Maybe it’s the rainy weather we’ve been having. Maybe it’s the tradition of winter foods. Somehow Mr. Clouds in the Night Sky and I have been thinking an awful lot about soup lately. Have you noticed how truly pitiful the selection is in the supermarket? I don’t care who’s name is on it, or who’s picture is on the can–that right there is the problem: if it’s in a can, it won’t taste like real soup. Now, I say this as a born-and-bread bred Campbell’s soup person. My mom used to make me Cream of Mushroom soup when I was sick, as a special treat. I probably had Campbell’s Minestrone soup once a week every week between the ages of 9 and 17. Alas, those happy golden days are no more. Nooooo, now I’m not satisfied unless it’s extraordinary freshly made soup.
Tonight: Split Pea Soup
Another soup I’ve never made before, but I had kept the ham hock from a Christmas ham, and this seemed like the perfect time to use it. True, I was fantasizing about one of those cassoulets that are days in the making, but then I woke myself up.
So green!
Anyway, a bag of dried split peas, some sauted onions with a dash of cayenne, some chopped celery and carrots, a couple of bay leaves, tarragon, and thyme. I also put a glug of balsamic vinegar in with the water I added (again I rue the lack of chicken stock in my pantry!), and threw in a handful of brown rice towards the end (I had added the amount of water specified in the directions, but it seemed way too watery for me, thus the rice–plus I like a little more heartiness).
Cayenne and Tarragon from Pharmer Phil
And, voila: Split Pea Soup with ham and a garnish of sour cream
So, I learned this morning that I can cook up to four eggs in a paper bowl (more with a bigger bowl I’m assuming) if I (1) scramble them and (2) put them in the microwave for 2:30.
Not only do I get my eggs quickly, but I get free entertainment as well: watch as the egg-mountain rises up out of the bowl.
The only mess? My eggshells and bowl (and fork if I don’t clean and re-use it).
Udon with Mushroom Broth, Cabbage, and Yams From Bon Appetit
10 cups vegetable broth
3 cups water
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1 1/2 ounces dried shiitake mushrooms, rinsed
3/4 cup thinly sliced peeled fresh ginger
2 lemongrass stalks, outer dark layers removed, all but bottom 4 inches cut off and discarded
2 6-inch strips dried kombu
2 teaspoons tamari soy sauce
1 teaspoon unseasoned rice vinegar
2 cups 1/2-inch cubes peeled yams
5 ounces snow peas, trimmed
4 cups 1/2-inch-wide crosswise slices cored Napa cabbage
5 ounces slender carrots, peeled, thinly sliced on diagonal
10 ounces Japanese-style udon noodles or soba noodles
1 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup matchstick-size strips peeled fresh ginger
4 to 6 ounces semi-firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Sambal oelek
Tamari soy sauce
Broth
Bring broth and 3 cups water to simmer in large pot over medium heat. Add cilantro, mushrooms, sliced ginger, and lemongrass. Cover; simmer until mushrooms are tender, about 30 minutes.
Rinse kombu; add to broth. Simmer 1 minute. Using tongs, remove kombu and mushrooms; discard kombu.
Transfer mushrooms to work surface; cut off stems and discard. Cut each mushroom into 3 to 4 strips.
Strain broth through fine-mesh strainer into another large pot; discard solids in strainer.
Add tamari and rice vinegar to broth.
DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill mushrooms. Cool, cover, and chill broth.
Garnishes
Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Cook yams until just tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Using skimmer, transfer to medium bowl. Cook snow peas, cabbage, and carrots separately until crisp-tender (snow peas, 30 seconds; cabbage, 1 1/2 minutes; carrots, 2 minutes). Using kimmer, transfer vegetables to separate bowls. Reserve cooking liquid.
DO AHEAD Vegetables can be cooked 2 hours ahead. Let vegetables and liquid stand at room temperature.
Bring cooking liquid to boil. Sprinkle with salt. Add noodles; cook until tender but still firm to bite, stirring often. Drain; rinse.
Meanwhile, bring vegetable broth to simmer. Add green onions and ginger strips. Season with salt and pepper.
Using tongs, divide noodles among bowls. Divide mushrooms, yams, snow peas, cabbage, and carrots among bowls, each in separate mound. Divide tofu, if using, among bowls. Ladle broth over and serve, passing sambal oelek and tamari separately.
Since preparing meals for the household falls to Chao Chou, it is no surprise that the Dogen’s Tenzo Kyokun, Instructions for the Zen Cook, gets a read every now and again. This tasty morsel floated up off the pages:
Even when handling just one leaf of a green, do so in such a way that the leaf manifests the fullness of its potential, which in turn, allows the illumination of buddha to radiate through it. This is a power of functioning whose nature is incapable of being grasped with the rational mind and one which operates without hindrance in a most natural way. At the same time, this power operates in our lives to clarify and settle activities beneficial to all living things. From the Zen Kitchen to Enlightenment: Refining Your Life – Dogen and Uchiyama
Reminded of something me-self scrawled after playing tenzo at a sesshin sometime back.
Cooking curry
with cayenne.
Hot! Hot!
Mañjusri
comes-up
out the pot.
Popped him
with a spoon.
“Get out!
We don’t need you!”
Cayenne’s hot, hot. Hot.
These days more like . . . It is almost pleasant here. Weenie-roasting weather.
I’ve been meaning to write about my Christmas holidays for many weeks now. Even though it’s now February, I’m still compelled to share my adventures.
Over the years, we have been invited to many Christmas open houses and parties. Some have been more adventurous than others – a few of my favorites involved singing carols, playing chimes and observing various Christmas traditions.
This year we were invited to our friends’, Adrian and Amy’s, house. They moved to California with their daughter Alexa two years ago and like any newcomers making their way into the community, they have done their share. I met both through tennis (my favorite sport these days), where Adrian is a local tennis coach. On December 24th, they hosted a Christmas Eve open house, just like how Amy’s parents did back in Western Kentucky where she grew up. This year she was fortunate to have her parents, aunt and uncle, her sister and her grandparents in town for the holidays.
Amy (on left) her parents and her sister
I was amazed at the grand feast that Amy had prepared for her guests. Boiled Custard, champagne and wine flowed. I have never had such thick and sweet custard, and before I knew it I had gulped down three cups of yummy custard.
Amy's Christmas Feast
As is customary in Amy’s traditional Christmas Eve feast, the array of food included meatballs, ham and biscuits. The country ham, which was cured in salt, was shipped in from Kentucky. The biscuits, which they called angel biscuits, were made from yeast dough instead of the regular biscuit dough. With a dollop of pepper jelly, the ham biscuits were a delicious combination of sweet and spicy.
The feast continued with steamed shrimp served with cocktail sauce and lots of horseradish sauce, served warm. She then had me try Captain Rodney’s dip, an annual treat that Amy’s aunt brought to their Christmas Eve party when she was growing up in Kentucky. It includes cream cheese and sharp cheese baked and garnished with cracker crumbs, bacon pieces, with green onions with scotch bonnet pepper sauce drizzled on top and served with crackers. That was a dip never to be forgotten! I then enjoyed trying another dip – spinach with water chestnuts served in a bread bowl. Both were delicious and fulfilling. For dessert, there was German chocolate cake, fresh coconut cake, mocha chocolate torte, cheese cake with cranberry and grand marnier sauce as well as chocolates. As you can imagine, I completely over indulged! This was my first time experiencing a Kentucky Christmas and it was one I shall not soon forget!
My other friends, Catherine and Christopher, have a unique tradition for Christmas. They choose a different country to celebrate each Christmas and this year, to my surprise, they chose India. Catherine, who has attended and hosted our cooking demos, said she “…felt confident cooking Indian after attending some of the Neeliyam cooking demos.” I was so pleased that my demos had inspired her to try Indian cooking in her own kitchen.
Catherine wisely did her prep the day before Christmas. I think this was a key to her success. So what was on the menu? Hors d’oeuvres included Butternut Squash Soup as well as Samosas and Golgappa chaat, served with mint chutney. Catherine raved about the Golgappas and said they were “easiest thing in the world” to make and were a “HUGE hit…delicious!” The main entree included palak paneer, fish molee, 3C rice, dal, pappadums, coconut chutney. For dessert Catherine served cardamom cookies – a perfect finishing touch!
Catherine making Samosas based on my recipe
According to Catherine, all present enjoyed the meal – including her two young boys. I send Catherine congratulations on successfully bringing new tastes to her table. I only wish I was there on Christmas to taste her Indian feast!
Are you feeling adventurous too? Try out my Indian recipes in your own kitchen. I’d love to hear all about it.
On Saturday I made carrot bread. I was surprised at how easy it is to make, and it really doesn’t take a long time! In around 30-45mins I had the mixture ready to go into the oven! Unfortunately I think the bread, which tasted more like cake, also tasted a bit oily. However, this did not put me off one teeny weeny bit!
So today as I was eating the piece of carrot bread I took with me to uni, I started thinking of all the surplus bread ingredients we had at home. Then I decided to look at bread recipes on Domestic Sluttery…weeeee. Hmm…any inspiration?
I came across a recipe for banana bread! Hmm…we have those three blackening bananas…maybe I should do something with them? Definitely! So I looked for ‘Healthy Banana Bread Recipes’
So when I came home I went directly to start making the banana bread…weeee! I mixed the dry ingredients, I mashed the bananas, and added the other wet ingredients, then I mixed all together. All that was left was to wait for Michael to come with an orange and vanilla essence from the shops (I met him going to the shop on my way in, so decided to add to his errands ), and voila! The banana bread is in the oven…weeeee!
2 c whole spelt flour (or whole wheat or barley – or a mix of flours)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp soda
1 tsp baking powder
-
Combine separately:
3 lg very ripe bananas (about 1&1/2c) – mashed
2 eggs
*1/2 c brown sugar or sucanat
1/2 c milk or substitute
zest of a lemon or orange (optional)
2 tsp vanilla or 1 Tbsp dark rum
-
Mix wet and dry until just incorporated.
-
Optional: Fold in approximately:
1/2 c chopped walnuts or pecans
1/3 – 1/2 c dark chocolate pieces
1/2 c chopped dates
Directions
Pour into a generously greased and dusted loaf pan – any smallish pan will work.
Bake at 350 for about 50 min – a toothpick inserted in center should come out clean.
Wait 10 minutes before removing from pan and placing on a rack to cool.
Enjoy
* For sugar-free or a lower-sugar banana bread, replace the sugar with 1/3c of unsweetened fruit juice concentrate (apple, orange, white grape), agave syrup, maple syrup or honey.
Originally posted on pattycake
I used honey instead of sugar, and used the zest of an orange…just in case you were wondering
PS: Right now I am so happy I made the banana bread…I have a feeling that that will be my meal for today! Michael is making rice which should be inspired by the Maltese ftira filling! Unfortunately he proceeded to buy all the things I don’t like! AAAA…like chick peas (blehhh!), capers (only good in ftira and the fish sauce my aunts make), tuna in spring water (why why why??? it just tastes of preservatives!). At least the olives are half-way similar to what I like…so I can live with that…Wish me luck!
PSS: Normally I always love whatever Michael cooks…he’s definitely a much better cook than me…much better with his flavours etc. However I have seen that when he tries to make Maltese/Mediterranean inspired food…he’s not the best with the flavour mixing…especially for someone who has such strong opinions on the flavours and the flavour mixtures having grown up with it…I’m waiting for the result with bated breath!
I’ve always wanted to cook with star anise, but never had the courage. It’s an eight-pointed, hard spice, rather pretty and very, very strong. I remember seeing it’s shape floating in the dark, rich broth that cooked the tender, flavorful beef my dad cooked in his Beef Noodle Soup, and sometimes caught a glimpse of one or two in adventurous kimchee mixes. It’s a spice that’s so strong, a couple will flavor an entire pot with a fragrant, licorice/ aniseed taste.
Looking at the recipe for Basic Anise Beef 1, I was really skeptical as to how that would transform into something edible. I mean, to cook a tough, cheap meat like chuck for a couple of hours in barely enough broth to go halfway up the side? It sounds like a recipe for getting use out of your dental floss.
Well, a little bit of a miracle happened. I followed the simple directions, browned the beef and added the ingredients, and it slowly transformed into this savory, delectable dish that even Kevin liked! I brought a pound to my mom and brother, and it was gone when I dropped by the next day.
I remembered that I’d learned something while watching Julie & Julia – in order to properly brown beef, you have to dry it thoroughly. I did, and then recalled that garlic releases it’s flavor best when crushed with the side of a big kitchen knife. The result was a delicious beef dish that can be served sliced very thin, with rice and a side vegetable for a complete meal.
Braised Anise Beef 1
2 pounds beef chuck
1 garlic clove
2 tbsp oil
3 tbsps soy sauce
1 tbsp water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sherry
dash of pepper
2 cloves star anise
1 tsp sugar
1. Leave beef whole. Crush garlic with the flat side of a large kitchen knife, but keep the clove whole if possible.
2. Dry beef thoroughly with paper towels, Heat oil in a heavy pan. Brown beef on all sides.
3. Add garlic, soy sauce, water, salt, sherry, pepper and star anise. Simmer covered for one hour.
4. Turn the meat and add the sugar. Simmer for one more hour.
This beef can also be sliced thin and served on an appetizer platter.
Superior Stock, or “gao tang,” is really just chicken and pork bones simmered for hours. The combination gives a rich, yet clean flavor that goes a long way. Most Chinese soups should be made with this stock whenever possible. I usually take a weekend day and make several batches to freeze for later.
A word about resources – one of the happiest places on Earth for me is the 99 Ranch on Sepulveda and Victory. For those of you who haven’t been there, it is a Ralph’s-sized supermarket filled with Chinese cooking supplies, as well as an array of Asian vegetables and a great meat department. For the stock, I grab a $2 bag of pork bones on top of the meat case, a $2 package of cut-up chicken bones, some scallions, ginger and veggies from the produce section and have a delicious stock that I can use for at least two soups for about $5.
Secondary or Superior Stock
1 chicken carcass or about
1 lb of raw chicken bones
3 slices of fresh ginger
2 lbs pork bones
1 leek, or 2-3 scallions, cut into big sections
1 cup vegetables, such as carrots and onions
8 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
1. Cut up chicken into chunks, if whole. Place in stockpot with pork bones, barely cover with water and bring to a boil. Drain water into sink.
2. Add 8 cups water to the bones and the leek/ scallions. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and skim the surface scum with a ladle. Simmer covered for at least two hours.
3. Dice vegetables and add to the stock. Simmer for at least another 15 minutes. Strain stock and use, refrigerate or freeze. Frozen stock should be used within 3-4 months.
I have to admit, the first boiling of water wasn’t in the book, but it’s the way I was taught to deal with meat growing up. The first round of boiling gets rid of the “raw” taste of meat, prepping it for the main part of the cooking.
In regards to the bones, I like to strain them onto a plate and pick at them during cooking. The pork especially, has delectable marrow well-suited to picking out with a chopstick.
Egg Drop Soup is a very simple dish, typically made with broth, scallions and beaten eggs drizzled in simmering stock to form the “flower” part of the egg flower soup. I’ve made it several times, just by guessing. But I’ve never made it with this incredible stock!
The result was brilliant. The bright scallion garnish added just the right amount of contrast to the deep flavor of the soup, and served in little Chinese soup bowls with ceramic soup spoons, makes a very elegant appetizer.
Egg Flower Soup 1
2 eggs
2 tsp water
2 scallions for garnish
1 tbsp water
6 cups Superior stock
1/2 tsp sugar
3/4 to 1 tsp salt
1 tsp sherry
1 tbsp soy sauce
1. Beat eggs and stir in water. Mince scallions. Blend cornstarch and remaining cold water in a small bowl with your fingers into a smooth paste.
2. Bring stock to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and stir in sugar, salt, sherry and soy sauce.
3. Add cornstarch paste and cook, sitrring, until soup thickens.
4. Reduce heat to low. Pour eggs in slowly, stirring continuously until they “flower” into the soup. Turn off heat.
5. Ladel into bowls and serve garnished with scallions.
), and voila! The banana bread is in the oven…weeeee!
