Miso Pesto Ramen

So this recipe has been raging all across Instagram lately ... Bon Appetit's ramen noodles with miso pesto. I decided to try it out based on the rave reviews.

First of all, this makes WAY too much pesto for two people. We made three balls of noodles and as you can see in the photo above, the noodles were fully dressed and I only used half of the sauce. So use caution when tossing and dressing!

M didn't like it as much as I thought he would. I kept pressing him to see what it needed to make it better and he finally said ... "It needs more protein" ... SMH. A seared scallop or grilled chicken might be a nice addition if you are like M (haha).

Miso Pesto Noodles
Adapted from Bon Appetit
Serves 2

6 cups baby spinach
2 cups cilantro leaves with tender stems
1 Tsp white miso
1 garlic clove
1/2 cup grapeseed or sunflower oil
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt (I used sea salt)
Fresh noodles (flour or ramen, which you can find in the refrigerated section of all Asian supermarkets)
1 Tsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Toasted sesame seeds

Boil a medium pot of water and cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain and do not rinse.

Meanwhile,  puree all other ingredients together, except the butter. Pour into large bowl. Once noodles are drained, add to 1/2 the amount of pesto and all of the butter. Toss together thoroughly. Add more pesto incrementally as necessary.

Divide between bowls and top with sesame seeds to serve.

Chipotle Lime Shrimp Summer Salad

Made this awesome salad the other night, which we ate while watching Terrace House (version Boys and Girls in the City) amongst all our boxes that still need to be unpacked. But we are 90% done, which is pretty good. Summer weather makes me want to minimize the amount of time spent in the kitchen.

Chipotle Lime Shrimp Summer Salad
adapted from Half Baked Harvest
Serves 2-4

1 white peach, pitted and sliced thinly
1/2 avocado, cubed
1 ear white corn, kernels cut off
Handful of heirloom grape tomatoes (whatever you have)
Large handfuls of spinach and/or arugula

Shrimp:
1 lb shrimp, peeled
1 tsp smoked paprika (I had some from Spain!)
1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
Zest of 1 lime and 1 lemon
1/2 tsp honey
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tsp olive oil

Croutons:
2 slices foccacia/ciabatta bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper

Dressing:
1 medium avocado
1 cup cilantro
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 jalapeno, membranes/seeds removed
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
Juice of 1 large lime

Preheat oven to 350degrees F (or toaster oven, since this is just for croutons). Mix bread, oil, salt and pepper together. Bake croutons for 15-20 min, until crispy. We happened to have focaccia from Bub & Grandma's (one of the best breads around) so we used that - it was amazing.

Combine shrimp with smoked paprika, chili powder, lemon/lime zests, olive oil, salt and pepper. Set aside to marinade while making the rest of the salad.

Blend all ingredients for dressing in a food processor or blender. Adjust for seasoning. Since my avocado was small, I threw in another 1/2 avocado. The dressing should be thick but not too thick. Think the consistency of bleu cheese dressing (the kind from the bottle).

Grill shrimp, either outdoors or on an indoor grill pan - about 2 min on the first side and 90 seconds on the second side. Be careful not to overcook. Toss together with vegetables and croutons, then put in about 1/2 cup dressing. Toss thoroughly before adding more dressing - you want the greens flavored but not soggy. Eat and beat the heat!

Braised Corned Beef Hash

St Patrick's Day is for drinking Guinness and eating corned beef hash and cabbage. So what's better than combining all that together into a hearty meal ... paired with another bottle of Guinness. AND on top of that, all of those items are usually on sale this time of the year so you'll save money on top of that. The perfect combination.

Braised Corned Beef Hash
Serves 4

1 corned beef hash, point cut
1 Tbps olive oil
2 medium onions, cut into quarters
6 medium carrots, cut into thirds
6-8 medium Yukon gold potatoes, halved
3 bottles Guinness beer

Preheat oven to 350F. Remove corned beef hash from packaging. If the beef is unseasoned and comes with the spice packet, rub it over the fatty side of the meat. Season all over with pepper and just the slightest sprinkling of salt. Remember the corned beef hash is sold already brined and salted.

Heat a large, oven-safe Dutch oven over high heat. Sear corned beef for 5 minutes on each side. Remove onto a plate and throw in the onions. Stir for a couple minutes to pick up some browning. Throw in the carrots and stir for a couple minutes more, and then the same with the potatoes.

Nestle the corned beef amongst the vegetables, along with any pan juices that may have collected onto the plate. Pour in all three bottles of Guinness. You may have to nestle the meat a bit more but the liquid should cover everything about 3/4 of the way.

Cover and oven for approx 1 hour per pound. Remove the lid for the last hour or so. I had a 2.41 corned beef so I cooked it covered for 2 hours and then uncovered for about 30 minutes. When you stick a fork in the meat, it should pierce easily.

Remove from oven and let rest for 10-15 minutes before removing the meat and slicing. Serve on a large platter surrounded with the vegetables and some pan juices on the side. Whole grain mustard and horseradish optional.

Portuguese Kale Potato Soup

I haven't been here forever!! But I just made my own spin on the traditional Portuguese soup (caldo verde) and it's too good not to post. What makes it awesome are these tiny Korean Berkshire sausages. There are a few brands out there and I cannot seem to find a picture of the one that is my favorite, but it basically looks like this:

The sausage I prefer has a happier cartoon sausage on it but they're about the size of Vienna sausages. I like them because the skins/casings are really crisp and have a great snap when you bite into them. Sometimes it's easy to also just pan fry up half a package. No oil needed, just a hot pan over medium high heat - shake the pan until the sausages brown.

Portuguese Kale Soup
Serves 4 as main course

2 Tbps butter
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 bunch kale, curly or lacinato, shredded
2 large russet potatoes, quartered lengthwise and 1/4" sliced
6 cups chicken broth
1/2 package Korean Berkshire pork sausage, cut into 1/4" coins

Melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook for about 10 minutes, with a large pinch of salt, stirring occasionally.

Once the onion is translucent and sweated out, add kale, potatoes and broth. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer and cover. Cook for 25-30 minutes, stirring a few times. As the potatoes cook down, they'll break up and make the soup creamy.

Add sausage and heat through (should only take a couple minutes). Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Substitutes:
* vegetable broth and omit sausage to make this vegetarian
* use any sort of garlic-y sausage, diced into 1/4" cubes

Nutella-Filled Brown Butter Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Now, those cookies may not look like much from the outside. But on the inside (where it really matters, amirite?) there is a delicious, melt-y, chocolate-y NUTELLA center. And no one can resist nutella. Keep that in mind the next time someone approaches you at a bar. Get to know them. They may be filled with nutella too!

As part of the 2015 Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap, I baked the above cookie and sent them out to my three match-ups ... Lynsey Lou's, The Kitchen Adventurer and Recipe Runner. Hopefully the ladies enjoyed their cookies - and from the Instagram posts I got, I think they did! My coworkers also enjoyed the sample that I gave them so I'll need to bake more soon.

Every year, I participate in this cookie exchange as part of the holidays, but the great thing about it is that to participate, the swappers are asked to donate $4 and the proceeds to go Cookies for Kids' Cancer. In the last few years, we've raised over $7,000 with just this exchange during the holidays, in tandem with the brand partners (Dixie Crystals, Land O Lakes and OXO), who match all contributions 1:1. Not only that but they send us nifty little gifts for participating! This year I got a set of measuring beakers and a silicon baking mat - both super cool!

Definitely think of joining next year if you're also a blogger - it's fun and everything goes to a great cause!

Nutella-Filled Brown Butter Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from Layers of Happiness

1 cup unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp of salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp ground cloves
4 Tbsp of pumpkin puree
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
Nutella (refrigerated)

First of all, refrigerate your nutella. I can't stress this enough. If I have an enemy, I'm just going to cover them in nutella and they'll go insane trying to get it off. IT GETS EVERYWHERE when it's at room temperature.

In a skillet (preferably not coated), melt butter over medium heat - stirring constantly. Once the butter begins to foam and has the aroma of a nutty flavor, remove it from the heat immediately or the butter will burn and that's no good for everyone. It will be slightly brown at the bottom of the pan. Set it aside and let it cool down.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour and baking soda, incorporating well.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the cooled brown butter, salt and sugars, blending thoroughly. Add in the egg and egg yolk, pumpkin, spices and vanilla - mix well again. Turn down the mixer to the lowest speed and add the flour mixture slowly. Remove from the blender and fold in all the chocolate chips.

Chill dough for 2-3 hours to make it easier to work with. Preheat oven to 350degrees.

Measure out 1.5 tablespoons of dough out and smash it flat between your palms. Put a chunk of refrigerated nutella in the middle, then roll the rough around it and form a ball, sealing the nutella completely.

The best way to do this is to use two knives so your hands never touch the nutella. It helps if you have a sheet of Saran Wrap laid out and you can take out a few chunks at a time, and keep refrigerating the rest. Don't ever touch the nutella!!

Bake the cookies for 10 minutes or until they begin to turn brown. Don't worry if they look underdone in the middle - you don't want fully cooked nutella!

Thanks to the ladies of Ambrosia Baking for your chewy ginger molasses chews, The P.K.P. Way for your holidays spice coookies and a mystery sender that sent chocolate peppermint crunch cookies for my sweets - my coworkers and I enjoyed them immensely!!

Looking forward to the 2016 cookie swap!!