Fennel and Orange Salad

After getting disappointed with his Cheese Straws recipe, I totally scored with this Fennel and Orange Salad from the How to Cook Everything book - it's refreshing, tasty and crunchy. I thought the fennel anise taste would overpower the dish but i was wrong... marinating it with lemon & orange juice made it mellower. I added some raisins, avocado slices and a soft boil eggs and oh it's so good!


Ingredients:
1 pound fennel (1 large or 2-3 small bulbs)
3 small sweet oranges or tangerines
salt
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

• Trim and core the fennel and cut into thin slices.
• Squeeze the juice from one of the oranges, pour over the fennel, add salt and lemon juice, and let it sit for a couple hours while preparing the orange slices.
• Peel the remaining oranges and segment into orange slices.
• Add the oranges and cilantro to the fennel, toss, taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
• Add raisins, avocado slices and soft-boiled.

Chicken with Carrots, Mushroom & Figs

I was searching for what to cook last Sunday and stumbled across several interesting recipes on Martha Stewart's website. Since I could not decide which one to cook, I decided to combine those recipes together and made this Pan Seared, Roast & Braised Chicken with Carrots, Mushroom and Figs. It tasted so delicious and comforting ... yum yum!


Ingredients:
4 chicken thighs
4 drumsticks
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 carrots, thinly sliced
1 pound assorted mushrooms (such as shiitake, cremini, and white), stemmed and quartered
1 1/2 cups chicken stock (or white wine)
1 cup quartered dried figs
1 tablespoon corn starch
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Season both sides of the chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
• Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a large ovenproof skillet or a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
• Add chicken, skin side down; cook until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip and cook for another 3 minutes on the other side. Transfer to oven and roast for about 10 minutes, transfer to a place and cover.
• Cook the onion in the same pan with a couple tablespoons of olive oil for 2-3 minutes and then add in the carrot slices and cook for 5 more minutes.
• Add mushroom, chicken stock and the chicken pieces back to the pan, cover, cook stirring occasionally for another 3 minutes.
• Dissolve corn starch in a small bowl with a couple tablespoons water and add into the pan.
• Add dried figs, chopped parsley and adjust seasoning if needed.

Cheese Straws

I made these Cheese Straws using Mark Bittman's recipe because I wanted to have some salty snacks in the afternoon and also use them as substitutes for croutons for our salad. They are pretty easy and tasty but I noticed that the direction and measurement in the book are not very clear - I had to add more water than 'a few drops of ice water' because the dough was not doughy enough and baked them for twice as long. I think next time I make them, I would use Smitten Kitchen's recipe since hers is clearer and easier for me to follow.


Ingredients:
1/2 lb cheddar or other flavorful hard cheese
1/3 lb Parmesan cheese
2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder
8 tablespoons (1 stick) chilled butter, cut into chunks
~1/4 cup of ice cold water
coarse salt (optional)

Directions:

• Heat oven to 450F.
• Grate the cheese in a food processor, then remove from the bowl.
• Add flour and cayenne to the processor and pulse to mix.
• Add butter and process to combine, pulse in the grated cheese.
• Knead the dough by hand until the dough comes together, adding ice water one tablespoon at a time.
• Roll the dough out into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick, using flour as necessary, and cut into long strips and about 1/4-1/2 inch wide.
• Put on a lightly greased baking sheet or a silicone mat and sprinkle with salt.
• Bake until golden brown, 12-15 minutes.
  

Eggplant and Tofu in Spicy Black Bean Sauce

This Eggplant and Tofu in Spicy Black Bean Sauce is another vegetarian dish that is easy to make and super tasty. It is similar to the one that I made last year but I added Chinese black bean garlic sauce after I saw this dish on Veggie Belly.


Ingredients:
4 medium Chinese eggplants
2 package of cooked fried (yellow) tofu
3 tablespoons oil
1 head of garlic, finely chopped
8 slices ginger, finely chopped
2 Serrano pepper, seeded and finely chopped
4 green onions, cut into 1-inch section
1 tablespoon chili paste (I used Sambal Oelek)
1 tablespoon Chinese black bean garlic sauce
1/2 cup water

Sauce:
1.5 tablespoons soy sauce
1.5 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon mirin
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

• Cut eggplants length wise and then cut each half into 1-inch pieces.
• Cut tofu into 1-inch pieces.
• Combine all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
• Stir fry garlic, ginger and Serrano pepper over medium low heat in a heavy bottom pan or a wok for 5 minutes fragrant.
• Add in the eggplant pieces, cook until the eggplants absorb the oil and begin to soften (about 5 minutes).
• Add in tofu, green onion and the chili paste and cook for another 2 minutes.
• Add the sauce and mix carefully to combine all the ingredients.
• Add the water and cover the pan with a lid, lower the heat, simmer for 6-8 minutes until eggplants are fully cooked.
• Stir to mix carefully and serve over rice.

Lima Beans, Leeks & Artichoke Stir-Fry

I came across this recipe from Bitter Sweet when I was looking for a simple vegetable stir-fry dish that is different from the usual Chinese stir fry. I like the fact that it uses frozen vegetables so you can cook it all year round and it has artichoke - as much as I love artichoke, I always think that it’s such a hassle to peel and eat them. I cooked this at the same time I made Spaghetti with Spiced Meat Sauce so I was able to use the same pot of boiling water to blanch the vegetables and cook the pasta.


Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups frozen shelled and skinned lima/fava beans, blanched quickly for a couple minutes
1 bag frozen artichoke hearts (8oz or 12oz whatever available in your grocery stores), blanched quickly for 1 minute
1 red bell pepper, cut into small diced
1 leek, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Serrano pepper, finely diced
2 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped
¼ cup roughly chopped parsley
Grated zest from 1 lemon

Directions:

• Cook the garlic, Serrano pepper and rosemary with a couple tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat until fragrant (~1 minute).
• Add in the leeks and cook until the leeks started to soften up.
• Add in the blanched lima/fava beans, artichoke hearts and red bell pepper and cook for 3 more minutes.
• Add in the chopped parsley and lemon zest, stir to combine and serve.

Spaghetti with Spiced Meat Sauce

I was not in the mood to make anything complicated and fancy because I was feeling a bit hungover from Saturday night outing so I made this simple & quick pasta dish using Martha Stewart’s recipe. I substituted the rigatoni with organic spaghetti and used ground veal instead and I used the whole (12 oz) can of tomato paste and pasta water to help thicken the sauce and add more flavor. It turned out really good and we didn’t even need to add grated parmesan cheese on top because it’s already so tasty.


Ingredients:
12 ounces spaghetti (or other pasta)
1 pound ground veal
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 12oz can tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 Serrano pepper, finely diced
1 tablespoon aged balsamic vinegar
¼ cup roughly chopped parsley

Directions:

• In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente; drain, and return to pot. Set aside.
• While pasta is cooking, cook lamb in a large saucepan over medium-high, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes.
  
• Add Serrano pepper, onion and garlic; season with salt and pepper.
  
• Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender, 4 to 6 minutes.
• Stir in tomato paste and cinnamon, and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
  
• Add 2 cups of pasta water; bring to a boil.
  
• Reduce to a simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, 8 to 10 minutes.
  
• Stir in vinegar, and season again with salt and pepper.
  
• Add pasta to the sauce pot and the chopped parsley, and toss to combine.

Minestrone (kind of) Soup

Today I made this soup based on a simplified Minestrone recipe on NYTimes in preparation for the cold and wet weather coming to San Francisco. To make it even healthier and substantial, I added some sliced sausages and a can of white kidney (cannellini) bean. I am not really sure if I can still call it Minestrone soup or not but I know that now I am ready to take on the rain!


Ingredients:
4 Italian sausages, sliced
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
4 garlic, finely chopped
2 potatoes, cut to 1-inch sections
1 can diced tomatoes, drained & rinsed
1 can white kidney (cannellini) beans, drained & rinsed
1 cup of dry white wine
2 cup of vegetable (or chicken) broth
2 cup of water
1/2 cup of chopped parsley
1 cup of frozen peas
salt & pepper

Directions:

• Heat up 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a Dutch oven over a medium heat for a couple of minutes and saute the sliced sausages for a few minutes until totally cooked and set aside.
• Add a couple more tablespoons of olive oil into the pan and saute the chopped onion, carrot, celery rib and minced garlic for 5 minutes.
• Add the cubes potatoes and cooked for 2 minutes.
• Add the drained tomatoes, white wine, broth, and water.
• Cook until boil and lower the heat to a simmer for 10 minutes.
• Add the drained beans and simmer for another 15 minutes.
• Add in the chopped parsley and frozen peas.

Stir-fried Yu Choi and Shiitake Mushroom

Here is a simple and delicious vegetable dish that can be used as a main dish or a side dish for something like Osso Buco since it can stand up for itself. It took me only 5 minutes to prep and another 5 minutes to cook the dish.


Ingredients:
1 lb yu choi or other chinese vegetables, ends trimmed
1/2 lb shiitake mushroom, sliced
6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1-inch ginger, julienned
2 tablespoons olive oil

Sauce:
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 wine
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Directions:

• Combine all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
• Heat the oil in a wok on a medium high heat and, when hot, add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry quickly for 1 minute or so until fragrant.
• Add in the vegetables, mushroom, and sauce and stir until combined. Cover and cook for 2-3 more minutes.

Pesto alla Trapanese

Tada... a relevation! Today I learned that I don't need meat sauce with my pasta to have a hearty delicious meal. I saw this Pasta with Tomato and Almond Pesto (Pesto alla Trapanese) recipe on America's Test Kitchen's Saucy Italian Favorites episode. I thought it was very clever of the Sicilians to use fresh tomatoes and almonds instead of pine nuts as the main ingredients for their pesto. I like the fact that you can make this dish in less than 20 minutes and still end up with a fantastic satisfying meal. The only thing that I would change if you decide to make this, is to double up the portion because you might find yourself in a similar situation where you can't stop eating because it's so delicious!


Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup slivered almonds
• 12 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes (about 2 1/2 cups)
• 1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves
• 1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)
• 1 small pepperoncini (hot peppers in vinegar), stemmed, seeded, and minced (about 1/2 teaspoon) - I substituted this with 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes soaked with 1/2 teaspoon of red wine vinegar
• salt
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound pasta, preferably linguine or spaghetti
• 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup), plus extra for serving

Directions:

• Toast almonds in small skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until pale golden and fragrant, 2 to 4 minutes. Cool almonds to room temperature.
• Process cooled almonds, tomatoes, basil, garlic, pepperoncini (or red pepper flakes with vinegar), and 1 teaspoon salt in food processor until smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula. With machine running, slowly drizzle in oil, about 30 seconds.
• Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water; drain pasta and transfer back to cooking pot.
• Add pesto and 1/2 cup Parmesan to cooked pasta, adjusting consistency with reserved pasta cooking water so that pesto coats pasta. Serve immediately, passing Parmesan separately.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Mushrooms

Sometimes I think Arthur is just like Brussels sprouts – they are both bitter on the first bite when you first know them and definitely not for everybody but after spending more time with them, you can finally understand, appreciate and love them. Arthur is a handful, at times a bit too much such that he got returned several times before and believes me that we have thought about it before. But we decided to toughen up and stick with him, it’s a continuous process and we are hoping that he will realize that we really love him and are committed to him.

I love making this roasted Brussels Sprouts and Mushrooms dish because they are simple to make, healthy and very delicious. Perfect for a side-dish of a meat or pasta course.


Ingredients:
1 lb Brussels Sprouts
1 lb mixed mushroom (I used a mix of Shiitake and King Trumpet mushroom)
olive oil
salt & pepper

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400F.
• Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels Sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves.
• Clean the mushroom by wiping it using a dry paper towel. Do not wash them. Cut into halves if they are big.
• Spread the sprouts and mushroom on a baking pan and drizzle with a couple tablespoon of olive oil.
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook for 35-40 minutes until crisp on the outside.
• Shake the pan a couple of time to brown the sprouts and mushrooms evenly.
• Sprinkle with some more salt and pepper if needed.

Savory Ham and Gruyere Bread

Earlier this week, I saw this Savory Ham and Gruyere Bread recipe at NYTimes website and thought that it would be a good one to try this weekend. I was so intrigued by its description... "Cake salé is like a homey and crumbly equivalent of the delicate cheese puffs gougères: a salty, cheesy excuse to open a bottle of wine" because we are totally into trying anything that encourages us to drink more.

Since I did not have enough Gruyere cheese, I decided to add roughly chopped Capricious cheese. It was a good move because it adds extra cheesiness and crunchiness to the bread. Both Porgy and I think that this recipe is a keeper.


Ingredients:
unsalted butter, softened, for brushing pan
1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 large eggs
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup milk
6 ounces baked ham, cut into 1/4-inch dice
4 ounces Gruyere, coarsely grate (about 1 cup)
2 ounces Capricious cheese, coarsely chopped

Directions:

• Center a rack in the oven and heat to 350 and generously brush a loaf pan with butter.
• In a large bowl, whisk flour with baking powder, salt and pepper.
• In a medium bowl, lightly whisk eggs, then whisk in milk and olive oil.
• Using a rubber spatula, fold in wet ingredients into dry until barely mixed and then fold in ham and cheese.
• Scrape batter into loaf pan and smooth top.
• Bake loaf for 40 to 50 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs attached.
• Transfer to a rack to cool in pan for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edges to release. Turn loaf onto rack to firm up before slicing, about 30 minutes.
• Using a serrated knife, cut into 3/8-inch slices and then cut into halves or quarters.

Eggplant and Minced Meat with Thai Peanut Butter Sauce

When I first started to cook this dish, I wanted to make stuffed eggplants with some kind of South East Asian flavored mince meat. However, when I made the stuffing, I noticed that the peanut butter sauce was too creamy to be used as stuffing so I improvised and cut up those eggplants into bite-size pieces and mix them with the mince meat. It turned out pretty good - though now I'm on a hunt for a good stuffed eggplant recipe!


Ingredients:
3 eggplants, cut into half and then into 2-inch sections (I used Chinese eggplants)
1 lb ground pork
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 stalk lemon grass root, finely chopped
1 green chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 cup coconut cream
3 tablespoons fish sauce
3 teaspoons brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Directions:

• Heat up the oven to 400F degree and bake the eggplant slices in the oven for 25-30 minutes until cooked.
• Mix the peanut butter, coconut cream, fish sauce and brown sugar in a small bowl. Set aside.
• In the mean time, stir fry the pork with a couple tablespoons of oil over medium high heat for a few minutes until well colored.
• Add chopped garlic, shallot, lemon grass and green chili pepper and cook for 2 more minutes.
• Add in the peanut butter sauce mix and cook for several minutes until the mixture thickened.
• Stir in the eggplant pieces and chopped parsley, adjust seasoning and serve over white rice.

Otsu Soba

A couple weeks ago, I made this cold buckwheat soba salad with lightly fried tofu and ginger dressing called Otsu Soba because Porgy and I were craving for something light, refreshing and delicious. I used these two sites, WeHeartFood and DinnerWithJulie for my recipe source and according to one of you they are based on Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks (thanks for letting me know of another wonderful site!) Otsu Soba is a perfect left-over food for us since you don't need to warm it up and you can just eat it cold out of the fridge.

It was my first time cooking with Soba so I was pretty excited about that and now I can't wait to cook another Soba dish... wonder what's next. Maybe Zaru Soba – cold soba noodles with tsuyu dipping sauce?


Ingredients:
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons grape seed oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

12 ounces dried soba noodles
12 ounces extra-firm tofu
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cucumber, peeled, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 small handful of cilantro sprigs
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
1/4 cup shredded toasted Nori

Directions:

• Drain and press the tofu for 30 minutes or so, pat it dry, and cut it into 1-inch rectangles.
  
• Make the dressing by combining the rice vinegar, soy sauce, cayenne, salt, grape seed oil, sesame oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, and ginger in a jar and shake vigorously until it's mixed well.
  
• Cook the soba in plenty of rapidly boiling salted water just until tender according to the package direction then drain and rinse well under cold running water.
• In a well-oiled saute pan, brown the tofu on all sides over medium high heat. It took me about 3-4 minutes of each side. Toss gently once and continue cooking for another minute or so until the tofu is firm, golden brown, and bouncy.
  
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the soba, tofu, 1/4 cup cilantro, green onions, cucumber and about half of the dressing. Toss gently until well combined.
• Serve on individual serving bowls (or plates), garnish with more cilantro, toasted sesame seeds and shredded Nori. Add more dressing if needed.
  

Stir-Fried Beef with Broccolini and Shitake Mushroom

I was surprised to find Broccolini in the Farmers Market a couple weeks ago since I thought they are only available during the Winter and Spring time. Maybe I am wrong? Since it was an impulse purchase, I did not know what to use them for. After looking at the contents of my refrigerator and browsing some cookbooks, I made Stir-Fried Beef with Broccolini and Shitake Mushroom – with sauce that's similar to the Noodle with Red-braised Short Ribs and Asparagus post.


Ingredients:
1 lb of Broccolini
1 lb of fresh Shitake mushroom, halved
0.5 lb of stir fry beef meat
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 garlic, smashed with skins removed
1-inch ginger, cut into julienne strips
4 green onions, cut into 1-inch sections
5 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons Shaoxing cooking wine
1 tablespoon Mirin
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1/2 cup water

Directions:

• Marinate the beef with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon Shaoxing cooking wine, 1 tablespoon Mirin and 1 teaspoon of cornstarch for 30 minutes.
• Mix the rest of the sauce ingredients (soy sauce, Shaoxing cooking wine, sesame oil, sugar, salt, black pepper, cornstarch) in a bowl and set aside.
• In a large pot, blanch the Broccolini for 1-2 minutes until the color turns bright green and plunge to cold ice bath to stop the cooking process. Set aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok or large saute pan until hot but not smoking.
• Add the meat and stir with spatula until all pieces are coated with oil, shaking the pan occasionally to prevent sticking. Fry until the meat just cooked, set aside.
• Add the rest of the oil and stir fry garlic, ginger and half of the green onions for 1-2 minutes.
• Add the sauce and mushroom, stir to blend and cover with lid, lower heat to a simmer and braise for 5-6 minutes.
• Add the meat, Broccolini and the rest of the green onions into the pan, stir well until all is coated evenly with the sauce.
• Adjust seasoning and transfer to a serving dish.

White House Fruit and Oat Bars

Continuing my attempt to eat and snack healthier, I decided to make White House Fruit and Oat bars. They are perfect for mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks and definitely are better than opening up a bag of chips or candies.


Ingredients:
9 tablespoons grapeseed oil, plus extra for brushing pan
3 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup mixed seeds, such as pumpkin, sunflower and sesame
3/4 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
pinch of salt
2 cups mixed dried fruit, such as raisins, cranberries, apricots, etc.
1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon or cardamom

Directions:

• Heat oven to 350 F, line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper or foil, letting a few inches hang over side of pan. Brush with oil.
• Spread oats and sees on another baking pan and toast in oven just until golden and fragrant, 6 to 8 minutes, shaking pan once.
• In a saucepan, combine oil, honey, brown sugar, maple syrup and salt. Stir over medium heat until smooth and hot.
• In a mixing bowl, toss together toasted oats and seeds, dried fruit and cinnamon (or cardamom. Pour hot sugar mixture over and stir until well combined.
• While mixture is warm, transfer to prepared pan, pressing into pan evenly with an offset spatula.
• Bake until brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer pan to a rack and let cool completely. Using the overhanging foil or paper, lift out of pan and place on a work surface. Cut into bars, about 1.5 inches by 3 inches.
  

Pasta and Asparagus in Mustard Sauce

I got the idea for this mustard sauce from a Julia Child's show where she made a simple salad dressing using mustard. After watching, I thought to myself that it probably make sense to tweak her mustard salad dressing to become a pasta sauce by adding some heavy cream. Since I didn't have any heavy cream, I had to use corn starch dissolved in water. Although it still tasted good, I think it would be so much better if I had used heavy cream.


Ingredients:
1 package of dry Penne pasta
1 bunch of asparagus, cut into 1.5-inch sections
2 shallots, finely minced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 links of sausage, sliced
1/2 cup pitted French black olives, cut in halves
1/2 cup of dry white wine or Vermouth
2 green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons of corn starch dissolved in 3/4 cup of water
(or 3/4 cup heavy cream)
salt & pepper

Directions:

• Cook the Penne pasta according to the package's direction.
• Two minutes before the pasta is cooked, add in the asparagus into the boiling water.
• Drain well and rinse over cold water.
• In a large pan, saute the minced shallot and garlic with olive oil until fragrant.
• Add in the sausage and cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Add in the black olive and the dry white wine and cook for another 3 minutes until the alcohol is cooked through.
• Mix the mustard and the corn starch solution (or the heavy cream) in a small bowl and add it to the pan, cook until it boils again.
• Return the pasta and asparagus to the pan and add in the chopped green onion.
• Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
  

Stir-fried Sweet Peas and Mushrooms with Ginger and Spring Onions

I'm glad that spring is here because it means that I can get fresh peas (sweet peas, English peas, fava beans, etc.) at the Farmers Market and that I can finally try out this stir-fry recipe that I saw in Periplus' Homestyle Chinese Cooking cookbook. It says in the book that "snowpeas and mushrooms are a classic combination in Chinese cuisine because they harmonize opposite yin and yang qualities in three different ways: flavors (sweet and smokey), textures (crispy and mushy), colors (bright green and dark brown)" and I kind of agree with that. I used sweet peas instead of snow peas and added fried yellow tofu to add some meatiness to the dish. I really love this cookbook because it has a lot of great recipes that are not like the typical greasy Chinese food available at restaurants.


Ingredients:
1 lb fresh sweet peas
1 lb fresh Shiitake mushrooms
1/2 package of fried yellow tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1-inch ginger, slice into fine shreds
4 green onions, cut into 1-inch sections
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons Shaoxing cooking wine
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sesame oil

Directions:

• Wash the sweet peas, snap off the tips and pull away the strings from each sides.
• Clean the mushroom with damp cloth to remove any grit and dirt and cut in half
• Combine the soy sauce, cooking wine, sugar, salt and sesame oil in a small bowl and set aside.
• In a pot of boiling water, quickly blanch the sweet peas for 30 seconds and shock them in ice cold water to keep the bright green color.
• Heat the oil in a saute pan until hot and then add in the mushroom and ginger slices, stir fry for 2 minutes.
• Add the sauce and the tofu cubes and cook for another minute.
• Add the blanched sweet peas and the green onion and stir fry for a couple more minutes.
• Transfer to a serving dish.
  

Easter - Roast Leg of Lamb

For Easter this year, Porgy and I decided to have a mellow at-home dinner of Roasted Leg of Lamb that I got the day before from Little City Market in North Beach with some vegetables from the Farmers Market. The butcher at the market was nice enough to write down the direction how the lamb should be cooked (375 degree for 1 hour and 40 minutes) on the wrapping paper. I guess I would be that nice too if someone just spent $35 on a piece of meat. Well, this dish is better last for more than a couple of days.


Ingredients:
3.5 lbs of boneless leg of lamb
3 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons of chopped fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons of finely chopped garlic
olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 onion, quartered
1 lb of fingerling potatoes, scrubbed clean
1 lb of baby carrots, scrubbed clean
0.5 lb of fresh Shiitake mushroom, sliced in half

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degree.
• Mix the mustard, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper with a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a small bowl.
• Rub the leg of lamb with the seasoning mix and let it sit for one hour at room temperature.
• Put the lamb in a roasting pan and cook for 30 minutes.
• Toss the potatoes, carrots and mushroom with a couple tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper and add in the vegetables into the pan.
• Cook everything for another 30 minutes uncovered.
• Cover the pan with the aluminum foil and cook for another 40 minutes.
• Let the lamb meat rest for 15 minutes before slicing.
  

Broccolini with Sausage and Shitake Mushroom

Here's a simple quick stir-fried vegetable dish that I made over the Easter weekend. It's delicious and healthy – just make sure to get young broccolini so it's not too tough or too stringy.


Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 shallots, finely chopped
1-inch ginger, finely chopped
1 lb broccolini
2 uncooked sausages
10 fresh Shiitake mushroom, destem and cut into slices
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Shaoxing cooking wine
2 tablespoons chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• In a large pan, quickly stir-fry the garlic, shallots and ginger with olive oil over a medium heat for a couple of minutes until fragrant.
• Take the sausages out of the casing, crumble them into the pan and cook for 5 minutes until they are almost cooked.
• Add in the sliced mushroom and cook for 3 more minutes.
• And then add in the broccolini along with the soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and chicken broth.
• Stir well, lower the heat, cover the pan and cook for 5 minutes or so until the broccolini is tender.
• Adjust seasoning using salt and pepper.
  

Italian Sausage, Fennel and Vegetable Pesto Pizza

This is my first official pizza entry as Pissaladiere is technically not a pizza. It is also an easy one to make because I have already had most of the ingredients ready since they're similar to the ones in the Spaghetti with Broccolini and Peas in Pesto Sauce that I made over the weekend. I added some Italian sausage and fennel slices to give additional flavor to it.

The good thing about making a pizza is that you can add almost anything you want or have in the fridge. I don't have any pizza stone so I used a baking sheet to bake the pizza on and good thing it turned out well.


Ingredients:
1 pizza dough (I used plain pizza dough from Trader's Joe)
2 links of sweet Italian sausage
1 fennel, cored and sliced
2 green garlic, one sliced to 2" pieces and the other roughly chopped
a few leaves each of spinach, arugula and dandelions
a handful of Broccolini
1 cup of shredded Mozzarella cheese
pesto sauce

Directions:

• Pre-heat up the oven to 450 degree.
• Take the sausages out of the link, break out of bite-size pieces.
• Cook the sausage pieces with a little bit of olive oil for 5 minutes over medium heat until they are almost cooked. Add in the sliced fennel and chopped green garlic and cook for another 4 minutes until the fennel slices are starting to soften up. Set aside.
• Work on the pizza dough according to the package direction (rest in a room temperature for 20 minutes, stretch by hand or using a rolling pin over a lightly floured surface to 12" diameter circle and move onto a lightly oiled baking pan or pizza stone if you have one).
• Top the pizza with about 1/4 cup of the pesto sauce, then with the vegetables, sliced green garlic, sausage bits and mozzarella cheese.
• Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and the bottom of the pizza is golden brown.