Chinese Chicken Salad

another beautiful spring day in sf and this crunchy and fresh salad was a perfect combo.

Shopping List:

• half head cabbage, thinly sliced
• 3 green onions, sliced on bias
• 1 can mandarin oranges
• 3-4 celery stalks, thinly sliced
• 2-3 radishes, thinly sliced (use mandolin)
• 2-3 carrots, thinly sliced
• large handful of cilantro
• 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 large handfuls of spring salad/arugula
• 2 chicken breasts
• 12 wonton wrappers
• 1 pkg of soba noodles (optional)

Dressing:

• 3 tsps honey
• few dashes of rice wine vinegar (add more after you taste)
• 1/2 tbsp dijon
• 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp of fresh grated ginger
• s&p
• 1/2 tbsp black sesame seeds

Recipe:

(makes 4-6 servings)

1) In a pot, add a large pinch of salt and boil the chicken.

2) Meanwhile clean and chop all the veggies. I like using a vegetable peeler for the carrots.

3) When the chicken is cooked, set aside and cool. Then tear into small pieces.

4) Layer the wonton wrappers and cut into thin strips. Fry in hot oil and drain on paper towels.

5) Cook the soba noodles in boiling water and rinse in cold water.

6) Dressing: combine all the ingredients except the sesame seed oil. Whisk until honey is incorporated and then slowly drizzle in sesame seed oil. Taste and adjust to your liking.

7) Assemble the salad: In a large bowl combine the noodles, salad, chicken and toss with the dressing. Taste and add more dressing if necessary. Top with mandarin oranges and crispy wonton strips.

Moules Mariniere

mmmmm sooooo easy and sooo delicious. i love slurping up the broth using the mussel shell as a sppon and mopping it up with good bread. i could probably drink the broth. actually…i have. don’t judge me.

Shopping List:

• 1 lb mussels
• 1/2 lb bottle neck clams (i added clams but you don’t have to)
• 1-2 garlic, minced
• 1 large shallot or 2 smaller ones, diced
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tbsps olive oil
• s&p
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1-2 cups of dry white wine
• lemon for garnish
• good, really good crusty bread
• small handful chopped italian parsley

Recipe

(serves 2-4)

1) Rinse the mussels in cold water and the ones that are half open, lightly squeeze them shut and if they stay open discard them. Clean off the beards if necessary but usually they’re already cleaned off.

2) In a pot, melt butter and olive oil. Add red pepper flakes and shallots and saute for a few minutes. Add garlic and saute for just 1 min.

3) Add the wine and salt and cook until dissolved.

4) Add the mussels, clams and half of the parsley and cover. Cook for about 2-4 minutes until all the mussels are opened. Give the pot a good shake with the lid on once during that time.

5) Top with remaining parsley and serve with good bread.

Swiss Chard & Gruyere Tart

this is really quick and easy especially if you get a pre-baked tart shell, frozen deep dish pie dough, or puff pastry

Shopping List:

• 1 bunch of swiss chard, ribs removed and diced, rough chop leaves (my csa box had rainbow chard and you can use either)
• 3 slices of bacon, cut into 1cm pieces
• 2 shallots, diced
• 1 garlic, minced
• olive oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup creme fraiche or 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups of gruyere cheese, grated
• handful of pine nuts
• s&p
• 1 puff pastry sheet

Recipe:

(makes 4-6 servings)

1) Preheat oven to 375.

2) In the meantime, heat the oil and saute the shallots for a few minutes and then add the garlic and saute for 1 min. Remove and set aside.

3) Add the bacon and fry until crispy. Remove and set aside. If there’s too much bacon fat left, pour a little out.

4) First add the diced ribs from the chard and saute. Then add the leaves and saute until wilted.

5) Set aside and combine the shallots, garlic, bacon, chard, gruyere (leave some for the top) and pine nuts.

6) In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, creme fraiche and s&p.

7) Lay the defrosted puff pastry on the pie/tart pan and press the sides against the pan. Add the chard mixture and pour over the creme fraiche mixture. Top with the remaining gruyere and bake for about 30 min.

8) Set aside to cool and then serve.

Eggplant and Sausage Rigatoni

i love mascarpone cheese and how rich and creamy it makes this dish.

Shopping List:

• 2 Chinese eggplants or 1 large Italian one, diced into 1 inch pieces
• 1 package of hot Italian sausage
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 shallots, diced
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• red wine
• 1 box of rigatoni
• s&p
• olive oil
• fresh handful of basil, chiffonade
• pecorino
• mascarpone cheese (2 big spoonfuls)
• homemade tomato sauce (or your favorite store brand)

Recipe:

(makes 4 servings)

1) Get a large pot of water going for the pasta. Once it boils, add a good amount of salt and cook pasta.

2) In the meantime, remove the sausage from the casing and in a skillet or deep pan, break apart and cook for about 5 minutes and set aside.

3) Add a little olive oil and add the eggplant and saute until soft and brown. Set aside.

4) If the pan looks a little dry, add a little more olive oil and add the shallots and red pepper flakes and saute for a few minutes and then add the garlic cook for about 1 more min.

5) Add about 1/2 cup to a cup of red wine and deglaze the pan. Cook off the alcohol for about 2 minutes. Turn the heat to low, and add back the sausage and eggplant and just keep it warm.

6) Once the pasta’s done, don’t drain it. Just use a slotted spoon or a utensil with holes and toss in the pasta to the sausage and eggplant mixture. Slightly mix and if the pasta looks dry add just a ladle of the pasta water. Then add the tomato sauce. I don’t like too much sauce so I usually add about 2-3 ladles of the sauce. Mix together and then add the mascarpone and mix and the heat will incorporate it and make it all delicious and creamy.

7) Top with fresh basil and freshly grated pecorino.

Kale Chips with Lemon Aioli

whoa this is yummy. it’s kind of like brussel sprout chips. that crispy, good kind of burnt taste when you roast brussel sprouts is what these kale chips are like and then of course potato chips who doesn’t like those?!

Shopping List:

• 2 bunches of kale
• 1 medium size sweet potato
• 1 medium size russet potato
• olive oil
• s&p
• lemon
• mayo

Recipe:

(makes 2-4 servings)

1) Preheat oven to 350.

2) Rinse and dry kale. Remove the stem and cut the leaves into 2 inch pieces. Arrange them on parchment and drizzle with olive oil and toss and make sure they don’t overlap. You might have to cook in batches. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the ends are browned and crispy. Add just a little s&p – don’t add too much because the lemon aioli dip also has salt.

3) Using a mandolin, slice the potatoes and toss with olive oil and in a single layer on parchment paper. Bake for about 10-12 minutes and turn them over and bake for another 6-8 minutes checking on it at least twice to make sure they don’t burn. Season with a little s&p.

4) Lemon Aioli: mix about a cup of mayo, juice of 1/2 lemon and zest of 1 whole lemon. Add s&p to taste. Add more lemon juice if you want a stronger lemon flavor.

 

 

 

Feijoada

mmm this bowl of piggy deliciousness brings back so many fond memories and is definitely one of my go to comfort foods. we have wonderful family friends who are korean-brasilian and almost every sunday we were part of their family get togethers, watching soccer, bbq’ing, eating, drinking, being merry and not understanding portuguese (but learning now!) i especially gorged myself on chicken hearts, pao de queijo, palmitos, and feijoada. obrigada tia ines e tio carlos!!!

this recipe takes some time but makes a lot which is great because you can freeze it and have feijoada in a jiffy the next 20 times! i freeze them in 2 serving portions since we are two.

Shopping List:

• 3 onions, diced
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• s&p
• 1 lb pork belly, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 lb carne seca, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 lb baby back ribs, cut into 1 rib portions
• 1 lb paio, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 lb calabresa, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1lb ham hocks or pig’s feet
• 2 lbs black beans
• oranges
• farofa
• molho campanha
• collard greens
• garlic rice

Recipe:

(makes about 20-25 servings)

1) The night before, soak the beans in water and in a separate bowl, soak the carne seca in water and leave in the refrigerator overnight.

2) The next day, drain the beans and carne seca. Get organized, it really helps. Chop all the meat into bite sized pieces or medium size chunks and set aside.

3) In a large stock pot, add some olive oil and saute 2 diced onions, 3 garlic cloves, and pork belly for about 5 minutes.

4) Add all the lovely hodge podge of pork ingredients, beans, bay leaves and cover with water. The water should be enough to cover all the ingredients and then an extra splash if you enjoy it more brothy. Give everything a good stir.

4) Cover, bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for about 2-2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally and skimming off the foam and fat.

5) At around the 2 hour mark, in a skillet, saute the remaining diced onion and garlic for a few minutes and then add 2 ladles of black beans and smash the beans. Return to the pot and this will help thicken the feijoada.

6) Serve with garlic rice, collard greens, molho campanha, orange slices, and farofa.

Dduk bok gi (labokgi)

Technically this is called ‘labokgi’ because of the addition of ramen noodles. There’s no ‘r’ in the Korean alphabet so the ‘ra’ in ramen sounds like ‘la’  lamen + dduk = labokgi. This is the most popular street food in Korea and they usually serve it with some hot fish cake soup and it’s delicious, especially in the winter!

Shopping List:

• 1 package of rice cakes (thin cylinder style)
• 1 package of ramen (the best is the Saporo Ichiban brand ramen)
• 7 dried anchovies
• 4-6 tbs red pepper paste
• 1 -2 tbs sugar
• 5 green onions, sliced on a bias
• sesame seeds
• 1 package of kamaboko (odeng in korean) fish cake cut into triangles

Recipe:

(serves 4-6)

1) In a pan, add about 4 cups of water  and the dried anchovies and boil over medium heat for about 10 minutes.

2) Remove the anchovies and add the rice cakes, ramen, fish cake, red pepper paste and sugar. Start with 4 tbs and 1 tbs of sugar add a time and taste to make sure it’s not too spicy. If you like yours sweeter add more sugar. Stir constantly until everything is incorporated and sauce starts to thicken, about 5-7 minutes.

3) Top with green onions and sesame seeds and dig in family style!

Potato Salad

it’s quite bizarre but at korean restaurants, sometimes potato salad is served as banchan (side dish). it’s kind of like when they have spaghetti on the menu at hole in the wall authentic korean/japanese restos.  here’s my mom’s recipe with my tweak (baconnnnnnnn)

Shopping List:

• small bag of baby red potatoes (i found some purple potatoes and thought it’d be fun for trav’s birthday so i substituted)
• 4 slices of thick cut bacon
• handful of dill
• handful of green onions
• 3-4 diced celery stalks
• 3 hard boiled eggs diced
• few spoonfuls of dijon mustard
• about a cup of mayo
• s&p

Recipe:

(makes 6 servings)

1) Rinse and quarter the potatoes (try to cut them all the same size) and bring them to a boil in a large pot with cold water and salt. Once at a boil, it should take about 15-20 minutes to cook until fork tender.

2) Meanwhile, boil the eggs, chop all the veggies and cook the bacon. You can crumble the bacon after it’s cooked or dice and them cook them.

3) Once the potatoes are tender, lay them out on a sheet pan to release some of the moisture.

4) Mix the potatoes, eggs, bacon, celery, green onions, dill together with some mayo. Add as much as you like but a little at a time, same with the dijon. Taste and add s&p.

Creamy Gorgonzola Soup with Caramelized Pears

have you ever had pear and gorgonzola pizza? and did you love it? then you’re going to LOVEEEEEEE this soup.

Shopping List:

• half a stick of butter
• 2 large onions, large dice
• 2 small russet potatoes, large dice
• 1 garlic, minced
• chicken stock or vegetable stock for my girl al
• 1 cup of heavy cream
• 1-2 cups of gorgonzola
• spoonful of sugar
• 2 pears
• 2 bacon slices
• s&p
• baguette

Recipe:

(makes 4 servings)

1) In a dutch oven or large pot, melt about 3/4 of the half stick of butter. Add the onions and garlic and saute for a few minutes. Add a small pinch of salt.

2) Add the potatoes and saute for a few more minutes.

3) Cover vegetables with enough chicken or vegetable stock and bring to a boil.

4) Lower to a simmer for 30 minutes.

5) In the meantime, crisp up some bacon and crumble up.

6) In a nonstick pan, melt the remaining butter and add a spoonful of sugar. Melt and add slices of pear. Saute for about 5 minutes and let the pears get golden and caramelized.

7) The soup should be done now, so puree with a hand held blender.

8)Return to stove on low heat and add the cream and cheese. I added a cup at a time to taste. I like it gorgonzola-ey so I kept adding more and more Season with salt after you add the cheese and taste. I didn’t need to add any.

9) Ladle the soup into bowls, top with some bacon and the caramelized pear slices. Serve with some toasted baguette slices.

Split Pea Soup w/ Ham Hocks

the exorcist didn’t ruin split pea soup for me. thank god because i loooooove split pea soup.

Shopping List:

• 2 tbsps butter
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 1 1/2 lbs of smoked ham hocks
• 1 1/2 cups of split peas (the whole package)
• water
• fresh thyme (optional)

Recipe:

(makes 6 servings)

1) In a large pot or dutch oven, melt the butter and add in the onion, celery and carrot and saute for about 5 minutes.

2) Add the ham hocks and saute for a few minutes.

3) Add the split peas and cover with enough water.

4) Add a few fresh sprigs of thyme.

5) Let it come to a boil, then partially cover, reduce heat and simmer for about an hour stirring periodically.

6) Take out the ham hocks and when it’s cool tear off the delicious meat.

7) Using a hand held blender, puree the soup.

8) Add the ham back into the soup and season with s&p.

9) Serve with some fresh grated parmesan and crusty delicious bread and butter.