Cook it.

Recipes for inspiration in the kitchen

warm spinach artichoke dip

Ooh-la-la!

**This post is for Danny (even though your fiancee will loathe this dish).**

One of the best spinach artichoke dips I’ve ever had was at Houston’s Restaurant. Then one day, I came across this recipe on my favorite recipe website, and I had to try it. I hadn’t been to Houston’s in so long that I can’t really compare the two, but this dip was delicious nonetheless. Even better, it’s simple to make. Definitely file this away in your box–it’ll make for something good and easy to serve at a gathering or bring to a potluck.


Recipe: Warm Spinach Artichoke Dip

Summary: Original recipe from All Recipes

Ingredients

  • 6 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
  • 6 oz. canned artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced, or 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/2 c. mayonnaise
  • 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
  • 1 c. grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 stalk green onion, thinly sliced

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a medium to small baking dish. (I used a round 8-inch dish.)
  2. In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth. Add artichoke hearts, spinach, and parmesan cheese. Mix until smooth. Season with garlic or garlic powder and green onion. Spread evenly in baking dish.
  3. Bake covered for 20 minutes. Then remove cover and bake uncovered for another 5 minutes or until surface is lightly browned. Serve warm with tortilla chips or crackers.

Variations

The original recipe online called for garlic cloves but as I didn’t have any in the fridge at the time, I substituted it with garlic powder which turned out okay. To also make up for the lack of fresh garlic, I added the green onion to the recipe. Original recipe also called for 2 tbsp. lemon juice, but as my fridge was pretty empty, I forewent those as well.

Try serving it the way Houston’s does and accompany it with regular tomato salsa and sour cream on the side.

Cooking time (duration): 30

Diet type: Vegetarian

Meal type: snack

Culinary tradition: USA (General)

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If the Blind can Cook it, so can you.

spicy korean stew

We forgot to cook it in our clay pot this time.

**This entry is for Teresa.**

Kim chi chigae is a Korean stew that uses kim chi, a spicy pickled cabbage, as its main ingredient. There are dozens of variations to this stew depending on what other ingredients are used: seafood, tofu, beef, pork, etc. It’s the thing to cook when your kim chi has fermented way past its peak to eat as a condiment. We throw just about anything we find left over in the fridgte into the pot. That’s what so great and versatile about chigae–it’s like the Chinese’s fried rice or the American’s casserole.

Chigae is often cooked in a clay pot which is said to bring out the flavor of the stew. Also, the older (and inevitably more fermented) the kim chi, the better. Fresh kim chi has not ripened enough and will not add as much flavor to the food. While there are innumerable versions of chigae, the recipe I’ve posted here is the kind John typically makes in our house. Some would call it budae chigae, which is a army-based stew so called for its particular ingredients: canned meats, hot dog wieners, ground meats, and so on. Budae chigae’s origins stem from the post-Korean War times when meat was scarce, therefore whatever leftovers from the military were thrown into the stew. It’s simple, but I find it tastier than many of the ones I eat in restaurants. That’s the funny thing about me–I prefer John’s homemade “poor man’s chigae” to any restaurant’s fancy ones. There’s something about slurping spicy hot stew over a bowl of rice within the comforts of your own home, especially during a cold winter’s day, so save this recipe for the upcoming cold months.

I am lucky that my mama-in-law makes the best kim chi, so we always just use hers for the main ingredient. One of these days, I’ll get her to teach me her kim chi-making methods. Till then, we need to get over our language barrier first.


Recipe: Spicy Korean Stew

Summary: Kim chi chigae or budae chigae

Ingredients

  • 2 c. extra fermented kim chi
  • 2 tbsp. dashida
  • 12 oz. medium tofu, diced
  • 1 medium potato, peeled & diced
  • 1 can Spam, diced
  • 1 (6 oz.) can tuna
  • 1 stalk green onion, sliced

Instructions

  1. In a medium clay pot or saucepan, combine kim chi and dashida, filling with water until water level is 2 inches from the top. Bring to a boil.
  2. Add remaining ingredients, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 30 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Quick Notes

Dashida is a Korean stew or soup base that comes in powder form. We have both a beef flavor and an anchovy flavor dashida, depending on which stock we feel like that day. You can find this in any Korean supermarket (e.g. H-Mart).

Because John’s recipe uses dashida, it is obviously not a chigae made from scratch. If you’re looking for that, we can’t help you there. Life is busy. Sometimes we need a shortcut.

Variations

You can add just about anything to your chigae. Try mushrooms, onions, zucchini, ground meats, shellfish, slices of beef or pork. We’ve even added pieces of Costco‘s rotisserie chicken to the chigae. The dish that time actually turned out to be the best chigae John had ever made. Go figure. Butter makes everything taste better.

Cooking time (duration): 35

Meal type: dinner

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ribs, legs, and wisconsin wieners: part 2

Continuing from the previous post on the Labor Day barbecue, here are the other two recipes that made up our grilling festivities.

Note: Again, I apologize for the lack of photos on a food post, but the food just got to’ up before John had a chance to snap some on his phone.

We grilled up about 25 chicken legs, and so to avoid monotony, I decided to use two different grilled chicken recipes. The last time I made this chicken recipe, it was a hit so why not go again for a crowd pleaser? The recipe is simple, requires few ingredients, and is easily adaptable according to how you feel like eating it. (You’ll see what I mean in the recipe below.) Now make it and eat it. Don’t you think it’s better than that crap Jack-in-the-Box version?


Recipe: Teriyaki Chicken

Summary: Original recipe for the baked version from All Recipes

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp. cornstarch
  • 1 tbsp. cold water
  • 1/2 c. brown sugar
  • 1/2 c. soy sauce
  • 1/4 c. cider vinegar
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tsp. ground or minced ginger
  • 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 12 skinless, boneless chicken thighs

Instructions

  1. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine cornstarch, water, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and pepper. Let simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens and bubbles.
  2. If baking, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place chicken in a 9″x13″ baking dish. Brush both sides of the chicken with the sauce. Bake for 30 minutes. Turn chicken over and bake for another 30 minutes or until no longer pink and juices run clear. Baste with sauce every 10 minutes during cooking.
  3. If grilling, cut chicken into 1″ cubes and marinate chicken in sauce for at least 1 hour. Before cooking, skewer the meat. Heat grill to medium-low heat and oil grates. Grill until done, about 10 minutes, turning halfway through cooking time.

Quick Notes

If grilling, try also grilling pineapple slices. In either case, serve with rice.

Variations

On Sunday’s barbecue, we used whole chicken legs instead of skewered chicken thighs. The preparation is all the same: marinate the skinless chicken legs in the teriyaki sauce for at least 1 hour. Grill time is obviously longer–about 60 minutes–and we suggest you baste frequently, at least once every 15 minutes or so. Turn the legs over halfway through cooking to ensure both sides are done.

Cooking time (duration): 70

Meal type: supper

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My next recipe is considered the soul food of Wisconsin. That’s right, beer brats. “Bratwurst” is a German compound word–brat means “chopped meat” (but is often misconstrued as originating from braten which means “fried”) and wurst means “sausage.” I had no idea bratwursts were the pride and joy of Wisconsin until the best rated bratwurst recipe I found on All Recipes had “Wisconsin” right in its name. Then I dug around online and stumbled upon this page. Boy, do those Wisconsinites love their brats. Miller Park in Milwaukee is the only baseball stadium in the U.S. to sell more brats than hotdogs. Now I can add beer brats to the very short list of things that remind me of Wisconsin: the Packers, the Bucks, the Brewers, beer, cheese, and “That ’70s Show.”

While our brats did not taste as yummy as the ones from Austin’s The Best Wurst on 6th Street, they were good in a sober Houston sort of way. And with Oktoberfest coming up, you can be sure this recipe would add just the right Munich touch to your festivities.


Recipe: Wisconsin Beer Brats

Summary: Original recipe from All Recipes.

Ingredients

  • 12 bratwurst sausages
  • 1 onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 stick butter
  • 3 (12 fl. oz.) cans or bottles beer (more if necessary to cover ingredients)
  • 1.5 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 12 hoagie rolls
  • sauteed sauerkraut
  • brown mustard

Instructions

  1. Prick bratwurst sausages with a fork to prevent bursting while cooking. In a large stockpot, bring beer, onion, butter, and pepper to a simmer. Add sausages. Cook for 15-20 minutes.
  2. Heat grill to medium-high heat. Lightly oil grill grates, and cook bratwursts for 10-14 minutes, turning occasionally for even browning. Serve immediately in hoagie rolls with onions and sauerkraut and brown mustard.

Quick Notes

The recipe calls for hoagie rolls, never hot dog buns. I didn’t get to taste one with any sauteed sauerkraut. Instead I had it with sauerkraut straight out of the jar, and boy, was that no good. Sauteeing the sauerkraut is a must–do it in a little bit of butter for optiumum results. You can even throw those onions leftover from the stockpot into the skillet. And always serve with brown mustard; yellow mustard is an abomination.

Cooking time (duration): 40

Meal type: lunch

Culinary tradition: USA (General)

Microformatting by hRecipe.


And that concludes our Labor Day cookout. As I always say, if the Blind can Cook, so can you.

ribs, legs, and wisconsin wieners: part 1

The Grillmaster 4-burner gas grill

Labor Day was first celebrated on September 5, 1882, in New York City. The Central Labor Union started the “workingmen’s holiday” which quickly became a federal holiday in 1894 after a number of workers died at the hands of the U.S. military and U.S. Marshals following a Pullman strike, and President Cleveland made reconciliation with the labor movement a top political priority. The first Monday in September of each year then became the official Labor Day.

Labor Day, as outlined in the original proposal, was to be celebrated with a parade exhibiting the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations followed by a festival for the workers. Today in the minds of sports fans, Labor Day marks the start of football season, and for other Americans, it is the symbolic end of summer: a day of rest and parties and thus the barbecue.

At the start of summer, John and I gifted a grill as a housewarming present to ourselves. After consulting Consumer Reports, we settled on a Grillmaster four-burner propane grill from Lowe’s for $200. I can recall the night my then fiance lugged the box upstairs to our balcony where he proceeded to piece the thing together in order to passively avoid having to do any wedding preparations. Since Houston summers are notoriously sweltering, we only used the grill once back in May the day after our wedding to celebrate my birthday. After that, the Grillmaster donned its cover, and the balcony was abandoned except for a few anolamous balmy evenings which, sadly, I could count on one hand. Also, toward the end of summer, we finally dish out the money for a 16-foot retractable SunSetter awning after I complained my husband’s ear off about how it’s too hot and sunny on the balcony. This reason to have an awning party combined with our underused grill and the fact that it was the end of summer days, we decided to have a barbecue to commemorate the first Labor Day in our new home and as husband and wife.

Now every barbecue must have some sort of meat or meat byproduct or else it cannot be considered an authentic Texas BBQ. This time, we decided to do pork spareribs, chicken legs, and Wisconsin beer brats. As a bonus, I’m going to cram two recipes into today’s post.

Let’s start with the ribs. I love pork spareribs. I think they’re much juicier (read: fattier) than their beef or baby back counterparts. Spareribs are taken from the belly side of the rib cage below the section of back ribs and above the sternum. They’re flatter and contain more bone than meat not to mention more fat which is why they’re so succulent. On the other hand, baby back ribs are taken from the top of the rib cage between the spine and spareribs below the loin muscle. The term “baby” means the ribs are taken from a market-weight hog rather than a sow. Back ribs have meat between and on top of the bones; and are shorter, curvier, and meatier than spareribs. Needless to say, I always get pork spareribs. People often say ribs are hard to cook, but I’ve found that I have yet to mess up a rack of pork spareribs. The recipe is very simple too.

Note: Sorry there are no photos of the food–the carnivorous friends of mine were vultures and tore up all the food before we had a chance to take pictures.

Recipe: Rudy’s Oven-Roasted Pork Spareribs

Ingredients

  • 2 racks of ribs, about 3 lbs. each
  • 1/2 c. Rudy’s dry rub
  • Rudy’s or Stubb’s BBQ sauce

Instructions

  1. Wash ribs if so desired. Rub Rudy’s dry rub liberally over both sides of the rib racks. Wrap in 3 layers of aluminum (preferably heavy duty) foil and let marinate overnight in refrigerator.
  2. Remove from fridge and let racks return to room temperature before cooking.
  3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cook for 50-60 minutes. Remove from oven and let meat sit in its own juices for about 10 minutes before cutting and serving. Serve with barbecue sauce.

Quick Notes

Okay, so I cheated. I used Rudy’s ready-made dry rub instead of making my own. But when you are designated to entertain/feed dozens of people, why make it harder on yourself when the Rudy’s rub is perfectly delectable? I got my Rudy’s rub from the Rudy’s Country Store & Bar-B-Q

I also cheated in the fact that I said we were having a barbecue, and my first recipe used the oven. You can grill ribs on low heat for hours if you want to keep it real. Remember to keep the grill cover closed. This will produce fall-off-the-bone ribs, but you can achieve the same thing in the oven in a fraction of the time. Of course, I know some true barbecue experts out there will say it’s totally different in taste or whatnot, but in our defense, we needed our grill space for other things (see below).

Variations

You can also baste the ribs before popping them into the oven with the barbecue sauce, then uncover the ribs in the last 15 minutes or so of cooking to thicken the sauce. I find that some people prefer dry ribs, though, which is why I skip the basting, opting to use barbecue sauce as a dipping condiment instead.

Cooking time (duration): 70

Meal type: supper

Culinary tradition: USA (Southern)

Microformatting by hRecipe.

Our next recipe called for the same Rudy’s dry rub but on chicken instead of pork. (See how versatile this Rudy’s dry rub is?) We chose to grill chicken legs because: (1) dark meat is juicier than white meat; (2) legs are easier to eat and less fatty than thighs; <3) they take less work than, say, burgers; and (4) they’re less expensive than breasts or beef.

Recipe: Rudy’s Grilled Chicken Legs

Ingredients

  • 12 chicken legs, skins removed
  • 1/2 c. Rudy’s dry rub
  • olive oil
  • Rudy’s or Stubb’s BBQ sauce

Instructions

  1. Apply dry rub liberally over chicken legs. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes.
  2. Heat grill to medium-low heat. Oil grill grates with olive oil.
  3. Grill chicken for 50-60 minutes, turning once halfway through cooking time.
  4. Chicken is done when it is no longer pink on the inside. Serve with barbecue sauce for dipping.

Quick Notes

Remember to oil the grates before each new piece of chicken. This helps the meat not stick to the grates while cooking.

Variations

If desired, baste the chicken with barbecue sauce in the last 15-20 minutes of cooking. Don’t make the mistake as I did in college of basting the meat with sauce before grilling–this will result in a burnt mess. You want to baste it towards the end, giving it just enough time to thicken and stick onto the meat but not to turn into a charred, carcinogenic mess.

Cooking time (duration): 65

Meal type: supper

Culinary tradition: USA (Southern)

Microformatting by hRecipe.

Everyone marveled at how yummy the ribs and chicken turned out. And with it being this easy, why not add it to your barbecue repertoire? You can feed the masses while not having to do too much work. Stay tuned for the other chicken recipe and the Wisconsin wieners. And remember, if the Blind can Cook it, so can you.

croissant bread pudding



The third and final course from Jade and Uyen’s birthday dinner was a rich croissant bread pudding. Bread pudding is a warm, eggy dessert, so for all you egg lovers out there, this is the dessert for you. It is an easy dessert to make–it just takes a long time in the oven. I had some trouble separating the yolks from the whites but managed okay in the end. I think that the bread pudding could’ve tasted a little more yolky and sweet, but Jade liked that it wasn’t too sweet. This is because I used brown sugar instead of white. Next time, maybe I’ll double the amount of sugar if using brown. And if you’re wondering what to do with all those leftover egg whites, try putting it on your face for a healthy egg mask. (I’m not kidding–that’s exactly what I did.)

I got this recipe from my trustworthy Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. I love Ina Garten’s recipes!” And remember, if the Blind can Cook it, so can you.

Recipe: Croissant Bread Pudding

Summary: Original recipe from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

Ingredients

    • 3 extra large whole eggs
    • 8 extra large egg yolks
    • 5 c. half & half
    • 1/4 c. sugar
    • 1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
    • 6 croissants, preferabbly stale
    • 1 c. raisins

Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
    2. In a medium bowl, whisk together whole eggs, yolks, half & half, sugar, and vanilla extract. Set aside custard mixture.
    3. Slice croissants in half horizontally. In a 10″ x 15″ x 2.5″ oval baking, distribute bottoms of sliced croissants. Then add the raisins, then the tops of the croissants brown side up, making sure raisins are in between the layers of croissants or else they will burn while baking.
    4. Pour the custard over the croissants and let stand for at least 10 minutes, pressing down gently so croissants soak up custard.
    5. Place the pan in a larger one filled with 1″ hot water. Cover the larger pan with foil, tenting it in the middle. Cut slits in foil to allow for steam to escape. Bake for 45 minutes. Then uncover and bake for another 40 to 45 minutes or until pudding puffs up and custard is set. Remove from oven to cool slightly before serving.

Quick Notes

Placing the pudding inside a larger pan with water is using the double boiler method. This prevents the pudding from burning where it touches the glass container. That way, you get more pudding and less charred mess. This double boiler method is also used for melting chocolate or preparing fine sauces over the stove.

I prepared the custard mixture the day before and refrigerated it covered overnight to minimize prep time on the day of the dinner. This left time to concentrate on other foods that could not be prepared ahead of time.

Variations

I substituted brown sugar in this recipe which made it less sweet. If you want it sweeter, either use white sugar or add more brown sugar. Also, I don’t normally add raisins when making this dish since John prefers no raisins.

The croissants can also be substituted with brioche or egg breads.

Cooking time (duration): 105

Diet type: Vegetarian

Meal type: dessert

Culinary tradition: French

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mushroom risotto

Risotto is something you always hear about on those ever-so-popular reality cooking shows of late. You have the amateur chefs sweating over the hot stove, their arms tired from the constant stirring motion. And in the end, the judges always remark in their British accent that the risotto is “unduh-cooked, ovuh-cooked…” So of course, you avoid attempting risotto in your own kitchen.

Well, I’m here to tell you if the Blind can Cook it, so can you. Sure, it’s tedious–you willhave to stand over the stove and possibly sweat for an hour, and yes, your arms may ache. But if you’re tenacious and follow the fairly simple recipe, you will have restaurant-quality risotto. All it takes is time and patience.

This mushroom risotto was the accompaniment to the scallops for Jade and Uyen’s birthday dinner. Everyone raved about it; I think it was the favorite (with the exception of John since he isn’t fond of mushrooms). You can serve it as a side dish, but it’s good enough to eat alone. Thanks to Myleen on All Recipes for the original version. Remember: if the Blind can Cook it, so can you. Bon appetit!




Recipe: Mushroom Risotto

Summary: My version of the Gourmet Mushroom Risotto from All Recipes

Ingredients

  • 6 c. chicken broth
  • 3 tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 portobello mushroom caps, coarsely chopped
  • 1 reg. pkg. white mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 shallots, diced
  • 1.5 c. arborio rice
  • 1/2 c. dry white wine
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 1 stalk green onion or 3 tbsp. chives, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp. butter
  • 1/3 c. parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions

  1. In a saucepan, warm chicken broth over low heat.
  2. Warm 2 tbsp. olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove mushrooms with their liquids, and set aside.
  3. Add 1 tbsp. olive oil into the large saucepan, and stir in shallots. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add rice, stirring to coat with oil, about 2 minutes. When the rice has taken on a pale, golden color, add wine, stirring constantly until wine is fully absorbed. Add 1/2 c. broth to the rice, stirring constantly until broth is fully absorbed. Continue adding 1/2 c. broth at a time, stirring constantly until liquid is absorbed and rice is al dente, about 45 to 60 minutes.
  4. Remove from heat and stir in mushrooms with their liquid, butter, cheese, and green onion or chives. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Cooking time (duration): 90

Diet type: Vegetarian

Meal type: supper

Culinary tradition: Italian

Microformatting by hRecipe.

scallops gratineed with wine, garlic & herbs



In honor of Julia Child’s birthday (Aug. 15, 1912 – Aug. 13, 2004), here is a recipe from her classic cookbook. It also happens to be the second course for Jade and Uyen’s birthday dinner. (Yes, it’s another French dish.) I served it with a mushroom risotto on the side. Ever since our honeymoon, we have been obsessed with food, and especially French foods. This is why it’s no surprise that I have downloaded both volumes of Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking from RFB&D and lie in bed at night listening to recipe after recipe until I fall asleep. Nuts? Just a little bit.

To gratinee something or cook it au gratin means to add a layer of an ingredient(s) (e.g. bread crumbs, cheese, eggs, butter) over the top and brown it lightly in a moderately heated broiler prior to serving. This is a common technique from the French and adds flavor and texture to the dish. When I was in Paris 9 years ago, my great aunt made numerous au gratin dishes, mostly in the form of some sort of vegetable in a casserole dish with tons of butter, cheese, and eggs–those French sure know how to eat.

I find that Costco usually has the tastiest looking scallops for a reasonable price–I think I got them for $9.99/lb. Costco has fresh seafood all around, so check out their kiosk next time you’re there on a weekend. They usually have everything from lobster to king crab.

As noted in the recipe below, I have this terrible habit of overcrowding my cookware. I always try to jam things into a small mixing bowl or crowd food into a pan. It comes from my laziness–I’m trying to minimize the time and effort needed for later dishwashing. This is why my food sometimes comes out half overcooked and the other half raw. I really need to break this cycle. Spacious cooking, here I come.

Recipe: Scallops Gratineed with Wine, Garlic & Herbs

Summary: Coquilles St. Jacques à la Provençale–original recipe from Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking (vol. 1)

Ingredients

  • 1/3 c. yellow onion, minced
  • 5 tbsp. unsalted butter
  • 1.5 tbsp. shallots or green onion, minced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1.5 lbs. washed scallops
  • salt & pepper
  • 1 cup sifted flour
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 2/3 c. dry white wine
  • 1/2 bay leaf
  • 1/8 tsp. thyme
  • 1/4 c. Swiss cheese, grated

Instructions

  1. Cook onions slowly with 1 tbsp. butter in small saucepan for 5 minutes or until tender and translucent but not brown. Stir in shallots or green onion and garlic, and cook slowly for 1 minute more. Set aside.
  2. Dry the scallops and cut into 1/4 inch thick. Just before cooking, sprinkle with salt and pepper, roll in flour, and shake off excess flour.
  3. In a large skillet, saute the scallops quickly in 2 tbsp. very hot butter and olive oil for 2 minutes to brown them lightly.
  4. Pour the wine into skillet with scallops. Add herbs and cooked onion mixture. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Then uncover and, if necessary, rapidly boil down the sauce for a minute until it is lightly thickened. Correct seasoning and discard bay leaf.
  5. Cut 2 tbsp. butter into 6 pieces. Spoon scallops into a baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and dot with butter. Set aside or refrigerate until ready to gratinee.
  6. Just before serving, run under moderately hot broiler for 3 to 4 minutes to heat through and brown the cheese lightly.

Quick Notes

Since this recipe is a first course for 6, I doubled the recipe in order to serve it as the main course. I also have this bad habit of overcrowding food into cookware so some of the scallops soaked up all the sauce while others were undercooked. Don’t fall into my bad habits! Cook in batches or using more pots and pans if you have to. (I know it’s hard for us lazy folk.) After gratineeing the scallops, they turned out slightly overdone. Flavor was still great though. Serve with a chilled rose or dry white wine.

Cooking time (duration): 30

Diet type: Pescatarian

Meal type: supper

Culinary tradition: French

Microformatting by hRecipe.


And remember, if the Blind can Cook, then so can you.

roasted tomato basil soup


Since our wedding in May, our house has filled with nice things for cooking and dining. From now on, instead of agonizing over what gift to get, I’ve decided to utilize the new spiffy kitchenware and dinnerware and practice cooking at the same time by hosting dinner for friends in celebration of their birthdays.

The first two lucky friends were Jade and Uyen (and their husbands), who happened to make up 1/3 of my bridal party. I don’t really know what I got myself into because Jade and Patrick are both the biggest foodies I know, Uyen loves to eat, and her husband Brent is the chef in their kitchen. I was facing my most judgmental critics, and to make things worse, I woke up the night before from an anxiety dream in which I forgot to bake the dessert.

Nonetheless, I began preparing the food a day ahead by making the soup and mixing the custard for the dessert. On the day of the dinner, I planned to make the entree, bake the dessert, and reheat the soup right before guests arrive.

So here is the first of three courses. (Stay tuned for the others.) I got the recipe from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. But because my culinary skills are intermediate, of course I botched things here and there. What I did to remedy the recipe and tweak it according to my taste buds are noted in the “variations” section of the recipe. (I won’t be afraid to admit my mistakes–after all, that’s why I’m the Blind Cook and not the Blind Chef. I will, however, note where I went wrong and offer what I tried in order to fix the recipe.)


Recipe: Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

Summary: Original recipe from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

Ingredients

  • 3 lbs. roma tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise
  • 1/4 c. & 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 tbsp. kosher salt
  • 1.5 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
  • 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • 4 cups basil leaves, packed
  • 1 tsp. fresh thyme
  • 1 (28 oz.) can roma tomatoes with juice
  • 1 quart chicken stock
  • 4 c. water

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, toss tomato halves with 1/4 c. olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place in a single layer on baking sheet, and roast for 45 minutes.
  2. In a 8-qt. stockpot, saute onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes in 2 tbsp. olive oil and 2 tbsp. butter over low heat for 10 minutes or until onion is browned.
  3. Add basil, thyme, canned tomatoes, chicken stock, and water. Add roasted tomatoes with all the juices from the baking sheet. Bring to boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes.
  4. Pass through a food mill and adjust seasoning. Serve hot or cold.

Variations

Since it was hard to find all 32 oz. of basil at the store, I ended up cutting the recipe in half except I used the same amount of canned tomatoes. I also forgot to tear the leaves off the basil stems, and so the soup smelled super herbal. This called for some major readjustment. I ended up resimmering the soup after pushing it through a food processor and adding the following:

  • 1/2 pint heavy cream
  • 1 & 1/2 sticks butter
  • more salt & pepper to taste
  • a splash of chicken stock

Cooking time (duration): 100

Diet type: Vegetarian

Meal type: supper

Culinary tradition: French

Microformatting by hRecipe.


And remember that if the Blind can Cook it, then so can you.

turkey sloppy joes

Turkey sloppy joe

With all of our fancy feasts lately, I was craving something completely on the other end of the spectrum. I brought it back old school with a variation of the school lunch favorite: sloppy joes. Everyone has memories of their elementary school experience when the hefty, hair-netted cafeteria lady would slop the meat mixture onto their open-faced bun. (Pass on the white milk…chocolate milk, please.)

To make it a little healthier, I used ground turkey instead of the usual ground beef. The original recipe came from ChoppedOnions on All Recipes. It was very simple to make and ready to eat in a jiffy. We ended up leaving the sandwich open-faced and eating it with a fork because, like its name, it was incredibly sloppy.

Also, I’m trying out this recipe plugin John installed for me. Let me know what you think. Should I continue to use the recipe template plugin, or should I stick to my rudimentary HTML skills and just list ingredients and directions the way I did in the Vietnamese chicken curry recipe?


Recipe: Turkey Sloppy Joes

Summary: Original recipe from ChoppedOnions on All Recipes

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 1 tbsp. minced garlic
  • 1 lb. ground turkey
  • 1 (8 oz.) can pureed tomatoes
  • 1/4 c. barbecue sauce
  • 2 tbsp. ketchup
  • 2 tbsp. white vinegar
  • 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp. brown mustard
  • 1 tbsp. chili garlic sauce (optional)
  • 4 burger buns

Instructions

  1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and cook onion and bell pepper until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and ground turkey, and cook until meat is well done, about another 5 to 7 minutes.
  2. Stir in the pureed tomatoes, barbecue sauce, ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and chili garlic sauce. Simmer until heated through, about 7 to 10 minutes. Serve on burger buns.

Quick Notes

Try using Stubb’s barbecue sauce instead of, say, KC Masterpiece–it’s got a more robust flavor.

For the chili garlic sauce, use Sriracha brand. It comes with a green lid and has a rooster on the jar. You can find it in Asian supermarkets or in the international food aisle.

Serve with potato salad or chips, and slices of raw onion or pickles.

Variations

The sloppy joe mixture was very runny (hence the name “sloppy). I think I’d prefer a heartier meat filling in my sandwich, so next time, I’ll try using 1.5 to 2 lbs. ground turkey instead of just 1 lb.

Since I used spicy barbecue sauce and spicy brown mustard, I decided to omit the chili garlic sauce. It had enough of a kick as is.

Cooking time (duration): 30

Meal type: lunch

Culinary tradition: USA (General)

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Remember, if the Blind can Cook it, so can you.

vietnamese chicken curry

Ca ri ga (chicken curry) is a stew-like dish eaten as a main course. It’s perfect for those cold winter days but because my husband and I have been on a French baguette kick ever since our honeymoon in June (more on that later), I decided to cook up the perfect accompaniment to the baguette.

France has a presence in Vietnamese culture due to the French colonization of the Indochine region during the 19th Century. This is why some of the vernacular transferred and why the baguette is used in several Vietnamese dishes. The beauty of this curry is its versatility in that it can, with a few tweaks, be made with beef instead of chicken. Rice sticks (banh pho), egg noodles (mi), or even rice (com) can also be substituted for the baguette slices.

I got this recipe from my Aunt Carol whose creations I used to scarf down when I lived under her roof back in high school. As with all great cooks, nothing was properly measured in her recipe so I had to cook it several times and modify it here and there before it tasted similar to hers. (The way I was originally cooking it made it super watery–it was missing that slightly thicker consistency of curry. Of course, the Vietnamese variety is not as thick as its Thai or Japanese and Korean counterparts, so don’t worry if it looks more like soup. You can just add more cornstarch to thicken it up.)

Made my house smell funky but oh-so delicious

Ingredients:

  • 2-3 lbs. chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 tsp. onion powder
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 2 tbsp. cooking oil
  • 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped
  • 2 lemongrass stalks, cut 3 inches long
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tbsp. curry powder
  • 1 (13.5 oz.) can coconut milk
  • 3 (13.5 oz.) can chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup fish sauce
  • 2 tsp. cornstarch, diluted in equal parts water
  • cilantro for garnish

Directions:

  1. Combine chicken, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and 1 tbsp. of the curry powder in a large bowl. Let marinate for 30 minutes.
  2. Heat oil in a large stockpot and saute garlic and onion until fragrant. Add remaining 1 tbsp. curry powder and stir for 30 seconds. Add chicken and stir until completely covered in curry mixture, about 3 minutes.
  3. Add carrots, potatoes, celery, lemongrass, fish sauce, coconut milk, and chicken broth to stockpot. Add enough water to cover ingredients. Bring to boil, then cover and reduce to simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until chicken, carrots, and potatoes are cooked through.
  4. Before serving, add cornstarch mixture. Add more for desired thickness. Garnish with cilantro. Serve over rice sticks, egg noodles, rice, or with baguette slices.

Serves 6 to 8.

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