Category: Food
Vietnamese Meatballs In Tomato Sauce (Xiu Mai)

Vietnamese Meatballs In Tomato Sauce (Xiu Mai)

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Before tomato season ends give this dish, Vietnamese Meatballs in Tomato Sauce, a try. I came across this dish on IG.  It looked scrumptious, and I’m a sucker for meatballs and fresh tomato sauce.

I did a bit of sleuthing and found that this dish is frequently served for breakfast.  Delicious, tender, succulent meatballs in a light, flavorful sweet, tomato sauce, a couple of slices of a baguette on the side to dip into the sauce-yum.  What a way to start your day.

You’ll also find these meatballs in Banh Mi, the Vietnamese version of a meatball sub-sammie.  The bread for a banh mi is a revelation. Incredibly light and fluffy with a thin crisp exterior, a riff by the Vietnamese to suit their taste.  The meatballs nestled in the roll are tender and the sauce is briny, sweet, and flavorful.  To finish, pile pickled radishes, carrots, and a garnish of cilantro, jalapenos, and cucumbers on top of the meatballs.  My kinda sammie!

Meatball Tips

I looked at quite a few recipes and a couple of things stood out.  Steaming the meatballs ensures a tender meatball.  Baking or frying them would work but the meatball won’t be as tender or moist.  The texture is much like Chinese steamed dumplings.  Instead of steaming, gently poach the meatballs in the accompanying tomato sauce. This infuses the tomato flavor into the meat, keeps the meatballs tender, and eliminates the steaming step.

I use pork, the traditional protein source, but I think ground chicken or turkey would work quite nicely in place of the pork.  Use dark meat though, the higher fat content keeps the meatballs moist and tender.

The recipe calls for fresh jicama.  No jicama?  I reach into my pantry for canned water chestnuts which work admirably.  It provides a delightful bit of crunch.  Rinse and drain the water chesnuts and then finely chop.

Try not to overmix the meatball mixture.  Mixing too much causes the protein in the meat to bind and contract leading to tough meatballs, a no-no.  Gently mix just to combine the ingredients evenly and stop.  Use your handy dandy ice cream scoop to portion out each meatball.  Easy peasy.

Sauce Tips

Make the sauce with fresh tomatoes (now, before tomato season ends). To enjoy this year around, make a big batch of sauce and freeze it for later.  A taste of summer in the middle of winter is always a good thing.

This is a very quick tomato sauce, for a chunkier sauce, cook the sauce for less time so the tomatoes don’t break down as much.  Use a cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce.  You can also use stock in place of water for more flavor, or add chicken powder (Asian secret weapon in boosting flavor) if using water.

Banh Mi Me

These meatballs and sauce are ah-mazing in Banh Mi, the Vietnamese version of a sub sandwich.  A crispy light French roll filled with meatballs topped with not only the sauce but pickled radishes and carrots, cucumber slices, and herbs. This is my dream sammie, directions for the fixings for Banh Mi are here, just sub the meatballs for the chicken.  Delish.

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Vietnamese Meatballs (Xiu Mai)

Delicious tender meatballs poached in a sweet tomato sauce. Comes together easily, for breakfast or dinner with sliced baguette, or as a delicious filling for a meatball bahn mi
Course Appetizer, dinner, lunch
Cuisine Vietnamese
Keyword 3jamigos.com, meatballs, Vietnamese, xiu mai
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

Meatballs

  • 4 oz jicama (1 cup) finely diced, substitute water chesnuts 1-5 ounce can, drained and finely diced
  • 3 green onions, thinly sliced, keep the white and green parts separate. Can substitute finely minced shallots 1 large or two small for the meatballs
  • 1 lb ground pork not too lean 80/20 is perfect
  • 1 tsp garlic minced

Seasonings

  • 1 Tbsp fish sauce I use 3 Crabs, Red Boat is a bit more concentrated, would also work well
  • 1 Tbsp corn starch
  • 1/2 Tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp chicken powder optional
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Sauce

  • 2 lbs or 4 medium tomatoes I prefer fresh tomatoes, if tomatoes are particularly juicy, reduce water to 1 cup
  • 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1/2 Tbsp garlic minced
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 Tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 1/2 cups water can use low-sodium chicken broth in place of water
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Thickener

  • 2 tsp corn starch
  • 2 tsp water

Garnish

  • Green onions, the reserved thinly sliced green parts from the meatballs
  • Cilanto, loosely chopped optional
  • Fresh red chili peppers, deseeded and thinly sliced optional

Instructions

The Meatballs:

  • Remove the jicama skin using a vegetable peeler. Finely dice the jicama.
  • Cut off the white (root) portion of the green onions and finely chop. Chop the green onion stems. Transfer the green onion stems into a small bowl and set aside for later.
  • In a medium bowl, add the ground pork, jicama, green onion (white) root, garlic, fish sauce, cornstarch, and black pepper. Mix together by hand combining all of the ingredients well. Mix in one direction. Combine just until everything sticks together. Avoid over-working the meat mixture as this will make the meatballs tough.
  • Using an ice cream scoop (#40 ~2 T) scoop out some of the meat mixture and transfer to a large plate. Continue making small mounds until all the meat mixture is used. Wet your palms with water to prevent sticking. Gently roll each of the mounds into a ball. ( I use a #40 ice cream scoop to portion out meatballs and then roll each by hand into a ball).

The Sauce:

  • Chop the tomatoes.
  • Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot add vegetable oil then add the minced garlic and tomato paste. Saute for 15-20 seconds. Add the chopped tomatoes and stir together. Add the sugar, fish sauce, and water. Stir together combining the ingredients. Bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and cook for 5 minutes.

Cook the Meatballs

  • Make room in the center of the skillet by pushing the tomatoes to the side. Gently transfer the meatballs into the sauce. Cover and cook on medium-low for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, rotate the meatballs and cook for another 5 minutes. For a thicker sauce, leave uncovered after adding meatballs.
  • Mix the cornstarch and water until smooth and add to the sauce. Stir gently to allow sauce to thicken. Continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes. Grind ground black pepper.
  • To serve, transfer a few meatballs into a small bowl along with a generous amount of tomato sauce. Top with the chopped green onions. I like garnishing with chopped cilantro and sliced fresh chili peppers. Enjoy these scrumptious Vietnamese Meatballs with crusty bread.
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie, Soft & Chewy

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie, Soft & Chewy

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I’m not sure how many chocolate chip cookie recipes I have but it seems you can never have too many.  I came across yet another CCC from Sturbridge Bakery, a delightful blog from Jess Italiano.  Initially, it caught my attention on Instagram., the photos and the title just popped out at me, Chewy Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.  I am usually not one for soft and chewy but I was determined to try this one.  Why?

Let Me Tell You Why

We just returned home from our road trip to Salt Lake City.  We were bringing Moose, my kid’s dog, back to them.  😢😢😢 We have been taking care of him since they made the big move from Houston to New York City.  Now they were ready to take him to the Big Apple.  I’m gonna miss that little pup, despite the fact that he doesn’t listen, runs away, and hogs the bed.  He is just so damn cute, you immediately forgive him any transgressions.

We dropped him off with Sam in Salt Lake City and said our goodbyes, he was visibly traumatized, NOT, just me.  The following morning, bright and early, we headed back to California…sans doggo. 😢

We stopped at a Raley’s Supermarket to load up on consolation, I mean road goodies, including Pepperidge Farms Soft Baked Santa Cruz Oatmeal Cookies.

BLEAH

Okay, maybe I was depressed but I took one bite and wanted to hurl it out the window!  It just tasted so FAKE to me.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not a cookie snob (well, ok maybe I am), I LOVE PF’s Mint Milano, Bordeaux, and Chessman cookies. I guess I’m just not a fan of their soft-baked line.

So when Sturbridge Bakery’s Chewy BBCCC popped up, I thought I’d give it a whirl.  After all, gazillions of folks, like my hubby, love soft, chewy cookies.  I couldn’t let him continue buying Pepperidge Farms Soft-Bake, nope, nope, nope.

Holy jumpin’ chocolate catfish.  They’re REALLY good. Soft, slightly chewy, filled with chocolate, two kinds, dark and semi-sweet, with a rich buttery, caramel-ly cookie.  Damn delicious.

The Secret of Sucess, for Soft, Amazing Cookies

Brown the butter.  Everyone has been jumping on the brown butter wagon.  It intensifies the butter flavor and gives the cookies a nutty, caramel flavor. YUMMO. This is an added step but replaces having to cream the butter and sugar.  Not a bad trade-off.  Keep your eye on the pot, it goes quickly.

When browning the butter use a light-colored ceramic pot or a shiny stainless steel pot so you can see the browned bits easily.

Light (golden) or dark brown sugar.  I used golden but I’m sure dark would work too.  Brown sugar adds those yummy caramel overtones and moisture.

Sour cream makes up for the moisture loss by browning the butter and also tenderizes the cookie.

Two kinds of chocolate.  Dark, or bittersweet and semi-sweet are combined for a nuanced, complex cookie.  If you are making these for kids, skip the dark chocolate and use just semi-sweet.  Your kids will thank you.  You will have plenty of time to make these with dark chocolate when they are older. 😉.   Don’t let chopping a bar of chocolate stop you from making these cookies.  Don’t feel like chopping?  By all means, use chocolate chips.  I like the Guittard’s Super Chip or TJ’s Chocolate Chunks.  Nowadays the percentage of cacao in chips is provided, and you can tailor the sweetness or boldness of the chocolate in your cookies.

Pretty Little Cookies, Tricks of the Trade

Don’t put all of the chocolate chunks into the batter.  Reserve a chunk or two for each cookie.  After scooping each ball of dough, press a reserved chocolate chunk into the top of each cookie.  Portion the dough using a #24 scoop (~3 T/50 grams) ice cream scoop.  Give them plenty of space on your cookie sheet, they will spread.

Here’s the Scoop-Invest in a couple of different sized ice cream scoops like these.  This helps create uniform sized and round cookies.

The Sarah Move-If you like cookie crinkles.  A couple of minutes before the cookies are done baking, rap the sheet on the oven rack.  This causes the cookies to deflate creating the rippled edge.

Cookie cutters-If they are unevenly shaped, using a large cookie cutter, surround each cookie and swirl the cutter molding the cookie to a circular shape.  Ta-da perfectly round cookies, and you thought they baked that way.  This also creates more ridges for textural interest as you have compressed the cookies.

No Overbaking Zone-Don’t overbake these cookies.  Remove cookies from the oven when the edges look solid, slightly golden and there is still a little shine at the center of the cookies.  The cookies will continue to bake.

Salt but no Peppa Move-Sprinkle a bit of flaky salt or Maldon Salt on the cookies when you pull them out of the oven for that sweet-salty vibe.  Optional.

PSA-If you like to bake, invest in a scale, my mantra.

There you have it, soft cookies so you don’t need to buy “those” commercial cookies ever again.

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Soft & Chewy Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

A soft, chewy, caramelly chocolate chip cookie made with brown butter and no nuts!
Course cookies, Dessert, drop cookies
Cuisine American
Keyword chewy, chocolate chip cookie, soft
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 11 minutes
Servings 18 cookies

Ingredients

Butter, Sugar & Wet Stuff

  • 211 grams 15 tablespoons unsalted butter browned you should have 170 grams or ¾ cup* after browning
  • 150 grams ¾ cup brown sugar light or dark is fine
  • 50 grams ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg room temperature
  • 20 grams 1 heaping tablespoon sour cream room temperature Weigh if possible
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 225 grams all purpose flour about 1 ¾ cups + 1 tablespoon

The Star

  • 100 grams semi-sweet chocolate coarsely chopped Kid's cookies, use all semi-sweet Chocolate chunks or pieces
  • 100 grams dark chocolate coarsely chopped

Instructions

  • If using bar chocolate, chop your chocolate into chunks and set aside.
  • In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. It will start to crack and sizzle - let it do this while stirring occasionally. After a few minutes or so, the butter cracking/sizzling will subside and the butter will begin to foam up in the pan.
  • Every few seconds or so, swirl the pan around until you can see that the butter is golden brown. You should also be able to see some of the brown bits swirling around in the butter. Watch it carefully, you don't want it to burn. Once golden brown, immediately remove from the heat and pour the butter into a large bowl on a scale. You should have 170gms of brown butter or if you don't have a scale measure out 3/4 cup. Pour the measured amount into a bowl and put it in the fridge to cool for 10 minutes.
  • After 10 minutes, take the butter out of the fridge and add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine.
  • Add the egg and whisk well until completely combined. Add the sour cream and blend.
  • Add the baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt, and whisk until incorporated.
  • Add the flour and fold it into the mixture using a rubber spatula until there are only a few streaks of flour remaining. Add the chopped chocolate and fold until evenly incorporated and the flour is fully mixed in.
  • Cover the bowl tightly and chill the dough for 3 hours. Once the three hours is almost up, preheat your oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Scoop the dough using a cookie scoop (use a 1.5 oz scoop #24, about ~3 tablespoons or ~50 grams) and space them 2-3 inches apart on your baking sheet.
  • Bake for 10-11 minutes until the edges are set and the centers still look slightly underdone. Rotate pan halfway through baking. Let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then enjoy warm or transfer to a baking sheet to cool completely. See post for notes on perfectly round cookies with ridges.

Notes

You will need ¾ cup or 170 grams of browned butter for the recipe. Water from the butter evaporates during browning and we need to account for the lost moisture which is why we start with more butter and add sour cream.
 
Scallion Mac and Cheese from Little Fat Boy

Scallion Mac and Cheese from Little Fat Boy

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I have been focused on cookbooks from the Asian Diaspora.  With the way the world is turning, on a definite lopsided tilt, I want to support my community.  Representation matters, and we need to see POCs, LGBTQ, you know, EVERYONE represented in all walks of life.  The gold standard should be human + compassion, empathy, and vision for a better, kinder, world.  A world you are proud to leave your kids.

Recently I dashed into the city for another book signing at Omnivore Books on Food.  Frankie Gaw, author of the long-awaited, First Generation:  Recipes from My Taiwanese-American Home was in town and I couldn’t pass on his book signing.

A graphic designer by trade, his evenings were spent creating the blog, Little Fat Boy.  Stories, beautiful photographs, and recipes, woven together in this mash-up of his Taiwanese roots, midwest upbringing, and Southern ties to Memphis. His recipes are fun, a fusion of his upbringing and later West Coast migration.  His recipes make me happy.  Yep, Cinnamon Toast Crunch Mochi or topped with Pepples cereal, tell me you’re not smiling right now.

It’s VEGAN, yeah baby…More, Please

I LOVE mac and cheese. Frankie’s Vegan version is a riff on this much-loved dish.  Is it Mac and Cheese? Nope.  Is it delicious? YEP.  In place of butter, milk, and cheese you’ll find scallion oil, cashews, garlic, and my own little tweak, nutritional yeast.  Pureeing cashews into a creamy, lovely sauce, is really so good, this may become my go-to mac and cheese when I am feeling a little lactose intolerant, lol.

Not gonna lie, cashews are not diet food, just like a lot of nuts.  The upside is they do supply protein, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals.  Plus, no animal products were used in the making of this..so there is that.  To offset some of the calories in this dish I reduce the pasta and substitute roasted or steamed cauliflower florets.  Yummos.

I like my mac and cheese super saucy so I decrease the amount of pasta, add more cauliflower florets and throw in some mushroom broth to extend the sauce.  The kid in me likes the macaroni cooked beyond al dente, really who eats mac and cheese that’s not soft and squishy?  This is two very generous servings, actually, I think it serves 3-4 people…see the calories won’t be that bad!

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Scallion Mac and Cheese

A delicious vegan version of mac and cheese with loads of umami from scallions, nutritional yeast and garlic adapted from Little Fat Boy
Course dinner, one bowl meal, Side Dish
Cuisine Asian-American
Keyword Crazy good mac and cheese, scallions
Prep Time 17 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 425kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 cup raw cashews
  • 4 scallions finely chopped white and green parts divided
  • 1/8 cup olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 11/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
  • 1/8 tsp paprika
  • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1/4 lemon, juice of
  • 1/2-1 cup water, or pasta water or mushroom boullion
  • 1 tsp hot sauce to taste optional

Toppings

  • 1/4 cup panko
  • 1 scallion, Thinly sliced

Noods

  • 4 ounces macaroni
  • 1 cup cauliflower florets or broccoli approx 4 oz

Instructions

Cashews

  • Before making dish, place cashews in a medium bowl and cover with water by 1 inch. Let the nuts soak for 2-3 hours.

Carbs & Veggies

  • Cook your pasta as directed on package. With about 3-4 minutes to go, add the cauliflower to the pot. Return to boil and cook until al dente (from original recipe-lol. In my book mac cheese needs pasta cooked beyond al dente). Drain and place back in pot. Set aside.

Sauce

  • In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add scallions and garlic. The oil should not be smoking but hot enough that the aromatics sizzle when added. Stir and cook for about 2 minutes. The scallions should be soft and your kitchen should smell delicious from the scallions and garlic. Transfer all of it to a blender. Set skillet aside, do not wash! You will be using this to brown the Panko Crumbs!
  • Drain the cashews and add to the blender along with the lemon juice, paprika, salt, sugar, nutritional yeast, and water or pasta water.
  • BLEND til smooth. Add additional water or pasta water to desired consistency.
  • Add sauce to macaroni, and stir to combine. Pour into a casserole dish and spread evenly. Sprinkle Panko Crumbs and diced green onions on top, and serve immediately.

The Crumbs

  • The skillet used to fry the scallion and garlic will have residual oil to brown the Panko crumbs. On medium-high heat toss the panko in the skillet until toasty brown.

Notes

This recipe can be doubled for those times you are feeding a big crowd.  In fact,  the original recipe is double this, I cut it in half cause it's a lot of pasta.
Marbled Ube Cookies (Star Powered)

Marbled Ube Cookies (Star Powered)

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I wanted to include an ube dessert or cookie in my “Maui Strong” box for Lahaina.  Since I had made Ube Mochi Muffins for the Ukraine Cookie Box I opted for Constellation Inspiration’s Marbled Ube Cookie.  I have been eyeing her recipe for quite a while, and here was my chance to try it.  I baked the first sheet of cookies, and waited patiently (not really) for the cookies to cool.  With that first bite, I knew this cookie was going in the box. Not only are they delicious but they are so eye-catching.  A great addition to the cookie box.  In fact, I think…

Prince Would Love This COOKIE

Adding Ube extract and powder creates this gorgeous purple color that just POPS.  Ube, or purple yam or potato is popular in Southeast Asia, in particular the Philippines.  It has a vanilla, kind of nutty flavor, and “coconutty” aroma that lends itself well to desserts, bread, and pastries.  It’s definitely having a moment right now with the rising popularity of Filipino food.

Making the Cookie

The cookie dough is essentially a vanilla sugar cookie.  Start by creaming softened butter and sugar until smooth, not fluffy (to avoid a cakey cookie).  Add the egg and vanilla extract, beat to combine, and stir in the flour mixture.

Here comes the hard part, well, actually the hard part comes before making the dough.  Where to find ube powder and extract.  If you live in the Bay Area, you can find ube powder and extract by Butterfly or McCormick at most Asian grocery stores.  If not, there is always Amazon 🤷🏻‍♀️

Divide the dough in half (this is where a scale comes in handy).  Put half of the dough back in the mixing bowl and add ube extract and powder to it.  On the lowest speed of your mixer, blend the ube into the dough being careful not to overmix. You can do this by hand to avoid overworking the dough if you like.

.Using a tablespoon scoop, form dough balls with each dough and place them on a cookie sheet.  It is like having all your ducks in a row before the next step.

Smoosh together a dough ball of each color. Try to wrap one of the dough around the other to create the marble effect.  Then roll each in granulated sugar.  Place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, 2 inches apart, and bake 11-14 minutes, rotating the sheet at the halfway mark.  Remove when the edges are just golden.

If you like ridges on the edge (all the rage right now) tap the cookie sheet 2-3 minutes before they come out of the oven.  This causes the cookie to deflate and make a ripple effect.  Sometimes the cookies are wonky in shape, if so, place a cookie cutter or glass (slightly bigger) over the cookie and swirl it to shape them into circles.  Or don’t, they’ll be delicious either way.

These Marbled Ube Cookies are a showstopper.  A lovely ube-flavored vanilla cookie with crispy edges, a chewy center, with a nice crunch from the sugar.  I’ll be making these again, and again…and again.

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Marbled Ube Cookies

Ube Marbled Cookies, a gorgeous cookie that tastes as good as it looks.
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine Asian-American
Keyword drop cookie, marbled ube cookie, sugar cookie, ube
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 270gm
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Creamed Mixture

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 227gm
  • 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and more for rolling 250gm
  • 1 large egg room temperature
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

Additions to Dough

  • 2 tbsp ube purple yam powder, see note
  • 1 tsp ube extract

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter and 1-1⁄4 cups (250 g) of the sugar on medium speed until they are smooth, about 30 seconds. Add the egg and vanilla and beat to combine.
  • Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low speed just until combined and no more streaks of the flour mixture remain, about 45 seconds.
  • Divide the dough into two equal portions (a scale comes in handy here) and leave one portion in the mixer. Add ube powder and extract to the mixer bowl. Mix on low speed until combined. The combination of ube powder and extract makes a nice purple color, no need for food coloring.
  • Take a heaping tablespoon of each dough and combine the dough by rolling between the palms of your hands to create a ball. I used a #40 ice cream scoop.
  • Toss the dough balls in a bowl of granulated sugar until each is coated.
  • Place dough balls on baking sheet, leaving 2 inches between each ball. Bake cookies for 11 to 14 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are light golden brown. Right before the cookies are ready to come out of the oven, tap the baking sheet on the oven rack a few times to create the ripple edges. Do not overbake.
  • Remove cookies from oven. If the cookies aren't round, place a circular cookie cutter or glass over the warm cookie and gently swirl the cookie to reshape. Then allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Ube powder and extract can be found in most Asian markets or online.
Nuts for Macadamia Shortbread (Cookies for Lahaina)

Nuts for Macadamia Shortbread (Cookies for Lahaina)

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It sucks to feel helpless which is exactly how I felt while watching the coverage of the wildfires in Maui.  In a twisted way it brought back memories of a family trip to Maui right before COVID, to celebrate hubby’s birthday and retirement.  We spent his b-day in Lahaina.  We grabbed shaved ice at Ululani, strolled down Front Street, and took in the majesty and beauty of the ancient Banyan Tree in the heart of town.  The day ended with a scrumptious dinner at Lahaina Grill and a stroll on the beach.  The stark reality of the devastation in Lahaina jolted me out of my memories and morphed into a voice in my head, “how are you going to help, Deb”.

Today, in the midst of the ruins, that Banyan Tree is struggling to survive.  Arborists are hopeful that the tree will survive, emblematic of the resiliency of the people of Maui.

I resorted to what I do when I am sad or stressed and feeling helpless, I bake.  For a box of homemade goodies, I asked friends and family to donate any amount to either Chef Hui Maui Relief to help feed folks displaced by the fire, and to Hawaii Community Foundation/Maui Strong to provide immediate and long-term resources for recovery.

A Big Mahalo

We raised over 1,500 dollars which was split between the two organizations ❤️❤️❤️.  Thank you for your generosity and for giving me a reason to bake!   👏👏👏.  It is greatly appreciated.

The Box

I wanted the box of cookies to feel connected to Maui in some small way.  I turned to cookbooks and blogs written by folks from Hawaii like Top Chef Sheldon Simeon and Alana Kysar. Sheldon has two restaurants on Maui, Tin Roof and Tiffany’s, and recently published his cookbook, Cook Real Hawai’i.  Alana is a blogger and the author of Aloha Kitchen Cookbook.  Her cookbook evokes the spirit of islands and her Butter Mochi recipe is amazing.  Find these books at Bookshop.org which supports independent bookstores.  I also culled recipes using my favorite tropical ingredients like pineapple, macadamia nuts, and coconut.  All of these baked goodies are on 3Jamigos or will be soon, promise.

Starting at the top right:

Travel Bites

Shortbread is perfect for a box, they travel well, keep longer than drop cookies and just happen to be my favorite cookie.  I found the perfect recipe in Nick Malgeri’s Modern Baker.  Using your food processor to make these cookies really makes it quick and easy.  This is one bowl (albeit, a food processor bowl) territory.

Process the nuts with the sugar until FINELY ground, add flour and baking powder, pulse to combine, add cold butter, and pulse until the dough is powdery then STOP.  Pour this mass into your prepared pan and press it down with a lightly floured flat glass or your hand.  Use a spray bottle to mist the dough with water which will help the nuts adhere to the dough.

Use either lightly salted or unsalted macadamia nuts.  I bought macadamias at Trader Joe’s, a bag of each, salted and unsalted. I used a 2:1 ratio of salted to unsalted nuts both in the cookie and on the top.  Cut the recipe in half and bake in an 8×8 pan as I did…cause I would eat the whole damn pan if given the chance.

Grind nuts by pulsing in a food processor or chopping by hand.  You want the pieces fairly small, but not pulverized. The nuts provide both flavor and texture.  Line the pan with parchment.  The OG recipe calls for lifting the cookies out of the pan using the parchment but that’s pretty hard to do and not crack it.  I let them cool for a couple of minutes and then used a bench scraper to cut the still-warm shortbread into squares before removing them from the pan.  Easy-peasy.

The finished cookie should be crispy.  If they aren’t, return the shortbread to the oven set at 300 degrees for 10-15 minutes.  I love these cookies, sweet, crispy, infused with macadamia nut flavor, and just delightful.

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MACADAMIA SHORTBREAD

Adapted from Nick Malgeri Modern Baker, an easy, delicious Macadamia Shortbread. Buttery, nutty, crispy with a crunchy top of nuts and sugar. Simply divine.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword butter, Crispy, macadamian nuts, Shortbread
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes

Equipment

  • 1 food processor
  • 1 9x13 pan
  • parchment paper to line pan

Ingredients

Shortbread Base

  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar 100gm
  • 1-1/2 ounces unsalted or lightly salted macadamia nuts, chopped 42gm
  • 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour 270gm
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces 170gm

Topping

  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar 67gm
  • 3/4 cup unsalted or lightly salted macadamia nuts, finely chopped 111gm

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a 9″x 13″x 2″ baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving a couple of inches hanging over each short side. Butter the lining.
  • Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1 & 1/2 ounces macadamias, (I use both salted and unsalted nuts in a 2:1 ratio) in a food processor. Pulse until finely ground. Add the flour and baking powder. Pulse until mixed. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is combined and powdery.
  • Using a lightly floured, flat bottom glass or hands, press the dough firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Sprinkle the top of the dough with water. Sprinkle the finely chopped macadamias and then 1/3 cup sugar on top of the dough. Press firmly into the dough.
  • Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cookies are golden and firm.
  • While the cookies are still warm, use the overhanging lining to remove the cookies from the pan onto a cutting board. Cut into squares, using a sharp knife.
  • Let the cookies cool completely. They should become crisp as they cool. If they aren’t crisp after cooling, place them back in the pan and bake for 10-15 minutes at 300°F.
Pesto, Pesto, Which One is Besto? (The OG One or the Guilt Free One)

Pesto, Pesto, Which One is Besto? (The OG One or the Guilt Free One)

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A favorite pasta dish in our house is Pesto with Linguine.  Years ago (I mean YEARS AGO), I clipped the LA Times winning Pesto recipe from their Basil Festival. The recipe was from the restaurant, Casa Monica, and has been my go-to Pesto ever since.  It starts with fresh basil leaves, garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan Cheeses, and olive oil, very traditional, but finishes with Pecorino Romano, fresh tomatoes, and a healthy (lol) dollop of butter.  Boom, Besto-Pesto.

Alas, as much as we love Pesto, it is tough on the waistline so when we have an itch for Pesto, we turn to the Minimalist Baker and their version of Pesto. Water stands in for much of the oil and nutritional yeast replaces the cheese.  It’s tasty enough to satisfy your Pesto craving and it’s guilt-free.

Let’s Start at the Very Beginning- OG Pesto

Traditionally, Pesto is made with mortar and pestle.  Take the path of least resistance and use a food processor or blender.  It makes quick work of Pesto making.

Pesto is not only great on pasta, but drizzled on fresh tomatoes and mozzarella, as a sauce on chicken or fish,  or blended with mayo for a sandwich spread.

Calorie Worthy…occasionally.  After a long hike, bike ride or walk-go for it!

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CASA MONICA PESTO

LA Times Basil Festival
Course dinner, pasta
Cuisine Italian
Keyword Angel hair pasta, italian, linguine, Pesto, recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

Pesto Sauce

  • 2 cups packed basil
  • 2 cloves garlic crushed
  • 2 tablespoons lightly toasted pine nuts
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese Grate cheese in food processor
  • 2 tablespoons freshly grated romano cheese Grate cheese in food processor
  • 3 tablespoons softened butter

Pasta & Finishing Touches

  • 3-4 medium tomatoes peeled and seeded
  • 1 pound linguine
  • 1 tablespoon butter

Instructions

Making the Pesto

  • Toast pine nuts in a small dry skillet over medium heat. Set aside to cool.
  • Place garlic, pine nuts and salt in food processor bowl, pulse a couple of times. With processor running add olive oil. Once the garlic and nuts are minced, add basil. Process until the basil leaves are finely minced but do not overprocess as the leaves will darken.
  • Beat in cheeses by hand, then butter.
  • Mince tomatoes very fine with a sharp knife. Tomatoes should not be pureed or mashed.

Making the Pasta

  • Cook linguine in boiling salted water until tender but firm as directed.
  • Drain noodles, reserving some of the pasta water. Add a small amount of butter to pasta. For each serving, add some tomatoes to the linguine, then add pesto, mix quickly and serve at once.
  • Makes about 1 1/2 cups sauce. Approximately 6-8 servings.

Notes

To store:  Place pesto in a small container and cover with a thin layer of olive oil to prevent oxidation.
To make Pesto Pasta Salad- add pesto to pasta to taste. Add toasted pinenuts, cherry tomatoes and poached chicken and /or corn kernels.

The Lean and Mean Pesto

A guilt-free stand-in for Pesto.  Fits the bill when you are counting calories!

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Vegan Pesto

A delightful vegan pesto adapted from Minimalist Baker. Use it just like traditional pesto!
Course Sauce
Cuisine Italian, vegan
Keyword basil, easy recipe, Pesto, pine nuts, sauce, vegan, Vegan pesto
Prep Time 10 minutes

Equipment

  • 1 food processor You could use a mortar and pestle

Ingredients

  • 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
  • 3 Tbsp toasted pine nuts Can substitute walnuts
  • 3 large cloves garlic peeled
  • 2 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 3-4 Tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt plus more to taste
  • 2-3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil*
  • 3-6 Tbsp water plus more as needed

Instructions

  • To a food processor or small blender, add the nuts, garlic, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and sea salt and pulse to mince nuts and garlic. Add basil leaves to bowl. With the machine running, stream half of the olive oil. Stop the machine and scrape down the side of the bowl. Stream the remaining olive oil. You should have a nice paste. Try to use the pulse button to avoid over-processing.
  • Then add 1 Tbsp (15 ml) water at a time until the desired consistency is reached - a thick but pourable sauce. Use the pulse function on your processor to avoid over-processing the basil.
  • Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more nutritional yeast for cheesy flavor, or salt if it needs it.

Notes

Adjust the amount of nuts or garlic to taste.  Like a garlicky pesto, use more garlic.
Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. After that, pour remainder into ice cube molds, freeze, and store for up to 1 month or more.
Use this sauce as you would a traditional pesto with pasta, add to mayo for a Sammie spread, or thin it and drizzle on veggies.
Corn, Tomato, & Avocado Salad (Summer Fun)

Corn, Tomato, & Avocado Salad (Summer Fun)

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Every weekend I look forward to going to our local farmer’s market.  Well, except for when I have to schlep everything I couldn’t resist getting, back to my car.  For example, today my Sherpa trip included 6 ears of fresh, sweet corn on the cob (corn is heavy-who knew?), a sun-kissed orange honeydew, a bushel of peaches and nectarines (well, it felt like a bushel), some gorgeous deep purple eggplants, vine-ripened, ginormous heirloom tomatoes for sammies, ruby-red strawberries and sweet-tart blackberries. Yep, all in a day at the market.

Why so many ears of corn?  Last week, a friend brought this Corn Salad to an end-of-summer dinner and all I could think of was making a vat for myself (yes, vat).  In addition, my favorite fresh corn recipe is Elote Corn, or Mexican Street Corn. Corn on the cob, grilled, slathered with mayonnaise, sprinkled with chile powder or Tajin, Cotija Cheese, and finished with a squeeze of lime.  If Kevin Costner had an Elote stand on the third baseline in Field of Dreams, they wouldn’t even have had to play baseball.  Just shuck that corn cause “If you grill it, they will come.”  I needed a lot of corn if I was going to enjoy both dishes this week.

Summer Salad Fun

This Corn, Avocado, and Tomato Salad comes in a close second to Elote Corn.  The crunchy corn, creamy avocado, and sweet, tart tomatoes all work together.   You could make it with frozen corn but save that for a cold winter day when you need a bit of sunshine and fresh corn is nowhere in sight.

Cook the corn as you like.  Throw the cobs on the grill, or boil them for a couple of minutes.  My method involves microwaving the corn for about 2-3 minutes, husk on, removing the husk, and charring the corn over an open flame.  Cool the corn then cut the kernels off the cob.

The rest is easy, toss all the ingredients in a bowl, add the dressing, and gently mix.  Let the dressed salad sit for 15 minutes.  Garnish with cilantro leaves and scallions and serve.  The salad goes well with ANYTHING if you ask me.  Perfect for a potluck, block party, or summer barbecue.

Make this salad your own.  Add red bell peppers or cucumbers for crunch.  Change the flavor profile by adding different spices or cheeses like Cotija or Feta.  Enjoy!

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Corn, Tomato and Avocado Salad

Perfect for summer bbqs and potlucks! Corn, Tomato & Avocado Salad
Course Appetizer, Salad
Cuisine American
Keyword avocado, cherry tomatoes, Corn on the cob, corn, tomato, & avocado salad, lime
Prep Time 20 minutes
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

For the Salad

  • 3-4 ears fresh corn approximately 3 cups. You can use frozen corn off-season
  • 1 ripe avocado diced
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
  • 1/4 cup red onion finely chopped or thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro plus some for garnish chopped

For the Dressing

  • 2-3 tablespoons of lime juice 1-2 limes
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin

or instead of Cumin

  • 1 teaspoon Tajin seasoning adjust to taste
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Options!!!

  • 1/4 cup red bell pepper, de-veined, de-seeded, diced
  • 1/4 cup cucumber, de-seeded, diced
  • 1/2 jalapeno deveined, deseeded, finely diced
  • 1/4 cup Cotija cheese, crumbled
  • 1-2 stalks green onions, chopped for garnish

Instructions

For the Corn:

  • You can cook the corn however you like boil, grill or microwave. My method: Microwave corn, husk on for 3-3.5 minutes. When cool enough, shuck the corn. To char the corn, microwave for 2.5-3 minutes, shuck, and then using metal tongs, hold over open flame, rotating the corn until it is charred to your liking. It is not necessary to char, I like the added color and hint of smokiness.

For the Salad:

  • In a large bowl, combine the cooked and cooled corn, diced avocado, halved cherry tomatoes, finely chopped red onion, and chopped cilantro.
  • If you add red bell pepper or cucumbers, increase the amount of dressing to taste
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, garlic, cumin or Tajin seasoning, salt, and pepper until well combined.
  • Pour the dressing over the salad and gently toss to coat all the ingredients with the dressing.
  • Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Add more seasoning, lime juice, salt, or pepper according to your preference.
  • Let the salad sit for about 10-15 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.
  • Serve the salad chilled or at room temperature.
Baba Ghanoush (Roasted Eggplant Dip)

Baba Ghanoush (Roasted Eggplant Dip)

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Right up there with Hummus, this eggplant dip is made with Tahini, garlic, lemon juice, parsley, and olive oil, and seasoned with cumin and smoked paprika. Eggplant contributes a lightness and creaminess different than chickpeas.  The smoked paprika and cumin add another level of smokiness, so delicious.  I adapted the recipe from Cookie + Kate, a wonderful blog filled with tips and great user-friendly veggie recipes.  This is definitely one of them.

Start with 2 medium globe eggplants and roast them, halved on a sheet pan until soft and charred.  The char gives the dip that nice smokey flavor.  This is by far the most timing consuming part of the recipe.  Luckily, there’s a hack for this below🧑🏻‍🍳.  Finishing the Baba Ghanoush is just a matter of stirring Tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, and seasonings into the eggplant-easy peasy. Tahini, a sesame seed paste, is a mainstay in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Cuisine.  You can find Tahini in most supermarkets, TJ’s, or online.  Add a touch of cumin for earthiness and sprinkle it with either smoked paprika or sumac before serving.

Cheaters Sometimes Win

I have a confession, I don’t always have time to roast eggplants to make Baba Ghanoush.  Nope, sometimes I skip this and reach for the jar of grilled eggplant by Sadaf or Sera that I always keep on hand.  If you are in the South Bay (San Jose-Campbell area) a great store for Middle Eastern groceries is International Food Bazaar on Union.  It’s just grilled eggplant so it has the smokiness from the char and some citric acid for preserving.  Use approximately 1-1/2 cups, which is roughly equivalent to the roasted fresh eggplant.  Place the eggplant in a strainer for 15-30 minutes to drain the excess liquid.  It’s convenient and pretty darn yummy.  The jarred eggplant is pretty chunky so I use a food processor to make it.  Pulse ingredients, you don’t want to end up with a puree, pulsing allows for textural contrast.  Additionally, the dip can be made by hand, use a whisk or a fork to whip the ingredients to break up the larger pieces of eggplant.

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Baba Ganoush

Baba ganoush made with oven-roasted eggplant, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic! Adapted from Cookie + Kate
Course Appetizer, Munchie
Cuisine Middle Eastern
Keyword 3jamigos.com, baba ganoush, Cookie + Kate, eggplant
Prep Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

Use either fresh eggplant OR jarred eggplant (quick and easy)

  • 2 pounds Italian eggplants* about 2 small-to-medium eggplants*
  • 1-1/2 cups Jarred Grilled Eggplant I have used the brand Sadaf, available and most Middle Eastern stores.

Seasoning

  • 2 medium cloves of garlic pressed or minced
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice more if necessary
  • ¼ cup tahini
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil plus more for brushing the eggplant and garnish
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley plus extra for garnish
  • ¾ teaspoon salt to taste
  • 1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground cumin I LOVE Cumin, use to taste
  • Pinch of smoked paprika for garnish, or Sumac which will give it a touch of tartness

Instructions

Raw Eggplant Recipe

  • Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit with a rack in the upper third of the oven. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent the eggplant from sticking to the pan. Halve the eggplants lengthwise and brush the cut sides lightly with olive oil. Place them in the prepared pan with the halved sides down.
  • Roast the eggplant until the interior is very tender throughout and the skin is collapsing, about 35 to 40 minutes (this might take longer if you are using 1 large eggplant). Set the eggplant aside to cool for a few minutes. Flip the eggplants over and scoop out the flesh with a large spoon, leaving the skin behind.
  • Place a mesh strainer over a mixing bowl, then transfer the flesh to the strainer and discard the skins. Pick out any stray bits of eggplant skin and discard. You want to remove as much moisture from the eggplant here as possible, so let the eggplant rest for a 15-30 minutes and shake/stir the eggplant to release some more moisture.
  • Discard all of the eggplant drippings, drain and wipe out the bowl, and dump the eggplant into the bowl.

Jarred Eggplant

  • I cannot tell a lie, I will use jarred grilled eggplant in a pinch (or not) available in Middle Eastern stores. (In San Jose-International Bazaar) Use approximately 1-1/2 cups of the jarred eggplant. Drain eggplant just like the roasted eggplant and proceed.

Directions for both roasted eggplant or jarred

  • Add the garlic and lemon juice to the eggplant and stir vigorously with a fork until the eggplant breaks down. Add the tahini to the bowl and stir until it’s incorporated. While stirring, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Continue stirring until the mixture is pale and creamy, and use your fork to break up any particularly long strings of eggplant. Once again, I take the path of least resistance and add ingredients to a food processor and PULSE to blend. You don't want to puree but leave a bit of chunkiness.
  • Stir in the parsley, salt and cumin. Season to taste with more salt (I usually add another ¼ teaspoon) and more lemon juice, if you’d like a more tart flavor.
  • Transfer the baba ganoush to a serving bowl and lightly drizzle olive oil on top. Lastly, sprinkle parsley and smoked paprika on top. Serve with accompaniments of your choice such as pita bread, carrots and cucumbers. It’s also great on sandwiches!

Notes

Serving suggestions: warmed or toasted pita wedges, carrot sticks, bell pepper strips, cucumber slices, etc.
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