Shu Mai Burgers!

The New York Times had a recipe for Shu Mai Burgers! The idea was a crazy take on the familiar Shu Mai that are always the ultimate test of Din Sum (unless your ultimate test is chicken feet). We purchased the Pork Shoulder and the Shrimp and from McCall’s Meat and Fish. The results were amazing! The Shu Mai Burgers tasted and had the slightly chewy texture of Din Sum. They were simply bigger and flatter!

The recipe didn’t indicate two things that we figured out. First we were unclear if you use raw shrimp or cooked shrimp. We went with the fresh shrimps from McCalls. We simply cleaned them and thru them through the meat grinder, interspersing with the chunks of pork shoulder. The other thing was the meat was so fatty (yea, that is where the flavor is) we pan fried the Shu Mai without oil. This is a dish we will definitely make again! We served them without a bun on the plate with Yakisoba With Pork and Cabbage. This is another recipe from the New York Times. You can find it in our blog of: March 7, 2010. Simple click the date to get the recipe. Cathy had the good sense to leave the pork out of the recipe, since we were having so much pork in the Shu Mai.

We had purchased Fresh Cherries at the Farmer’s Market. We served them with outrageously rich Maraschino Cherries. 

Shu Mai-Style Burgers


New York Times


Time: 30 minutes


1/2 pound shrimp, peeled


2 medium cloves garlic


1 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, with the fat, cut into 1-inch cubes


2 teaspoons soy sauce


1/4 cup chopped scallion plus more for garnish


1/4 cup chopped cilantro plus more for garnish


1 small fresh chili, seeded and minced


1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger


Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste


Shredded cabbage and pickled pepper, to garnish (optional).


1. If grilling or broiling, heat should be medium-high and rack about 4 inches from fire. Put shrimp and garlic in a food processor and pulse until just chopped; remove to a large bowl. Working in batches, grind pork fat until just chopped (be careful not to over-process). Add to bowl. Then grind meat until just chopped, again being careful not to over-process; add to bowl.


2. Mix shrimp, pork fat and meat with the soy sauce, scallion, cilantro, chili and ginger; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Shape into 8 patties.


3. To broil or grill, cook about 4 minutes, then turn and cook for a total of 8 to 10 minutes, or until nicely browned and cooked through. For stovetop, heat a large skillet over medium heat for 2 or 3 minutes, then add the patties; cook undisturbed, for about 4 minutes, then turn and cook for a total of 8 to 10 minutes, or until nicely browned and cooked through.


4. Garnish with scallion, cilantro, cabbage and pickled pepper, to taste.


Yield: 8 burgers.

Asparagus and Mushroom Risotto

We went to the Hollywood Farmer’s Market and they had some last of the season Morel Mushrooms and delicious fresh figs. We started with a Salad made from Prosciutto, Figs, Hazelnuts, and Ricotta Salata Cheese.

For the main course we had a Mushroom Asparagus Risotto. We used the recipe for Risotto con Luganegh Risotto with Pork Sausage, from The Cuisine of Venice & Surrounding Northern Regions by Guisti-Lanham Dodi. We left the sausage out because the mushrooms were so wonderful. At the very end we put cut up asparagus into the mushroom. It was a great enhancement! You can find the recipe for the risotto in our blog of: April 11, 2009. Click the date to get the recipe.

Vegetarian Moroccan

We made another asparagus appetizer. Asparagus with Burrata Cheese from The Cheese Store of Silverlake, Hazelnuts from Mozza-2go and Browned Butter. The title is the recipe!

It is a delicious way to eat asparagus!

For the main course we made a Vegetarian Moroccan Dish which translates to Baked Vegetables with Prunes. It is from the cookbook: The Food of Morocco It has chili in it, and it gives it a real kick.

We served it over couscous. Interestingly (at least to us) I thought tagines were always served over couscous. In Morocco they aren’t. It is two different dinners. A couscous has something over it. A tagine is a method of cooking in a ceramic pot, that may or may not be served over couscous. This is a good (and relatively easy dish) to make. It might be a little tricky to find the mixture of spices called ras el hanout, but it is worth it. I know that The Spice Station in Silverlake sells it. They Ship!

KHODRA BEL BARKOOK

Baked Vegetables With Prunes

While this would normally be cooked in a tagine over a charcoal fire, when baked, the vegetables and onions caramelise for extra flavour, further enhanced with ras el hanout the prunes add a pleasant sweet-sour flavor to this dish.

1/4 cup olive oil ■

2 red onions, peeled and quartered

3 garlic cloves, bruised unpeeled 2 sliced carrots

1 lb pumpkin (winter squash)

1 lb orange sweet potato

11/2 teaspoons ras el hanout

1 red chilli, seeded and sliced

11/2Cups light chicken or vegetable stock scant 1 cup prunes

1 tablespoon honey

SERVES 4

POUR the olive oil into a 12 x 16 x 2¹/2 in ovenproof dish and add the onions, garlic and carrots. Toss well. Bake in a preheated 400° oven for 15 minutes.

PEEL and cut the pumpkin and orange sweet potato into large chunks. Add to the dish, along with the ras el hanout and red chilli. Season and toss well.

BAKE for a further 30 minutes. Stir in the light chicken or vegetable stock, prunes and honey and return to the oven for a further 30 minutes. Serve with steamed couscous or as a vegetable accompaniment.

Morel Mushrooms, Figs!

We made Asparagus with Morel Mushrooms. It is an extremely rich dish. What a combination. It is another one of our summer favorites. We follow the recipe for Sauted Fresh Morels from Chez Panisse Vegetables by Alice Waters. Simply make and serve over the cooked asparagus.

For the main course we made Chicken With Figs. This is one of our favorite summer chicken dishes, we only make it when there are fresh figs at the market. The recipe is from The Zuni Café Cookbook. It is easy and very tasty. The dish is called. Chicken Braised with Figs, Honey & Vinegar. The name tells the story. You can get the recipe from out blog entry of June 23, 2008. To get the recipe click the link.

Sauted Fresh Morels

Chez Panisse Vegetables

Alice Waters

5 ounces morels

2 large shallots

1 small clove garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Salt and pepper

Lemon juice

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Clean the mushrooms with a brush or paring knife, removing any dirt or debris. If they appear to be sandy, wash briefly in water and drain. Depending on their size, halve or quarter the morels.

Peel and finely chop the shallots and garlic. Heat the olive oil and half the butter in a saute pan. Add the shallots and garlic and cook over low heat for 2 or 3 minutes.s, until the shallots look translucent. Add the morels and about ½ cup water, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer about 4 minutes. Uncover, add the remaining butter, raise the heat slightly, and cook about 3 minutes more, until the morels are soft and tender and the liquid has almost completely evaporated.

Turn off the heat, squeeze a few drops of lemon juice over the mush­rooms, adjust the seasoning, and toss in the chopped parsley. Serve im­mediately.

Pasta June 9, 2010

First Dinner Back

We returned to the states from our trip and we were very jet-lagged. We decided to make some simple dinners.

We went to the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market and David West, the mushroom man, had lots of Porcini’s and also Morels. We started with a salad of White Nectarines, Prosciutto, and Almonds then dressed with Saba. We really like salads with fresh fruit in the summer.

For the main course we made Tagliatelle with Fresh Porcini Mushrooms. It is a favorite! It is very easy to make and delicious. You can get the recipe from our blog of: June 9, 2009. Click the date to get the recipe.