Xie Xie's Tofu Salad with Pickled Vegetables

This meal would have been much more successful if I had eaten it for lunch the next day as was my plan. I made it at night, thinking it would sit and marinate overnight as the recipe said it could...and then I'd have it the next day. However, out of laziness for putting the final touches on it in the AM as I was scurrying out the door, I did not bring it in for lunch. I did not have it for dinner. I did not have it for lunch the NEXT day. FINALLY, two days after preparing this meal, I had it for dinner.

The tofu was marinating in soy sauce.

Soy sauce is SALTY.

My tofu was SALTY.

Oh well.

I still ate it...the doctor said that I needed added sodium anyhow so best to just throw in into my body all at once.

Nonetheless, I could tell the actual recipe was quite good.

Xie Xie's Tofu Salad with Pickled Vegetables

PICKLED RED CABBAGE
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pound red cabbage, finely shredded (4 cups) - I didn't have this and used radicchio instead...a much more bitter substitute but it's what I had

CARROT KIMCHI
1 tablespoon Sriracha chile sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 pound carrots, finely julienned

MARINATED-TOFU SALAD
One 14-ounce block firm tofu, drained and patted dry
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons mayonnaise (I used plain greek yogurt)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
5 ounces mesclun salad greens

DIRECTIONS

MAKE THE PICKLED CABBAGE: In a resealable plastic bag, combine the vinegar, sugar and salt, shaking to dissolve the sugar. Add the cabbage. Seal the bag, pressing out the air. Let stand for 4 hours or refrigerate overnight.

MAKE THE CARROT KIMCHI: In a resealable plastic bag, combine the Sriracha with the rice vinegar, fish sauce and sugar, shaking to dissolve the sugar. Add the carrots and seal the bag, pressing out the air. Let stand at room temperature for 4 hours or refrigerate overnight.

MAKE THE MARINATED-TOFU SALAD: Preheat a grill pan. Brush the block of tofu with the vegetable oil and grill over high heat, turning once, until lightly charred, about 5 minutes. In a shallow dish, combine the soy sauce with the lemon juice and orange juice. Add the tofu and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour or cover and refrigerate overnight.

In a large bowl, whisk the mayonnaise (or yogurt) with the rice vinegar and sugar (I also added in a teaspoon or two of the tofu marinade). Season with salt and pepper. Add the mesclun to the dressing and toss until coated. Transfer the greens to plates. Drain the pickled cabbage and carrot kimchi and arrange them next to the greens. Remove the tofu from the marinade and slice it 1/2 inch thick. Arrange the tofu slices over the greens and serve right away.


The carrots held up the best after two days given their sturdy structure...and they were really really good. I've never made pickled vegetables before so I was extremely happy when these turned out to be pretty darn good.

The "cabbage" aka radicchio - wasn't bad. Clearly cabbage would have been better but it was an OK substitute if you are too lazy to go to the store and for some odd reason have radicchio on hand.

And the tofu - well, what can I say. Looking beyond the salt - the flavor was really nice. I loved the citrus with the soy sauce.

I'll make this again, but I'll actually make a concerted effort to eat it at its peak :)

Pear Tart with Goat Cheese and Port

To me, this dessert embodies every dessert direction with exception to chocolate: fruit, pastry, cheese, dessert wine. It seemed like a good choice for a dinner party, covering all bases.

Pear Tart with Goat Cheese and Port

Ingredients

All-purpose flour, for dusting
1 piece store-bought frozen puff pastry, defrosted according to package directions
1/4 cup currants
1 1/2 cups ruby port
1 (4-ounce) log mild goat cheese
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 firm-ripe pears, cored and sliced as thinly as possible
2 tablespoons apricot jam
Splash water
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll the puff pastry sheet to a thickness of between 1/4 and 1/8-inch. Using a plate or other round template as your guide, cut the pastry to a 12-inch circle. Refrigerate while you prepare the toppings.

Combine the currants and port in a small nonreactive bowl and set aside to allow the currants to plump for at least 20 minutes.

In a food processor, or using a hand mixer, combine the goat cheese with the confectioners' sugar and the vanilla and mix until smooth. Drain the currants from the port and in a small saucepan reduce the port to about 1/4 cup. Reserve the port reduction for serving.

Place the puff pastry circle onto the lined baking sheet and spread the goat cheese mixture over the puff pastry, leaving about a 1-inch border around the edges. Sprinkle the currants over the goat cheese; arrange the pear slices evenly over the goat cheese, overlapping the slices to form a fanned out pattern. Combine the apricot jam with a small amount of water; in a small saucepan or in the microwave, melt the jam. Brush the tart with the apricot jam and sprinkle with the dark brown sugar.

Bake the tart until pastry is golden brown on the bottom and sides, usually 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the tart from the oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool. Serve the tart at room temperature, drizzled with some of the port reduction.

I didn't quite realize how much of a pain cutting and arranging the pear slices would be. However, I think I did a decent job of making them look pretty - but it took a long time and careful selection of pear slices. When it went into the oven, I was pretty excited for the final product, I had done everything according to the recipe and it looked nice!

Unfortunately, the final product was a bit disappointing. The skin on the pears seemed too tough, I would have peeled them. But that wasn't the worst part...the cheese got a bit crumbly!!! The flavor was so good but it just wasn't right.

Oh well.

It was still impressive-ish.

The best part of making this dessert was the return to childhood that I had during the process. Whenever my Mom would make a pie with a homemade pie crust, she would make a "crusty" with the leftover dough. A "crusty" was basically rolled out dough spread with some butter, sprinkle it with cinnamon and sugar, roll it up like a cigar in a crescent moon shape, and bake it until lightly golden. Though I was using puff pastry, I did the same with my leftover scraps, and to me, this was the most satisfying part of the whole dessert!

Baba Ganoush with Pita Chips

Selected as an appetizer for a Moroccan Lamb dinner party - this dish proved to be an easy and impressive offering. It was especially easy when utilizing our new kitchen toy - the VitaMix. I simply threw all of the ingredients into the heavy-duty blender and voila, in seconds I had baba ganoush!

To make the pita chips, I took whole wheat pita purchased from the store and cut it into wedges. Then I sprayed each side with EVOO using my Misto and then sprinkled the pieces with sea salt (pink himalayan sea salt to be exact). Baked at 400 for about 8-9 minutes - the pita became pita chips!

Baba Ganoush with Pita Chips

1 globe eggplant
2 tbsp. tahini
1 tbsp. EVOO
1 garlic clove
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. chili powder
juice of 1/2 lemon, plus more as needed
1 small handful of cilantro (about 1/4 bunch)
salt, to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 375F (190C).

2. Prick each eggplant a few times, then char the outside of the eggplants by placing them directly on the flame of a gas burner and as the skin chars, turn them until the eggplants are uniformly-charred on the outside.

3. Place the eggplants on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until they’re completely soft; you should be able to easily poke a paring knife into them and meet no resistance.

4. Remove from oven and let cool.

5. Split the eggplant and scrape out the pulp. Puree the pulp in a blender or food processor with the other ingredients until smooth.

6. Taste, and season with additional salt and lemon juice, if necessary. Chill for a few hours before serving. Serve with toasted pita chips.

What a healthy, delicious dip - great for sandwiches, vegetables, pita, etc.

Pan Seared Halibut with Leek-Dijon Sauce and Leek Mashed Potatoes

Sometimes it is a risk following a recipe found on someone's random personal blog. Mine for example, I cannot guarantee that every recipe that is posted is exactly what we did...we tweak things here and there and may not have it recorded. The following meal was one of those blog finds that seemed to fit the bill after we purchased halibut and already had leeks on hand.

We did a half recipe of the potatoes, and almost full recipe of the leek-dijon sauce

Pan Seared Halibut with Leek-Dijon Sauce and Leek Mashed Potatoes

Pan Seared Halibut with Leek-Dijon Sauce
Serves 4

Ingredients

4 Halibut fillets about 1/2 lb each
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chicken stock or white wine
1/2 cup whole milk (we used 1%)
1 Tbsp butter
1 leek, trimmed and finely chopped
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Method

1. Season halibut fillets with salt and pepper and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together mustard, olive oil, chicken stock, and milk. Set aside.

2. Heat about 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large sautée pan over medium-high heat. Add fillets to the pan and sautée on one side for about 3 minutes. Flip carefully and sautée for another 3-5 minutes. If the fillets are very thick, they may take a little longer, but be careful not to overcook them. They should flake with a fork and be just opaque (maybe even a little teeny bit translucent in the very middle depending on your taste). Remove to a warmed plate.

3. Add butter to the same pan. Add leeks and sautée gently until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the milk and mustard mixture. Simmer over medium heat until thickened, about 5 minutes. Grate lemon zest over the sauce and squeeze about a Tbsp of lemon juice into the sauce. Stir to mix. Spoon sauce over fish (and mashed potatoes) and serve immediately.

Creamy Leek Mashed Potatoes
Serves 4

Ingredients

4 Yukon Gold Potatoes
Salt and pepper
1 leek trimmed and chopped finely
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup whole milk or more

Method

1. Peel potatoes and cut into one-inch pieces. Boil for about 15 minutes or until fork tender. In the meantime, melt butter over medium heat in a medium sautée pan. Add leeks and sautée until softened and slightly browned, about 4-5 minutes. Spoon into large bowl. Drain potatoes into same bowl. Add milk and mash either with hand masher or electric hand mixer. Season with salt and pepper.


The recipe also called for kale chips to top the fish. You can see in the picture that we attempted this. However, the kale chip was removed post photo because I burnt the you-know-what out of them after forgetting about them in the oven. Boy, those were bitter.

The fish was good, nothing really special. I like the sauce but wouldn't go out of my way to make it again. The potatoes were nice - I actually really liked them. But I was also craving carbs at the time...instead of the peeled large potatoes, we used small fingerling potatoes and kept the skin on, adding texture and some sort of nutrient to the dish.

In general, this would probably be a good recipe to revisit if I have everyone on hand - and the sauce would be great with chicken or pork as well. Perhaps a thin cutlet of either, breaded and sauteed, topped with the leek-dijon sauce...I think that would be quite nice.

Wild Mushroom Risotto with Beet and Orange Salad

I was looking for an excuse to use the truffle salt that I had bought for Derek for Christmas. Perhaps that is wrong that I was the one to be anxious to use his gift...but anything kitchen or food related is essentially shared as we share meals and the process of making them.

I wanted to find something relatively simple as we would be making this meal for some friends for a post-football game watching day. The last thing that I wanted was to be stuck in the kitchen while everyone else enjoyed the games.

So simple + truffle salt use = Mushroom Risotto!!

Sure, risotto is a bit hands on but the execution of the dish is relatively easy. And we had just received some trumpet mushrooms in our shipment so it seemed like a natural fit.

NOTE: Some of the trumpet mushrooms, to my surprise, went bad within the four days that we had them...when we went to chop them up to prep them for the risotto, we were sorely disappointed and had to go out and buy some more....

I used an Emeril recipe as my base but we really just started throwing things in the pot as we are fairly adept in making risotto at this point.

5 to 6 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
1 teaspoon minced garlic
12 ounces assorted mushrooms, wiped clean and thinly sliced, stems removed
2 cups arborio rice
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup finely grated Parmesan
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 to 2 teaspoons truffle salt, to taste

In a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to very low to keep hot.

In a large heavy saucepan, heat the oil and melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic, and cook, stirring until fragrant and soft, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until wilted and their liquid is evaporated, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, until the grains are opaque, about 1 minute. Stir in the thyme. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until nearly all evaporated. Add 3/4 cup of the stock, the salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until the stock is nearly all evaporated. Continue adding more stock 1/2 cup at a time as the previous addition is nearly absorbed, until the rice is tender and the risotto is creamy, 18 to 20 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup of the cheese and the parsley and mix well.

Remove from the heat and stir in the truffle salt, adjust the seasoning, to taste.

For starters, I made a simple salad of roasted beets and segmented oranges with candied almonds and arugula. The dressing was a blood orange/champagne vinaigrette:

and for a finale - Derek made Thomas Keller's Frozen Lemon Bars

picture of the bars with un-toasted meringue:

The salad, in my opinion, was just beautiful. I loved the colors with the pinkish beets, orange navel oranges and reddish blood oranges. And candied almonds just add a nice hearty sweetness to the light salad.

The risotto was also delicious. I think the combination of mushrooms and truffles (salt) is just a classic pairing. I was dying to have an earthy pinot noir with this but we instead opted for white wine that night which was fine, but not ideal.

My only wish is that risotto was slightly more healthy than it is. Sure, we lessen the effect with a lack of cream and a smart use of oil and butter...but in the end, it is still a pot of rice. And okay, I guess brown rice can be used...and while I really do love brown rice, it just isn't always the same for a risotto. Though that is getting me to thinking I should try it before I knock it...so coming up next risotto, brown rice of some sort....or maybe faux risotto with a grain such as quinoa...to be determined!

West Indian Curried Chicken Roti with Curried Collard Greens

Through our exploration of Indian flavors in homemade cooking we have had a lot of ups and downs, learning new lessons along the way. Some of these lessons include:

1. Know your spices. Indian food is based on the perfect blend of spices - consisting of several elements foreign to most American dishes. The mentality of "throwing a little bit of this and a little bit of that" is not as forgiving when it comes to Indian cooking.

2. Similar to #1 but deserving of its own bullet point - turmeric: do not overdo it. Though it has great health benefits - it can completely make or break a dish (as I have learned the hard way). According to Whole Foods' description, turmeric has a peppery, warm and bitter flavor and a mild fragrance slightly reminiscent of orange and ginger, and while it is best known as one of the ingredients used to make curry, it also gives ballpark mustard its bright yellow color. Key word: BITTER. If you use too much, your Indian dish that is supposed to be well rounded will instead be bitter.

3. Release the flavor of the spices by first heating them up in some oil to make a quasi-spice paste. You will be amazed by how much flavor will come out of a little bit of powder.

4. Use whole spices and grind them yourself - again, much more flavor will come out.

5. If using chilies in the dish, give them a little taste test first before adding them in, some are far more spicy than other, even within the same family, so you will want to adjust the amount that you add to the dish based on the spice level and your own personal tolerance.

6. Spices, spices, spices (see #1) - just have to reiterate the fact that this is what Indian cooking is all about. Stock up on the key Indian spices and make your own curry mixtures, you'll be AMAZED by how you can create a meal that tastes much like what you would get in an Indian restaurant with the key being your homemade curry powder!

FYI - curry powder isn't only that yellow stuff you buy in the store but rather a blend of Indian spices with nearly limitless variations. We've had a good time trying them out - each version creating a totally unique and wonderful flavor for the dish.

Our source (well Derek's source, he made the entire meal) was not an Indian cooking guru, but rather our beloved Emeril who has a knack for spices of his own (i.e. Emeril's entire line of fabulous blends that seem to truly kick each dish up on notch.)

West Indian Curried Chicken Roti

Original Link on FoodNetwork.com
(we used about a half recipe)

Ingredients
2 tablespoons ground turmeric
1 tablespoon crushed dried chili flakes
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1/2 tablespoon coriander seeds
1/2 tablespoon ground cloves
1/2 tablespoon ground ginger
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 chicken, cut into 8 pieces
2 cups chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 hot pepper, such as Scotch bonnet or serrano, seeded and finely chopped, or to taste
2 cups chicken broth
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 recipe West Indian Bread for Roti, recipe follows, breads kept covered and warm

Directions
In a medium skillet or saute pan combine the turmeric, chili flakes, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cloves, ginger, garlic powder, mustard seeds, pepper, allspice, and cinnamon and cook, shaking the pan frequently, until spices are fragrant and just beginning to smoke. Remove from the heat, transfer to a shallow plate and allow to cool completely. Transfer to a coffee grinder or spice mill and process until very finely ground. Reserve 6 tablespoons of the spice mixture separately and transfer the remainder to an airtight container and save for another purpose.

In a mixing bowl combine the chicken, 2 tablespoons of the curry powder, 1 teaspoon of the salt and 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil and set aside, covered, for 20 minutes.

In a large Dutch oven, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, and, when hot, add the chicken pieces and cook, turning occasionally, until golden brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, thyme, hot pepper if using, and remaining 4 tablespoons curry powder and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft, about 4 minutes. Add the chicken broth, coconut milk, and brown sugar and bring to a simmer. Add the remaining teaspoon of salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is very tender and falling from the bone and the sauce has reduced enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 1 1/2 hours. Stir in the cilantro and adjust seasoning, if necessary.

(Note: traditionally, curried chicken roti is eaten with the chicken still on the bones. If you prefer otherwise, at this point you can remove the chicken from the sauce and remove the meat from the bones and then return the meat to the sauce before serving.)

Serve the chicken and sauce ladled into the center of the roti breads, then fold both sides over the filling. Fold the top and bottom ends over the sides to form a neat square package, and serve.

West Indian Bread for Roti:
4 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more for cooking roti
1 cup water
To make the breads, combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Combine the oil and water and add this mixture to the well. Using your hands, mix to form a dough. Knead for about 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth. Divide the mixture into 6 balls of dough and set aside for about 2 hours, covered with a damp kitchen towel. On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball of dough into a thin, flattened circle about 9 inches in diameter. Set aside, covered, until ready to cook the breads to serve. (Do not stack.)

Heat a large griddle or 12-inch skillet over high heat and add 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil. When hot, add the bread dough and cook until brown spots form on the bottom, about 1 minute. Turn the bread and cook on the second side, about 1 minute longer. Transfer to a large plate or baking sheet and cover with a damp towel to keep warm while you prepare the remaining breads.

Yield: 6 large roti breads


Ever since we started making our own curry powders, the level of authenticity to our Indian dishes has sky-rocketed. Once again Derek commented (and I agreed) that this was a dish that we'd likely receive from a restaurant - and a good one at that. The sauce (curry) was just incredible, so many flavors jam packed into one bite. And the chicken was so moist and tender. Nicely done Derek.

The roti was a little bit less successful. It tasted like pancakes. Perhaps that was what it was supposed to taste like, but they were just a bit thick and reminiscent of pancakes for my taste...but then again, with the curry, it went pretty well.

We also braised some collard greens with shallots, garlic and vegetable broth and added some curry powder leftover from another recipe we had made. This one was a bit sweeter and therefore, went really well with the fairly spicy chicken curry. Though our goal isn't necessarily to master the art of Indian cuisine, I don't think that is a realistic goal, I think we're getting pretty successful at creating fairly authentic basic recipes - and that's good enough for me.

Toasted Barley Salad with Red Bell Pepper, Corn and Grilled Portobello Mushrooms

This was sort of a weird meal concept. A mishmash of barley and vegetables with a side of sliced portobello. I would normally expect the mushroom to be at least on top of the barley salad, or stuffed if it is used as a sideline item, but that was not the case here. Still, it spoke to me as I'm a fan of all of the ingredients and I put in the request to Derek to pick up the necessary ingredients to make this dinner happen.

Reading the recipe, you'll see that the grocery list wasn't exactly adequately fulfilled, however, we made due with what we had to produce a pleasing final product.

Toasted Barley Salad with Red Bell Pepper, Corn and Grilled Portobello Mushrooms


1/2 cup pearl barley (used 3/4 cup)
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth (used 2 1/4 cups)

1 poblano or green bell pepper (we couldn't fine poblano so used green)
1 red bell pepper (Derek left this in the cart...did not use...used a jalapeño instead to compensate for the lack of poblano and to add a kick)

2 large plum tomatoes, seeded, chopped (about 1 cup) (this item was forgotten, luckily we had some diced fire-roasted canned tomatoes that we drained and used)
1 cup fresh corn kernels (used frozen, it's winter!!)
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped green onions
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
Nonstick olive oil spray (we used EVOO sprayed from a Misto)
2 large portobello mushrooms, stemmed, dark gills scraped away
6 large leaves spinach leaves (I used more, obviously)
Goat Cheese (crumbled) - our own addition

Place barley in heavy large saucepan. Cook over medium heat until pale golden, shaking pan occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add broth to pan and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until barley is tender and broth is absorbed, about 35 minutes. Uncover and let barley cool.

Char poblano and red bell pepper over gas flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides. Enclose in paper bag and let stand 10 minutes. Peel, seed and dice poblano and red bell pepper.

Place barley, poblano and red bell pepper (whichever peppers you use) in large bowl. Add tomatoes and next 5 ingredients; toss to blend. Season salad with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover; refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving.)

Prepare barbecue, medium-high heat - (or grill pan). Spray mushrooms with nonstick spray (we used Misto to spray EVOO); sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill until cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to work surface; slice thinly.

Arrange spinach leaves on each plate. Top with barley salad. Arrange 1 sliced mushroom alongside each salad. Top mushroom with goat cheese crumbles, to taste. Serve while mushrooms are still warm.

What a healthy meal! Wow - this felt good to eat and was extremely satisfying and tasty. The dish, with winter-y ingredients such as barley and portobellos, bridged over to spring with the fresh lime, corn and cilantro.

If I were to make this again I would place the portobello slices on top of the barley mixture, along with the goat cheese. I would also consider doing a very light dressing on the spinach leaves - maybe even just some lemon juice with a touch of EVOO. It would also be great with a protein - some chicken slices on top. And I'd love to try it with poblano peppers since they are just fabulous roasted. But for having to substitute and alter ingredients as we did - the final product was very tasty.

Tofu Lettuce Wraps

After a wonderful weekend filled with cookie baking, wine and Hot Toddy drinking in the mountains of Tahoe, I felt inspired to prepared myself something relatively healthy for dinner upon my arrival back to San Francisco. I also did not feel like going to the store to purchase any ingredients so - no surprise here - I made do with what I had on hand and actually made something quite delicious!

The following recipe is a tweak on one that I had come across online - I'll write it as a 2 entree or 4 appetizer servings recipe, though I did about half for myself.

Tofu Lettuce Wraps

1 head fresh butter lettuce- about 6 decent size leaves (butter or iceberg would be best, I also had some romaine that I used since I didn't have much butter lettuce left on hand)
2 tsp. vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 thumb-size piece galangal (or ginger), grated
1 thai chili, de-seeded and finely minced
2 shallots, sliced finely
1 package firm tofu, drained and crumbled
2 carrots, cut into thin strips
1/2 cup snow peas, trimmed and cut into thin strips
4-5 shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. lime juice
2 Tbsp. regular soy sauce
2 Tbsp. fish sauce
1 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped if leaves are large
1 block rice noodles (dried)
4 tsp. rice vinegar
1/2 cup fresh dry roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
five spice powder

Preparation:

Drizzle oil into a large frying pan (wok would be best) over medium-high heat. Add garlic, galangal (or ginger), chili, and shallots. Stir-fry one minute, or until fragrant.

Add tofu, carrot, shiitake mushrooms, spring onions and snow peas. As you stir-fry, add the lime juice, soy sauce, and fish sauce. Stir-fry about 3-5 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in the basil leaves.

Meanwhile, cook rice noodles in boiling water for about 5 minutes until cooked through - drain and set in a bowl. Add rice vinegar and mix.

Separate and clean lettuce leaves. Top each leaf with layer of rice noodles. Add generous portion of the tofu filling. Top with a sprinkling of peanuts and a pinch of five spice powder. Then wrap up and eat!

The filling was just amazing. After about two or three bites, I ended up eating this with a fork since I filled the lettuce leaves quite full. The filling was spilling out with each bite so I decided it would just be easier to consider this a salad. Either way works - just use a little less filling if you want to use your hands.

I think I got about 4 or 5 lettuce leaves out of my half portion, so it was a significant amount of food - I contemplated leaving the last little bit for leftovers the next day but before I knew it, it was gone!

Baby Squid Stuffed with Fennel and Pine Nuts in a Tomato and Roasted Garlic Sauce

This meal was beyond frustrating. If you do not have time or patience, I would stop reading here. I should have known - a BBC recipe - what do the Brits know about food? After tasting the final product, I hated to admit that it was really tasty - but the process was time consuming and not meant for one of our Wednesday night post-spin class "I'm hungry and want to eat now" meals.

I wouldn't be complaining so much if Derek had prepped the squid beforehand as was the plan - but clearly that did not happen so we had to start from square one starting at 8 PM at night.

Squid - oh how I love you and hate you. I hate to clean them - a fact well articulated in previous posts - but love to eat them. My best compromise is to buy pre-cleaned squid but this was not available at the Farmer's Market where you know they are nice and fresh - so fine, we decided to buy them in their natural state and Derek agreed to do the cleaning so I guess I have no room to complain except for the fact that cleaning takes time - and I was hungry!

Complaining aside - I took charge of the homemade tomato sauce and chopping and left the rest to Derek.

Baby Squid Stuffed with Fennel and Pine Nuts in a Tomato and Roasted Garlic Sauce


Squid Filling
6 baby squid, cleaned
3 shallots
1 small fennel bulb
25g/1oz butter
1 tbsp olive oil
50g/2oz pine nuts (used cashew/sliced almond mix instead)
3 tbsp chopped parsley
25g/1oz pecorino cheese (used something similar)
1 tsp ouzo
½ glass white wine (we omitted - did not want to open a bottle)
juice of ½ lemon
25g/1oz breadcrumbs
3 tbsp chopped basil
For the sauce
6 cloves garlic
25g/1oz butter
1 tbsp olive oil
3 shallots

Tomato Sauce
5 ripe vine tomatoes, de-seeded and chopped
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tsp aged balsamic vinegar (this was my own addition)
1 tsp red wine vinegar
100g/3½oz passata (we took this as "tomato sauce")
1 tsp tomato purée (and this as "tomato paste")
½ glass red wine (depends who is pouring ;) )
salt and pepper
basil leaves, to garnish (I threw in about 1/3 cup finely chopped and mixed it in)
+ additional adjustments not noted

Preparation method

Roast the garlic for the sauce in olive oil (190C/375F/Gas5) for 20-25 minutes or until very soft. (we wrapped this in tin foil)

Place the shallots in a food processor and process until very fine (or chop by hand). Place half of the shallots aside. Add the fennel to the food processor and process until very fine.

Heat 25g/1oz butter and 1 tbsp olive oil and gently cook the shallots and fennel for 5 minutes.

Chop the squid tentacles and add to the fennel mixture, along with the pine nuts. Cook for a further 5 minutes. (I found this odd, but the only way I'll willingly eat the tentacles).

Add the white wine and lemon juice to the stuffing mixture and boil rapidly to reduce by half. Meanwhile finely grate the pecorino cheese.

Add the breadcrumbs, herbs, cheese, ouzo, salt and pepper to the stuffing mixture, allow to cool slightly.

Heat 25g/1oz butter and 1 tbsp olive oil and gently fry the remaining shallots. Add tomatoes, sugar, red wine vinegar and roasted garlic cloves. Cook for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, use a piping bag to fill the squids and secure with cocktail sticks. Take care not to over fill the squids, as they shrink during cooking.

Place the tomato sauce in a food processor and process until smooth.

Return to the saucepan and add passata, tomato purée, red wine, salt and pepper.

Place squid in tomato sauce, cover the pan and poach for 25 minutes. Remove cocktails sticks.

Serve garnished with basil leaves.

Another case of needed those shallow bowl/plates for presentation - though in the end it all tastes the same. One initial comment - this dish screams for bread!!! There is so much tasty sauce that is just waiting to be lapped up by a good piece of bread. Mind you, the sauce would not be as tasty if I had not made so many adjustments. I found it to be almost bitter upon first shot following the recipe and had to tweak to add sweetness and more balance. You would be fine with making any tomato sauce that you enjoy for this recipe. And note - it will take on some of the squid flavor as the squid is cooked in it.

The filling for the squid is what made this recipe worth it. I actually loved using the cashews instead of pine nuts (too expensive) and with the fennel and citrus - quite heavenly!!

And speaking of heaven - yes, the squid - it was pretty incredible. Cooked just perfectly so that it could be cut with a fork. After several run-ins with chewy squid...this is certainly a feat.

At the end of the meal, I stopped complaining and realized that maybe it was worth the effort after all.

Cornmeal Crusted Red Snapper with Braised Kale and Polenta

Here's a case of a meal simply thrown together without guidance of a recipe. It is relatively simple and can be adjusted according to taste.

During our last trip to the Farmer's Market we picked up two red snapper filets - nice a fresh - packaged in individual ziploc bags. I love that the seafood man does that - that way Derek and I can each pick out our own perfect piece. For me, all of the red snapper were too large as I get tired of any protein after a while - but I was still able to get one that was smaller than Derek's massive piece.

To crust the snapper we followed the standard procedure: flour, egg, cornmeal. The cornmeal was seasoned with a bit of Emeril's seasoning - a fantastic spice to keep on hand - goes with everything! We sauteed the fish on each side until browned and cooked through.

Served with some braised kale (simple garlic, onion, tomato, vegetable stock) and polenta that we added some truffle salt into just to try it out - we hadn't yet used the truffle salt - it didn't necessary fit with the meal but it tasted good!!

a simple Sunday night dinner.