Cast Iron Cooked Brussels Sprouts

You want to know the best way to hate these mini cabbages? Boil them to death to draw out that zingy bitterness from the mushy mess. Yuck-o. Want to know the best way to fall in love with these little gems? Roast them in an oven OR cook them on high on the stove with a cast iron skillet. They'll retain a lovely crunch with an almost sweet, nutty flavor (sometimes with a slight mustard bitter kick at the end for a good time all around). 

I buy mine on the stalk at Trader Joe's not only because the sprouts stay fresher longer, but because it's plain fun. (It is like a mighty sword of brussels sprouts!) Look for tight little heads, compact, firm and livingly green. 

To prepare them for a cast iron cooking, remove the heads from the stalk by cutting at the base and cut in half. Heat up your cast iron on medium to medium high heat. When it's hot and ready, add 1 tsp of olive oil and tilt the pan to coat the bottom. Add each brussels sprout half, cut side on the pan, being careful about the water hitting the oil (ouch!). 

Let it cook for about 1 minute. With the lid ready, pour in about 1/4 C of water or chicken broth and cover immediately. What you want to do is steam the sprouts a little bit, cooking away the liquid without fully cooking the sprouts. This will take some practice, but while you're learning remember to check on your sprouts by taste testing one or two as it's cooking. If it's cooking faster than the liquid is evaporating, then take the lid off. When the liquid is fully evaporated, the sprouts should still be uncooked but the outer leave should be a brighter green and a little softer. 

Remove the lid and keep cooking until the cut side of the sprouts turn a nice roasted color. Stir to cook the other sides and then season with salt and pepper. If you'd like garlic, add it before you pour in the liquid. A few minced cloves will do the trick.

Mexican Rice

Good texture. Nice enough flavor without taking center stage. Easy to make.

1 1/2 Tbsp oil
1 C uncooked long grain rice
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 C chopped onion
1/2 C tomato sauce
2 C chicken broth

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until puffed and golden. While rice is cooking, sprinkle with salt and cumin.

Stir in onions and cook until tender. Stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Serves 4

Crabby Enoki Mushrooms

You like seafood? You vegan? Wanna try something interesting? When enoki mushrooms are baked in a toaster oven or regular oven for 30 minutes with olive oil drizzled on it in a little aluminum foil "pan" they magically transform into crab/seafood! It's weird. I don't get it. Vicky says that you usually keep the mushrooms in a bunch with the stalks parallel to each other for good looks. I like.

Tomato Bean Salad

Something I made up, thinking it would resemble something like Bi-Rite's bean salad. It was pretty close, I think...I'm sure their dressing is a little different. You can play with the lemon and oil, but the avocado can add quite a bit of tasty fattiness too.

1/3 C beans, soaked and cooked (for ideas, you can check out Rancho Gordo's site)
4-5 small tomatoes, cut into wedges
1/4 thinly sliced onion
1/2 avocado, cubed
4" cucumber, cubed
1 tsp lemon juice, fresh
1 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Toss all ingredients together and refrigerate to let the flavors come together. Or consume immediately.

Sweet Cornbread

Can be doubled and baked in a 9x13" pan. Baked in a cast iron pan with corn molds. Ah! So adorable. Got the pan on sale at World Market for $3.99. Super moist right out of the oven and when it's kept warm. One of the best cornbread recipes I've tried.

3/4 C cornmeal
1 1/4 C milk
1 C flour
1/2 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 C sugar
1 egg
1/4 C vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). In a small bowl, combine cornmeal and milk; let stand for 5 minutes. Grease your pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Mix in the cornmeal mixture, eggs and oil until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the cornbread comes out clean. Optional: brush with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.

Makes 1 8x8 pan, or about 24 corns

Filipino Garlic Rice

Mmm!!! Great with those little Filipino sausages. First tasted this at Lumpia Palace (a.k.a. Gemmae Bake Shop). Sooooo flavorful and garlicky! Haleen showed Anna this summer, and Anna showed me. What a treat! I can't believe it's so simple. I can't believe I don't eat garlic rice at every meal. Or even instead of a meal! Thanks, Haleen.

If using regular Asian rice, you can cook it straight out of the rice cooker. If using jasmine or basmati, it's better if you allow it to get cold or if you use it a day old. Maybe it's because they're thinner grains and pan frying would overcook them?

Oil
One whole head of garlic, or 3/4 of it, minced (the more, the better I say)
Cooked rice
Salt to taste
1 Tbsp fish sauce (I haven't tried this but I read it in another recipe)

You basically heat up the oil (a couple of tablespoons at first) and cook the garlic until softened and a little golden. Season with a little salt and fish sauce. Then add the rice. Heat up until the garlic is golden, but not dark brown otherwise you've burned it. But that's ok, it's still good. A little bitter and a little carcinogenic, but still good.

That's right, girl. More garlic.

Simple Baby Broccoli

Trader Joe's sells this for about $2.69 for 1/2 a pound but of course you can get this stuff dirt cheap at any Asian Supermarket, including Ranch 99.

8 oz baby broccoli
1 clove of garlic, minced or pureed is best
Soy sauce
Sesame oil

Rinse the broccoli, steam for 5 minutes or until bright green, tender, but still with a crunch. Alternatively, you can boil 1" of water and put the greens directly in the pot and cover for the same amount of time. Plate the broccoli, then drizzle with soy sauce and sesame oil to taste. Sprinkle the fresh garlic on top.

Serves 2

Dolmades with Priscilla Yap

How authentic this is, is beyond my judgment. We just wanted to make something different (something a little impressive) using ingredients I have at home. I like them. Better at room temperature or cold even. Next time, I'll try it with ground beef or lamb!

3 C of any combination of cooked rice: brown sticky rice, white rice, brown rice, old rice
2 medium lemons, juice of
4 cloves of garlic
1 medium onion, diced
3 stalks of green onions, diced
4 Tbsp cilantro, chopped (or parsley and/or mint)
1/2 C of walnuts, chopped (usually it's pine nuts, slightly toasted, not minced)
Salt and pepper to taste
2-3 Tbsp olive oil

1 Jar of grape leaves (32 oz? jar will provide for about two batches of this recipe)
1/4 C chicken broth or water

Heat the pan, then oil then onion. When softened, add garlic. Allow to cool. Meanwhile, mix the rice with the green oinon, cilantro or herb(s) of your choice with the nuts and season with salt and pepper and oil. Start with 4 Tbsp of lemon juice and add more salt and lemon juice to taste, keeping in mind that the leaves will add acidity and saltiness.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. After draining the leaves, remove the stem from one leaf and lay flat on a cutting board or flat working surface. Spoon a rounded tablespoon in the middle of the leaf and roll up (like an egg roll), tucking in the sides as you roll up. Place seam side down into a 13x9x2" pan. Keep going until all the rice is used up. Add the 1/4 C of water or broth to the pan and bake for 20 minutes.

Makes about 24-28 dolmades

Two happy cooks.

Marinated Bean Salad from TJ's

Not too shabby at all...gooey "marinade" that definitely needs to be drained. But after that, the flavor is quite light. Add a few sprigs of minced mint, 1/4 C minced onion (red), and 1 medium bell pepper diced, toss with salt and pepper and you've got a quick, tasty 3 bean salad. If you want, you can also add 1 tsp vinegar and sugar to taste.

PS: yes, that's Vicky in the background grabbing some raisins.

Grandma's Dill

This is a great recipe for those times when I only need 1 T of dill for a sauce or garnish and am left with a whole bunch of it. Who would have thought dill could be so tasty on its own?? Ah, Grandma...

"Inside is more fresh."

From Vicky's Facebook:

Dill promotes good digestion and sleep. It is also prescribed for reducing flatulence and in cases of nausea. A tea made of the dill infusion can benefit little babies for lessening gases and improving digestion. Some people believe that the smell of dill will cure hiccups.

Due to several unique qualities of the dill, it is very beneficial to our health. The benefits of dill are the flavonoids, which includes vicenin and kaempferol; and the monoterpenes, which includes anethofuran, limonene and carvone.

The oils found in the dill plant have a beneficial quality that is described as a "chemoprotective" herb. This quality can benefit most cigarette smokers. It is a proven fact that it can neutralize certain parts of not only cigarette smoke, but also charcoal smoke, and the smoke produced by burning trash which are harmful to our health.

In conclusion, she says, "Well, it's just tasty. Enjoy dill today =)". Ok, Dr. Chang!

1 T Black Sesame oil
1/2" ginger, sliced or julienned
1 bunch of dill
1 T rice wine
1 T soy sauce

After washing the dill, cut into 2" segments down through the whole stem of the bunch. Heat a pan with the oil until hot then add the ginger. After 1-2 minutes, add the dill and cook until tender. Near the end, make a well in the pan and pour in the wine, cook a little longer and then add the soy sauce.

Serves 1-2

Oven Baked Fries w/Fennel & Garlic

According to Chinese Medicine & Vicky, fennel is good for alleviating the pain in the stomach due to indigestion, overeating, eating spicy food, and for potato wedges.

1 potato cut into thin wedges
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp parsley, minced
1 tsp fennel
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a medium bowl, toss the potato wedges, olive oil half of the garlic, parsley and fennel until the potatoes are coated evenly. Spread out on a pan and bake for 10 minutes checking occasionally to see if browned and crisp. Turn potatoes and bake again until both sides are browned. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Serves 1-2

Sweet Potato Fried Pancake

“Served at any meal, depending on what you serve them with (and, of course, what time of day or night it is). The sweet potatoes and onion can be grated by hand or in a food processor with the grating attachment. Peeling the potatoes are optional, but if you choose not to peel, scrub. The batter stores well for several days if kept in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator”.

Really like a sweet potato latke or a fritter. Can be served with maple syrup, sour cream or yogurt, applesauce, ketchup or anything you please.

30 min to prepare

4 C packed coarsely ground sweet potatoes or yams (2 medium)…maybe try panfrying or microwaving a little to get it softer
½ C grated onion
3-4 T lemon juice
1 tsp salt
black pepper
4 beaten eggs
1/3 C flour
optional: ¼ C minced parsley
If you desire a savory sweet, you can also add 1 tsp brown sugar and ½ tsp nutmeg or ½ tsp cinnamon.

Combine all ingredients and mix well.

Heat a small amount of oil in a skillet until it is very hot. It should sizzle a fleck of batter upon contact.

Use a non slotted spoon to form thin pancakes, patting the batter down. Fry on both sides until brown, adding small amounts of additional oil, if/as needed.

Serve hot with toppings.

4-6 Servings, from Moosewood Cookbook

Shua’s Israeli Salad

Light and refreshing! Oh, Shualita...Shu-ninja...Shoe-ah!

Cucumber, peeled and diced
Cherry tomatoes
Red bell pepper, diced
Orange or yellow bell pepper, diced
Red onion, minced
Fresh dill, minced
Lemon juice
Salt & pepper
Olive oil

Toss and serve!

My Favorite Veggies as a Kid

I forget the name of this vegetable, but it's not bitter, the stalks are little thin straws and the top is dark and leafy...Whatever it is, you can buy it in a bunch in all the asian supermarkets. My dad and I washed the whole thing, cut it up in 2" segments. Heat a large pot with a little oil, add the smashed garlic (used 3-4 cloves) and heated until fragrant. Add the stems of the vegetable first to soften until bright green and almost ready to eat (i.e. soft yet with some crunch) and then added the rest of the vegetable. Add a little bit of water (my dad adds a lot to make a soup/sauce). Cover and allow to steam down. Season with salt.

Dad's Pickles

When learning how to cook with family, there always lacks measurements. Everything is to color, to taste, to smell. I will come back to this one day and actually measure out the ingredients for the recipe.

1 cucumber, peeled and halved then sliced
salt
sugar
soy sauce
rice vinegar (optional)

With the cucumbers in a bowl, generously sprinkle salt all over and toss. After allowing it to sit for at least 10 minutes, rinse one cucumber to try. Does it give a little resistance when you bite only to release with a dense crunch? Then it's ready! Rinse the rest and add the other ingredients to taste. My dad likes it slightly sweet with very little saltiness from the soy and just a little acidity. If it's still soft like a raw cucumber, sprinkle more salt and let it set an additional 5-10 minutes.

Pineapple Fried Rice

Quick fried rice using training cashews and sandwich meat with my own personal old, cold rice.

¼ C roasted, salted cashews
2 cloves of garlic, minced
soy sauce
dash of sesame oil

1 egg, whisked in a bowl
2 C prepared rice (I used leftover basmati), refrigerated
¼ C canned, cut pineapple
2 slices TC lunch turkey ham, diced/cut into squares
salt
cayenne pepper

Heat pan and ¼ tsp oil in a pan. When hot, add cashews and cook until lightly toasted. Set aside in a separate plate.

Add a little oil, when heated, add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Then add a little (about 1/8 tsp) of sesame oil, 1-2 tsp of soy sauce. Add the rice and pineapple and ham. Stir and heat until thoroughly heated. Add the nuts. Push all to a side of the pan and add a little oil to fry up the egg in that little circle of pan exposed, scrambled egg style. Stir all together and season with cayenne and salt to taste.

Shua’s Broccoli Slaw with Toasted Almonds & Cranberries

Simple, elegant and fresh.

Broccoli slaw (from TJ’s or Fresh & Easy)
Gala apples, chopped
Toasted almonds
Dried cranberries

She mixed together balsamic vinegar, olive oil, sea salt and pepper and then tossed in. An alternative would be a light, sweet poppy seed dressing.

Serves 5-6

Black Bean & Corn Salad

Francine Hardy would make something like this to complement her Texan brisket and mashed potatoes. Oh! So good!!!!

1 15 oz. can black beans
1 15 oz. can of corn (no salt)
2 red or orange bell peppers
1/4 C chopped red onions
3 cloves of garlic, minced
a little less than 1/4 C olive oil
3 T red wine vinegar
1/3 C chopped cilantro
1 T lime
1/2 jalapeno, minced (optional)
salt and pepper to taste (but if serving with salty chips, you really should omit)

Combine all in a bowl and let it sit for at least an hour for flavors to develop. Serve with chips or as a side dish.

Serves 6-8

"Top Secret" Egg Salad

One of my mom's creations! Named in this manner because when we asked her what the name of the recipe was she said, "top secret!" Eat with crackers or in a sandwich. Adjust how much onions and garlic you want, to taste. I'd eat a whole onion raw if it didn't give me a horrible horrible stomach ache.

2 boiled eggs
1 T minced red onion
1 stalk of green onions
1 clove of minced garlic
1/4 C of raisins, soaked in 1 T apple cider vinegar in a jar for 24 hours or until plump and then drained
2 T mayo
black sesame
salt and pepper to taste

Cut the eggs into chunks and combine with everything! Top with as much black sesame as you want, maybe 1 T.

Makes 2 sandwiches

Pan Fried Falafel

5.11.08
Made for the Adamo Birthday Feast. The boys seemed to like it. Good flavor, yet a little fluffy. Maybe it's because we blended the eggs in the blender instead of adding them in later? We tried frying them in a pan after the baking to make it more crunchy, but it didn't really help. I guess deep frying is the way.

This recipe is an overnighter to soak the beans, but we did it in one day using canned beans. Maybe that also made it too moist. If using canned beans, try reducing the eggs to 2 egg whites.

12.27.08
This time I followed the recipe directions for the chickpeas, but instead of green onions I used yellow onions. And instead of parsley, I used spinach. I think it worked out pretty well. It had a wonderful flavor and it wasn't fluffy! I still think deep frying is the way to get an even crunchy coat on the outside, but pan frying is easier and uses less oil.

Sure, the primary reason I made these was because I have an overstock of pita bread and tzatziki sauce from Yifan's wedding, but the secondary reason was for my roommates and for all the wonderful saints that fed us on Thursday at the open meeting. Soooo sweet! I know it was soggy and looked disgusting, but I really hope they enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed their love and care.

1 C dried chickpeas
1/2 C chopped green onions
1/2 C chopped fresh parsley
1 t baking powder
1 t ground coriander
1 t ground cumin
1/2 t salt
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t black pepper
1/4 t ground red pepper, cayenne
1 whole wheat tortilla, torn into pieces, or any sliced bread (I used 1 pita bread)
2 garlic cloves

3 egg whites

Wash and cover the chickpeas, cover with 2" water, and let stand 8 hours-overnight. Preheat oven to 350. Oil the baking sheet with olive oil.

Combine all ingredients up to garlic in food processor and pulse 8-10 times until finely chopped. Spoon mixture into bowl, add eggs, mix and let stand for 15 minutes.

Heat a pan, add 1 T oil. Using a 1.5 tablespoon scoop, scoop falafel onto the pan, press down with a spatula to make a little cake. Cook until browned and then flip.

Serve with Tzatziki Sauce, sliced cucumbers, sliced red onions, tomatoes and pita bread.