Sticky Rice with Mango

If you're really my friend you'll know I love sticky rice with mango with a passion (just kidding about the being my friend part). The only problem is whenever we eat out I'm always stuffed long before the end of the meal and thus never have the guts to order dessert (I don't like wasting food). So since I was making thai food for some friends we had over for lunch yesterday, I decided it was a prime time to make some sticky rice with a little recipe I cut out from some box of something many months ago and filed away for future reference (I don't like wasting recipes, either). All I can say is..... yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Sweet mangoes are hard to find outside of summer so it was a little early for this dessert, but I actually liked the contrast of sweet rice and slightly sour mango...

Sticky Rice with Mangoes

1 cup uncooked Jasmine Rice

1 can of coconut milk (I prefer the lite, lower-fat version)

2/3 cup of sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 mangoes, peeled and sliced

1/4 tsp toasted sesame seeds

1. In a medium saucepan, boil 1 1/2 cups of water. When boiling, add 1 cup of jasmine rice (Note: I didn't wash the rice because I wanted some starchy gooeyness). Return to boil and then cover and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes, then remove from heat.

2. In a small saucepan, combine coconut milk, sugar and salt. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.

3. Pour coconut mixture into cooked rice. Stir well. Cover with foil and pan lid. Let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

4. To serve, spoon rice onto a plate, sprinke with sesame seeds and arrange mango slices on the side.

Serves 4.

Shepherd's Pie

I wanted to find something interesting to do with ground beef... I'm not a chili person usually but I was going to try it until I came across this recipe for Shepherd's Pie. I love potatoes and using them as a crust instead of cheese was a heavenly idea, since I'm lactose intolerant and hubby has caught my problem too it seems.

Easy Shepherd's Pie Recipe adapted from SimplyRecipes.com

Shepherd's Pie is an English dish, traditionally made with lamb or mutton. Americans typically make Shepherd's Pie with beef. The English (and Australians and New Zealanders) call the beef dish a "cottage pie". Naming conventions aside, Shepherd's Pie is essentially a casserole, lined with cooked meat and vegetables, topped with mashed potatoes, and baked.

1 1/2 lbs ground round beef
1 onion chopped
1-2 cups vegetables - chopped carrots, corn, peas
1 1/2 - 2 lbs potatoes (3 big ones)
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup broth, any kind
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
Salt, pepper to taste

1 Peel and quarter potatoes, boil in salted water until tender (about 20 minutes).

2 While the potatoes are cooking, melt 4 Tablespoons butter (1/2 a stick) in large frying pan.

3 Sauté onions in butter until tender over medium heat (10 mins). If you are adding vegetables, add them according to cooking time. Put any carrots in with the onions. Add corn or peas either at the end of the cooking of the onions, or after the meat has initially cooked.

4 Add ground beef and sauté until no longer pink. Add salt and pepper. Add worcesterchire sauce, garam masala and chili powder. Add half a cup of broth and cook, uncovered, over low heat for 10 minutes, adding more broth as necessary to keep moist.

5 Mash potatoes in bowl with remainder of butter, season to taste.

6 Place beef and onions in baking dish. Distribute mashed potatoes on top. Rough up with a fork so that there are peaks that will brown nicely. You can use the fork to make some designs in the potatoes as well. Sprinkle paprika evenly over potatoes.

7 Cook in 400 degree oven until bubbling and brown (about 30 minutes). Broil for last few minutes if necessary to brown.

Serves four.

Food on a "Dime"... or more likely Dollar.

The article today in the NYT Dining section was amusing at first but then made me think about how much of an expense food really is nowadays, and how I've made a conscious effort to be more frugal. I wonder if NJ has the kind of 99cent stores they talk about in the article, but I seriously doubt it. Anyway, I thought it would be fun to post one of the recipes from the article (actually there were two related articles, and this recipe is from the article about the chef from Le Bernardin).

Baked Salmon With Coconut-Tomato Sauce and Creamy Jasmine Rice
Adapted from Eric Ripert
Time: 45 minutes

FOR THE COCONUT-TOMATO SAUCE:
1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil
1 tablespoon finely diced garlic
2 tablespoons finely diced onion
1/2 cup canned tomato sauce
1/2 cup coconut milk
Salt and ground black pepper

FOR THE CREAMY JASMINE RICE:
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup jasmine rice
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup coconut milk
Salt and ground white pepper

FOR THE SALMON:
2 tablespoons butter
4 6-ounce salmon fillets
Salt and ground black pepper.

1. For coconut-tomato sauce: In a saucepan, heat oil and add garlic and onion. Sauté until soft, about 3 minutes. Add tomato sauce, coconut milk and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer until slightly reduced, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and keep warm.

2. For creamy jasmine rice: In a medium saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups water and the butter. Bring to a boil, add rice, and reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered for 12 minutes. Remove pan from heat, cover snugly with foil, and allow to sit for another 12 minutes.

3. Combine milk and coconut milk in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Stir into cooked rice, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

4. For salmon: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place butter in roasting pan large enough to fit salmon fillets, and add 1/4 inch water. Place over medium heat to bring to a boil, then add salmon and cover pan snugly with foil. Place in oven and cook as desired, about 5 minutes for medium-rare. Remove fish from pan and drain on paper towels.

5. To serve, reheat sauce. Place an equal portion of rice in center of each of four plates. Top each with a fillet, and pour sauce around rice and salmon. Serve hot.

Yield: 4 servings.

Long Live the Stir-Fry

Stir-fries are my new favorite dish to make - once you have the basic steps down, they are so simple and quick. Cook's Illustrated sent a recipe from The Best International Cookbook the other day, and it was so timely because I was *craving* sticky rice. Don't ask me why, I usually don't like the rice from Chinese restaurants. But I love using chopsticks and basmati wasn't really designed for it, let's be honest. So I bought some carolina rice from the supermarket and used it in this sticky rice recipe. Dude! So easy and carolina rice is yummy! The sticky rice was 1000 times better than what you get in chinese take-out, no offense. I don't know why I never tried it before. Sameera used it in some paella she made the other day.. Sam will you post the recipe for your paella please? :)

They used chinese rice wine in their recipe, so I substituted vegetable broth with a dash of rice vinegar. I didn't make the ginger ice cream, cause I'm not into making that, but I thought I would include it anyway. Let me know if one of you tries to make it!

Stir-Fried Shrimp, Asparagus, and Carrots with Orange Sauce
Use a vegetable peeler to peel strips of zest, but take care to avoid the bitter pith beneath the skin. If the asparagus spears are very thick, slice each stalk in half lengthwise before cutting them into 2-inch lengths. Stir-fries cook quickly, so have everything prepped before you begin cooking.


Serves 4

Sauce
2	orange zest strips (2-inch-long) from 1 orange
1/2	cup fresh orange juice from 2 oranges
1/4	cup vegetable or any low sodium broth with a dash of rice vinegar
2	tablespoons soy sauce
1	tablespoon sugar
2	teaspoons cornstarch
1	teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/2	teaspoon red pepper flakes
Stir-Fry
1	pound extra-large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound) peeled and deveined
2	teaspoons soy sauce
2	teaspoons vegetable or other broth
3	medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
1	tablespoon minced or grated fresh ginger
2	scallions , minced
2	tablespoons vegetable oil plus one additional teaspoon
1	pound asparagus (about 1 bunch), tough ends trimmed and sliced on the bias into 2-inch lengths
2	carrots , peeled and cut into 2-inch-long matchsticks

1. For the sauce: Whisk all of the ingredients together; set aside.

2. For the stir-fry: Toss the shrimp with the soy sauce and broth with vinegar in a small bowl and let marinate for 10 minutes, or up to 1 hour. In a separate bowl, mix the garlic, ginger, scallions, and 1 teaspoon of the vegetable oil; set aside.

3. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons more vegetable oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add half of the shrimp and cook, without stirring, until the shrimp are browned at the edges, about 1 minute. Stir the shrimp and continue to cook until they are nearly cooked through, about 30 seconds longer. Transfer the shrimp to a medium bowl and repeat with 1 1/2 teaspoons more vegetable oil and the remaining shrimp; transfer to the bowl, cover with foil, and set aside.

4. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to the skillet and return to high heat until just smoking. Add the asparagus and carrots, and cook until crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Clear the center of the skillet, add the garlic mixture and cook, mashing the mixture into the pan, until fragrant, 15 to 20 seconds. Stir the garlic mixture into the vegetables.

5. Stir in the shrimp with any accumulated juices. Whisk the sauce to recombine, then add it to the skillet and cook, tossing constantly, until the sauce has thickened, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a serving platter and serve.

Ginger Ice Cream
Prepare the ice cream quickly to prevent it from melting too much, (Recipe from: Restaurant Favorites at Home)


1 pint

2 1/2	inch piece fresh ginger , scrubbed
1	pint vanilla ice cream (premium), softened (but not melting)

Using a Microplane grater or fine-holed grater, grate the ginger. Transfer the grated ginger to a fine-mesh strainer set over a small bowl and press firmly with a spoon to extract as much juice as possible. Place the softened ice cream in a medium bowl and, using a stiff rubber spatula, fold the ginger juice into the ice cream. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic flush against the ice cream. Return the ice cream to the freezer to firm up, about 30 minutes.

Chinese-Style Sticky Rice
Do not stir the rice as it cooks. The finished rice can stand off heat, covered, for up to 15 minutes.


Serves 4 to 6

2	cups long grain white rice
3	cups water
1/2	teaspoon salt

1. Place rice in fine-mesh strainer set over bowl. Rinse under running water, swishing with hands until water runs clear. Drain thoroughly.

2. Bring rinsed rice, water, and salt to boil in saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, uncovered, until water level drops below surface of rice and small holes form, about 5 minutes.

3. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until rice is tender and water is fully absorbed, about 15 minutes. Serve.

Culinary Wasteland

Ok so this is my second post today because I had two recipes to post and I needed to rant about my unhappy cooking week(s). I have been in culinary wasteland - the last 3 or 4 recipes I've tried have been pretty unsatisfactory. It could be too many shortcuts, trying to multi-task, who knows. Has anyone else ever felt this way?

But finally Sunday I actually made some food that I liked and I would make again. I tried the Afghani soup and a beef pot pie with ground beef from a CI cookbook I borrowed from the library. I had to improvise because beef pot pie is usually made with chunks of beef and not ground, but it still turned out alright.

Ground Beef Pot Pie - adapted from Cover and Bake, from Cook's Illustrated

1 frozen pastry sheet
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
salt and ground black pepper
1 tbsp veggie oil
1 onion, chopped fine
1 carrot, peeled and chopped medium
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 cup water
2 cups beef broth (or 1 beef bullion dissolved in 2 cups boiling water)
1/2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp fresh or 1 tsp dried thyme
1 cup frozen peas


1. Thaw the frozen pastry sheet on the counter.
2. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Heat oil in pot over medium-high heat. Stir meat until brown. Transfer meat to a bowl.
3. Add onion, carrot, and salt to pot. Cook until onion is soft and lightly browned, 4-6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add the flour and cook until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Whisk in the broth, water, tomato paste, and thyme. Add the browned meat and any juices, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, partially cover, and simmer for another 10 minutes.
4. Put oven rack on middle position and heat over to 400 degrees. When meat is done, transfer to a baking dish or casserole (or several small ones for individual sizes). Top with pastry sheet, rolled out if necessary to cover dish. Bake until top is golden brown and filling is bubbly, 20-25 minutes.
5. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Spaghetti Soup

Ok so it's really Afghani Soup, but I like the name Spaghetti Soup :) This is another gem from Sameera's cookbook, and was realllly easy :) I love one pot meals!

Afghani Soup

1 small can of tomato paste
3 cans small tomato sauce or 28 oz. plain tomato sauce
4 cups water
1/2 lb. fettuccini noodles
1/2 lb. ground beef, browned
1 14 oz. can of chickpeas
1 tbsp of dill
1 tbsp chilli garlic sauce
chili powder to taste
salt to taste
black pepper to taste
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp turmeric

Add all ingredients in large pot and cook. Simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour to taste and consistency.