Chicken and Spinach in an Asiago Cream Sauce

1 1/2 C Asiago, freshly grated
2 chicken breasts, trimmed and pounded to uniform thickness
1/4 lb prosciutto, in thin strips
1/2 package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 C Parmesan, freshly grated
2+ C cream
1 t dijon
1/2 t thyme
1/4-1/2 t paprika
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 shallots, thinly sliced
4 T butter
3 T olive oil
1/2 C sun dried tomatoes, thinly sliced

Heat olive oil over high heat while sprinkling both side of the chicken with salt and pepper.  When the oil is hot add the chicken and sear until browned on both sides without over cooking.  Remove the chicken and set aside.

Add the butter, shallots, and garlic to the skillet, scraping to loosen the brown bits left from the chicken.  Reduce the heat to medium and stir for a minute or two before adding the prosciutto.  Cook for several more minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the cream and reduce to a simmer.  Add in the thyme, paprika, and some extra black pepper, then add in the spinach and sun dried tomato.  Simmer for several minutes to blend the flavor then start adding in the cheese.  The amounts are very approximate, so adjust the amounts of cheese and cream until you have a nice creamy sauce; remember that the sauce will thicken as it cools.

Slice the chicken into strips and add to the skillet and toss to warm and mix flavors.  Adjust the seasoning to taste and serve with pasta or rice.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

 A truly simple recipe that makes an excellent side dish.  Serve with things like Chicken with Cherries and Red Wine.

1 lbs Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed, halved, and any loose or yellowed leaves removed
3-4 T olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 F.  Toss the Brussels sprouts with the olive oil and season liberally with salt and pepper; it'll probably take more than you think, but you can always add more at the end.  Spread the sprouts on a baking sheet and place in the oven, stirring several times while cooking.  Cooking times will vary based on the size of the sprouts; I start checking small sprouts at 25 minutes, but large ones could take up to 40 minutes.  You want the sprouts to be browned in places and softened but with just a little crunch.

Chicken with Cherry and Red Wine Sauce

Alpha version, may be modified.

Sweet, rich, and slightly tart. Serve with goat cheese mashed potatoes and a vegetable like Roasted Brussels Sprouts.

2 Chicken breasts, trimmed and pounded to uniform thickness
3/4 C red wine (I prefer merlot)
1/2 C chicken stock
2-4 T glace de volaille
olive oil
2-4 T butter
8 oz fresh cherries
1-2 T balsamic vinegar
lemon juice to taste
1/4 t dried thyme

Heat olive oil in a skillet (not non-stick).  Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, then cook over medium high until well browned but just done.  Remove from the chicken breasts from the skillet and set aside.

Deglaze the pan with the wine and the stock, then reduce the heat, add the cherries, and simmer for several minutes.  Whisk in the glace, balsamic, and thyme and continue to simmer until the cherries are tender, then lightly crush the cherries.  Whisk in the butter to emulsify and cook to desired thickness.  Season to taste with salt and lemon juice.  Spoon over the chicken and serve.

Kung Pao Chicken

 A classic Sichuan dish, with my adaptation.  I've never seen a classic version of this with zucchini, but I want some veggies in mine, and zucchini works well with the flavors.

Ingredients:

3 medium chicken breasts, trimmed and cubed
3 zucchini, trimmed and cut to a similar size as the chicken
8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cm ginger, peeled and grated
10+ dried Chinese chiles, facing heaven chiles if you can find them
6 green onions, separated, white and pale green parts thinly sliced, green parts in 1 cm lengths
1 1/2 C peanuts
Vegetable oil

Marinade:

2 T soy sauce
1 T Shaoxing rice wine
1 T cornstarch
2 t salt

Sauce:

5 t soy sauce
5 t dark soy sauce
2 T Chinkiang black vinegar
1 T sugar
2 t Sichuan pepper, toasted and ground
2 T Shaoxing rice wine
6 T chicken stock
1 T sesame oil
2 t salt
1 T cornstarch
Additional chile to desired heat (optional)

Instructions:

Combine the marinade with the chicken and set aside for at least 10 minutes.

While the chicken is marinating, combine the sauce ingredients and set aside.

Once the chicken has marinated heat 1/4 C of oil in a wok with the dried chiles over very high heat, and blacken the chiles (open windows, turn on the vent fan, and be careful you can pepper gas yourself at this point).  Once the chiles are turning dark and the oil is smoking hot add in the chicken; it will splatter as it goes in.  Spread the chicken out in the wok and let it sit without moving until it browns, then stir fry it until just done.  Remove from the wok, reserving the oil in the wok, and set aside.

Heat the oil in the wok back up over high heat, adding more oil if needed.  Add in the garlic, ginger, and white parts of the green onion, and stir continuously until fragrant 30 seconds to 1 minute.  Add in the zucchini, still over high heat, and stir fry for several minutes but leaving it crunchy.  Add in the peanuts and reduce the heat, then add in the sauce, the green parts of the green onions, and the chicken.  Stir until the sauce is thickened, adding additional stock if needed to thin the sauce.

 

Moo Shu Pork

 A restaurant favorite and one of my rare forays to a part of China other than Sichuan province.

Ingredients:

3/4 lb pork loin, trimmed and cut in to thin ribbons
2 cm ginger, peeled and grated, divided 3/4 and 1/4
5 cloves garlic, minced
4 green onions, divided white and pale green chopped, green parts in 1 cm lengths
4 eggs, beaten
6 leaves cabbage, central stem removed and thinly sliced
2 handfuls dried black fungus, re-hydrated
1 small can sliced bamboo shoots, drained
1 T shaoxing rice wine
vegetable oil
salt

Sauce:

4 T soy sauce
4 T hoisin sauce
2 t sesame oil
2 t cornstarch 

Directions:

Combine the sauce ingredients with 1/4 of the ginger and set aside.

Make an omelette with the eggs, salting to taste.  Set aside and slice in to strips when cool.

Heat the oil in a wok over high heat until starting to smoke, then sear the pork until browned, being careful not to overcook it.  Remove and set aside.

Return the wok to the burner and lower the heat to medium high.  Add more oil as needed, then saute the garlic, white parts of the green onion, and the remaining 3/4 of the ginger.  Stir fry until fragrant, approximately 1 minute.  Add the cabbage, black fungus, and bamboo shoots then stir fry briefly before adding the shaoxing wine, then continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the cabbage just begins to wilt (you want it to still have crunch).  Add in the green parts of the green onion, toss for about a minute, then return the eggs and pork to the wok and stir to warm and coat everything with the sauce.

Basic Taco Seasoning

 My take on the taco seasoning that you get in little pouches to mix with ground beef only, you know, not horrible.  I don't call for onion or garlic, because sauteing actual onion and garlic gives a much better result; you can add onion and garlic powder if you want to skip that.  I also don't specify the amount of salt, both because it should be done to taste, and because I usually add some soy or fish sauce to up the flavor.

2 T cumin, ground
2 t dried oregano
2 t coriander, ground
1 t smoked paprika or ground dried chipotle
2 ancho chiles, ground
1 guajillo chile, ground
1 t pepper, ground

Saagwala

A rich creamy spinach curry perfect with naan.  I've been making this with goat, but lamb or beef will both work well.

Ingredients:

1 kg (2.2 lbs) goat, lamb, or beef, trimmed and cubed
4+1 cm piece of ginger, peeled and grated
6+3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 medium onions, diced
6 T ghee
1 T coriander, toasted and ground
2 t cumin, toasted and ground
1 1/2 t garam masala
5-6 green chiles (preferably finger hot), thinly sliced
cayenne to taste
stock
2 packages frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 - 3/4 C cream
4 T cilantro, stems included, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Melt ghee in a deep pan, then saute the onion until starting to brown.  Add the 6 cloves of chopped garlic (reserving the other 3), the 4 cm of grated ginger (reserving the other 1), and the green chiles.  Saute for a couple of minutes before adding in the spices and 1 t salt, stirring frequently until fragrant.

Add the meat along with enough stock to cover meat, cover, and simmer until tender.  Times will vary considerably depending on the type and cut of meat; goat can take 3 hours or more.  When the meat is tender, remove from the pot and set aside, leaving everything else in the pot.  Add in the spinach and stir to combine.  Using an immersion blender (or removing to a blender), puree until fairly smooth.

Cook the spinach mixture down uncovered until thickened to the desired consistency (or a little thicker to account for the cream), roughly 35 minutes, stirring frequently.  Return the meat along with the cream, cilantro, and the reserved garlic and ginger, and simmer gently until the flavors blend 5-10 minutes.  Adjust the seasoning to taste (this will likely require more salt than you think), and serve with warm naan or rice.

Chinese Eggplant with Pork and Black Bean Sauce

2 Chinese eggplant (the long thin ones)
1/3 lb ground pork
1" ginger, grated
5-6 cloves garlic, sliced
3-4 T black bean sauce

2-3 T soy sauce
2-3 T Shaoxing wine
2 t oyster sauce
3-4 green onion, chopped, white and green parts separated
~1/2 C chicken stock
cornstarch mixed with additional stock to thicken
vegetable oil

Chop the eggplant into large chunks, making sure each piece still has skin on it.  Toss the chunks in heavily salted water for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to get all the pieces submerged.  Drain.

Heat oil in a large wok over high heat, and fry the eggplant in two batches for 5-9 minutes each.  You're looking to get some golden brown color on the pieces, even if it's only one side, without turning them into mush; they should still be a little firm.  You may need to add additional oil for the second batch of eggplant.  Set the eggplant aside, leaving the oil in the wok.

Heat the remaining oil (and you may need to add a little more) again and add the ginger, garlic, black bean sauce, and the white parts of the green onion, stir frying until fragrant.  Add the pork and cook until browning, making sure to break up the pork as it cooks.  Add in the shaoxing wine and cook until reduced, lower the heat then add in the soy sauce and oyster sauce, cooking briefly before adding the chicken stock.  Allow this to simmer for several minutes, then thicken with the cornstarch mixture.  Taste for seasoning, then add the green parts of the green onions, toss, and remove from heat.

Chinese Ingredients

 I had to spend a long time searching through Asian markets to figure out what ingredients I should be using since I don't speak or read Mandarin, and my first Chinese cookbook had the right names in Mandarin, but the English translations were a little iffy.  Now that I've figured them out here are pictures of what to look for and possible substitutes.

Black Fungus (Cloud Ear):

 

Black fungus comes dried, and a small package yields a shocking amount when re-hydrated; always start with a small handful when re-hydrating.  This adds a nice texture and bulk, but very little flavor, so it can be omitted.  It's cheap in Asian markets, but significantly more expensive on Amazon; either way a bag will last a long time.

Chili Bean Paste (Doban Djan, Broad Bean Paste with Chili, etc.):

 This is a fermented paste of soy beans and chiles.  It's rich, salty, and spicy with the kind of depth of flavor you only get with fermentation.  It comes in jars carrying a lot of similar names, each with it's own distinct taste.  You'll find multiple varieties in any Chinese market, but the Lee Kum Kee brand can be found in the international section of some major grocery chains.  Chinese soybean paste, sometimes also called sweet bean paste (be careful not to get red bean paste) can be substituted if you want to cut back on heat or in a pinch you can use Korean Doenjang.

Chinese Black Vinegar (also known as Chinkiang or Zhenjiang vinegar):

This is an aged rice vinegar that's fairly sharp but has some depth and caramel notes.  Bottles of this often have yellow labels on them, and it is available on Amazon, though it will be more expensive than at Asian markets.  You can use plain unseasoned rice vinegar as a substitute, but you'll lose something.

 

Chinese Pickled Vegetables (with day lily):

 

 I found these when I first started making Dan Dan Mian and had no clue what I was looking for, but it was a happy accident since I found I really like them, and I add them to the dish to up the vegetable content.  It's a mix of things like day lily and cow pea, but otherwise I know next to nothing about it; I've always found it in plastic pouches, but I've seen jars that might have been similar.  It's slightly spicy, not heavily pickled, and adds a nice crunch.

 

Fermented Black Beans (Preserved Black Beans, Douchi, and several other names):

 

 These are actually not black beans as thought of in US, but rather soy beans that are fermented and dried; they are rich, salty, full of umami, and will add depth to dishes like ma po tofu.  It can generally be found either in plastic pouches or cylindrical cardboard containers. Black bean sauce can be found even in the international section of some major grocery chains, and while it can be substituted it contains other ingredients.  The fermented black beans (not the sauce), will keep indefinitely at room temperature in a sealed container.

Shaoxing (Shaohsing) Rice Wine:

 

 A rice wine, but completely different from Japanese sake, and the two are not interchangeable.  Bottles typically have red labels, and it is available on Amazon, but for significantly more than at most Asian markets.  Dry sherry is usually listed as a substitute, though it does change the flavor noticeably; it can often be left out, but you'll notice a difference and you'll likely have to adjust seasoning as the cooking wine is sodium heavy.

Sichuan Pepper:

 This isn't actually a type of pepper, but rather the bud of a type of prickly ash.  It has a slightly citrusy flavor but with a numbing quality; if used in excess you'll end up feeling like you've had a dose of novocaine.  It's available on Amazon and in any Chinese market.  There really is no substitute, and while it can be left out (it actually wasn't legal in the US for a long time due to a possible agricultural pest issue) you will definitely notice a difference in flavor.

Soybean Paste/Sauce (aka sweet bean paste):

This comes in jars often right next to chili bean paste/sauce in Asian markets, but doesn't contain chiles, so it'll be a dark brown instead of red-brown, but with the same richness and depth.  I often use chili bean paste instead because I like it spicy and because soybean paste can be harder to find.  Korean Doenjang can be used as a substitute, but NOT Thai soybean sauce. 

Tianjin Preserved Vegetable:

Tianjin preserved vegetable (named after the city Tianjin) is pickled cabbage heavy on the salt; it is often soaked in water to cut the salt before being included in a dish.  While it can be found in plastic containers, the most common way I've found it is in a ceramic jar as in the picture.  It can be found on Amazon, but is significantly more expensive than the few bucks you'll pay in an Asian market where it's a common ingredient.  It can be used interchangeably with Ya Cai, but I would much rather use the Ya Cai when available.

Ya Cai:

Often seen as Yibin Ya Cai or Sui Mi Ya Cai, this is a type of pickled mustard green.  I've usually found it in foil packages as above, but it also comes plastic; I prefer to get the smaller foil packs as they generally have enough for one recipe, but larger packs freeze well once opened.  It can be found on Amazon, and for not much more than Asian markets.  Substitute Tianjin Preserved Vegetable if you can find that but not Ya Cai, but make sure to rinse or briefly soak the Tianjin Preserved Vegetable to reduce the salt .

Cambodian Caramel Beef Stew (Khor Ko)

 This is an early version of the recipe and may see significant change, but it's already tasty.  The base recipe comes from Nhum, by Ros and Lee.

 

 A rich beef stew full of lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime leaves.  The very dark caramel adds a hint of sweetness and bitterness.

Ingredients:

~ 2 lbs beef (use a tough cut suitable for stew or braising), trimmed and cubed
4 stalks lemongrass, thoroughly bruised
5 slices galangal if fresh, 6-7 if frozen
8-10 kaffir lime leaves, thinly sliced
10+3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
7-8 small shallots, thinly sliced
3 T palm sugar
1 whole star anise
2 T fish sauce
1 heaping T shrimp paste
2 T tomato paste
6 C stock (plus gelatin if necessary, see directions)
salt to taste

To serve:
1 onion, sliced and soaked in cold water
cilantro
baguette

Directions:

In a large pot melt the palm sugar over low heat and cook until dark and just starting to smoke.  Add the shrimp paste and stir quickly until aromatic, then add the lemongrass, lime leaves, galangal, shallots, and 10 cloves of the garlic.  Stir briefly, then add in the star anise, fish sauce, and tomato paste, cooking for several minutes while stirring.

Add the beef and cook for several minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the stock and bring to a simmer, uncovered until the beef is tender, at least an hour.  The liquid should reduce by about half; if you're using good homemade stock (the kind that solidifies in the fridge) the liquid will become smooth and thickened.  If you're using store bought stock you'll probably have to bloom some gelatin and stir it in gradually until you reach the desired consistency.  Add the remaining garlic and simmer for a few minutes.

Serve with the onion slices and cilantro, with some baguette to soak up the liquid.