Curried Fried Rice

Okay.  I've found another top-notch meatless meal!  Seriously, it's almost knocking my two front-runners out of their top spots.  This is super-filling, super-satisfying, just plain SUPER-DEE-DUPER (sorry, total Flanders moment).  I know that the point of eating healthier is not over-stuffing yourself, but I have to admit that I was feeling the need to loosen my button by the time I was done eating.  And I only had one serving.  That makes me happy.  

I want to give a shout-out to my friend Natashya for her awesome Moosewood Mondays idea.  It's been far too long since I cooked anything-Moosewood-related and even then I wasn't too familiar.  I'm pretty excited about hangin' out~ Moosewood-style☺.

Curried Fried Rice

makes ~4-6 svgs.

1 Tbs.olive oil

4 lg. eggs, lightly beaten w/ a pinch of salt

~~

2 Tbs. olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbs. curry paste

2 medium tomatoes, diced

handful of orange bell pepper, diced

handful bean sprouts

1 scallion, sliced thin

4 c. cooked brown basmati rice

1½ c. fresh or frozen green peas

2 Tbs. soy sauce + more to taste

2 tsp. fresh lime (or lemon) juice

~~

for garnish:

bean sprouts

scallion, thinly sliced

chopped, toasted nuts (I used almonds, but I think cashews would be awesome here, too)

Start by heating the tablespoon of oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and pouring in the beaten eggs.  Basically, you're making an omelet here.  As edges of egg begin to set, lift the edges and tilt the pan to let the uncooked egg flow underneath.  After a minute or two, when bottom is set, flip the omelet.  Turn off the heat and let sit for a minute.  Slide onto a cutting board and slice once in half and then into ½" strips.

In a wok or large non-stick skillet, heat the two tablespoons of oil over medium heat.  Add garlic and curry paste and cook for a minute, stirring.  Add tomatoes and spinach and other veggies,.and cook another couple of minutes.  Add rice and peas and cook until heated through.  Stir in eggs strips, soy sauce, and lemon/lime juice.  

Adjust soy sauce to taste and serve!

note:

I think this would be good w/ some pressed tofu...or if you decided you were in the mood for a little meat, some leftover chicken (chop or shred) would taste great stirred in w/ the rice and peas, as well.

-adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home

Lamb Chops with Roasted Cauliflower, Sweet Potatoes, Radicchio and a Balsamic-Rosemary Reduction

Is it wrong that I CANNOT hear the words Lamb Chop without breaking into song.  Without breaking into children's-programming-song!?  It must be that little part in me that refuses to grow up.  Nah...it's probably just the part in me that loves to nurture her inner-child.  Yeah, that sounds better.  I don't know if it was this childhood remembrance of adorable singing sock puppets or what, but when I actually tried to look back to an (eating) lamb chop experience, I couldn't recall one!  I mean, I use ground lamb quite often...and I love a good lamb shank, but I honestly don't think I've ever even eaten a lamb chop.  Huh!  So, I went to hunt some down.  At the grocery store.  Lamb hardly need hunting.  Okay, so now to choose between lamb loin chops and lamb blade chops (they didn't have rib chops which I was originally searching for).  I chose the less-expensive chop...the blade.  Next time I'll choose the more expensive one...the loin, all adorable-looking, like a mini T-bone.  Anyhoo.  This cut was okay, but not my favorite.  I think with a better cut, this could become a meal that I would crave.  I love what roasting does to cauliflower and radicchio...and sweet potato is one of my bff's, so that's a no-brainer.  The reduction is sweet and rich and so complex.  Basically, when I licked it from the spoon...all those glands in my cheek would start to quiver and shake.  So.  Good.  It may not be pretty, but it's a helluva meal.

Lamb Chops with Roasted Cauliflower, Sweet Potatoes, Radicchio and a Balsamic-Rosemary Reduction

serves 4

Lamb Chops

4 Lamb Chops (any type, use your favorite!)
olive oil
2 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

Roasted Veggies

1 head cauliflower, cut into ~1" florets

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" chunks

2 small heads radicchio, quartered

olive oil

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

~2 Tbs. fresh rosemary, chopped

Balsamic-Rosemary Reduction

2 tsp. olive oil

~2 Tbs. red onion, minced

1½ tsp. garlic, minced

½ c. Balsamic Vinegar

2 sprigs rosemary

1 c. chicken stock

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 Tbs. butter, at room temp.

Preheat oven to 450° F.  Toss the cauliflower and sweet potato with a couple glugs of olive oil and season with some salt, pepper, and half of the rosemary.  Lay out on a sheet tray and roast for ~15 minutes.  Remove from oven and give it a good stir.  Lay the radicchio wedges on the tray, or a separate one if no room, cut side up.  Drizzle with some olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and remaining rosemary.  Put back in oven for ~10-15 minutes, or until all the veggies are just soft and have golden edges.

While the veggies are roasting, heat a grill pan over medium-high heat on the stove.  Rub a light coating of olive oil on each chop and then season with salt, pepper, and rosemary.  Lay the lamb chops into the HOT grill pan and grill for ~4 minutes per side, or until medium-rare.

For the reduction, Heat the olive oil in a small pan and add red onion.  Sweat for ~2 minutes.  Add the garlic, cook another minute.  Pour in Balsamic and let it begin to bubble.  Drop  in the sprigs of rosemary and add the chicken stock.  Bring to a simmer and reduce by half.  This won't take very long.  It should look thick and syrupy.  Remove from heat and stir in butter.  This will give it an irresistible glossy, shine.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Remove rosemary sprigs before using.

Divide the veggies among warm plates (slice the radicchio first, if you wish.  It's pretty bitter in big bites...but it's toned down by the sweetness of the cauliflower and sweet potato).  Add one lamb chop and drizzle everything with the Balsamic-Rosemary Reduction.

 This is my entry into Ott,A's Iron Chef Challenge for February: Lamb Chops which is sponsored by the American Lamb Board.

*Balsamic Reduction was adapted from this recipe by Emeril.

Moqueca (Brazilian Fish Stew) ...inspired by Woman on Top

The movie we're currently using for culinary inspiration over at Food 'n Flix is Woman on Top starring Penelope Cruz.  It's fun...it's a chick-flick...it  has sexy men and (dare I say) even sexier food! With her cooking, Isabella can mesmerize palates...and men...wherever she goes.  Fleeing from her cheating husband and their restaurant in her native Brazil, she lands in San Francisco to start over from scratch.  Isabella strives to find balance between her need to control (hence, woman on top) and the passion in her heart. 

Isabella finds a position teaching a cooking class, which leads to her own cooking spot on a local television station.  She infuses San Francisco with tempting dishes that stem from her fiery, passionate, colorful Brazilian roots! 

I wanted to make something bursting with color and flavor!  With sunshine and passion!  This pot of Moqueca is a layered fish stew that consists of colorful vegetables, milky-white fish, salty-briny shrimp, and delicate coconut milk that are laced with a hit of spice.  It's far too easy to close your eyes, take a bite, and imagine you're on a sunny beach.  Just what I needed in the depths of winter.

Moqueca

(Brazilian Fish Stew)

adapted from Our Brazilian Home to Yours

makes ~6-8 svgs.

2 lbs. Tilapia, each fillet halved crosswise on the bias

1 lb. shrimp, shelled & deveined

juice of 1 lime

1½ Tbs. smoked Paprika

1 tsp. crushed red chile flakes

1 tsp. sea salt

½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 Tbs. olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 roma tomatoes, sliced into rounds

2 medium red onions, sliced into rounds

2-3 bell peppers in various colors, sliced into rounds

8 oz. coconut milk

1 tsp. sea salt

big handful fresh cilantro

brown basmati rice (cooked) for serving

Combine fish and shrimp with the next 5 ingredients in a large dish.  Toss to coat well.  Cover and let sit for ~30 minutes to marinate.

In a large, deep, wide pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add garlic and sauté for ~1 minute.  Turn heat down a bit and layer half of the veggies in the pot. Arrange the fish and shrimp and any of their juices over this layer of veggies.  Finish with the remaining veggies.  Pour in the coconut milk and salt.

Raise heat and bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce to a very low bubble and cook for ~30 minutes.  Remove lid and scatter cilantro over top of everything.  Cover again, then turn off heat and let sit for ~10 minutes.  The seafood and veggies should be cooked, but not mushy.

To serve, spoon hot rice into serving bowls and top with a few spoonfuls of Moqueca.  Be sure to give everybody a few chunks of fish and some shrimp and some veggies...and spoon the broth over everything.

Now.  Close your eyes and clear your mind.  And pretend you're in the Tropics.  Unless of course you really are in the Tropics.  In that case.  You suck and I'm jealous.

Submissions for food inspired by Woman on Top are due on Friday, February 25th...I hope you'll join us over at Food 'n Flix!

This post is linked to:

Making a Sourdough Starter from scratch

You may not know this, but a mere year and three months ago was the first time I made a yeast bread...and felt comfortable with it!  I was scared of those little yeasties.  What was that secret that I wasn't privy to.  The secret of the bread bakers.  Passed on only during the wee hours of the morning when most mortal beings are deep in the fits of REM.  I don't know why it was that Pumpkin Pie Brioche chose to let me into the club.  But that day back in November of the year two thousand nine, I felt a whisper tickle the tiny cilia in my ear.  And the world has never been the same since.

Fast forward to this month, February of two thousand eleven. I'm feeling comfortable in my breadie skin and I realize that I'm ready to take my bread making a step further.  Being comfortable in the deep end was all it took.  That, and a little, unassuming book called The River Cottage Bread Handbook.  I originally picked it up at the library, but once I sat down and read it from cover to cover, I knew it would be an invaluable resource to me.  I really felt a connection.  I think it's a fantastic and informative step-by-step guide for people like me, wanting to get out of the deep end and start climbing that high-dive. While there are many, many things I love about this book, I'm not going into a review today.  All I'll say is that I highly recommend checking it out if you're comfortable around yeast and want to go deeper.  That deeper for me, was the world of Wild Yeast.  I'd heard the words tossed around.  Poolish.  Levain.  Yet, they were elusive to me.  A bit scary, still.

But I was ready.  I wanted to bake sourdough.  This meant that I needed to create wild yeast...or a Sourdough Starter.  Um.  How stinkin' cool is that!?  Creating a living, breathing thing that needs to be cared for.  That, if treated right can live for years.  As a matter of fact, many more years than we ever could.  Phew.   That's quite a responsibility.  And here I thought I was done having kids.  I suppose that's why people name their starters.

Good ol' Chicken Noodle Soup

As basic as it may seem, I love a good bowl of Chicken Noodle Soup. It topped my list for years, and only recently got bumped to second place when I couldn't contain my passion for Tortilla Soup any longer.  That said, when I'm feeling low...or have sick babies home from school...or a hubby feeling under-the-weather...or just need cheering up...I know I can count on a big, comforting pot of Chicken Noodle Soup to put a bounce back into anybody's step.  It would seem obvious if I said this stemmed from a memory of my mom making it for us as kids when we were sick.  But she didn't.  At least not that I can remember.  My sister says she remembers mom making her Chicken and Dumpling soup when she was feeling bad.  Hmmm.  I'm the oldest, and I'm guessing that started after I was out of the house and living the high-life {pun intended} in East Lansing.  That's cool.  It's not like I wanted Chicken and Dumpling soup when I felt like poo.  Whatever.  I'll just have to be content with my red-and-white-label memories.  I still love you, mom.

I started the tradition by myself, once I was in my own kitchen...and I'm pretty confident that my own chitlins will think of their mama's chicken noodle soup when they're older and on their own and feeling sick or down.  And then I can pass the recipe and the tradition on to them.  That is enough to put a satisfied smile on my lips and keep me making it.  Well.  That and the fact that I love it.  Eating it.  Making it.  Sharing it.

Chicken Noodle Soup

from the kitchen of girlichef

makes: ~8 svgs. or just over a gallon

4 lbs. bone-in chicken breast

~1 gallon chicken stock or broth

few thyme sprigs

few parsley stems

1 bay leaf

½" piece of ginger, grated

6 garlic cloves, peeled & smashed

2 small onions, small dice

4 big, fat carrots, small dice

4 ribs celery, small dice

1 Tbs. fresh thyme leaves

12 oz. extra-thick Kluski noodles

freshly ground black pepper

salt (if needed)

Place first seven ingredients in a large Dutch oven or soup pot.  Bring to a boil, lower heat and poach very gently for ~20-25 minutes, or until chicken is just cooked through.  Turn off heat and allow to cool until just able to handle.

Once you are able to handle the chicken without burning off any fingerprints, remove it and pull the meat from the bone.  Discard bones or save for another use, and shred or chop chicken.  Strain the broth, pushing on the solids to release all of the good juices.  Reserve broth and discard solids.

Add onion, carrot, celery, and thyme back to the pot (cleaned of any scum or residue first) and pour the broth over.  Bring to a boil, then add noodles and lower heat to a simmer.  Cook until noodles and veggies are al dente (check individual package directions).  It should take about the same amount of time to cook both, remember the veggies are cut in a very small dice.  Season with black pepper, and salt if needed (but be sure to check first, if you used packaged chicken broth, it's possible that it is salty enough already).

Ladle big, steamy servings into bowls and serve to those in need of comfort.

 Like any soup, this is even better the second...or even third...day.  Refrigerate and reheat individual servings either on the stove-top or in the microwave.  The only "issue" with soup that contains noodles or rice is that they tend to soak up the liquid as they sit.  When reheating, simply add in a little extra broth (you could even add water, if need be...at this point, the flavor's permeated everything pretty well...just not too much).

Chicken Salad w/ Poppyseeds & Yellow Raisins

I've got a quickie for you today.  I have to do necessities and tear myself away from the computer.  I'm pretty sure it'd be frowned upon if I served dinner on dirty dishes...sent the kids to school in dirty, wrinkly clothes...and invited somebody in to stand on this filthy floor I can see from the corner of my eye.  Not to mention I see a tower of recycling that needs to be transported to the outside bin.  Sheesh.  How does it happen so fast!?  That said, this is a fantastic meal to throw together on such days.  As long as you have some cooked chicken hangin' out in the fridge, it goes together in no time....plus, it's tasty and satisfying.  While my favorite way to eat it is in sandwich form...between a good homemade roll or croissant...it's pretty great just scooped onto some crisp lettuce, as well.

Chicken Salad with Poppyseeds and Yellow Raisins

from the kitchen of girlichef

makes ~4 svgs.

~2 c. cooked chicken, shredded or chopped

~¼ c. mayonnaise

good squirt Dijon mustard

~1 Tbs. poppy seeds

~1/3 c. celery, small dice

~½ c.golden raisins

kosher or sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

Combine everything except salt and pepper in a large bowl and work together gently.  Season to taste with the salt and pepper. Adjust mayo and mustard accordingly.  Well, even the other ingredients, add a little more if you want, or even a little less...everybody has their own "ratio" preference.  I like my salad just moist enough to hold together...but not dripping. I like flavorful chicken with bits of crunch and flavor in each bite.

For an awesome meal that is pretty good for you, pile ~½ c. of the chicken salad onto a split Oatmeal Brown Ale Roll or a croissant.

p.s...isn't Chicken Salad great in its endless variations?  For another delicious option, check out my Chicken Salad w/ Cherries, Apples, and Almonds.  Now, go get something done.  Like me.  I'm logging off.  To get things done. Now. 


Okay, bye.  I'm really going...

*I am sharing this post with:

not-so-rapid Lamb Ragú

Has anybody seen the episode of Nigella Express where Nigella makes a bowl of ultimate comfort in the form of a rapid lamb ragú?  She comes home and in true Nigella-style, throws her bag on the counter, pulls out a pan, and throws a few things in before she even takes off her coat.  One of the steps she takes to make this rapid is using a jar of sweet onion confit.  Well, as much as I liked the sound of that...I was at a loss as to where I could procure such a thing.  I figured slowly caramelizing onions would be just as fabulous.  If not more so.  Also, she uses pancetta...of which I hadn't the cash to buy right then.  I used trusty bacon instead, but reserved it to add back in the end, because I don't like to lose that glorious texture and have to bite into floppy bits.  Also, adding the garlic in...and then pulling it back out when I pull the bacon out to reserve it?  Holy shnikeys.  That leaves slivers of garlic glory!  So, garlicky bacon bits sprinkled over a comforting ragú of lamb and lentils that have sweet onions laced between them!!!  Yeah.  I totally made like Nigella and piled my bowl high whilst batting my bedroom eyes and sashaying off into a world of secret bliss.

not-so-rapid Lamb Ragú

adapted liberally from Nigella Express (Rapid Ragú)

serves 4...or 2 if you're starving...because it's extremely hard to stop eating this!

pat of butter

1 tsp. sugar

3 medium onions, sliced thin

1 Tbs. olive oil

2 garlic cloves, peeled & smashed

½ lb. bacon, cut in ¼" strips

1 lb. ground lamb

1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes

½ c. water

1/3 c. white wine

1/3 c. lentils, either split or par-boiled ~20 mins.

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

extra-wide egg noodles

Here's the not-so-rapid part...caramelizing the onions.  Place the butter in a large sauté pan over low heat.  Add onions and sprinkle with sugar.  Stir occasionally and cook down until the onions are a deep golden color, smell sweet as candy, and have reduced to ~ ½ cup in volume.  This should take about 1 hour.  Set aside and start with the much-more-rapid part.

Heat the oil in a medium-sized saucepan and add garlic.  After 30 seconds, add the bacon.  Cook until bacon is just finished.  Remove it with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate and reserve.  

Pour off all but 1 Tbs. of the fat in the pan and add the lamb.  Once the lamb has browned, add the tomatoes, water, wine, lentils, and reserved caramelized onions.  Bring to a boil.  Partially cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for ~20 minutes, stirring from time to time.  Once lentils have cooked all the way through, it's done.

While the ragú is simmering, cook your egg noodles according to package directions.  

Serve a steaming heap of the ragú over the warm egg noodles and sprinkle liberally with the reserved bacon and the cheese.


I found myself wishing I'd doubled...or even tripled this recipe.  It is a pot full of pure comfort.  And don't we all need a little comfort in our lives?  Yes.  We do.

*I am sending this over to Pia at Cook Healthy who is hosting Presto Pasta Nights #201 this week!

Carne Guisada

Two years.  TWO YEARS!  I can hardly believe it.  From the moment I hit Publish Post on my Manhattan Clam Chowder...my life was changed.  Sure, I've always cooked...but this blog has been such a motivator and creative outlet for me.  I've met so many amazing people and made real friends along the way.  I've also met a few rotten apples, but hey...there's a few in every barrel, right?  That said, I can not imagine my day-to-day life without this blog now.  I am able to cook and eat and explore new books and products.  I get to write and photograph and get free stuff (I really like free stuff).  I've found and made meals that will be with my family for years to come...and I've found a few that made their way directly into the bin.  Although it's hard to express exactly how I feel through words...I'll just say that I'm looking forward to many more years!

Okay.  Enough of that.  Let's talk about guisadas.  In particular, let's talk about Guisada vs. Guisado.  What?  You mean there's a difference?  Yup.  There is a difference.  A guisada is one thing...roasted or cooked.  It can be anything from a meat to a vegetable.  If you're making several things, it would be the plural, guisadas. So, you're cooking up individual pieces of meat and veg but serving them together, they would still be guisadas. So, cooking up something that makes up a portion of a whole meal, basically.  My dish today is a guisada.  I will stuff it into something else.  I will serve it alongside the other meal components.

That's amóre Meatball Sub

When Sweet Thang says to me

"Mom, you make a mean Meatball Sub"

 that's amòre...

When Lyrical Teen vies for seconds

and eats 'til his belly's stuffed

that's amóre...

go with it people

When Drama Queen eats a meal

and not once jousts with her brothers

that's amóre...

When dear Mexi asks "what smells good"

then devours sans a chile

that's amóre...

are you singing along

When I draw inspiration from Giada

without fighting or even question

that's (simply gotta be) amóre!!!!

That's Amóre Meatball Sub

adapted sorta loosely from Everyday Italian by Giada de Laurentiis

makes ~40 meatballs (5-6 subs, depending on size of bread)

1 small red onion, grated on the large holes of a box grater

¼ c. parsley, chopped

1 large egg

3 Tbs. ketchup

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. sea salt

¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2/3 c. freshly grated Parmesan

¼ c. fresh bread crumbs

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

18 oz. ground beef

olive oil, for frying

26 oz. marinara sauce

small Italian rolls, as needed

provolone cheese, optional

Whisk the red onion (with some of the juices it emitted during grating), parsley, egg, ketchup, garlic, salt and pepper together in a large bowl.  Stir in the Parmesan, bread crumbs, and Italian seasoning.  Add the ground beef and squish it all together with your hands.  

Line a sheet try with foil and scoop mixture out by the tablespoon.  Roll into ball with your hands and line them up on the lined tray.  Once they are all rolled, heat enough oil in a deep-sided pan to come about ¾ of the way up the side of a meatball.  Heat oil until it shimmers and ripples, then carefully lower as many meatballs into the pan that will fit comfortably.  Leave enough space between them so that they can move and be flipped and not lower the temperature of the oil too drastically. Cook until meatballs are golden all the way around, ~5 minutes.

In the meantime, have another large, deep pan on the stove over medium-low heat with your marinara sauce heating in it.  As each meatball is done, lift out of oil with a slotted spoon or strainer (or fish spat, like I use), let as much of the grease fall back into the pan as possible, then lower the meatball into the marinara sauce.  Repeat until all the meatballs are in the marinara.  

Lower heat and simmer very gently for 5-10 minutes.  Split your Italian rolls and nestle in as many meatballs as you like.  Top with a little provolone if you like.

If you want to make these in advance, simply assemble, then wrap in butcher paper or foil and refrigerate.  Reheat in a 350°F oven for ~15 minutes.

"When the moon hits your eye
Like a big-a pizza pie
That's amóre...
When the world seems to shine
Like you've had too much wine
That's amóre..."

Please 'scusi  my overly judicious use of "ó" throughout this post.  I cannot stressa enougha zi pronunciation en Italiano!  And please excuse that last sentence.  Obviously I do not know Italian.  But in my dreams...I do. Che il bel sandwich di polpetta di carne!

*I'm sharing this post with:

*Italian Fest @ Seaside Simplicity