the zucchini chronicles

More monsters coming out of the garden, so this time I did my riff on a raw zucchini salad with lime, chile, tomatoes, and roasted peanuts. It is a riff on a recipe I found on the food network site. Slicing zucchini into thin ribbons on a mandolin, salting them, rinsing them well, and squeezing them dry in a towel creates luscious ribbons that are supple and tender, reminiscent of perfectly cooked home-made pasta.

the perfect tool for razor thin slices of zucchini--next step,

an hour in a salt scrub

This salad is a wonderful side for an easy grilled chicken breast or a simple piece of fish. The dressing is a quick whisk together of a couple of tablespoons of fish sauce (don't worry, it does not end up tasting like fish--fish sauce is a wonderful ingredient for bringing out the rich flavors of other ingredients), fresh lime juice from a couple of limes, minced hot red chili (fresh if ya got 'em, but dried would work) to taste, a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar, and a minced clove of garlic all whisked together. If you want an even silkier mouth-feel, add a tablespoon or two of peanut oil. Take a couple of handfuls of cherry tomatoes, slice them in half, and put them in the dressing to marinate.

give the tomatoes a few minutes to marinate while you toast the peanuts

One step I never skip when cooking with nuts is toasting them. It only takes a minute or two, albeit at close attention, to crisp the nuts significantly, and release their tantalizing aroma. Just use a dry pan and give them a toss or two over medium high heat.

simplicity itself--a bit of chopped cilantro, toasted chopped peanuts, 

and the dressing just before the tomatoes were tossed in

Rinse the excess salt off the zucchini ribbons, squeeze them dry in a kitchen towel, and toss them with the tomatoes. Plate, garnish with the peanuts and cilantro, and enjoy a bite of summer.

a beautiful salad that tasted as good as it looked

I served this salad with a simple piece of fish marinated with a little ginger and a sprinkle of soy. Along with a crisp white wine and a cool breeze on the patio, it was a perfect summer supper.

the lazy cook

I have been MIA for the past few weeks because we've had an early start on summer here, and that means a lot of tossing a steak or chop on the grill and fixing a simple side, like potato salad or pasta or greens.  And that makes for pretty boring blogging.  But...I'm posting a few pics of our little garden  Jim puts the veggies on steroids with Miracle Grow, and I am going  to have to do some serious cooking if I am going to keep up.  Some pics:

 rainbow chard, spinach, peas, two varieties of thyme, and chives

parsley, sage, chives, thyme, rosemary; peas and spinach in the background

squash, peppers, tomatoes, and romaine

I am going to be a very busy girl.  The romaine and chard need to be harvested and now.  So one of our first garden veggies made it into tonight's fish curry.

look at the monstrous size of that rainbow chard leaf--

I used just one for the curry

Tonight's curry had chard, onion, bunapi mushrooms, aromatics, talipia, and shrimp.  Which is the great thing about a curry--it can take in a great variety of flavors--what you have on hand.  There is no reason to squint over long, complicated recipes and scour Asian markets for exotic ingredients.  If you really want to make an authentic Indian or Thai curry, sure.  If you want to make Saturday night dinner, scour your fridge and the local supermarket.  The only fairly unusual ingredient I used tonight was bunapi mushrooms.  Those made the list because Whole Foods happens to carry them, and I love their silky texture and pretty shape.  When I'm in WF, I buy some, and figure something to do with them later.  So they were in the fridge.  At the grocery store today, talapia was on sale, and it looked good.  The shrimp were pricey, but local and fresh, so I bought just a few to up the interest in the dish.

grated lemon grass and ginger from the freezer and a dollop of curry paste,

 along with kaffir lime leaves I also keep in the freezer along with a frozen hot pepper

 from last year's garden, the mushrooms from the fridge;

onion and chard from this year's garden

Okay, I had to go to the store for the fish, but then I also had to go to the store for milk.  And, the idea for the curry actually happened at the store, when I saw that talipia was on sale.  It is always a good idea for a lazy cook to work backwards into a meal from what is on hand.  Much easier than spending an hour looking for a recipe, laboring over an ingredient list, and then falling to pieces when they're out of fresh fennel and curly endive, and the red snapper looks four days old.  Believe me, I have seen women standing at the fish counter, clutching their lists, eyes brimming with tears.  It is those moments that make the existence of hamburger helper possible.  It is wise to become the sort of cook, lazy or not, who laughs at the very idea of hamburger helper.  But I digress.

Curry is simple to make.  Everything goes into the pot.  I admit, not all at once if one wants superior results, but one pot nonetheless.  First a small glug of oil goes into a hot pan, then the aromatics--to bloom, which is chef-speak for "smell good"--then the veggies, in the order of how long they take to cook. Once the veggies wilt a bit, the liquid is next.  In this case that was coconut milk, but if you are counting calories it could have as easily been a little water, or canned tomatoes.  If your sauce of choice is yogurt, add that last over low heat, after everything including the fish is cooked.  It will separate, and make a very unappealing though perfectly edible sauce.

those blooming aromatics take just a minute or two to become fragrant

veggies into the pool--they're pretty before they wilt,

but they taste better after

coconut milk and then fish go in--fish a few minutes before the shrimp--

keep this on a low simmer and make sure the rice is cooked

Damn!  You forgot the rice.  No worries.  Just take the curry off the heat and cook the rice.  When the rice is done, reheat the curry for a minute or two, and serve.

oops; forgot the cilantro garnish. no matter, I added a handful

to the pot at the very end of the simmer, so the flavor was there

And that is the final word for lessons in being a lazy cook and a happy eater at the same time.  It doesn't matter that you forgot the final fillip of garnish or left the rolls in the oven until the smoke alarm went off.  Things will still taste good, and even if they don't, never apologize.  It just embarrasses others, and another meal is less than a day away.

I love this soup

Pho.  It's my favorite soup.  The flavors are clean and enticing, it comes together in minutes, it is low in calories, high in interest, and satisfying any time of the year.  I like mine the best with beef, but chicken or shrimp are also excellent.  I haven't tried a vegetarian version, but I have no doubt it would be excellent.  Just for the record, there's no way my version is authentic, and I don't care.  It's tasty, easy to prepare, and gorgeous to look at.   My first experience with this soup was in a Lubbock, Texas defunct doughnut shop that an immigrant couple had converted into a Thai eatery.  The soup was delicious, cheap, and addictive.

It starts with beef broth that is infused with aromatics.  Here I used cinnamon sticks, Szechuan peppercorns, star anise, and galangal root, which is a spicier cousin of ginger.

infusing the broth with warm spices takes about fifteen minutes

This is an ideal soup for a busy weeknight.  While the broth infuses with the aromatics, the veggies can be prepped.  I use broccolini, green onion, bean sprouts, and hot red pepper along with very thin slices of beef.

that's cilantro in the far right corner--it goes in at the last minute

So, the drill is soak the rice noodles (oops, forgot to take a pic) in hot water while the broth is steeping with the aromatics.  Slice the veggies and meat, drain the aromatics out of the broth, and put the green onion, hot pepper, and brocollini in the pot.

once the brocollini turns bright green, add the soaked noodles,

the beef, and a drizzle of sesame oil if you have it

Everything will be cooked in about five minutes.  Season for taste with salt, and add the bean sprouts and cilantro.  Ladle everything into big bowls.  I like to garnish with chopped peanuts for flavor and crunch, which is certainly not traditional.  The upshot--a delicious soup in under 30 minutes.

yum--I love this soup

shrimp with peanut sauce

I love the taste of peanuts in savory dishes.  I sprinkle peanuts on my Pho, even though it certainly isn't traditional.  I ask for extra peanuts for my pad thai, and I inevitably ferret out any peanut dishes if we visit a Chinese joint.  Needless to say (though I am going to go ahead and say it), I love Asian noodle dishes with peanut sauces.  Most often found dressing cold noodle salads, peanut dressings tend to be strongly flavored with a nice balance of sweet, hot, and savory-- I also think they posses an abundance of umami flavor.

I like peanut sauces in hot stir fries--also not traditional--particularly with shrimp and chicken.  I tend to make my peanut sauces by nosing around in the cabinet and fridge for flavors that go well with peanut butter, and I always use chunky because I like the added texture.  On this dish I made the peanut sauce with grated ginger, fresh garlic, hot red chile paste, chunky PB, soy sauce, Chinese black vinegar, a dash of sugar, sesame oil, and a bit of water to thin it out.  It pays to taste your sauce carefully as you go and add ingredients in small increments, until you like what you taste.  In the past I have used lime juice, coconut milk, fresh hot chiles, five spice powder, worcestershire, lemon grass, mirin, tamari, and fish sauce--don't worry--not necessarily all at the same time.  If anyone wants the specifics for a decent recipe, email me, and I will spell out the details.

The shrimp got marinated for about 20 minutes in coconut milk, ground cumin and coriander, fresh ginger and lemongrass, and fresh hot chiles.

 shrimp only need a few minutes in a marinade, particularly if

there is an acid in it, which will begin to "cook" the meat

Next came the veggie prep.  I had fresh sweet pepper, bean sprouts, red onions, cilantro, and frozen peas.  I also had bunapi mushrooms, which I found in the crisper drawer three days later, so they got sauteed with some peas for another meal.

when doing a quick stir fry, prepping ahead is essential

shrimp are the first in the hot tub

then onions and peppers

and finally the sprouts, peas, and cilantro,

which should just be warmed through--still nice and crunchy

Finally, the shrimp goes back in.  Did I mention that I boiled up some noodles to serve with this dish?  I used Udon noodles, but any sort of noodle would do.  Rice would be nice, as well.  If you are using noodles, toss the noodles with a few generous dollops of the peanut sauce., and serve the stir fry on top.  It makes for a prettier presentation.  If you are using rice, add the sauce to the stir fry.

another scrumptious retreat from the usual holiday season fare

less complicated -- still Thai

Yesterday I posted about a fairly complicated Thai dish.  Today I am posting one that any home cook can carry off.  The sauce includes fish sauce.  Don't be afraid of that condiment.  It does not have a "fishy" taste in the final dish, and is really there to lend salt and "umami" flavor to the dish.  "Umami" is just a certain uncutuousness -- a rich flavor often identified as the fifth taste, after sweet, salty, sour, and bitter.

As with all Far East cooking, dishes come together very quickly, so it is best to prep all of your ingredients in advance.  In this case, that means mincing a couple of cloves of garlic -- easy with a garlic press-- slicing some onion and bell pepper, mincing some hot pepper, and stirring together some sauce.  On a separate cutting board, it takes just a minute to cube up some boneless, skinless chicken breast.  Basil is the star of this dish, and it is abundant right now.  The leaves should be plucked from the stems, but they don't need to be sliced.

mise en place for a simple Thai basil chicken

The sauce for the dish is easy.  A tablespoon of fish sauce, 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of water, a teaspoon of sugar, and a tablespoon of cornstarch, all stirred up together and set aside.  The cubed chicken gets cooked in hot oil for about 8 minutes -- just until it is done.  

the chicken is quickly sauteed, then comes out of the pan

Once the chicken is out of the pan, in go the veggies.  They cook for a couple of minutes, until they begin to soften, then the garlic goes in.  You will smell it's fragrance in about two minutes.  Add in the sauce mixture and the chicken, and toss to combine.  Add in the basil, and cook just until that has wilted a bit.

veggies, just wilted

The whole dish comes together in just a few minutes, and it tastes divine.

an easy and exotic Thai supper

unraveling a Thai dish

Jim and I rarely go out to eat, since I love to cook, but when we do, we usually opt for Thai food.  I don't cook a lot of Thai, because it can be complicated, and we have an excellent Thai restaurant close by.  But I will admit, it is one of my favorite cuisines.  The other night I tried a new dish at the restaurant.  It was so good, I couldn't resist trying to replicate it.  The fun part was the research.  In the course of trying to find out about the bones of the dish, I discovered that Thai cuisine sometimes uses five spice powder, which explains the subtle spice I tasted on the chicken, including a faint hint of clove, which had thrown me off a bit when first tasting the dish.  I had never tasted clove in a Thai dish before.  Speaking of five spice, I have mentioned before the astounding recipe from China Moon that is actually a ten-spice concoction.  Well worth making.  I finally ordered Szechwan peppercorns from Penzeys, so I could make it properly.  

So, this dish -- it was a chicken dish with small pieces of chicken, fried, with an ethereally light crust and a hint of warm spice.  The veggies were lightly steamed, and it all sat in a pool of a sweet/sour/spicy sauce.  My first search was for the sauce.  I finally settled on a recipe I found on the net that included fresh red chiles, which I happened to have on hand.  It's a simple sauce, including garlic, chiles, sugar, vinegar, water, and salt.  It is thickened in the end with a bit of cornstarch.

the sauce has a gorgeous color and a nice consistency

The next step was the veggies.  I happened to have beautiful little zucchinis in the garden, an onion, a leek, carrots, and bell peppers on hand.  I had to go to the store for chicken, so I grabbed a little broccoli and snow peas as well.

lovely little zucs and a handful of cilantro from the garden,

which is going berserk 

Then, I marinated the thin strips of chicken in a little oyster sauce, some fish sauce, a clove of garlic, a little five spice powder, and the chopped cilantro.  I only marinated it for about an hour.  During that time, I sliced the veggies thin on a mandoline, steamed them to crisp/tender, and shocked them in an ice bath.

so beautiful

the shock, after the brief steam

Now, for the chicken.  I mixed about 3/4 cup of corn starch, 1 cup of rice flour, and a tablespoon of five spice powder together, and dredged the marinated chicken in that.  In about 1/2 inch very hot oil, I fried the strips in batches until they were crisp and golden brown.  The corn starch and rice flour mixture resulted in a very thin and beautifully crunchy crust with a wonderfully spiced flavor.

the chicken was crispy, without a hint of greasiness

Now, all to do was combine everything.  I reheated the veggies in a cup or so of the sauce, tossed in the chicken, and served everything over rice.  It was divine.  Crisp veggies, spiced chicken, and spicy/sweet/hot sauce.  It wasn't an exact duplicate of the dish I had at the Thai restuarant, but it was close, and absolutely delicious.  Well worth the effort.

a very delicious dinner

thank heaven for grilling season

shrimp.  What could be easier?  And on the grill besides, so clean-up is a snap.  I like to marinate my shrimp for a flavor boost.  Last night, I went with garlic, Fresno peppers, lime, cilantro, and a bit of peanut oil.

as usual, I added the lime zest as well as the juice

Shrimp need only a few minutes to marinate, so I chucked all the stuff in the bowl, lit the grill, and started the rice.  I have blogged before about the convenience of boiling rice the same way you boil pasta.  It really is fool-proof (and I can be a fool).  While the basmati rice boiled, I heated about a quarter cup of coconut milk over medium-high heat, and sauteed some shallots and another fresno chile in the warm coconut milk, which is really primarily oil.  When they were soft, I added a cup or so of peas, salt and pepper.  Then I stirred in the cooked rice, and headed out to the grill with the shrimp.

flavorful rice basics

a grill basket makes grilling shrimp a lazy person's chore

The shrimp take just about 4 minutes per side.  On top of the coconut rice, they made a satisfying meal, with minimal clean-up.

pretty much a one-pot wonder

cooking scallops

Haven't made scallops for ages, and I'm not sure why.  May be remnants of memories of water injected scallops.  Yuck!  But these days, more often than not, even plain old grocery store scallops are dry, which means they will sear, and taste sweet and tender, not waterlogged and tough.  The trick to good scallops is to be sure and not overcook them.  In fact, I slightly undercook them, take them off the heat, and let the carryover heat finish the job.

it takes just a couple of minutes to get a sear

on scallops -- patting them dry with a paper towel helps

scallops, cooked just until they are golden brown

I was hankering for some Asian flavors last night, so I decided to serve the scallops over rice, with a coconut curry sauce.  I kept things simple.  I grated a bit of ginger and lemongrass, minced some serrano pepper and scallions, and chopped a bit of cilantro.  I contemplated grating some garlic, but decided that the flavor might overwhelm the delicate scallops.

left to right: minced serrano chiles, sliced scallion, 

chopperd cilantro, and grated ginger and lemongrass

everything but the cilantro gets a quick saute in 

the scallop pan in just a dollop of peanut oil

Then in goes a can of coconut milk.  Try the Thai Kitchen brand.  It is especially thick and creamy.  That gets simmered for just a few minutes with the aromatics.  At the last minute, toss in cilantro, adjust for salt and pepper, and pour the sauce over good basmati rice.  Dot on the golden scallops, and dinner is served.

the sauce can be a little runny -- no matter --

the rice just soaks up all that coconut goodness

chicken soup?

The classic feel good soup.  Make it the way grandma did, or mix it up a bit with a little oriental flair.  I started with about four cups of home made chicken stock, but a decent store bought broth will work just fine.  Heat the broth just below a simmer, add a tablespoon of soy sauce, and grate in a thumb-sized piece of ginger and a thumb-sized piece of lemon grass.  Both lemon grass and ginger freeze very well.  I buy both, chop them into large chunks, and throw them in a freezer bag, so I have lemon grass and ginger on hand all the time.  Add a couple of boneless, skinless chicken breasts to the broth, and poach them just until they are cooked through -- about twenty minutes.  Remove the breasts from the broth. 

Now the fun starts.  I bought a package of udon noodles in an oriental grocery store.  They are like very thick spaghetti noodles, and since they are fresh, they cook very quickly.  If you can't find fresh udon, you can usually find a dried version in the oriental ingredient section of most grocery stores.  The dried version will take a little longer to cook.  So don't add the carrots until the dried noodles are nearly done.

sliced poached chicken, green onion and serrano chili, julienned carrots,

cilantro, and udon noodles

Bring the broth up to a fast simmer, and add the noodles and the carrots.  After about 10 minutes, add the cut up chicken.  Taste, and add salt and pepper as needed.  I like peanuts in asian style soups, so I chopped up a handful.  

the peanuts, onions, chilies, and cilantro go in the soup as garnishes

Garnished with chili, green onion, cilantro, and peanuts, this soup makes for a quick, healthy, and tasty meal.

an attractive, colorful bowl of soup that tastes as good as it looks

and now for something on the lighter side

Banh mi are little Vietnamese sandwiches of spicy pickled vegetables and meat.  I think usually pork.  At least that is what I have run into around here.  The version I did tonight involves grilled pork tenderloin rubbed with aromatic five spice powder.  Or actually, in this case,  China Moon Ten spice powder from the China Moon cookbook.  Oh, so worth the extra effort...

The spicy slaw is a combination of carrot, diakon radish, sirracha, rice vinegar, sugar, and fish sauce.  At the last minute, I stirred in some napa cabbage and cilantro.

a little serrated peeler make beautiful shreds of carrot and daikon

for about 2/3 of a daikon and three carrots, I used 1/2 cup of rice vinegar, 3 TBS of sugar, a TBS of sirracha (Vietnamese hot sauce available in most groceries) and 1 TBS of fish sauce.  I let that macerate all afternoon, then added in  the cabbage and cilantro before serving.  If you don't want too much spice, just back off of the sirracha a bit.

a nice, crunchy, spicy slaw

From there, it's just 20 minutes or so on the grill for the pork tenderloin, followed by a five minute rest, while the split rolls are toasted and spread with a little mayo.  The authentic rolls are made with both wheat and rice flour, but any baguette will do.  Today, I used a whole grain baguette.  It's a simple, spicy, tasty sandwich, simply served with a little more slaw on the side for a nice helping of crunchy veggies and tender meat.

tender, aromatic pork and spicy veggies.  A winning combo.