 |
| Before |
 |
| After |
 |
| After, after |
Last Friday I saw "My Week With Marilyn," a good movie with great acting that made me feel just, melancholy
:(
(sigh)
So I was craving some comfort food, and yes, this usually includes massive amounts of pasta, But I went for the biggest bowl of won ton soup from PF Changs instead.
And while this is a fine establishment, I was quite dissapointed-the won tons were not fully cooked and the broth was tasteless.
And so, I decided this week to make some seriously satisfying Won Ton Soup.
I had planned on spending the evening in the kitchen Monday, but when I opened the package of ground veal for the won tons, a rank odor filled the kitchen and I quickly dumped the whole rotten thing.
And so, Tuesday was my day to create!
I started to make a bubbling broth of chicken bouillon, onion bouillon, and bay leaves.
Then I grated ginger and garlic
While the flavors came together, I mixed ground beef with soy sauce, lemon juice, rice vinegar, garlic powder, ground ginger, and an egg
And started making triangular parcels of meat with won ton wrappers
Every once in a while I added more ingredients to the soup-
Oyster mushrooms,
Baby Bok Choy (courtesy of the asian market in upper darby, H Mart, thanks for the introduction, Beardface)
Then I added about 25 won tons to the soup and some scallions too
I seasoned the broth a bit with soy sauce
And it became a gorgeous, rich soup with tons of flavor and fulfilling components.
And then...I realized I had made far too many won tons!
I took the remaining 20 and greased 'em up too good with oil and threw them in the oven, baking them to a near burnt crisp!
Luckily, for the photo's sake, only one side was charred-
I made a dipping sauce of rice vinegar, soy sauce, olive oil, sriracha, garlic and ginger powder.
Despite some of the "burnies," it was still a quality side dish!
Mostly because the sauce was tangy and spicy and suited my palate perfectly.
Excellent meal for a rainy, gloomy Tuesday!
What a disaster experience
The dish nearly became "no-cchi"
When I first came home from India, I found myself a little lost in the culinary arts
I was so excited to finally be able to freely enjoy the kitchen after 2 months of being shooed away by Aachie, my Indian Grannie
(I did manage to get an ingredient list for her famous banana pancakes and also pongal, more to come on that at a later date...)
My first real attempt was a spicy indian eggplant parm-i forgot stewed tomatoes and I by accidently poured half the bottle of tumeric in there and then it was so thin so I added flour and my goodness-I somehow managed to save it, and it turned out pretty excellent actually-but i didnt take my new tolerance for spice into account-and my mama could barely eat it unless there was a huge glob of cheese along with each bite!
I found my stride however with a spicy roasted tomato soup with sharp chedder grilled cheese-
I finally felt at home
So when we had a Fakesgiving the Sunday before Thanksgiving, I was so excited to spend the whole day in the kitchen-
(and of course spend quality time with my fam, shout out to the bocks/madieros/robbins!)
I made carmelized onions and a bernaise sauce to go with the filet my padj brilliantly grilled on the Big Green Egg
Madj made crisp green beans with persimmon and green onion (sauteed in the oil from the carmelized onions, so sweet and light)
But my main project was Wheat, Sweet Potato Gnocchi
It started out smooth and enjoyable-
Peeled the sweet potatoes, boiled them 'till tender
Then mixed together with whole milk ricotta cheese and a dash of cinnamon, salt, and pepper
1/2 cup by 1/2 cup I added the wheat flour until the consistency was manageable
Made many small, palm-full, balls of dough
Then rolled out each ball
sliced the dough into 1 inch pillows
then rolled a fork over them to complete the process
This portion: the rolling, slicing, and forking-took forever
FOREVERR
I mean, it took Michelangelo quicker to complete the Sistine Chapel
(Not a true statement, but I'm getting my point across here)
When I had done this whole business, I placed them in a big blue bowl to be transferred to a boiling pot of salted water to cook for 5 ish minutes-
And when I went to place my first batch inside, Tragedy Struck!
All the little dumplings had melded together into one!
SO MUCH TIME WASTED
And if you know me at all, I am efficient with my time.
UHHH
So I started over
But not before I managed to pluck a few lucky gnocchis to start cooking, maybe a third of the whole batch
I took a break from the whole rolling and slicing, for the second time, after about 5 minutes to taste a gnocchi
It was horrendous
Slimy
Definately not ready
10 minutes passed-but it was even slimier! Gross!
But after 15 and there was no change, I took out this first batch and put 'em in a strainer because they were gushy and weird
And then all them stuck together into one big blob!
Tragedy Number Two!
It was repulsive, I wanted to dump them immediately
But I cant stand wasting food,
So I kept them out, no real goal in mind-
Other than mourning all the time and ingredients I had wasted
(sad face)
But then from there, and with the addition of more flour
The rest turned out well
(very happy face)
And then I made a brown butter sage sauce
(butter and sage, then I added a bit of cinnamon, salt and pepper)
And WOW
How did I manage to salvage this meal? I will never understand
But it was a hit
And I'm being modest-
I can't wait to wake up tomorrow and eat the leftovers for a nutricious and filling breakfast.
Shepherd's pie is a traditional dish that has been made for over 2 hundred years by cooking chopped lamb or mutton with gravy and topped with mashed potatoes
The family took a trip when I was 11 to England and rented a van to travel up to Scotland.
In London, I was dazzled by Sherlock Holmes' house, the wax figures at Madame Toussaud's, the expansiveness of Big Ben, the feeling of history in the Globe Theatre
I remember we so lavishly dined at Johnny Rockets before seeing Mama Mia-I sang/listened Abba and only Abba for months-
On our UK roadtrip- Mimi taught me how to knit-
One night between London and Edinburgh, in a small, dark, greenish restaurant, I ordered Shepherd's Pie. I remember mom first being worried i wouldn't like it-then she quickly remembered who i was.
it was soft and heavy-but felt good in my belly.
but unfortunately, i dont remember it being all that flavorful
This shepherd's pie is rather unlike the above description.
For-its vegetarian, uses Indian spices, and there are no mashed potatoes.
You ask, "Is this really a Shepherd's pie then?"
I still say, yes.
I've actually been making this dish in my head for a long while-
A rather unusual process for me-
But I have been pondering combining these two very traditional cultures in 1 pyrex, trying to make it something spectacular
I've been looking forward to it
I waited till I had several hours to prepare it, enjoy it, ect.
This opportunity rarely arises-
But one Sunday afternoon when I finally had a little time to do nothing-i realized i couldn't just do nothing! I would finally make my Shephard's Pie!
it was rather simple-
I slowly roasted my vegetables-eggplant, italian baby squash, sweet onion, brown button mushrooms-with turmeric, sweet/hot paprika, cumin, coriander, mustard
I cooked garbanzos with just a pinch of salt-and since the food processor died :( i mashed them by hand with a ton of mint and just a bit of greek yogurt
Veg first, Mashed beans on top-
And into the oven
It was a perfect combination-
the spicy, almost over seasoned vegetables exploding with indian flavor-
mashed with the cool, refreshing minty beans
What a Balance
How zen
I tried to eat only half and leave some for my roommate or someone to try and revel in my genius skills-
I really tried!
But i couldn't help myself-
I ate it all up :)
So there was nothing particularly special about this day's lunch.
But I wanted to share this meal with you because
1) It tasted spectacularly
2) I found a use for edamame hummus!
I bought a container of edamame hummus
I was intrigued
Would it have the same bite that a garbanzo bean possesses?
Would it have that acidic tang?
Would it be weird to eat edamame with edamame hummus?
All these questions, I needed answers.
I was excited when I first came home from class the following day, needing a little snack-
I cut up some cucumber slices and took out some sliced turkey-and sat down in front of the TV with my dipping utensils and the edamame hummus.
I slowly removed the plastic from the container-
this strange smell erupted in my nose
I tasted it...
And it tasted disgusting.
It did not agree with my tastebuds...
So I put it back in the fridge because I couldnt manage to trash it-there's nothing I dislike more than wasting food
And then this day for lunch.
I had a pretty basic egg scramble
1) Collard greens (I have never bought fresh collard greens before, what attractive, big, green leaves-and ive noticed how vivid green the leaf remains even after heat has been applied for some time)
2) Italian baby squash (I admit-when I bought this package of vegetables, i immediately thought it was okra and went on my way...it wasnt till i made this scramble that i realized what an illiterate fool i am) (a note on baby squash: they're adorable! and taste just like normal zucchini except they dont get as mushy)
3) Oyster mushrooms- a graceful and delicate Pleurotus ostreatus
But i needed something-and so...
4) edamame hummus!
It raised the dish up to a new level entirely!
The scramble was so creamy
Like velvet
and wildly healthy
I have come into the habit of buying a sammie from the coffee cart at school.
Now, these are actually pretty tasty-
But I've decided I need to start utilizing my groceries before dinner again
I didn't have a whole heck of a lot of time-less than an hour to make lunch, eat lunch, and drive to my DAT session-
So nothing too complex here
The apartment building gave us breakfast on the go that morning, and so I grabbed an orange for later, not knowing it would be a integral ingredient in my lunch...
A Simple Orange, Asparagus, Egg, Spinach Salad:
I made the asparagus nice and tender on the stove with a little salt and some white wine-the asparagus was this beautiful hunky veg-i was so pleased with it
I laid the asparagus on the bed of spinach along with orange pieces-
I sprinkled the salad with ChiaLife-
A friend (KB!) introduced me to ChiaLife in the fall when I was having way too much fun with my new juicer to add a bit more protein to my beverages
They're these little seeds, lookin like a poppy, that are a great source of fiber, Omega-3, antioxidants, are gluten-free without preservatives, and claim to be a higher quality of protein than soy.
It is also known to promote neurological and cardiovascular function-
I am in GOOD shape here
I also fried some eggs sunny side up to brighten the partly-cloudy day
and made a dressing out of the remaining orange:
Sour cream (STILL had some left over, had to use it up), dijon mustard, orange juice, salt, pepper, oil
and YUMM
SO refreshing and gave me the energy to pack a years worth of organic chemistry in 1 DAT session :)
 |
| Pre-bake |
Whyy are cauliflower bunches so large?
I still had so much left over cauliflower after the big Top Chef Chowdown and really, not much else-except half a Texas sweet onion, half a purple onion, some sour cream, spinach, veggie shreds, asparagus, eggs, and some thyme
And so, instead of going to the grocery store, I did what any resourceful (lazy) individual would do
I decided to make a casserole
The idea of a casserole has been on my mind because even though the weather outside is delightful (synonymous with eating nice, light meals) - i still desire something hearty and filling to get me through the studying-day
People may associate casseroles with unsophistication and domesticated women who would make a 1 pot, no fuss meal consisting of boring ingredients
and put cheese/breadcrumbs on top to mask its blandness
Ridiculuous. That's absurd. Who thinks like that?
A casserole is a wonderful dish-
It allows you to combine different tastes and textures, all in one scoop!
And is an excellent solution to left overs :)
Cheesy-Cheese-Less-Cauliflower-Casserole
Step one:
Chopped and caramelized the 2 different onions for a very long time in some salt and sugar
when they were nearly done i added some garlic powder and oregano for a little something extra-then i added sour cream, thyme, a little salt, and Veggie Shreds
Veggie Shreds are pretty cool-
It is a soy-based product with no cholesterol, very little fat (certainly no trans fat), some salt and protein...and it's a cheese substitute.
Oh i know you are skeptical!
But the mozarella flavor is real good-
and last year, I made a quiche using only Veggie Shreds-
it was a huge hit-
nobody could tell it was cheese-free!
And everybody was thrilled to hear how darn healthy it was-
Step 2:
Steamed the cauliflower and chopped it up real nice
Step 3:
Combined it all together with some more VegShreds, chopped spinach, and some white wine into the mini casserole dish
Step 4:
Baked in the oven
Step 5:
Enjoyed.
delicious-light, but filling-it tasted frenchy...and strangely reminded me of fondue
with each bite, i was immediately transported to those precious times my family would make the 45 minute trip to the Melting Pot as a young, hungry child (this was way before they put one in KOP)
those were good times.
and that was one simple and sophisticated tasting meal.
hours later, the apartment still lingers with the aromas of the casserole-and i feel satisfied.
If you talk to me for ehh, 7 minutes-Hungary/abroad is bound to come up
It's been over a year-and yes, I know I shouldn't still be this excited and obsessed
But the country charmed me
I am under some kind of Hungarian Spell
Love Potion Number Kilenc
And i'm lucky that 4 other DU kids went on my 20 person CIEE program (dominateddd)
and that we all love each other and get together for good food and good reminiscing
While I usually make Lesco (pronounced Let-cho), i decided to change it up a bit
Atypical Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage
Filling:
First I did make a pretty traditional Lesco-
but i fried up the sweet Texas onions in veg oil and salt and a ton of paprika paste (piros arany, it is literally a paste that comes in a tube and has unreal flavor, and i use it in nearly everything i make, and even sometimes just with raw vegetables for snacking, and sometimes i add a bit to greek yogurt for breakfast-dont make fun of me-its awesome.)
when i was being a bit overzealous with the paprika paste, some squirted onto my shirt-and i looked later and the paste is so serious my belly was stained orange! hahah i laughed out loud
so i added 2 green peppers/2 yellow peppers chopped real small
there is no equivalent to the flavor that a Hungarian paprika pepper has-but ive experimented a great deal-and i think half green half yellow works alright
Stewed, for a long time-i really wanted the peppers to sing
then some bouillon, some salt, some lemon, some sweet (edes) paprika
Stewed, for a long time-layering flavors
Then i added ground turkey-some more salt, Maggi, more edes paprika, and sour cream (which is a first for me-but it added a nice tangy flavor)
And let everything meld together, layer, for another while
Stuffing the cabbage:
I steamed some cabbage to make them flexible and easy to work with, took the leaves piece by piece and added a spoonful of filling-wrapped up it up, and placed it back into the pot-and then i kept the pot on low heat to allow the flavors to develop even more
And there you go-
Neat and tight packages of Hungarian Love
