included at least one seafood dish.  Steamed rock cod with ginger and scallions, flounder with brown bean sauce sitting on a bed of tofu or stir-fried prawns with tomato and garlic (SOUL FOOD).  My dad would finish work and then head out to the shops in Chinatown to find the fresh catch of the day.  The markets carried locally caught cod, bass, or flounder kept cold on a bed of ice. My dad checked the freshness by looking at the clarity of the eyes. Sometimes he opted for live fish, crab, or shrimp from the tanks that lined the wall.  He peered into each tank before selecting the one he wanted. Once satisfied with his choice he would barter with the fishmonger for a good price.

So my exposure to seafood was two extremes

Freshly caught fish steamed and flavored with ginger, green onions, and cilantro. The sauce was pure heaven, an amalgamation of liquid created from the fish juices, soy sauce, and aromatics.  My brother and I fought over who could ladle the most sauce over their rice, a tradition my kids have continued.

On the flip side was Friday night frozen FISHSTICKS with catsup!  Date night for the folks meant dinner in front of the TV for my brother, my cousins and me.  I hate to admit it, but from the ages of 4-10, I probably liked the fish sticks more. Silly girl.

One fish not typically part of Asian cuisine is Salmon. I discovered salmon late in the game and ironically it’s the fish we prepare at home now more often than any other fish. I am always on the lookout for new and different recipes for salmon.  Whaddya know…from Everyday Korean Cookbook, one of my current favs (check out her site to preview a couple of recipes), I found the recipe, Roasted Salmon with Gochujang Mayo. The sauce, sweet from the mayonnaise, spicy from the Gochujang, and citrusy (is that a word?) from a squeeze of lime is pretty darn tasty.  The mayo comes together in a snap.  Slather it on the fish, pop it in the oven and finish it under the broiler.  So easy and so delicious.  It’s a keeper.  The recipe calls for the Japanese mayo, Kewpie, but you can make your own with Best Foods mayo.

From the Japanese cookbook, Just One Cookbook. Kewpie imposter recipe!

For 1 cup of American mayonnaise (like Best Foods), add 2 Tbsp rice vinegar and 1 Tbsp sugar. Whisk until the sugar dissolves. For 1 Tbsp of American mayonnaise, add 1/2 tsp rice vinegar and 1/8 tsp sugar.

That’s a WRAP

What is my favorite way to serve this salmon? Classic Korean style-bibb lettuce used as a wrap.  It’s the Asian version of a taco. I put a bite of rice or noodle, bit of kimchi, morsel of salmon and dab of chili sauce in the lettuce, wrap it, and eat the whole thing in one bite.  Hmmm…. Crispy cool lettuce, warm soft kernels of rice, spicy sweet salmon, salty, briny umami-packed kimchi topped with scallions, cilantro and lime.  A party in my mouth, sooooo good!

Next time you need a delicious marinade for your salmon, give this one a go!

Roasted Salmon with Gochujang Mayo adapted from Everyday Korean

Quick and tasty roasted salmon with spicy, sweet Gochujang Mayo. Perfect meal at the end of a long day.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Asian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 1 1/2-to-2-pound wild salmon fillet (skin on is fine), pin bones removed
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise preferably Kewpie.
  • 2 tablespoons oyster sauce Lee Kum Kee-please
  • 1-2 teaspoons gochujang Korean red pepper paste
  • 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
  • 3-4 cloves garlic minced (~2 teaspoons)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon lime, or tangerine
  • 1 Garnish scallions, cilantro, toasted sesame seeds, lime wedges,

For serving: Steamed rice, kimchi or sliced cucumbers and bibb lettuce leaves

    Instructions

    • Place 1 oven rack on the highest level of oven and a second rack below. Heat oven to 475 degrees. Line sheet pan (shallow baking sheet) with aluminum foil; lightly grease foil with cooking spray.
    • Pat salmon dry with paper towels. Place fillets (skin-side down) on foil-lined baking sheets; set aside.
    • Mix together mayonnaise, oyster sauce, gochujang, ginger or garlic, lime juice in a small bowl. Brush or spoon sauce evenly over salmon.
    • Place baking sheet on second rack in oven, and roast 8 minutes, until sauce sizzles and begins to brown. Heat oven to broil. Place salmon on top rack of oven, and broil on high another 3 to 5 minutes, depending on thickness of fillet and desired doneness. 
    • Serve with bibb lettuce, rice and garnish, if desired, with toasted sesame seeds, sliced green onion, cilantro, lime wedges, kimchi, and/or cucumber slices.

    Notes

    Serve with bibb lettuce, rice and garnish, if desired, with toasted sesame seeds, sliced green onion, cilanto, lime wedges, kimchi, and/or cucumber slices.

     

    Do You Really Want to Feed Me? Food52 Club Blueberry Cake with Almond & Cinnamon

    Do You Really Want to Feed Me? Food52 Club Blueberry Cake with Almond & Cinnamon

    For all you Boy George Fans, my title nod to the 80’s.  Have I mentioned the Food52 Cookbook Club?  I’m sure I have.  From the geniuses at Food52, a Facebook group that features a cookbook each month.  A cynic might say “what a great marketing idea!”.  Ok, it is, but it is actually a wonderful way to share insights and critiques on a book.  By the end of each month, you have a pretty darn good idea which recipes are winners and which are not so great or need some tweaking. Photos for each recipe and a comment or two posted by members…invaluable.  I literally have cookbooks I have never made a single thing from but when Food52 features it, I’m trying recipes from the book like a crazy person.

    This month’s selection is Dining In by Alison Roman.  I had picked up a copy awhile back at a cute indie bookstore, Leigh’s Favorite Books in Sunnyvale.  Aside from one fantabulous cookie recipe (click on the link to find out which cookie, I’m so evil) I already have thanks to Bon Appetit’. I didn’t see anything I felt compelled to try.  I shoved the book on a shelf and forgot about it.

    Until, of course, it became this month’s featured Food52 Cookbook Club book.

    My pictures don’t do justice to this Blueberry Cake with Almond and Cinnamon, but the requests for the recipe had me expediting this post.  Made for a happy hour postcard writing session (democracy in action), this cake was the star of the evening. Make it now while sweet, plump, blueberries can still be found at the Farmer’s Market.

    This cake is hands down delicious.  Buttery, tender, not too sweet with a nice crunch from the sprinkling of sugar on top and a hint of spice from the cinnamon.  Hmmm, it’s dreamy. The recipe calls for both almond flour and all-purpose flour.  Despite not having any liquid the cake is very tender, actually surprisingly so.  I’m thinking its the almond flour.  Costco has a nice, reasonably priced almond flour.  Whole Foods has Bob’s Red Mill, nice, not so reasonably priced.  Don’t confuse it with almond meal which is not ground fine enough.

    Another key to this recipe, beating the butter until it is nice and fluffy.  This aerates the batter adding to its tenderness.  I was surprised at how difficult it was to incorporate the flour mixture into the batter.  I dumped all of it in at once.  Next time I might try dividing the flour mixture and mixing it in a portion at a time.  The almond flour is a bit heavier than reg flour so use the fold method, like folding egg whites into a batter.  Don’t overdo it. The book has a teeny eeny mistake, it lists 2 cups of blueberries in the ingredients but calls for only 1-1/2 cups in the directions.  Just use 1-1/2 cups of berries, that’s plenty. If you are a blueberry-holic, toss the remaining 1/2 cup berries on top of the batter before sprinkling the sugar on top.

    The cake does not rise significantly.  I baked it in a springform, but you could use a tart pan.  But in all honesty, I didn’t want to chance it…too many overflow experiences have caused me to be rather cautious.  I also tried a Honey Yogurt Pound Cake with Raspberries-yummy-ga-nummies. TBP (To be posted) soon.

    So, get thee to the Farmer’s Market or grocers, buy some berries and bake this cake.  You’re welcome.  This book is not just a dessert book and judging by the posts on the Food52 page, I’ll be diving into the savory recipes soon.  I’ll get back to you when I do.

    By the way, there is a Food52 Baking Club too, if you’re wondering…

    Blueberry Cake with Almond and Cinnamon

    Blueberry Cake with Almond and Cinnamon

    Ingredients

    • Nonstick spray for the pan
    • 1 cup almond flour
    • ¾ cup all-purpose flour
    • 1 tsp baking powder
    • tsp ground cinnamon
    • ¾ tsp kosher salt
    • ¾ cup 1½ sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
    • ½ cup light brown sugar
    • ¼ cup plus 3 tbsp granulated sugar
    • 2 large eggs
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • 1 ½ cups blueberries

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a 9-inch fluted tart pan or round cake pan with nonstick spray.
    • Whisk together the almond flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.
    • Using an electric mixer, in a medium bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, and ¼ cup of the granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until the mixture is super light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.
    • Scrape down the sides of the bowl and with the mixer on medium, add the eggs one at a time, beating until each one is incorporated, followed by the vanilla. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the mixture is pale and nearly doubled in volume, 4 to 5 minutes. Fold in the almond mixture until no dry spots remain. Gently add 1½ cups of the blueberries by hand, making sure you don’t totally smush them.
    • Transfer the batter to the prepared tart pan and, using a spatula or the back of a spoon, smooth the top. Sprinkle the remaining 3 tablespoons granulated sugar on top and bake until the cake is deeply golden brown and pulls away from the edges slightly, 30 to 35 minutes. It should start to crackle a bit on top (what you’re looking for).
    • Remove from the oven and let cool completely before slicing.

    Notes

    The cake can be baked 4 days ahead, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, and stored at room temperature.
    Korean BBQ Flavor Shortcut

    Korean BBQ Flavor Shortcut

    Korean bbq comes to mind when summer rolls around and barbecue gets top billing. I love Korean barbecue especially Kalbi and Bulgogi. Kalbicross-cut or flanken-style beef ribs, are marinated in a garlicky soy sauce mixture flavored with sesame oil, green onions, sugar to sweeten and fresh ground pepper. The ribs are marinated for at least a couple of hours before they’re thrown on the grill. Cut crosswise (genius), they cook in minutes, a good thing since the aroma the sizzling meat and marinade as it caramelizes makes me hungry. Bulgogi, thin strips of meat, marinaded in a similar manner, is cooked on the grill, wrapped in lettuce along with a bite of rice, a bit of kimchi and dollop of gochujang and then quickly STUFFED in your mouth…hot, sweet, salty, crunchy..so good.  Party in my mouth.

    I came across a recipe for Bulgogi Meatballs, the perfect answer to when you are craving Korean bbq but don’t have the time to marinade the meat.  A combination of ground beef and pork seasoned like Bulgogi, then formed into meatballs and fried or baked is a spot-on stand-in for Korean bbq.  The Bulgogi meatballs can be served by themselves with various dipping sauces, wrapped in lettuce, served with rice or made into a slider topped with cheese and kimchi.  It’s simple, quick and delicious.

    Bulgogi Meatball sliders

    The recipe comes from Everyday Korean, yes, another cookbook I picked up recently.  Gorgeous photos and a fusion twist caught my eye.  A flatbread topped with a Gochujang Sour Cream and mozzarella will be my next foray in this book.  Intriguing, different. I’ll keep you posted.

    bulgogi meatballs from Everyday korean

    Beef Bulgogi Meatballs

    This recipe, from Everyday Korean by Kim Sunée and Seung Hee Lee, is a tasty spin on a familiar dish. Shape these into meatballs and serve with the dipping sauces along with lettuce leaves or steamed rice. Or make them into sliders to serve on toasted mini buns with grated Cheddar cheese, mayonnaise and mustard.
    Author Everyday Korean

    Ingredients

    • ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
    • 3 Tbsp dark brown sugar
    • 3 Tbsp minced green onion
    • 2 Tbsp minced garlic
    • 2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
    • 2 tsp fish sauce
    • ¾ tsp freshly ground black pepper
    • ¼ Asian pear or Bosc or Bartlett pear, grated
    • 1 ⁄3 cup panko breadcrumbs
    • 1 lb ground beef preferably chuck and short rib
    • 1 lb ground pork or veal
    • 1 large egg lightly beaten
    • Toasted sesame seeds for garnish (optional)

    Ssamjang

    • ½ cup doenjang fermented soybean paste or miso
    • ¼ cup gochujang Korean fermented chile paste
    • 2 Tbsp sesame oil
    • 1 Tbsp sugar
    • 1 Tbsp rice vinegar or cider vinegar
    • 1 Tbsp minced garlic
    • 1 Tbsp minced green onion white parts only
    • 1 Tbsp minced jalapeño serrano chile stems and seeds removed (optional)

    Soy Vinegar Dipping Sauce

    • ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
    • ¼ cup rice vinegar or cider vinegar
    • 1 Tbsp sugar
    • 1 Tbsp finely chopped green onion
    • 1 tsp gochugaru Korean red pepper flakes, optional
    • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil optional
    • Toasted sesame seeds for garnish (optional)

    Instructions

    To make meatballs::

    • In a large bowl, mix together first 8 ingredients. Add panko, ground meats and egg; mix just until combined (do not overmix). Cover; refrigerate 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
    • Preheat oven to 425°F.
    • Form meat mixture into 40-50 mini meatballs or about 18 slider patties; place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake 18-20 minutes or until golden and cooked through but still tender and moist, turning the pan halfway through cooking time.
    • OR
    • Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add meatballs or patties to pan, leaving space. Cook, shaking pan occasionally until meat begins to brown on one side (~3 minutes). Gently flip over and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Until just cooked thru.
    • Garnish with sesame seeds, if desired. Serve with Ssamjang and Soy-Vinegar Dipping Sauce.

    To make Ssamjang::

    • In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 2 weeks. Makes about 1 cup.

    To make Soy-Vinegar Dipping Sauce:

    • In a medium bowl, combine soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, onion, and gochugaru and sesame oil, if desired. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds just before serving, if desired. Refrigerate in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Makes about ½ cup.
    Gettin’ Jjigae with Anthony Bourdain (Korean Army Stew)

    Gettin’ Jjigae with Anthony Bourdain (Korean Army Stew)

    Ok.  Are you looking at the pic above and thinking WHAAAT?  Hot dogs? Spam? Kimchi? VanCamps BAKED Beans? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? It’s like Mom pulling things out of the fridge and the pantry to make dinner… in the 1960s.  But stay with me, these are actually the building blocks for Anthony Bourdain’s version of Budae Jjigae or Army Stew.  A crazy concoction created during the Korean War when food was scarce and the US Army PX was ground zero for processed foods like SPAM and hot dogs-cheap, available protein.  Combined with familiar Korean ingredients, a not so healthy but totally delicious, comforting stew was born.

    budae jjigae ingredients

    Anthony Bourdain’s mischevious side was in overdrive when he decided to make this dish for Anderson Cooper. He thoroughly enjoyed watching Anderson squirm as he popped open the can of SPAM, container of kimchi, hot dogs, rice cakes, plopped them in a pan and added a generous dollop of Gochujang or Korean pepper paste on top.  Anchovy stock is poured over this bed of deliciousness and set to simmer for 30 minutes. A pack of INSTANT RAMEN is added at the very end. Ten minutes later Bourdain was doing a happy dance while slurping his noodles. So was an amazed Anderson.  Catch the episode here, watch it, smile and remember his wicked sense of humor, his intellect and his ability to never take himself too seriously. Then go make your family a pot of Budae Jjigae to fill your tummy, warm your soul and comfort your heart.

    budae jjigae

    This dish is like that bad boy you were always crazy about in high school, knew you should stay away from but just couldn’t.  My favorite line in the clip is when he says to Anderson, “it seems so wrong but taste so right, like true love”. Budae Jjigae is right up my alley, processed meats, fermented vegetables, ground meats and instant ramen noodles, yum.  I grew up on baloney sandwiches on white bread, Fizzies as the fruit in my lunch, Spaghetti out of a can, thanks to Chef Boyardee, and Friday night Swanson’s TV dinners.  In college, I survived on instant ramen and Banquet frozen fried chicken.  Those were the days.

    Just before serving, place a slice of American cheese right on top so it melts and oozes all over your ramen.  That literally takes it over the top.  Thank you, David Chang, for that addition.

    Tips for your Budae Jjigae

    Use Korean instant ramen, my favorite brand, Shin Ramen.  If you don’t make Budae Jjigae, at least try the instant noodles. Use the seasoning packet and up your ramen game with an egg cracked into your bowl of noodles (the soup will cook it) and topped with a Kraft single (uh-huh you all know what I am talking about, real cheese food).  You end up with a pretty fine bowl of totally unhealthy but ridiculously yummy noodles.  To appease your conscious add some veggies, corn, peas, kimchi or shredded lettuce.

    If you can find it, use Vienna Sausages (those old enough know EXACTLY what I am talking about, mini hot dogs in a flip top can) in place of hot dogs.

    Rice cakes (tokbokki) come either tubular or disc shape, either will work.  You can find them at Korean markets, along with kimchi, Gochujang and pepper flakes.

    In place of anchovy stock you can use Japanese dashi or broth.

    Have plenty of beer on hand to wash it all down and to toast the life of Mr. Bourdain.

    Gettin’ JJigae with Anthony Bourdain (Korean Army Stew)

    Ingredients

    • 1 dried shiitake mushroom
    • 4 large dried anchovies heads and guts removed, wrapped in cheesecloth
    • One 3 × 5-inch sheet dried edible kelp or konmbu Use Japanese dashi in place of anchovy stock
    • ½ teaspoon sea salt
    • 12 ounces SPAM cut into ½-inch- thick slices
    • cups Napa cabbage kimchi tongbaechu drain
    • 8 ounces sliced Korean rice cakes
    • 1 white onion peeled and thinly sliced
    • 2 scallions white and light green parts, thinly sliced
    • 5 garlic cloves peeled and crushed
    • 3 hot dogs thinly sliced
    • 6-8 ounces ground pork
    • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
    • 2 tablespoons gochujang Korean fermented chili paste
    • 3 tablespoons medium/fine gochugaru ground Korean red pepper he uses a dash only I used about a teaspoon, he did not come close to 3 T in the video...trust me start small
    • 3 tablespoons cheongju Korean rice wineor Chinese rice wine of Sake
    • 3 tablespoons canned baked beans
    • 1 package ramen noodles preferably the Korean brand Shin, seasoning packet discarded

    Instructions

    • To make the anchovy broth, combine the mushroom, anchovies, kelp, 4 cups water, and the salt in a medium, heavy-bottom pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat, strain and discard the solids, and set the broth aside.
    • Place the SPAM, kimchi, rice cakes, onion, scallions, garlic, hot dogs, and pork in small separate piles in a large shallow pot.
    • Add the soy sauce, gochujang, gochugaru, and cheongju to the pot, then slowly pour in the reserved anchovy kelp broth. Add the baked beans and 1½ cups water. Bring the contents to a steady simmer over high heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon.
    • Cook for about 10 minutes, then add the ramen noodles. Ladle the broth over the noodles to help them break apart. Continue to cook for 2 or 3 minutes, until the noodles are cooked through but still chewy.
    Missing Anthony Bourdain (Roast Chicken)

    Missing Anthony Bourdain (Roast Chicken)

    I admit to being a foodie.  I love to cook, I love to eat out at restaurants, I love to dissect everything I eat.  When I travel I hunt out the local favorites, my philosophy, eat where the locals eat. Hot chicken in Nashville, BBQ in Austin, Tacos in Los Angeles, Lox and Bagels in NYC, my bucket list goes on and on.  I drove four hours for pie for Pete’s sake. My favorite movies include Chef and Tampopo. I binge watch Japanese & Korean dramas on Netflix like Samurai Gourmet and Let’s Eat-Must See Foodie TV, and re-watch episodes of Chef’s Table over and over again.

    Parts Known and Loved

    Sunday evening CNN’s Parts Unknown is appointment TV for me.  My foodie world was rocked last week when Anthony Bourdain committed suicide.  Parts Unknown was unique. Not content with showing places through rose-colored glasses, the show found the edgy parts, counter-culture, fringe elements or disenfranchised.  He didn’t shy away from talking about politics, injustice, or controversial topics.  But his approach was disarming, ask the hard questions over a shared meal and drinks and be genuinely interested in the answers.  His journeys strove to capture the heart and soul of each place he visited, to tell a story.  My favorite episodes? Hanoi with President Obama, Koreatown and Eastside episodes in Los Angeles, Iran, and Shanghai, I traveled vicariously through his show.

    When his book, Appetites came out, I eagerly snatched up a copy.  I loved just flipping through it. I read, laughed and savored his storytelling and irreverence.  His recipes screamed, “this is the stuff I like to eat and share with family and friends, I don’t give a shit if you like it or not”  Now, I felt I had to cook out of it, my own tribute to Mr. Bourdain and personal catharsis.

    I made his Roast Chicken, it just seemed like a good starting point.

    The recipe is loosely written (is that code for poorly edited? You be the judge).  A 2-1/2 pound chicken?  I used a 4-1/2 pound chicken which worked fine.  I placed the chicken on a bed of chopped carrots, onions, leeks, garlic, and celery to roast just like the photo in his book despite the fact that the recipe does not call for veggies. Does it make a difference?  Don’t know, but I have a sneaking suspicion it would be fine either way.

    It was simple, delicious, the perfect comfort food to soothe the soul and mend the heart.

    Roast Chicken Anthony Bourdain

    Roast Chicken by Anthony Bourdain

    Roast chicken by Anthony Bourdain, to soothe the soul and mend your heart.
    Course comfort food, dinner
    Cuisine American
    Keyword anthony bourdain, roast chicken, Soul Food
    Prep Time 20 minutes
    Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
    Servings 4 servings

    Ingredients

    • 1 best-quality chicken about 2 1/2 pounds, preferably organic (ok, my chicken was 4-1/2 pounds) where you get a 21/2 pound chicken 🤷🏻‍♀️
    • Sea salt to taste
    • Crushed black peppercorns to taste
    • 4 tablespoons 1/2 stick unsalted butter
    • 10 sprigs fresh thyme
    • 1 fresh bay leaf
    • 1/2 lemon cut into 4 wedges
    • 1 cup dry white wine
    • Juice of 1 lemon about 2 tablespoons
    • 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
    • 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
    • Freshly ground black pepper to taste

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 450˚F.
    • Rub the bird inside and out with salt and crushed peppercorns.
    • Stuff a 1/2-tablespoon pat of butter under the skin of each side of the breast, and under the skin of each thigh.
    • Stuff the thyme, bay leaf, and lemon wedges into the chicken’s cavity.
    • Use the tip of a paring knife to poke a small hole in the skin just below each of the chicken’s legs, and tuck each leg carefully into that hole. (You may also truss the chicken with butcher’s twine if you know how, but this is much simpler.)
    • Place the chicken in a flame-proof roasting pan* and roast for 30 to 40 minutes, rotating the pan, moving it to different parts of the oven to account for hot spots, and basting the bird two or three times with a bulb-top baster or long-handled metal spoon.
    • *Place chicken on a bed of chopped vegetables including carrots, onions, celery and garlic.
    • Reduce the oven’s heat to 300˚F and continue to roast, basting frequently, for another 30 to 40 minutes or until the bird is done: When you poke the fat part of the thigh with the paring knife, the juices should run clear.
    • Remove the bird from the oven, let it rest 15 minutes, then remove the breasts and legs from the carcass, reserving everything. Use a ladle to skim off and discard as much surface fat from the pan juices as possible.
    • Place the roasting pan on the stovetop over high heat and stir in the wine and lemon juice, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to dislodge and dissolve the browned bits. Bring this mixture to a boil and cook until it is reduced by half. Stir in the stock with the wooden spoon, bring to a boil, and reduce again by half. Remove from the heat and strain this sauce through a sieve into a medium, heavy-bottom saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, a tablespoon at a time, until the sauce is thick and glossy. Fold in the parsley and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as necessary.
    • Serve the chicken—half of the breast plus a drumstick or a thigh per person—with the sauce ladled over, and any remaining sauce in a sauceboat on the table.
    • Appetites
    The Name is Pork, Slow Roasted Pork (Sam Kass)

    The Name is Pork, Slow Roasted Pork (Sam Kass)

    One of my favorite recipes from Sam Kass’s book: Eat A Little Better is his Roasted Pork Shoulder.  Don’t let the time commitment scare you.  Prep is as easy as rubbing salt all over the roast, letting it sit for 2 hours then popping it in the oven for…

    5 hours

    So, yes, you will need to plan in advance and start early.  By dinner time you’ll be ready to dazzle. You can serve the roast as is or transform it into delicious dishes like carnitas tacos, pulled pork sammies with your favorite barbecue sauce, or a yummy pasta ragu.  Sam’s book includes ways to use this roast as the base for a variety of tasty options.  All lip smacking delicious.

    Roasted Pork shoulder shredded

     

    The Name is Pork, Slow Roasted Pork (Sam Kass)

    Ingredients

    • 1 5-6 pound bone-in pork shoulder Boston Butt
    • Kosher Salt
    • 1 cup low sodium chicken broth or dry white wine

    Instructions

    • Rub the pork all over with 1 tablespoon salt. Let it sit for 2 hours at room temperature
    • Preheat oven to 300 degrees
    • Put the pork fat-side up in a heavy roasting pan lined with parchment or foil. Place roast in oven and roast for approximately 5 hours until the meat is deep golden brown and fall off the bone tender. Start checking at about 4 hours.
    • To finish you may broil the top for a darker crisper top.
    • Teansfer roast to a plate. Deglaze pan with stock or wine stirring up bits on the pan.
    • Serve with pork or drizzle on top.
    • You can jazz up the rub with garlic or rosemary, minced and mixed into salt.

     

    Eat a Little Better with Sam Kass

    Eat a Little Better with Sam Kass

    I received Sam Kass’s book, Eat a Little Better: Great Flavor, Good Health, Better World to review QUITE a while ago.  I wasn’t too busy and it wasn’t because I didn’t feel like looking at it.  On the contrary, I really liked the book and kept finding recipes I wanted to try before posting.  For those of you not familiar with Sam, he was the personal chef to President Obama’s family and worked with FLOTUS on her healthy eating initiative.  Yes, I am biased and really wanted to like this book (plus he is easy on the eyes-I didn’t just write that, did I?). Luckily I can, in good conscience say, its a winner.

    Eat A little better My fridge
    Work in progress. Yep, all those fruits and vegetables were hidden in the bins below.

    I love the stories about the White House, the first family and Sam’s tips on healthy eating and cooking.  The first change I implemented was rearranging my fridge.  I moved my fruits and vegetables to bowls and see-through containers. Now, when I open the door my weekend farmer’s market bounty is staring me in the face instead of hidden in the  “the crisper”.  No longer out of sight, out of mind.  Be honest, who hasn’t pulled out an unidentifiable fuzzy green object that might have once been an apple or orange, or worse a forgotten cucumber that morphed into a slimy swamp creature…ewwwww.

    Those ignored apples stashed in the crisper?  Placed front and center, a visible “I’m here” reminder, turned into a couple of delicious apple crisps.  

    The recipes are straightforward, uncomplicated, some healthy, some homey, some both.  Right up my alley.  I LOVE sweet potatoes so a recipe for a trio of dips/toppings for baked sweet potatoes caught my eye. It reminded me of an absolutely scrumptious charred sweet potato with a bone marrow Salsa Negra appetizer I had at Cala in San Francisco.  The potatoes were tender, smoky and sweet.  Borrowing from Smitten Kitchen, I slow roasted the potatoes in the oven and finished them under the broiler for that nice char.  The toppings, an herbalicious sour cream, and a brown butter orange juice were a snap to prepare.  I nixed the bacon dip and made the topping for Kaddo, an Afghani dish of braised pumpkin topped with two sauces, a tomato meat sauce, and a garlic-mint yogurt sauce.  The sweet potato stood in for the pumpkin, pretty yummy.  It deserves its own post which is coming soon.

     

     

     

     

    Sweet Potato In-skin Mash-ups

    Ingredients

    • 4-6 Whole Roasted Sweet Potatoes I used Smitten Kitchen recipe see link

    Brown Butter-Orange Juice

    • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into chunks
    • 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
    • Kosher salt

    Herbed Sour Cream

    • 3/4 cup sour cream
    • 2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh chives or green onions
    • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • Kosher salt

    Instructions

    • While sweet potatoes are roasting you will have plenty of time to throw these sauces together.

    Brown butter-orange juice

    • Place butter chunks in saucepan, preferably a light color one so you can see the butter turn color. Place over medium heat and let the butter melt and bubble, swirl the pot occasionally. The butter will foam and then start to color. Watch carefully, the milk particles will turn a nice toasty brown, remove from the heat and pour butter into a heatproof bowl.
    • Stir in orange juice and 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt.
    • Make a slit lengthwise in each potato, season with more salt. Smoosh it with a fork and drizzle the sauce on the sweet potato.
    • Serve immediately.

    Herbed Sour Cream

    • In a small bowl, combine sour cream, chives, thyme and lemon juice. Mix until well blended. Season with a 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt.
    • Split potato, season with salt and place a generous dollop of the sour cream in the potato.
    • Serve immediately.

    at A Little Better Slow Roasted Sweet PotatoesNext,  Butternut Squash and Kale Fried Rice.  The sweetness of the squash meshed well with the saltiness of the bacon and the slight bite of the kale.  Surprisingly good and easy to make. Feel free to use any kind of rice, use a mix of green onions and yellow onions and season to taste with soy sauce.  DON’T SKIP THE EGG.

    Eat A Little Better Fried Rice

    Leftover roast chicken? Sam’s tasty recipe for Chicken Salad was the perfect answer. Red onion, crispy green beans, fresh thyme, and mayo to bind. A breeze to put together.  For a touch of sweetness, grapes or diced apples would be a nice addition.

    Eat A Little Better Chicken Salad

    How could I not try the dish featured on his cover?  Braised Chicken with Olives and Oranges.  Bold, bright flavors, sweet from the oranges and tangy from the olives, like tennis a love match.  Even better the second day when the flavors mellowed and melded together.

    You can see why it took me so long to review!

    His Slow Roasted Pork served as the base for a couple of quick and delicious meals. I still had plenty left despite continually pulling shreds of pork off the bone and popping it into my mouth.

    Eat A Little Better Slow Roasted Pork
    Slow Roasted Pork out of the oven

    First meal-CARNITAS. Topped with a cabbage slaw, homemade salsa, cilantro, and onions on warm corn tortillas, darn fine tacos.

    Eat A Little Better Carnitas Tacos
    Carnitas Tacos

    Second meal-Rigatoni with Pork Ragu. Onions, tomatoes, slow roasted pork and a handful of grated Parmesan, so simple and satisfying.

    Eat A Little Better Slow Roasted Pork Ragu

    So, verdict? Wonderful, simple, straightforward cookbook with some sage advice.  I plan to use this book a lot.  Hope you will too.