Stuff I cooked, photographed, but never bothered to write about
0 comments Posted by Kate at 7:31 PMHere's a look at some photos of "lost recipes" from the last year or so...
The more I cook with tofu, the more I'm impressed with its versatility. It can be flavored to taste like just about anything, and its texture can change depending on how it's prepared. Lately, I'm lusting after my friend Lisa's new TofuXpress, which draws the water out of a block of tofu to make it chewier and firmer. Apparently, freezing and thawing tofu gives it a "meatier" texture, but I haven't tried it yet.
The sauce is really what makes this recipe great. My favorite local Asian restaurant dish is the orange tofu from Jade Palace in Carrboro, and this sauce comes pretty darn close. It's not as sticky and thick as the restaurant's, but the flavor is almost as good!
You will need:
- 3 Tbsp canola oil
- 1 lb extra-firm tofu, drained, pressed, and chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1/2 cup water
- 3 Tbsp orange juice
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 3 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 4 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger (or ginger juice)
- 4 tsp flour + 2 Tbsp warm water
Steps:
- Heat 2 Tbsp canola oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the tofu pieces in oil until browned, turning occasionally. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, saute garlic and green onions in the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Saute until the garlic is just golden.
- Add the rest of the sauce ingredients (water through ginger) to the saucepan; bring to a soft boil. Reduce the heat to medium.
- In a small cup, mix flour and water until blended. Pour into the sauce mixture, stirring constantly. Cook and stir over medium heat until the sauce reaches the desired consistency.
- Remove the sauce from heat and mix in the browned tofu. Serve with steamed rice and broccoli.
The only problem I had with this recipe was that the sauce reached an intense, bubble-snapping boil and made a mess on my stovetop. That's probably the fault of the evil "safely plates" on the stove though, because they hold heat for too long.
I added ginger to the original recipe, and I'm so happy I did. It gives the sauce a warmth and bite that it would otherwise lack. I was able to put this dish together in under half an hour (not counting tofu draining time) and had some leftovers for Bryan for lunch the next day. Definitely give this one a try the next time you're craving takeout!
Tonight I went to my first-ever vegan potluck with my vegetarian Meetup group. After days of deliberation (no exaggeration), I finally decided to try out a recipe from Vegan Pandamonium for chickpea and artichoke salad. Even though I'm not vegan, I cook vegan a few times a month, but I sometimes have a tough time finding vegan recipes that don't call for speciality ingredients or off-putting dairy replacement items. However, I was intrigued by this author's use of simple, everyday ingredients and the recipe's easy preparation. Besides, it seemed like a good potluck dish, since it could be served at room temperature.
You will need:
- 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 15-oz cans chickpeas, drained
- 2 7.5-oz jars marinated artichoke hearts, drained (and quartered, if not done so already)
- 1 Tbsp minced fresh basil
- 1 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
- zest of half a lemon
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
- 4 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp apple cider or white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp mustard
- salt and pepper
Steps:
- Heat the oil in a large rimmed skillet over medium-high heat. Once warmed up, add in the drained chickpeas. Allow them to toast for about 10 minutes, stirring or shaking the pan occasionally, until the chickpeas are a nice golden brown.
- Meanwhile, pour all the dressing ingredients into a jar (I used one of the emptied artichoke jars) and shake well. Set aside.
- Once the chickpeas are golden brown, transfer them to a serving dish and set aside. Put the skillet back on the stove at medium high and add in the artichoke hearts, spreading them out in one layer. (There's enough oil in the marinade that you won't need more.) Let them get a little brown and crispy, tossing only once. They get brown quicker than the chickpeas do!
- Transfer the artichokes to the serving dish; add in the basil, parsley, and lemon zest. Pour in the dressing and toss everything together gently. Top with toasted almonds and serve warm or at room temperature.
I was so happy with the results of this recipe that I didn't even want to take it to the potluck! I probably could have eaten most of it myself. It was a big hit though! There were only a handful of chickpeas left in the bottom of the dish at the end of the night. One woman described the flavor as "robust," and that was before she even knew I was the cook!
I really liked the combination of textures and the toasty flavors of the chickpeas, almonds, and artichokes. The herbs and lemon brightened up the dish, and the vinaigrette was just zesty enough. This was easy enough that I'd definitely make it again!
On New Year's Eve, Bryan and I decided to make a new recipe (together!) and then watch a new (to us) movie. We started off with a glass of wine, some SNL reruns, and a batch of French onion soup-stuffed mushrooms. They were delicious even though they were time-consuming to make, although mine didn't turn out as beautiful as the Pioneer Woman's.
We finished the evening by making the Smitten Kitchen's version of Moroccan spinach and chickpeas and watching Devil while we ate. Cooking a new, exotic recipe and watching a mysterious, critically-disdained movie turned out to be fairly similar experiences. During both activities, we found ourselves thinking, How will this turn out? Will there be any unpleasant surprises? Will the various elements come together for a satisfying ending? Will M. Night Shyamalan make a cameo? (In the end, the answer to the final question was no for both.)
You will need:
- 2 15-oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 5 Tbsp olive oil (I just happened to have a bottle of Moroccan olive oil from one of Bryan's friends!)
- 1 lb spinach, washed and torn into smaller pieces
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (I used the spicy kind and thus skipped the red pepper flakes)
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce (canned is fine)
- 1 1/2 Tbsp red wine vinegar (all I had was white)
- juice from half a lemon (or more, if desired)
Steps:
- Heat 3 Tbsp of the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the spinach and a pinch of salt and stir well. (The volume of the spinach will drastically decrease, so don't worry if it doesn't seem to fit in the pan at first!) When the spinach leaves are just barely tender, drain them in a colander and set aside.
- Heat the remaining oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add in the garlic, cumin, pepper flakes, and paprika; stir for 30 seconds.
- Add in the drained chickpeas and tomato sauce and mix in the vinegar. Cook and stir for a few minutes, just until the chickpeas are heated through. Add the spinach back in and season the mixture with salt and pepper and lemon juice.
You can serve this as is or mash it up a bit and serve it over toasted crusty bread. I did the latter and Bryan did the former. Deb's version of the recipe involves grinding up bread in a food processor and adding it to the dish to make it thicker, but that was more work than I was willing to do that night. I'm sure it's good though! Maybe I'll try that next time.
Next time, I might also use a little less oil, since the spinach got a little slick in the end. I will also be lazy and buy bagged, washed spinach instead of washing my own. There are many kitchen tasks I'm willing to do on my own, but after realizing how long it takes to thoroughly wash and dry a pound of spinach, I probably won't do it again for a long time!
Well, hello there! It's been a long time! In the weeks leading up to the holidays, I found myself cutting back on making new recipes, partly because holiday socializing had us away from home more often, and partly because we were so busy that it was easier to turn to my tried-and-true recipes for dinner.
One new recipe I did make recently was David Tanis' wild mushroom ragout, which I found on The Kitchn a few weeks ago. This was my first attempt at cooking with dried wild mushrooms. Just for the record, the white button mushrooms (which are sometimes called Pennsylvania mushrooms because many of them are grown there) you find in the grocery store taste nothing like wild mushrooms. When a recipe calls for wild mushrooms, nothing else will do. It would be like trying to satisfy yourself with a Tootsie Roll when you're really craving a hot fudge sundae.
However, as soon as I began planning this meal, I discovered a problem: wild mushrooms are expensive. I halved David's recipe, but even one pound of wild mushrooms would have been far too expensive for our budget. I bought two one-ounce bags of dried mixed wild mushrooms, knowing they would yield about twelve ounces once reconstituted, but just those two bags cost me almost $10. I ended up using a few baby portabellas to round out the pound, just for budget reasons. If you can afford to buy all wild mushrooms, you won't be disappointed by the flavor. But a girl's gotta be realistic here!
You will need:
- 1/8 cup olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 1 lb wild mushrooms (or a combination of wild and cultivated)
- 2 garlic cloves, finely diced
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried sage
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 Tbsp flour
- 1 cup mushroom broth (see note below)
- splash of white wine (opt.)
- 1 Tbsp butter (opt.)
- rice, pasta, couscous, or whatever else you want to serve the ragout over
Steps:
- Heat 1 Tbsp of the oil over med-high heat in a large rimmed skillet. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until it begins to brown (8-10 minutes, I think). Lower the heat to medium, sprinkle in a little salt and pepper, and continue to cook the onion until it's nicely caramelized (another 5 minutes or so). Transfer the onion to a bowl and return the skillet to the stovetop.
- Bring the skillet back to medium-high and add the remaining oil. Add the mushrooms, stirring well to coat with oil. Saute the mushrooms until they're lightly browned. (Unfortunately, I don't remember how long that took! Oops!)
- Season the mushrooms with a bit more salt and pepper; add in the garlic, thyme, sage, and pepper flakes, and stir well. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion back in, and stir in the tomato paste. If you'd like to add the wine and butter for a tad more decadence, do that now. Cook for another 2 minutes, stirring well.
- Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir it in. Slowly pour in the mushroom broth and cook the mixture for another 5 minutes. If it's too thick, add a little more broth or water, and if it's too thin, let it cook for a few minutes longer.
- Ladle over pasta, rice, or couscous and serve immediately.
We served this luscious sauce over buttered egg noodles, and it was just glorious. It's tough to describe the flavor of this sauce without using words that are always connected to mushrooms -- earthy, meaty, rich -- but all of them definitely apply. I feel like the wine and butter are pretty essential here, but don't add the butter if you want this dish to be vegan.
A note about the mushroom broth: If you buy dried mushrooms, just save a cup of the broth that's left over after you've reconstituted them. An ounce of dried mushrooms yields six to seven ounces, so make sure to plan accordingly. I found a useful tutorial on preparing dried mushrooms here. However, in preparing them, I discovered one other problem with dried mushrooms: they're very, very gritty. After I soaked them, I drained them in a sieve, but that wasn't enough, as it turns out. Every couple of bites, we'd get a mouthful of sandy grit, which really took away from the experience. Once you soak them, pour the liquid through a coffee filter, and then maybe even rinse the mushrooms one more time.
But don't let that scare you off! The sauce is multifaceted and filling, and it's perfect for a lazy winter day.
