Gyudon

What to do with left over hot pot beef? GYUUUUUDON.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1lb thin sliced beef, thawed and chopped into 3” pieces.
• 2 small onions thinly sliced
• 1cup or ~300ml dashi stock
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• mirin 2-3 tbs
• soy sauce 3 tbs
• sesame seeds
• grated ginger
• green onions, thinly sliced

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Heat dutch oven on medium high. Add a bit of cooking oil (or just some of the fatty ends of the beef) and saute onions until just soft.
2. Add dashi, soy sauce, mirin, sugar. Cover and reduced heat to medium. 5-10 min. Uncover to stir as needed.
3. Once onions are translucent and tender, bring heat to high. Separate beef and add to pot, stirring to brown all meat. Reduce uncovered and on high for 5 min.
4. Add 1 tsp of freshly grated ginger and stir in, cook another 1 min.
5. Spoon over cooked rice, sprinkle on sesame seeds and freshly chopped scallions.
6. Options: Add Japanese pickles and soft poached egg.

Chicken Curry Pot Pie

i wonder how many people have this problem: i look in my fridge, find some left over chicken, half a can of diced tomatoes, an opened can of coconut milk that i’ve yet to finish, and think “yea, i can throw this all together and make something of it..” so i start brainstorming recipes and end up with yet another shopping list, buy all the crap on this shoppping list, then have more leftovers than i started out with that i now have to deal with for the rest of the week.

it’s a never ending cycle.

a cycle that perhaps i don’t mind so much continuing.

on a side note, ive been meaning to do something with puff pastry lately. i figured that i might as well throw that in to the mix today. here’s a nice little guide that i found online.

oh and as a suggestion from a classmate of mine (that i recently found out is a fellow foodie), you MUST check out Chef’s Illustrated. i am very tempted to subscribe… my policy has always been to subscribe to fitness magazines only, and if i want to read about food, i have to go online and work to find material. but let’s be honest. i only ever read the recipes section of these fitness magazines anyway.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 can coconut milk
• ~<1/2 can diced tomatoes
• ~<1 can chicken broth
• 1 tbs cornstarch (you want a STEWY not a SOUPY pot pie)
• 2 large or 3 small boneless chicken thighs
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1-2 tsp parsley
• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 1 package frozen vegetables ~450g*
• butter
• vegetable oil
• 1 package of puff pastry
• 1 egg yolk (optional)

*i used HEB Mediterranean Mix: green beans, carrots, zucchini, red bell pepper, cauliflower…

dont you just want to rip off a corner..? and stuff it into your mouth like a starving chimpanzee?

just kidding. who am i to say chimpanzees dont have proper table manners.

INSTRUCTIONS:

• preheat oven 400F
• toss veggies in a bit of vegetable oil and roast in oven until golden brown. ~30 min.
• coat chicken in 1 tsp curry powder. heat 1 tsp vegetable oil in a 3.5 qt dutch oven. brown chicken evenly on medium high heat. remove and set aside.
• add a tsp butter and saute onions until just soft ~2-3 min.
• add 1 tsp more of curry powder, parsley, and ~ 1 tsp salt
• add tomatoes and half a can of chicken broth. bring to a low boil. reduce heat to simmer.
• in a separate bowl, dissolve corn starch in 2-3 tbs cold chicken broth. introduce into pot.
• add chicken, veggies, and coconut milk. simmer until soup thickens. ~10 min. (i always try to add coconut milk last. dont want it to overheat and curdle, especially if i’m using frozen left over coconut milk.)
• salt to taste.
• spoon into baking vessel (be it large ramekins, deep 9 inch pie dish, etc. i used a meatloaf pyrex pan. thank you, Denise!)
• as per packaging instructions*, apply egg wash and crimp down puff pastry over baking dish. bake on 375F ~ 30 min or until golden brown.

*according to pepperridge farm, thaw the puff pastry for 40min. (i kept it in the fridge for an hour or two. houston is too hot and humid for counter thawing. remember that it’s the frozen chunks of butter melting and steaming that cause the pastry to puff up when baked. you dont want that butter melting before it goes into the oven). add a dab of water to creases and with a rolling pin over a lightly floured surface, smooth them out. then top baking vessel with pastry and crimp down edges. apply a optional egg+water wash on the top side for a nice browning effect, then bake. make sure to rotate periodically if your oven convection isn’t so great. like mine. also, i found that too high of a temp browned the pastry too soon. before it had time to rise completely. so avoid 400F…

Brazilian Shrimp Stew

super fast. super easy. super GOOD.

and how do i make myself feel better about spending valentine’s day studying?

well how do i make myself feel better about ANYThing…

it’s all the sugar and spice i need in my life, really. (that sounds more pathetic than i intended.)

speaking of sugar and spice, i love the coconut-y sweetness and the spicy kick of chili and poblano in this recipe. LOVE it.

adapted from food and wine

INGREDIENTS

• 1 medium small poblano chili
• 1/2 large onion
• 1 tsp butter
• 2 cloves garlic.
• 3/4 lb shrimp (i like shells on. imparts more flavor into the stew)
• 3/4 cup hulled barley, soaked overnight
• 1/2 can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup coconut milk (freeze the rest! it’s ok. i promise.)
• 1-2 cups beef broth*
• 1 tsp dried chili flakes
• cilantro
• juice from 1/2 lime

* or fish stock, chicken broth…what have you. i just happened to have left over beef broth. i do want to try adding some clam juice in the future.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. roast poblano a few min each side until skin blisters. (on a grill, in the broiler/broil setting of your toaster oven, however you like.) peel off skin and dice.
2. in a 3.5 qt dutch oven, saute onion in a pat of butter over medium high heat until just soft. ~3 min.
3. add poblanos and garlic. saute ~ 2 min.
4. add barley and toast 1 min.
5. add tomatoes and cook until barley softens.
6. add broth. bring to a low boil.
7. reduce heat. add coconut milk+ lime juice . salt to taste. (optional: i rinse out my coconut milk can with about 1/2 can of water)
8. bring to a simmer. add shrimp. cover for ~ 3-5 min until cooked through.
9. top with cilantro and serve.

Bo’ Kho – Vietnamese Beef Stew

adapted from food.com

no good pictures ): decided to go to a last min superbowl gathering and had nothing to bring but my stew. so i didn’t get pics in time.

oh well.

we had two vietnamese friends at the gathering and they ate it (and liKED it!). so i’m guessing that’s a good sign. will make again.

and take pictures.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 lbs boneless beef chuck, cut into cubes
• 1-2 stalks lemongrass, cut into 3 large diagonal pieces (exposes more surface area)
• 4 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 teaspoons Chinese five spice powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons minced ginger
• 2 bay leaves
• 1-2 tbs vegetable oil
• 1 medium large onion, diced
• 2 roma tomatoes
• 1 lb carrot, peeled, cut into large chunks
• 3 star anise
• 3 cups beef broth
• 1 tsp flour/corn starch

INSTRUCTIONS:

• marinate beef ~ 30 min in ginger, fish sauce, brown sugar, five spice, lemon grass.
• preheat oven 270F
• chop veggies. (i like chunky stew.)
• heat 1-2 tbs vegetable oil in 5 qt dutch oven on high. brown beef on all sides quickly ~ 2 min.
• remove beef into separate bowl and set aside.
• add a pat of butter (optional) and saute onions until soft ~5 min.
• add tomatoes. saute ~ 3 min.
• add a dash of broth and deglaze.
• add rest of broth and bring to a boil. reduce heat to simmer. add beef and mix.
• cover and place in oven ~ 1hr.
• add carrots, return to oven ~1.5 hr
• remove from oven. strain out beef etc into separate bowl.
• over medium high heat, mix in starch (i spoon in broth into a separate small bowl containing starch and mix thoroughly before reintroducing it into the pot.). keep on a high simmer/low boil for ~5 min until soup thickens and reduces some.
• reintroduce solids.
• simmer on low until ready to serve.
• serve with toasted crusty french bread!

edit: probably no news to anyone who’s ever made a stew before (including myself), but dAMN. i just have to reiterate how much better this stuff tasted the next day. that’s when it truly takes on it’s stew-y consistency.

i’ll almost put up with this atrocious weather (20’s?? in hOUSTON?) just so i have a reason to make more stew.

Lentil and Lamb Sausage Stew

it’s been 30-35F degrees outside as i walk out to my car these past few mornings. THIRTY.

IN TEXAS.

so i told my self as i shivered miserably in my car, inching my way through traffic, that im gonna get me some SOUP, damnit!

PS this is a great prep ahead of time meal.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 lb (about 4 or 5 links) of lamb sausage
• olive oil
• 1-2 cans of chicken and or beef stock
• 1/2 cup white wine*
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 1-2 stalks of celery, diced
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3-4 cloves of glaric, halved
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tsp white pepper
• 1-2 tsp nutmeg
• dash of turmeric (optional)
• 1-1.5 cups of lentils **

*optional. i probably would’ve used a strong red if i had it on hand. just needed a bit of acidity to cut the heaviness of the lamb. also i didn’t bother deglazing with the wine although i’m not sure how much of a difference this would make… i figured by the time the stew was done the wine would pretty much be cooked out..

** i used mostly french green lentils for their unique flavor and the fact that they hold their shape well. i also mixed in half a cup of red lentils at the same time to thicken the soup since they tend to cook quickly and get mushy.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. heat a tbs or so olive oil in a medium sized dutch oven (i used my spankin new 5 qt canary yellow le creuset)
2. fry sausage links on each side, evenly, on med/high heat.
3. remove from heat, cut into 1′ thick coins, and set aside
4. in residual grease (mmm, grease), saute celery and carrots. 3 min
5. add onions and stir until softened a bit. 3 min.
6. deglaze pot with 1/4 cup broth, scraping up all the browned goodness.
7. stir in tomatos.
8. add more broth until veggies are all submerged. reduce to a simmer.
9. add garlic and cooked sausage.
10. cover and simmer on low
11. about 30 min before serving time, add washed and soaked lentils to pot.
12. keep on medium heat until lentil are cooked (~30min)
13. serve with crusty bread

Lentil and Sweet Potato Chili

Yay for Autumn!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup red lentils
• 1/2 cup green lentils
• 3 roma tomatoes
• 1 yellow onion
• 1 med orange bell pepper
• 1 sweet potato
• 2 cloves garlic
• ~40oz beef broth and/or chicken broth
• 2 tbs Mexene chili powder
• 1 tbs cumin
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• parsley
• salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. soak lentils over night.
2. Saute onions, garlic, and bell peppers in a hot dutch oven with butter.
3. add tomatoes and broth, bring to a boil.
4. add sweet potatoes and lentils, chili powder, garlic powder, and cumin. cover and reduce to simmer ~ 30 min
5. salt to taste, continue to simmer ~30 min with cover half off to reduce liquid to a thicker consistency.
6. spoon 1 cup of stew into blender and blend until smooth. reintroduce into pot and mix.
7. top with fresh chopped onions and some parsley, then serve with crusty bread (or cornbread!).

*special thanks to Sous Chef/Photographer Stephanie Chen (:

and because today’s theme seems to be orange, Hook ‘Em.

Brazilian Salmon and Sweet Potato Stew

cooking has become a rather consuming hobby of mine (pun not intended.)

Fish and Marinade:
1/2 lb salmon fillet
14 oz. can of tomatoes
1/2 onion chopped
1 clove of garlic cut
1/2 jalapeno pepper
juice from 1 lime
1/2 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp salt

Everything Else:
1 medium sweet potato
1/2 zucchini, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
some sort of soup stock (i used chicken)
3 oz coconut milk (half of the tiny cans they come in)
lots of chopped green onions
cilantro is optional. but i hate the stuff.

Directions:
1. put tomatoes, onion, cilantro, garlic, chile pepper, lime juice, oil and salt in a blender. this is your marinade/soup base. chop up fish and marinate for 30min – 1 hr
2. cook sweet potatoes in large skillet for ~15 min until SOFT. add soup stock to prevent burning.
3. Add zucchini, green and red pepper and continue to cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes, again adding soup to the pan, if needed. (you dont want it soupy. just add enough to prevent burning.)
4. Add a little more (1/4 cup?) soup stock and coconut milk. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 2 to 3 minutes. (still shouldn’t be soupy. enough to cover veggies half way, not all the way)
5. Add fish and marinade and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Just before serving, stir in green onion and cilantro.

comments:

• i ate it with my purple red bean whole grain rice. bread works too.
• friggin took me a little over an hour to make this. was not prepared for the time commitment
• i added a about 2/3 of the 6oz can of coconut milk. will stick with the recipe in the future
• dont add too much lime juice! tomatoes are already acid based. possibly use more sweet potato to balance acidity in the future (or add sugar?)
• i sprinkled on some garlic salt in the end. i use light salt. 1 tsp was not sufficient

that is all.

i now have to drag my food coma-ed ass to bikram.