Jar-B-Que, Unami Garlic Noodles

We wanted to make a dish that required Char Sit Pork. So we made Jar-B-Que because we like it and we knew we would have leftover Char Sui Pork. You can get the recipe for Jar-B-Que and the reason we call the dish Jar-B-Que on our blog of: July 30, 2012. Click the date to get the recipe.

Umami Garlic Noodles with Shiitake Mushroom

Vietnamese Food any Day

Andrea Nguyen

Serves 4

Takes About 40 Minutes

4        large garlic doves, minced or put through a press

10      ounces dried Chinese wheat noodles or Japanese ramen

Fine sea salt

1        tablespoon oyster sauce

2        teaspoons fish sauce

1        teaspoon cornstarch

½       teaspoon MSG, scant ½ teaspoon chicken stock base, or 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes

½       teaspoon sugar

4        tablespoons salted, 3 European-style butter

8        fresh shiitake mushroom or cremini mushrooms, sliced 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick, stems included

Recently ground black pepper

1                tablespoon minced shallot

A cult favorite among Viet Americans, buttery garlic noodles are addictively good, but their garlicky flavor can linger the morning after. You don't have to worry about that with this recipe. To prevent the garlic from ruining a date night (and from burning during cooking), let it hang out for a few minutes in a little water and then gently cook it.

Using salted European-style butter, such as Kerrygold, is my nod to the Viet penchant for Bretel, a canned cultured butter from Normandy, which the French introduced to Vietnam. Liquid seasonings such as oyster sauce and fish sauce support and build on the butter's umami goodness; see the Notes for vegetarian substitutes. To send the flavors over the top, add a glutamate-rich flavor enhancer. If you are someone who isn't skittish about MSG, use it here to great effect. Top the noodles with seared large shrimp to fancy them up. Add a simple vegetable dish or green salad to complete the meal.

Fill a large pot with 4 quarts water and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, put the garlic in a small cup or dish and add about 1 tablespoon water to just barely cover. Set aside and expect the garlic to absorb most of the water; there is no need to drain it before adding later.

After the pot comes to a boil, add the noodles and 2 teaspoons salt. Boil the noodles until just chewy-firm; they'll soften more later. Ladle out 3/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Drain the noodles in a colander, rinse with cool water, and set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the oyster sauce, fish sauce, cornstarch, MSG, sugar, and reserved cooking water. Set aside.

If the pot that you cooked the noodles in is wide enough to comfortably sauté the mushrooms, set it over medium-high heat and melt 2 tablespoons of the butter; if not, use a large skillet. Add the mushrooms, season with 2 or 3 pinches of salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the mushrooms start to brown, turn off the heat and transfer the mushrooms to a plate or bowl.

Return the pot to the hot burner. To prevent scorching, keep the eat off as you add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, the shallot, and garlic. As the butter melts and sizzles, turn the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant and some pieces are golden. Add the seasoned cooking water and mushrooms, stir, and increase the heat slightly.

When the sauce starts bubbling, add the noodles. Using tongs and a spoon, combine and coat the noodles in sauce. If the dish looks too thick or tastes too salty, add a tiny splash of water. Turn off the heat and let rest for a minute.

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Serve the noodles in individual pasta bowls.

Red Curry Lentils with Sweet Potatoes and Spinach

We really enjoyed this dish. I was very dubious about it. It was surprisingly good!

Red Curry Lentils with Sweet Potatoes and Spinach

New York Times

In this vegetarian main inspired by Indian dal, lentils are cooked with an aromatic blend of Thai spices — fresh ginger, turmeric, red curry paste and chile — then simmered in coconut milk until fall-apart tender. Browning the sweet potatoes before cooking them with the lentils brings out their sweetness, balancing the heat from the chile and curry paste, while baby spinach tossed in just before serving adds fresh flavor. Serve over steamed white or brown rice, or with toasted flatbread on the side.

Ingredients

3       tablespoons olive oil

1       pound sweet potatoes (about 2 medium sweet potatoes), peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes

1       medium yellow onion, chopped

3       tablespoons Thai red curry paste

3       garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tablespoon)

1       (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated (about 1 tablespoon)

1       red chile, such as Fresno or serrano, halved, seeds and ribs removed, then minced

1       teaspoon ground turmeric

1       cup red lentils, rinsed

4       cups low-sodium vegetable stock

2       teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste

1       (13-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk

1       (4- to 5-ounce) bag baby spinach

½      lime, juiced

Fresh cilantro leaves, for serving

Toasted unsweetened coconut flakes, for serving (optional)

Preparation

1.   In a Dutch oven or pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high. Add the sweet potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned all over, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the browned sweet potatoes to a plate and set aside.

2.   Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pot and set the heat to medium-low. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the curry paste, garlic, ginger, chile and turmeric, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

3.   Add the lentils, stock, salt and browned sweet potatoes to the pot and bring to a boil over high. Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are just tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

4.   Add the coconut milk and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has reduced and the lentils are creamy and falling apart, 15 to 20 minutes.

5.   Add the spinach and stir until just wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the lime juice and season with salt to taste.

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Crispy Parmesan Roast Chicken with Lemon

When we saw the recipe for Crispy Parmesan Roast Chicken with Lemon we both were excited. I love crispy skin. I love Parmesan Cheese. It had to be a winner. We didn't like it. The only thing I can think of is that we overdid it on the Parmesan. At any rate, here is the recipe try it and if you like it let us know!

Crispy Parmesan Roast Chicken with Lemon

New York Times

Sprinkling grated Parmesan over a whole chicken as it roasts yields extra-crisp, extra-savory skin in this recipe, while chopped fresh rosemary and lemon zest perfume the meat through and through. Be sure to serve this with the lemony pan drippings, which make a bright, rich sauce for the tender meat. Heat lovers should feel free to add plenty of red-pepper flakes to the drippings — or serve red pepper on the side for individual spicing.

Ingredients

1       small lemon

2       teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste

1       teaspoon black pepper

1       teaspoon chopped rosemary, plus 4 sprigs

 Large pinch of red-pepper flakes, plus more for serving (optional)

1       (3 1/2- to 4-pound) whole chicken, patted dry

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

⅓      cup finely grated Parmesan

Preparation

1.   Finely grate 1 teaspoon zest from the lemon and place it in a small bowl. (Save the zested lemon for the drippings.) Stir in 2 teaspoons salt, pepper, chopped rosemary and red-pepper flakes, if using. Season the chicken inside and out with salt mixture. Let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes or refrigerate uncovered for up to overnight.

2.   Heat oven to 425 degrees. Place chicken, breast-side up, in a large skillet, sheet pan or roasting pan. Stuff cavity of chicken with rosemary sprigs. Drizzle breast with a little olive oil.

3.   Roast chicken for 30 minutes. Sprinkle chicken all over with Parmesan, then continue roasting until bird’s juices run clear when skin is pierced with a knife and the skin is golden, 25 to 30 minutes longer.

4.   Let chicken rest for 10 minutes. Squeeze juice from the zested lemon, to taste, into the pan drippings and season with more salt and red-pepper flakes if you like. Carve and serve with drippings spooned over the meat.

Chicken Vesuvio and Roasted Apples

Roasted Apples

Chicken Vesuvio is a classic Chicago recipe. You can get the recipe on our blog of October 21, 2019. Click the date to get the recipe. Since there were great apples we make Roasted Apples for desert. You can get the recipe on our blog of: January 10, 2007. Click the date to get the recipe.

Goan Shrimp Curry

This is a regular at our house. Goan Shrimp Curry is delicious! You can find the recipe for the Goan Shrimp on our blog of: August 9, 2008. Click the date to get the recipe. We started with another regular: Hungry Cat Salad. You can read about why it is called The Hungry Cat Salad on our blog post of: November 21, 2009. Click the date to get the recipe. Both are excellent!

Sausage and Polenta with Pea Puree

I love this recipe for Sausage and Polenta. We make it several times per year. You can find the recipe on our blog of: October 6, 2015. Click the date to get the recipe.We started with a Pea Puree. The recipe for the Pea Puree can be found on our blog of: March 25, 2013. For desert we finally unwrapped our Mary's Holiday Cake - we make it every year. It is a great cake.  You can find the recipe on our blog of January 1, 2011. Click the date to get the recipe.  It was quite a dinner.

Swordfish and Rustic Spinach and Cornmeal Soup

I like Swordfish and we made a recipe that we have made before: Swordfish with Crushed Olives and Oregano. This is an excellent Swordfish recipe. You can find the recipe on our blog of: October 26, 2019. Click the date to get the recipe. With the Swordfish we made a new soup for us: Rustic Spinach and Cornmeal Soup. It was good however I thought it was unusual given the grittiness of the Cornmeal. We served it with Freekeh. 

Rustic Spinach and Cornmeal Soup

Bon Appétit

Ingredients

6       cups (or more) low-salt chicken broth or vegetable broth

¾      cup polenta (coarse cornmeal)

3       tablespoons all purpose flour

3       tablespoons butter

2       garlic cloves, peeled, crushed

Coarse kosher salt

8       ounces baby spinach leaves

Recipe Preparation

Bring 6 cups broth to simmer in large saucepan; cover to keep warm. Whisk polenta and flour in heavy large pot. Add 1 cup hot broth; whisk over medium-high heat until smooth. Stir in butter and garlic; sprinkle lightly with coarse salt. Gradually add 5 cups hot broth by cupfuls. Boil gently over medium heat until polenta is tender and soup is creamy and thickened, whisking frequently and adding more broth to thin, if desired, about 25 minutes. Stir in spinach by handfuls; simmer until wilted, stirring often, 5 to 7 minutes longer. Season with more coarse salt and black pepper.

Ladle soup into 6 bowls and serve.

Basic Cooking Instructions for Cracked Freekeh

Bob’s Red Mill

Ingredients

2-½  cups Water

½      tsp Salt

1       cup Organic Cracked Freekeh

Instructions

Bring water and salt to a boil. Add freekeh, cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.

Pea Puree

Isn't this a great picture!

We were at Cookbook, a favorite small boutique grocery store. I was surprised to see fresh Peas. I knew I had to make Pea Puree. I loved it! You can get the recipe on our blog of: March 21, 2013. Click the date to get the recipe. If you have fresh Peas or even Fava Beans, I recommend this great recipe.

Indian Butter Chickpeas

Indian Butter Chickpeas, a vegetarian dish was a total surprise to me. I did not expect to like it, but I really did. We will make it again. I recommend it very much.

Indian Butter Chickpeas

New York Times

YIELD4 to 6 servings

TIME1 hour 10 minutes

A vegetarian riff on Indian butter chicken, this fragrant stew is spiced with cinnamon, garam masala and fresh ginger, and is rich and creamy from the coconut milk. You could add cubed tofu here for a soft textural contrast, or cubed seitan for a chewy one. Or serve it as it is, over rice to catch every last drop of the glorious sauce. You won’t want to leave any behind.

Ingredients

4       tablespoons unsalted butter

1       large onion, minced

1-½  teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste

4       garlic cloves, finely grated or minced

1       tablespoon grated fresh ginger

2       teaspoons ground cumin

2       teaspoons sweet paprika

2       teaspoons garam masala

1       small cinnamon stick

1       (28-ounce) can whole peeled plum tomatoes

1       (15-ounce) can coconut milk

2       (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained

Ground cayenne (optional)

Cooked white rice, for serving

½      cup cilantro leaves and tender stems, for serving

Preparation

1.   Melt butter in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook until golden and browned around the edges, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. (Don’t be tempted to turn the heat up to medium-high; keeping the heat on medium ensures even browning without burning the butter.)

2.   Stir in garlic and ginger, and cook another 1 minute. Stir in cumin, paprika, garam masala and cinnamon stick, and cook another 30 seconds.

3.   Add tomatoes with their juices. Using a large spoon or flat spatula, break up and smash the tomatoes in the pot (or you can use a pair of kitchen shears to cut the tomatoes while they are still in the can). Stir in coconut milk and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer, and continue to cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, and continuing to mash up the tomatoes if necessary to help them break down.

4.   Stir in chickpeas and a pinch of cayenne if you like. Bring the pot back up to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 10 minutes. Taste and add more salt if necessary.

5.   Serve spooned over white rice, and topped with cilantro.