Pork and Rice Noodles with Peanut Sauce, October 8, 2015

The other night, we had a delicious meal of pork and rice noodles with peanut sauce, sesame soy roasted broccoli, and mandarin oranges. It was pretty quick to throw together and delicious! We both oohed and ahhed quite a bit over the broccoli, especially. You could easily make this vegetarian by subbing tofu---and strict vegans can omit the honey.

Pork and Rice Noodles with Peanut Sauce

1/2 c. boiling water

1/4 c. peanut butter (reduced-fat is fine)

2 tbsp. rice vinegar

2 tbsp. tamari

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp. lime juice

1 tsp. sesame oil

1 tsp. garlic chili paste 

1 tsp. honey

1 tsp. cornstarch

4 boneless pork chops, cut into strips

1 red pepper, thinly sliced

6-8 oz. rice noodles, cooked and drained

Mix together everything but the pork, pepper, and noodles. Heat through and stir to incorporate peanut butter well. Cook pork and pepper strips, in a large skillet that has been coated with cooking spray, over medium-high heat until pork is completely cooked through. Add peanut sauce, tossing to coat pork and peppers. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer a minute or so. Add to pork and sauce and toss well. Serves 4. 

Sesame Soy Roasted Broccoli

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss broccoli florets with a smidge of sesame oil & a splash of tamari. Roast, on a baking sheet, 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. 

Asian-Style Catfish Wraps, July 29, 2015

When I finished making dinner last night, I thought, "Oh, boy, this could be a terrible flop." By the time my darling got home, I had already decided just to make quesadillas if she hated the food I had made. The meal of Asian-style catfish wraps, sweet & sour potato shreds, and a spring mix salad was pretty outside-the-box for me. I was fairly certain it was going to be too weird for Jeannene. But, she picked up the wooden spoon perched on the side of the skillet containing the filling for the wraps, nibbled a bite, and made yummy noises. Whew! "Now," I wondered, "is it going to be too weird for me?" I'm not big on wraps, except for Mexican food, and I am not a huge seafood fan. However, I do tend to like catfish, although my favorite way to eat it is either fried or blackened. I'd had some amazing Vietnamese catfish nuggets at The Winds Cafe, but this was nothing like those. However, when I bit into it, I thought, "Okay, that's pretty good!" I was skeptical about the potatoes, as well, especially since I don't tend to like sweet not-dessert dishes and since I hadn't followed Madhur Jaffrey's recipe, passed on to me by my mom, who was very enthusiastic about the dish. The potatoes I thought I had had gone bad on me, so I was left with the option to use already mostly baked potatoes left over from Sunday. I want to try it again using raw potatoes, to see what the difference is. I suspect I will like them better done the way they were intended to be made, but they were certainly edible as it was. The catfish wraps are based on a Cooking Light recipe from April 2005.

Asian-Style Catfish Wraps

1 tsp. dark sesame oil

1/2 lb. catfish, cut into chunks

1 1/2 c. thinly sliced Napa cabbage

1 carrot, shredded

3 scallions, thinly sliced

1/2 tbsp. minced ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/8 c. hoisin sauce

1/2 tsp. Asian chili garlic sauce

4 small flour tortillas

Heat half the sesame oil in a large skillet or wok on medium-high heat. Add catfish and stir-fry to cook through, about 3 minutes. Remove from pan. Add the rest of the oil. Once heated, add vegetables and stir-fry until carrots are crisp-tender, a couple of minutes. Return catfish to pan, add sauces, and heat through. Warm tortillas and fill with catfish mixture. Serves 2-4. 

Sweet & Sour Potato Shreds

1/2 lb. potatoes, peeled and cut into fine julienne strips

2 tbsp. peanut or canola oil

2 scallions, sliced

1 slice ginger, peeled and minced

2 tsp. soy sauce

2 tsp. red wine vinegar

Large pinch salt

1/2 tbsp. sugar

2 cloves garlic, smashed with the side of a knife & peeled

1 tsp. sesame oil

Place potatoes in cold water to cover. Shake the bowl to release the starch. Pour out water & repeat process several times. Drain well. Heat oil in large skillet or wok. Stir fry ginger and scallions about 30 seconds. Add potatoes and stir fry for about 30 seconds. Add soy sauce, vinegar, salt, sugar, and garlic. Stir fry 2-5 minutes, until potatoes are browned. Add sesame oil and stir to mix. Remove garlic cloves to serve. Serves 2-4. 

Chicken with Peanut Sauce, May 20, 2015

Last summer, after years of experimentation, I finally hit upon the perfect recipe for Indonesian-style peanut sauce, which we love with chicken, beef, and pork. Last week, I made it for some rotisserie chicken I picked up at the grocery. I sliced off the breast meat and served it with the peanut sauce, reserving the rest of the meat for the next night's dinner. I made some basmati rice and a colorful Thai-inspired salad to go along with it. The recipe for the salad came from Too Many Cooks by Emily Franklin (which is a really fun book), although I made omissions and substitutions to suit our tastes.

Bomb-Diggity Peanut Sauce

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 scallions, sliced (white and light green parts only)

1/4 c. chicken broth

1 tbsp. soy sauce 

Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon

1-2 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. brown sugar

1/2 c. coconut milk (unsweetened)

1/3 c. smooth peanut butter

3/4 tsp. powdered ginger

Cook garlic & scallions in broth, covered, for a couple minutes. Add soy sauce, lemon, chili, brown sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add coconut milk, peanut butter, and ginger and heat through. Makes enough for 4-6 people.

Thai Rainbow Salad

2 tbsp. key lime juice (fresh juice from regular limes is also fine)

2 tbsp. good quality olive oil

1 tbsp. sesame oil

3 tbsp. coconut milk

1 tsp. honey

A few shakes of hot sauce (Thai chili sauce is recommended, but we didn't have any on hand & this worked fine)

7 leaves romaine, torn into bite-size pieces

1/2 head napa cabbage, sliced thinly

1/2 red cabbage, sliced thinly

A handful of basil leaves

1 bunch scallions, light green and white only, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 red pepper, sliced thinly

1/2 yellow pepper, sliced thinly

Salt & pepper

Pepitas

Mix everything up to romaine. Mix vegetables. Toss with dressing. Season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with pepitas. Serves 6-8. 

Mongolian Sweet & Hot Fish, January 14, 2015

Last night was Jeannene's night to cook. She's been hankering for fish, so she thawed out some tuna and tilapia and made a marinade for it that starred Mongolian fire sauce, molasses, garlic, red pepper flakes, and tamari. More than that, I can't tell you, and I likely will never have it again because most of her dishes are one-shot deals, but it hit the spot on a cold January night! She did a beautiful veggie stir-fry alongside, with broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, snow peas, water chestnuts, peppers---mmm, mmm, mmm! I made some Jasmine rice and she cut us some honeydew slices. I love it when she cooks!

Teriyaki Chicken with Zucchini Salad

Juice in the batter, juice in the batter, we bake pie and nothing's the matter! When I was a kid, one of my very favorite books was Maurice Sendak's "In The Night Kitchen," a magical story about Mickey, who falls out of his bed & his pajamas into the night kitchen, where the bakers are busy making cake for the morning. His adventures in dough (and milk) are marvelous and I always loved chanting, along with my mama, the rhythmic words of the bakers in the night kitchen: "Milk in the batter! Milk in the batter! We bake cake and nothing's the matter!" If you've not seen this book and you'd like to know more, you can learn a bit here and also hear James Gandolfini reading it aloud:http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/06/21/james-gandolfini-reads-maurice-sendak/

Anyway, I've been up in my own night kitchen baking half a dozen key lime pies for my sweetheart's "job well done" reward picnic at her plant tomorrow. What fun! 2 dozen eggs later, the pies are chilling in the fridge now, the Crimson Cup (http://www.crimsoncup.com/about/our-handcrafted-coffee) coffee's all revved up and ready for Jeannene's 3:30 wake-up call, and yet, I am not quite sleepy enough for bed. So, on to tonight's dinner for you! Tonight, we had a dinner that was simple in the extreme. It's also a great one for the grilling season, which is upon us. Today, we welcomed our new grill into the household, a beaut of a Brinkman that can handle 40 burgers, I believe, at one time. Had we the forethought to pick up a canister of propane, we could have initiated it tonight, as this dinner lends itself well to grilling.

I cut a couple skinless, boneless chicken breasts into strips and marinated them in a little more than a quarter cup of teriyaki sauce. My favorite is Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki. I only marinated them about half an hour, but you could soak them much longer for deeper flavor. Then, I put them on a broiler pan I'd coated lightly with cooking spray and broiled them until they were cooked through, about 7 or 8 minutes. This is where the grill could have come in handy. While they were doing their thing, I cooked up a pot of jasmine rice, cooking water seasoned with a little salt and a splash of sesame oil. I also made a deliciously fresh-tasting salad by slicing 4 zucchini into thin ribbons lengthwise (had I a mandoline, they'd've been lots thinner---and probably a great deal more even!), then tossing it with the juice of a lemon, a tablespoon of sesame oil, and a sprinkle of sea salt. Before serving the chicken, I sprinkled it with some toasted sesame seeds. Easy peasy and quick to pull together, if you remember to throw the chicken in to marinate ahead of time.

Spicy Orange Chicken Stir-Fry

While my dearest is not usually big on anything Asian & I tend not to dig sweet with meat, we both thought this dish was stellar. With rice and fresh pineapple, this recipe from the June 2009 issue of Bon Appetit made a great dinner!

Spicy Orange Chicken Stir-Fry

1 1/2 c. jasmine rice, cooked

3/4 c. orange juice 

3 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. cornstarch

2 tsp. orange zest

2 tbsp. oil

1 small red onion, cut in half, then thinly sliced

Large pinch crushed red pepper

1 1/2 lb. chicken cutlets, cut into 1/2" wide strips

1/2 lb. sugar snap peas

Whisk orange juice with soy sauce & cornstarch to dissolve the starch. Add orange zest. Heat the oil on high heat. Stir-fry the onion and crushed pepper about 30 seconds. Season the chicken with salt & pepper. Add to skillet/wok and stir-fry until just cooked through, about 4 minutes. Add sugar snaps and orange juice mixture. Cook,              tossing, until sauce is thickened, about 2 minutes. Serves 6. 

Asian Flank Steak

This meal was one I found quite delicious and which my wife hated. As in, would not eat. I'd knocked it out of the park with 3 meals in a row, then hit upon two in a row which she simply refused to eat. She is not a big fan of anything Asian, for the most part, and she has definite (negative) opinions of hoisin sauce and anything to which it has been applied. I had mistakenly thought this had changed when she used hoisin sauce on our Cornish game hens for Super Bowl Sunday. So, beware if you have a picky eater. This may not be the dinner for them. If, however, you enjoy those flavors, dig in! It comes together really quickly, too, if you throw everything into its marinade ahead of time and need to get dinner on in a hurry.

Asian Flank Steak

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp. hoisin sauce

4 tsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. Asian chili sauce

2 tsp. honey

2 tsp. dry sherry

2 tsp. minced ginger

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 1/2 lb. flank steak

Mix together everything but the steak. Add the steak and turn to coat completely. Marinate at least 3 hours and up to overnight. Broil steak 5 minutes or so per side. Allow to rest 15 minutes, then slice for serving. Serves 4. 

Sesame Noodles

1 lb. egg noodles

3 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

4 scallions, thinly sliced, green part only

3 tbsp. sesame oil

1 tsp. Chinese 5-spice

Salt & pepper, to taste

Cook & drain noodles. Heat 2 tbsp. oil on high & stir fry scallions until soft, about a minute. Add Chinese 5-spice and cooked noodles. Stir fry 1-2 minutes. Add 1 tbsp. sesame oil & sesame seeds & stir to incorporate. Season with salt & pepper. Serve piping hot. Serves 4-6.

Sesame Green Beans

1/2 lb. green beans, trimmed

3 tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 tbsp. sesame oil

1 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

Steam green beans just until crisp-tender and mix with everything else. Marinate 2 hours. Serve cold, drizzled with marinade, or toss in skillet for a few minutes to heat through, if you want it warm. Serves 2-4. 

Fresh Stir-Fry

We love vegetables in our house and one of our favorite ways to eat them is in a stir-fry. Here are two good versions we’ve had at our house recently. I served the broccoli stir-fry with baked teriyaki pork chops, brown rice, and big hunks of pineapple. The pork & asparagus stir-fry got jasmine rice and mandarin oranges to accompany it. The notation beside it in my recipe binder says, “Really flippin’ awesome.”

Stir-fried Broccoli

2 tbsp. soy sauce or tamari

1 tbsp. sake (you can sub dry sherry, if you can’t lay your hands on sake)

1 tbsp. water

3 tsp. oil

1 tbsp. sesame oil

1 bunch of broccoli, divided into small florets

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. minced fresh ginger

1/2 c. minced basil leaves

½ tsp. sugar

Mix soy sauce, sake, & water in a small dish. Heat a large skillet or wok on high for about 4 minutes (I don’t recommend using a skillet with non-stick coating here). Add 2 tsp. oil and heat for a minute, until it just starts to smoke. Add broccoli and stir-fry a couple minutes (by which I mostly mean 2), until just tender. Push to the sides of the skillet and add garlic, ginger, and 1 tsp. oil to the center of the pan. Sauté about 10 seconds, remove from heat, and stir everything together. Return to heat and add soy/sake mixture. Cook 30 seconds. Add basil & sugar and cook 30 more seconds. Serves 4-6.

Pork & Asparagus Stir-Fry

1 lb. boneless pork loin, fat trimmed, cut into thin strips

¼ c. soy/tamari

1 tbsp. sake

2 tsp. minced fresh ginger

1 ½ lb. asparagus, broken into 3-4” pieces

½ c. + 2 tbsp. water

2 tsp. oil

Sliced scallion for garnish

Mix pork with soy, sake, and ginger. Marinate about half an hour (longer is okay, too). Cook asparagus and ½ c. water, in covered skillet over high heat, stirring occasionally, for 2-4 minutes. Drain. Wipe skillet dry and heat on high. Add oil and heat another minute. Remove pork from marinade and stir-fry 3-5 minutes, until cooked through. Add marinade and 2 tbsp. water. Stir until it comes to a boil. Add asparagus and heat through. Serve garnished with scallion. Serves 4-6.