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.

Sundried Tomato and Goat Cheese Quiche

This is a quiche made with the flavors of caprese (cheese, tomato, and basil).  I choose goat cheese here for the extra tanginess to help cut through the eggs and cream.

1 C cream or half and half
8 oil packed sun dried tomato halves, drained and chopped
1 C goat cheese
1 1/2 t dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
1 pie crust, either homemade or frozen
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Dock crust and blind bake until lightly golden (15-20 minutes).  Layer the bottom of the pie crust with the sun dried tomato. Combine the rest of the ingredients and whisk thoroughly, adjust seasoning as necessary.  Pour in to pie shell and cook until set, approximately 35 minutes.

Easy No-Cook Oatmeal

This is as simple as dishes get; just mix rolled oats, dried fruit, the seasonings of your choice, and milk and let sit over night before eating.

3/4 rolled oats
1/4 dried fruits
honey, sugar, maple syrup, and spices to taste (cinnamon and cardamom are both good options in the spice category)
2% to whole milk to cover.

Mix everything and let sit in the fridge for at least 6 hours to blend.

Spicy Garlic Pickles

Awhile back I made some pickles that were absolutely amazing.  The problem?  I just threw things in there without measuring.  I had a general idea of what was in there a week later when I finally tasted them, and a general idea of how much, but that was it.  So I've tried to recreate them.  This isn't spot on, as I've made a version I thought was close, then tried to approximate the fixes, but it's still a damned good pickle.  I didn't bother using pickling cucumbers, just good old cheap regular ones, so adjust the cuts if you want to get fancy.

2-3 cucumbers, cut in thirds lengthwise then radially into 6ths
6 sprigs fresh dill
2 C water
2 C white vinegar +/- 2 T depending on how strong you like your pickles
1/2 C sugar
heavy 1 1/2 T + 1 t kosher salt
6-8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
6-8 Thai chiles (or to taste), sliced once diagonally
2 bay leaves
4 allspice berries
1 T whole coriander seeds
2 T black mustard seeds

Mix together the vinegar, water, sugar, and salt, and let sit at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until everything is dissolved.

Divide the seasoning ingredients between two 1 quart mason jars, and pack in the cucumber.  Pour the brine over the ingredients, making sure to cover (you may end up packing in more cucumber or making a little extra brine).  Refrigerate for about a week before eating.  I suggest having these as a refreshing element on a charcuterie plate, but honestly I eat most of them straight up as fridge grazing.  Open the fridge to get a drink?  Well, they're right there; I might as well grab a piece or two while the door's open...

Ma Po Tofu

A wonderful, aromatic dish of tofu in a bean paste and meat sauce, and one that's taken far too long to write up since it's one of my favorites.  Because the meat is used as a seasoning you can easily make this vegetarian by omitting the meat, in which case either up the tofu or add in some mushrooms.

Ingredients:

12 oz extra firm tofu, cut in to half inch cubes
6 oz ground pork (or beef, or omit)
1 T fermented black beans
3-4 T chile bean paste
1 T soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 large green onions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced (more if small)
1 t roasted ground Sichuan pepper
1 C stock (meat of your choice, or veggie)
corn starch and water in a slurry to thicken
dried chiles to taste
3 T oil

Cook the tofu in simmering lightly salted water for several minutes, then drain.

Heat the oil and chiles in a wok over high heat until the chiles start to blacken.  Add in the meat if using and stir fry, stirring constantly until the meat starts to brown.  Add in the fermented black beans, chile bean paste, garlic, and Sichuan pepper (I prefer to combine these ingredients in a bowl before starting to cook).  Stir fry until fragrant and the oil is bright red.

Add the stock and the soy sauce, and bring to a simmer, then add the tofu.  Simmer for five minutes to blend the flavors, then gradually add in the corn starch slurry to thicken (do this slowly, in several installments, so you don't end up with gloop).  Add the green onions and stir for a few seconds, adjust seasoning to taste, and serve with rice.

Infused Olive Oil

Garlicky olive oil with basil and crushed red pepper.  I use this stuff when making tomato sauce, but it's great for salad dressing and just dipping bread.  It will seem a little strong if just tasted plain (and you might want to dilute it out slightly with other olive oil for bread), but it's something to keep on hand.

1 C olive oil
6 sprigs basil, rinsed
15 (or as many as 20) cloves garlic, lightly crushed
2 t crushed red pepper, or to taste

Combine all the ingredients and heat over medium low; cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is golden brown and the basil has crisped.  Strain the oil.

Kheer

An Indian rice pudding with cardamom.  Serve warm or cold (though if you cook it down too much it might be quite firm when cold).

4 C whole milk
1/4 C rice (basmati or jasmine)
scant teaspoon cardamom powder
6 T sugar
pinch of saffron
raisins to garnish
pistachios, chopped to garnish

Soak the rice for an hour in water, then drain off the liquid.  Add the milk and sugar to the rice and bring to a simmer, but pull off a couple of tablespoons of milk while just warm to bloom the saffron. Stir frequently while the mixture simmers.

When the rice mixture is starting to thicken up add the saffron and cardamom and cook for another couple of minutes.  Serve up in individual bowls, garnishing with raisins and pistachios.

Pakoras

The Indian version of battered and fried veggies.  This is only the recipe for the batter, but it can be used on any number of vegetables: thinly sliced sweet potato, cauliflower (YUCK!), onion rings, zucchini, spinach, or whatever else you want to try.

1.5 C gram (chickpea) flour
1/2 C rice flour
pinch asafoetida
1/4 t turmeric
Cayenne pepper to taste
salt to taste

Combine all the ingredients, adding enough water to make a moderately thin batter.  Keep in mind that you want the batter to be a little salty to season the veggies.  Dredge vegetables in the batter and deep fry at 350 F until golden brown.

Jackfruit Curry

An unusual curry using green jackfruit in place of meat.  Green jackfruit has  a great texture, but very little flavor, so it's cooked with plenty of onion, garlic, and spices.  Note: I was winging it when I made this, so it's more approximate than most for amounts.

2 cans of green jackfruit (it has to be green) roughly 10 oz each when drained
3 T mustard oil
1-1.5 T black mustard seeds
1 medium onion, chopped
1.5 T garlic, chopped
1.5 T ginger, grated
2 t cumin
3 T tomato paste
1/2 C stock (vegetable stock if going vegetarian, otherwise chicken stock)
1/2 t turmeric
ground chile to taste
salt to taste

Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet over medium high, and add the mustard seeds, onion, garlic, and ginger (if using whole cumin add it as well, otherwise add it with the jackfruit).  Cook until well the onion and garlic is well browned.

Add in the jackfruit, chile, and turmeric and stir fry for a a couple of minutes.  Add the tomato paste and the stock and stir fry for another couple of minutes to combine and cook down to desired consistency.  Add salt to taste.

Polenta

For being little more than corn meal, water, and a little seasoning this is a truly wonderful accompaniment to any Italian meal.  I take the basic method from Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking (which I highly recommend), but tweak the ingredients some to make it richer.

7 C water
1 T salt
1 2/3 C coarse cornmeal
6 T butter
1/2 C grated Parmesan

Bring the water and salt to a boil, then very slowly whisk in the cornmeal to avoid lumps.  Stir continuously for several minutes before reducing the heat to a bare simmer and covering the pot.  Cook, covered, for 10 minutes before removing the lid and stirring thoroughly.  Repeat this 10 minute covered cooking and stirring cycle until the polenta has cooked for 40 minutes.  Stir in the butter and Parmesan then serve.

Shakshuka

A middle eastern breakfast dish of eggs poached in a spiced tomato sauce.  While nominally a breakfast dish, it's savory enough to eat for other meals as well as being fast and easy.  This dish can be made vegan by leaving out the eggs, though it ends up lacking protein.  Serve with pita.

1 28oz can of whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes
6 cloves garlic, crushed
6 T olive oil
1 t cumin
1/2 t caraway
1/2 t cayenne (or to taste)
1 t paprika
6 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
A squeeze of lemon juice (optional)

Heat the oil and saute the garlic lightly in a large skillet.  Crush the tomatoes by hand in to the skillet and add the seasonings.  Cook for 15 minutes or so partially covered, then taste and adjust seasoning.  Crack the eggs in to the skillet and cook, partially covered, until the whites have just set.

Falafel

This is the Egyptian version of the well known fried bean dish.  Unlike other versions of the dish the Egyptian version uses fava beans instead of chickpeas, and flattens out the balls to pan fry rather than deep frying.  As a note: it is absolutely necessary that you start with dried beans; canned beans will produce mushy results.  Serve with tahini sauce; you can also serve this with pita, cucumber, tomatoes, and/or pickled turnip if you want to make sandwiches out of it.

1 lb dried fava beans, split and husked, soaked in plenty of water for two days in the fridge
2/3 C flat leaf parsley, de-stemmed
2/3 C cilantro, de-stemmed
1 T cumin, ground
1.5-2 t coriander, ground
8 cloves of garlic
1 t baking powder
2 medium onions, chopped
1/2 t cayenne, or to taste
2T flour
Salt and pepper to taste
vegetable oil for shallow frying

Add everything except the vegetable oil in a food processor and pulse to combine.  You may have to work in batches, and you're ultimately looking for it to be well combined but still have a little texture.  Form patties roughly 1 cm thick and 4-5 cm across; the patties should just hold together (add a little extra flour if they don't).  Form a small patty and cook it to test seasoning; adjust as necessary.  Fry patties until browned and crispy, with an interior that is soft (and green!).

Tahini Sauce

A wonderful garlicky tangy accompaniment for many middle eastern dishes, especially falafel. Before the water is added this will be a very thick paste, but will thin out to a rich and creamy sauce.

2/3 C tahini
2/3 C freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
Cold water to thin out the sauce (about a 1/4 C)
Salt to taste

Blend together the first three ingredients, then pulse in the water until you reach a creamy consistency.  Add in salt to taste.

Sichuan Cucumber Relish

A mildly spicy cucumber relish, perfect for snacking on or eating along side a richer Chinese dish.

2 large cucumbers, ends removed, halved and cut in to chunks
2-3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 t Sichuan pepper, ground
1 t chile bean paste
2 T hot pepper oil
1 T salt
2 t sugar
1 T chinkiang vinegar
2 T sesame oil

Place cucumber pieces in a colander and sprinkle with the salt.  Let sit for a couple of hours before rinsing.  Mix the cucumber with the rest of the ingredients, stirring to coat.  Allow the flavors to blend for three hours or overnight before serving.

Hard Boiled Eggs

Making hard boiled eggs is pretty ridiculously simple, but peeling them can be another matter.  This method will give you perfectly cooked eggs and make them quite a bit easier to peel.

Eggs as needed
Water to cover the eggs by an inch
Ice water bath

Place the eggs in a pan and cover with room temperature water.  Place over high heat and bring just to a boil.  Kill the heat and let sit for 10 minutes.  Remove from the water and crack the shell lightly all over (quickly), then submerge the eggs in the ice water bath.  This stops the cooking and separates the shell from the egg.

Roasted Garlic

One of the essential basic ingredients: roasted garlic.  Roasting takes away the harshness and provides a richness and depth of flavor.  Many recipes call for cooking it as whole bulbs with just the tops trimmed off, but I find it better to separate the cloves, remove the stem end, and peel them.  It makes it easier to use without having to squeeze it out of the peels; if you still want it crushed just use the side of a knife.

Garlic as needed, trimmed and peeled
Olive oil, ~2t per head of garlic

Preheat the oven to 400 F.  Place the garlic in a large enough piece of aluminum foil to completely wrap them up, coat them with olive oil and seal the package.  Place the foil package in a dish of some kind in case the oil leaks (I've used everything from pyrex to cup cake pans).  Bake for ~40 minutes, or until the garlic is soft and golden.

Vegetarian Bao Filling

This is a vegetarian filling for Bao made of tofu and mushrooms.  It's reminiscent of char siu (Chinese BBQ pork), though obviously without the goodness of roasted pork it's not quite as awesome.

3/4 lb shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, halved, and thinly sliced
oil to stir fry
3 shallots, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 T chile bean paste
3-4 T hoisin
3 green onions, chopped
1/2 lb extra firm tofu, pressed to drain and diced
2 T soy sauce
salt to taste

Heat the oil in a wok over high heat until lightly smoking.  Add the mushrooms and stir fry until the mushrooms have lost much of their moisture and browned (browning the mushrooms will take a fair amount of time); you may need to add a little oil if you didn't have enough to start with.  When the mushrooms are browned add the shallots and garlic, still over high heat, and stir fry for 30 seconds to a minute.  Add the chile bean paste and stir fry until fragrant; add the soy sauce and remove from the heat.

Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix to combine.  Adjust seasoning, then fill the dough and cook according to the bao recipe.

Kumquat Syrup

A citrus syrup with notes of ginger and star anise, perfect to go with stuffed french toast (recipe to follow).

50 kumquats, thinly sliced (roughly two pints), I find it easiest to halve the kumquats lengthwise to remove the seeds, then thinly slice
4 C ginger ale
2 C water
1.5 C sugar
1-2 star anise

Combine the sugar, ginger ale, water, and star anise, and bring to a simmer to dissolve the sugar.  Add the kumquats, and simmer until it reaches the consistency of warm maple syrup, about 45 minutes.

Vegan Mayonnaise

No, I haven't radically altered my dietary preferences, I still love roast beast, but I got to thinking that by playing around with lecithin I could pull the eggs out of mayonnaise.  That not only makes it vegan, but keeps it from going bad, unlike most homemade mayonnaise; this stuff should keep indefinitely in the fridge, and it may not need refrigeration since none of the ingredients has to be refrigerated (that's an experiment in progress...).  At the least you won't have to worry about keeping it on ice for a picnic.

4 T vinegar (some of this may be replaced with water if you don't like it as tangy)
1 T dijon mustard
1 t liquid lecithin
1 C oil
salt to taste

Mix together the vinegar, mustard, and lecithin in a food processor (or in a bowl with a whisk, but you're gonna get a workout if you got the whisk method), then slowly drizzle in the oil while the food processor runs (or while you whisk until you think your arm is going to fall off).

Note: I don't call out what type of vinegar or oil to use, but this is just a place to get creative.  My first batch was 50/50 red wine vinegar and sherry vinegar, with 1/4 C of walnut oil and 3/4 C vegetable oil.  Play around with it, and you could also use citrus juice in place of vinegar; I may try blood orange and lemon juice mixed with avocado oil for my next effort.

Curry Potato Salad

This recipe is extremely approximate, as I was just playing it by ear, but this should be the basics.  I'd suggest increasing the green onion and thinning things out with a little vinegar.

3 lbs yukon gold potatoes, cleaned, diced, and boiled with salt until just tender (but not peeled)
4 T madras curry powder
3 C mayo
1/2 C whole milk
6 stalks celery
6 T mustard oil
2 T black mustard seeds
one bunch green onions
4 T dijon mustard
Salt to taste


Crackle the mustard seeds in the oil, then add in the celery and the white parts of the green onion.  Saute briefly, then add the curry powder, and saute for another couple of minutes.  Kill the heat, then add in the mayo, milk, green parts of the green onions, and dijon mustard. Stir to combine, taste it and adjust the salt, realizing that potatoes need A LOT of salt.  Mix everything, chill, then taste again.