Quick & Easy Archives - Page 5 of 10

Cheesy Corn, Are You Ready for Some Football Food?

By threejamigos | September 23, 2019 | Comments 2 comments

I love the fall season. Aside from all things pumpkin and apples, I start thinking about foods that go hand in hand with watching football. My dad was a sport’s junkie and he definitely passed the sports-watching gene to my brother and me. He also liked to cook. Every Sunday he would have a big pot of Rice Soup or Congee simmering just for the 49er game. I’m not sure what I looked forward to more, the Rice Soup (Instant Pot) filled with bits of chicken, potatoes, tiny pork meatballs, topped with green onions and cilantro, or the football game.

Football Food

In addition to the soup, football watching requires yummy totally bad for you snack food and I just discovered one that would fit in perfectly with a sport-watching spread. One of my favorite cookbooks this year, A Common Table, has a popular Korean snack that must have been created to go with beer and fried chicken and therefore football. Korean Cheesy Corn. Yep, the best thing since sliced bread. Okay, I’m kidding but it is good and stupid easy.

Start with fresh corn from the Farmer’s Market. It is so good right now. Frozen corn or canned corn (lots of Korean recipes start with canned corn) would work, but, come on, go fresh and support your local farms.

And now a public service announcement, a video on how to take corn off the cob from Saveur using a bundt pan! It works like a charm!

From here on in it’s a downhill slide. Stir-fry corn in oil or butter until it is soft. Combine corn with mayonnaise and place in an ovenproof dish. I use Kewpie Mayo which is slightly sweet but use whatever mayo (better be Best Foods) you have in the fridge. Sprinkle a crap ton of Mozarella cheese on the corn and bake at 500 until the cheese is browned, gooey and melty. So delicious. Versions of Korean Cheesy Corn add sugar. If your corn is sweet you won’t need to, but if you like it sweeter add 1-2 teaspoons of sugar. If you use Best Foods or Hellman’s add 1 tsp of sugar.

The corn, mozzarella, mayo, green onions, and cilantro are the basic ingredients for this yummy super easy dish. Of course, you can go CRAZY and add extra fixings to bring it to a whole new level. A bucket list of add-ons includes bell pepper, red onion, jalapeno peppers, or crumble in bacon (cuz everything is better with bacon). You can also add cut-up rice cakes cause what’s a few more calories in a totally not-on-your diet dish.

Ready set, dig in!

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Korean Cheesy Corn

Delicious, decadent and easy. Korean Cheesy Corn a popular Korean dish. Perfect as a side dish or snack.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Asian

Keyword cheese, Corn, Korean, Korean Cheesy Corn, snack

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 5

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups fresh corn about 2 ears, canned or frozen can be used
2 tbsp mayonnaise, preferably Kewpie add 1-2 teaspoons sugar if using regular mayo
1 tbsp unsalted butter or vegetable oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella or more if you are a cheese freak. Additional 1/4 cup stirred into corn with mayo.
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup cilantro coarsely chopped
1/8-1/4 cup additions ie. bell pepper, diced red onions, bacon, optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 500 degrees
In a large non-stick skillet, heat butter or oil. Over medium heat, add corn and if using bell peppers, jalapeno or onions. Cook, stirring frequently until soft about 4-5 minutes. Season with the salt and pepper.
Transfer corn to an ovenproof dish, stir in mayo and sugar if using.
Sprinkle cheese evenly over the surface and bake for 5-7 minutes until cheese is melted, bubbling and starts to brown. Like a pizza!
Garnish with green onions and cilantro and serve immediately.

Summer Madness #1: Too Hot (Miso Sesame Chicken Salad to Keep the Gang Kool)

By threejamigos | July 28, 2019 | Comments 0 Comment

The weather has been pretty darn warm. Actually, I’d say damn hot lately. I grew up in San Francisco, a warm day meant temps in the ’70s. Growing up we spent most of July and August in a blanket of fog. My first car had an all-black interior and NO AIR CONDITIONING. NBD.

But now I live in Silicon Valley, 50 miles south of San Francisco. My cars have AC, my house has AC (a non-negotiable requirement of the Hubster who grew up in Sacramento). I once scoffed at folks who succumbed to installing air conditioning. No more.

I will say we do try to keep usage to a minimum, preferring to leave windows and doors open so the evening breeze cools down the house. We keep oven baking and cooking on the stove to a minimum by eating lots of sushi, salads, and bbq. We fire up the grill in the backyard and enjoy our meals outside. Summer alfresco dining, what could be better?

I subscribe to NYT Cooking and each week Sam Sifton pops up with a What to Cook This Week column. This week’s newsletter included a Miso Sesame Chicken Salad from David Tanis. That caught my eye.

Silky poached chicken, crunchy cucumbers, scallions on a bed of Bibb lettuce topped with a creamy Miso-Sesame dressing. Karma, I had chicken in the fridge, cucumbers from a friend’s garden and Aedan Miso I had just bought at the Ferry Building Farmer’s Market.

The only cooking required is poaching the chicken. I decided to make half the recipe so I opted to poach chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken which took less time and works perfectly for this dish.

No brainer method for the best damn poached chicken.

Like Whole Poached Chicken, this cooking method results in juicy, tender, delicious poached chicken breasts, perfect for salads, sandwiches, or morsels for your favorite doggy…

Fill a saucepan large enough to hold 1 whole chicken breast (split in half) with water. You don’t need to add much to the water except for a good pinch salt. I cheat and add a tablespoon of Better Than Bouillion Chicken Base just to intensify the flavor, totally optional. Bring the water to a boil and add the chicken. Bring it back to a boil, lower the heat so that it is barely simmering. Cover the pot and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the chicken to sit for 15-20 minutes (do this by size, smaller breasts-15 minutes, larger-20 minutes). Remove chicken from pot and allow to cool until it is easy to handle. Ta-da, perfect chicken for salads, sandwiches, or Hainanese Chicken and Rice.

Back to the salad. I love the textures in this salad. Tender, silky chicken and crisp cold cucumbers. You can use romaine or iceberg but I like using Bibb. Instead of slicing the cucumbers I rolled-cut them and lightly smashed them. The Miso and Sesame Sauce has a touch of lemon zest which adds a hint of citrus. I used Gochugaro, a Korean chili powder instead of cayenne to add some spice.

This is a tasty addition to the summer salad rotation. Enjoy!

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Miso Sesame Chicken Salad

Ingredients

2 tablespoons Asian sesame paste or tahini
4 tablespoons white shiro miso I used Aedan Mild White Miso
3 tablespoons rice-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon mirin
1 teaspoon grated ginger
½ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
½ teaspoon roasted sesame oil
¼ cup vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
Small pinch of cayenne optional, I used Gochugaro Powder instead
1 3-poundchicken, cooked poach chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken as directed in post
2 heads small Bibb or Boston lettuce can use Little Gems or romaine hearts
2 medium cucumbers, peeled and sliced 1/8-inch thick, lightly salted I prefer Persian or English cucumbers
3 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions or chives
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds for garnish
1 teaspoon toasted black sesame seeds for garnish

Instructions

Put sesame paste, miso, vinegar, mirin, ginger, sugar and lemon zest in a small mixing bowl. Whisk together until well combined. Whisk in sesame and vegetable oils. Check seasoning and adjust with salt, pepper and cayenne, if using. You should have about 2/3 cup dressing. If it seems too thick, thin with a tablespoon or 2 of water.
Remove skin from chicken and pull all the meat from the carcass. Shred chicken meat into 1-inch strips and put in a medium mixing bowl. (Refrigerate or freeze any remaining skin, fat, bones and cartilage for making broth.) You should have about 4 cups shredded chicken.
Separate the lettuce leaves and arrange on a large platter, leaving space for the chicken at the center, then scatter with cucumber slices.
Gently toss the shredded chicken with salt and pepper. Pour all but a few tablespoons of dressing over the chicken and gently toss to coat. Transfer dressed chicken to center of platter and nap with remaining dressing. Sprinkle scallions and sesame seeds on top and serve.

Notes

I made a half recipe which was plenty for the two of us.

A Zinger of an Appetizer: Charred Tomatoes and Cold Yogurt

By threejamigos | July 16, 2019 | Comments 0 Comment

I have a couple of go-to appetizer dips that I use ALOT (a certain Artichoke Dip comes to mind). Every time I make one of them there is this nagging little voice in my brain whispering, “pssst…Deb, I know this is good but try something new, this is getting boring”. Well, I finally listened to that voice. I pulled out Ottolenghi’s newest book, Simple, and landed on his recipe for Charred Tomates and Cold Yogurt. It was a no-brainer, the dish is featured on the cover of the book.

I’m so glad I did.

Right up my alley, easy to make and DELICIOUS. The recipe calls for cherry tomatoes (hello all you tomato growers), Greek yogurt, fresh thyme, oregano, garlic, and lemon. Oops, and olive oil. Toss the tomatoes with the spices and oil, roast and then broil to char the tomatoes. Spoon charred, hot tomatoes on top of the cold yogurt and serve with pita wedges or baguette slices. HOW EASY IS THAT?

Run out to the store and get cherry tomatoes right now. If you are growing tomatoes, go check for ripe ones and pull them off the vine. I was blown away by how flavorful and simple this dish is. The spices enhance the tomatoes and the lemon adds a nice citrusy zing. The contrast of the hot tomatoes and the cold yogurt adds yet another note. Serve with toasted baguette slices or pita wedges.

Luckily I have a little herb box right outside my kitchen, I picked a couple of stems of oregano and thyme for the dish, slivered some garlic, zested a lemon (yippee, I have a lemon tree too) and sprinkled on the cumin seeds. While the tomatoes were roasting, I pulled out the carton of Labneh I had picked up at the International Bazaar and seasoned it with salt and lemon peel. Labneh is the Middle Eastern version of thick yogurt. You can use this or a Greek full-fat yogurt, both will work. I plopped it into a good size shallow bowl, swirled a groove in the center to hold the tomatoes and then placed the bowl in the fridge to keep the yogurt cold while the tomatoes were roasting.

Yum, yum, yum.

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Charred Tomatoes with Cold Yogurt

A delicious dip from Ottolenghi! Serve with pita wedges or crostini.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Mediterranean

Keyword appetizer, cherry tomatoes, greek yogurt

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

12 ¼ oz/350g cherry tomatoes
3 tbsp olive oil
¾ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp light brown sugar
3 garlic cloves thinly sliced
3 thyme sprigs
6 oregano sprigs: 3 sprigs left whole and the rest stemmed to serve
1 lemon: finely shave the skin of ½ to get 3 strips then finely grate the other ½ to get 1 tsp zest
Flaked sea salt and black pepper
1 2 ∕3 cups/350g extra-thick Greek-style yogurt or Labneh fridge-cold
½ tsp other crushed red pepper flakes
pita wedges or baguette slices

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Place the tomatoes in a mixing bowl with the olive oil, cumin, sugar, garlic, thyme, oregano sprigs, lemon strips, ½ teaspoon of flaked salt and a good grind of pepper. Mix to combine, then transfer to a baking sheet just large enough—about 6 x 8 inches/15 x 20 centimeters— to fit all the tomatoes together snugly.
Place the sheet about 2 inches/5 centimeters beneath the broiler and roast for 20 minutes, until the tomatoes are beginning to blister and the liquid is bubbling. Turn the oven to the broil setting and broil for 6 to 8 minutes, until the tomatoes start to blacken on top.
While the tomatoes are roasting, combine the yogurt with the grated lemon zest and ¼ tsp of flaked salt. Keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
Once the tomatoes are ready, spread the chilled yogurt on a platter (or in a wide, shallow bowl, creating a dip in it with the back of a spoon. Spoon the hot tomatoes on top, along with their juices, lemon strips, garlic, and herbs, and finish with the oregano leaves and chile flakes. Serve at once.

Bowled Over, Udon Want to Miss My Newest Obsession (Udon)

By threejamigos | May 25, 2019 | Comments 0 Comment

Hang on to your hats, imagine Times Square, with all its neon signs and flashing lights dedicated solely to FOOD. Yep, that’s the only way I can describe the Dotonbori area of Osaka. Swarms of people, whose sole purpose is to find all things delicious to eat. A giant 3-D crab, or shrimp or potsticker over the door of a dining establishment making it easy to figure out their specialty. The delicious aromas swirling around, changing with every step as they walk by tempura houses, ramen joints, crab feasts and yakitori vendors.

Welcome to Crazy Town for food

Yep, we bit. Drawn by the people, hypnotized by the lights, we ate our way down the street. We tasted Takoyaki, octopus cakes, (not really cakes, I just couldn’t bring myself to call them balls). Think Ebelskiver with octopus bits. We munched on skewers of yakitori, sampled matcha and black sesame soft serve and found taiyakis, fish-shaped cakes filled with red beans.

Udon want to miss the noodles

Our last stop was the perfect cap for the evening. Walking back to our hotel we found a local shop in Namba with a trio of old cooks serving up delicious udon noodles. We decided what toppings we wanted on our noodles, slipped our yens (=TWO DOLLARS A BOWL) into the machine, and handed the tickets to the chef. Minutes later 3 hot steaming bowls of udon were placed in front of us.

Unlike ramen, the noodles are much thicker with a definite chew. The broth is flavorful but clear and light, fish-based, different than the rich, heavy broth that you find with ramen. Toppings are simple-fried tofu (abura-age), a raw egg that cooks in the steaming hot broth, a single tempura shrimp, or a clump of shredded seasoned beef and a sprinkling of green onion. We slurped our noodles and tipped the bowls to spoon out the last drops of broth. You’d think we hadn’t eaten all day. Ha!

Thus My Obsession with Udon Began…

As soon as I got home plus 12 hours of catch-up sleep, I pulled out my copy of Japanese Soul Cooking by Tadashi Ono. A gem of a book on homey Japanese comfort food. I flipped to the udon section and then I was off to the market to look for ingredients. I had purchased a delicious Dashi base in Tsujiki Market in Tokyo, perfect for my udon. To make your own Dashi here is a great primer from Just One Cookbook. OR, Kikkoman makes a soup base Hon Tsuyu that makes a pretty good dashi broth base.

Working down my list, next the udon noodles. Udon comes fresh, frozen, and (if you can’t find fresh or frozen udon) dried. Sigh, just not the same. I also found abura-age or fried tofu skin which is used to make Kitsune Udon. The fried tofu skins are flattened and seasoned with soy sauce and placed on top of the udon. Really delicious, and substantial enough for a satisfying vegetarian bowl of udon. It can be difficult to find abura-age though and in that case, Inari-age, seasoned deep-fried tofu pouches used to make Sushi Rice balls, is a convenient and easy substitute. No need to season, just plop them on top of the cooked noodles. Confused about tofu? Serious Eats’s Tofu primer is your ticket. The carnivore in me though, bought some thinly sliced beef (sukiyaki beef is perfect) to make Niku Udon, yummo.

Making udon is very approachable. It’s perfectly acceptable to start with a broth made from Dashi bags and pre-made noodles.

Travel to Eat

People travel to buy clothes and souvenirs, I buy food, Dashi, Furikake’, Soba Boro cookies…yep, travel driven by food.

Studying up, here’s the scoop, on udon.

I used Dashi packets to make the Tsuyu. This is your base, add soy sauce and mirin to flavor the Tsuyu.

Optimally, use Sanukiya noodles, most likely found in the frozen section of your favorite Asian market. The noodles are a bit firmer and hold up well. The pre-cooked noodles only take a couple of minutes to separate and heat in hot water, presto-dunzo. There are Korean versions of Udon noodles too, and they are very good.

Toppings for udon can be as simple as an egg, gently poached for the raw egg-squeamish, Abura-age, tempura, fishcake, or really ANYTHING you feel like putting on your noodles!

Kitsune Udon

Simple, satisfying, soulful, best describes a bowl of Udon, thick, slurpable, noodles, in a clear broth.

Course noodles, one bowl meal, One dish meals

Cuisine Asian

Keyword Kitsune, Udon

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 10

Ingredients

Abura-age (Tofu)

1 package Abura-age or 4 Abura-age

For Simmering Abura-age:

3/4 cup dashi soup stock
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. mirin

For Soup:

5 cup dashi soup stock
3 Tbsp. mirin
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
Salt adjusting the amount of salt to your preference

Noods and Garnishes

4 packages pre-boiled udon noodles
Optional: 4 slices kamaboko fish cake for topping
green onions, sliced

Instructions

Heat dashi, mirin, sugar, and soy sauce in a medium pan and bring to a boil. Adjust the flavor with salt as you like.
Simmer aburaage in the soup on low heat until the liquid is almost gone. Set aside.
Boil water in a large pan and heat udon noodles as indicated in the package.
Drain the udon and divide into four bowls.
Pour the hot soup over udon noodles.
Top with seasoned aburaage and kamaboko slices.
Garnish with green onions

OR buy the more readily available Inari age or seasoned tofu pouches and just plop those straight into your bowl. Inari age is the fried tofu pouches used to make Inari Sushi

Or the carnivore delight…

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Niku Udon

Udon Noodles topped with stir fried seasoned beef and onions.

Course Soup

Cuisine Asian

Keyword japanese, Noodle, soup, Udon

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 15

Servings 4 servings

Author Adapted from Japanese Soul Food

Ingredients

Niku Ingredients

1/4 cup sake
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 pound sukiyaki beef or thinly sliced flank steak, ribeye
1/4 yellow onion, thinly sliced optional

Soup

6 cups udon tsuyu*

4 bricks fresh or frozen udon noodles can substitute dried Sanuki Udon
1-2 green onion thinly sliced
Shichimi togarashi

Udon Tsuyu

6 cups dashi
1/2 cup mirin
1/2 cup Usukuchi soy sauce light soy sauce
1/2 - 1 teaspoon salt or to taste

Instructions

Tsuyu

Prepare broth and keep warm.

Beef

Combine sake, sugar and soy sauce in a bowl and stir well. Add beef and mix together, coating meat well. Marinade beef for 10 minutes.
Preheat dry non-stick skillet or well seasoned wok/iron skillet. If including onion, saute onion slices just until soft before adding the beef. Add beef and marinade to skillet. Spread beef in skillet to cook evenly. Cook over high heat until beef has lost its pinkness and most of liquid has evaporated, approximately 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Udon Noodles

Bring large pot of water to a boil. Add each packet of noodles. gently spread noodles out. When water comes back to a boil, the noodles are done. Drain well and divide among bowls.
Pour hot broth over noodles. Divide beef among bowls, garnish with green onions and shichimi togarashi. Serve immediately.

Yeh! A Delicious Chocolate Marzipan Scone Loaf

By threejamigos | April 24, 2019 | Comments 0 Comment

I recently added the cookbook Molly on the Range to the 3Jamigos shop. I couldn’t resist, the Kindle edition is going for a buck ninety-nine. That’s just ridiculous, you can’t even get a cup of joe for that. Molly on the Range has been out a couple of years and every now and then it would dance across my feed. I’d think, cute book from that blogger, My Name is Yeh, and keep going. Fast forward a couple of years, and well whaddya know, her book took off and she has a television show, Girl Meets Farm. Overachiever, just kidding…but it piqued my interest so I got a copy. I started reading… Julliard trained percussionist, city girl who moved from Chicago to the Big Apple to a farm in North Dakota. Huh?

Well, the book is delightful. Her writing is warm, friendly, and spunky. Her photos make me hungry and the drawn illustrations are a really nice touch. I love cookbooks that tell a story. Just like A Common Table, the recipes are the icing on the cake and the cake is the delicious stories of family, friends, and discovery.

Her riff on a Midwest tradition the “hot dish”, a casserole with wild rice or some sort of starch, canned cream soup, and frozen veggies Come on now, who didn’t grow up with a casserole that started with Cream of Mushroom or Chicken Soup, hmm, hmm, good. Her version is a made from scratch, a chicken pot pie filling topped with loads of tater tots. SOUNDS GOOD TO ME. As much as I love pie crust, I do have a soft spot for tots.

Plus, she had me laughing with “You cover the bitch with Tater Tots”. Cute with attitude, I like that.

But before trying the classic hot dish, another one of her recipes beckoned my baker side, Dark Chocolate Marzipan Scone Loaf. Whaat? Scone loaf? Yep, scone dough baked in a loaf pan. The texture is much like a scone, buttery, crumbly, not too sweet, PERFECT with coffee or tea. The kicker? Little chunks of marzipan provide a burst of sweet almond flavor in each bite tempered by the bitterness of dark chocolate. Like a rumble in your mouth. Soooo good.

The dough is a snap to put together. Dry ingredients go into your food processor, pulse cold chunks of butter into the flour mixture. Pour butter-flour mixture into a bowl with marzipan and chocolate chunks. Stir in eggs, cream, and extracts just until combined. Don’t overmix and keep ingredients cold (just like biscuits and scones). Scoop the dough into a loaf pan, gently shaping it so the dough is even. Sprinkle the top with sugar and bake. Before you know it you’ll be sitting down enjoying a delicious slice of chocolatey-almondy scone bread. Yum!

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Dark chocolate Marzipan Scone Loaf

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Dark chocolate, marzipan, quick bread, scone loaf

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1 5

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

7 or 8 ounces marzipan chopped into ½-inch pieces
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
½ cup dark chocolate chips
2 cups flour plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar plus 1 teaspoon
¾ cup cold unsalted butter cut into ½-inch cubes
2 large eggs
½ cup buttermilk or heavy cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
Jam for serving

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, allowing 1-inch wings to hang over the edges on the long sides.
In a large bowl, toss together the marzipan and powdered sugar to coat. Add the chocolate and set aside.
In a food processor, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and 2 tablespoons of the sugar and pulse to combine.
Add the butter cubes and pulse until the butter is the size of peas. Add this to the bowl with the marzipan.
In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk or cream, and extracts and add to the dry ingredients. Use a spatula to stir just until combined.
Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and spread it out evenly.
Sprinkle the top with the remaining 1 teaspoon sugar and bake until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Begin checking for doneness at 40 minutes.
Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove to the rack to cool completely.
Slice with a serrated knife and serve with jam.

Bacon Up Some Candied Bacon Bites

By threejamigos | April 19, 2019 | Comments 1 comment

Looking for something sweet and salty to round out a cheese board for a weekday meeting, I thought of the Bloody Mary I had at a happy hour in Minneapolis with Jamie. I don’t remember much about the Bloody Mary but the CANDIED BACON swizzle stick that served as a stirrer and edible garnish was delicious.

Candied bacon would be perfect for my cheese board but in bite-size pieces to go along with the cheese and crackers. In its simplest form, coat thick cut bacon pieces with brown sugar and bake, but no one leaves well enough alone. For this batch, I used brown sugar and chili powder. Next time I might use cayenne for spice, or smoked paprika for smokiness, chili pepper or black pepper…really whatever you like. Another riff, combine Siracha Sauce and brown sugar, coat the bacon with the sauce and bake as directed.

Note: Line the pan with foil before placing the metal rack on the pan for the bacon. You only need to spread the brown sugar and spices on one side.

20 minutes later-ta-da, candied bacon for breakfast, drinks, happy hour munchies, salads…anything and everything is better with bacon.

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Candied Bacon

Bacon Candy!

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Keyword Candied bacon

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Ingredients

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1-11/2 teaspoon chili powder or 1 teaspoon black pepper, or smoked paprika, or 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
20 slices of thick-cut bacon 1 pound

Instructions

Step Preheat the oven to 400°. Line large rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place a wire rack over the foil.
In a small bowl, whisk the brown sugar with the chili powder.
Cut bacon into approximately 2-inch pieces. Arrange the bacon pieces on the rack and coat the tops with the chili sugar.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until caramelized and almost crisp.
Allow bacon to cool completely on rack; remove from rack and serve. If bacon is made early, leave at room temperature before serving.

Notes

A spicy twist, combine 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup Siracha Sauce. Coat the bacon and bake as directed.

Muffin been the Mochi that Caught My Eye (Butter Mochi Muffins)

By threejamigos | February 21, 2019 | Comments 64 comments

Always searching for new and different treats, I came across an article that spotlighted Third Culture Bakery in Berkeley. The baker is an alum of Cal (Go Bears) who chose food over toxicology (good choice) and thus Mochi Muffins made with sweet rice flour were put on the map. Though I haven’t made it to Berkeley to try one, I found a couple of recipes online that sounded scrumptious, so it was off to the rices! Update: I just posted a new mochi muffin recipe, Mango Mochi Muffins made with mango tea and freeze-dried mangos! It’s small-batch baking, only 8 regular size delicious muffins.

My Sweet Rice, Oh My Rice

For the uninitiated, mochi (sweet rice flour) is a cornerstone of Asian treats. Sweet rice is PULVERIZED into flour to which water and flavorings are added. It ends up looking like the BLOB, really. It can be flavored, baked, steamed, fried and made into countless delicious treats both sweet and savory. During New Year’s, Japanese families gather to pound mochi in a tradition called Mochitsuki. Just for your viewing pleasure here is Mitsuo Nakatani, Japanese Mochi Master. Enjoy.

Traditional mochi starts with steamed rice and is pounded and shaped into sweet or savory rice cakes. Mochi muffins and Hawaiian Butter Mochi start with sweet rice flour, mixed with liquids, and baked. Since I don’t foresee any of us pounding mochi, let’s make muffins and Hawaiian Mochi. Infinitely easier and pretty darn tasty.

Back on the Muffin Trail

If you have ever had Manju from Shuei-Do Sweet Shop in Japantown in San Jose, or Butter Mochi from Hawaii and liked it…you’re going to love these. If you haven’t had mochi, this is a good introduction. Not quite as gooey as Manju and definitely not cakey like a muffin, it’s a delicious hybrid of the two. A touch of sweetness, crispy on the outside, dense and chewy on the inside, and crunchy from the generous sprinkle of sesame seeds on top. It’s different but delicious. If that wasn’t enough, they are GLUTEN-FREE. You’re welcome.

Rice, Rice, Baby

The most important item in the pic is the Mochiko Sweet Rice Flour by Koda Farms. This is the go-to brand. You can definitely find it in any Asian store (along with the sesame seeds), and if you’re lucky, at some of your larger local markets. Take a walk down the international/ethnic food aisle.

I found quite a few recipes for Mochi Muffins online and finally settled on one from a beautiful blog called Snixy Kitchen. Her batch made 12 muffins, which made her recipe the frontrunner as most made 24. As yummy as they are, what am I going to do with 24 muffins?!

The batter comes together in a snap: melted butter, coconut milk, egg, brown sugar, and rice flour. Stir together and pour into a muffin tin. Boom, done. My batter was thicker than some of the posts I’ve seen. This may account for the slight dome mine had. I also found a recipe from Saimin Noshrat in the NYT. I think I may try a couple of her tweaks the next time I make these. Trust me, there will be a next time. I will use light brown sugar, substitute evaporated milk for some of the coconut milk, and brown my butter. Not to worry, a full report will follow. Hmmm, can’t wait to make another batch.

The longer you leave these in the oven, the less gooey and more cake-like they will be. The first batch was baked for 60 minutes. I think I should have pulled them out sooner, I like gooey. Now I check at 40 minutes and pull them out around 45 minutes. To test them, use a knife to poke the center of a muffin. It should come out fairly clean with a bit of crumb.

More Mochi Madness

After making these muffins if you like the chewiness, definitely try the Hawaiian Butter Mochi Muffins, inspired by Aloha Kitchen by Alana Kysar. A little less flour and a bit more liquid kick up the gooey, buttery, lusciousness of these bites. Bake them in a muffin tin for crispy edges. I ADORE both of these muffins.

These are soooo good, a little more squishy, very buttery, topped with shredded coconut.

Also check out Peanut Butter Mochi from A Common Table by Cynthia Chen McTernan. Delish! LOVE, love, LOVE

If you would like to try traditional Japanese Mochi, here are my recommendations: Fugetsu-Do in Little Tokyo in LA, the oldest family-owned Japanese Shop in the US, Shuei Do Manju Shop in San Jose, and in my hometown of SF, Benkyodo Company in Japantown (now closed😢😢😢 ). All family-owned artisan shops.

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4.53 from 19 votes

Butter Mochi Muffins

Course Dessert

Cuisine Asian-American

Keyword coconut milk, Gluten free, mochi muffin

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Ingredients

1/4 cup (2 ounces )unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for greasing pans sub brown-butter
2 cups (320 grams) mochiko sweet rice flour Koda Farms
1 cup (200 grams) organic dark brown sugar* light or dark brown sugar will work
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 tsp sea salt
1 13 ounce can full-fat coconut milk Sub evaporated milk, half to all
2 large eggs room temperature
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon molasses optional, added for flavor or use Golden Syrup or honey
1½ tablespoons each black and toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F and place the oven rack in the middle of the oven.
Grease the sides and top of a 12-cup muffin tin well with soft butter.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the sweet rice flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, coconut milk, eggs, vanilla, and molasses.
With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until completely combined.
Divide the batter among the prepared muffin tin, filling each cup all the way to the top.
Sprinkle the tops with black and white sesame seeds.
Bake 45-50 minutes until the top is brown and crispy and the muffin springs back when poked with a finger. Bake for less time. for muffins that are chewier and less cakey. Muffins are done when a skewer comes out relatively clean and the tops are brown.
Let cool 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Can be frozen and thawed at room temp.

Notes

Organic dark brown sugar is richer and more caramel-y than conventional, but you can use regular brown sugar.

Any muffin tin will do, but for ultimate crispy exterior, use a dark non-stick muffin tin.

If using a light muffin tin, you may have to bake the muffins a little bit longer.

If keeping them for longer, they'll lose their crispiness after a day or two in storage, put them in the oven for a few minutes to crisp again before eating.

Oyako Donburi Hmmm, Maybe the Chicken and the Egg Came Together?

By threejamigos | February 15, 2019 | Comments 0 Comment

I am soooo excited! We are adding a new category to 3Jamigos! The kids have flown the coop and are making their own way, Jeff in the City close by (yippee), Jorge in Korea teaching (so far away) and Jams currently working and freezing her tush off in Minneapolis (half of so far away). Luckily we have FaceTime, phones, texting and when that just won’t do, flights. Just an airplane ride away.

A California-Texas kinda gal, winter in Minneapolis is a new experience for Jamie. Down jackets, scarves and gloves are now a part of her wardrobe vernacular, as is staying indoors. The winter weather has her looking for activities inside to keep her busy. For Christmas, we gave her knitting needles, yarn and starter lessons from Wes on how to knit. Big hit, knitting up a storm haha.

Jamie has always loved to bake and cook. She’s a natural, and with this weather, she has been doing alot more cooking and baking.

A recent call went like this:

Mui (her nickname): Mom, can you send me your Oyako Donburi recipe? Is it easy to make?

Me: Sure. Yep, it’s pretty easy. One pan, a couple of eggs, chicken, and onions.

Mui: That sounds good, I love rice bowls and I can bring the leftovers to work.

LIGHTBULB MOMENT: Hey, why don’t we both make Oyako Donburi and then post about it? You have done spots before on 3Jamigos. We’ll alternate picking recipes to make and blog about!

THUS a new 3jamigos category was born, M&M which stands for Mom and Mui. Mui means little sister. We have been calling Jamie Mui since Day One.

Oyako Donburi is the perfect dish to launch M&M. Chicken, sliced shiitake mushrooms, onions are cooked in a savory-sweet sauce of soy sauce, sake, dashi. Lightly beaten eggs are then poured on top of the chicken and sauce and simmered until just cooked through, then the chicken and egg mixture is placed on top of hot rice. Watch your kids, hubby, neighbors, everybody gobble it up. So delicious, classic Japanese soul food.

So without further adieu, our inaugural M&M post by Jamie on making Oyako Donburi in cold & snowy Minneapolis.

HELLOOOO WORLD/readers of 3jamigos.com. It’s ME. J A M I E. Ya know, that crazy girl who moved to Minneapolis to live in -30 DEGREE WEATHER. Nope, that wasn’t a typo. It really was NEGATIVE 30 on my drive into work last week. GLOBAL WARMING IS REAL PEOPLE. (I know that doesn’t really make sense, but global warming is causing polar vortexes normally over THE NORTH POLE to break apart and dip down to lower parts of the globe). It’s so cold that you can’t stand outside with exposed skin for more than 5 minutes without getting frostbite. FROSTBITE. Schools were closed. The roads were empty. But I still had to go to work. Once I got over that, it really wasn’t bad. They are GREAT about paving and salting the roads, so it was actually a breeze getting to and from work.

BUT enough about me. Let’s talk about the fact that my mom and I decided to start a mother-daughter blog where we cook the same dish separately and talk about it, AND THE FIRST DISH WE PICKED JUST HAPPENED TO TRANSLATE TO “Parent (chicken) and child (egg).” Damn, we are GOOD, people. You couldn’t even make this stuff up. I mean, I guess you could. It would make a great lifetime/hallmark movie. Ok. Enough interruptions. Let’s get down to the food.

Okayo Donburi. The ultimate comfort food. It’s a mix of chicken and eggs (parent and child) with a sweet/salty/chickeny sauce and sautéed onions. Pour it over some rice, and all the stresses of your day melt away. The best part? It is SO easy to make.

Chop up some onions, slice some mushrooms, toss it into the pan with some chicken broth, mirin, soy sauce, and sugar, and top it off with some eggs and chicken. E A S Y and so foolproof even my mom could make it and she suuuuckkss at cooking (if you couldn’t tell). I like to add in extra mushrooms and chicken. Sometimes extra onions. Pretty much extra everything. It is that good. Mom used to make it all the time when I was little, and it was one of my favorite dishes then too. So far, I’ve made it 3 times since winter started. That’s how good it is.

So now, for lack of a better conclusion, stop reading this post and go make it. Go!

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Oyako Donburi

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian

Keyword Oyako Donburi

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 30

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces
4-5 eggs lightly beaten
1/2 yellow onion thinly sliced, red onion can be used
1 green onion sliced on the diagonal
2-3 dried shiitake mushrooms soaked to soften, sliced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Sauce Mixture

1 cup dashi (fish based stock) can substitute low sodium chicken broth
5 T soy sauce
2 1/2 T sugar can cut to 2 T
21/2 T mirin substitute sake to decrease sweetness
cilantro garnish if desired

Instructions

In a small bowl, lightly beat eggs and set aside.
Heat saute' pan, add vegetable oil then onions and mushrooms, fry for 1-2 minutes until onions are soft. Add sauce mixture, heat through.
Add chicken and lower flame to medium-low. Cook for 3-4 minutes, turning the chicken over. Cook until chicken loses pinkness
Add eggs evenly over top of chicken. Cover and cook over low heat until eggs are just cooked should not be dry.
Garnish with green onions or cilantro and nori strips
Divide into portions and serve over rice. If desired, individual portions can be made. Quarter ingredients and use a small omelet pan to make.

Potato Leek-i-ty Split Soup (Instant Pot Potato Leek Soup)

By threejamigos | February 7, 2019 | Comments 0 Comment

I love Potato Leek Soup. If you dig into the 3jamigos archive this soup pops up a couple of times. This is my go-to soup. In the winter, I make a hearty, rustic version with lots of potatoes, smokey bacon, and heavy cream, perfect for a chilly evening. The summer version is lightened with a bit more stock and light cream, pureed so it is silky smooth, and served at room temperature. Both are crazy delicious and proof of the “Versatility of Vichyssoise”.

The hubs called me at work one afternoon last week with that age old question, “What’s for dinner?”. With my long commute, I knew it had to something quick and easy. A salad? stir fry? Quick pasta dish? As ideas popped up in my brain (including restaurant names), I heard Wes say, how about potato leek soup?

Crusty French bread, glass of wine, bowl of soup..I was all in. But, silly, soup takes awhile…wait, hmmm.

Enter the Instant Pot. I have made other soups in my IP. Why not? A quick Google search landed on quite a few recipes for Potato Leek in an Instant Pot. Why didn’t I think of this before?

I saute’ the vegetables in the Instant Pot, added the stock, set the timer to 7 minutes and forgot about it until I heard the beep-beep-beep. Finish with cream and garnish…DONE. How easy is that? Ahhh dinner on the table in less than an hour and only 1 pot to clean. Perfect.

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Instant Pot Potato Leek Soup

A delicious, quick and easy recipe for Potato Leek Soup made in your pressure cooker

Course Soup

Cuisine French

Keyword Instant Pot, Potato Leek Soup

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Resting time 10

Total Time 30

Calories 244kcal

Ingredients

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Butter
3 large Leeks white part only, cleaned and sliced into rounds(1/8")
1 yellow onion diced
2 cloves Garlic minced
2 Tbsp Flour
5-6 cups Chicken Broth
1 Bay Leaf
1 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp White Pepper
1 lb Gold Potatoes (4-5 spuds if using Yukon Gold, 3 russets) peeled and diced
1/2 cup heavy cream or half and half
Garnish
Chopped Chives
Sour Cream
Anything your little heart desires

Instructions

Press the Sauté button on the Instant Pot. When hot, add the oil and butter.
Add the onion. Cook until soft, stirring occasionally, approximately 5 minutes. Try not to let it brown. Add leeks, cook for additional 3-4 minutes until the leeks are soft.
Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant, stirring frequently.
Sprinkle the flour over the onion-leeks mixture and stir. Cook for a minute to get the raw taste out of the flour.
Stir in the broth. Be sure to dissolve the flour and scrape the bottom of the pot. The Instant Pot senses particles on the bottom and will shut off to prevent burning.
Add the bay leaf, salt, pepper, and the potatoes. Stir.
Put the lid on the pot and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
Press the Manual (or Pressure Cook) button, and the + or - button to choose 7 minutes. then forget about it until the timer goes off.
When the cooking cycle has ended, let the pot naturally release pressure for 10 minutes. Then manually release the remaining steam.
10. When the pin in the lid drops, open it and stir the soup. Remove the bay leaf. Then use an immersion blender to puree it. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can use a blender, pureeing the soup in small batches very carefully.
11. Stir in the cream or half and half.
12. Taste and adjust salt, if needed.

Garnish with chopped chives, sour cream, bacon...just about anything you like, corn, shrimp, crab.

Notes

Blend soup just a bit leaving chunks of potatoes for a more rustic soup. Blend until completely smooth for a classic version. Reserve part of the soup, before adding the cream, to freeze for a rainy day. Rainy day instructions-heat soup slowly and add cream once it is warmed.

This soup serves as a wonderful base for a vegetable soup. Add chopped spinach at the end and heat and stir occasionally until spinach wilts.

Use clam juice as part of the stock for a seafood twist. Garnish with shrimp or crab. yummos.