Category: Food

Pickled Obsession (Pork and Kimchi)

Pickled Obsession (Pork and Kimchi)

My last trip to the Hankook Korean Supermarket, I took the plunge. Yep, finally bit the bullet and bought a BIG jar of Kimchi.  No more little pint size containers for me.  I didn’t go completely crazy and get the gallon size, although I thought about it for a fleeting moment since it was on sale, lol.  I refrained and prudently bought a quart size jar.

The question running through your brain right now, which Kimchi did she buy? Am I right?  Lucky for you I did the exhaustive, backbreaking, mentally draining research-so you don’t have to.  I stood in the Kimchi section of HMart for an hour, watching which Kimchi customers were buying and then I repeated this at Hankook Market (much to Hubster’s chagrin).  I also “interrogated” my friends and forced them to reveal their favorite Kimchi.  Okay, I just texted them and they replied, consensus was Ocinet or Tobagi brands were good.  So there I was in Hankook Market, upgrading to the quart size jar of Kimchi by Ocinet. 

With a large jar of kimchi to consume, I searched for quick and easy Kimchi dishes to try.  I scored big time when I found a Pork Belly Kimchi recipe on the blog, Spice the Plate.  The kitchen gods were smiling on me, I had sliced pork belly, kimchi and Gochujang in the fridge, didn’t even need to make a grocery run.  This dish literally comes together in minutes. While the rice is cooking, you have plenty of time to prep, cook and plate the Pork and Kimchi.

Pork and Kimchi ingredients

The pork is marinaded in Gochujang, soy sauce and a touch of sugar.  While the pork marinades, thinly slice a yellow onion, grab some kimchi and slice the bigger pieces into strips.  A couple of minutes of stir-frying, garnish with toasted sesame seeds and green onions to make it pretty, voila’ dinner is served.  This pork and kimchi dish hits the spot, spicy with a touch of sweetness from the Gochujang, heat and crunch from the kimchi, and a bit of nuttiness from the sesame oil. This is “party in my mouth” food.  Delicious and soooo easy.

Stir-fried pork and kimchi

I managed to pop a taste in my mouth before heading out for a meeting, pretty yummy.  I foolishly thought I’ll have some when I get home.  When I got home, the bowl was empty and my kid, a sheepish grin plastered on his face, gave me the two thumbs up. Consolation I guess.

Good thing I bought a big jar of Kimchi.  To help you pick your own bottle of pickled goodness, Serious Eats also reviewed Kimchi which you can find here.

Update:

I love this simple, homey dish and it has become part of my regular rotation.  Starting with ingredients like kimchi, Japanese curry blocks or Thai Curry pastes are such a boon to homecooks.  A flavorful meal in minutes!

Added cellophane or bean thread noodles to this dish to give it even a little more “oomph” without adding more pork.  Bean thread noodles are made of mung bean and once cooked are transparent, and are absolute flavor magnets.

A Deep Dive On This Thread

Cellophane Noodles are found in just about every Asian cuisine, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai…you get the picture. The confusion begins with labeling. Bean thread noodles, glass noodles, and vermicelli refer to noodles made of mung bean or sweet potato. BUT the term vermicelli noodles are also used for thin rice noodles.    Both come dry and look very similar.

On the left is bean thread noodles made of mung bean.  Hydrate them in water and they turn transparent.  On the right, once hydrated rice noodles or vermicelli are opaque white.  If you have had pho or Pad Thai, the noodles are made of rice.   Hawaiian Long Rice (don’t get me started), or Korean Japchae, the noodles are made of mung bean.  I could be wrong, but most Cantonese dishes use glass noodles not rice noodles.

Stir-Fry Pork and Kimchi

Course Main Course
Cuisine Asian
Keyword stir-fry pork and kimchi
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound kimchi larger pieces cut into strips
  • 1/2 pound pork belly sliced (or pork shoulder or butt would work also)
  • 1/2 yellow onion thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
  • Toasted white sesame seeds

Marinade for the pork:

  • 1 tablespoon Korean hot pepper paste Gochujang
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce Kikkoman is fine
  • ½ teaspoon sugar

Instructions

  • Marinate the pork with Korean hot pepper paste, soy sauce and sugar for about 10 minutes.
  • Heat oil over medium high heat, stir-fry the onion for about 3 minutes until soft and browned.
  • Add the pork and cook for 3-4 minutes until pork loses pinkness.
  • Add in the kimchi and stir fry for another 2 minutes.
  • Drizzle with sesame oil and sprinkle with toasted white sesame seeds and green onions.
  • Serve with rice

Notes

I had some tteobokki (rice cakes)so I threw those in too. Yummy
(Grilled Peppers and Torn Mozzarella Panzanella) Smittened Again

(Grilled Peppers and Torn Mozzarella Panzanella) Smittened Again

This past weekend we had dinner with our “Gourmet Club”. A group of us, 5 couples, started the club when our kids were in preschool. It was a way of committing to a grown-up event, enjoying a nice meal and great conversation, sans kids, balloons, and crayons.
Initially, our goal was once a month, and we would each take a turn at hosting. The host picked the menu and made the main dish. The other couples provided the rest.

Well, with baseball, hockey, soccer practices, piano lessons, homework, not to mention work…monthly became every couple of months.  As the kids went in different directions, so did we, and our dinners became much more sporadic. The old adage, time flies rings true. It has been at least 8 years since our last get-together 🤦🏻‍♀️. Our kids are now all in their twenties…I gotta chew on that for a minute, so it was time to have another dinner. We were long overdue.

Good Food, Great Friends

We talked, laughed, bragged, and complained about our kids, parent’s prerogative. We drank way too many Mai Tais and ate way too much food. Besides Glen’s traditional toast, the best part of the evening was just being together again and enjoying each other’s company.

The days of “gourmet” meals are long gone, perhaps a reflection of where we are in our lives now, the food is unfussy, delicious, and comforting.  We were such blowhards back in the day, now, if we want a fancy-schmancy meal, we’re going out.  Casual is probably not quite accurate as our buffet included a platter of warm Roasted Cauliflower with a Raisin Caper Sauce from Serious Eats, a classic Greek Salad of garden tomatoes, cucumbers, feta, and onions, and a delicious stuffed pork roast.

I know, y’all are thinking, ok Deb…What did you bring to the table?

Grilled peppers and onions

As I was looking for inspiration, a mouthwatering Grilled Peppers and Torn Mozzarella Panzanella popped up on my feed from Smitten Kitchen.  Deb Perelman rocks.  Maybe it’s a Deb connection, but this isn’t the first time a Smitten Kitchen recipe has popped up when I needed something delicious.

This dish couldn’t be easier. Why?  Peppers, red onions, and a nice crusty bread are tossed in garlic, oil and GRILLED and…yay for me, hubby does ALL the GRILLING in our house. Yep. I prepped the veggies and bread and handed them off to Wes. Just like magic, while I was eating Bon Bons (jk), they came back perfectly grilled.  Call it the grillin’ and chillin’ method.  He grills while I chill-perfect!  All I had to do was make a simple vinaigrette, let the peppers soften, tear up the bread and mozzarella, and toss it all in a bowl with the dressing, fini, and Panzanella ready to go.  So good, so easy.  Folks, you need to file this under “so gonna make this”.

Grilled Peppers and Torn Mozzarella Panzanella

Course Salad
Cuisine Italian
Keyword Panzanella
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 6 people

Ingredients

Hubby's Part:

  • 4 1- inch slices bread country-style
  • 3 large red bell peppers halved, seeds removed
  • 1 medium red onion peeled and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

My Part:

  • 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoons capers drained (rinsed if salted)
  • 4 ounces mozzarella torn into bite-sized pieces, or 4 ounces bocconcini
  • Fresh herbs — snipped chives basil, or parsley or a mix thereof — to finish (optional)

Instructions

  • First Part is Mine: Place bread, pepper halves, and onion wedges in a large bowl and drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil, then sprinkle 1 teaspoon kosher salt and many grinds (or about 1/4 teaspoon) black pepper. Use your hands to toss everything together until oil coats everything.
  • Part I Get to Ignore: Heat your grill to medium-high. Spread peppers and onions across grill grates and grill, lid down, flipping as needed until onions are charred in spots (they’ll be done first) and peppers are blistered and blackened in many spots and beginning to soften. Transfer onions to a plate as they’re done; transfer peppers to a bowl. Use bread in bowl to swipe up any excess salt, pepper, and/or oil in it and place slices on grill. Grill until toasted on both sides. Transfer to plate with onions.
  • Back to Me: Place foil or a lid over peppers in bowl to trap heat. Once they’re cool enough to handle, remove as much of the skin as you can. Cut peppers into 1/2- to 1-inch wide strips.
  • In the bottom of a large bowl, whisk together sherry vinegar, remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, sugar, about 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (and more to taste), and garlic. Add capers. Add peppers to the bowl and let them marinate for as little as 5 minutes or up to a day, even. The longer they souse, the more pickled they’ll taste. After 5 minutes, however, they still have plenty of flavor.
  • To assemble and serve: Right before you’re ready to serve the salad, add onions to the bowl with the peppers. Tear bread into chunks and add to bowl, along with mozzarella. Mix gently, making sure the dressing coats the bread. Taste and add more seasoning if needed. Finish with basil and chives.
Asian Bolognese “Zha Jiang Mian”

Asian Bolognese “Zha Jiang Mian”

When I lived in Los Angeles my favorite place to eat was a tiny dumpling shop in Chinatown.  Before entering I would stop and watch the woman in the window folding dumplings, it was mesmerizing.  She would roll the dough into a long rope, deftly cut it into pieces and then with a small rolling pin, flatten each piece into a thin round disc.  A spoonful of filling plopped in the center of the wrapper, a couple of turns, and a perfectly pleated potsticker was born.

Bean Sauce
Hoisin-sweet sauce, Sweet Bean flour is a bit more pronounced in flavor, Bean Sauce is salty with a fermented flavor-umami central. If you don’t have an Asian market near you, I have posted product links in the 3Jamigos Shop for Hoisin Sauce and Bean Sauce-but it would be WAY cheaper at an Asian market!

As delicious as the dumplings were, I actually went for the noodles. Their Zha Jiang Mian was “drop the mic” delicious. The literal translation is fried bean sauce noodles.  Stir fry ground pork or chicken with shiitake mushrooms, garlic, ginger, sweet bean paste, and ground bean sauce-throw in some water and simmer.   Toss with the warm noodles and top with slivers of green onions, crisp carrots, and refreshing cucumbers, it is really yummy.

If a celestial chef decided to create the perfect bowl of noodles-this would be in the running.

Beijing Meat Sauce Noodles

My quest to make my own perfect bowl of noodles started with the recipe on the blog “The Woks of Life” (mom, dad & 2 sisters blogging from different parts of the world, check it out). The recipe calls for ground bean sauce and either sweet flour sauce or Hoisin. I like Zha Jiang Mian with a touch of sweetness so I used Sweet Bean Paste and Hoisin with the Bean Sauce.  Stir fry the pork, seasonings, and mushrooms and add  water to create the sauce. Reduce the sauce until it has thickened and has a nice sheen.  Pour over noodles, add your veggies, dunzo. A little bowl of goodness ready to eat. Sadly, the little shop is gone and it’s a long drive to LA just for noodles anyways.  It’s a good thing I can  make my own Zha Jiang Mian.

Zha Jiang Mian

Zha Jiang Mian 2 Ways

Zha Jiang Mian Korean style and Chinese Style, both delicious!
Course Main Course
Cuisine Asian
Keyword Zha Jiang Mian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 6 oz. ground pork
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • ½ teaspoon oil plus 1 tablespoon
  • teaspoon white pepper
  • 3 slices ginger minced finely
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tablespoons sweet bean sauce I used 2 T Hoisin/1 T Sweet Ben Sauce
  • 3 tablespoons ground bean paste Reduce to 2 T
  • 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
  • 1 cup water
  • 8 oz. fresh noodles flour-based noodle. Fresh or dry. I've used udon and a combination of spinach and plain

Additional Chinese Ingredients

  • 4-6 fresh shiitake mushrooms* finely chopped
  • 1 cup julienned carrots
  • 1 cup julienned cucumbers
  • ½ cup julienned scallions garnish

Additional Korean Ingredients

  • 3 fresh shiitake mushrooms diced
  • 1 medium Yukon Gold Potato* 1/2 inch dice for Korean version
  • 1 small zucchini 1/2 inch dice for Korean version
  • 1/2 cup carrots 1/2 inch dice for Korean version
  • 1/2 small yellow onion diced
  • 1/4 head cabbage shredded, optional
  • 1/2 cup green onions chopped
  • 1/2 cup cucumbers diced

Instructions

  • Marinade the pork with the following for 15 minutes: ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, ½ teaspoon oil, ⅛ teaspoon white pepper.
  • Heat a tablespoon oil in your wok over medium heat, add the marinated ground pork to the wok. Cook for a minute to brown it, and then add the ginger, garlic, and mushrooms* Stir fry everything together for another 2-3 minutes.
  • **Add the Hoisin, sweet bean sauce, bean paste, dark soy sauce, and water, stirring everything together well. Lower the heat and cover the wok. Simmer the sauce for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
  • Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to the package directions.
  • Top noodles with the sauce and garnish with the julienned carrots, cucumbers, and scallions.

Korean Style*

  • Stir fry pork, ginger, and garlic for 30 seconds add diced vegetables.  Stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Continue with recipe**
  •  If you like, add shredded cabbage in the last couple of minutes of cooking.  
  • Place a mound of noodles in your bowl, top with sauce and garnish with cucumber and green onions.  Plop yourself down in front of the telly and enjoy!
Blueberry Avocado Spinach Salad (It’s Gettin Hot In Here, So Take Out All Your Salad Greens)

Blueberry Avocado Spinach Salad (It’s Gettin Hot In Here, So Take Out All Your Salad Greens)

Woohoo, it is going to get really hot this weekend! When the temperature hits 3 digits it’s time to get out of the kitchen as fast as you can. Time for al fresco dining-cool, refreshing salads, sweet and juicy summer fruits along with an array of cheeses. A pitcher of thirst quenching Sangria…just maybe we can get through this heatwave.  I found a tasty and eye-catching salad from Over Easy by Joy the Baker (latest book and amazing blog) that I love. It’s my salad of the season, specifically, blueberry season, Blueberry Avocado Spinach Salad. The list of star-studded ingredients includes toasted hazelnuts, blueberries, avocados, and cucumbers. Dressed with a sweet, slightly tart dressing, it reminds me of the classic Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing from back in the day, it’s dee-licious.

Get to the farmer’s market now and pick up sweet, juicy peaches and nectarines along with your salad fixins!

I have gone crazy with this salad with additional yummies like pancetta “cracklins” or crispy bacon bits, thinly sliced red onions for some bite, or sliced hard-boiled eggs for protein, YUM.  The toasted hazelnuts have no substitute, their crunch and flavor are hard to beat in this salad and they go so well with blueberries, like Fred and Ginger.

The dressing is easy and quick.  Start with a squeeze of lemon juice, a dollop of dijon mustard, glop of honey and whisk in some EVOO.  Alternative easy method: throw it all in a bottle and shake, shake shake. Season with salt and pepper to taste and that’s it.  You don’t need no stinkin’ supermarket bottle stuff, nope.

This is a lovely salad, I hope you will try it. Share it with friends and family.

Blueberry Avocado Spinach Salad

Blueberry Avocado Spinach Salad

Perfect during blueberry season, a spinach salad with avocado, slices of hard-boiled egg and hazelnuts all of which compliments blueberries dressed with honey mustard dressing.
Course dinner, first course, lunch, Salad
Cuisine American
Keyword avocado, blueberry, Caesar Salad, hazelnuts, honey mustard dressing, spinach
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

The Dressing

  • 2 tbsp Honey
  • 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • ¼ tsp. sea salt
  • ¼ tsp. black pepper
  • 4 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
  • ¼ cup olive oil

The Fixings

  • 6 cups Baby spinach (generous cups) washed, rinsed and dried
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries
  • 1 cup English or Persian cucumber thinly sliced
  • 1/3 cup toasted hazelnuts coarsely chopped
  • 1 ripe avocado thinly sliced
  • 1-2 hard-boiled eggs sliced

Instructions

  • Whisk together honey, mustard, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk in lemon juice. Add olive oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly, until mixture is emulsified and thick. Taste, and season with additional salt and pepper as desired.
  • Toss together spinach, blueberries, cucumber and 1/2 of the hazelnuts in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over the salad, and toss to combine. Sprinkle with remaining hazelnuts. Top with avocado.

Notes

Optional adds:
2 hard boiled eggs, sliced, Bacon or pancetta bits fried crisp, as little or as much as you like,
1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced, or
2 green onions, sliced
 
 

 

Bananas for Clementine Bakery’s Banana Cake

Bananas for Clementine Bakery’s Banana Cake

I am always on the look-out for recipes that use those over-ripe bananas frequently found on my countertop. I already have an amazing banana bread recipe so what I have been on the prowl for is a banana cake recipe.  There are those occasions when you need to step it up a notch.  When only cake will do, especially cake with a creamy luscious frosting or a rich decadent icing.  Well, I have stumbled across a recipe that fits the bill.

Oh My Darling, Clementine, Love Your Banana Cake

I found it by way of a recent post on Ipso Fatto (love this blog) for a banana cake she made from Sally’s Baking Addiction. Touted as “The Best Banana Cake I’ve Ever Had”, we just had to try it. It was good but “The Best Ever?” Hmmm. It seemed a little too dense for me.  I’ll admit it was a big hit with the “fam”, but I think Jamie’s tweak, a layer of chocolate ganache in the middle, had a-lot to do with that.  At the end of Ipso Fatto’s post was a link to an archived recipe, Clementine Bakery’s Banana Cake (originally posted in the LA Times). I made a mental note, next bunch of over-ripe bananas I was going to try it.  I did, and I LOVE this cake.

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

It’s really moist and tender with a very nice crumb.  The addition of buttermilk gives it a slight tang that goes well with the sweetness of the bananas.  It’s topped with a cream cheese frosting that is not too sweet and finished with a bit of sour cream that loosens the frosting making it even creamier. It’s decadent and lovely.

Pastry flour gives the cake its tender bite.  In place of the pastry flour, I used White Lily Flour which has a similar protein content and is milled from soft red winter wheat.  Every trip to Tennessee I return home with bags of White Lily Flour just to make biscuits and it worked perfectly in this cake.  Bob’s Red Mill and King Arthur Flour carry pastry flour which you can find online or at most supermarkets.

To say the bananas I used were over-ripe would be an understatement, they released a ton of liquid. Next time I would drain the liquid, reduce it by half and then add it back to the batter. This will hopefully thicken the batter and concentrate the flavor. If your bananas are super-duper ripe I would definitely reduce the liquid.

The cake can be baked in a 9×13 pan or a 10 inch round cake pan.  I used a 10-inch pan which required a couple of extra minutes.  I had enough batter left to make a couple of cheater’s cupcakes (no one will know you have already had cake) that took about 20-22 minutes to bake.  The center of the cake seems to brown quicker than the rest of the cake.  If this happens, when the cake is set, place a piece of parchment over the center to prevent the cake from getting too brown.

The cream cheese frosting is made with butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar and sour cream.  I added a dash of salt and a 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla to round out the flavor.  The Wednesday Chef also featured this cake with a twist on the frosting. She reduced the sugar and replaced the sour cream with creme fraiche, double decadence. I personally like the “sweet level” of the original recipe but creme fraiche, I’d give that a “swirl”.

Another variation would be a chocolate ganache frosting or chocolate icing like the one from Silver Palate in place of the cream cheese frosting.

So, the next time you have overripe bananas try this cake. It is simply delicious. Clementine Bakery’s cake is exactly what I was looking for in a banana cake; it’s a winner.

Tip Alert: Can’t wait for those bananas to get to that lovely over-ripe state? I found this post on how to ripen bananas quickly from Spoon University, Just in case you want to make this cake NOW. You’re welcome.  Update:  A method I just used that worked beautifully, place unpeeled banana on parchment or a silicon mat in a 300-degree oven for 10-15 minutes.  Boom-manufactured overripe bananas-you’re welcome, again.

Print Pin
5 from 1 vote

Banana Cake

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword banana cake
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 12 servings

Ingredients

Banana Cake

  • 2 2/3 cups pastry flour
  • 2 2/3 cups sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 large or 4 small very ripe bananas
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 3/4 cup canola oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 1 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons cream cheese at room temperature
  • 5 tablespoons butter room temperature
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons sour cream

Instructions

  • Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Into a large bowl sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, mash the bananas. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, until each is completely incorporated, then mix in the buttermilk, oil and vanilla. Finally, mix the dry ingredients into the batter just until thoroughly combined.
  • Pour into a 9-by-13-inch greased pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until golden-brown on top, a toothpick inserted comes out clean and the cake springs back when lightly touched. Cool on a rack.

Frosting

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a medium bowl with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth and there are no lumps. Add the butter and whip until incorporated, then add the powdered sugar and the sour cream. Frost the top of the cooled cake, then slice and serve.

Notes

From Clementine Bakery in Los Angeles. Pastry flour is available at baking and cooking supply stores. Each serving: 580 calories; 7 grams protein; 79 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams fiber; 29 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 90 mg. cholesterol; 375 mg. sodium.
Squash-O-Rama (Zucchini Bread)

Squash-O-Rama (Zucchini Bread)

We returned home from our road trip to Minneapolis to the first zucchini of the season. Yay! Of course by the end of the season I’m not sure I will still be cheering but for now, it is a welcome sight. Grilled and roasted tops the list in our house, BUT you can only roast or grill so many zucchinis.  At the height of the season, we need to expand our repertoire on what the heck to do with all that squash.

1001 Ways to Use Your Squash, just kidding but I do have a couple that will keep you from pulling your hair out and screaming “Noooooo!” at the sight of another green courgette.

Zoodles! Replace a portion of noodles in your favorite pasta dishes with julienned zucchini. This cuts down all those dreaded carb calories and adds flavor and texture to summertime pasta dishes, a WIN-WIN if you ask me. Julienned zucchini ribbons don’t require much cooking,  I toss zoodles in with just-drained pasta.  The heat from the noodles is enough to cook the zucchini. Try this Tomato, Bacon and Arugula Pasta/Zoodle dish, quick, easy and delicious.

From Ottolenghi’s Jerusalem cookbook, a recipe for Turkey Zucchini Burgers can put a dent in any bounty of squash.  Make em’ big and use them for burgers, make em’ small for a perfect happy hour appetizer.

simple zucchini bread

Zucchini bread!!!  When everyone is really tired of eating all that squash, this is the sneaky way to use up your store without your family knowing they are eating MORE zucchini.

There are thousands of zucchini bread recipes out there, not quite rock star banana bread numbers but enough to make your head spin.  I’m going to make it easy for you…King Arthur Flour Zucchini Bread is moist, flavorful and damn delicious.  Lightly spiced with cinnamon, sweetened with brown sugar, and finished with walnuts and golden raisins it’s a winner. Its so easy the title is Simple Zucchini Bread.  You can substitute or add just about anything but the kitchen sink. I didn’t have raisins so I used KA’s Jammy Bits (little fruit flavor bombs), or you could use any dry fruit, like cranberries or apples.  Don’t like walnuts? Use pecans or almonds. Instead of a loaf of bread, make muffins, just remember to decrease the baking time to approximately 20-25 minutes. Whatever you do, keep this recipe in mind the next time you are looking at a bushel of squash and wondering what to do with it.

simple zucchini bread

Simple Zucchini Bread

A delicious, easy quick bread
Course Snack
Cuisine American
Keyword zucchin bread
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons boiled cider apple juice, orange juice, milk, water, or the liquid of your choice
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon optional
  • 1 3/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
  • 2 cups grated or shredded zucchini somewhere between firmly and lightly packed
  • 3/4 cup chopped walnuts toasted until golden
  • 3/4 cup raisins or currants golden raisins preferred
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar for sprinkling on top optional

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan.
  • In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the brown sugar, boiled cider or other liquid, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.
  • Whisk the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon into the flour, then add the dry ingredients to the liquid ingredients in the bowl, stirring or beating gently until smooth.
  • Stir in the zucchini, walnuts, and raisins or currants.
  • Scoop the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it if necessary. Sprinkle with brown sugar, if desired.
  • Bake the bread for 55 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The top (just under the crust) may seem a bit sticky; but so long as the toothpick doesn't reveal wet batter, it's done.
  • Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool completely. For best results, don't slice until it's cool.
  • Store the bread at cool room temperature, well wrapped, for several days; freeze for longer storage.

Notes

  • Shredded zucchini varies a lot in weight, depending on the season, the freshness of the vegetable, the fineness of the shred, and how firmly you pack it into the cup. Measure your zucchini by volume in this recipe, not weight; don't fret if your weight doesn't match the weight in the recipe.
  • To toast chopped walnuts, spread them in a single layer in a baking pan, and toast in a preheated 350°F oven for about 6 minutes, or until they're golden brown and smell "toasty.

 

Another Day, Another Chocolate Chip Cookie (Brown Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookie)

Another Day, Another Chocolate Chip Cookie (Brown Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookie)

What is your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe?  The one on the back of the Nestle’s Chocolate Chips bag? A treasured family recipe handed down? Mine was given to me by a friend who swore it was the original Mrs. Field’s recipe.  I can’t vouch for that claim, but it is pretty darn good. Over the years I have tweaked the recipe by adding oatmeal, reducing the amount of chocolate (don’t hate me), and adding nuts.  Yep, the perfect cookie.  It is my go-to chocolate chip cookie…until now.  A serious challenger, Brown Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies, has entered the best CCC sweepstakes.

You can have more than one go-to chocolate chip cookie, right?  There might be a new player in town.

Brown butter chocolate chip toffee cookie ingredients

What makes these cookies so delicious?  BROWN BUTTER for a toasty rich, caramel flavor-yum.  Chunks of toffee bars for crunch and another layer of caramel flavor-double yum.  Finally, Chocolate wafers instead of chips, stay gooey and soft longer creating a luscious texture-triple yum.  Upon finding this recipe I immediately headed to the store to look for those chocolate wafers. I found Guittard’s 67% semi-sweet wafers-YAY.  A bag costs about eight dollars-BOO.  It’s a splurge that’s for sure…but so worth it.

 

Chocolate wafers and toffee pieces

Fold in chocolate and toffee pieces and chill dough for at least 30 minutes in the fridge before baking.  Scoop dough balls with a #24 scoop (1.5 ounces) or #30 (1.125 ounces) for a touch smaller cookie.  They spread so place cookie dough 3″ apart, especially if you don’t chill the dough.

These cookies will brown quickly so watch them like a HAWK. Start checking them at the 8-minute mark.  To create the crevices in the cookies, rap the baking sheet on the oven rack (at the 6-7 minute mark), and repeat 1-2 minutes later.  This will cause the cookie to deflate creating those lovely nooks and crannies.

Brown Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies

Another chocolate chip cookie? You bet!
Course cookies, Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword brown butter, chocolate chip cookie, toffee
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 20

Ingredients

Dry Stuff

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour preferably KIng Arthur
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt

Wet Stuff

  • 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks
  • 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

The Add-Ins

  • 2 chocolate toffee bars (1.4 oz bars) Skor, Heath or Trader Joe Toffee Bars, chopped into ¼-inch pieces
  • cups chocolate wafers disks, pistoles, fèves; preferably 72% cacao, although I used 67% Guittard -yum
  • Flaky sea salt

Instructions

  • Whisk flour, baking soda, and kosher salt in a medium bowl. Set aside
  • Cook butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until it foams, then browns, 5–8 minutes. Scrape into a large bowl and let cool slightly.
  • Add brown sugar and granulated sugar to browned butter. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat until incorporated, about 1 minute. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until mixture lightens and begins to thicken, about 30 seconds. Reduce mixer speed to low; add dry ingredients and beat just to combine. Mix in toffee pieces and chocolate wafers with a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula.
  • Let dough sit at room temperature at least 30 minutes to allow the flour to hydrate. Dough will look very loose at first, but will thicken as it sits. For less spread, chill dough in fridge.
  • Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 375°. Using a 1½-oz. ice cream scoop, portion out 10 balls of dough and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing about 3" apart (you can also form dough into ping pong–sized balls with your hands). Do not flatten; cookies will spread as they bake. Sprinkle with sea salt.
  • Bake cookies until edges are golden brown and firm but centers are still soft, 9–11 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough and a fresh parchment-lined baking sheet to make 10 more cookies.
  • Do Ahead: Cookie dough can be made 3 days ahead; cover and chill. Let dough come to room temperature before baking.

Notes

To create ridges in cookies, at 7 minutes open oven and rap pan on oven rack which will cause cookie to deflate and create ridges.
Gettin’ Jjigae with Anthony Bourdain (Korean Army Stew)

Gettin’ Jjigae with Anthony Bourdain (Korean Army Stew)

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

budae jjigae ingredients

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

budae jjigae

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

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

Tips for your Budae Jjigae

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

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

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

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

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

Gettin’ JJigae with Anthony Bourdain (Korean Army Stew)

Ingredients

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

Instructions

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

Missing Anthony Bourdain (Roast Chicken)

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

Parts Known and Loved

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

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

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

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

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

Roast Chicken Anthony Bourdain

Roast Chicken by Anthony Bourdain

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

Ingredients

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

Instructions

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