Szechuan Noodles

 


In the world of comfort food, one of my favorite categories is what I call "bland and starchy". I know that may not sound too appetizing, but in my mind it includes the entire world of comforting pastas like carbonara, pasta Alfredo, mac n' cheese as well as mashed potatoes, buttery popcorn, risotto.... and this favorite from Ina Garten.

The peanut sauce makes this recipe - and can be used on it's own as a dipping sauce for spring rolls. I also added carrots and cilantro for a little more color and crunch.

Szechuan Noodles
serves 6

6 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I use canola)
1/2 cup tahini (sesame paste)
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup good soy sauce
1/4 cup dry sherry
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon hot chili oil
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne papper
1 pound spaghetti
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 yellow bell pepper, julienned
4 scallions, sliced diagonally (white and green parts)
1/2 cup minced cilantro (optional)

Place garlic and ginger in a food processor fitter with a steel blade. Add vegetable oil, tahini, peanut butter, soy sauce, sherry, sherry vinegar, honey, chili oil, sesame oil and ground peppers. Puree the sauce.

Bring a large pot of boiling salted water and cook the spaghetti al dente. Drain pasta in a colander and transfer to a large bowl. While pasta is still warm, toss with 3/4 of the sauce. Add red and yellow peppers and scallions; toss well. Serve warm or at room temperature. The remaining sauce may be added, as needed, to moisten the pasta.

Fiery Grilled Beef Salad with Oranges and Crispy Shallots

We were looking for something to grill this weekend, but wanted a departure from our usual California or Italian leanings. I had an inspiration to make some Szechuan Noodles, so we thought, why not do a Thai or Vietnamese dish to go along?

So - I consulted "the stack" of favorite and ancient food magazines I have collected over the years and found this gem from a 2005 issue of Food and Wine Magazine. It was definitely a dinner party hit. My only update for next time would be to dress the dish more lightly. The recipe provides way more dressing than needed.

Enjoy!

Fiery Grilled Beef Salad with Oranges and Crispy Shallots
serves 6

1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 cup plus 1 1/12 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 1/2 pounds New York stip steaks, cut 1 inch thick (we used skirt steak and it was fantastic!)
2 cups canola oil
4 large shallots, thinly sliced
salt
2 navel oranges
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 teaspoons unseasoned rice vinegar
1 serrano chile, minced
freshly ground pepper
One 6-ounce bunch of watercress, thick stems discarded
Once 6-ounce head of frisée, torn into pieces

Prep the marinade
In a small, dry skillet, toast the peppercorns and coriander seeds over moderately high heat, shaking the pan frequently, until fragrant (about 1 minute). Transfer toasted peppercorns and coriander seeds to a work surface and let cool. Using the back of a heavy knife, coarsely crack the peppercorns and coriander. Transfer to a large, sturdy resealable plastic bag. Add minced garlic, 1/4 cup each of soy sauce and sugar, then add the meat and seal the bag, carefully pressing out as much air as possible. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Prep shallots
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the shallots in batches and cook over moderate heat until golden and crisp (about 10 minutes). Using a slotted spoon, transfer shallots to a paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle with salt and let cool. Reserve shallot oil and let cool.

Grill steak and Make salad
Light the grill. Remove meat from the marinade and scarpe off some of the solids. Grill the steaks over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, about 10-minutes for medium-rare meat. Transfer meat to a cutting board and let rest for 15 minutes.

In a medium bowl, combine the orange juice, lime juice, rice vinegar, Serrano chile and remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Slowly whisk in 1/2 cup of the reserved shallot oil (save the rest of the oil for another use) and season the dressing with salt and pepper. 

In a large bowl, add orange segments, watercress and frisée. Dress the salad with the dressing, as desired, and toss well to combine. (Note: the recipe provided more dressing than needed, in my opinion.) Transfer salad to a large serving platter. Slice the steak across the grain and arrange on top of the greens. Sprinkle with crispy shallots and serve immediately.

Figs and Prosciutto

I don't think this really qualifies as a recipe, but it's absolutely one of my favorite late summer/early fall snacks. Buy the heaviest, juiciest, ripest figs you can find. Slice them up. Drape prosciutto on top. Eat. Sigh. Lick fingers. Repeat.

Turkey and Zucchini Burgers with Green Onion & Cumin

I was having dinner with friends the other night and we were talking about Ottolenghi's cookbook Jerusalem. It was the perfect reminder to break it out again. The recipes are amazing! These burgers are perfect for summer - especially for my gardener friends (that's you Gary!) who are looking for ways to cook up all of their zucchini this time of year. I was hoping to throw these on the grill, but the mix is a little on the moist side, so I can see why he calls for pan frying. 

The best thing about these tasty little guys is the sauce. I didn't have sumac on hand so just used a little extra lemon juice/zest. It was great.

Turkey & Zucchini Burgers with Green Onion & Cumin

serves 4 to 6

For the burgers:

1 pound ground turkey

1 large zucchini, coarsely grated (to yield about 2 cups)

3 green onions, thinly sliced

1 large egg

2 tablespoons chopped mint

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

6 1/2 tablespoons sunflower oil, for searing (I used a LOT less)

For Sour Cream and Sumac Sauce:

1/2 cup sour cream

2/3 cup Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 small clove garlic, crushed

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon sumac (I used a little more lemon juice instead)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

First, make the sour cream sauce by placing all the ingredients in a small bowl. Stir well and set aside or chill until needed.

Preheat the oven to 425º. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the meatballs except the sunflower oil. Mix with your hands and then shape into about 18 small burgers, about 1 1/2 oz each.

Pour enough sunflower oil into a large frying pan to form a layer about 1/16 inch thick on the pan bottom. Heat over medium heat until hot, then sear the meatballs in batches on all sides. Cook each batch for about 4 minutes, adding oil as needed until golden brown.

Carefully transfer the seared meatballs to a making sheet lined with parchment paper and place in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or until just cooked through. Serve warm, or at room temperature, with the sauce spooned over or on the side.

Yeah, baby!

We have another niece on the way and she's headed straight for an October birthday. My niece Paloma and I already share a birthday (October 6), but - is it wrong to hope for another such a coincidence? I know. It's a lot to ask. At the very least, we know this new kid's gonna be another Libra. Woo hoo!

I got this quilt started just last month and am so excited about how quickly it's come together. Still - I better hurry up and finish it already. Clock's ticking!

Chicken Provençal

I don't know what happened, but we seem to be socked in by fog and gloom the past couple of weeks. Whenever this happens, B's taste for comfort food rises, and we usually end up braising something. We first saw this recipe out of the September 2003 issue of Cooks Illustrated and it has never failed us. I like the alternate version with saffron, orange and basil, but the basic recipe is the one we usually make. Serve over polenta, either soft or in squares. Doesn't get more comfort foodie than this (unless you're talking lamb shanks).

Chicken Provençal
serves 4

8 bone-in, skin-on thighs (about 3 pounds), trimmed of excess skin and fat 
Salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped fine (about 2/3 cup)
6 medium garlic cloves, pressed through garlic press or minced (about 2 tablespoons)
1 anchovy fillet, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup homemade or low-sodium canned chicken broth
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained
2 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano leaves
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons grated zest (from 1 lemon)
1/2 cup niçoise olives, pitted 
1 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 300º. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add 4 chicken thighs, skin-side down, and cook without moving them until skin is crisp and well browned, about 5 minutes. Using tongs, turn chicken pieces and brown on second side, about 5 minutes longer; transfer to large plate. Add remaining 4 chicken thighs to pot and repeat, then transfer to plate and set aside. Discard all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot.

Add onion to fat in Dutch oven and cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until browned, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, anchovy, and cayenne; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add wine and scrape up browned bits from pan bottom with wooden spoon. Stir in chicken broth, tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme, oregano, bay, and herbes de Provence (if using). Remove and discard skin from chicken thighs, then submerge chicken in liquid and add accumulated chicken juices to pot. Increase heat to high, bring to simmer, cover, then set pot in oven; cook until chicken offers no resistance when poked with tip of paring knife but still clings to bones, about 1 1/4 hours. (We tend to cook the chicken longer, until it's "fall off the bone" tender).

Using a slotted spoon, transfer chicken to serving platter and tent with foil. Discard bay leaf. Set Dutch oven over high heat, stir in 1 teaspoon lemon zest, bring to boil, and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and reduced to 2 cups, about 5 minutes. Stir in olives and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Meanwhile, mix remaining 1/2 teaspoon zest with parsley. Spoon sauce over chicken, drizzle chicken with remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil, sprinkle with parsley mixture, and serve.

Alternate version:
Follow recipe above, adding 1/8 teaspoon saffron threads along with wine and substituting orange zest for lemon zest and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil for parsley.

B's Famous Pesto

I love my husband. Every now and then, he gets really interested a particular dish and wants to go deep and become expert. So, you can imagine my joy when he announced he had decided to master pesto. At first, he went old school, working by hand with a mortar and pestle. But now - the cuisinart is his friend. Before you get started, here are a couple of tips he's generously allowed me to share with you: 1) the key to a bright green pesto is blanching the basil 2) for us, pesto is more about basil and less about garlic - B uses almost a pound of basil for an average batch 3) his favorite pasta for pesto is linguini fini.

The recipe below is a general guide. Nowadays, B makes his batches from memory, adjusting seasonings as he goes. Bravo, Pepo! Bravo!

B's Famous Pesto

1 pound fresh basil leaves, thoroughly washed and patted dry

1-2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1 cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano

1 cup freshly grated pecorino sardo 

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 cup nuts: a mixture of walnuts and pine nuts (emphasis on pine nuts)

Blanche basil very briefly and cool in an icebath. Drain and squeeze out excess water. Put basil, cheese, nuts and garlic in a food processor and blend for a few seconds. With motor running, slowly add the oil in a steady stream until incorporated. Taste, adding salt as desired.

Modern Log Cabin

I'm a very slow quilter. I'm talking tortoise slow. Snail slow. Watch the paint dry slow. But for some reason - when I started this quilt I was on fire. Somehow I've managed to make 90 squares in a month and a half! Woo hoo! Only 10 blocks to go. Thanks Red Pepper Quilts!