Re-thinking the Microwave

There were two articles today in the NYT about cooking with a microwave. I remember a colleague telling me once about her old roommate who only cooked in the microwave. It sounded dangerous and irresponsible at the time. I don't know if the jury is out on how safe it is to use a microwave to cook food, but I thought the recipes were interesting anyway, and a good read given we all have one of these in our homes.

The first is by one of my favorite food people - Mark Bittman:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/02/dining/02mini.html?th&emc=th

The second is by "the curious cook". Aren't we all?
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/02/dining/02curious.html?ref=dining

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.

More French Cooking...

I'm starting to appreciate the beauty in French cuisine...it's touted around the world as the fanciest and best tasting, most sophisticated cuisine. In America we can't appreciate the full beauty of it...French restaurants are hard to come by, very expensive and off limits for Muslims...they cook with a lot of pork and/or wine.

Lately I've been reading the autobiography of a New York magazine restaurant critic...every few months she goes on an eating tour of France. She writes mostly about French restaurants, in New York and in France. Reading her book, I'm compelled to think French food is the epitome of food. And that's not just her opinion, she's been working since the 1970's and that is what's going on in the food world around her. But her to each his/her own. I wouldn't put it at the top of my list.

So I revisited out salad nicoise and french onion soup, (see last month's post for the recipes).

Our main dish was Chicken with forty cloves of garlic, and trust me, you'll want every last clove, because it's absolutely delicious. And yes, I went out and bought a Dutch oven for this occasion. We're in love, my dutch oven and I. It's a beautiful red Tramontina from Target and was highly rated by Cook's Illustrated. I'll try more dishes and keep you posted on our relationship.

Here's the recipe for the main dish, which should be served with a great loaf of bread to sop up all the amazing sauce. It's from Ina Garten of Food Network.


Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic
Difficulty: Medium
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
User Rating: 5 Stars

Copyright 2004, Barefoot in Paris, All Rights Reserved
3 whole heads garlic, about 40 cloves
2 (3 1/2-pound) chickens, cut into eighths
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons good olive oil
3 tablespoons Cognac, divided
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons heavy cream

Separate the cloves of garlic and drop them into a pot of boiling water for 60 seconds. Drain the garlic and peel. Set aside.

Dry the chicken with paper towels. Season liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat the butter and oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. In batches, saute the chicken in the fat, skin side down first, until nicely browned, about 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Turn with tongs or a spatula; you don't want to pierce the skin with a fork. If the fat is burning, turn the heat down to medium. When a batch is done, transfer it to a plate and continue to saute all the chicken in batches. Remove the last chicken to the plate and add all of the garlic to the pot. Lower the heat and saute for 5 to 10 minutes, turning often, until evenly browned. Add 2 tablespoons of the Cognac and the wine, return to a boil, and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pot with the juices and sprinkle with the thyme leaves. Cover and simmer over the lowest heat for about 30 minutes, until all the chicken is done.

Remove the chicken to a platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the sauce and the flour and then whisk it back into the sauce in the pot. Raise the heat, add the remaining tablespoon of Cognac and the cream, and boil for 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper, to taste; it should be very flavorful because chicken tends to be bland. Pour the sauce and the garlic over the chicken and serve hot.

Snowed in

I *attempted* to go to work today, but the snow and mucky roads thwarted my efforts. My car which handled the last snow storm quite well was not a happy camper this morning so for her sake I turned back after a half hour. The fact that it was bagel friday at work (every friday we get fresh bagels and the most amazing cream cheese at work) forced me to weigh my decision carefully, but the flashing warning lights when my tires slipped beat out the yummy bagels... But a coworker tells me that the cream cheese was so frozen that the knives were breaking in it... lol. Sorry guys.

So since I'm cooped up at home (still working mind you) I thought I would share my latest find, the 30-minute cookbook from America's Test Kitchen. Ok, it's really Sameera's find because I borrowed it from her, but in my world I am discovering it :) I am a *very* slow cook, and I realized this when Sameera came over to cook with me and she'd made three dishes before I even managed to open a can of beans. So the quicker the recipe the better for me, since anything takes me forever. Even though the first recipe I tried took longer than 30 min, it was still relatively quick and very easy. I'm sharing it cause I thought it came out rather well (considering the suspect way the chicken was cooked) and my hubby really liked it too. I left out the apricots cause I try not to do cooked fruit for the hubby's sake.

30-minute Chicken Tagine (from The Best 30-Minute Recipe from the Editors of Cook's Illustrated)

Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Salt and ground pepper
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, minced
2 tsp garam masala
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
1/2 cup dried apricots, quartered
1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, rinsed
2 tbsp minced fresh cilantro

To make:
1. Microwave chicken: Season chicken with salt and pepper and arrange in single layer in microwave-safe casserole dish. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and microwave on 50% power for 15 minutes.

2. Saute aromatics: While chicken cooks, heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Stir in onion, garam masala, and 1/4 tsp salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

3. Build sauce: Stir in flour and cook until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in broth, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in tomatoes, apricots, and chickpeas, bring to simmer, and cook until apricots begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

4. Simmer chicken: Reduce heat to low and add microwaved chicken with any accumulated juices. Cover and continue to cook until chicken is tender, about 10 minutes.

5. Finish: Stir in cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

This goes really well with either rice or couscous. I made basmati in the rice cooker and added salt, olive oil and panch phoran (5 spice) to give it a nutty flavor. If you want couscous (since this is a moroccan dish), here is a quick recipe.

Simple Couscous (also from The Best 30-Minute Recipe)

Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups couscous
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 cups water

To make:
1. Saute couscous: Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add couscous and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes.

2. Finish: Stir in salt and water and bring to boil. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with fork before serving.

Chicken Corn Soup

Sameera shared her "cookbook" with me, which is a collection of recipes she uses often (I'm guessing - it could be for some totally other reason) and I've tried a couple of them and they've been great. I've always loved egg drop soup but I've never had a chicken version since I usually don't eat chicken in chinese restaurants. But this recipe was so easy and turned out really yummy. I added some chopped fresh green chilis to add to the punch, and used regular canned corn instead of creamed, but added some sour cream to make it creamy (as you can see I was just using what I had at home!).

4-5 chicken pieces ( I used 1 large breast halve, cut in large chunks)
water
1 can cream style corn
salt or agino moto
2-3 tbsp cornstarch
1 egg

To make:
1. Boil chicken in water, add salt to water.
2. After chicken has cooked, remove from water.
3. Strain water (now chicken broth) to remove all chicken pieces. Return to stove.
4. Add cream style corn to chicken broth.
5. Shred chicken and add to liquid mixture
6. Add agino moto or salt to taste
7. Mix some water (few tbsp) into cornstarch until it forms a thin paste
8. Add paste to soup until it forms a thick consistency
9. Beat egg in small bowl and add to soup, stirring immediately with a fork until spread throughout. Remove from heat.
10. Serve with soy sauce, hot sauce, and vinegar.