We made chicken satay (technically, a Malaysian dish) garnished with daikon and carrot pickle. Recipes are available in Andrea Nguyen’s cookbook, The Banh Mi Handbook. (Dec. 2014)
Vietnamese daikon and carrot pickle
Very excited about making this pickle for the first time. Recipe from Andrea Nguyen’s The Banh Mi Handbook and available on her glorious food blog, VietWorld Kitchen, https://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2009/05/daikon-and-carrot-pickle-recipe-do-chua.html. (Dec. 2014) Sources: Andrea Nguyen's The Banh Mi Handbook: Recipes for Crazy-Delicious Vietnamese Sandwiches (Ten Speed Press, 2014); Andrea Nguyen, author and teacher, Vietworldkitchen.com.
Neapolitan vegetable soup (cianfotta)
After a day of gnoshing, we decided to try lighter fare for dinner. This recipe is loosely based on: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/mario-batali/vegetable-soup-in-the-style-of-naples-cianfotta-recipe.htm. We modified by adding thyme, sage, Italian parsley, and a dash each tomato paste and apple cider vinegar. This recipe is vegetarian, but here we used 4 cups of chicken broth instead of the 2… Continue reading Neapolitan vegetable soup (cianfotta)
Lasagna with ground turkey
We made this based on Ina Garten’s Turkey Lasagna recipe (here at http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/turkey-lasagna-recipe2.html), except that we substituted the minced turkey with 1 lb minced beef and 2 hot Italian pork sausage links (casings removed). (Dec. 2014)
Mother’s cookies
I learned this from my friend Mika, who shared this recipe from her sister’s school cookbook many years ago. Preheat oven to 350. Using a hand mixer, blend 1 cup shortening, 1 ½ cups sugar, and 2 eggs until well mixed. Add 1 tsp each baking soda and salt, 2 tsp cinnamon, and 1 ½… Continue reading Mother’s cookies
Chinese rice porridge with pork dumplings and bok choy
Rinse and drain 1 cup rice (here, long grain rice), then set aside. In the mean time, soak 2 Tbsp dried shrimp in ½ cup warm water until reconstituted (about 10 mins), then drain and mince. Add 2/3 lb minced pork to the minced shrimp, mixing well, then fold in 1 Tbsp Chinese cooking wine,… Continue reading Chinese rice porridge with pork dumplings and bok choy
Juju’s Indian chicken and potato curry
This recipe is courtesy of my friend Juju. Marinate 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into large bite-sized pieces) in 2-3 Tbsp Patak’s biryani paste, 1 cup plain yogurt (here, I used nonfat greek), and ½ tsp salt for at least 2 hours. Heat 1-2 Tbsp of neutral oil in a large pot, then add ¾ cup fried… Continue reading Juju’s Indian chicken and potato curry
Korean wakame seaweed soup with beef (miyuk guk)
Soak about 1-2 oz dried wakame seaweed in room temperature water and set aside. Saute 1/2 lb lean beef (cut into bite-sized pieces) in a little oil. When browned, add 5-6 shiitake mushrooms (fresh or reconstituted dry), cut into ½" slices Sauté until fragrant, then add 2 large Yukon potatoes (or 1 large Russet potato) cut into large, bite-sized chunks (here,… Continue reading Korean wakame seaweed soup with beef (miyuk guk)
Thai coconut pudding with sweet potato and tapioca
Sweetened with palm sugar (jaggery), this dessert imparts a delicate, not too sweet flavor.First, cook the sweet potatoes or use already-cooked ones (see Note 1 below). For uncooked potatoes: bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add 3 large Japanese or Korean sweet potatoes (goguma), skin on and cut into thick rounds… Continue reading Thai coconut pudding with sweet potato and tapioca
Herbed croutons
We based this recipe on the Neelys’ recipe (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/homemade-croutons-recipe0.html), plus fresh thyme, sage, and marjoram. We used leftover sliced ciabatta, which we cubed. These croutons were addictively crunchy and delicious. (Dec. 2014) Note: If using fresh bread, you may need to dry it out as follows: place the bread cubes in a single layer on… Continue reading Herbed croutons
Cooking Adventures 