Category: Quick & Easy

Easy Dishes

Dad’s Fried Rice With a Little Tweak

Dad’s Fried Rice With a Little Tweak

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Having recently posted a fried rice recipe (Kim Chee Fried Rice-Koreatown), this comes a bit sooner than expected, but a couple of things prompted this post.  The rain is back with a vengeance so I have been holed up at home with Sammy.  The perfect time to scrounge around the fridge and use whatever we have for dinner.

I found leftover rice, onions, eggs, a bell pepper, and some Chinese sausage…yum, all the fixins for fried rice.  It’s easy, delish, down-home food. To top it off, my brother’s family spent the holidays in Hawaii and brought me back SPAM per my request.  I know you’re thinking-we have SPAM here, duh.  Yes, but Hawaii is the Spam capital of the world. We have regular, lite, and less salt, but head to any supermarket on the Islands and you will find a dizzying array of SPAM.

Welcome to Spam-a-lot

There’s Tocino SPAM, Portuguese Sausage SPAM, Garlic SPAM, Teriyaki SPAM, Black Pepper SPAM, Jalapeno SPAM, and the list’s keep going.  Who knew?  My niece grabbed a can of Tocino (Filipino) Spam which just happens to be my favorite. It’s sweet and salty and perfect for fried rice.  Fire up that wok, baby.

So this is a rift on my Dad’s Fried Rice.  He would always use Chinese BBQ Pork but sweet Chinese sausage and SPAM (yes!) are a good stand-in.  The beauty of fried rice is you can put whatever you like in and make it your own.  The foundation of course starts with rice, preferably day-old rice (drier), aromatics such as minced ginger, onions, scallions, seasonings-salt, soy sauce, oyster sauce, white pepper, eggs, and some sort of protein bbq pork, spam, bacon, shrimp, your choice.  My Dad always added peas and shredded lettuce in his for color and probably to sneak some vegetables in.  Bell peppers, leeks, diced carrots are also great additions.

Go crazy and make your own signature fried rice, the sky’s (and what’s in your fridge) the limit.

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Dad’s Fried Rice Gets an Island Makeover

A delicious island version of fried rice, chinese sausage and Spam, proteins contributing flavor and texture!
Course dinner, lunch, One dish meals, Side Dish
Cuisine Asian-American
Keyword downhome, fried rice, homemade, lop cheung, rice, spam
Prep Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2-3 cups cooked day old rice long grain preferred, but short grain will work
  • 1 T vegetable oil
  • 1/2 onion finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup diced red or green bell pepper*
  • 1/2 cup diced carrot*
  • 2-3 slices fresh ginger minced, 1 clove garlic minced (optional)
  • 1/2 cup diced Chinese bbq pork or SPAM
  • 1 Chinese sausage lop cheung and 2 slices of spam, diced
  • 2 eggs slightly scrambled
  • 1/2 cup green peas
  • 1-2 green onions coarsely minced
  • 1/2 cup shredded lettuce iceberg or romaine

Seasonings

  • 1 T soy sauce
  • 1 T oyster sauce
  • 1/4 t sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • white pepper
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil optional

Instructions

  • Heat a large saute' pan or wok and add the 1 T of oil to pan. Add onions, bell pepper (and any raw vegetable you like such as diced carrots or bell peppers) to the pan.
  • Saute' until vegetables are soft approximately 5 minutes. Add Chinese sausage and SPAM and continue to saute until sausage is heated through and SPAM is brown and with crispy edges.. Remove from pan to bowl and reserve.
  • To the same pan add 1 T oil. When shimmering add ginger and garlic (optional) and saute' until fragrant (15-30 seconds)
  • Add rice to pan, breaking up the clumps as you stir fry the rice and ginger. When the rice is coated with the oil, move rice to the perimeter of pan creating a well in the center. Pour eggs into center of pan and scramble. As soon as the egg is slightly set mix into rice, do not overcook the egg.
  • Toss vegetable mixture back into the pan along with the peas. Stir to incorporate and heat through.
  • Season with soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil is using, and pepper. Taste, use salt if necessary.
  • Just before removing from pan add shredded lettuce and green onions
  • Garnish with green onions or cilantro if desired.
  • Serve immediately.
Rice Rice Baby (Kimchi Fried Rice)

Rice Rice Baby (Kimchi Fried Rice)

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Growing up I remember we had one big pot, well worn, dented and it’s bottom darkened from frequent use.  It was my Dad’s favorite cooking utensil and he used it for everything.  He stir-fried, boiled, simmered, stewed and steamed in that pot and everything that came out of that pot was amazing.  I loved his fried rice.  He started with rice leftover from the previous night’s dinner added diced sweet barbecued pork, green peas, bits of scrambled eggs and finished off with shredded lettuce.  He seasoned it with soy sauce, oyster sauce, ginger, and onions it was the epitome of a delicious one pot meal.  As I grew older I would help by stirring and flipping the rice in the pot as he added the ingredients.

Everything comes full circle.  Fried rice is also a favorite of my kids.  Though I often make my Dad’s version, there are infinite variations of the dish.  A down home version with salted fish, bits of chicken and ginger to the Korean version made with spicy pickled kimchi, yum.  As much as I love my Dad’s, my current favorite is kimchi fried rice.  I recently picked up a new cookbook titled Koreatown by Deuki Hong and Matt Rodbard. A glimpse into living, eating and playing in  Koreatown USA.  It starts with a primer on Korean ingredients followed by recipes.  Vignettes are interspersed throughout the book on growing up in K-Town NYC and touring other Koreatowns throughout the country.  Recipes range from traditional to let’s take Mom’s recipe and “tweak” it.  Gorgeous photos of the food, restaurants and K-Town life bring the stories and recipes to life.  You will need two copies of this book.  One in the kitchen to cook from and one on your coffee table to read and enjoy.

Back to kimchi fried rice.  There are some universal trade secrets when it comes to making great fried rice.  The rice should be day old not freshly made.  Fresh rice contains too much moisture for making fried rice. You can use long grain or short grain rice.  Keep in mind short grain will be a little stickier than long grain but it still works. You can practically put anything into your dish and chances are it will be good.  Pineapple and bbq pork,  shrimp, leeks and pine nuts, or try Hawaiian style with spam (don’t laugh its really good), ono-licious as they say on the islands.   Koreatown’s kimchi fried rice has a secret ingredient, bacon.   Yep, porky goodness to go along with the spicy pickled flavor of the kimchi that gives this fried rice a nice twist. Even though the Koreatown recipe is pretty darn good on its own I tweaked it to my taste.  I love the bacon which added a smoky saltiness but I wanted a little sweetness so in addition to the bacon I added diced chinese sausage (lop cheung).  A touch of soy sauce and sesame oil heightened the flavor of the dish.  I don’t have a refrigerator in my garage with homemade kimchi (every Korean family has one) so my kimchi comes from my neighborhood farmer’s market. You can usually find kimchi and Chinese sausage at most Asian markets.  Top with a perfectly fried egg and you have a delicious easy & quick one pot meal.  I hope you will try it.

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Kim Chee Fried Rice-Koreatown

Ingredients

Adapted from Koreatown

  • 8 ounces slab bacon roughly chopped or reduce amount of bacon 4 ounces & add 1-2 chinese sausages that have been diced to 1/4 inch pieces
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 medium onion finely chopped
  • One 1-inch piece ginger peeled and minced
  • 2 cups cooked long-grain white rice preferably day-old rice in a pinch short grain will work also
  • 1½ cups chopped napa cabbage kimchi I use quite a bit less, approximately 1/2 cup
  • Kosher salt to taste or soy sauce (start with 1 tablespoon)
  • 2 tablespoons butter softened
  • 1-2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon gochujang korean pepper paste
  • 4 eggs fried sunny-side up, for serving or if you like you can soft scramble eggs and add to rice at the end of the cooking process.
  • Thinly sliced scallions for garnish

Instructions

  • 1. In a large wok or pot, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until the fat has rendered and the bacon is crisp, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, onion and ginger, Chinese sausage and cook until aromatic, 1 to 2 minutes.
  • 2. Add the rice and kimchi, and cook, tossing frequently until heated through, 4 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and sesame oil. Taste, add soy sauce if needed. Reduce the heat to medium low and flatten the rice with your spatula. Cook until the rice forms a crust on the bottom of the pan, 4 to 5 minutes.
  • 3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the butter and gochujang until smooth. Spoon the gochujang butter over the rice and top with fried eggs and sliced scallions, then serve.

 
Caldo Verde: Post-Election Comfort Food

Caldo Verde: Post-Election Comfort Food

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This week called for a very large helping of comfort and kindness.  Something to soothe our frazzled nerves and temper our anxiety and fear.  I know I could use some, I have half a mind to jump on a plane and go hug my kids.  I keep reminding myself, they’ll be home in a week, they’ll be home in a week.

What has helped me survive this week?  Humor, thanks Sean, hugs from Grandma. Talking to friends (not ranting, that just makes me crazy but yes I have done a lot of that too).  Escape from reality movies, we saw Dr. Strange (despite my stand against using Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One). Listening to audiobooks (instead of the news) and to my favorite music.  Thank goodness for Motown and K-Pop.  Riding my bike and taking Sammy on walks (yep, lucky I live in California).  Going to bookstores.  I went to a book signing by Dorie Greenspan at Omnivore Books on Food in the City.  That deserves its own special blog post which I will get to very soon.

And of course, Cooking and Baking

Posed the age-old question…If you could pick only one food to eat every day for the rest of your life, (asked by my kid Jordan, the “What if? Kid” right after asking “If you could pick a superpower, what would it be) I think I would say SOUP.  I love soup. My Dad often made soup as part of our evening meal.  It was amazing, he would start with a pot of water, add slices of meat, and seasonings such as ginger and scallions, assorted vegetables, and voila’, a delicious tasty soup in minutes.

So this week I turned to my ultimate comfort food, soup.  I found a recipe for Caldo Verde in Martha Stewart’s book Vegetables and it screamed make me, make me!  So I did.  A hearty Portuguese soup with potatoes, onions, collard greens, and chorizo or linguica.  Delicious.  It was warm and filling with a hint of bitterness (appropriate for this week) from the greens and spice from the sausage.  I loved it and I think you will too.  The recipe fills a nice-sized pot so share with a neighbor or friend…comfort and kindness.  It will help get you through rough days.

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As always tweak the recipe to your liking.  The original recipe calls for kale or collard greens, you can substitute greens with less bite such as chard or spinach.  Russet potatoes can be replaced by Yukon Golds giving the rustic soup a smoother less starchy texture.  In place of chorizo, try linguica or any spicy sausage.  For additional smokiness, saute a couple of strips of bacon along with the sausage and add to the soup.  Serve with slices of crusty French Bread slathered with butter (we deserve it).

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Caldo Verde: Comfort Food for My Election Blues

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil plus some for drizzling
  • 1 large onion finely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 2.5 pounds russet potatoes about 5 medium peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 8 cups low sodium chicken stock
  • 8 ounces firm chorizo or linguica halved lengthwise
  • 10-12 ounces kale tough stems trimmed and leaves thinly sliced, or collard greens
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

  • Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook, stirring periodically until softened, approximately 4 minutes.
  • Add potatoes and broth. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are soft, about 15-20 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, heat a medium sized skillet over medium heat. Add chorizo or linguine and cook until browned, approximately 3-4 minutes on each side.
  • If desired in the same pan, saute' 2 slices of bacon that have been cut into 1/2 inche pieces.
  • Transfer chorizo to a cutting board. When cool enough to handle thinly slice on the diagonal crosswise. Transfer bacon to a paper towel to drain.
  • Puree soup with a hand blender or in a regular blender in batches. Do not fill more than halfway if using a blender.
  • Return to pot and stir in greens, simmer additional 5 minutes.
  • Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Serve soup drizzled with oil and topped with chorizo and bacon.
  • Optional garnish with cilantro if desired.
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Strawberry Jam, Beyond Stupid Easy

Strawberry Jam, Beyond Stupid Easy

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I still haven’t made that transition to feeding two instead of five.  This is no more evident than when I go to the farmer’s market.  At my favorite vendor, I linger over baskets of beautiful, ripe strawberries.   I pop one in my mouth, hmmm yum, they taste as good as they look.  Okay,  STOP.  Yes, the berries are wonderful but it’s only Wes and me.  Well, there’s Sammy, but he doesn’t eat strawberries.  I really should buy just one basket.  But no, I pick up a three-pack, and Ruiz, who I have known for years, adds more berries on top.  Well, at least I didn’t buy a half flat.  A three-pack is still too many berries.  What to do.

Toast with Strawberry Jam

Berries in the Air, Berries Everywhere

I had read about a new bread baker named Josey who collaborated with Four Barrel coffee to open a shop called The Mill in The City.  Coffee and toast are their game. I LOVE toast and I LOVE coffee.  Am I the only idiot I know who owns a cookbook all about toast.  Made a mental note to try The Mill and finally dragged my friend Mel with me to check it out.  As soon as we walked in the average age jumped at least 10 years.  Music played on a retro turntable and everyone else was dressed in skinny jeans, glasses, a cool slouchy hat, and Vans.

Yes, Welcome to Hipsterville.

We stood in line (yes, a line for toast) got to the front, and ordered.

ME:  “I’ll have a slice of country bread with fresh strawberry jam and a latte…

HIPSTER SERVER:  Ok, that will be 8 dollars” Whaat? Ok, keep cool Deb, try not to act like an incredulous old fart.  Yes, I could get a bowl of noodles in Chinatown for less but sans Madonna on vinyl or copies of the New York Times.  I have to admit the toast and jam were delicious.

The fresh berry jam at The Mill was the perfect answer to my extra strawberries   I wanted a simple delicious jam, like theirs.  I wasn’t looking to make jam that I could preserve.  No canning for me thanks to a long-ago article in Reader’s Digest about one family’s nightmare with canned veggies and botulism.  I was scarred for life.

Bingo, I found a recipe for jam that you could make and keep in the fridge or freeze and it is INCREDIBLY STUPID EASY.  If in fact I were selling a book and I included this recipe I would feel silly.  But, if I didn’t tell you about it you might never know something this stupid easy exist.  Luckily this blog is free. Here is the long list of ingredients you will need-strawberries, sugar, lemon juice.  That’s it.

Toast with Jam

So, there you go.  An easy way to use all those strawberries that you couldn’t resist.  Simmer it to the desired thickness.  Be sure to keep an eye on it as it reduces.  Stir to keep it from sticking and burning.  Mine was thick like a classic jam after about an hour on the stove. Reduce the time for jam more like the Mill’s, looser and chunkier.  I added a tiny bit of vanilla to keep everyone guessing.

You can also use a combination of blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries which would be gorgeous and amazing.  I plan to try lime juice instead of lemon or perhaps add a few chili flakes for some zing.

Here’s to Toast, Homemade Jam, and Summer.

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Beyond Stupid Easy Fresh Strawberry Jam

A quick and easy freezer berry jam.
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Keyword Berry jam, blueberry, jam, Strawberry
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour

Ingredients

  • 4 cups halved strawberries or blueberries, raspberries, blackberries or combination
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract or paste optional
  • 1/4 tsp lemon zest optional

Instructions

  • Combine strawberries and sugar in a medium saucepan, let it sit and macerate for approximately 10 minutes.
  • Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.
  • Reduce heat to medium low, and simmer until desired thickness (loose and runny 15-20minutes, thick approximately 40 minutes to an hour) stirring occasionally.
  • Remove from heat, and stir in lemon juice and zest. A dash of salt if desired to round out flavor.
  • Cool to room temperature.
  • Can be stored in refrigerator for approximately 1 month or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Summer Shortcakes

Summer Shortcakes

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Whaaat!  Summer is over?  Are you kidding? Noooooooo.  My only consolation, apple season is just around the corner. Invariably I will walk out one day soon and notice the color changes and the slight chill in the air.  There is an orange hue to the sunshine of a fall day different from the unrelenting bright hot sun of summer.  The days get a little shorter and as the sun sets there is a cool crispness to the air that reminds me to break out my sweaters, my favorite apple recipes and my crockpot.   But as an ode to the waning days of summer I thought I would share a favorite summer dessert.  We picked up some beautiful peaches, nectarines and of course berries at the market. What better way to showcase the jewels of the season than shortcake. A buttery, tender pillow for our summer fruit bounty topped with a cloud of vanilla laced whipped cream.  Yum.

Shortcakes are of course a riff on one of my favorite foods..biscuits.  Yep think of them as biscuits on a sugar rush.

I have a tried and true shortcake recipe I found in Anthony Dias Blue’s America’s Kitchen.  A beautiful and OLD (once again dating myself) cookbook that literally is a delicious tour of regional cooking in the good ole’ US of A.  You could go to your supermarket and buy those spongey-like things in the cellophane wrappers that masquerade as shortcakes (really they remind me of Hostess Twinkies, eeww) or you could take a couple of minutes and whip up these easy and exponentially better tasting sweet biscuits-your call.  If you do go the spongey cake route, don’t forget to pick up a can of “real” whipped cream to go along because it would be pointless to whip cream by hand.

Oh my I think I am hangry, let’s get to those shortcakes pronto.

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These shortcakes are super quick and easy, especially if you have a food processor.  If you don’t they can be made in a bowl with a pastry blender which would add just a couple of minutes.

Remember as with biscuits or pie crust, start with COLD ingredients.  The butter should be well chilled as should be the heavy whipping cream.  The whipping cream is what makes these biscuits really tender, they practically melt in your mouth.

Scatter the butter on the flour mixture and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.  Don’t worry if there are bits of butter (petite pea size) better to under process than over process.  With the machine running add cream all at once.

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With the machine running, add cream.   Pulse until the dough starts to clump and then STOP!  You will still see dry bits but that’s ok.  Pour the mixture out on a flat surface, gather and knead the dough gently to bring it together.  Roll it into a 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick disc.  Using a biscuit cutter approximately 3 inches in diameter cut out as many rounds and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.

As your shortcakes are baking, prep your fruit and whip your cream.  I slice my strawberries, sprinkle a touch of sugar on them and let them macerate a bit.  Nothing better than strawberry juice soaking into those cakes.

Gotta be honest, I don’t follow a recipe to whip cream.  I just add a touch of sugar and a dose of vanilla and whip until soft peaks form.  Done…the best damn summer dessert..I’m out.

 

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Summer Shortcakes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter chilled, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream not ultra-pasteurized
  • 2 pints strawberries or any kind of berries or sliced peaches or nectarines your choice
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

For shortcakes:

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  • In food processor fitted with metal blade, add flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Pulse to mix.
  • Add butter and pulse until dough has the consistency of cornmeal with some pea sized pieces of butter in it.
  • With motor running add 1 cup of heavy whipping cream, process until dough just starts to come together. Do not over-process!
  • Place dough on flat surface, gather up dry bits and gently knead until dough forms a ball.
  • Roll out dough to 3/4 inch thick slab.
  • With a floured cutter, cut out 3 inch rounds and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
  • Bake 10-12 minutes until light golden brown. Set aside to cool.
  • Add powdered sugar to strawberries and let sit to macerate. (I use a couple of teaspoons of granulated sugar instead)
  • Whip cream with sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form and chill until ready to serve.
  • To assemble: Split cooled shortcake in half. Place bottom on plate and cover with strawberries including some of the juice. Place a generous dollop of whipped cream on top of the berries and cover with top of shortcake. Dust with powdered sugar.
  • Eat, preferably outside enjoying the last rays of summer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Happy Hour Happy Food

Happy Hour Happy Food

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Jamie loves happy hour.  What’s not to like?  An array of low maintenance deliciousness and refreshing drinks like sangria or cocktails.  We like loading up our bread boards with cherries, fresh sweet melon, naan topped with fruit, brie and arugula (yum) and of course a variety of cheeses and crackers.  The perfect fare that screams “kick your feet up, relax and enjoy”.  So easy.  But I’ll let her tell you…

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I bet you guys were surprised to see another post from me so soon, weren’t ya?  P.S. this is Jamie.  As promised, this post will be about happy hour!  Apart from following my mom and dad around all day, happy hour with my mom is one of my favorite things to do on the weekends when I am home.

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I’ve been bugging her all summer to invite some of her friends over for happy hour, yes I admit it, I love hanging out with my mom and her friends.  They’re absolutely crazy in the most fun way possible.  On Friday, my parents and I went with some friends to go see Secret Life of Pets (If you haven’t seen this yet, stop reading and go see it now, it is great) and we ran into one of her favorite rowing buddies (also one of my favorites, what a coincidence!!!) I finally convinced her to text her crew (HAH get it?)  and have them come over for an impromptu happy hour the next day.  It was a little last minute, so not everyone came, but naturally, my mom and I made food for an army.
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And now to go along with our theme “Happy” by Pharrell

 

Strawberry bruscettaI decided to experiment, and made strawberry bruschetta, which turned out to be a hit!  We went to Trader Joe’s and bought a baguette of regular French bread, sliced it up, brushed it with some olive oil, and popped it into our toaster oven.  While it was crisping up, I diced up about a cup and a half of strawberries, mixed them with some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, minced garlic, salt and pepper, and stuck it in the fridge til it was time to serve.  When it was time to eat, I spread each piece of toast with either goat cheese or brie cheese, topped it with the strawberry mixture, and sprinkled over some basil and goat cheese.  Stupid. Easy.

To go along with it, my mom and I made another watermelon and cantaloupe caprese salad, and crispy and garlicy smashed potatoes, one of our new obsessions.  We haven’t totally figured out how to perfectly smash them, but I’m sure we’ll figure it out soon.

And we made Bellinis!  My mom had a chilled bottle of Prosecco so we took out some flutes, poured in some peach nectar then the Prosecco and threw in a couple of fresh raspberries (ratio 2oz:4oz peach nectar to Prosecco) YUM!

By the way those cool wooden boards…made by my Dad.  Oh yeah.  If you’re lucky I’ll write down his special tuna dip recipe next time!

 

Hi Claire 🙂

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Happy Hour Happy Food

Ingredients

Yummy Happy Hour food

  • Take advantage of summer fruits!
  • Berries peaches, melons the list goes on and on
  • Your favorite Cheeses I like Cotswold, Brie
  • Guacamole
  • Chips
  • bruschetta or crostini

Brochettes of melon, prosciutto and mozzarella (adapted from Epicurious)

  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/3 cup packed fresh basil leaves plus sprigs for garnish
  • 1 medium shallot quartered
  • 1 small about 2-pound cantaloupe, halved crosswise, seeded, cut into 6 wedges, peeled
  • 6 small fresh water-packed mozzarella balls or one 8-ounce ball * drained
  • 6 thin slices prosciutto cut in half lengthwise, gathered into ruffle
  • 6 8- inch wooden skewers

Strawberry Crostini

  • Super easy and the recipe is in the text above!

Instructions

Don't really have a recipe for anything! Its just stuff I like to eat!

    Flatbreads pizzas

    • We used naan we just got at the farmer's market, grilled them quickly and placed slices of fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, grilled peach slices on them and back on the grill to melt the cheese. You could use brie or really any cheese you want. We topped them with fresh arugula that we dressed with a bit of lemon juice and olive oil. Sprinkle of pepper. DUNZO EASY

    Melon Salad we don't bother with the skewers we just throw it all in a bowl.

    • Cantalopes have been sweet! Cut melon into bite sized pizza and place on platter or bowl. Add small fresh mozarella balls and prosciutto that has been shredded into bite sized shreds.
    • Make the basil oil by combining the shallot, basil and olive oil in a processor. Process until basil and shallot is minced.
    • Drizzle oil on melon and cheese. Sprinkle on some coarse salt and cracked fresh pepper. Another DUNZO.
    Jamie’s Back Scouring Farmer’s Markets and Binge Baking! (Raspberry Buttermilk Cake)

    Jamie’s Back Scouring Farmer’s Markets and Binge Baking! (Raspberry Buttermilk Cake)

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    Hello friends!

    Since I have written more than a few slightly embarrassing posts about my—quite glamorous—life on this lovely blog, and since I know you all read it religiously, I’ve decided that we are now on the “friend” level.  (We are friends now, so you guys can’t judge me for my terrible grammar—I’m a bioengineering major, give me a break here) And since we are all friends, I have decided to let you in on a little secret: I am addicted to farmers markets.  Before you roll your eyes and laugh at how incredibly basic/dramatic/priviledged/annoying I sound let me defend myself:

    1) I had to switch it up from my normal introduction of saying hi, long time no post, complaining a little bit about my life in Texas, and making fun of my mom’s blog. Yeah. You’re welcome.

    2) I grew up in Los Gatos, the land of Kate Spade bags and Tory Burch sandals, excuse me for being a little basic.

    3) Farmer’s markets rock, whoever disagrees with me can hit the unsubscribe button right now.  (just kidding, my mom would kill me if that happened).

    Anyways, to get back on track, I love farmer’s markets.  You can literally get a free breakfast there if you just walk up and down the stalls eating samples of fruit.

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    Plus, farmers markets in California during the summer are pretty much guaranteed to be sunny and filled with the prettiest, tastiest fruits and veggies EVER.  True story.  Sam came to visit over fourth of July weekend and I dragged him around the Bay Area.  Obviously, one of the first places I took him was the San Francisco Farmer’s Market at the Ferry Building.  We were on a mission to acquire 4 pounds of peaches—yes, you read that right—to make homemade peach ice cream.  The ice cream was super simple-heavy cream, sugar, vanilla, and lots of peaches.  We made it after a long day of walking around the city, so by the time it was finally frozen enough to eat, I was asleep.  I woke up just in time to watch the end of a Euro cup quarterfinal match while eating a bowl of sweet, peachy goodness.

    To go along with our ice cream, I had baked up a simple berry cake from Epicurious that morning—you dot the cake with berries of your choice before sprinkling it with sugar and popping it into the oven.  As my mom says, “stupid easy”.  The sugar gives the cake a caramelized top crust, while the berries sink into the batter, giving it a warm and gooey center.  Unfortunately, the cake was forgotten over our  homemade ice cream excitement, but it was so good on its own the next day that no one minded a bit.  I tried to make the cake festive by using blueberries and raspberries to create red and blue stripes, but the berries sink in such a way that the stripes get all jumbled up.  Not worth the effort, but the cake still looked pretty great!

    All in all, it was a successful weekend of food!

    Stay tuned: next time I talk about my other guilty/basic pleasure: happy hour!

    Hi Claire! 🙂

     

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    Raspberry Buttermilk Cake

    Ingredients

    From Epicurious

    • 1 cup all-purpose flour
    • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 1/2 stick unsalted butter softened
    • 2/3 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar divided
    • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    • 1 large egg
    • 1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk
    • 1 cup fresh raspberries about 5 ounces or a mix of fresh berries

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle.
    • Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan or springform pan
    • Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
    • Beat butter and 2/3 cup sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes, then beat in vanilla.
    • Add egg and beat well.
    • At low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, and mixing until just combined.
    • Spoon batter into cake pan, smoothing top.
    • Scatter raspberries, I used a mix of berries including blueberries and blackberries and probably closer to 11/2 cups of berries) evenly over top.
    • Sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar.
    • Bake until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool to warm, 10 to 15 minutes more. Invert onto a plate.
    • Serve with whipped cream or ice cream! Yum!

     

     
    You Had Me at Tomato (One Pan Pasta)

    You Had Me at Tomato (One Pan Pasta)

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    Every year Wes, the garden guy in our house, plants tomatoes.  We pick out a mix of cherry tomatoes and heirlooms and usually by this time we are enjoying fresh vine ripened tomatoes. Our jaunts to the weekly farmer’s market include plums, nectarines and berries but we smugly walk by stalls with the expensive heirloom tomatoes.  Not this year, the plants never took off and our yield was small.  The lone bright spot was a variety called Tomato Blush.  A small tomato, golden yellow with a hint of red that salvaged our dismal tomato season.  Sweet and meaty, great in salads  or pastas, it will definitely be in the mix next summer.  If you had a bumper crop this year, suggestions and tomato advice would be appreciated!

    DSC02165

    This recipe has been making the rounds, first on Martha Stewart and then on some of my favorite blogs including Lottie and Doof and Food52, its quick, easy and yummy.  A great dish to showcase homegrown tomatoes or those pricey tomatoes from the farmer’s market.   I love this, you throw all the ingredients, including dry pasta, into a pan and 12 minutes later, voila’, a tasty dish on the table and only one pan in the sink!

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    One Pan Pasta

    Ingredients

    • Adapted originally from Martha Stewart but found on Food52 and Lottie and Doof!
    • 12 ounces linguine
    • 12 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes halved or quartered if large
    • 1 onion thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
    • 4 cloves of garlic thinly sliced
    • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
    • 2 teaspoons coarse salt
    • black pepper
    • 2 sprigs basil plus torn leaves for garnish
    • 2 green onions chopped
    • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus more for serving
    • parmesan cheese
    • Coarse salt
    • Freshly ground black pepper
    • 4 1/2 cups water or chicken stock
    • Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving

    Instructions

    • This is so incredibly easy, it's crazy. Place pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, basil and onions in a straight side skillet. Add water or stock and olive oil. Bring to a boil over high heat. Using tongs stir and move pasta around pan as it boils. Cook for additional 9 minutes until pasta is al dente and liquid is reduced. Taste for seasoning. Garnish with basil and serve immediately with lots of parmesan cheese.
    • I use stock for that extra zip. You could add some dried porcini also for added flavor.
    Ginger & Scallion Noodles Parts Unknown & Sauces Unknown

    Ginger & Scallion Noodles Parts Unknown & Sauces Unknown

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    I am hooked on Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown.

    I just started watching it on Netflix.  It’s not just about food, everything is fair game; history, lifestyle (check out the Tokyo episode), politics, culture. If you have a chance watch the episode on Shanghai.  Shanghai has become the city of the future, a financial hub, and global powerhouse, it is the juggernaut that defines China today.  While in college, I was lucky enough to visit Shanghai.  We spent a couple of days in this fabled port city. Though ravaged by years of occupation and then isolation, even then it felt like Shanghai was ready to embrace the outside world and the future. I watched Mr. Bourdain’s episode and realized it had all come to pass.

    Shanghai Then

    We strolled down to the Yangtze River and by the time we arrived at the riverfront we had attracted a crowd of people easily 10 deep.  The crowd was eager to practice speaking English with us.  Others gawked at the strange way we were dressed. Bicycles not cars flooded the streets and everyone wore brown or blue pants and white shirts (vestiges of life under Mao).  Stores and restaurants were run by the government, only tourist were allowed.  If I invited anyone for dinner they still turned in their ration coupons even though I had paid for the meal.

    Not a MickeyD’s, Starbucks, or Pizza Hut in Sight

    Back then, it was hard to imagine that China would become the political & economic heavyweight it is today.  The Shanghai featured in Parts Unknown was unrecognizable.  Where once stood old provincial buildings built by countries that had occupied China, there are now modern high-rises.  Cars have replaced bicycles and proletariat clothes have given way to the latest fashion trends. Gone are the state-run stores, replaced by Prada, Fendi, and Starbucks.

    Fine wines and haute cuisine are part of the China of today but thankfully street markets and sidewalk stalls selling down-home food like dumplings and noodles still exist.  Stir-fried Noodles with Ginger and Scallions are a mainstay of not only Chinese street food but a dish made at home.

    I learned how to make this from my father.  Julienned ginger,  scallions, and minced garlic are sizzled in hot oil to impart their flavors.  Make the sauce next – combine soy sauce, oyster sauce, wine, sesame oil, and reserve.  Stir-fry the noodles in the infused oil and add the sauce.  Give it a couple of stirs and just like that, a tasty meal in minutes.  Most of the ingredients are pantry staples.  Find fresh noodles in the refrigerator section of most Asian stores and larger supermarkets.  I usually buy a couple of packs of fresh noodles and throw them into the freezer.

    The Asian PantryRight next to the catsup, mustard, and mayo…their Asian counterparts!

    From left to right:  Sake (Japanese rice wine), Mirin (sweet Japanese cooking wine), Bean Sauce by Koon Chun (salty bean paste), Chili Garlic Sauce (like Siracha, similar in heat with garlic added), Sesame oil by Kadoya (used in Korean, Japanese and Chinese dishes), Chinese Rice wine (Michu), Vietnamese Fish Sauce by Three Crabs (pink label in back), Hoisin Sauce by Koon Chun (Chinese all-purpose bbq sauce), Premium Soy Sauce by Lee Kum Kee (all-purpose soy sauce), Oyster Sauce also by Lee Kum Kee (our go-to brand look for the label with the boy and woman in a boat).  Some of the bottles are almost empty which means I will be going to my favorite Asian market soon, call me if you want to come along for an Asian Sauce Primer!

    3/17/21 Update:  I make this so often for a quick meal, like today!  I sauteed shredded cabbage and a trio of mushrooms from Mycopia, and added a nice dollop of chili crisp oil, good to go.  Use a vegetarian oyster sauce and voila’ veggie-friendly meal!

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    Ginger and Scallion Noodles

    A quick and easy dish. Stir fry noodles in oil infused with ginger, scallions and garlic-delicious!
    Course One dish meals
    Cuisine Asian
    Keyword garlic, ginger, noodles, scallions
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 10 minutes

    Ingredients

    • 1 lb fresh Asian egg noodles thin and flat like fettuccine
    • Fresh ginger 6 thin slices, crushed to release its flavor
    • 3 scallions or green onions cut into 1 inch sections and crushed to release flavor
    • 2 cloves of garlic smashed but intact
    • 3 T vegetable or peanut oil
    • Sauce:
    • 3 T premium soy sauce
    • 3 T oyster sauce
    • 1.5 T rice wine
    • 1.5 t sesame oil
    • 1 t sugar
    • 2-3 T chicken stock or water
    • salt and white pepper

    Options

    • 1/2 cup corn
    • 4 dried shiitake mushrooms that have been soaked in warm water until soft sliced, if you don't have fresh
    • 1/4 cup black fungus soaked in warm water, cut into small pieces
    • 1/4 head shredded green cabbage sauteed before adding noodles to ginger scsllion oil
    • 8 oz fresh mushrooms ie. enoki, maitake, nameko, or shiitake really, any mushroom you like

    Instructions

    • Heat a large pot of water and cook noodles as directed. Do not overcook as you will be stir frying them to finish the dish! Fresh noodles will only take a couple of minutes at best. Remove from pot and drain thoroughly.
    • Combine ingredients for sauce in a bowl and set aside. You can add a little cornstarch to thicken the sauce, 1-2 tsp dissolved in stock or water then added to sauce ingredients.
    • Heat vegetable oil in a deep sided pan or wok until very hot, you should see wisps of smoke from the oil. Add ginger and garlic to pan and stir fry for approximately 1-2 minutes until garlic begins to brown. Add scallions or green onions, mushrooms or black fungus, stir fry for another minute.
    • Add noodles to pan, stir fry over medium high heat. Mix thoroughly to make sure the noodles are coated with the flavored oil, 1-2 minutes. Add any optional ingredients at this point.
    • Add sauce to noodles and stir fry 2-3 minutes to combine ingredients and reduce the sauce.
    • Garnish with green onions and cilantro if desired.
    • I left the ginger and green onions in big pieces as my kids didn't like them, made it easy to pick it out.
    • You could add leftover chicken or beef to make this a more substantial dish or even shrimp.
    • Once again, kids and corn...the corn added a bit of sweetness to the dish and crunch, always a good thing!