Black Spaghetti with Shrimp and Chorizo

My mom recently came back from a three week trip to Spain. The trip was to chaperone a school trip, but she was luckily able to spend a lot of time with a lot of family friends who live in Madrid. Her friend Nieves sent her back with, among other things, a package of squid ink dried spaghetti.

My only experience with squid ink in pasta was the amazing squid ink spaghetti dish with sopresatta, rock shrimp, and jalapeno pesto that I had at Babbo last year. I’m a huge fan of any pork and shellfish combination, and clearly love spicy food, so this dish was practically made for me. We found the actual recipe posted in Babbo’s recipe archives.

We used the recipe as a guide using what we had available. Since we don’t have Mario Batali’s means to buy fresh rock shrimp, we used medium sized regular shrimp from our trusty fish monger. We also had some spicy, cured Spanish chorizo that we used in place of the sopresatta.

We were honestly in awe of how well this dish turned out. The pasta itself was very midly fishy, as if there were just a touch of fish stock in the sauce. The jalapeno pesto was a little harsh on its own, but mellowed out nicely when it was briefly fried in olive oil and tossed with the hot pasta. With the addition of the sweet shrimp and the spicy, instense chorizo, it was just perfect.

Black Spaghetti with Shrimp and Chorizo
Adapted from Mario Batali’s Recipe

1 lb. black spaghetti
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, sliced
6 oz. fresh shrimp
1 c. sliced cured chorizo
4 tbsp. jalapeno pesto (see recipe below)
1 c. scallions (green parts only)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook the pasta until just barely al dente. While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook until just cooked through. Remove the shrimp and set aside.

Turn the heat down to medium and add the garlic and chorizo.

When the garlic is toasted (but be careful not to burn it), add the jalapeno pesto and the cooked shrimp.

Drain the pasta and add it to the pan. Toss it with the sauce and cook for a minute or so longer until the pasta is al dente.

Jalapeno Pesto

3 c. jalapeno peppers, roughly chopped
½ c. sliced almonds
½ c. red onions, chopped
Salt
½ c. extra virgin olive oil

Puree all of the ingredients in a food processor.

It doesn’t look pretty, but I promise it’s good!

Banh Mi Picnic

The day after our Summer Rolls and Satay, Matt and I made our own version of Banh Mis with our leftovers and picnicked. Banh Mis are Vietnamese sandwiches usually made on a baguette made partially with rice flour. They can include a variety of fillings, but they traditionally include pate, grilled meat or ham, pickled carrots and daikon, cilantro, butter and/or mayonnaise, and chili peppers. I am by no means an expert on the Banh Mi, but Serious Eats has a great article/rant all about them if you’re interested in what’s truly authentic. I can’t claim that ours were authentic, but they were delicious and the perfect picnic food.

We started with a French baguette, sliced mostly in half lengthwise but not all the way through. Since this bread was a little denser than the typical Bahn Mi baguette, I tore out a little of the inside to make room for the fillings. Then, I spread each side with a thin layer of room temperature butter.

Next, I added a layer of meat. I used leftover satay beef that I had marinated and grilled the night before. Matt used some fried tofu.

I sprinkled a sliced chili evenly around the sandwich (but I wish I had actually added more).

We had quick pickled the leftover carrots and cucumber from the summer rolls the night before, so I added a generous pile of those next.

I topped the pickles with a handful of cilantro, stems and all.

I then sprinkled some fish sauce over the top, because I love the stuff.

Finally, I added some squirts of Sriracha for even more heat.

We ate our Bahn Mis with a 2010 Mulderbosch Cabernet Sauvignon Rose, one of my favorites. I’m no expert in wine pairing, but I thought it went wonderfully.

Post-Thanksgiving Tapas Night

My family and I usually feel like different flavors the night after Thanksgiving (too soon for straight-up leftovers!). We started off thinking that we’d make my grandmother’s turkey croquettes with our Thanksgiving leftovers, and this turned into a little tapas night.

We made some clams, spicy limas with chorizo, and patatas alioli to go with the croquettes. We served it all with sliced baguette and a simple salad dressed with lemon juice and olive oil. As much as I love a traditional Thanksgiving, this kind of food has a special place in my heart.

Patatas Alioli (potatoes with garlic mayonnaise)


1 c. olive oil (we sometimes use a mixture of olive oil and vegetable oil)
½ - 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped (depending on how garlicky you want it to be)
1 large egg
Lemon juice
Potatoes (we used two russets, but you could use different types and as many as you like)
Salt
Hot smoked paprika

Steam the potatoes and let cool to room temperature. Slice in 1/8-1/2 inch slices.

Meanwhile, make the alioli by pureeing the olive oil, garlic, and egg with a hand blender. When it has emulsified, add a small squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of salt.

To serve, arrange the potato slices on a platter and spread each one with some alioli. Sprinkle each with some salt and spicy smoked paprika.

We usually put out the leftover alioli for bread dipping…but it’s seriously good on everything.

Turkey Croquettes


4 tbsp. butter
4 tbsp. flour
1 c. whole milk
1 ¾ c. cooked turkey (or chicken), finely chopped
¼ tsp. celery salt
Pinch of cayenne
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. onion, finely chopped
2 tsp. parsley, finely chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 egg
Breadcrumbs

Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour. Cook for a couple of minutes over medium heat and add the milk. Turn up the heat to medium-high and cook until the sauce is very thick (almost like dough). Add the turkey, celery salt, cayenne, lemon juice, onion, parsley, salt, and pepper. Spread this mixture out on a plate and put in the refrigerator until completely cooled and hardened.

When the dough is chilled, roll into balls about the size of a large egg. Beat one egg with a drop of water. Lay the breadcrumbs out on a plate and, if using unseasoned breadcrumbs, season with salt and pepper. Roll the croquettes into the egg, then into the breadcrumbs, back into the egg, and finally into the breadcrumbs again.

Deep fry the breaded croquettes in a combination of vegetable oil and olive oil. We don’t actually take the temperature of the oil; we just test the oil with a piece of bread. If the bread fries lightly in the oil, then the oil is ready. Fry the croquettes until golden brown on the outside. This makes about 9 medium croquettes.

Spicy Limas with Chorizo


My family makes these limas often, but we never really use a recipe. The basic method is to sauté some chorizo in olive oil, add a package of frozen limas, a healthy splash of white wine, a couple of bay leaves, and some red pepper flakes. Simmer it until the limas are soft, but not mushy. We used a spicy Portuguese chorizo instead of the Spanish chorizo we usually use, so you can really use any kind of cured sausage. You will want to adjust the heat with the pepper flakes depending on the heat of the sausage that you use.

Clams with Saffron Sauce


Again, my mom makes these all the time but doesn’t really follow a recipe. Start by soaking the clams in some water, cornmeal, and salt to clean them. Sauté a little bit of chopped onion in some olive oil. When the onion is soft, add a good amount of white wine and either some clam juice, seafood stock, or water. Add a pinch of saffron or some sazón seasoning (which is a good, cheap alternative), a large handful of chopped parsley, a clove or two of chopped garlic, and some red pepper flakes. Add some salt and pepper, to taste. When the mixture is simmering, add the clams and close the lid until the clams have opened up. Finish off with another small handful of chopped parsley. Make sure you have plenty of bread to soak up the sauce!

Panko and Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb

My friend Julia came over for dinner when I was home in Boston last weekend and we decided to experiment with an herb crusted rack of lamb. I had never made one before, but – from what I have read – the basic method is to sear the whole rack, then brush with Dijon mustard, and then roll in an herb-breadcrumb mixture. I decided to use panko breadcrumbs instead of regular for some extra crunch. We went with a simple mixture of panko, garlic, and parsley, but you could switch it up with some mint, rosemary, thyme, or whatever other herbs you like. It turned out really great and is surprisingly pretty fool proof.

Panko and Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb
2 racks of lamb (about 1 ¼ lb. each), trimmed of some fat
1 ½ c. panko breadcrumbs
3 cloves of garlic, minced
½ c. parsley, chopped
¼ c. extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp. Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.

Mix together the breadcrumbs, minced garlic, parsley, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Season the lamb with salt and pepper and sear in a very hot skillet for a minute or two on both sides.

Brush the lamb with a thin layer of the Dijon mustard and roll in the breadcrumb mixture so that it is coated on all sides.


Roast in the oven until the internal temperature reaches 130 degrees (for medium-rare). The time will vary depending on the size of the racks of lamb, but I think it took about 15 minutes when I made it.


Let the meat rest for about five minutes before cutting into it. Then, cut between the rib bones to serve.


We served with a few side dishes:

• Grilled zucchini


• Tomato and cucumber salad with mint and feta dressed with olive oil and lemon juice


• Israeli couscous with pine nuts and raisins

Ready to eat!

Battle Burger: Colleen vs. Jarret

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to enter the annual Build a Better Burger contest that I always see on the Food Network. To be honest, I’ve never actually made a burger before, but I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to come up with some recipes! There’s no limit to the number of burgers a single person can enter, so – enticed with the grand prize of $50,000 - I came up with two original recipes: Brandy Blue Cheese Burgers with Endive and Caramelized Shallots and Bacon Beer-Cheeseburgers with Maple-Glazed Bacon and Apples.

My friend Jarret wanted in on the burger testing, so he made a couple burgers of his own and challenged me to a “burger off”. He didn’t end up writing down the recipes, but he made one with a homemade honey-chipotle barbecue sauce, cheddar, bacon, and red onion and the other with blue cheese and red wine braised pearl onions.


I got the idea for the blue cheese burgers from my parent’s blue cheese stuffed endive appetizer that was always one of my favorites growing up. The blue cheese stuffing is a spread made with blue cheese, brandy, and mayonnaise. I used endives for crunch on top of the burger and then some caramelized shallots for a little sweetness. I can’t say there is much of a story behind the beer-cheeseburgers other than the fact that I love beer-cheese and thought it would go really well with a burger! I balanced the bitterness of the cheese spread with maple glazed bacon and fresh apple slices.

As far as the patty itself, I had to do a little research. I think chuck is probably the most popular cut of meat for a burger, but I had just read an article that said brisket is actually a much more flavorful cut of meat for a burger. I compromised and went with 50% chuck and 50% brisket, both freshly ground at the store.

Then comes the question of what should go into the meat mixture, if anything. I recently read an article about store bought demi-glace in Saveur and decided I should find a use for it (it doesn’t take much to convince me, obviously). Then I thought: why not add a little to the burger for extra flavor? I added it to the patties for the blue cheese burgers and it worked beautifully. For the beer-cheeseburgers, I just used a little bit of Dijon mustard and olive oil in the burger mix.

I will admit that our end results were maybe a little sloppy looking as we had been cooking and sipping on beer all day, but it was all delicious tasting nevertheless! I do need to make a couple of disclaimers: 1) We did make four types of burgers for three people, but I promise we didn’t each eat four burgers! 2) The burgers we made were smaller than the ones in my “official” recipes, but the contest rules called for each recipe to yield six normal sized burgers.

We had quite a spread to show for all of our hard work…


We had my friend Katie “judge” our burgers at the end.


Katie’s favorite was the beer-cheeseburger. Win!


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Brandy Blue Cheese Burgers with Endive and Caramelized Shallots

Caramelized Shallots
2 pounds shallots, thinly sliced
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Blue Cheese Spread
6 ounces Roquefort cheese
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons brandy
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper

Patties
1 pound freshly ground chuck
1 pound freshly ground brisket
4 teaspoons store bought demi-glace (I use the More Than Gourmet brand that can be found at Whole Foods)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil, for brushing the burgers
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 high-quality brioche buns, split
3 Belgian endives, separated into leaves

Preheat a gas grill to medium-low.

To make the caramelized shallots, melt the butter in a large fire-proof skillet. Add the sliced shallots and salt; sauté for 15 minutes. Then, add the brown sugar and continue to sauté on medium low for 45 minutes, or until the shallots are soft and golden brown. Set aside.

To make the blue cheese spread, combine the Roquefort, mayonnaise, brandy, and white pepper in a food processer. Process until the spread is smooth and set aside.

To make the patties, gently mix together the ground chuck, ground brisket, demi-glace, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Form six even-sized patties. Brush the burgers with a thin layer of olive oil. Sprinkle with a small amount of salt and pepper on both sides and gently press your thumb into the middle of each patty (this will make it so the burgers don’t bulge up in the middle as they cook).

Increase the heat on the grill to medium-high. When the grill is heated, add the patties to the rack. Cook for a total of 5-7 minutes on each side for medium, turning only once. Add a small amount of the blue cheese spread on top of each burger during the last minute of cooking (but too much because you don’t want to overpower the meat!). Make sure to remove the patties from the grill before the spread drips down the side of the patties.

As the burgers are cooking, melt the butter in a fire-proof skillet. Brush a little bit of butter onto each brioche bun half and grill for a couple of minutes, or until the buns have grill marks.

To assemble the burgers, place a generous amount of the caramelized shallots on the bottom halves of the buns. Place the patties on top of the shallots. Top with several endive leaves and the top halves of the buns.

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Bacon Beer-Cheeseburgers with Maple-Glazed Bacon and Apples

Beer Cheese
8 ounces sharp cheddar, grated
¼ cup white onion, minced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon Louisiana hot sauce
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon dry mustard
Pinch of cayenne
½ cup lager (I used Brooklyn Lager, but use the one of your choice)

Bacon
12 slices of bacon
1/3 cup real maple syrup

Patties
1 pound freshly ground chuck
1 pound freshly ground brisket
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil, for brushing the burgers and buns
6 pretzel buns, split
3 large granny smith apples

Preheat a gas grill to medium-low.

To make the bacon, add to a large fire-proof skillet in a single layer and cook for about 4 minutes on each side, or until crisp. Remove the cooked bacon from the skillet and brush a thin layer of the maple syrup onto each side of the bacon. Set aside.

To make the beer cheese, first pour the beer into a glass and wait for the foam to settle. Then, combine the grated cheese, onion, garlic, hot sauce, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, and cayenne in a food processor. Pulse until combined. Add the beer and puree until smooth. Set aside.

To make the patties, gently mix together the ground chuck, ground brisket, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Form six even-sized patties. Brush the burgers with a thin layer of olive oil. Sprinkle with a small amount of salt and pepper on both sides and gently press your thumb into the middle of each patty (this will make it so the burgers don’t bulge up in the middle as they cook).

Increase the heat on the grill to medium-high. When the grill is heated, add the patties to the rack. Cook for a total of 5-7 minutes on each side for medium, turning only once. Add a small amount of the beer cheese on top of each burger during the last minute of cooking (but too much because you don’t want to overpower the meat!). Make sure to remove the patties from the grill before the cheese drips down the side of the patties.

As the burgers are cooking, brush a little bit of olive oil onto each pretzel bun half and grill for a couple of minutes, or until the buns have grill marks.

Meanwhile, core the apples and cut into ¼ inch slices. If you are slicing them more than a few minutes ahead of time, drizzle some lemon juice over the apples so they don’t’ brown.

To assemble the burgers, place a 2 or 3 apple slices on the bottom halves of the buns. Place the patties on top of the apples. Top each burger with two slices of the bacon and the top halves of the buns.

Pork Stir-Fry with Sugar Snap Peas

I had some leftover cooked pork tenderloin in the freezer from when I made the five spice pork a couple of months ago and thought it would make a wonderful stir-fry. I found a recipe for stir-fried pork tenderloin with sugar snap peas in one of my Food Network cookbooks, so I adapted it to use my leftover pork. I have to say – I think that the five spice marinade probably worked better for this recipe than the marinade the original recipe called for ;). The marinade was basically a combination of coriander, jalapeno, brandy, honey, and five-spice. Everyone in the office definitely noticed how good my lunch smelled this week!

You could also make this recipe by starting with raw pork tenderloin (or chicken even) marinated in some of the sauce from the recipe. I would stir-fry it before stir frying the vegetables, take it out when the meat is just about cooked, and add it back in at the end.

Pork Stir-Fry with Sugar Snap Peas
Adapted from Making It Easy (Food Network Kitchens)

2 tbsp. soy sauce
4 tsp. palm sugar (or brown sugar)
2 tsp. sherry
2 tsp. sesame oil
2 tbsp. hoisin sauce
1 tsp. sriracha
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 lb. cooked (leftover) pork tenderloin, cut into ½ inch cubes
½ lb. sugar snap peas
½ large red onion, sliced
3 scallions, sliced (keep white and green parts separate)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
Peanut oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Mix together the soy sauce, palm sugar, sherry, sesame oil, hoisin, and sriracha in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. In another bowl, whisk the cornstarch into two tablespoons of cold water. Set aside.
3. Heat up a little bit of peanut oil in a wok. Stir-fry the sugar snap peas and onion for about a minute until they are slightly cooked but still crisp.
4. Add the white parts of the green onion, the garlic, and ginger. Stir-fry for another minute or so.
5. Add the pork and stir-fry until heated through.
6. Add the soy sauce mixture into the wok and stir until heated through.
7. Finally, add the cornstarch mixture and cook until the sauce thickens (probably about a minute).

Serve topped with the green parts of the scallions with some jasmine rice. Who needs takeout?

Rigatoni with Lamb Ragu with Mint

I had been wanting to try Giada’s Lamb Ragu with Mint recipe and I found myself with some leftover lamb shank that I had frozen from a dinner at Terragusto recently, and – in an effort to clean out my freezer – I changed around the recipe a little bit to use my leftovers.

½ lb. rigatoni pasta
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Lamb (like I said, I used leftover lamb shank meat that I defrosted)
½ c. red wine
2 c. marinara sauce (I used store bought)
¼ c. fresh mint leaves, chopped
¼ c. whole milk ricotta cheese

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions.
2. Sauté the shallot and garlic in the olive oil for a few minutes. Add the red wine and cook until reduced by half.
3. Add the marinara sauce and lamb meat. Simmer for 10 minutes and add the ricotta cheese.
4. Add the pasta and the fresh mint to the sauce.

I added some peas to this when I ate it the next night and thought it cut the richness of the sauce nicely. Either way, the lamb and the mint are a fantastic combination in this pasta dish.

Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

I’ve been seriously craving a pulled barbeque pork sandwich after seeing them all over the Food Network last week. I was bored on Saturday so I thought: why not try to make one? Since I don’t really have the time or equipment to barbeque a pork butt, I decided to make something similar with chicken thighs. I figured that simmering them on low heat for an hour or so would make them fall apart and therefore give a similar effect as the pulled pork. To go with, I decided to make some coleslaw (because you can’t have a barbeque sandwich without coleslaw) and corn. It was all a success!

Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwich
I decided on this plan while I was already out running errands, so I didn’t have time to write a grocery list. I knew I wanted to experiment with a homemade barbeque sauce and had most of the ingredients already to do so, so I just picked up some canned tomato sauce as a base. I was a little overwhelmed with the variety of barbeque sauce recipe I found on the internet; people put in everything from coffee to chocolate to pineapple juice. Apparently, Alabama barbeque sauce is made with mayonnaise. Eek…

I wanted to go with something fairly traditional, so I turned to the good old Joy of Cooking and started from there. The recipe I started with had a ketchup base, but I just used the tomato sauce and figured I’d need to add some extra vinegar and sugar to the recipe. I also changed it up by adding smoked paprika instead of regular and tripling the amount of it (I really, really like smoked paprika). I tweaked the other ingredients here and there and wound up with a keeper!

My basic method was to brown the chicken, remove it from the pot, make the barbeque sauce in the same pot, add back in the chicken, and simmer until the chicken falls apart.

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs (trimmed of any visible fat)
½ c. chopped onion
½ clove garlic
2 c. tomato sauce
¼ c. plus 1 tbsp brown sugar
1 ½ tsp. smoked paprika
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
6 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
2 tsp. mustard
2 tbsp. hot sauce
2 tbsp. molasses
Juice of ½ a lime
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Sear it in a dutch oven in a little bit of oil (something neutral flavored) on both sides until a golden brown. Remove and set aside.
2. Sauté the onion in the same pot. Add the garlic after a couple of minutes and sauté for about another minute.
3. Add the tomato sauce and the rest of the ingredients through the lime juice. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a simmer and remove about half of the sauce and set aside for later.
4. Return the chicken to the pan. Turn the heat down to low, cover, and simmer for an hour.
5. At this point, the chicken should be falling apart. Remove it and shred with a fork. Depending on how saucy you want it to be, you can add back in some of the sauce set aside earlier. Or, you can just serve it on the side with the sandwiches. The chicken should look something like this:

Coleslaw
I was originally going to be lazy and pick up a bag of coleslaw mix, but my grocery store was all out so I was forced to really make it from scratch. I used half green cabbage and half red cabbage, which I think gave it nice color. I made my coleslaw pretty vinegary because I wanted it to go in my sandwich as almost a condiment. Once again, my recipe was kind of an experiment, but it was yummy :).

¾ c. light mayonnaise
3 tbsp. white wine vinegar
3 tbsp. white vinegar
Juice of half a lime
¼ of an onion, grated
2 tsp. sugar
8 cups shredded cabbage
½ c. chopped scallions
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Whisk together the mayonnaise through the sugar. Add salt and pepper, to taste (I like lots of pepper in my coleslaw).
2. Place the shredded cabbage in a separate bowl. Slowly pour the dressing over the cabbage until it gets to the right creaminess (you might not need to use all of the dressing).

3. Toss in the scallions and serve.

Corn with Cilantro and Lime
I had wanted to make corn on the cob, but my grocery store failed me once again (ah, city grocery stores…). Instead, I doctored up frozen corn a bit with cilantro and lime juice. I didn’t write down a recipe, but I just sautéed the frozen corn in some butter. When it was heated through and slightly browned, I added chopped cilantro and a little bit of fresh lime juice.

Five Spice Pork and Sweet Potato Mash

Once again, I may have gotten overly ambitious when planning my dinners for this week. I was up late last night cooking, but it was totally worth it (and really, it was my fault for starting too late).

I had a couple of frozen pork tenderloins in the freezer and I remembered a delicious recipe for Five Spice Pork Tenderloin that I tried a few months ago. I already had most of the ingredients, so then I started to think of sides. I thought that some kind of mashed sweet potato would go nicely…maybe with some ginger? To round it off with something green, I went with one of my go-to vegetable sides lately: green beans with oyster sauce.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Ginger
I didn’t do a great job of measuring the quantities of liquid that I added to the potatoes, but the amount really just depends on how big the potatoes are and how thick you want the mash to be. I tried to approximate.

3 sweet potatoes
1 tbsp. grated ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp. peanut oil
¼ c. orange juice
3-4 tbsp. whole milk
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Bake the potatoes whole in a 400 degree oven for about an hour, or until soft in the middle.
2. Heat the peanut oil over medium-low in a pot big enough to hold the potatoes and sauté the ginger and garlic until soft, but not browned.
3. Add the orange juice to the pot and stir until heated.
4. Peel the potatoes and add to the pot. Add some salt and pepper.
5. Now, there are a couple of options for what to do next. If you like your potatoes with some texture, then mash them directly in the pot. I like mine really creamy, so I first mashed them lightly in the pot and then pureed in my food processor. I wouldn’t recommend doing this with white potatoes, though; they’ll get over-worked and gummy.
6. Slowly add the milk as you’re mashing or pureeing the potatoes until they get to the consistency you want. Adjust the seasoning, and they’re done.

Green Beans and Oyster Sauce
I don’t even know if I can call this a recipe or not because I just stir-fry some green beans in store bought oyster sauce, but I think it’s worth including. I add it at the very last minute of stir-frying and just enough to lightly coat the vegetables. It has an intense, salty flavor, so a little goes a long way.

Five Spice Pork Tenderloin
I followed this recipe exactly except for modifying the cooking instructions. The recipe calls for first searing the whole tenderloins and then roasting in the oven. I, quite frankly, didn’t feel like dealing with the mess of searing so I did some research and found a way to get a similar effect by roasting at a very high temperature in the oven. Then, I realized that I (a) wouldn’t get through two whole pork tenderloins in one week and (b) wouldn’t enjoy reheated pork tenderloin throughout the week. I decided to roast one whole and then freeze it for later (maybe for a stir fry) and thickly slice the second to pan sear throughout the week. That’s a win-win, I think.

For the whole tenderloin, I roasted it on one of the lower racks of my oven at 500 degrees for 10 minutes. Then I flipped it and roasted it for another 7 minutes. The exact times will vary by oven, but I like to take mine out when the internal temperature is at 150 degrees. Be sure to let it rest when you take it out of the oven because the internal temperature will rise slightly and the juices will set in the meat.

To pan sear, I just cooked the pork on each side for a few minutes until the pork was medium/medium-well inside and had a nice crust on the outside. I topped it with sliced scallions. Not a bad weeknight dinner, if I do say so myself :)

Thai Red Curry: Lightened Up

I absolutely love Thai red curry and, for long time, I assumed that it was really complicated to make. When I lived in Philadelphia a few years ago, my friends and I finally asked the owner of our favorite Thai restaurant, Smile Café, how they make their curry. He told us that they basically mix a canned curry paste that you can find at most Asian supermarkets with coconut milk. I always thought that using curry paste would be “cheating,” but I thought: If it’s good enough for Smile, than it’s good enough for me! I’ve experimented with a few brands of curry paste, but have found Maesri to be my favorite.


Since I don’t have an Asian supermarket nearby, I order it online at Importfood.com. Whatever you do, don’t use the Americanized red curry paste that is sold at grocery stores like Whole Foods; it’s expensive and tasteless.

Last night, I made a lighter version of this curry to bring for lunch this week. It’s just as flavorful but uses light coconut milk and chicken broth rather than just regular coconut milk. I also loaded it with fresh, green vegetables that I lightly steamed instead of stir frying. To avoid having to stir fry the chicken, I thinly sliced it and added it to the simmering sauce to poach it. Although it’s not traditional, I love adding fresh cilantro to my curry at the end. Thai basil would be delicious as well, but it’s more difficult to find.

Lightened Up Thai Red Curry

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts, very thinly sliced and seasoned with salt
Lots of veggies (sorry, didn't measure) - I used fresh asparagus and broccoli as well as some defrosted shelled edamame
1 small onion, chopped
1 tbsp. peanut oil (or other neutral flavored oil)
2 tbsp. curry paste – Use more or less depending on how spicy you want it
1 can (13 ½ oz) light coconut milk
¾ cup chicken broth
1 tsp. fish sauce
1 tbsp. palm sugar - I ordered some online with the curry paste, but you can substitute with brown sugar
Juice of ½ a lime
Handful of bean sprouts
¼ c. chopped fresh cilantro


Directions
1. Lightly steam the vegetables and set aside.

2. Sauté the onion in a tablespoon of peanut oil in a wok until soft. Add the curry paste and sauté until very fragrant (about a minute).

3. Turn down the heat and add the coconut milk, chicken broth, and fish sauce. Bring to a simmer. Add the palm sugar and stir until it dissolves.

4. Cook down the sauce until it reduces slightly to your desired thickness. Reduce to a low simmer.

5. Add the raw, sliced chicken to the simmering sauce and gently stir until the chicken is cooked through.

6. Add the steamed vegetables into the wok along with the fresh lime juice. Stir until everything is heated through.

7. Stir in the cilantro and bean sprouts. Enjoy!

I serve it with brown rice and a wedge of lime.

"Forgotten" Short Ribs

Meet my new dutch oven:

It goes at least as far back as my grandfather so, last week when I was home, I finally made the effort and lugged it back to Chicago with me. I might be a little too excited about it...

I also started to dig through my mom’s old recipe files while I was there and decided to kind of take it on as a project to sort through and document them. I grew up with many of these dishes, but some are actually new to me. Most are handwritten on index cards, so I certainly don’t want them to get lost.

Sidenote: One thing I learned was that savory jello molds were a “thing” at one time (a trend I pray never returns). One recipe, in particular, had lime jello, spinach, mayonnaise, and cottage cheese. Awful.

Despite that though, my grandmother really was a good cook and has a lot of wonderful recipes to show for it. I decided to make a short rib recipe last weekend since I was dying to try out my new dutch oven. This recipe actually comes from my mom’s aunt, which I had never tried before but my parents both raved about it. They’re named “forgotten” short ribs because they sit in the oven for a long period of time at such a low temperature that you can supposedly forget about them until they’re cooked. They made my apartment smell so good though that it was hard to not keep checking on them! They should also be made the night before you want to serve them so the fat rendered from the ribs can solidify and be skimmed off the top.

Forgotten Short Ribs

Ingredients
3 lbs beef shortribs
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 small onion, chopped
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
2 tbsp. molasses
2 tbsp. cider vinegar
1 tsp. Liquid smoke
Dash of hot sauce

Directions
1. Heat some vegetable oil in a dutch oven. Sprinkle salt and pepper on all sides of the short ribs and brown on both sides in the hot oil.

2. Remove the short ribs and take out most of the oil. Sauté the onion until soft in a small amount of the remaining oil. Add the tomato sauce, molasses, vinegar, liquid smoke, and hot sauce (to taste). Simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Add the short ribs back into the pot with the sauce. Cover and bake in a 275 degree oven for 3-4 hours, or until very tender.


4. When the ribs are done, remove them from the pot. Refrigerate the sauce in the pot and the short ribs separately.

5. The next day, carefully skim the solidified fat from the short ribs off the top of the sauce. Then, heat the sauce and add the short ribs back in.

6. Take the bones out (the meat should fall off the bone at this point). Lightly shred the meat with a fork.

I served this with grilled polenta rounds and some chopped parsley, but I’m sure it would be great with potatoes or even on a sandwich. The sauce is barbeque-y, so anything that would go well with barbeque would go well with these short ribs.

Greek Couscous Salad with Grilled Flank Steak

While it may not feel like it in Chicago quite yet, SPRING is officially here. Among other things, this means that it’s time to bring on the warm weather food!

I like to get a lot of my cooking for the week done on Sunday night because – despite what it might seem like – I don’t have that much time on my hands :). I usually try to make something somewhat-healthy that I can bring to work for lunch throughout the week. This week, in honor of the start of Spring, I made a simple Greek couscous salad with some grilled flank steak.

Ingredients:

Dressing/Steak Marinade
½ c. extra virgin olive oil
¾ c. red wine vinegar
Juice of 2 lemons
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
¼ of a small onion, grated
½ tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. honey
Salt and pepper, to taste

Salad
1 c. dry couscous (I used whole wheat, but regular would work too)
Chicken broth (~1 ½ c. to cook the couscous)
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
½ of a large cucumber, chopped
½ c. fresh mint leaves, chopped
½ c. crumbled feta cheese
½ - ¾ c. dressing (above)

Steak
1.5 lbs. flank steak
½ - ¾ c. steak marinade (above)
Salt and pepper, to taste


Directions

1. Whisk together all of the dressing/marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
2. Marinade the steak in ½ - ¾ c. of the dressing for several hours or overnight.
3. Cook the couscous according to the package directions, but use chicken broth as the cooking liquid rather than water (tastes MUCH better).
4. When the couscous has cooled completely, toss it with the tomatoes, cucumber, mint, and feta. Add about ½ - ¾ c. of the dressing (to taste) and toss gently.

5. Let the marinated steak sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Then, take it out of the marinade and sprinkle it liberally with salt and pepper.
6. Grill the steak about 7 minutes on each side (depending on thickness) until medium-rare/medium. I used a grill pan, but I would definitely use an outdoor grill if I had one. As you can see, the indoor grill pan kind of smokes up my apartment...

7. Let the cooked steak rest for several minutes. Then, slice it thinly across the grain.
8. Serve the sliced steak over the couscous salad.


Happy Spring!