Easy Pork and Garlic Chive Stir Fry

...pork and chive stir fry...

It feels like spring came extremely early this year, which, as you know, means two things for me.  I will relentlessly talk about my love for the farmers market and you will be forced to listen with no escape like a slideshow of my family vacation.  And, I will tear down all the weeds (with itchy eyes and a runny nose) to pretend to make way for a patch of dirt with green sprouts and try to call it a garden.  Yay, spring!

 

Last year, I neglected my duties of weeding and let some of the weeds (which I thought where just plants) turn into small trees.  Yes.  This year, we had giant tree weeds.  I never knew that these things existed, but I have the 6-foot carcass in my backyard as proof.  In order to protect my integrity as a green thumb (*ahem*), I went to Target and bought a giant tree/bush scissor thingy (clearly a green thumb) and hacked away at all the weeds at my house.  It was a brutal image, with sticks, roots, and dirt flying in every direction.  In the end, it was a war zone but it was beautiful.  I was weed free and, as a bonus, there was faint aroma of garlic in the air.  It was amazing.  At first, I wasn’t sure what the smell was.  It was a familiar aroma and I couldn’t put my finger on it.  I finally realized it was the smell of Chinese chives.

 

It immediately brought me back to memories of my childhood.  My mom would cook it for dumplings and stir-fries and it would have an amazing gentle garlic flavor to it.  I started to get nostalgic and looked around for the sprouts of dark green leaves.  Turns out my neighbors had planted some of these chives a while back and they have began to grow into our part of the fence.  I ended up planting them in some pots that I had, and harvesting the leaves.  The best thing about these chives is that they are hearty.  So you can cut off the tops and in a few weeks, you’ll have some more leaves to enjoy.  And they’re easy to care for, so I can continue to pretend to be amazing with the green thumb.

 

For this recipe, I only needed 1/2 a pound of pork.  What my Mom and I do now is just buy a bunch of it, then slice it once we get home and then freeze them in individual sandwich bags.  This way they are proportioned out for when you need it.  Plus, the marinade for the pork was my Mom’s standard marinade that she used for all her sliced meats that she used for stir-fry.  It’s tasty and is a quick marinade.  You can use it with any sliced meat for any stir-fry.  I like the pork and chive combo here.  Use tofu as a substitute if you are a vegetarian or NOT on the primal diet.

 

Enjoy.

 

~stuff

½ lb pork (I used tenderloin), julienne

1 tbs soy sauce

½ tbs cooking rice wine

2 tsp rice flour or cornstarch

1 tsp garlic powder

½ tsp sugar

1 tsp sesame oil

1 bunches of Chinese garlic chives (about ½ lb), 1 inch slices

vegetable oil (if needed)

~steps

mix first seven items together in a small bowl and set aside for at least 15 minutes

heat a pan or wok on high until screaming hot and stir-fry the pork until cooked through (add oil if necessary)

add garlic chives and stir until cooked, a few minutes

-serves 4-

 

 

 

 

 

Spinach Pasta with Mushroom and Parmesan

Creamy, gooey, mushroom cheese sauce

Second lunch became a constant meal in my life growing up. It all started when I was around eight or nine years old and continued on through out high school. It was my version of a security blanket and my opportunity to try to create new dishes. The process of my second lunch was always like clockwork and I could set my watch to it. I would leave for school in the morning with five dollars from my dad for lunch that day. I would then spend two of those five dollars on a bottle of diet soda and a bag of chips. This became my lunch for six years. And yes, I pocketed the three dollars everyday. By around 2 o’clock, I would start dreaming of my second lunch. A grumble in my stomach would dictate the flavors that I was fantasizing about. I’d spend the next couple of hours trying to remember what was in the house for me to cook; pork bones, chicken broth, noodles, shrimp, scallions. I was sure I was able to create something out of these dishes. I’d then go home and cook it, eat it, clean up the evidence, and be ready to have dinner with the family by 6:00 pm.

It was a fun process, and always full of challenges. I remember this one time I had a huge craving for cheese sauce. Primarily the Kraft Mac and Cheese sauce. Unfortunately, my parents had gone to Costco (then Price Club) without me and I couldn’t stock up on my arsenal of industrial size instant pastas and mayonnaise. I decided that I would attempt to make my own bright orange sauce. I had managed to score a pack of American Singles from a trip to our local grocery store. (I’m starting to realize that it sounds like I had to fight and connive in order to get food from my parents, but I want you all to know they where loving and amazing parents that didn’t withhold food from me. I promise.) So I figured I would cook a pack of Chinese noodles and then make the cheese sauce.

First step, I get some water boiling and then I cook the noodles. I watch the noodles swirl around in the water with excitement and anticipation. After a few minutes, with a pair of wooden chopsticks, I grab a strand of noodle out and taste. Yum, the Chinese version of “al dente”. Next comes the fun part, I drain the water, put in the milk and butter and tear up two individually wrapped squares. I start stirring with a determined look on my face because I needed to melt that cheese like my life depended on it. I ended up with a sore arm and a big knot of noodles with pieces of processed cheese sticking out. The milky sheen on the noodles did not make it look appetizing at all. Well, neither did the unmelted raw cheese.

So after dumping the noodles in the trash, I employed another strategy. What if I pre-melt the cheese first? So, while the water boils, I put the cheese in a microwave safe bowl [I learned that the metal rimmed porcelain bowls that my mom loved does not belong in the microwave the hard way] and put it on for one minute on high and walked away to watch power rangers. This was the standard time and power that I set all my food for when I was eight, primarily because I didn’t understand the machine. The noodles are ready shortly after an intense fight between the yellow ranger and the putty patrol, and I go check on the cheese. I was now holding in my hand a science project. Somehow I had discovered the concept of mutation and created a fusion of food and bowl. There was an attempt by me to try to clean the bowl with lots of scrubbing and soaking but I decided that it was better to put the whole thing out of its misery. I then gave up on the whole dish and made chicken noodle soup.

I’m happy to say, I now know how to make cheese sauce. I also know how to add things to make it good. I’ve also come to terms with the fact that I don’t have the science degree to recreate the wonderfully orange sauce in my home kitchen. I am ok with that. In this recipe I used king oyster mushrooms, I like the texture…but you can use any type of mushrooms you want.

~stuff

1 cup sliced king oyster mushrooms

¼ cup milk

¼ cup half and half

1 tsp butter

¼ cup shallots, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp thyme

1 tbs flour

¼ cup chives, minced

fresh grated nutmeg

2 cups of grated cheese (I used parmasean and asiago)

~steps

sautee butter, garlic, and shallots until lightly brown

add the mushroom and thyme and cook until mushroom is cooked down, 2-3 minutes

sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir until the flour is fully cooked through and golden in color

pour in the milk and cream and bring the mixture to a low simmer

lower the heat and add the cheese, a few grates of nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste

before serving, add pasta water to thin out the sauce and mix with cooked pasta

-serves 4-

feliz cinco de mayo

It’s Cinco De Mayo.   Time for Americans all across the country to come together at their local “Mexican” restaurant/bar and do tequila shot, drink lots of margaritas, and eat chips and salsa to celebrate a holiday they know little about.

Some people seem to think that Cinco De Mayo is to celebrate Mexican independence.  Not so.  Instead it is the day that the Mexican army had successfully fought the French army in the Battle of Puebla.  So, while everyone is taking shots of Tequila to Mexican independence, which is September 16^th by the way, I will be doing a shot of tequila (drinking a michelada) in honor of the infamous day that the city of Puebla was not conquered by the French.

In honor of the Americanized holiday, I have put together some of my past posts that I feel are fitting for today.  Enjoy and salud!

roasted jalapeno guacamole

smokey black beans

enchiladas con salsa verde

mango salsa

calamansi margarita

pesto lasagna

 

...pesto lasagna...

 

“That’s going to be too much, you won’t finish it.” My brother is pointing at the giant bag of spinach that I am grasping on with both arms and with wide eyes.

The younger brother mentality kicks in and I border line whine, “Nah, I’ll finish it. I can make a salad, put it in a wrap, stir fry it, or juice it.  See, this Costco bag is totally worth it.”

Fast forward two weeks and I have a giant bag full of spinach and…crap…it’s about to go bad.  And I’m talking brink of badness, where you open the fridge and you smell something.  It doesn’t smell bad or rank, but it smells like something is about to happen and it’s not happiness, that’s for sure.   So, in an attempt to not allow my brother an opportunity to sing an “I Told You So” dance, I try to make a dish that can use all the spinach and let as little go to waste as possible.

So before anyone figures it out, I break out the giant bag of spinach and start separating good leaves with not so happy leaves.  I end up with a large bowl and a half of green crisp spinach and I go to town with it.  I create a beautiful deep green pesto that is spicy with Italian basil, creamy with extra virgin olive oil, and nutty with toasted pistachios.  All of it comes together with a couple of handfuls of spinach.  Amazing…but…Doh, I still have a bunch of spinach left.  So I blanch the spinach to give me a deep green pile of folic acid beauty, mix it with some creamy ricotta, and nutty asiago and I now have a cheese filling.  And then it comes to me: let’s make some lasagna!

Now, this ain’t yo mama’s lasagna (especially because mine is Taiwanese and doesn’t know how to make lasagna).  This is not a traditional lasagna with tomato sauce and lots of fillings.  Instead this version is just a few ingredients: pesto, spinach, cheese, and onion.  Oh, and it’s wonderfully green.

It’s a simple dish with basic flavors, but everything melds really well together.  On top of the flavors, there are some awesome textures that are going on in this dish.  If you can’t finish the lasagna, that’s fine.  Just heat up the leftovers.  They’re still good.  Also, if you need to make this in advance, you can layer and build the lasagna and then refrigerate it until your ready to heat and serve.  Not to mention this thing is packed with spinach.  Like a lot of spinach.  Like a good Costco size bag full.  Awesome!

So, now you know what to do if you ever get stuck with a giant bag of spinach.  Sorry, don’t know what to do with the giant tub of mayo from Costco.

~stuff

10 uncooked lasagna sheets

1 cup packed Italian basil

2 cups packed fresh spinach [plus a handful for layering]

3 cloves of garlic, grated

1 cup toasted pistachios

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 cup spinach, blanched and chopped

1/4 cup onion, minced

2 cups mixed grated asiago and parmesan

4 provolone slices

1/2 cup grated mozzarella

salt and pepper to taste

~steps

preheat oven to 375°F

boil a large pot of salted water for lasagna pasta and cook according to package direction

pulse basil, fresh spinach, grated garlic, salt and toasted pistachio, in a food processor and slowly pour in oil while processor is on until everything is blended into a pesto.  Reserve on the side.

mix in a large bowl the ricotta, onion, spinach, salt, pepper, grated asiago, and parmesan until well combined.

arrange lasagna by starting with a layer of pasta, then 1/2 cheese mixture, a handful of fresh spinach, provolone slice, 1/3 of the pesto, and pasta

layer on top of the base with remaining cheese mixture, handful of spinach, mozzarella cheese, 1/3 of the pesto, and remaining pasta in an oven safe 8″ x 12″ casserole dish.

top with the remaining pesto, asiago, and parmesan.

bake in the oven covered for 15 minutes and then uncovered for remaining 10 minutes.

-serves 4-

three cup chicken

 

...three cup chicken...

My original intent when first conceptualizing this blog was primarily to document the dishes that have some sort of deep impact on my life.   Naturally this meant posting a lot about dishes that both my brother and I grew up on and the flavors and experiences that my parents created.  Over the last year, I’ve been able to really figure out a process for creating these posts.  Usually it starts with a craving, a specific ingredient, or just a moment in life that I remember, and then I go searching and experimenting.  If it’s a new dish, I have to cook it a couple of times to get it right and if it is a family dish I call my Mom or Dad.  My parents usually gave me the process of how to cook it and then I have to measure it out for you all, but this time my Mom decided to help me out and create the recipe for me.  Which then means an awesome recipe from my mom that requires some translation.

The following is the recipe for one of my favorite dishes that my mom makes.  It’s a braised chicken dish that I frequently requested from my mom when growing up.  It wasn’t really for the actual chicken, although delicious, it was more for the amazing sauce.  It’s one of those amazing things like chicken adobo; it’s so complex in flavor but simple in ingredients.  I can definitely pin point it to the use of basil, ginger, and garlic.  Anytime you use those flavors, you know the outcome is going to be amazing.  When I was little I would be excited just for the sauce.  Before my brother would even get to the dish, I would fish out all the basil  from the sauce and horde it all for myself.  No shame.

The name of the dish, 3 Cup Chicken, comes from the origins of the recipe.  It involved 1 cup of oil, 1 cup of soy sauce, and 1 cup of cooking wine, hence the three cups.  Now, that was made during the time of clay stone pots, wood fire type stoves, and lack of knowledge of what sodium and oil overload will do to a body.  So, my mom changed up the proportions a little, and for the good of our cholesterol.

The format of the recipe is different from how I usually do my posts, but that’s because I’m attaching my mom’s recipe as she sent it to me.  I had to make some changes and additions to make it easier for folks who don’t read “Mom”.  I’ve pasted that below the recipe.

Please pay close attention to step 5 and 6.  They are very important

Three Cup Chicken:

• 1  whole  chicken
• 10-15 colves  Garlic.  Peeled but don’t slightly
• same amont of ginger as Galic. Slices.
• ½  cup of  black sesame oil. (胡麻油)   The company from Taiwan call 新東揚 are the best
• ¾  cup soy  sauce
• 1 cup Taiwan rice cooking wine 公賣局的 米洒
• ½  cup brown  sugar
• Basil  ( vintnam`styly)

1.     Heat the sesame oil in pan, than add garlic ,ginger stir fry till fragrant. Make sure the ginger are turn dry

2.     Add chicken and stir fly with 1, till the surface are no longer pink

3.     Put brown sugar,soy sauce stir fly ,than  cooking wine, stir evenly, cover and turn down the heat to low.( about 30 minutes)  until the sauce is reduced and thickened

4.     Turn heat back up to high and add basil cook for another  5-10 minutes.

5.      Good Luck.

6.                                                                                     Love Mom

~stuff

10 slightly smashed garlic cloves

9 coins, fresh ginger

1/2 cup dark sesame oil (see Mom’s note above)

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 large chicken, broken down

3/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup cooking rice wine (see Mom’s note above)

1 bunch of Vietnamese basil

luck and Mom’s love (optional)

~steps

fry garlic and ginger in sesame and vegetable oil on high in a large pot until ginger is slightly toasted

add chicken and fry until no longer pink

pour soy sauce, sugar, and wine into pot and turn down heat to medium low, stirring occasionally until sauce is reduced [about 30 minutes]

add basil and cook for at least five minutes on high

add luck and mom’s love.

-serves 6-8-

Happy Father’s Day! Dad’s Taiwanese Sticky Rice

Dad's Taiwanese Sticky Rice

I frequently talk about how my mom’s cooking has helped shaped and developed my both my palate and love for cooking, but there is one person who has also been equally (if not more) instrumental in that development.  That person is my dad.  When my mom first met my dad, she didn’t know anything about cooking.  I think it may have come from the fact that she was the youngest of 7 kids.  She didn’t really have to worry about cooking for the family because the family was always cooking for her.  My dad actually had to teach my mom how to make rice.  But, because of my dad’s willing to teach the basics and his basics at trying my mom’s experiments, my mom, brother, and I have become the cooks we are today.  It’s also because of his patience, kindness, and amazing personality that my brother and I have become the people we are today.

By the time I was born, my mom’s recipe pool had grown and we owned a rice cooker.  This meant less times/opportunities for my dad to cook.  But when he did, it was always his signature dishes.  The Grilled Garlic Soy Chicken was one, but the dish that made people travel from all over the country was my dad’s sticky rice.  He used it as stuffing in Turkey, so this became a quintessential dish for the Holidays.  My brother and I crave it like crazy when the weather starts getting cold and we realize Thanksgiving is coming soon.

I have mixed memories about this dish.  On one hand the texture, flavors, and warmth completely remind me of family, holidays, and good conversations and on the other hand, I cower in the corner at the thought of the prep for the roast turkey.  To prepare for this was a process that was laborious and intense that literally made me cry. When prepared for 4 people or 6 people it’s not that bad.  But when my dad was roasting two 70 lb turkeys for the average party list of 40 to 60 people, I had a lot of cavity to fill full of sticky rice. So usually the night before and morning of I would be mincing green onions against my tear duct’s wish, cutting up raw kidney and hearts into bite size pieces, and stuffing the insides of turkeys elbow deep.  And that wasn’t the end of the torture; I then had to endure the smell of turkey and stuffing wafting through out the house.  Salivating like a mature Neapolitan mastiff hound. The stuffing tastes the best coming out of the turkey; it had a nice hint of turkey flavor and was good, but without stuffing is good too.

My dad always made extra of the stuffing because my brother and I would eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner the day of and the days afterward.  This dish freezes well.  I learned that in College when I asked my dad to make bricks of this delicious rice.

Some notes:  When cooking the rice, be sure to undercook the rice by using less water.  If not, you will end up with a giant ball of mochi, which although still good, the texture is way off.

If you are not into gizzards and hearts or vegetarian, you can omit them from the recipe and add more mushrooms.  If you have access to dried tofu, you can add that.  It taste good and is a good texture substitute for the gizzard.  Enjoy, it’s a Taiwanese classic with a fatherly twist.

Happy Father’s Day.

~stuff

2 cups sweet rice/glutinous rice

1¼ cups water

2 tbs vegetable oil

1 cup chopped chicken gizzard and heart OR dried tofu in small pieces

½ cup cubed rehydrated shitake mushrooms

½ – ¾ cup minced scallion

2 tbs soy sauce

1 tbs Chinese cooking wine

1 tbs dried shallots

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp salt

~steps

mix sweet rice and water and cook in a rice cooker according to instructions

-if using meat-

marinate gizzard and heart with rice wine, soy sauce, sesame oil, and garlic powder for 10 minutes

stir fry scallion, gizzard, and heart in 1 tbs of hot oil on high heat in a deep pan, wok, or pot until browned,  2 minutes

add mushrooms to meat mixture and cook for 2 minutes

remove mixture from the pan and reserve and skip down to “heat rest of vegetable oil and sesame oil in say pot on high”

-if using tofu­-

heat 1 tbs of vegetable oil on high heat in deep pan, wok, or pot and add scallion, tofu, and mushroom and stir until slightly browned, 2 minutes

add soy sauce, wine and garlic powder and stir until incorporated, 2 minutes

remove mixture from the pan and reserve

heat rest of vegetable oil and sesame oil in say pot on high

add fried shallots and cooked rice and stir until well mixed and rice is covered with oil, add more oil if necessary on medium high for about 5 minutes

mix the reserved mixture and salt into the pan and cook for 5 more minutes until well incorporated.

-makes 4-6  -

dad’s grilled garlic soy chicken

...dad's grilled garlic soy chicken...

I’m the son of immigrants.  Because of that, I always had to re-introduce and teach myself about certain things of culture de Americana when I was growing up.  So things like Godparents, Creamed Vegetable, Autumn Cornucopias, and BBQ.  You know, general knowledge that is important for everyone to know – Especially in a rousing game of Jeopardy and Trivial Pursuit.  Most were things that I learned in Elementary School when I was arguing with my schoolmates [because my Taiwanese parents knew everything about US Culture...].  But, BBQ was something I had to re-learn in high school.  My parent’s definition for BBQ was any outdoor cooking involving a grill and charcoal briquettes.  Later on I learned that was definitely not the case.  Oh well, it was delicious whatever it was called.

I was spoiled with sunny weather most of the year in Southern California.  So my Dad did a lot of outdoor cooking [or BBQ as my parents liked to call it], which always meant his soy garlic chicken and my Mom’s garlic bread (store bought baguette with butter mixed with garlic powder).  I got so excited for the preparation for the BBQ – I would go outside and wash the yard furniture, top the cooler with ice and soda, and get the ping pong table ready to act as a buffet.   Actually, now that I think of it, I don’t think we ever used that table for ping pong.  The star of the whole meal however was always my dad’s chicken.

I put more soy sauce than my Dad usually does, but that’s because I wanted to use the marinade to basically brine the chicken.  You only need five things, not including the chicken, so this doesn’t require a lot of prep.  Make sure you have a long time to marinade the chicken.  Mine went for about six hours.  I wouldn’t go less than two.  When I was little, I couldn’t really wait for the chicken to make it to the ping pong table, so my dad would take a paper towel and wrap it around the drumstick so I could eat it right off the grill.  Wait, come to think of it, I like to do that now.

~enjoy!~

~stuff

10 pieces of chicken, I had 6 wings and 4 drumsticks

4 large garlic cloves, smashed

6 scallion stalks, 1 inch slices

5 tsp garlic powder

1 cup of soy sauce

½ cup of Chinese rice wine, or dry sherry

~steps

mix all ingredients in a bowl or Ziploc bag

marinate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours

grill over medium high heat until fully cooked and juices come out clear

-serves 5-6-

shrimp and asparagus risotto

shrimp and asapargus risotto

I did it!  I made risotto.  Well, actually I attempted to make risotto and it came out “okay”.  I stress the “okay”.  It could have tasted a lot better, but 1) I was lazy 2) I don’t think I had enough liquid on hand and 3) I was freakin’ hungry!

Part of this blog is to not just document the recipes that mean something to me, but also to try new things.  Challenge me on techniques that don’t seem easy.  Risotto is one of those.  I remember always foolishly ordering it at restaurants and having to make the rest of the table wait because a chef in the back was furiously stirring away at some rice and broth.  Usually my brother was giving me the evil eye because his paparadelle would have been ready in a few minutes, where as my risotto was still being carefully created.  I think that’s why I have always been scared of making it.  Also, if I was going to make it at home I felt like I should make my own broth too and that’s a whole new level of patience.

Now, I know you all have probably heard about my unhealthy love for shrimp (on top of my love for lard) and how I overly consume/cook it.  So, when I cook shrimp it is usually with the shell on to get the full flavor of it.  But sometimes I have a dish that requires me to shell the suckers-which makes me sad sometimes, but then I remember about the possibility of shrimp broth.

I had some left over Asparagus stalks that where too tough to cook, so I froze them along with a bag of shrimp shells.  So I decided to combine them and create a shrimp and asparagus risotto.  I went out and bought some Arborio rice and started to make my own shrimp broth.  Instead of just water, I also used a can of vegetable broth [woah, quantum leap moment – using broth to make broth].  The broth help to make the shrimp flavor more subtle.  I do love shrimp, but sometimes there can be too much shrimp.

Now, I still have to learn the secrets to risotto, but the one thing that surprises me is the amount of time it takes.  I think I was stirring for like 30 minutes. I felt like it was 7^th grade gym all over again.  Running a mile and having my P.E. Teacher yelling at me.  “Keep stirring…Keep stirring!  I don’t care that your muscles are tired.  It’s good for you!  RUN!!”.   Oye, bad memories.

~stuff

shrimp shells and heads from 1 lb of shrimp

woody ends of 1 bunch of asparagus

1 quarter of an onion

4 cups water

1 can of vegetable broth

1 bay leaf

1 tbs olive oil

1 cup Arborio Rice

1 medium shallot, minced

1 medium clove garlic, minced

1 bunch asparagus cut in 1-inch pieces

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

~steps

combine shells, asparagus, bay leaf, onion, water, and broth in a large pot and simmer on medium heat until flavor is fully incorporated (about 45 min)

lower heat and keep broth on a low heat

brown shallots and garlic in olive oil over medium high heat in a sauce pan

add rice and stir until translucent and releases a nutty aroma (about 2 minutes)

ladle hot broth, about 1 cup, in rice mixture and stir until liquid is completely dissolved

add another ladle of broth and stir until dissolved

repeat until fully rice is fully cooked.

add asparagus and stir until tender

mix in cheese until melted

-serves 3-

grilled brie and apple sandwich

pre browned grilled brie and apple sandwich

Grilled cheese is my enemy.  I remember being so frustrated when I was eight, in front of the stove, and cursing at the black, burnt toast and the unmelted Kraft single sandwiched between.  I was disheartened and felt like I lost a great battle.  I then added it to the axis of evil of all elementary students: division table and fractions.  I eventually gave up on the whole idea of grilled cheese, and admitted that I just wasn’t good at it.  I rarely eat grilled cheese now out of fear.  When I do get a craving for it, I just head over to the local diner and order it.  I’ll let the professional fry cooks deal with it.  But I got challenged the other day to make one, and, because I am a prideful person, I did it.

I was having drinks with a friend of mine and , over musing over her love life,  she began to rant to me.  Not really venting any  specific incident, but more of a “I hate men because of this…” moment.  She proceeded to tell me about how at 3 am, her “friend” asked if she wanted anything.  To test him she said “yes…a grilled cheese”.  Being the chivalrous man that he is, he said “ok”.  However, he knew full well that my friend was going to rescind because it was a lot of work.  And she did.

So, because of that, I had to hear about it the next day.  How men promise that they will do something just because it will give them bonus points, but not really doing them because others don’t want to bother.  This went on for a couple of Jameson and sodas with a lime, until it dawned on me.  I need to try to make a grilled cheese sandwich again.  I promise I was listening to my friend.

This sandwich is adapted from Busboys and Poets in DC.  It was a very frequent weekend lunch of mine during my stint in the District because I lived only two blocks away, which was nice.  This is definitely nothing like your standard American cheese sandwich.  The combination of the creamy-ness from the Brie mixes well with the smoky flavor of the caramelized onions.  The addition of the apple creates a crisp soft texture that is amazingly balanced with the harsh crunch of the bread.   I would pair this with a simple salad and a balsamic dressing.  I like the nuttiness of toasted sourdough bread, so I used that.  Any crusty bread will do.  And if you caramelize the onions in advanced, you can make this in a jiffy no matter what time it is (*ahem, 3 am).

I used the broiler to toast the bread, I don’t have a toaster, and melt the cheese.  It allowed it for a easier process, quick grilled cheese without the use of butter or oil and me not regressing to my 3^rd grade self.  Ashamed and in the corner.  Men:  make this.

~stuff

2 slices of sourdough bread or crusty bread

¼ inch slices of brie, enough to create a layer

thin apple slices, enough to create a layer

1 tbs of carmelized onions

1.5 tsp honey mustard

~steps

broil or toast bread until almost begin to turn golden

spread mustard on both slices of bread, put onion on one side

cover other slice of bread with brie

broil on high until cheese melts

assemble sandwich with the rest of the ingredients and either brown in a pan or brown in broiler

-serves 1-

zha jiang mian- northern chinese bolognese with home made noodles

zha jiang mian

I have a noodle infatuation.  There, I admitted it- first step of recovery.  I love the doughy chewy texture that noodles give when you first bite into it.  When you fill your mouth with a really long strand or big bite of noodle with some delicately developed sauce or broth; it’s like an amusement ride for your mouth.    Home made noodles are pretty much the best, but sometimes a nice packaged or store bought brand does the job for me.  The best though, is when your brother comes into your room on a Saturday morning at 9 am, waking you after some drinking with some friends, and says, “noodles tonight?  I’m making”  [Him talking like Yoda could be associated with my drinking, not how he actually talks], you can’t help but want to throw something at him for disturbing my beauty sleep-and then say yes.

My brother is a really good cook.  He, like me, loves to watch food network and spend time in the kitchen to relax and create.  His forte is more around recreating dishes.  When he gets a hankering for something, he’ll try to recreate the dish on his own.  Most of the time it is delicious and results into a phase for him.  I think one year, I had chicken soup and variations of chicken soup for weeks.  This time, the excitement for him is noodles.  And, I’m not complaining.

I have a favorite noodle dish.  The best is from a restaurant called A & J noodles in Irvine, California.  It’s my favorite and I have no idea what is in their recipe but it’s awesome.  Growing up in California, we would go almost every other week (and some times, if I’m lucky, every week) to this noodle place.  The great thing about this noodle place is that they knew me.  I would get the same things every time.  If they saw me coming up in the parking lot, then by the time I got to my table I wouldn’t have to order.  A couple of minutes later in front of me was a Coke, seaweed salad, and the best noodle dish in the world: Zha Jiang Mian.  Oh, just thinking about it is making me excited.  It is legal crack.  The folks working at the restaurant knew me so well, it was like I had Aunties to make sure I was properly fed…and wanting to know every detail of my love life…and how they had a daughter/niece/cousin/friend…I started going to this place when I was real young, 7 or 8…and they continued to do this well into my college years at 21 or 22.  I miss them.

Now, I would describe Zha Jiang Mian as Northern Chinese style Bolognese sauce.  It’s chunky and full of meat and little liquid.  Served over fresh noodles, no broth, topped with cucumber and bean sprouts, is the way I eat it.  Zha Jiang Mian is kind of like mac and cheese, everyone makes it differently.  BUT, I like it without the fillers.  Just pork.  That’s all anyone really needs: some nice ground pork with bits of fat in it.  Yum.

And yes, this is my brother’s recipe.

Recipe Notes- Ingredient defining [I should really start a running list/glossary]:  The one hard thing that may be difficult to find, it’s difficult to find here in Queens, is Huangdou Jiang.  The literal translation is: Yellow Sauce or Yellow Bean Sauce.  It is nowhere yellow in color, but quite delicious.  You can use Brown Soy Bean Paste or Sweet Bean Paste (not really sweet).  Some people also use Hoison Sauce (easier to find).  If you use Hoison, taste before adding too much sugar.  It’s on the sweeter side.  Vegetarian option is to replace with dried tofu and/or rehydrated shitake mushrooms, diced.  Your choice.

Also, there is a Korean variation of this dish out there.  Not the same and shouldn’t be compared.  Although, I do have a favorite.

~stuff

-noodles-

3½  cups all purpose flour

½ cup warm water

1 tsp salt

­-sauce-

3 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup of green onions, minced

1½ lb ground pork

2 tbs vegetable oil

4 tbs huangdou jiang (or any of the other substitutes I listed)

1 tbs sugar

1 tsp cornstarch

1/8 cup water

1 medium cucumber

1 cup of bean sprouts

~steps

mix flour, water, and salt in a large bowl

remove dough from bowl and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes

rest dough covered for at least a half hour in the refrigerator

while dough rests, bring a large pot of water to a boil and blanch [lightly cook and cool] bean sprouts and julienne peeled cucumber

knead dough until soft and at room temperature and separate dough into two balls, cover

roll out one ball until ¼ inch thick and with a pizza cutter, cut ½ inch wide noodles, flour noodles to separate

continue with other ball and reserve noodles until sauce is complete

stir fry garlic, green onion, pork in a hot wok or deep pan on high with the oil until fragrant, about 5 minutes

add huangdou jiang and sugar, and stir

mix cornstarch and water in a small bowl and then add to sauce mixture and stir until thick, turn down heat

cook noodles in boiling water until slightly chewy in the center, about 5 minutes

serve noodles in a bowl with sauce, cucumber, and bean sprouts on the top

-serves 4-