Caramelized Vietnamese Pork

After a self-imposed cookbook moratorium for a while, I got a couple new cookbooks this spring.  I have been so thankful I did.  The first one was Ruth Riechl's My Kitchen Year.  Seriously folks, we have loved almost every recipe I've made from here (and I've made a few).

Last night, the recipe was a caramelized pork.  A brief disclaimer.  I ignored the advice Reichl gave at the bottom of the recipe which was to not double the recipe.  However, I had to.  The recipe served two and I have five hearty eaters.  My end product may not have turned out exactly like hers did, but we all still loved it.  At the end of the meal, I had multiple people telling me to make this again.

Serves 4 - 6.

Caramelized Vietnamese Pork
adapted slightly from My Kitchen Year by Ruth Reichl

2 T rice vinegar
1 t sugar
1 medium to large cucumber, peeled, seeds removed, halved and cut into half moons
1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

1 1/2 - 2 lbs pork tenderloin, thinly sliced (easiest done if pork is at least partially frozen)
2 small onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, smashed
2 T sugar
1/4 c fish sauce
fresh mint, coarsely chopped (about 2-3 sprigs)
fresh basil, coarsely chopped (about 2 -3 sprigs)
chili garlic sauce or sriracha
crushed peanuts (optional)
lime wedges

cooked rice to serve 4 - 6

Pour rice vinegar in a bowl and add 1 t sugar and a pinch of salt.  Gently stir in cucumber and ginger  Allow to soak while you make the meat.

Heat a wok over medium-high to high heat.  A water droplet should dance on the surface of the wok and then disappear.  Add some grapeseed, peanut or similar oil and toss in onion and garlic.  As soon as the onion and garlic are nice and fragrant, add the pork and 2 T sugar.  Stir-fry, tossing every few minutes for 10 - 15 minutes, or until the pork has crisped into little bits (I never achieved this due to an overfull wok.  After the pork had cooked for a bit, I poured the extra juice off the bottom of the wok to give the pork a chance to brown.  I simply cooked the pork until it began to brown.  We were hungry, I was out of patience, and didn't want to burn the meat).

Take the wok off the heat and stir in fish sauce until it is absorbed.  Season with black pepper.  Remove the ginger slices from the cucumber.  Add the cucumber slices and the marinade to the pork. Stir.

Serve with rice.  Top with mint and basil (necessary for a more Vietnamese taste), chili garlic sauce if desired, lime wedges, and crushed peanuts, if desired.

Laab with Pasta

As is the theme with all my May recipes, this is another good swim practice recipe.  It is made quickly and there's nothing complicated about it.  It is good energy for the kids with some pasta to help hold them over to breakfast.

When I first read this recipe, I was a little unsure--turned out it was great.  My budding vegetarian wasn't a fan of this, but the other kids liked it fine.  I am learning the key to different eaters is not mixing everything all together at the end.  I served the laab in one dish and the angel hair in the another and everything worked out.

This serves 5.

Laab with Pasta

adapted from Food and Wine

1/2 lb angel hair pasta

1 T olive oil

1 T sesame oil

1/2 c sliced almonds

1 jalapeño, seeds and ribs removed, minced (optional)

1 t minced, fresh ginger

1 1/2 lbs ground beef

salt 

1/4 c fish sauce

4 scallions, including green tops, chopped

1 c coarsely chopped fresh mint

1/4 lime juice plus 1 lime cut into wedges

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta until al dente, according to package directions.  Drain, rinse with cold water and drain again.  Transfer to a serving dish.

In large pan, toast the almonds over medium low heat, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 5 minutes (I find the best way to test nuts for doneness while toasting it to smell them.  Once they develop a rich, fragrant smell, they are usually ready to remove from the pan).  Remove the nuts from the pan and set aside.  

Meanwhile, heat a pan over medium high heat.  Add half the jalapeño, if using, ginger, beef, and a teaspoon of salt.  Cook the meat, breaking up large pieces with a wooden spoon, until brown and cooked through, about 10 minutes.  Remove from pan from heat and stir in the sesame oil, fish sauce, scallions, mint, and lime juice.  Transfer to a serving bowl.

To serve, put pasta on plates and top with beef mixture.  Sprinkle with remaining minced jalapeño, if desired, sliced almonds and serve with lime wedges.  

Banh xeo or Vietnamese Crepes

Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi continues to please!

I decided this would be a good recipe based on the three daikon radishes that had been sitting in my crisper drawer for 6 months.  I figured it was time they were used, especially since we are due to get fresh daikon in box soon.

Let me start by telling you, I am not a crepe maker.  I've attempted it twice now, and well, both times things haven't gone well.  This time resembled the first time.  My crepes were too thick and sticking to the pan--they ended up as scrambled crepes instead of the real deal.  Thankfully, this time I had someone to bail me out.

As I stood, baffled, over the crepe pan, Curtis walked into the house in his biking clothes.  He had biked home from work and came over to see what I was doing.  "Your batter is too thick," he informed and then moved me out of the way and took over.  Whew.  In no time, he had the batter at the right consistency, heated up a second pan, and cranked up the heat on the first pan.  Before long, he was flipping crepes off the crepe pan (into the air--all fancy like) and pulling beautiful crepes off both the crepe pan and cast iron skillet.

That's one of the great things about being married.  Sometimes, when one of us is floundering, the other one call bail us out.

We learned a few things here:

•The pan temperature needs to be very hot.  The cast iron skillet works better than the crepe pan because it holds the heat better.

•The batter needs to be very thin.

•A single batch is probably plenty, but a double batch worked perfectly because there was a lot of room for trial and error.

•The electric griddle we use for making pancakes would probably work beautifully for this recipe.

Once we got the crepes off the pan in crepe shape, we served them straight the kids.  I was nervous we the filling wouldn't satisfy the kids or the taste of the crepes would throw them off.  Nope!  They loved the crepes.  J ate three and the other two each ate two.  The crepes tasted wonderful and the sauce was fabulous (the boys even ate the sauce.  M boycotts sauces on principal, unless we're talking maple syrup).

This recipes calls for enoki mushrooms.  I tried two stores (HEB and Whole Foods) and couldn't find them.  I finally found a cute bundle of them at our closest Asian grocery store.  I'd like to use them, but need to have the energy and time to go to multiple stores to source them.  If you want to add a meat, you can cooks some shrimp or prawns to add to the fillings.  HEB had the rice flour--which makes the recipe vegetarian (if you substitute sweet soy sauce for the fish sauce) and gluten free.

Serves 4 -5.

Bahn xeo or Vietnamese Crepes with Fresh Vegetables and Herbs
adapted a hair from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi

Crepes
1 1/3 c rice flour
1 egg
1/2 t salt
1 t ground turmeric
1 3/4 c (1-13.66 oz can) unsweetened coconut milk
a bit of sunflower oil

Sauce
2 1/2 T lime juice
1 1/2 T sesame oil
1 T brown sugar
1 T rice wine vinegar
1 T (or more, to taste) fish sauce (nuoc mam) or sweet soy sauce
2 t grated fresh ginger
1/2 t salt
1 garlic clove, crushed (optional)
1 fresh red chile, finely chopped (optional)

Filling
1- 2 large carrots, peeled and thinly shredded
1 daikon radish, peeled and thinly shredded
4 green onions, sliced on an angle
1 fresh green chile, cut into long thin strips
1 1/2 c snow peas (or more--we love these), cut into long thin strips
1/2 - 1 c cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
1/3-2/3 c basil leaves (preferably Thai basil), roughly chopped
1/4 c mint leaves, roughly chopped
1 c mung bean sprouts
1 c enoki mushrooms

Blend the rice flour, egg, salt, and turmeric in a large bowl.  Slowly whisk in the coconut milk, whisking well to avoid a lumpy batter.  Add more coconut milk or water (put water in the coconut milk can to get all the coconut milk out) until the batter is the consistency of light cream.  Set aside to rest.

Prepare the filling ingredients if you haven't already done so.  Put each filling in it's own bowl so people can choose what they want.

Whisk together all the sauce ingredients and adjust the flavor adding more red chile if using or fish sauce (if using).  Set aside.

To cook the crepes, add more coconut milk or water to the batter if it has thickened while resting.  Heat up a large nonstick frying pan (or a cast iron skillet or an electric griddle--the electric griddle doesn't let you swirl the crepe batter around though, which is kinda fun).  The pan should be pretty hot.  Add a little sunflower oil.  Put some batter in the pan, if not using an electric griddle, swirl it around to cover the surface.  Once the bottom is golden brown, carefully turn the crepe over.  If the crepe isn't cooked enough or the pan isn't hot enough, the crepe will probably stick and you'll end up with scrambled crepes.  Remove from pan and repeat with remaining batter.

Place a crepe on each plate and top desired fillings in the middle of it (like a taco!).  Drizzle some sauce over top and fold or roll up.  If desired, drizzle some extra sauce over top.

Arugula, Radish, and Grains Salad

While normally I think of myself as an adventurous eater, there are some things, I still shy away from.  Beef tongue?  Pork trotter?  No problem.  Quinoa?  No, thanks.  Seriously.  I've been a flexitarian for years now (probably between 15 - 20 years of eating meat just a couple times a week, and sometimes less than that.  Of course, sometimes more, too).   I love tofu and have eaten it many different ways.  I love lentils and other beans.  However, I haven't branched out to the grains.  Too hippy, I've always thought (I know, I can hear you laughing at me now).  This recipe inspired me to buy no less than 3 grains I've never, ever bought before.  I will be buying those grains again.  I may even try some other quinoa recipes.

It was the radishes and arugula that inspired me to take the plunge into not typical US mainstream grains.  In our CSA box last week, we got two large bunches of different radishes.  My favorite were included---the red ones that when you slice you see pink rings in the middle.  I am not a radish fan.  I'll eat them in chicken tacos (aahh.....must make those again soon!), but that's about it.

Curtis and I loved this.  I didn't even offer it to our kids.  I figure once it's on the table a few more times, I'll have them taste it.  By then, they'll be used to seeing it and it won't seem so strange.  Plus, if I shared, then I wouldn't have any for lunch for myself today.  I also shared some with my in-laws and they thought it was pretty good.

I made a half recipe which easily served 4 - 6 people as a side.  The amounts included are my half recipe amounts.

Arugula, Radish and Grains Salad 
adapted slightly from Amanda Hesser on food52.com

1 c mixed grains, like farro, freekah, wheatberries, wild rice, quinoa, and/or pearl barley (I used wild rice, farro, and quinoa)
3/4 - 1 c arugula, torn if on the larger side, long stems trimmed off
1/2 c parsley leaves, chopped
1/4 c mint leaves, thinly sliced (cut in a chiffonade)
1/4 lb pecans
2 T hazelnut oil (or walnut oil, hazelnut was just what I had on hand)
2 T red wine vinegar
1/2 - 3/4 c radishes, cut as thinly as possible (a mandoline makes this easier)
2 T olive oil
1/4 c raisins
1/4 c dried cranberries

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil.  If using wild rice and wheat berries, add those first and cook for 10 minutes.  Add whatever remaining grains you are using and cook an additional 25 minutes or until just tender.  Drain the grains in a fine colander (if your holes are too big, the quinoa will all escape with the hot water) and set aside until just warm to the touch.  Combine the grains with the rest of the ingredients in a medium-large serving bowl and toss well.  Season with salt to taste (if you heavily salted the water, you probably won't need to add any extra salt).

Red Lentil Soup aka Curtis's Favorite Dal

It's just within the past year that I've really, really fallen in love with lentils. I try to rotate them into our menu once every two weeks or so--just like tofu stir fry. It's a nice meat alternative, very inexpensive, and very easy to make. Unlike most dried beans, lentils cook very quickly.

In my foray into lentils, I'm discovered the different kinds. French green lentils hold their shape better. Brown lentils are the traditional looking ones that turn kinda to mush when cooked to tenderness. Red lentils looks orange and also turn to mush. For this recipe you want the lentils that turn to mush, not the French lentils that hold their shape.

We loved this recipe (well, not the kids, but I'm don't always worry about them when it comes to lentils. It takes a couple of tries with a lentil recipe before they love one). I trimmed some cilantro from my herb garden to sprinkle on top.

This recipe serves 6.

Red Lentil Soup

from In the Kitchen with A Good Appetite by Melissa Clark

4 T olive oil

1 very large onion or 2 medium onions, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 T tomato paste

2 t cumin

1/2 t salt, plus more to taste

1/2 t pepper

pinch of chili powder or cayenne

2 qts chicken or vegetable broth

2 c water

2 c red lentils

2 large carrots or 4 small carrots, diced

juice of 1 lemon

1/3 c fresh cilantro, mint, or parsley, chopped

Heat the oil over high heat until hot in large soup pot. Add the onions and garlic. Saute until golden. Stir in the tomato paste, cumin, salt, pepper, and chili powder. Saute an additional 2 minutes. Add the broth, water, lentils, and carrots. Bring to a simmer, partially cover the pot, and cook for 30 minutes, or until lentils are soft. Taste and add more salt, if necessary (if you are using homemade chicken stock, you will need more salt). Puree half of the soup in a food processor or blender (be sure to leave the center of the lid off to allow the steam to escape). Reheat the soup if necessary, then stir in lemon and desired fresh herb. Serve the soup lightly drizzled with your best olive oil, if desired.

Israeli Couscous and Lentil Salad

After trying Israeli couscous in the eggplant salad a few weeks ago, I've been hooked. Seriously hooked. I've made the eggplant salad a second time to share at a potluck. Then I decided to try a recipe that I've had dog-eared in a cookbook for a couple of years.

Why didn't I try this sooner? I loved it. Curtis liked it ok and M even tried the couscous (but not the lentils). The dates are essential--it gives the salad a nice sweet taste, just the right amount. This is definitely a summer salad keeper!

Israeli Couscous and Lentil Salad
from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics

1/4 c French lentils
4 1/2 qts water
2 1/2 t salt
1 1/2 c Israeli couscous
1 cinnamon stick
2 T olive oil
1 t freshly grated lemon peel
3 T lemon juice
1/2 c diced bell peppers
1/4 c dates, pitted and chopped
1 1/2 T fresh mint, minced
black pepper, to taste

In a small sauce pan, combine lentils, 2 c water, and 1/2 t salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer about 20 minutes or until lentils are tender. Drain well and set aside. While the lentils simmer, bring the remaining 4 qts water to a boil in a large pot. Stir in the couscous, cinnamon stick, and salt. Cook for 8 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again. Remove and discard cinnamon stick.

In a serving bowl toss together lentils, couscous, and remaining ingredients. Let the salad rest for 30 minutes before serving to let the flavors marry.

Tabbouleh and our Mezze Meal

As mentioned the other day, I made pita for our mezze meal. Mezze is like Spanish Tapas except in Mediterranean places like Greece, Turkey, and the Middle East (so the Eastern Med. instead of Western Med like where Spain, France, and Italy are). In addition to pita, we had hummus, caponata (again, I know, Italy--it didn't quite fit either), cherry tomatoes--a handful of which were off of my tomato plants, cucumber slices, and tabbouleh. I knew my kids wouldn't really go for the caponata or tabbouleh and from the above picture, you can see I am right (pictured above is M's plate).

I made tabbouleh, for the first time in many, many years. I kinda overdosed on tabbouleh several years ago. I also used old bulgur the last time I made it and cucumbers (if you remember, I am NOT a cucumber fan). This time I was sure to chuck my two year old bulgur (if it smells a little rancid or old, don't use it!!) and find a new recipe that omits the cucumbers. As a result, I love tabbouleh again. We've had it for a side for a couple meals since my mezze meal and it's been perfect.

This makes 4 c of tabbouleh.



Tabbouleh
adapted from The Kitchn

1 c bulgur wheat
1 1/2 c boiling water
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
2 large bunches (Italian, if possible) parsley, finely chopped
1/2 c mint leaves, finely chopped
1/2 large tomato, minced fine
about 1/2 c lemon juice (from 3 lemons)
2 T olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Put bulgur wheat in a large bowl. Pour the boiling water over it, cover, and put in the fridge for an hour to soften.

Add the onion, garlic, parsley, mint, tomato, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper to the wheat. Mix well, taste and season accordingly. For best flavor, cover and refrigerate overnight to let the flavors marry. However, if you make this just an hour or less before you want to eat it like I did, it will taste just fine.

Alternate method: use a food processor to finely chop first onion and garlic. Remove onion and garlic and then process parsley and mint. Add to wheat along with other ingredients.

If you like cucumbers more than I do, you can add 1 cucumber that has been peeled, seeded, and minced. I don't know why you would want to do that, but I'm just letting you know that some people may think it's good.

Celery and Fennel Salad

Oh my. What a wonderful way to use fennel. I didn't have parsley when I made this, but I am sure the parsley would taste great. The ingredients I listed as optional are ones I didn't use the first time around.

Curtis and I loved this--so much that I decided to forego ice cream for a Grey's Anatomy snack for this! Yep, it is that good. Really, I don't think I need to use fennel any other way besides this for a long, long time. This supposedly serves 6. I guess that would be true if you ate something else for supper besides this (but we really didn't want to).

Celery and Fennel Salad
adapted from Williams-Sonoma Cooking from the Farmer's Market

6 stalks celery, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced (preferably with a mandoline)
4 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal (optional)
1 c parsley leaves, coarsely chopped (optional)
1/4 c mint, coarsely chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
3 T extra virgin olive oil
2 T fresh lemon juice
6 thin slices of prosciutto
Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese, thinly shaved

Put the celery, fennel, green onions, parsley, and mint in bowl and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with the olive oil and the 2 T lemon juice and toss gently. Place the prosciutto in serving platter and top with fennel mixture. Garnish with the shaved cheese and serve immediately.

Mint Tea

Ok, so technically, this is not mint tea. It is mint tisane. Purely technically speaking, tea is anything that has tea leaves in it (white, black, oolong, or green). When it is herbs steeped in hot water, it is tisane. Whatever. I am still calling this mint tea.

If you are starting to think about what herbs to plant for the spring, consider mint. With good water and a bit of afternoon shade, the stuff grows like a weed. Well, it grows more like a grass than a weed, sending out runners to start new mint plants. It can easily take over a space, especially in the spring and fall (it's not terribly fond of our hot summers). Mint is an essential herb for us to plant because of our love of mint tea (which I grew up calling meadow tea because the mint grew in the meadow at my grandparents' farm). Making this tea is simple.

Mint Tea
a handful (bunch) of mint leaves and stems, rinsed
a pot full of water (no more than a quart or so)
sugar to taste (about 1/4 - 1/3 c depending on how sweet you like your tea)
water for dilution

Bring pot of water to a boil. Remove from heat and allow water to cool slightly (just until it stops boiling basically). Throw in mint leaves and stems. Allow to steep for as long as you wish. I usually let mine steep a couple of hours in hopes of a stronger brew. Transfer to a pitcher and stir in sugar while tea is still warm (or at least lukewarm). Taste and dilute with water as necessary (we usually use equal parts water and mint tea). Serve cold.