We apparently do not have the veggie garden green thumb. We planted tomatoes and squash, then fertilized, watered, and even talked to the plants but (“big sigh”) have little to show for it.
The Tomato Tease
Just when I resigned myself to the fact that I am not a tomato whisperer, like a big tease, Ina Garten’s recipe for Summer Garden Pasta popped up on my screen. It’s the perfect recipe, if your tomato plants yielded tomatoes, damn it. I consoled myself by buying a basketful of beautiful cherry tomatoes at the Farmers Market.
Ina Garten’s Garden Pasta dish reminds me of a favorite recipe from Silver Palate(totally dating myself), Linguine with Tomato and Basil. Back in the Day, Silver Palate, a tiny Upper Westside deli in Manhattan, published a whimsical cookbook that took all of us fledgling young cooks by storm. No pics, just cute drawings with how-to-entertain tips and recipe wisdom as side notes. It was a huge hit, it was our Joy of Cooking. My favorites included Decadent Chocolate Cake, Sour Cream Apple Pie, and their classic Chicken Marbella.
The Linguine with Tomato Basil is an uncooked sauce of tomatoes, with lots of garlic, basil, and a “hunka” Brie. Add the hot pasta to the sauce and the cheese gets gooey and the tomatoes and garlic mellow. Rich, delicious, and extremely decadent.
Ina’s version is as delicious, just not quite the caloric overload as the Silver Palate recipe (save it for a special occasion). The dish is simple and so easy, it’s one I tell my kids to make.
This is How We Do It
Cut cherry tomatoes in half and toss them into a good-sized bowl. Add garlic, some chili flakes, salt, pepper, and finish with a nice olive oil (EVOO, lol). Cover and let it sit and marinade for 4 hours. The tomatoes soften, the basil and garlic infuse the oil…it’s like they do a happy dance in the bowl and tango their way into a great sauce.
When it is time to eat, cook your Angel Hair Pasta and immediately toss it with the sauce. Mix, finish with a generous amount of Parmesan Cheese (use the amount you want), garnish with basil leaves, and SERVE. How easy is that? So, so yummy.
Grilled chicken goes well with the pasta.
Put this on your summer bucket list. Go get some cherry tomatoes at your local farmers market if you didn’t grow any, it will be worth it.
18large basil leavesjulienned, plus extra for serving
½teaspooncrushed red pepper flakes
Kosher salt
½teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper
1pounddried angel hair pastaor a linguine fini
1½cupsfreshly grated Parmesan cheeseplus extra for serving
Instructions
Cut tomatoes in half and place in a large bowl. Add ½ cup olive oil, minced garlic, basil leaves, red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap, and set aside at room temperature for approximately 4 hours.
Just before you’re ready to serve, bring a large pot of water with a splash of olive oil and 2 tablespoons salt of Diamond Kosher salt or 1 generous tablespoon of regular salt. Bring to a boil and add the pasta. Cook al dente according to the directions on the package.
Drain the pasta well and add to the bowl with the cherry tomatoes. Add cheese and some extra fresh basil leaves and toss well. Serve immediately.
Notes
If you want a protein to go along, serve with grilled shrimp or grilled chicken.
One of our favorite lunch outings is going for Dim Sum or Yum Cha. Dim Sum refers to the dazzling array of bite-size dumplings and morsels while Yum Cha means to drink tea. Yum Cha is a uniquely Chinese experience. In the good old days (pre-COVID), after being seated (after an interminable wait), a procession of carts appear and snake their way around the tables. Each cart holds steamer baskets of dumplings, plates of fried dumplings and egg tarts, chicken feet, black bean spareribs, noodles, and greens.
Let the games begin.
Start by waving your hand to get their attention and then point to the dishes you want. A running tab is kept, stamped for each dish placed on the table. Which, if you have hearty eaters, can run as much as going out for sushi!
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong
In the sweepstakes of little dishes that end up on our table when we go for Dim Sum, Cheung Fun or Rice Noodle Roll is an automatic ticket punch. The noodles have a soft, silky, smooth, texture and are neutral in flavor. This lends itself well to a variety of fillings like shrimp, bbq pork, or minced beef, and sauces. Filled noodle rolls are topped with a sweet, salty soy sauce while rice rolls without fillings are topped with sesame or Hoisin-based sauce (my favorite). These are known as Chee Cheung Fun (猪肠粉). (Funny story, the literal translation is Pig Intestine Noodle owing to their resemblance to said pork anatomy).
Never in a zillion years would I have thought of making Cheung Fun at home UNTIL I came across a recipe to make the noodles in the microwave. I was sold.
Game ON
The first hurdle is the ingredients. The rice noodle batter is a combination of:
Rice flour-plain rice flour NOT glutinous or sweet rice flour! Bob’s Red Mill at Whole Foods or Asian stores will have rice flour
Tapioca starch– also known as tapioca flour (I know, confusing!), derived from the starchy pulp of the cassava root. Used as a thickening agent like cornstarch.
Potato starch– is made from just the starch grains of potato and is NOT the same as potato flour which is cooked whole potatoes, that are dried and ground into flour. Potato starch is used as a thickener like cornstarch. It is used in gluten-free flour blends to provide texture and structure (straight from Bob’s Red Mill site, lol). Bob’s Red Mill sells potato starch as does most Asian markets.
No wheat products…gluten-free, ta-da!
This is How We Roll
Having Some “FUN”
Combine the flour and starches in a mixing bowl, add liquid, stir…dunzo. How easy is that?
The batter has a thin consistency and the starch and water will separate as it sits. Stir or whisk the batter well before pouring it into the cooking dish. I used two microwavable dishes to make the noods. A rectangular 9×6 glass pyrex dish and the shallow round Cook Anyday Microwave-ware bowl. The rectangular dish is the perfect shape to make rolls but doesn’t have a vented lid. You can use the plastic lid but keep it ajar when cooking to allow moisture to escape.
Lightly oil the bottom and 1/4 inch up the sides of your dish to prevent sticking. Brush the dish as needed, you may need to each time you make a roll. Pour about 1/3 cup of batter into the 9×6 dish ( a little less for the round bowl) to create a thin layer on the bottom. The round bowl needed only a generous 1/4 cup to cover the bottom of the bowl.
Microwave Magic
Place vented lid on top and microwave at full strength for 2 min and 10 seconds. My microwave is small and rated at 700 watts, you will need to find your microwave wattage and adjust accordingly either reducing the power or shortening the cooking time on a more powerful microwave. If your microwave has a turntable, use it. I found the noodles cooked more evenly when using the turntable. The noodle is done when it looks translucent and has some bubbles. Cracks in the cooked noodle are caused by either overcooking or using too much batter. Remove from the microwave and place in a cold water bath to cool. It will only need a couple of minutes but makes it much easier to roll.
Using a spatula or dough scraper, start on one edge and lift and roll the sheet to make a roll. For filled rolls, scatter filling on one side of noodle, lift noodle, and roll to cover the filling. The noodle is pretty forgiving so just push, roll. Don’t worry, the rolling hides a lot of imperfections. A bench scraper is the perfect size for the rectangular Pyrex dish, score another point for the Pyrex pan.
The Bling, Fillings and Toppings
Rice noodles are neutral in flavor so it is the perfect foil for lots of different fillings and sauces. Favorite fillings include barbecue pork, shrimp, or a medley of fried egg, Chinese pickles, green onions, cilantro, and bbq pork. Use your imagination, leftover roast duck, roast pork, or go vegetarian, sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions, corn, the possibilities are unlimited. I have added SPAM in a pinch! Top rolls with a sweet soy sauce, don’t skip it, you could add some chili oil, that’s copasetic. For a little crunch, I top the rolls with fried shallots or onions, totally optional.
Ji Cheung Fun is my favorite rice noodle roll. Roll the noodle into a cylinder since Ji Cheung Fun does not have a filling. Top with sauces, Peanut Sauce, and Hoisin Sauce, a play on sweet and salty flavors. Sprinkle peanuts or sesame seeds on top to add a nice crunch. I also hit it with Chili Crunch Oil…BAM, straight to Yumsville.
Comfort Finale
I rolled my last noodles intending to make a plate of Ji Cheung Fun but I really wasn’t in the mood for it. Instead, I had soup noodles on the brain, so I cut each roll into 1/2 inch wide noodles, placed them in a bowl, and turned my attention to the soup. Luckily, I had heirloom tomatoes from the market, a little bit of beef, and a couple of eggs in the fridge. A warm bowl of Tomato Egg Drop Soupwith Rice Noodles was ready in minutes and hit the spot.
A favorite dim sum dish, steamed rice noodles filled with bbq pork, shrimp or minced beef, served with sweet soy sauce. Made easy in the microwave!
Course Appetizer, dim sum, Side Dish
Cuisine Asian
Keyword Cantonese cooking, Cheung fun, dim sum, ji cheung fun, microwave, rice noodles
Prep Time 45 minutesminutes
Cook Time 3 minutesminutes
Ingredients
Batter
1cuprice flour140g
1/2cuppotato starch90g
1/2cuptapioca starch/flour70g
1tablespoonsugar
1/2teaspoonsalt
1tablespooncanola or vegetable oilplus more for brushing
2cupsroom temperature water470ml
2cupsjust boiled water470ml
Adds-ins
3tablespoonsthinly sliced scallions
3tablespoonschopped cilantro
Toppings
red pepper flakes
toasted sesame seeds
chili oil
Sweetened Cheung Fun Soy Sauce
2-2.5Tbsp light soy sauce adjust to taste
1/4cupwater
1½ tsp sugar
¼ tsp chicken powder
¼ tsp sesame oil
Hoisin Sauce
0.5Tregular soy sauce or dark soyreduce agave to 1/2 t if using dark soy
1.5THoisin Sauce
0.5TSesame oil
1-2Twater
1tAgave syrup or sugar
Peanut Sauce
1tbsppeanut butter1 generous tablespoon
2Twater
1/2tagave or sugar
1/2tsesame oil or chili sesame oil
Cheong Fun Sauce Simplified (variation of Sweetened Cheung Fun Soy Sauce)
1/2cuphot water
2tablespoonssugar
3tablespoonssoy sauce
1/2teaspoonsesame oil.
Instructions
Batter
Whisk together all the flours, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and 2 cups of room temperature water to the batter and stir to combine. Some of the flour will clump up. Don’t worry–keep stirring and the flour will loosen eventually.
Gradually add the boiled water to the batter. Pour the water in a steady stream with one hand and stir the batter with the other hand. Place a towel underneath the bowl to steady it while you pour and stir.
Set the batter aside. The flour will settle to the bottom in just a few minutes. Make sure to stir the batter before each time you are ready to pour a sheet of cheung fun.
MIcrowave directions:
1 9x6 or 8x8 glass pyrex dish
Rectangular Pyrex ~9x6 glass container, 8x8 glass container or Large shallow Cook Anyday Bowl
Brush bottom and 1/4 inch up sides of glass container or pan with vegetable oil. Stir batter and pour approximately 1/3 cup of batter into Pyrex pan. Loosely cover with lid. Place in microwave and set time for 2 minutes and 10 seconds, full power. (For reference microwave I have is ~700 watts, the low end of power for a microwave)
Set up a pan with cold water large enough to fit Pyrex container you are using to microwave.
When cooking is complete, remove from microwave and immediately place in pan of cold water. Allow pan to sit for a couple of minutes to cool. The rice noodle sheet should look transparent with a couple of bubbles. If there are opaque spots where it still looks white, microwave for additional 15-20 seconds.
Remove container from water bath. Using a bench scraper, run it around the edge of the noodle to loosen. Starting from the edge (short or long) nearest to you, use a bench scraper or spatula, lift and roll the rice noodle away from you. Keep lifting and rolling. Divide the rice noodle roll in to the length desired. For Ji Cheung Fun the pieces are approximately 2 to 2.5 inches in length.
For filled Cheung Fun: Pour batter into dish, scatter a line of filling at about 1/3 line of batter in the pan , from the edge you will begin to roll. See video.
Fillings
Go crazy, rice noodles are very neutral and will compliment almost anything you pair with it.
Have approximately 1/2 pound of filling for this recipe. But if you come up short, make non-filled noods, cut them up for nice big bowl soup.
Shrimp
Use medium sized shrimp, peel and deveined. Toss the cleaned shrimp with 2 tablespoons water, 1/2 teaspoon sugar and 1/8 teaspoon baking soda. After the shrimp have been coated, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. After 2 hours, rinse the shrimp under a gentle stream of cold running water for 5 minutes to wash away the sugar and baking soda and pat thoroughly dry with a paper towel. This step is sort of optional. The texture is greatly improved but your prep time is increased. But, if you want snappy shrimp-just do it. This is from Woks of Life, boss site.
Marinate the shrimp with 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil, a pinch of salt, 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch, and 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper. Cover and return to the refrigerator while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Pre-cook your shrimp so they will be ready when you make your noods. Lay the shrimp out in a single layer in a microwaveble dish, the shallow Anyday Bowl works, cover and microwave on full power for 4 - 5 minutes until the shrimp are opague, pink and cooked through. AS always, adjust time for your microwave. These numbers are for my 700 watt Spacesaver, adjust accordingly.
Other stuff
BBQ Pork- Dice or julienne. You can mix in green onions if you like.
Dried Shrimp, found in Asian grocery stores, soak to soften before using.
Shiitake mushrooms Use dried or fresh. Rehydrate dried and dice. Fresh shiitakes should be seasoned sitr fried.
Egg-Straight from wathching the Joe's Rice Roll Video. Scramble an egg and use with the batter. Add 1 -2 tablespoons of egg after pouring batter into pan. Nice effect and great with bbq pork and green onions!
Tomato Gochujang Cream Pasta: The Joy of Cooking and Baking
Gosh, she is going to think I am a stalker! I read an article in the NYT about pastry chefs and how they are coping with the pandemic. The restaurant industry has been hit hard but many have found ways to adapt to the new norm. I am struck by the creativeness and ingenuity, not to mention the pastries-YUM, that have been born during COVID.
One of the pastry chefs featured in the article is Joy Cho. Her resume, boys and girls, is that of a heavyweight-pastry chef at Gramercy Tavern, Ivy League education…and yet she found herself out of a job when the pandemic hit. THIS led to her booming Brooklyn home business of absolutely scrumptious Glazed Sour Cream Gem Cakes. Inspired by a Brownie Bundt Cake pan, these Gem Cakes are all the rage…in Brooklyn. Lucky for us she shared her recipe on Epicurious so those of us who are geographically challenged could try them.
The Gem cupcakes (in my case) were a big hit with the fam and friends so I set my sights on a couple of other recipes she created. Tomato Gochujang Cream Pasta was first on the list followed by Banana Mochi Cake.
The Real Deal
This Tomato Gochujang Cream Pasta fusion is an explosion of flavors, spicy and sweet from the Gochujang, acidity from the tomatoes, saltiness, and umami from Parmesan Cheese-all bound together by butter and cream. It’s delicious. She bakes, she cooks, SuperCho spreading joy everywhere.
Not familiar with Gochujang? Think of it as the Korean counterpart to Miso, the Japanese all-purpose condiment. Made of red chilies, glutinous rice, fermented soybeans, and sweeteners. It’s complex and delicious. You can find it at most Asian markets or online. Look for the spice level icon! It runs the gamut from mild to hair on fire heat level.
Slide the cherry tomatoes into the oven and while they are roasting, start your sauce. Gochujang and tomato paste are browned in a pan, don’t skimp, you want the sauce to deepen in color and really caramelize. It reminds me of cooking Indian food, flavor is coaxed from spices and aromatics by frying them first. Add cream and stock to the Gochujang and tomato paste, reduce it, and then add the Parmesan Cheese.
Finally, add the roasted tomatoes and a bit of honey (really rounds out the sauce nicely so don’t skip it). It’s all about getting the most flavor out of each ingredient and then binding them together. Serve the sauce over rigatoni but feel free to pick any shape hearty enough to stand up to this thick, rich sauce.
This is so good. Put it on your pasta bucket list. NOW
A spicy, rich, delicious pasta dish made with tomatoes and Gochujang (Red Pepper Paste). The Korean twist on this pasta dish will have you asking for seconds.
Course noodles, One dish meals
Cuisine Asian-American
Keyword cherry tomatoes, gochujang, joy cho, pasta
Prep Time 30 minutesminutes
Servings 4
Ingredients
Roasted Tomatoes
1pintcherry tomatoes
1 ½tablespoonsextra-virgin olive oilfor drizzling
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Sauce
3tablespoonsunsalted butter
1clovegarlicminced
⅓cuptomato paste
2-3tablespoonsgochujangKorean red chile paste, depending on your spice preference
¾cupheavy cream
¾cupchicken broth
½ cupfreshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2THoney or Agave Syrupto taste
Pasta
8ouncesdry rigatonipasta shape of choice, should be able to stand up to a thick sauce
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place cherry tomatoes on a foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle the tomatoes with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast the tomatoes for 20 to 25 minutes, until they soften and begin to burst.
While tomatoes are roasting, prepare sauce. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat and add minced garlic. Cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently, until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and gochujang to the pot. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook the mixture for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the tomato paste and gochujang caramelize. It will begin to brown and stick to the bottom of the pot in places, so reduce the heat if they begin to burn.
Add the heavy cream and chicken broth and bring the sauce to a simmer. Continue simmering, stirring frequently, until the sauce begins to thicken and the tomato paste and gochujang are fully dissolved, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the Parmesan and several generous cranks of freshly ground black pepper. Season the sauce with salt to taste and a couple drizzles of honey.
Continue to reduce the sauce until it thickens, about 5 minutes, then gently stir in the roasted tomatoes.
Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Reserve some pasta water to thin the sauce if it seems a little thick.
Drain the pasta, then toss it in the warm sauce and serve immediately with a few more cranks of black pepper and Parmesan Cheese. Garnish with a few sprigs of parsley or basil.
One of my favorite dishes, when we are out for dim sum, is Hong Kong Style Chow Mein or Soy Sauce Fried Noodles (豉油王炒麵). This is Cantonese soul food. Thin egg noodles fried with onions, scallions, and bean sprouts. It is deceptively simple. How does a dish with so few ingredients, taste so good? It’s the balance, skinny noodles dry-fried to retain their chew and texture; stir-fried onions for sweetness and texture, scallions for flavor and color, and last but not least, bean sprouts for textural crunch. There aren’t any big pieces of meat or greens that disrupt the balance of the dish. Everything is julienned or in slivers to compliment the noodles.
Like Yin and Yang, balanced and harmonious. It flies under the radar due to its simplicity and is the perfect side dish. These noodles are your bestie, your essential wingman, Goose to Maverick.
The seasonings are few, soy sauce, oyster sauce, a bit of sugar for balance, and that’s pretty much it. This means, start with great sauces, ones you like. My favorites? LKK oyster sauce, it is my go-to brand (Woman and Little Boy in a Boat). It’s the only oyster sauce I have in my pantry.
Soy Sauces are a different matter, there are so many. Different in style, use, and taste. Literally, I have over 12 different soy sauces, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese, and even Hawaiian.
SOY, Let’s Break It Down
In Cantonese cuisine, the dark soy sauce is actually not as salty as light soy sauce. Sugar or molasses is added to the base sauce for flavor, color and to balance the saltiness. It is used during marinating or cooking. Light Soy Sauce, is the first press of soybeans and is salty. It is the go-to sauce, to marinade, cook, and to use on the table, like salt. The soy sauce found on the table in Chinese restaurants is light soy sauce or often Kikkoman, which falls between light and dark soy sauce. A good all-purpose soy sauce. Koon Chun, a Hong Kong legacy company makes wonderful Light and Dark Soy Sauces (My Dad’s favorite)
For these noodles, it’s imperative you use soy sauces you like since it is a predominant flavor ingredient. This dish requires 2 different soy sauces, light soy (shēng chōu, 生抽) and dark soy (Lǎo chōu, 老抽). The literal translation is “new sauce” for light soy and “old sauce” for dark soy. The dark and light soy is most prevalent in Canton, southeast China (ME!).
My favorites for this dish are Pearl River Bridge Light Soy Sauce and LKK Dark Soy Sauce. A great alternative is Korean Soy Sauce. I would use Sempio 701 which has a briny, rich, savory taste with a hint of sweetness. The Soup Soy seen in the picture (end left) is light soy and used mainly when making soup. It provides salt and umami without coloring your stocks. I use Aloha Soy Sauce for my marinades for bbq and any Hawaiian recipe (I have lots, love Hawaiian food-onolicious)
The NOODS
The other half of the equation is the noodles in this dish, so pick the right one!
Choose noodles that are THIN, ie. Cantonese style or Hong Kong-style noodles. Preferably egg noodles. Fresh or dry (I like fresh), I repeat THIN noodles. Look for Fresh Steamed, or fresh Hong Kong or Cantonese-style noodles.
Don’t follow the cooking directions! You want to undercook these noodles so they don’t break or get mushy when frying.
To ensure you don’t overcook the noodles. Separate the noodles and place them in a colander over the sink. Pour boiling water over the noodles and let them drain and dry. Voila noodles ready for pan-frying. Alternatively, put the noodles in boiling water for no more than 30 seconds after it comes to a boil. Remove and drain well.
Better to undercook your noodles!!! Made with Lauhas a great video for making Hong Kong Style Noodles. This recipe is essentially his with a couple of tweaks and notes. Great site for down home Cantonese food from a pro!
Once the wok is hot, add 1 tablespoon oil to pan, add noodles. On high heat, keep moving the noodles around to dry and crisp the noodles. Stir fry for 2 0r 3 minutes. Then flip the noodles over (big flip), drizzle another tablespoon of oil down the side of the wok or pan. Continue to fry and move the noodles around. The goal is a mix of both crisp and soft noodles. Add sprouts and onions to the wok and fry until heated through and a bit wilted. You want the sprouts to retain their crunch. Alternatively, you could quick-fry the green onions and sprouts separately and add them to the noodles with the yellow onions and scallion roots. If you really like the vegetables to stay crisp, fry the noodles and add sauce mixture before adding the vegetables.
These are my favorite, a classic, Soy Sauce Fried Noodles!
Classic noodle dish found in Dim Sum restaurants and Chinese delis. Simplicity perfected
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine Asian
Keyword Hong Kong style Noodles, Stir-fried Noodles
Prep Time 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time 10 minutesminutes
Ingredients
16ozHong Kong style pan fried noodles unsteamed or steamedI’m lazy I get steamed
1/2yellow onioncut into thin slices, lengthwise
5stalks green onion (or Chinese Chives)Cut into 1.5 inch pieces and then julienned.
6-8ozbean sproutsWashed and drained
3tbsppeanut oilor vegetable oil of choice
Sauce
1.5tbspdark soy sauce
1.5tbsplight soy sauce
1.5tbspoyster sauce
0.5tbspshaoxing wine
2tspsugar
1tbspwater
1tspsesame oilto taste
Instructions
Prep Noodles
Steam noodles, drain, cool. Please DON’T over cook your noodles!!! This is the takeaway.
For fresh, steamed noodles, bring pot of water to a boil. Drop in noodles (separated), bring the water back to a boil and take them out-pronto! Leave them in colander to drain and dry out a little.
If you're using dried noodles, cook according to the package's instructions, erring on the more al-dente side, and rinse with cold water afterwards to stop the cooking. Drain well.
Veggies
Cut green onions into about 1.5 inch pieces. Separate the light and the green sections. The light part will be cooked first with the yellow onion.
Cut yellow onion in half, and julienne half (thinly slice lengthwise)
Rinse and drain bean sprouts
Sauce
Combine soy sauces, oyster sauce, sugar, and water in a bowl, stir until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.
Frying Time
On high, heat wok, to around 350-400°F, basically smokin hot.
When the wok is hot, add oil (1 tbsp) and heat to 350-400°F. The oil should be "shimmering" - rippling, but not smoking. If it's smoking, the wok is too hot. Little wisps of smoke is okay.
Saute’ green onion whites and onions for about 1 minute and reserve.
Heat the wok again and add 1 T oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add the noodles.
Move the noodles around the pan gently. DO NOT flip them yet, move the noodles around so parts get crispy. Cook for about 3 minutes moving the noodles carefully.
Turn the top noodles over so the noodles are on the bottom, add 1 T oil along the perimeter of the pan to help develop a nice crisp. Let the noodles cook on this side for another 3 minutes, occasionally prodding and moving the noodles.
The noodles will not stick to the pan if they are not overcooked. Lifting the noodles as you fry helps release moisture.
Add bean sprouts and stir fry for 30-45 seconds. Use tongs or cooking chopsticks to help you move the noodles around. Place the noodles over the sprouts to help cook them. Better to undercook sprouts, you want to retain their crunch!
Add sautéed onion-green onion mixture and mix to incorporate and heat onions. No more than a minute.
Add sauce by pouring it in a steady stream all over the noodles and vegetables. Keep moving and lifting the noodles to coat with sauce and release any extra moisture.
Add sesame oil and continue to mix and separate the noodles for another 1-2 minutes. If the noodles seem to be getting a bit soft, take them off the heat. The oil does not need to cook.
Taste the noodles, season with salt and dark soy if the noodles are not dark enough. Add white pepper if you like.
Garnish julienned green onion shreds. Serve immediately.
I love dumplings, right up there with bowl food, soul food. In my world, Jeopardy has a couple of categories including “Things You Eat with a BOWL and SPOON” and “Dumplings of the World”. It seems every culture has a dumpling that defines comfort, soul food. Ravioli, Momos, Mandu, Gyoza, Pelmeni, Pierogi…the list is endless. Dumplings are a labor of love, and labor-intensive. Maybe that’s why dumpling making is a joint effort with family and friends on occasions that bring us all together. Despite Covid, we did manage to have a small dumpling-making session to usher in the Lunar Year of the Ox (immediate family only and outside).
Bittersweet Gathering
Every year for the past too many to count years I look forward to New Year’s Day celebrations with family and friends. I pack up a tray of holiday cookies and head to my brother’s for their annual New Year’s celebration which includes making mandu of course.
The kitchen table is set up with bowls (more like vats) of mandu filling and stacks of wrappers surrounding the bowls. Everyone takes a shift wrapping mandu. It’s a lively table, as everyone chatters away while folding mandu. The folded mandu are lined on trays sprinkled with cornstarch, like little sentinels waiting for their marching orders on a winter’s day. Some are destined for the pot of boiling water on the stove-immediate gratification, while the rest are loaded into freezer containers for everyone to take home.
I look forward to seeing family and friends that I don’t see very often. We pick up right where we left off the previous year. Catching up on the comings and goings, the kids, vacation highlights, reconnecting as if it were only yesterday we last saw each other. This is what I miss most from this past holiday season due to COVID isolation.
My brother canceled their annual New Year’s Day celebration due to COVID and then my sister-in-law’s mother passed away. It was during the holidays we would normally see her. My kids affectionately called her Halmoni (grandmother in Korean) mimicking their cousins. Born in Seoul, she came here to complete her medical training to be a pediatrician. She was part of a generation of remarkable woman that defied the odds and norms of her time. What I will remember most was her kindness and generosity of spirit. She always greeted you with a warm embrace and a beautiful smile. Her soft-spoken demeanor and gentleness belied the tenacity and determination she must have had to accomplish all that she did.
I thought of her as I prepped the filling for our own little New Year’s Dumpling-making session. I was immediately transported to my brother’s kitchen table, sitting with her and my mom, laughing, talking, and of course, wrapping mandu. She will be sorely missed.
We made two fillings, Mom’s Won Tons and Kimchi Mandu in the morning before our designated wrappers arrived (my kid). I started with mom’s tried and true wonton filling, a delicious mixture of shrimp, pork, water chestnuts, scallions, shiitake mushrooms, and seasonings. We use it not only for wontons but for fried egg dumplings, and as a filling for steamed squash or tofu. Skip the wonton wrapper and make meatballs for a tasty addition to soup or congee. Mom’s universal filling, the best.
I adapted the recipe for Kimchi Mandu from Korean Bapsang(my go-to Korean food site). I wanted a vegetable-centric filling that still had a bit of meat in it. This one was perfect. Not gonna lie, the filling is not a walk in the park and requires time to make. My advice is to make the mandu filling the day before.
For Kimchi Mandu, you will need the following: Firm tofu, dried sweet potato noodles, ground beef or pork or combo, onions, scallions, kimchi, bean sprouts and seasonings. Gather the ingredients and then the “fun” begins. Blanch bean sprouts, drain & smoosh tofu, rehydrate & cut noodles, dice green & yellow onions, mince ginger and garlic, shred kimchi and THEN, add to meat.
WHEW, lots of prep but so WORTH IT. Wontons and mandu freeze beautifully so all this work will give you a freezer full of quick, last-minute, delicious meals.
Folding Mandu in the Cartoon Universe
That’s a Wrap
Most of the time (and I mean MOST), we use commercial wrappers for our dumplings. Look for round wrappers for potstickers or mandu at Asian markets. A link to the Oregonian shows 6 ways to fold dumplings! If you are feeling ambitious do try to make your own. It’s pretty easy and requires only 4 ingredients. The wrappers are flavorful, tender with a nice snap like hand-pulled or knife-cut noodles. Totally worth the effort (homemade wrappers get the “nood” here).
Serve mandu, steamed with a dipping sauce, fried, or boiled. A steaming hot bowl of Galbitang (Beef Short Rib Soup) with mandu and rice cakes ushered in the new year for us. Delish!
Delicious dumplings made with ground pork or beef, kimchi, noodles, tofu and onions.
Course Appetizer, One dish meals, Soup
Cuisine Asian
Keyword dumplings, mandu
Prep Time 1 hourhour
Cook Time 15 minutesminutes
Ingredients
Filling
2ouncesdangmyeon sweet potato starch noodlessoaked in warm water for about 30 min or until soft
1cuppacked finely chopped kimchi
8ouncestofufirm
10ouncesmung bean sproutssukju namul (숙주나물)
1/2medium yellow onionminced
2 to 3scallionsdiced, or use garlic chives
10ouncesground pork or beefor blend of both meats
1tablespoonminced garlic
1teaspoonfinely grated ginger or juiced
1tablespoonsesame oil
2tablespoonsoy sauce
1tablespoongochugaruadjust to taste
salt to taste about 1/4 teaspoon
pepper to taste about 1/8 teaspoon
40dumpling wrappers slightly thick
Instructions
Drain and squeeze water out of tofu. Using a cheesecloth or kitchen towel to squeeze water out.
Finely chop the kimchi and squeeze out excess liquid by hand. Use an older kimchi which has more flavor.
Blanch the bean sprouts in boiling salted water (2-3 min) should still be crisp, drain, chop and squeeze out water.
Finely chop the noodles. Finely chop the onions and drain off excess water. Finely chop the scallions or garlic chives.
Combine all the filling ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well by hand. Stir in one direction to filling feels a littlle sticky.
Place one heaping teaspoonful to a tablespoon of the filling on a wrapper. Wet the edges of the wrapper with water or egg wash and seal tightly, push the air out with your fingers. shape into a half-moon shape. Then, bring the two ends together, apply water or egg wash to one end and press tightly to create a round shape. Repeat this process until all the filling/wrappers are used.
Kimchi mandu can be steamed for about 10 minutes in a steamer (12 minutes if frozen). Make sure to line the steamer with parchment paper or cabbage leaves to prevent mandu from sticking. You can also boil the mandu. Place dumplings in boiling water, bring it back to boil, adjust heat so it keeps a nice boil. When the dumplings float to the surface they are almost ready, boil another 30 seconds and remove from pot.
Note, you can cook a tablespoon of filling by boiling or frying to taste for seasonings.
Notes
Tips for freezing: Freeze the dumplings on a tray with the pieces not touching for about an hour, and then store them in a freezer bag.
Continuing my virtual traveling by cooking, I’m imagining myself in Taipei right now. I have not been back to Taiwan in ages and yet I find myself thinking about Taipei and my visit so long ago. Growing up in San Francisco the majority of Chinese are from Hong Kong and the Guangdong (Canton) region. I was fortunate enough in college to spend a summer in Taipei (yes, on the Taiwan Love Boat Trip). I sampled Shao Lung Bao, Oyster Egg Omelets, Popcorn Chicken, Beef Noodle Soup, and Red Bean Shaved Ice while wandering around the night markets. Everything was so delicious, different from Cantonese food, and yet familiar at the same time.
Bowl Food is Soul Food
If you have followed 3jamigos, you know I have an obsession with bowl food and eating with a spoon. The Taiwanese dish Lu Rou Fan 滷肉飯 falls squarely in this category. In fact, this iconic dish was the basis for Taiwanese Turkey Rice, a favorite bowl I posted around Thanksgiving. Shreds of turkey garnished each bowl of Lu Rou Fan. People liked the turkey garnish so much, it got its own gig, Turkey Rice, the spin-off.
Back to Lu Rou Fan. Season diced pork belly with star anise, cinnamon, and aromatics like garlic, shallots, and ginger, are braised in a soy sauce and sugar mixture until it is melt-in-your-mouth tender. Place a generous scoop of the braised pork, half of a hardboiled egg, and greens on top of a bowl of steamed rice. Grab your spoon and dig in, bowl food is soul food.
After surveying different sites for Lu Rou Fan, my version is a mash-up of recipes I found. The non-negotiables are pork, ginger, shallots, garlic, and a sauce flavored with star anise, soy sauce, sugar, and rice wine. Start with pork belly cut into approximately 1/3 inch slices then diced. Thick slab pork belly can be found in most Asian grocery stores. I also add ground pork to the diced pork belly for a saucier texture, like a ragu’. Shiitake mushrooms are used to pump up the umami as does dried shrimp. Shrimp is optional, if you decide to use it, soak and finely mince it before adding. I have mentioned my lack of affinity for star anise, so I use only one clove and add a cinnamon stick instead. If you like star anise feel free to use two. Last but not least…
Pull Out the Instant Pot!
The pressure cooker reduces the effort and time to making Lu Rou Fan, a win-win. Saute’ pork, add the aromatics and liquid, and 30 minutes later your Lu Rou Fan is ready for the finishing touches. How easy is that? Make this dish a day in advance to allow the flavors to meld and to chill the Lu Rou. Skim the solidified fat off before serving.
Finishing Touches
When the pressure cooker is done, release pressure and set the pot to saute bring the pork mixture to a boil, and reduce to desired consistency OR if the sauce is not thick enough, add a cornstarch water mixture to thicken. You want lots of sauce to drizzle on your rice so do not reduce too much.
The star of this dish is the succulent, saucy pork belly dancing on the main stage of rice but there are supporting actors. Hard-boiled eggs often accompany Lu Rou Fan. Boil, peel, and place eggs in the pork sauce after it has finished pressure cooking. While the sauce thickens, the eggs will absorb the color and flavor of the pork. The eggs will be hard-boiled, so for those who have come to love six-minute ramen eggs-this ain’t it. Use soft-boiled instead of hard-boiled eggs to add to the sauce for a less-cooked egg. Or cook six-minute eggs ramen style and use this in place of the hard-boiled eggs. It’s your bowl of goodness, do what you want. Serve with greens such as seasoned cucumbers, or steamed bok choy or broccoli. Garnish with green onions and more fried shallots. YUMMY.
Another Soul Food Bowl, made a little quicker in an Instant Pot. Braised pork belly seasoned with soy sauce, garlic, ginger, star anise and shallots. Delicious over rice or noodles. Comfort food.
Course Main Course, Meat
Cuisine Asian
Keyword Lu Rou Fan, Taiwanese Pork Belly Rice
Prep Time 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time 45 minutesminutes
Equipment
Instant Pot
Ingredients
1lbskin-on pork belly diced into 1/3 inch pieces
1/4lbground pork
1tbspvegetable oilor shallot oil
3slicesginger
2tbspsshaoxing wine
2tbspsdark soy sauce
1tbspregular soy sauce
1/4cupfried shallots or onions
1shallot, finely diced
4clovesgarlicchopped (1.5 tbsp)
1star anise
2-3dried shiitake mushroomssoaked until mushrooms are softened, remove from water andnreserve soaking liquid, dice mushrooms
1tbspdried shrimpschopped OPTIONAL
1stick cinnamon or 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2tbsprock sugar or brown sugar (30gms rock sugar_
2/3cuphot water or reserved liquid from mushrooms
Soy sauce /salt to taste
fried shallots and green onionsgarnish
2eggshardboiled or cooked Ramen style
Instructions
Turn on the "sauté" function of the pressure cooker, press "adjust" once to switch to "more" for browning.
Once the oil is hot, add pork belly and give it a stir so that it's not sticking to the bottom. Saute' just until pork belly starts to brown, add ground pork. Let pork cook until it loses its pinkness and the liquid evaporates.
Add ginger, shallot, garlic, saute briefly before adding soy sauces, Shaoxing wine, cinnamon, star anise, rock sugar, shiitake mushrooms, and fried shallots. Mix it well and add reserved mushroom liquid or hot water. Cover with the lid.
Turn on the "manual" function, set the timer to 25 minutes. Allow 10 minutes before release of pressure and opening. Skim off the fatty oil from the top.
If the sauce seems too thin, turn on the "sauté" function, and "adjust" to "more" to thicken and darken the pork belly. Saute to desired sauce thickness and color. Season with light soy sauce or salt to taste. Alternatively, taste sauce after opening the pot. If it has enough flavor but is thin, mix 1 tbsp cornstarch with 2 tbsp water. Add to mixture and bring to a boil to thicken sauce.
Ladle the braised pork over rice with some sauce. Top with an egg* and greens of choice. Garnish with green onions and more fried shallots.
Egg
Generally, eggs are hardboiled, peeled and added during cooking..which makes a very hard-boiled egg. I like ramen eggs or runny eggs
Boil eggs to just past soft boiled stage. See post for link to ramen eggs. Have eggs peeled and ready to go when pork is finished cooking. Add to pork and allow to sit in sauce until you are ready to serve. Cut eggs in half and place 1/2 in each bowl of rice.
Notes
Use skin-on pork belly as the skin becomes tender, juicy and flavorful after absorbing all the flavors from spices and soy sauce. Use leaner ground pork (e.g. pork shoulder) as a substitute if the pork belly is too fatty. But really, you don’t need a ton on your rice. Reduce the cooking time accordingly.
Taiwan Turkey Rice, 嘉義火雞肉飯 Deliciousness in a Bowl
Only a couple of weeks have gone by since Thanksgiving and I have turkey on the brain, again! Not that I didn’t get my fill of turkey on Thanksgiving but this dish caught my eye as I was roaming around the food-sphere looking for Thanksgiving ideas, Taiwanese Turkey Rice. What? Maybe it’s like rice soup? Nope, it is a bowl filled with rice, topped with succulent shreds of turkey, dressed with a soy sauce, fried shallots, turkey dripping emulsion and served with Asian pickles. Damn, doesn’t that sound delicious?
SIGN ME UP NOW
I was drooling. If you have perused my IG or blog for recipes you may have noticed that I LOVE one bowl meals like soups and stews. My comfort zone is curled up on the couch, spoon in hand and a bowl in the other, filled with either rice or noodles topped with anything yummylicious…like THIS.
I did a bit of sleuthing for this dish. Turkey is not something you find in the Asian food vernacular. It turns out, Taiwanese Turkey Rice (嘉義火雞肉飯) hails from southern Taiwan, specifically Jia Yi. It is a super popular street food and turkeys are grown specifically for this dish. Originally the turkey was shredded as a garnish for the classic dish, Lu Rou Fan, 魯肉飯, Stewed Pork over Rice, but folks liked the turkey so much, they started making it without the Stewed Pork, thus Taiwanese Turkey Rice was born.
Turkey Rice is similar to Hainan Chicken Rice or Thai Chicken and Rice. The flavor profile of the sauce sets it apart though, oh yeah, and the turkey, but in a pinch you could use chicken for this dish. I decided to cook the turkey ala Hainan Chicken style. The turkey is poached so you end up with moist succulent meat plus the stock which serves as the basis for the sauce. There are a plethora of recipes out there right now that take advantage of turkey leftovers to make this dish including this one from Serious Eats, but I wanted the real deal so I started with uncooked turkey breast.
Two blogs jumped out and served as the basis for info and recipe for Taiwanese Turkey Rice, Choo Choo-ca-Chew and The Food Dictator. A wealth of information and great recipes.
The Turkey
I started with a turkey breast, well, half of a turkey breast and poached it, just like Hainan Chicken. The poaching liquid is seasoned with salt, ginger, scallion, rice wine and Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base (game changer). If you have a box of turkey stock from TJ’s, use that and water for a more flavorful stock. (I think their turkey stock is better than the chicken stock in a box.
When you buy your turkey make sure the skin is still attached*** Remove the skin at home and reserve. Drop the turkey into the boiling poaching liquid (ok, don’t just DROP it, gently place…to avoid 3rd degree burns). Bring the stock back to a boil and turn the heat down so the stock is simmering. Cover and let simmer for 10 minutes. Turn the flame off, NO PEEKING, and let the turkey sit for 25 minutes undisturbed. Think of it as a spa day for the turkey. Once it is done take it out of the pot, let it sit until it is cool enough to handle. Remove meat from bone and shred into bite size pieces. Reserve in bowl and cover to keep warm.
Gimme Some Skin***
A trip to Minneapolis, back before the time of COVID, we caved into Wes’s penchant for Caesar Salad at the Butcher & The Boar (sadly gone) one night for dinner. A few tweaks made their Caesar a standout. The Romaine lettuce was grilled, and in place of croutons, bits of chicken skin baked to a crispy golden finish adorned the salad. ㄹingerlicking good.
Crispy chicken skin (in this case turkey) is pretty quick and easy to make. Spread the skin out on a parchment lined rimmed baking sheet. Salt and pepper. Cover with a sheet of parchment and top with another baking sheet to keep the skin flat. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes until skins are deep golden. You should have a nice puddle of oil from this, KEEP the oil.
The rendered oil is used in the sauce for the dish. The crispy skin is a bonus that I use as a garnish for turkey rice. It provides added crunch and flavor to the dish, its damn delish.
The Sauce
Hainan Chicken or Chinese Poached Chicken is served with a ginger, scallion, sauce with or without slices of chili. For Taiwanese Turkey Rice, the sauce is made with fried shallots, light soy sauce, a bit of sugar and the rendered oil from the turkey. It’s deceptively simple for a sauce that is so delicious. I buy a ton of shallots, thinly slice and fry them. The oil is kept in the fridge and the shallots in a jar on the counter.
Here is a detailed description on how to make fried shallots from Serious Eats. IN A PINCH, you can buy fried shallots at most Asian markets and avoid frying your own. IN A DOUBLE PINCH, TJ’s has fried crispy onions in a can during the holidays, (probably for the green bean casserole I hate) that make a pretty good substitute.
The Rice
Traditionally served over plain rice, you can bump it up by using the poaching liquid to cook the rice. Just reserve enough for the sauce. For the rice use any long grain or Jasmine Rice.
The Sides
Pickles are often served with Turkey Rice. I like pickled ginger, takuan (pickled Japanese radish), or Vinegared Chinese pickles. I love soft boiled eggs (like ramen eggs) and fresh cucumbers lightly dressedas sides. Garnish with scallions or cilantro. Lip-smackin’ good.
2CShredded Turkey*You can use Thanksgiving turkey leftovers
Poaching Liquid
WaterEnough water to cover turkey
2-3slicesginger
2scallions
1tspsalt
1/4cuprice wine
1tablespoonBetter Than Bouillion Chicken Base
SAUCE
3Shallots Thinly sliced
1-1/2TBspOil Lard, Vegetable Oil, Chicken Fat or Half and Half
3TBspSoy SauceLight Soy Sauce (Pearl Ridge is good)
1TBspSugar
3/4CChicken/Turkey Broth
RICE
2CRice Steam or cooked according to instruction. You can also use the chicken stock from boiling the chicken to cook rice if making from scratch. It really enhances the flavor
Instructions
Turkey
Start with just enough water to cover the turkey breast in a pot. Add ginger, scallions, rice wine, and stock base and bring to a boil. Add turkey and cook for 10mins then turn the heat off and let it sit in the pot for 25 mins or until cooked through. This method makes silky, tender, turkey.
Remove from pot, cool until you can handle and shred into small pieces. Cover and reserve.
The poaching liquid can be reduced by 20-30% to concentrate the flavor. Taste.
SAUCE
In a frying pan, heat up 1-1/2 TBsp of oil of your choice. I use 1/2 shallot oil and 1/2 rendered fat from turkey
Add the sliced shallots to the oil and fry until crispy golden. Remove shallots or you can leave them in the sauce. I like to remove them and sprinkle them on the finished bowl. Or go half and half.
Add the turkey stock, soy sauce, and sugar to the pan, careful the oil may splatter
Cook on high to slightly reduce the sauce.
The Bowl
Layer shredded turkey over steaming rice, pour amount ofsauce you want over the turkey.
Garnish with pickles, or green veggies, or cucumbers, fried shallots, scallions, soft boiled egg, or reserved crispy turkey skin.
Notes
Leftover holiday turkey can be used for this dish. Make sure you keep the pan drippings from the turkey and use this for the oil in the sauce. You can use turkey stock or water for the sauce.
In these tenuous times, I find myself making comfort food-homey dishes that surround your soul like a warm blanket. One of my family’s all-time favorites is a long, slow-simmered ragu’ spooned over a bowl of pasta. This usually requires a little forethought, prepping the ingredients, followed by hours of simmering on the stove. Yes, it is so worth it but…
Well, whaddya know, I can make a rich, luxurious, delicious ragu’ in a fraction of the time with an Instant Pot. I adapted a recipe I found on Chunky Chef and badabing-badaboom, a meat sauce that would win the approval of the Old Stoves in North Beach. Yay, I don’t have to start the sauce in the wee hours of the morning.
Winner, Winner, Pasta for Dinner
A ragu’ is essentially a meat sauce, this version is best described as a Ragu Alla Bolognese since it includes tomatoes. Purists probably would omit the seasonings and require only meat and sofrito (onion, celery and carrot trinity) for the sauce. I like the flavor boosters. You can add a bay leaf too if you like. DON’T ASK ME WHY. I googled in vain for a definitive description of the flavor a bay leaf adds, you’ll just have to trust me. Just remember to remove it at the end, along with the thyme sprigs.
No Mincing Here
The Instant Pot isn’t the only time saver. Prep for the onions, carrots, and celery means pulling out your food processor. This makes quick work of mincing the veggies. Really, who wants to stand there chopping veggies into itty bitty pieces for a sauce. Not me. Yep, dust off that food processor and put it to work. I also use it to puree the tomatoes. Don’t wash it out after the veggies, just run the tomatoes by pulsing a couple of times and add.
Mantra: Scrape the Bottom of Your Pot
Saute’ the meats and the soffritto making sure to scrape the bottom of the instant pot A LOT. Twofold purpose: One-Those little brown bits are flavor bombs so you want to keep them. Two-If left on the bottom of the pot, they will trigger the scorch-safety feature on the pot and turn OFF. Ugh. Make SCRAPE your mantra any time you saute’ in the Instant Pot.
Other than that, it’s pretty straightforward. The sauce needs only 20 minutes (well, with pressure up time count on 30-35 minutes). In about an hour you will be at the table saucing your pasta, passing the Parmesan, and enjoying a nice bottle of Chianti (no fava beans please). Nom, nom, nom.
After adding the cream and basil you will have the voluptuous, unctuous sauce. Yes, I had to spell check both words. Perfect on a bowl of pappardelle or tagliatelle or plate of ravioli. Just dreaming of the pastabilities.
On a recent jaunt into the City, I headed to my favorite Italian Deli in the Marina, Lucca, to grab a meatball sammie for lunch. I also stocked up on their housemade ravioli and gnocchi from their freezer. I came away with mushroom gnocchi and veal ravioli that were PERFECT with this ragu’. The sauce and pasta freeze beautifully so a quick dinner is always at hand.
Lucca has been a favorite stop for a long, long time. As a kid, I would get a sammie and chips before walking down to Hunt’s for an Icee and donut. Those were the days.
All smiles digging into my bowl of mushroom gnocchi topped with amazingly quick to make Ragu’.
A delicious ragu made in your pressure cooker that taste like it has simmered all day!
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian-American
Keyword Instant Pot, pasta, Ragu'
Prep Time 30 minutesminutes
Cook Time 45 minutesminutes
Servings 8
Equipment
Instant Pot
food processor
Ingredients
1Tbspolive oil
1lb.lean ground beefI use 85/15
1/2lb.Italian sausage mild or spicy or use ground pork
4ozpancetta dicedFeeling lazy? TJ's carries diced pancetta in a 4 oz package!
1medium yellow onion minced
2medium carrots peeled and minced
1stalk celery minced
7clovesgarlic minced
1/2cupdry red wineOk, in a pinch you could use white wine
28ozwhole tomatoespureed
1/4cuptomato paste
2/3cupbeef broth - reduced sodium preferredor the mushroom soaking liquid
1ouncedried porcini mushrooms, rehydrated and choppedSoaked in 3/4 cup warm water until soft,
1Tbspbalsamic vinegar
1tspkosher salt
1tspgranulated sugar
1tspdried oreganoor 1 tablespoon fresh, chopped
1/2tspdried thyme or 2 sprigs fresh thyme
1/4tspcrushed red pepper flakes omit if using spicy Italian Sausage
1/4tspblack pepper
1/4cupheavy creamor 1/2 cup whole milk or BUTTER a good chunk
1/4cupchopped fresh Italian parsley
1/4cupchopped fresh basilor more if you like basil, use additional to sprinkle on top of dish
freshly grated parmesan cheeseat the table
Instructions
Use the "Saute" function on Instant Pot. Add olive oil to the pot. Add the beef, Italian sausage, and pancetta and cook until browned, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon or spatula as it cooks. Drain the liquid into a bowl, leaving the meat mixture in the pot, skim off the oil and reserve. Return it to pot when the tomatoes and broth are added. It's all flavor babee.
Add onion, carrot and celery and cook for 4 more minutes, or until softened. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pot as the onions and peppers cook and give off liquid, this will prevent scorching and the auto-shut off feature.
Add garlic and cook until fragrant, ~30 seconds. Add red wine and cook, stirring often, until reduced, about 2 minutes.
Add remaining ingredients, except basil, fresh parsley and cream. Stir, once again scraping the bottom of the pot to ensure no browned bits remain.
Cancel the saute, and place lid on Instant Pot, making sure the valve is set to "SEALING", DO AS I SAY NOT AS I DO, lol. Press the Pressure Cook or Manual button and use the +/- buttons to set the timer for 20 minutes.
Once the timer beeps, use quick pressure release and vent. When the pin drops, remove lid. Remember, ITS HOT so be careful.
Select "saute" and select LOW. Stir in heavy cream or milk, parsley and basil. Simmer, uncovered, stirring often, until desired consistency is reached, about 5 minutes.
Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve over pasta with grated Parmesan cheese and additional chopped basil if desired.
Notes
Make sure you scrape the bottom of your Instant Pot while sauteing FREQUENTLY! If any particles are stuck on the bottom the pot will turn off to prevent burning.
You can omit the mushrooms, I like the earthiness it adds. Substitute the mushroom soaking liquid for beef broth if desired. Or for the double whammy, heat the beef broth and use it as the soaking liquid for the mushrooms.
If you do not want to add dairy, drop a hunk of unsalted butter (4-5 T) into the sauce. The cream or milk is added to cut the acidity of the tomatoes and mellow the sauce, the butter kind of does the same.
I love this sauce over rigatoni or pappardelle. Also on gnocchi, it is divine!
Microwave Magic
