I haven't made shrimp in years: A Sous Vide Adventure

A nice thing about living solo is seafood to feed the household doesn't break the bank if I shop carefully. This week, shrimp were on sale. One of my favorite restaurant dishes is shrimp & grits. Grits are effectively the same as polenta, and I always have it in the house.

Then it occurred to me that I never tried to do shrimp sous vide, so why the hell not? I looked up timing on a few different sites. The temperature range was pretty large, as you can see on this chart on Serious Eats. I decided to not be too terribly adventurous the first time and cook the shrimp (which came already peeled) at 137 F, which is a little over 58 C. It's also 331.5 K, but I digress.

I didn't follow the recipe on the page, just the timing and temperature. Here's what I did with the shrimp:

• 8 ounces of shrimp, cleaned. I also took the tails off because I hate de-tailing shrimp while I'm eating and it's easier to do it when they're raw. I realize some people consider this an abomination, and I can live with that.  
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 Tablespoon butter, softened
• 6 roasted garlic cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns, cracked a few times with a mortar and pestle
• Zest of half a lemon

I mushed the ingredients together and used a plastic knife leftover from takeout food to spread the butter all over the inside of the bag. Before loading the shrimp, I tossed the shrimp with the baking soda (I put them in a ZipLoc plastic container and shook it for thirty second), then added the shrimp to the bag, pressing the shrimp into one layer. I started up the immersion circulator to get the water bath to temperature. I decided on 137 F, to give it a slightly softer texture, but still with a delicious pop. I cooked them for 30 minutes, then finished them on a grill pan on the stove. I'd like to try a torch next time, but I still need to buy one.

For the polenta:

• 1/2 Cup polenta
• 3 cups water
• 1 Cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1/2 Cup Chopped shallot
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 Tablespoon butter (for the shallots)
• 1 Tablespoon butter (for the polenta)
• 3/4 Cup grated Grana Padano cheese
• sea salt

I sprinkled the tomatoes with a bit of salt, then tossed with 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a glass casserole dish, roasted at 400 F for about 40 minutes, stirring every 10 or so.

While that was happening, I melted the 1/2 Tablespoon butter in a small pan and cooked the shallots on low, stirring constantly until they were brown. Once both of these were done, I set them aside.

For the polenta, I had a package with no directions. I boiled 2 Cups of water, stirred in the polenta, brought it back to a boil, then put it on to simmer for about 30 minutes. It needed a little longer than planned, though the results were soft, creamy, and a bit stuck to the bottom f the pot. Once all the water had been absorbed (about 45 minutes total, your mileage may vary) I stirred in the tomatoes and shallots, the butter and then 1/3 of the cheese. I added the rest of the cheese in slowly, then once that was done, assembled my plate.

The garnish is a sprinkling of oregano, more for color, and then some Calabrian chiles in oil, which was a delicious last-minute impulse.

Look for more shrimp recipes from me because this was deliciously easy!

Noodling About Peanuts

If you take me out to the ball game, I will ask for neither peanuts or Cracker Jacks. Do they even still make Cracker Jacks? Anyway, I generally don't care for traditional American presentations of peanuts. 

I did, however, fall in love when I tried chicken in a peanut sauce at a Malaysian restaurant in Boston when I was sixteen. I've since enjoyed various satay variations, an attempt at peanut soup, Pad Thai, and peanuts as garnish on a Vietnamese vermicelli bowl.

I do not remember what I was hunting for when I came across this recipe  I've made it twice. The first time, I decided to overcomplicate things and threw in tofu and mushrooms. It really doesn't need anything else:

1 pound soba noodles (I had this as a main dish, which was about 3 oz of soba noodles dry)

¼ cup smooth natural peanut butter

¼ cup tahini

¼ cup water or chicken broth (I used vegetable broth here. While this isn't enough chicken broth to add a strong meaty flavor, I didn't want to have any meaty flavor to this. Plus, with the veg broth, I can serve this to my vegan friends)

½ cup low sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 small garlic cloves, minced (I did a little extra and I recommend pressing these so they'll be absorbed into the sauce better)

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

3 tablespoons honey

¼ cup vegetable oil

2 tablespoon sesame seeds

4 scallions, white and light green parts chopped

1 medium cucumber, deseeded and julienned

Boil water for the soba.  Cook according to package instructions.  (with the soba I bought, that meant throwing it in boiling water with a little salt, cooking for two minutes then rinsing with hot water to stop the cooking. Soba can get mushy easily.)

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the peanut butter, tahini, water (or chicken broth), soy sauce, sesame oil, and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently until the mixture is smooth, about 5 minutes (More like 12).  Turn off the heat and stir in the cider vinegar, honey, and vegetable oil.

Pour into a large serving bowl, and mix with the drained soba. Top with sesame seeds, scallions, and cucumbers.  Serve immediately or let cool in the refrigerator and serve cold.

I ate mine room temperature and it was delicious. I think I can go a touch less on the vegetable oil next time. The noodles kept slipping off my chopsticks. 

If you try this, let me know!

I have a thing for curry leaves

Several years ago, I was introduced to Indo-Chinese food and a dish that was loaded with chiles and curry leaves. It sounded a bit weird (some things on the menu were completely unfamiliar and I was wary at first, and a short time later, I affair with curry leaves that has not stopped. 

Usually, that's been in a restaurant, then someone pointed me here. A south Indian curry that is made kosher because it uses coconut oil instead of ghee. It's rich, filling, and deliciously simple. I did boost the spices:

• 500 g chicken (thigh or breast) pieces 
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1 cup coconut milk 
• 1 large onion, sliced into half moons
• 1 Tbsp ginger-garlic paste 
• 10 curry leaves 
• 2 green chilies, finely chopped (I used two tiny Thai chiles and two jalapeños)
• 1 tsp red chili powder 
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric 
• 1 tsp ground cumin 
• 2 1/2 cups water (I used vegetable broth here because I didn't want the taste of the chicken broth to overwhelm the coconut
• salt, to taste (I recommend lightly salting the chicken before cooking, that's just enough to enhance flavors )

• Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat, add onions and fry until they turn brown.
• Add the curry leaves and green chilies, stir and cook for a few minutes.
• Add the chicken pieces, coconut milk, chili powder, turmeric, cumin, salt, and water and cook on a low heat until the chicken is tender. 

I served this over basmati rice, with an appetizer of store-bought papadum and some mint chutney (I can eat enough mint chutney to count as a serving of vegetables). The sauce wasn't as thick as I usually like, but when I had the leftovers, I simmered it for some extra time to make that happen. 

This one will be going into heavy rotation. I've also got some other recipes in mind from the Nosher. There's a fabulous assortment there.

Time to give a fig or Kate makes a dessert for a change

This recipe for roasted figs is one of those delightful recipes that tastes like it took a very long time to make, but really didn't. I think it was 25 minutes from start to finish. The original plan was to make it on a Sunday, but I might have overslept (something about binge watching Netflix) and had an appointment I couldn't miss.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds firm-ripe fresh figs (about 35 figs), halved lengthwise (I think the package I bought had about 20, but I made the full amount of syrup anyway)
• 3 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey (I like my honey on the dark side, I think it has more flavor and more complexity, but as you will since the recipe doesn't specify)
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (I used a full teaspoon and recommend it)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 5 sprigs rosemary
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
• ½ teaspoon lemon zest (from 1 lemon)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (218.3 C. I don't know if metric ovens get that specific, but that's what the conversion table says). Place figs, cut sides up, on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle evenly with balsamic vinegar, honey and vanilla; sprinkle with salt. Add rosemary sprigs to baking sheet.

Hint: put the honey in something microwaveable with a spout and zap for about ten seconds. it will drizzle more easily.

Roast in preheated oven until figs soften slightly, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven; flip figs using tongs (carefully or you'll mush them). Sprinkle baking sheet evenly with butter cubes.

Return to oven, and roast at 425 degrees F until butter is melted and balsamic vinegar is thick and syrupy, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven; let cool on baking sheet 10 minutes. Discard rosemary sprigs. Sprinkle figs with lemon zest.

..........................

Serving size is about 6 of the cut figs. I had my first taste over vanilla gelato and added  teaspoon of balsamic and then the lemon zest:

This may come to be a standard when company comes to visit. 

Cue the Kinks: Avocado Toast and a bit about eggs

Hi everyone. Today's entry is unplanned, mostly because one of the most important ingredients isn't where I want it yet. On the other hand, it's a fine breakfast, so why not share?

I am not what you'd ever call a dedicated follower of fashion, but I do like variations of avocado toast. My version for breakfast this morning:

• One ramen egg (soft boiled, marinated in soy, mirin, dashi, sake, rice vinegar) (comments about the egg below)
• Chopped 1/2 of a ripe (ha!)* avocado
• Soy sauce
• Hot sauce
• Toasted slice of your favorite bread (optional)

It's a damn fine breakfast if you ask me. It's filling, it's flavorful, and there's a mix of textures so it's interesting to eat. I don't always bother with the toast--that depends on how hungry I am. I've also considered putting this over a small amount of rice, but I haven't tried it yet.

About the egg:

I love ramen and I've tried it multiple ways in multiple places. Several of my friends get an invitation once a month for a Ramen night and we always have a great time. This has been going on (minus lockdown, of course) since 2014. The members of the group have changed, and it's not always the same group at the same time, but there's always fun, food, and drinks.

Ramen eggs, if you haven't experienced them, are unique and fabulous. The correct name is ajitsuke tamago and they are soft-boiled and marinated. I have seen recipes for all kinds of marinades and I haven't found one or improvised one that I am completely happy with.

The texture, where you have a solid, but soft white without a trace of a rubbery feeling, and a yolk with a texture that you could describe as feeling like a rich custard or your favorite jam, I do have down. That is thanks to Ivan Orkin, who is an interesting human and has a chain of restaurants. My birthday has been spent at Ivan Ramen more than once. If you have a big appetite, I recommend the triple-pork-triple-garlic, which is hugely delicious, but I can't finish even if I fast for two days prior.

Anyway I was searching with various terms for the recipe and several pages into the search engine I found this blog entry from Rowley's Whiskey Forge. While I didn't love the marinade recipe when I tried it, boiling the eggs for six minutes and ten seconds is pretty much perfect! When I have a marinade I like, I'll post a full entry.

Happy noshing!

*Yeah, I know. It is really hard to find that 15 minutes when an avocado is perfectly ripe.

My Knives Need Sharpening: Pork Belly Adobo

It seems like forever ago, but I Kickstarted a cast-iron Dutch oven. I needed an (affordable) enameled one because I have ceramic cooktop on my electric stove and it came at last on 8/31.

If you're not familiar with chicken or pork adobo, you are missing out. It's a zing of soy sauce and vinegar with earthy undercurrents of bay leaves and pepper. Since I first tried adobo at Bilao, a Filipino restaurant about a mile and a half from me, I've been testing and searching for recipes. I've tried several, making them with chicken thighs, but it was my friend Scott who found this one. 

I'll get right to the ingredients, but do read the whole story at the link.

Serves 4 to 6

• .25 c. neutral oil
• 2 lbs. pork belly, skin removed, cut into 2-inch cubes
• 3 tbsp. minced garlic (about 10 cloves) (I think I used 12 or 13)
• .25 c. shoyu (soy sauce) (I bought a dark, Filipino soy sauce brand called Da Puti from Amazon)
• 2 tbsp. oyster sauce
• .25 c. cane vinegar (This was the Da Puti again. This has a softer taste to it and I really like it)
• .25 c. apple cider vinegar (Extra zing!)
• 3 bay leaves
• .25 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 3 c. halved cherry tomatoes (about 1 pound), for serving (This is the first time I've seen tomatoes added to the serving of adobo even after looking at multiple recipes. More on that later)
• Cooked rice, for serving

In a large, deep skillet, wok, or Dutch oven, heat the oil over high heat until shimmering-hot. Pat the pork dry with paper towels. Sear it in the hot oil, turning, until evenly browned on all sides, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Stir in the shoyu, oyster sauce, both vinegars, the bay leaves, and pepper and toss to coat the pork belly. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the pork has started to soften and most the fat has rendered, 40 to 50 minutes. What you’re going for is not a melt-in-your-mouth bite, but rendered fat and meat with some texture to it, like spareribs almost.

Once the pork is cooked, remove it with a slotted spoon and set aside. If desired, skim off some of the rendered fat and discard (I usually keep it) (I did too). Increase the heat to medium and reduce the sauce, stirring constantly, until a sticky glaze starts to form. Return the pork belly to the sauce and toss to coat.

Serve with tomatoes and cooked rice.

Have you seen the price of pine nuts lately?

 Admittedly, one can use walnuts in a basil pesto, but one day way back when, I was feeling whimsical and I ground up some salt & pepper pistachios and tossed them with olive oil and pasta and loved the result. More recently, I bought some pistachios and thought I'd try to find a recipe that could improve on that impulse, and Food and Wine had the perfect solution:

• 7 ounces unsalted roasted shelled pistachios (1 1/2 cups) (get help shelling them, this took me about 49 minutes, or one episode of the Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me podcast)
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped mint
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup finely shredded pecorino cheese, plus more for serving
• 2 scallions, cut into 2-inch lengths and julienned
• Salt
• 1 pound orecchiette (I had spaghetti in the pantry, so that's what I used)

In a food processor, chop the pistachios. (I recommend doing this in batches because the smaller bits of nuts will sink to the bottom. You can probably use a blender. I have a small food processing unit that came as an accessory to my stick blender) Add the olive oil, mint and garlic and pulse to combine. Transfer to a bowl, stir in the 1/2 cup of cheese and the scallions; season with salt. 

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta until al dente; drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Return the pasta to the pot. Add the cooking water and the pesto and cook over low heat, tossing, until coated. Serve, passing more cheese at the table.

I recommend a bit more of the cooking water because it will help prevent the cheese from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Here's my final result:

I might have put on more cheese after I took the picture. This is a deeply satisfying dish. The mint leaves a coolness at the end of a bite. The Romano gives a bit of a feel of cacio de pepe, but elevated with the pistachio for richness, and there's a tiny bit of bite from the scallions. I can't find anything I'd change, which, if you've been reading me for while, is damn rare.

What's your favorite pesto?

It's only a little bunny rarebit

 I am not massively familiar with common British foods. I've never visited, and in my murky past I was more likely to visit an Irish pub than I was an English one. Authenticity, as you can imagine, varies. 

When I lived in Nashville there were a couple places I enjoyed and I really enjoyed bangers & mash. I found myself with a craving for it a couple months ago and met up a friend at an English pub uptown. For an appetizer, we enjoyed a Welsh rarebit.

Why the hell I haven't made this before I don't know.

A few weeks later, a friend posted this link. I hadn't heard of Two Crumbs up, but I found the concept fun, and then I came to their Scottish Rarebit recipe. It intrigued me because it used whiskey instead of beer, and I just had to try:

• 1 tbsp Butter
• 1 tbsp Flour
• 1/4 tsp Mustard Powder
• 1 tbsp Whiskey (I used Jameson's)
• 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 tbsp Heavy Cream
• 2 cups Grated Scottish Cheddar (I might have used Irish, St. Andrew forgive me)
• 2 slices Sourdough Bread, cut in half

The method very simple:

Begin with a roux-- melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat until foaming, then add flour. Stir and allow to cook for a minute or two, until the smell of flour fades and you have a popcorn-smelling wet sand texture.

Add your remaining ingredients (except the bread, you silly K-nig-hts), and stir over medium-low heat until melted.

Keep your cheese mixture warm while you lightly toast your bread. Pour cheese sauce over bread and summon fire without flint or tinder-- ie toast the cheese with a blow torch or under a broiler. To avoid burning the toast, I suggest counting to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out.

-------------

The cheddar I had was a bit oily, so I ended up playing with the sauce a bit. A little more flour to soak up the oil, then a little more whiskey and cream to keep the right texture. I used Colman's mustard powder. I like that this had mustard powder so there wouldn't be acid from the vinegar in the sauce. I want more of that flavor next time. And there will definitely be a next time.

The tomatoes were tossed with a little salt, black pepper, olive oil, and thyme, then roasted at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes before I put the oven to broil for the rarebit.

Have you made rarebit? Share your experience! 

Seeking perfection: Salmon Cakes

I have been cooking, I just haven't been blogging. Sometimes because I'm making old favorites, sometimes from laziness, and sometimes because dishes don't turn out the way I want them.

Case in point: This is my second attempt at salmon cakes and I've gotten closer to what I want, but more importantly, I'm pretty sure what I want to do next.

Preheat over to 350 F

Ingredients for this batch:

• 1 14.5 ounce can of salmon (who the hell decided on 14.5 ounce cans?), drained.
• .5 Cup Ka-Me wasabi flavor rice cracker crumbs (I used a coffee grinder, more on that in a bit)
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 2 teaspoons Penzey's Wasabi powder (thank you Gina!)
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 Tablespoons plain yogurt (I'm a fan of Fage Total)
• 1 Tablespoon mayonaise

Vacate salmon from can with a fork, breaking up the chunks until it is more flaky than chunky, stir in the green onions, cracker crumbs and egg until everything is mixed to the point where you don't see cracker crumbs. Stir in yogurt and mayo.

You could form these into balls or patties, but I decided to use a muffin tin to help me get six cakes, with the idea of 2 as a main dish serving:

I baked these for about 20 minutes and then broiled for about 4 minutes to get a nice crunchy top. They didn't come out of the pan in one piece because they were just too wet. Still tasty and a nice warmth from the wasabi. I'm not sure if wasabi paste would give the same, but if I try, I'll let you know.

For a condiment, I mixed up some garlic-chili sauce with some plain yogurt and on the side were some sliced cucumbers with sesame seeds.

So, my critique:

• I should have crumbed (yes, that is now a word) the crackers in a food processor or used a rolling pin or my favorite mallet to get bigger pieces. I think they would have absorbed the liquid better if they were closer to the flaky fluffy consistency of panko.
• I probably also needed at least 2 Tablespoons more of crumbs
• More green onions. At least two more.
• Peppers of some kind? Maybe, I'm not sure. Red bell might work. Or well-drained peppadew. These were creamy, with the crust being where a different texture is. A little crunch might not be a bad idea.
• Just yogurt, no mayo to get more of a tang.

So we shall see what happens next. 

A Tale of Some Oxtail (a sous vide adventure)

I love oxtail broth or stew, though I do not remember when I first tried it. I tried to make it once, on a stove top, without a pressure cooker, and it took too much time, too much attention, though it did come out delicious.

The fine fun folks at Lifehacker have a sub-blog called Skillet, that includes the topic Will it Sous Vide? and today's meat method comes from this article from a few years ago.

The TL:DR version: 

• make an umami paste
• coat your oxtail
• bag
• Sous vide for 24 hours at 185 degrees Farenheit, 85 degrees Celsius, 358 degrees Kelvin

It fell off the bone with almost no effort. I think I had to shake one piece off, but look how clean those bones are:

More specifics:

My first attempt at an umami bomb (or paste, but bomb is much more fun to say) failed. I used a lot of garlic, and unfortunately, while the garlic smelled fine before I smashed it (I love my mallet), when I tasted it, something just felt totally and utterly wrong. Into the trash it went. My second attempt was more saucy, but tasted much better. It still needs work, though. What I threw together:

• 1 Tablespoon Better Than Bouillon mushroom flavor
• 1 teaspoon Better than Bouillon garlic flavor 
• 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
• 10 grinds black pepper
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 Tablespoon vegetable broth
• 1 Cup grated onion and its juice

I brushed the liquid onto the meat, and added a little more into the bags before I sealed them. When I de-bagged, there was a ton of liquid and I poured most of it into a medium saucepan, reserving some in a small pitcher.

To the pot I added:

• 3/4 bottle of cabernet sauvignon (pour yourself a glass and dump in the rest)
• 8 ounces of mushrooms (I had a mix of Crimini, which are sometimes called Baby Bella, and some amazing Trumpet shrooms that I caught on sale. Use your favorites)
• 6 oz of pearl onions, whole
• 1/4 cup vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons of thyme
• 1 Tablespoon parsley
• 1 bay leaf (note to Kate: more herbs next time)

I let that simmer and reduce for about an hour. In retrospect, I should have spent the last hour the oxtail was cooking reducing the wine more slowly. It would have left more flavor. 

After the hour was up, I mixed some cornstarch with the liquid I had put aside to make a slurry, and added it to the pot. Once that was absorbed,  I put the meat in, then cooked some mushroom ravioli to serve everything on. My liquid was more stew than soup, so I used a slotted spoon and here is the final result:

I've got a lot of fat floated to the top in the leftovers, so I will likely use that to make a roux to thicken the rest. I'll also add more herbs to the next bit.

I give me an A-. The meat had such amazing texture. The connective tissue was completely broken down, and chewing was only needed for the sheer joy of it. The globs of fat, just melted in my mouth. If you have the time, the ciruclator, the counterspace, and you like oxtail, please try this. My ideal takeaway from this is we have an entry just from people sending me their umami bombs. 

More winter comfort food: Oyakodon

Last nights dinner is something I was wary about trying to make myself, but the cravings got too strong and the delivery options at Paradox Place do not include something that looks or tastes by what follows.

Oyakodon translates as 'parent-and-child-rice-bowl,' something I was pleased to learn several years ago. When I lived on the West Side, there was a place that delivered them, and it was love at first bite. It was a frequent dinner until I moved to the other side of the island.

The chicken is simmered with onions in a savory broth, and then an egg is gently cooked with the chicken and the whole thing is served over rice. I lifted this one whole from Just One Cookbook, and I already have two more recipes from this site lined up.

Oyakodon

For two servings (you'll be making these one at a time, unless you have two pans you can use at once)

• 2 chicken thighs, cut into 1.5" (4cm) pieces
• 1/2 large onion, sliced
• 2 large eggs (you'll beat these separately)
• 1/2 Cup dashi (available in Japanese food stores. I have concentrate that I keep in the fridge. It's a useful thing for adding umami, but I digress)
• 1.5 Tablespoons mirin
• 1.5 Tablespoons sake 
• 1.5 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 1.5 teaspoons of sugar
• 2 servings cooked Japanese short-grain rice.
• Mitsuba for serving (or green onion, which is what I used this time)
• Shichimi Togarashi for serving (I think this seven-spice blend is one of the most fabulous things on the planet)

I make my rice on the stovetop--living in a studio means I don't have space for a rice cooker, though there's a microwave one I have my eye on. Once I got it simmering, I got started on the oyakodon.

Namiko Hirasawa Chen does a good job of writing recipes, in my opinion. Very easy to follow, very clear. 

• Combine dashi, mirin, sake, soy sauce in a bowl or a liquid measuring cup.
• Add sugar and mix all together until sugar is dissolved. Depending on the frying pan sizes, you may not need all the broth. You can keep the leftovers in the refrigerator for 3 days.
• Thinly slice the onion and chop mitsuba (or green onion). Beat one egg in a small bowl (you will need to beat another egg when you work on the second batch).
• Slice the chicken thigh diagonally and cut into 1.5" (4 cm) pieces. I recommend using “sogigiri” cutting technique so the chicken will be equal thickness and create more surface area for fast cooking.
• Divide your ingredients in half
• Add 1 serving of the onion to your pan in a single layer. Pour roughly ⅓ to ½ of the seasonings mixture (depending on the size of your frying pan, the amount may vary). Pour just enough sauce to cover the onion.
• Add 1 serving of chicken on top of the onion. Make sure the onion and chicken are evenly distributed. Turn on the heat to medium heat and bring to a boil.
• Once boiling, lower the heat to medium-low heat. Skim off any foam or scum if you see. (I didn't have much at all) Cover and cook for about 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and onion is tender. (My stove took 6 minutes or so)
• Taste the broth and see if you need to adjust. Slowly drizzle the beaten egg over the chicken and onion. Cook covered on medium-low heat until the egg is done to your liking. Usually, Oyakdon in Japan is served while the egg is almost set but runny.
• Add the mitsuba (or green onion) right before removing from the heat. Transfer the chicken and egg over the steamed rice and drizzle the desired amount of remaining sauce.

I used a bit too much broth in mine, but the rice absorbed it quite nicely. 

It's not too sweet

 

A few weeks ago, a friend I met through gaming posted an orange chicken recipe that I thought had some potential.  Since I prefer things less sweet and a little more spicy, I'm going to post what I did because there were several changes that worked for me, though you may prefer the original, which is I think resembles what you'll get from a heavily Americanized Chinese restaurant. Please feel free to kick me right in the assumptions and correct me if your experience differs.

For the sauce (add spices a bit at a time and taste as you go):

• 1 Cup low-pulp orange juice (this is being increased to 1.25 cups next time)
• 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce (thinking of trying tamari next time)
• 1 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 2 dried chiles--the type you typically buy in a jar in the spice aisle in the US. I'm short and these were about as long as my little finger--ground to powder in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle
• Zest from one (Navel) orange

You'll notice a couple things if you compare recipes. I eliminated the sugar and the cornstarch. I just didn't think they were needed. Orange juice is plenty sweet. I also didn't dredge and fry the chicken like in the original recipe. Instead I used the sous vide method, which has the advantage of prep and being able to ignore for an hour. If you have an InstaPot, you might have a sous vide attachment.

I put everything but the zest in a small saucepan, and then put two chicken breasts in vacuum bags and into the waterbath, setting the immersion circulator to 147 degrees F, which works out to 68.9 degrees C and set the timer for 45 minutes, keeping the sauce on simmer the whole time and stirring occasionally.

Once the timer went off, I increased the heat on the sauce to medium (look for tiny bubbles) for fifteen minutes until it was reduced. After 15 minutes, the chicken was done. From there, I turned the heat off of the sauce stirred in the zest, de-bagged the chicken, patted it dry and cut it into bite-sized piece. I put the pieces in a large plastic container with a lid, added half the sauce, stirred, and then covered it (tightly) with the lid and shook it within an inch of its life, aka until evenly coated to my eyes.

This can go over rice, though I wasn't in the mood for rice. As sides, I put some mushrooms (a nice mix of shitake, maitake, and enoki was on sale), and some snow peas in a pan with a bit of oil and a bit of soy sauce. I'm really pleased with the results. 

If you try this, please let me know your variations!

Max Comfort Food: Herbed Potato Soup

Sundays are great for comfort food and it's been cold and snowy and I had some kind of bug last week. Covid-19 test was negative happy to say.

As a cancer survivor (I still feel odd saying that, since I was caught early and didn't have it that rough) I was urged to move to a vegetarian diet, which I find hard to stick to for more than a few days. Some advice I've seen even suggested vegan, but while I can do that for a meal or two, it's not a lifestyle for me.

The potato soup recipe I found on the Dana Farber site is the basis for this--heavy on the vegetable broth, light on the cream, but my full ingredient list went like this: (you will need a blender)

• 4 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into pieces, no bigger than an inch
• 3 leeks, washed, cut in half lengthwise, washed again, sliced, then rinsed one more damn time
• 1 baseball-sized onion, chopped 
• 1 large shallot, chopped 
• 1 bulb of garlic, roasted (don't have time to roast? I would guess 5-7 cloves if you consider garlic  a vegetable or 3-4 if you consider garlic a condiment)
• 4 cups vegetable broth (low sodium if you wish)
• 2 cups chicken broth (low sodium if you wish)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 heaping Tablespoon of Herbs de Provence (no I didn't blend my own, but I likely will at some point)
• 1/4 Cup cream
• 1/4 Cup milk

Optional garnishes:

• Chopped cooked bacon 
• Chopped green onions
• Sour cream
• Shredded mild cheese. I used a Gouda.

Heat the olive oil in your stew pot on medium high heat until a drop of water spatters when you toss it in. Add your onions, leeks, and shallot (plus the garlic if you're cooking it from raw). Stir frequently until the onions are translucent. Add the salt and the Herbs de Provence, stir some more until the herbs are evenly distributed to your eyes.

Add your broth, roasted garlic if you're using, and your potatoes. Stir well, then add the pepper because you forgot it earlier (it can go in with the other spices). Bring to a boil. Turn heat down to medium-high so it's still bubbling, but the bubbles are small. If the bubbles are bigger than an American dime, turn the heat down. Cook uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring every few minutes. In between stirring, clean the counter, and prep your garnishes. 

After the 30 minutes is up, check to ensure your potatoes are soft. 

Now the fun stuff. How do you like potato soup? Smooth and creamy? Chunky? I like mine mostly smooth with all the aromatics blended in, but with a few chunks of potato found here and there.

I use a stick blender, but a conventional blender works fine as long as you're blending in small doses, say a Cup (8 oz) at a time. If you like it chunky, just blend half. Ladle into bowls, garnish as you wish. I also topped mine with some additional black pepper for the picture. 

The recipe can easily be adjusted for vegetarians or vegans. All vegetable, various substitutes for sour cream and cheese. The Dana Farber site had coconut milk as an option.

I also had some rosemary crackers on the side while I ate. Decidedly comforting, very tasty, and flexible. Color me pleased.

Questions? Comments? Happy to hear them. See you soon!

Not Dead Yet or Chick pea pasta doesn't always photograph well

 Hello everyone. I hope you're doing okay. The pandemic has been calling for a lot of comfort food, though I haven't been really happy with a lot of the things I've been cooking of late until today. That is why you haven't heard from me in a while

I try to shop sales and this week, I lucked out to find some chanterelle mushrooms at a reduced price. Then an idea popped into my head to bring out that buttery flavor and mouthfeel and I came up with this:

• 4 oz bacon chopped into 1/2 -inch pieces (pancetta could also be used here)
• 8 oz dry pasta I recommend orchiette or something that will hold a creamy sauce. Shells could work, though when peas get caught in shells, they kind of look like eyeballs. That might not amuse everyone at your table.
• 1/2 Cup heavy cream
• 6-7 ounces green peas--I used canned 'very young' ones. They're nicely tender. If you're using frozen, I recommend thawing first and draining off excess water.
• 4 oz chanterelle mushrooms, chopped into 3/4 inch pieces
• One big shallot or two small ones, diced into 1/4 inch pieces (the big one was too big to enclose in my hand)
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 3 oz Grana Padano cheese, grated. Parmesan works here, but Padano is more affordable much of the time. 
• ground black pepper to taste

Rinse the mushrooms, pat dry with paper towels. Chop them into 3/4 inch pieces or thereabouts. Throw them in a colander and rinse. Since chantarelles have that fluted fluffy top, it's easy for dirt to be missed on the first rinse. Shake the colander up and down a few times to get more water out. Put them on a plate with paper towels.

Cook your bacon to desired crunchiness. I've always found it useful to start cooking bacon on low heat and then bringing it up slowly to medium/medium high. Remove from pan onto paper towels. Drain the fat, but don't wash the pan. Turn the heat to medium-low.

Melt butter and put in your shallots, stirring constantly until they begin to turn brown. You might want to have a glass of your favorite beverage handy during this step, this takes a while, but it's worth it.

Once your shallots are brown, add the mushrooms, stirring constantly for about two minutes. Slowly add the cream, then the peas, and keep stirring for another minute, then toss in your bacon.  Gradually stir in the cheese until it's absorbed.

Put the heat down to low and cook your pasta. Stir every once in a while. You're going to get a light red/brown because the bacon will color the sauce.

Drain your pasta. Add it to the sauce, stir well. Have pepper handy so it can be added to taste. Makes 3 servings.

The pictures I tried to take really didn't show off the ingredients, so we'll have to do without this time.

Note that there isn't any flour in the sauce. You really don't need it, it will thicken up of its own accord. If you're not eating a wheat pasta, this recipe is gluten-free.

This recipe is pretty flexible too. Easy enough to double if you want to cook a pound of pasta. The chickpea pasta I like comes in 8 oz boxes. 

I had a lot of leftover peas--it was a 15oz can. I threw the bulk of them in some leftover Indian food that will be eaten tomorrow. Not sure what to do with the rest. 

Next up: Cocoa Corner