Hot and Sour Soup

I've been super swamped with school and the blog has been incredibly neglected. I hope to remedy this over spring break, but for the time being, here is a recipe for hot and sour soup that I modified and made for dinner tonight. I had tried making the original recipe a while back, which was considerably more complicated and called for some really hard to find ingredients. It also called for dried mushrooms, which it turns out I am not a very big fan of. I decided hot and sour could be done better and easier with fresh mushrooms and ingredients you can find at any supermarket. So here is my recipe, which I think is easy, delicious and it's vegetarian!

Ingredients:

• 6 cups water
• 1 small can of bamboo shoots, sliced thinly
• 1 and 1/2 cup sliced small mushrooms (white button or crimini)
  
• tofu (amount is up to you, 1/2 of a block should be enough), cubed
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp corn starch dissolved in about 1/3 cup water
• 1 egg, beaten
  
• White pepper and chili oil to taste

Bring the water to a boil in a medium sized sauce pan. Add bamboo shoots and mushrooms. Stir, and add tofu. Return to a boil. Add salt, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and oil. Let simmer for a minute, and adjust seasonings to taste.

Stir the cornstarch and water, then add to pan, stirring constantly. Return to a boil, then remove from heat. Slowly pour beaten egg while stirring in one direction. Add white pepper and chili oil to taste.

Evergreen's Chicken Tikka Masala

The Eugene Weekly's seasonal printing of "Chow: Guide to Food and Restaurants" is well known in these parts. In my opinion, it's the best printed resource for finding the new and tasty places to dine at that you've been missing. The Winter 2009 issue came out a few weeks ago, and this time they included some of the best recipes from local restaurants. The recipes varied from the relatively simple salsa verde to the WTF-worthy braised short ribs with mashed celeriac. But there was one gem that really stuck out.

Everyone in Eugene and Corvallis knows that Evergreen is the place to go for lunchtime Indian buffets. And it would be my guess that they all know that the thing to get is the chicken tikka masala; it's definitely the dish of choice for all of my friends. So to say that I was happy to see the recipe for it printed in the EW would be a serious understatement.

Here's the recipe, typed up by me for your enjoyment.

Chicken Tikka Masala from Evergreen Indian Cuisine
(Photo by Michael Hays and yoinked from Wikipedia)

Evergreen owner Meeraali Shaik came to the U.S. in 1990 and worked as a cook for nine years before opening Evergreen Indian Cuisine in Corvallis in 1999. The Eugene location opened in April of 2007. Manager Usha Shaik says this dish is one of their most popular. They grind and prepare all of these spices fresh each day.

Part A:

• 2 lbs of boneless chicken breast, cut into 4" pieces
• 1/4 c yogurt
• 3 tsp ginger paste
• 3 tsp garlic paste
• 1/4 tsp cumin powder
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp each: cumin, coriander, curry powder, garam masala, turmeric
• 3 tsp lemon juice
• 4 tsp vegetable oil
• 2 tsp salt
• Skewers
  

Part B:

• 3 tsp butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tsp ginger paste
• 2 tsp garlic past
• 2-3 cloves
• 2 cardamom pods
• 2 green chilies (they use chopped jalapenos)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tomato
• 5 oz tomato sauce
• 10 oz tomato puree
• salt to taste
• 2/3 c cream
• 1 c milk
• handful of chopped cilantro

Whisk all of the ingredients in part A into a large bowl (the ginger and garlic pastes can be made in a blender) and add the chicken. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

The next day, put the chicken on skewers and cook in a tandoor (clay oven) for 10 minutes. (If you don't have a tandoor, cook in your home oven at 350 degrees until chicken is cooked through.)

While chicken cooks, make the sauce. In a pot over high heat, add the butter and chopped onions from part B. Fry the onions until golden, then add the ginger and garlic paste. Cook for one minute, then add the cloves, cardamom, green chilies and everything from part B except the cream, milk and cilantro. Cook on low heat until the sauce thickens. Add the cooked chicken, milk and cream to the sauce and stir. Cook for another 4-5 minutes.

Serve with hot basmati rice and nan bread. Garnish with the cilantro leaves.

I have not yet made this recipe, but if it really is what they make at Evergreen, I can say without hesitation that it warrants some delicious grub. I hope to get a chance to make it sometime soon.

Hummus Variations

Hummus is the chameleon of the culinary world. There are infinite possibilities of delicious dips based on the simple concoction of chick pea, tahini, lemon and garlic. Really, the sky is the limit when it comes to hummus. And I love to eat them all.

I talked briefly on the phone with my mom on Sunday and she told me that she had made her own version of the cilantro and jalapeno hummus you can get at Trader Joe's. I haven't been able to think of anything else since then, so I made some myself to have as a snack between classes for the rest of the week.

Making hummus is the opposite of baking. It is an art, not a science. I never get hung up on amounts when I make it. Everything is done by eye, and by taste. Put in a little more lemon juice. Taste. Add more garlic. Taste. Salt and pepper. Et cetera. For this particular batch of hummus I decided to replace your regular, everyday garlic with some pickled garlic that my mom gave me. It gave the hummus a subtle flavor that I like.

Cilantro & Jalapeno Hummus

• 1 jalapeno pepper, deseeded
• 5-6+ cloves pickled garlic
• 2 limes, juice of
• 2 14 oz cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 T tahini (sesame paste)
• 1-2 handfuls of cilantro, roughly chopped
• salt and pepper

Process jalapeno, garlic and lime juice in food processor until finely minced. Add chickpeas and tahini and process until smooth. Add cilantro and process until well incorporated. Taste. Adjust ingredients and add salt and pepper to your taste.

I will be eating this wrapped up in a whole-wheat tortillas with a sprinkling of feta cheese and a few grinds of fresh pepper. Yum! I think it could stand to be a little spicier, though. I can't decide if I should use two de-seeded jalapenos next time, or just leave the seeds in the one...

Have a favorite hummus variation of your own? Share plz!

Roast Chicken

There's something a little magical about cooking a whole bird. For some reason I feel a satisfaction when roasting and carving a whole chicken that I just don't get from cooking various pieces. Cooking the bird whole is more rustic and authentic, I guess. And it's far more cost effective when compared to buying your chicken in pieces. With the right recipe, it's really tasty too.

What is it, then, that keeps people from roasting a whole chicken?

When I was younger, digging out the giblets hidden in the bird's cavity was a real turn-off. I have to admit that there is still something rather unappealing about sticking my hand in a cold dark cranny to pull out strange bits of squishy meat. If you're feeling squeamish, you can get most of it out by turning the chicken head end up and giving it a good shake.

The idea of "trussing" the chicken may intimidate some. Trussing a chicken just means tying the carcass with butcher's twine so that it will cook more evenly, keeping the legs and wings from drying out. It's not as difficult as it looks.



The last time I cooked a whole chicken, I didn't have any butcher's twine. I just tucked the wings under like you can see in this video and it turned out just fine.

I tried this recipe out this past Sunday. I can't wait until I can make it again.

Thomas Keller's Favorite Simple Roast Chicken Recipe

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Rinse the chicken, then dry it very well with paper towels, inside and out. The less it steams, the drier the heat, the better.

Salt and pepper the cavity, then truss the bird. Trussing is not difficult, and if you roast chicken often, it's a good technique to feel comfortable with. When you truss a bird, the wings and legs stay close to the body; the ends of the drumsticks cover the top of the breast and keep it from drying out. Trussing helps the chicken to cook evenly, and it also makes for a more beautiful roasted bird.

Now, salt the chicken—I like to rain the salt over the bird so that it has a nice uniform coating that will result in a crisp, salty, flavorful skin (about 1 tablespoon). When it's cooked, you should still be able to make out the salt baked onto the crisp skin. Season to taste with pepper.

Place the chicken in a sauté pan or roasting pan and, when the oven is up to temperature, put the chicken in the oven. I leave it alone—I don't baste it, I don't add butter; you can if you wish, but I feel this creates steam, which I don't want. Roast it until it's done, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove it from the oven and add the thyme, if using, to the pan. Baste the chicken with the juices and thyme and let it rest for 15 minutes on a cutting board.

Remove the twine. Separate the middle wing joint and eat that immediately. Remove the legs and thighs. I like to take off the backbone and eat one of the oysters, the two succulent morsels of meat embedded here, and give the other to the person I'm cooking with. But I take the chicken butt for myself. I could never understand why my brothers always fought over that triangular tip—until one day I got the crispy, juicy fat myself. These are the cook's rewards. Cut the breast down the middle and serve it on the bone, with one wing joint still attached to each. The preparation is not meant to be superelegant. Slather the meat with fresh butter. Serve with mustard on the side and, if you wish, a simple green salad. You'll start using a knife and fork, but finish with your fingers, because it's so good.

This recipe was amazing. I read a suggestion in it's comments that I would highly recommend. Use a broiler pan instead of a traditional roasting pan. Line the bottom of it with tin foil, and then lay slices of a potato out over the foil. Return the top part of the broiler and place the chicken on top of that. Because you are cooking the chicken at such a high temperature, it is likely that the grease may burn and fill your kitchen up with smoke. The potato slices will absorb the grease, keeping it from burning and setting off your smoke alarm.

I think this would be great served with Mom's garlic mashed potatoes and a salad along side. I can't wait!

Redneck Recipe

Here's proof that I haven't gotten nearly as far away from my kin in the Midwest as I would like to believe. This is recipe is so easy and the ingredients are all in your pantry. Seriously. Stephen, if you're reading this, even you could make this without difficulty.

Not only is this easy, but it's surprisingly good tasting.

White Trash Casserole

Ingredients:

• Butter (just a tad)
  
• 1 Box of Jiffy Cornbread Mix
• 1 Egg
• 1/3 cup Milk
• 1 to 1 and 1/2 cups Chili (homemade would be awesome but mine came from a jar)
• 1 cup grated Cheddar Cheese (approximately)
• Red Pepper Flakes (to taste)
  

Toppings:

• Guacamole
• Sour cream

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a 12 inch cast iron skillet with butter and place in the oven.

Whisk the cornbread mix, egg and milk together in a small bowl. Mixture should look somewhat lumpy. Add the chili, cheese and red pepper flakes. Don't worry about measuring, this is an art, not a science.

Wait 10 or so minutes after the oven has heated up to make sure your skillet is nice and hot. Pour batter into skillet. Cook for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean.

Cut into wedges and top with guacamole and sour cream. Best accompanied by cheap beer and served on paper plates. Use plastic cutlery. Paper towels should be substituted for napkins for authenticity.

Wanna make it even more white trash? Slice a hot dog or two into bite-size pieces and add them in with the chili.

Tofu Jambalaya with Mississippi Red Beans

Tonight Eric was craving creole food, so I looked up the ingredients for a tofu jambalaya and found a fabulous recipe at Fat Free Vegan. In order to make it a whole meal, I also improvised a recipe for Mississippi Red Beans. The whole meal was really easy to make, filling, and super tasty and good-smelling.

Caroline's Mississippi Red Beans

1 c. dried kidney beans (or probably 2 cans of kidney beans)
4 c. H2O (or 2 cups h2o, 2 cups veg broth)
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 onion, chopped and sauteed
1 bell pepper, chopped and sauteed
1 tsp. liquid smoke (or to taste)
2 tsp olive oil
cayenne to taste
cajun spice to taste
salt to taste

To start, I used dried kidney beans so I had to sort through them to remove any split or damaged beans. Here are my pretty red beans on a plate:

Next, I rinsed them and put them in the pressure cooker with a dash of olive oil and seasoned the water with liquid smoke, salt, bay leaves, and set it to pressure cook for 25 minutes. In the mean time, I chopped up one medium onion, one green bell pepper and 4 cloves of garlic:

Which I then sauteed until soft. As soon as it was ready, I set it aside with a lid to keep it warm and waited until the beans were done to set them aside to de-pressurize.


Next, I worked on the jambalaya. Here's the pretty lineup of the ingredients:


It was a very simple recipe which involved chopping up a giant onion, orange bell pepper, and 2 ribs of celery and then sauteeing them in a stock pot. Here's the veggies:



I added one cup of white rice (the recipe even specifies that brown rice is not very good with the jambalaya... I ALWAYS use brown rice but the white rice was the perfect texture when all was said and done) and four cloves of chopped garlic and fried the rice a little bit with the veggies. Finally, I added 2 cans of diced tomatoes, 1/2 a cup of vegetable broth, and some liquid smoke. Then I added this delicious mountain of chopped tofu:


Let this whole mixture simmer on low heat for over 30 minutes until the rice is soft. Then you get this delicious combination in my bowl, all ready to eat:


...tofu jambalaya and Mississippi red beans! It was a definite hit!

Chilaquiles with Soyrizo

This is a modified version of the chilaquiles recipe found on page 253 of my trusty Laurel's Kitchen cookbook. Nate made it for the first time a few weeks ago, adding some soyrizo for added flavor and protein. I liked it so much, I asked him to make the same thing today for a late breakfast!

Ingredients:

• 12 Corn Tortillas, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 2 T Vegetable Oil
• 10 oz. can Enchilada Sauce
• 1 and 1/2 cups Cottage Cheese (lowfat is a-ok)
• Grated Cheddar Cheese
• Chili Powder
• 1/2 pack of Soyrizo
• 4 Radishes, sliced
• 1/4 Onion, chopped
• Cilantro, coarsely chopped

Heat oil in cast iron skillet. Add tortillas, stirring frequently. Meanwhile, place enchilada sauce and cottage cheese in food processor. Blend until smooth.

Once the tortillas appear soft and lightly coated with oil, pour the enchilada/cottage cheese mixture over them. Sprinkle with grated cheddar cheese and chili powder as desired. Cover and cook over medium heat until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling.


Meanwhile, heat some oil in a small skillet. Add Soyrizo and cook until preferred crispiness is reached. Or, cook according to directions on package.

Serve chilaquiles topped with soyrizo, cilantro, onion and radish, with a side of rice and beans.


Enjoy!

Adventures in Pastamaking

It's the end of the month and we are down to next-to-nothing in our cupboards, but I was still craving something special for dinner tonight (more special than "random vegetables with rice" or "fend-for-yourself"). I craved a certain something... carb-y, delicious... pasta! I wanted to make my own since I have never done it, and I was worried I would be a little inhibited without a pasta making press. Fortunately, I tried out this recipe and it worked great! The noodles turned out kind of funky-shaped, but I'll explain that more along the way.

Homemade Noodles (Yield: 4-6 servings)
4 eggs
1/2 c. durum or semolina flour
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt

First, I put the eggs in my trusty Cuisinart food processor and whipped them up until they were completely blended.


Then, in a bowl, I combined the dry ingredients and mixed them well and added them, 1 cup at a time, to the egg mixture and pulsed with the food processor until I had a thick, non-sticky dough.



I tranferred it to my well-floured counter to knead it for about 5 minutes. Look at the cute dough blob:


After I kneaded it, the ball sat for about 10 minutes under a rag before I started to roll it out. And let me tell you... if you don't have a pasta machine, this is where your arms get involved. Like, really involved. It took me a long time to roll these suckers out. Below you can see yours truly huffing and puffing away while desperately trying to get the dough as flat and thin as possible:


Finally, I decided to cut the dough into two pieces and work on each one separately to try and get them thin. Here's a cross- section to show you the dough-y goodness:


Cutting it in half made it much easier to get the dough fairly thin. I first rolled it out into a long sheet like this:


Then I rolled it up like a big jelly roll and used a sharp knife to cut thin ribbons out of the jelly roll (you just need to cut slices and they unroll into noodles!)


Then I wound up with a bowl full of mutant-shaped noodles like this. Actually I prefer the term unique and beautiful, or atleast rustic.


The cut noodles need to be kept under a cloth since they dry out quickly, and should either be prepared immediately or dried and stored. Before I could cook the noodles I had to make some kind of a sauce to put with them, so I threw this little baby together:

Caroline's Lentil-y Tomato Sauce (Yield: 4-6 servings)
2 tsp. olive oil
4 cloves garlic
6 mushrooms
1/2 c. red lentils
3/4 c. water
1/2 tsp. each: basil, oregano and rosemary
dash cayenne (or more if you want it hot!)
dash curry powder
salt to taste
Can of tomatoes
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Basically, I heated the oil over medium heat in a medium-sized sauce pan, sauteed the garlic and mushrooms, tossed the lentils around in the oil, then added the water and spices. Bring it all to a boil and then cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until the lentils are soft. Once they are soft, add the can of tomatoes, tomato paste, and vinegar and stir it all up. Toss it with the noodles!

Cooking the noodles was super easy, just bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil and drop the noodles in for 3 minutes, until they are al dente. Here are the noodles in their hot bath:

And finally, here is Eric's plate: steamed asparagus, a big spinach salad, and the noodle/sauce combination topped with parmesan and some pine nuts. YUM!


Now I can happily digest for a while and make room for another one of Meggie's kickass truffles...
(Mad props to Stephen for being the main pornographer here as I cooked... your camera kicks ass)