Cookin' with Auntie Soozcat

[Soozcat]

Hi, folks. I'm home today with a cold; I sound like a rusty screen door right now (reel purty!). Anyway, today's offering: how to make Lebanese style tabbouleh.

In the Northern Hemisphere, it's getting to be the time of year when really ripe tomatoes go on sale, which is an excellent time to make tabbouleh. Prep time takes a little while, but the results are worth it. Recipe evilly stolen and slightly modified from Mary Hamady.

TABBOULEH
1/2 c. medium or fine bulgur wheat
1/2 c. minced onion
1/2 t. ground allspice
1/2 t. fresh-ground pepper (or more to taste)
1 to 2 t. salt (always start with the smaller amount and adjust for taste)
1 large bunch curly parsley
2 green onions, cut in 1" lengths
2 c. tomatoes
1 bunch spearmint leaves (you can use a few tablespoons dried spearmint instead, but fresh is better)
1 c. chopped cucumber
1/2 c. fresh lemon juice (try fresh squeezed the first time you make this)
3/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil

Ready? Here we go:

Soak bulgur wheat in lukewarm water to cover for 20-30 minutes, then place in fine sieve to drain.
In a small bowl, combine the minced onion with the allspice and salt; set aside.
Finely chop the tomatoes. DO NOT use a food processor for this; it will turn them into goo, and you don't want that.
You can, however, use a food processor for the next bit: whirl together the parsley leaves, spearmint leaves and green onions just until they're in small pieces. Get out a large bowl, and put the tomatoes and the green mix from the food processor into it. While you're at it, throw in the chopped cucumber as well.
Gently fold in the bulgur wheat, then the allspice-onion mixture.
At this point, you can choose either to refrigerate your tabbouleh and dress it just before serving, or to dress it now and refrigerate, letting the bulgur wheat soak up the flavors for an hour or two. Personally, I add the lemon juice at this point and the olive oil just before serving. In any case, refrigerate at least an hour to let the flavors meld. Check for seasoning and correct if necessary before serving.
Traditionally, this is scooped up and eaten with romaine leaves. Juicy and delish!

[Miss Lilly]

*blink blink*

Sounds good to me.

[alanaldafan11]

Yummy! Is this the new recipe thread? If so, I LOVE IT!

[Soozcat]

Yes! Spread your recipes! Let us have some recipe reciprocity!

[Miss Lilly]

I'll have to go through some of the recipes i have and post the when i have time.

[Soozcat]

Tonight was a night for ripe figs (weirdly underappreciated in this country), locally made smoked-salt caramels, and homemade aloo gobhi. I can't provide the first two, but I can certainly pass on the recipe for the third. Et voila:

ALOO GOBHI

5 spray(s) cooking spray (or a tablespoon of ghee, if you're not watching your weight)
1 large onion(s), chopped
1 Tbsp whole cumin seed
1 bunch fresh cilantro (coriander), stalks and leaves separated, stalks chopped
2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder, or 2-3 small hot green chilies, finely chopped
28 oz canned tomatoes, with their juices
1 piece ginger root, scraped and julienned
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 large red potatoes, cut in pieces
1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
2 tsp garam masala

In a large nonstick saucepan, heat cooking spray or ghee. Add onions and cumin seed, stirring until onions become creamy-golden and translucent. Add chopped coriander *stalks*, turmeric and salt. Add chili powder or chilies to taste. Stir tomatoes into onion mixture. Add ginger and garlic; mix thoroughly.
Add potatoes to the sauce plus a few tablespoons water to ensure mix doesn't stick to pan. Coat potatoes with sauce and cook 15 minutes, then add cauliflower, stir briefly and cook until both vegetables are done. Add garam masala and stir. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves atop aloo gobhi. Turn off heat, cover pan and allow flavors to meld as long as possible before serving. Makes 6 generous servings.

[Soozcat]

Fish, fish, it is delish! If you haven't already tried cooking basa, you really should. It's a type of freshwater catfish from Vietnam, and it's tasty. There are numerous ways to cook basa, but here's what I did tonight after opening the fridge and sizing up the contents:

4 basa fillets
2 bell peppers (1 yellow, 1 green)
1 Walla Walla sweet onion
2-3 cloves garlic

In the pantry I found:

2 cans diced tomatoes
bay leaf
Cajun seasoning
pepper

So: washed and patted dry the fillets and sprinkled them with a bit of Cajun seasoning. Got out the biggest frying pan, oiled it, threw in the peppers and onions (chopped) and the garlic (pressed) and stir-fried for a while. Then threw in the canned tomatoes (minus the cans) and a bit more Cajun seasoning, bay leaf and pepper, and let them all get to know each other for a few minutes. Then put the fish in the sauce and the sauce over the fish, and cooked until the fish flaked easily, about 5 minutes or so. Served over rice, with a salad and some cooked greens on the side (arr matey, CHARRRD!).

Easy peasy and it serves about 8 people!

[Soozcat]

It's cold and wet and miserable tonight in the PNW. But do we care? NO! For we will be eating cinnamon beef noodles tonight, and all is right with the world.

You may not be aware of this, but I am the greatest cinnamon beef noodle cook what ever lived. Unbelievers may scoff, but it's true.





I can see you're skeptical. Fine. Try this.

Get a big pot. No, bigger than that. Eight-quart size is good. With a tight-fitting lid. OK, now put it over high heat until it gets pretty hot, and throw in a tablespoon or so of cooking oil. (I like peanut oil because it has a high flashpoint and is otherwise awesome to cook with, but that's just my preference.) When the oil ripples in the bottom of the pot, it's ready. Instantly slap in a bowlful of the following: a bunch of green onions, cut in half-inch lengths (but leave some of the green part for later); a couple of rounds of star anise (get 'em at an Asian grocery); two good-sized cinnamon sticks; about a tablespoon of fresh ginger root, peeled and diced up; six cloves of garlic, peeled and squished; and a generous teaspoon of hot chili paste (you're already at the Asian grocery for the star anise, so pick up a little bottle of chili paste at the same time, right?). SIZZLE! Stir-fry it all around for about 30 seconds or until it's all fragrant. COUGH! as the chili paste starts doing its best to choke you. Now quick, add about 8 cups of water and half a cup of soy sauce. Bring it back to the boil. Cut up a 2-pound chuck roast into bite-sized pieces (whoops, just lost all the vegetarians. sorry.), trim off any visible fat, and add it to the pot. Bring back to the boil. Turn the heat down to simmer, clap the lid on that puppy and let it go for about an hour and a half, or until the beef is really tender. Your house will start to smell SO. GOOD.

Now get out a slightly smaller pot. Fill it with water and bring it to boiling, 'cause you're gonna cook some noodles. (It is called Cinnamon Beef NOODLES, right? Keep up with me, folks.) You can use udon noodles, or fettucine, or any lengthy and somewhat hefty noodle for this. Cook according to package directions and drain. While that's going on, skim off the soup and fish out the cinnamon sticks and anise stars. If you really want to make it pretty, you can strain the stock, rinse the beef and add it back in, but I'm usually way too lazy to go to that much trouble. Besides, the extra ginger in the pot tastes goooood. Anyway, now you get to toss in a whole bunch of spinach. No, more. You know how much spinach cooks down. If you want to make life a lot easier for yourself, get the bagged spinach sold for salads. Easy peasy. Oh, and chop up into fine dice the leftover green part of the green onions.

Now: bowls on table. Noodles in bowls. Soup and beef over noodles, and green onions sprinkled over all. Give thanks and devour messily and with gusto.

[Soozcat]

Tonight I came home from an afternoon in the city, and people were hungry, and there wasn't much in the fridge aside from a block of tofu. Yes, that's right, I have tofu in my fridge and I'm not a hippie. As it turns out, tofu can be a useful ingredient in a pinch, especially if one wants to make

AGEDASHI TOFU,

which I did. I don't recommend making this all the time--it is deep fried--but as an occasional winter indulgence it's good stuff. The tofu is crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, with a savory umami sauce. As lolcats would say, OMNOMNOM.

1 4 to 6 oz. block tofu (silken has the best texture for this recipe, but you can use anything up to extra firm)
cornstarch
oil for deep frying
1/2 c. dashi stock
2 T. soy sauce
1 1/2 T. mirin
green onions or fresh ginger root for garnish

Cut tofu into regular pieces about 1" thick. Drain on paper towels about 10 to 15 minutes, turning slices over midway. Meanwhile, combine dashi, soy sauce and mirin in a small pan, and heat it on the stove. If you're using it, you can add about half a tablespoon of fresh ginger root, scraped and cut into fine julienne, at this point. Sprinkle cornstarch on a plate and coat the tofu slices in it. Heat the oil to about 355 degrees. Pat excess cornstarch off the tofu pieces and slide them into the hot oil one by one; don't crowd them or the oil heat will drop. Fry until golden, turning once. Remove and drain on paper towels. When tofu is drained, place in a small bowl and ladle a bit of the sauce over the top. If you're using green onions, slice them up and sprinkle them over the top now. Consume with glee. (But not with Glee. Well, I mean, you can if you like; who am I to deny you your choice of TV series? Personally, though, I'll stick to Jonathan Creek.)

[RWLinda]

hmm, some of those recipies sounds delicious. Should try one of those somewhere around X-mas when I have some time to play around .

[Miss Lilly]

Now i'm hungry.

[Soozcat]

I made nikujaga tonight, but I'm too lazy (or is it too busy? nah, too lazy) to post the recipe right now.

[Soozcat]

OK, nikujaga time!

SOOZCAT'S NIKUJAGA

(Since nikujaga was originally borrowed from the British recipe for beef stew, tweaked and adapted for Japanese tastes and ingredients, my version kind of slides the dish back toward its roots. My niece, who is not a big fan of meat, loves this and begs for it at regular intervals.)

2 lb. red potatoes, peeled, cut in large chunks
1 lb. beef chuck, visible fat trimmed, cut in large cubes
1 medium onion
1 small piece fresh ginger, scraped and diced
2 cloves minced garlic
water
2 T. sugar
3 T. sake or sherry
3 T. soy sauce
1 T. mirin
vegetable oil for sauteeing
1 t. dark sesame oil
frozen peas
chopped green onions

In a large saucepan, sear chuck in vegetable oil, then saute with onions, ginger and garlic. Add water to cover, bring to a boil and cook over medium-low heat until meat is tender. Add sugar, sake, mirin, soy sauce and sesame oil and stir. Add potatoes, bring back to a boil, cover with a splatter guard and allow to cook over medium-low to medium heat until the cooking liquid is almost all evaporated and the potatoes have turned a golden color. If you like them, add about a cup of frozen peas and cover the pan until the peas have just heated through. Sprinkle with chopped green onions and serve over white rice.

[Soozcat]

Yes, I know, just past the holidays, probably the last thing you want is another recipe for something sweet. So hang onto this one for later when you have the January doldrums. I made some tonight and it is delicious.

Swedish Apple Cake
(brought to you by an authentic part-Swedish American)

1 T. breadcrumbs (unseasoned)
4 eggs
1 1/4 c. sugar (divided)
1 c. melted butter (yes, a whole cup. Yes, it's worth it. Don't give me that "I'm on a diet" crap -- live, baby, LIVE!)
1 1/2 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
2 t. cinnamon
3 apples, peeled and cored, cut into 12 slices
1/3 c. slivered almonds, chopped

Your oven's gonna need about tree fitty (350 degrees Fahrenheit). Butter a 10" springform pan or a 10" cast iron skillet and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together 1 cup of the sugar and all the eggs until mixture is thick and lemon-colored. Add the melted butter. In a smaller bowl, combine the flour and baking powder, then slowly incorporate into the butter mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared pan or skillet. Clean out the small bowl and combine the remaining 1/4 c. sugar and the cinnamon. Toss the apple pieces in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until they are well coated, then press them into the top of the cake batter. Sprinkle the top with almonds.

Bake 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve hot or warm. And if you really want to take it to another level, you can drizzle some caramel syrup or a bit of lemon curd over the top.

[RWLinda]

That sounds delicious! I might just make that when my birthday is around .