Hasselback Potatoes

Hasselback Potatoes

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp of smoked paprika
• 1lb fingerling potatoes, washed and scrubbed
• sea salt
• pepper
• crushed rosemary
• dried oregano

Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Slice each potato with a sharp paring knife crosswise at 1/8 inch intervals, cutting down but not all the way through. Transfer potatoes to prepared baking sheet.
3. Drizzle potatoes with 5 tbsp of paprika oil, season potatoes with salt, pepper, rosemary and oregano.
4. Roast potatoes for 35 minutes. Drizzle remaining oil over potatoes and serve immediately.

Finally, here are silly pictures of us in Venice and a glimpse of our loft!

Rice

Rice Paddies –> Planting New Rice –> Young White Rice in Liquid Form –> Bubur Udang (prawn porridge)

Luwak Coffee

Luwak (the animal) –> Eats coffee beans and passes it through, fermented and cleaned –> Luwak Coffee –> French Pressed

Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd’s Pie

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs ground bison or beef
• 1 onion chopped
• 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 ears of corn, rinsed and corn separated and placed in a bowl
• 1 1/2 – 2 lbs potatoes (3 big ones), peeled and cut into large cubes
• 8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and pepper

Recipe

1. Boil potato cubes in salted boiling water until tender (about 20-30 minutes). Test tenderness by using a fork to see if it falls apart.
2. While the potatoes are cooking, melt 4 Tablespoons butter (1/2 a stick) in large frying pan.
3. Sauté onions and carrots in butter until tender over medium heat (10 mins).
4. Add ground beef and sauté until no longer pink. Add corn. Add salt and pepper. Add worcesterchire sauce. Add half a cup of beef broth and cook, uncovered, over low heat for 10 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 400 degress with rack in upper half (make sure the casserole height you use will fit).
6. Mash potatoes in bowl with remainder of butter, season to taste.
7. Place beef and onions in baking dish. Distribute mashed potatoes on top. Rough up with a fork so that there are peaks that will brown nicely. You can use the fork to make some designs in the potatoes as well.
8. Cook in 400 degree oven until bubbling and brown, 25 minutes. Broil for 5 more minutes until mashed potatoes are nicely browned.

Nutty Everyday Granola

Nutty Everyday Granola

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup (1/2  stick) butter
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 cup dried cherries

Recipe

1. Heat the oven to 275 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Melt the butter in a large sautee pan or pot over low heat. Stir in the honey, vanilla and salt, then stir in the oats, almonds and pumpkin seeds. Add the brown sugar and stir gently until everything is completely combined. Transfer the granola to the parchment-lined baking sheet, spreading granola out in a single layer.
   3. Toast the granola, stirring every 15 to 20 minutes, until the mixture is golden brown, about 60 minutes. Remove the tray and set aside to cool, then add cherries and stir well to combine. Store granola in an airtight container.

Cheddar Biscuits

Cheddar Biscuits

Adapted from Food Network

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp plus 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/3 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, and more for greasing the baking sheet
• 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 6 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup and 2 tbsp whole milk

Recipe

1. Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees. Lightly grease a large baking sheet with some butter.
2. Make the biscuits: Pulse the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a food processor. Add the room temperature butter and pulse until combined. Add the cold butter; pulse 4 or 5 times, or until the butter is in pea-size pieces. Add the cheese and pulse 2 or 3 times. Pour in the milk and pulse just until the mixture is moistened and forms a shaggy dough.
3. Turn out onto a clean surface and gently knead until the dough comes together. Do not overwork the dough or the biscuits will be tough.
4. Drop the dough onto the baking sheet in scant 1/4-cup portions, 2 inches apart, and bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes.
5. Store in airtight container, and when you are reheating, just place it in a 350F oven for 3-5 minutes.

Crispy Soy Braised Tofu

Ingredients

• 1 box of firm tofu
• 6 1-inch ginger slices
• 8 cloves of garlic, lightly crushed
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• 1 bunch of fresh basil leaves, torn
• 2 tbsp of sesame oil
• sauce: 3 tbsp of soy sauce, 3 tbsp of rice wine, 1 tbsp of sugar, 1/2 cup of water

Recipe

1. Heat 1/4 cup grapeseed or another high smoke point oil in large pan until almost smoking. Rinse tofu and pat dry. You can cut tofu into large chunks by slicing tofu horizontally in half first, then cut into thirds (you will end up with 18 large chunks). Add tofu chunks into heated oil (don’t move tofu for a few minutes until golden, then flip) and pan fry until golden on all sides.
2. Carefully remove tofu from pan and set aside on a plate. Turn heat down to low.
3. Add sesame oil to pan and then add ginger slices.
4. When ginger slices start curling up, add tofu chunks (carefully) and garlic cloves. Fry for 30 seconds. Mix sauce ingredients in a small bowl and add to the pan. Incorporate and cover the pan tightly for 6 minutes.
5. Open the cover and let it cook until sauce reduces slightly, about 1 minute. Add basil and jalapeno and cook for another minute. Serve hot with sauce poured over the tofu.

Gooey Stuffed Shells

Gooey Stuffed Shells with Chicken Sausage and Spinach

Ingredients

• 1 16-oz low moisture mozzarella cheese, cut into small cubes
• 1 12-oz package of jumbo pasta shells
• 1lb of Italian flavored chicken sausage
• 16oz of cremini mushrooms, sliced
• kosher salt, for salting pasta water
• 1 bunch of fresh spinach, washed, dried, and chopped
• 1/4 cup of bread crumbs
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp of minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp of salt, and more for seasoning
• 1 28oz can chopped tomatoes with herbs for lighter tasting dish, or a can of tomato sauce for a richer tasting dish
• 2 9x13inch shallow baking dishes

Recipe

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta shells according to the instructions on the package. Drain, rinse in cold water, and set aside.2Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat.  Add the onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the sausage to the pan by squeezing small chunks out of the sausage casing.  Cook sausage until cooked through, and no pink remains, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook until fragrant, about a minute more.  Season mixture with salt and pepper. Remove pan from heat.3Beat the egg lightly in a large bowl.  Mix in the mozzarella cubes, chopped spinach, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and sausage mixture.  Use a spoon and fill each cooked pasta shell with some of the mozzarella, spinach, sausage mixture.4 Spread 1/2 cup chopped canned tomatoes over the bottom of each of the baking dishes.  Arrange the stuffed pasta shells in the dishes. Spread the remaining tomatoes over the top of the pasta shells.

   At this point you can make ahead, to freeze (up to four months) or refrigerate before cooking. (If freezing, cover with foil, then wrap with plastic wrap.)

   5 Heat oven to 375°F.  Cover the pans with foil and bake for 20 minutes, until hot and bubbling.  Remove foil and bake uncovered for 5 more minutes.

As inspiration for my wonton making, an awesome friend gave me a two-layer bamboo steamer. Thanks, A! A step-by-step illustration on how to make a wonton is at the bottom of the post.

Chinese Wontons

Chinese Wontons

Ingredients

• 1 Pack of wonton wrappers (in the refrigerated section with tofu)
• bamboo steamer
• parchment paper

Filling

• 1lb of ground pork
• 2 scallions, chopped
• a few dashes of white pepper
• 1 tsp of soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1 tsp of rice wine
• 1 tsp of sesame oil
• 1 tsp of grated ginger

Dipping Sauce

• black vinegar
• minced garlic
• spice oil (depending on your spice preference)

Recipe

1. Fill about 2 inches of water in a large pot. Make sure that the pot fits the bamboo steamer and that the water level is lower than the first layer of the bamboo steamer. Bring water to a boil.
2. Mix filling ingredients together in a big bowl. See illustration below for wrapping wontons. Take one wonton wrapper and lay it in the palm of your hand. Dip your finger in water and line two edges of the wrapper. Scoop about 1 heaping teaspoon of filling into the center of the wrapper. Fold dry edges of wrapper to stick to the water edges.
3. Dip your finger in water again and touch the two corners of the triangle. Push the bottom of the triangle upward slightly toward the triangle tip, then fold the two tips with water toward each other, and mush them together. There is your very first wonton!
4. Repeat this until you have no more filling or no more wrapper.
5. Line the bamboo steamer layers with parchment paper squares (you want to leave some holes exposed to make sure steam comes through). Place wontons about 1 inch apart on top of the parchment paper.
6. Steam over boiling water for 12 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, mix dipping sauce ingredients together. Dip steamed wontons in sauce and enjoy! You can also boil or fry wontons.

For a dish that looks so comical, it is hard to believe that it can taste so… divine. This is not your typical chili, it’s a chili that resembles a bolognese. The freshly grated aged cheddar melts between bites of spaghetti and chili. No one knows how chili ended up on top of spaghetti, but one theory is that one of the Greek immigrant restauranteurs who brought this chili (cooking it with spices and flavors that are similar to a Moussaka) over to America brought the chili home, and his housekeeper put it on top of cooked spaghetti for dinner. And voila!

Wait, before you run to the kitchen, know this: two-way is chili and spaghetti, three-way is plus cheese, four-way is plus pinto beans, and five-way is plus chopped onions. I think five-way is the way to go. Enjoy!

Cincinnati Chili

Cincinnati Chili

Adapted from Food Network

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 sweet onions (such as Vidalia), finely chopped, plus more for topping
• 2 pounds ground beef chuck
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 pound spaghetti, cooked
• 1 15-oz can Pinto beans
• Freshly grated Wisconsin aged cheddar cheese, for topping
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1/2 tsp sugar

Recipe

1. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add the ground beef to the pot, sprinkle with  1/2 teaspoon each salt and black pepper and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and return the cooked onions to the pot; stir in the garlic.
2. Combine the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, vinegar, chili powder, paprika, cinnamon, cumin, allspice, cloves and cayenne in a bowl; add to the pot along with 1 cup water and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook until the chili is slightly thickened, about 1 hour, 30 minutes. For the last 10 minutes, add milk and sugar and incorporate well.
3. Serve the chili over the spaghetti; top with chopped onion, pinto beans and grated cheddar.