Chirashi & Sushi Rice

 

I don't know why it's been so long since I've made sushi rice. Like 12+ years. I remember making it once with my ex and it was SO CUMBERSOME. Maybe I was just younger and a more inexperienced cook back then. Or maybe we were trying to make it too authentically ... as opposed to this time, where I didn't care if a few grains of my rice were broken.

We had gotten amazing scallops from Lux Seafood so I went to the Japanese market and also got a block of chutoro and yellowtail (from Japan). Assembling our own chirashi bowls was super quick!

Sushi Rice

From Just One Cookbook

Makes 2 "rice cooker cups" (enough for approx 2-3 people)

2 "rice cooker cups" short grain rice

4 Tbsp rice vinegar

2 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp kosher salt

I use a Tatung rice cooker (the best rice cooker ever IMHO). Measure two rice cooker cups of rice, add water to the 2-line in the rice pot and add water to the rice cooker at the 2-measure on the rice cooker cup. If you're making regular rice, just make sure it's a bit drier than usual since you will be adding liquid to the rice ... more of a 1:1 ratio of water to rice. Soak for 30 minutes before cooking.

While the rice is cooking, combine the vinegar, sugar and salt in a measuring cup. Microwave for 30 seconds and then stir until the sugar and salt dissolve. Set aside to cool.

When the rice is steamed, spread it out while hot on a parchment lined baking sheet. Pour the sushi vinegar all over the rice and then use a paddle to "cut through and flip" the rice in order to even distribute the sushi vinegar. Fan the rice simultaneously to cool it down and encourage the rice to soak up the sushi vinegar but not get mushy - you may want to get someone to assist you with the fanning. Stop when the sushi vinegar is soaked up and the rice looks shiny.

Definitely click on the Just One Cookbook link to get a more thorough photo-demonstration. It's also more authentic to add konbu to the rice but we didn't have the time for that.

Sesame Miso Donabe

The weather is quickly warming up for Southern California but it's been difficult to stop making this sesame miso donabe! IT'S SO GOOD. We started making it when COVID-19 shut the entire world down and we ordered a CSA box to help some local farms who had lost their restaurant contracts stay afloat. The leafy greens were perfect in donabe.

That box was $25, which is a steal for how fresh the vegetables are! When I buy greens from the market, they usually last about a week. One of those Bloomsdale spinach bundles lasted THREE WEEKS before I got to it and it wasn't rotting at all!

This donabe (or you can make it in a regular pot) is totally adaptable with whatever vegetables or thin-sliced meat you have on hand (or seafood). Most of the time when I've made this, it's been totally vegetarian because it was the easiest, and we wanted to use as much of the CSA vegetables as possible. The most important thing is the soup base.

Sesame Miso Donabe
Adapted from Just One Cookbook
Serves 4

3 Tbsp white sesame seeds
6 cups water
1 Tbsp Hon-dashi
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 dried shitake mushrooms
3-4 Tbsp miso paste

Vegetable suggestions:
Spinach
Bok choy
Tokyo turnips
Daikon
Green onions
Assorted mushrooms
Tofu, fish (cut into 1" chunks), shrimp, any shabu shabu meats

Toast the white sesame seeds in a small pan over low heat (no oil or anything required). Make sure it doesn't burn! Grind with a mortar and pestle, not too fine.

Boil the water with the Hon-dashi, garlic and dried mushrooms. Add the tofu and hard vegetables (daikon, carrots, turnips, etc), simmer for 5 minutes. Add leafy greens and quicker cooking vegetables (green onions, mushrooms, spinach, etc), simmer for two minutes.

At this point you can serve hot with ponzu sauce as an option. If you have any seafood/meats, add them now and simmer for three minutes, then serve. The seafood/meats will continue to cook in the hot broth.

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!

Lobster Stock

What do you do when you have a ton of leftover lobster carcasses? If your answer is "throw them away, of course - the delicious lobster meat is gone and that's trash" then that answer is wrong! Take the shells and make a delicious, rich lobster stock. The stock is very versatile - use it as a base for a lobster bisque, seafood soups, chowders, seafood pot pies, etc.

After you eat the lobsters, scoop out the thick roe on the inside and save that for another use. My mom is going to make porridge with it tonight, which is also very exciting - but beware of the cholesterol levels, if that's an issue for you. Also, remove the gills and any innards.

Simmering the stock made my apartment smell amazing and seafood-y (is that a word?). I think the first thing I'm going to make is lobster miso soup, much like the kind made from the heads of sweet shrimp at Japanese restaurants (amaebi). Just add some miso and a few cubes of tofu and I'll be good to go!

Lobster Stock

Makes about 2-3 quarts

Carcasses and shells from two lobsters

3 Tbps canola or vegetable oil

1 onion, cut into wedges

1 carrot, cut into chunks

2 Tbps tomato paste or 2 tomatoes, chopped

1/3 cup mirin

1/3 cup dry white wine (or 2/3 cup if not using mirin)

8-10 cups water

Heat oil in large stockpot over medium heat. When the oil is hot (but not smoking), add lobster shells. Stir often with a wooden spoon until they are browned, about 15 minutes. The longer you deepen the color, the more flavorful the stock will be.

Add onion, carrot, tomato paste (or tomatoes), mirin and wine. Cook until the wine has evaporated by half. Add water and bring stock to a simmer. Continue to simmer for an hour, uncovered. Strain stock and keep at room temperature for up to a day, or refrigerate for a week. Freeze for up to three months.

The Walking Dead S3E11 - Seared Scallops

I think that I've blogged about seared scallops before buy Boyfriend is absolutely nutso about them. I went to 99 Ranch while he was at work the day before (on a Saturday, poor thing) and there they were ... fresh scallops the size of my palm. NOT PREVIOUSLY FROZEN. The sweet lady fishmonger that had previously helped me when I wanted to buy a live fish for steamed fish with soy sauce and ginger was there. She always treats me like her daughter and totally takes care of me. She went through the scallops and found the best looking ones just for me.

Sear your scallops in a combination of equal parts canola oil and butter, over high heat, seasoned with salt and pepper. Make sure that the pan isn't too crowded (mine is a bit overcrowded) otherwise the scallops will steam and you want to get a good sear over it. Depending on the thickness of the scallop, you only need to do it for 2-3 minutes per side. The very heart of the scallop should still be the tiniest bit raw.

I have to admit that scallops were a lot easier to eat during The Walking Dead ... nothing that crunched and nothing that was tomato sauce based. Not that there was too much to worry about though; this last episode was pretty boring actually. I don't need to have a zombie attack every time but I felt that this one was just pretty dragged out. Lots of talking with no direction. Hopefully the next one will be better because I'm thinking the new director from the midseason premiere is tanking quite a bit.

The Walking Dead S3E8 - Miso Black Cod

Hello there, all. It's been a long long time since the last update. I know, I'm ashamed of myself. But in my defense, I've WANTED to update for the last week or so but there seems to be a problem with Internet Explorer. Don't laugh, I HAVE to use IE because I have a work laptop. I got rid of my desktop a few years ago after I got one for work and realized that having a portable computer was so much more useful and space-efficient. Plus, not my money and I always have the latest upgrades. I'm not gaming much anymore and only used the computer to surf the net; now I could surf the net and watch TV on the couch at the same time! But I digress ...

IE seems to have an issue to where it's not letting me upload pictures through Blogger, which is a major hassle when this site is based on pictures. I mean, you just want to look at pictures of food right? Oh and sometimes recipes. They can be helpful too. So now I'm resorting to using Boyfriend's computer while he showers to update the blog.

The Walking Dead ended weeks ago ... the midseason finale anyway. The second half of the season is coming back in a couple of weeks. Eep! To provide full disclosure, I did not watch or make dinner for episode 8 because my birthday was the day before and I had Book Club the day of. So I'm giving this recipe from Ms food, je'taime. I made the udon with whatever leftover ingredients were in the refrigerator from having shabu-shabu-slash-hot-pot during the week. But the cod was the best part.

You can buy the cod filets fresh from any Japanese market or you can buy them frozen from Trader Joe's for something like $8.99/lb, which is ridiculously low. I defrosted the filet and cut it in half before marinading it ... delish. I actually text Ms food, je'taime to tell her I was eating and loving it because I was so excited.

Miso Black Cod
from food, je t'aime

1/2 cup of miso paste

3 tablespoon mirin

1 teaspoon light-colored honey

2 fillets black cod (about 1 inch thick)

vegetable oil

 

Whisk together miso , mirin, and honey to create the marinade. You can adjust the marinade to your liking (saltier/sweeter) but it turned out perfect in the above ratio.

Pat the cod filets dry with a paper towel. Transfer the marinade to a ziploc bag and throw in the filets with it; gently mush around a bit to coat the filets with the miso. Don't actually squash the fish! Marinate for about 24 hours.

 

Before cooking, remove the fish from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature for about 10 minutes. Preheat a nonstick skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat. Gently wipe off any excess marinade with your fingers. Oil pan and cook the fillet until golden brown on both sides, roughly 3-4 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the fish. Serve preferably with white rice.

The Walking Dead S3E7 - Grilled Tuna with Potato-Tomato Gratin

I'm so behind in blogging that I'm ashamed of myself. The Walking Dead has been over for weeks! Well, two weeks ... but still. And this is still for the episode before the midseason finale. And what a midseason finale it was. Hopefully they get rid of unreasonably angry women in the second half of the season.

Dinner was from Sunday Suppers at Lucques. It took a bit of preparation ahead of time but for the most part, everything came together pretty quickly. The gratin had to bake for almost three hours so definitely prepare for that if you want to make this dish!

Maybe I did something wrong but the gratin was a bit more watery than I would have liked. Anyone know what I did wrong? I think the tomatoes just have a lot of juice. Maybe I need to bake everything longer or seed the tomatoes first or just use less tomatoes.

The hunt for ahi tuna to sear was also an adventure. I first went to Whole Foods and ahi tuna was on sale for ...wait for it ... drum roll please ... $39.99 a pound. I almost fainted. Then I went to Trader Joe's and they were being sold for $16.99 a pound, which was a lot more reasonable. But the tuna wasn't too tender after being seared. I guess the more expensive quality does make a difference!

gratin onions being caramelized

onions caramelized

tomato, potato, onion and basil layering in progress

layered and ready for baking

Potato-Tomato Gratin
serves 6

5 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
6 cups thinly sliced onions
1 Tbsp thyme leaves
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/4 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 1/4 lbs ripe tomatoes
1/4 cup sliced opal basil (I used regular)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat a large sautee pan or Dutch oven over high heat for 2 minutes. Swirl in 3 Tbsp olive oil, and add the onions, 1 Tbsp thyme, 1 tsp salt, and some pepper. Cook 6 minutes, stirring often, and then turn the heat down to medium, Add the butter, and cook 15 minutes, stirring and scraping with a wooden spoon, until the onions start to caramelize. Turn the heat down to low, and continue cooking for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are a deep golden brown. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350degreesF.

Use a mandoline to slice the potatoes into 1/8-inch-thick rounds. Toss them with the cream, 1 tsp thyme, 1 tsp salt, and some freshly ground black pepper.

Cut the tomatoes into 1/4-inch-thick slices, arrange them on a plate, and season them with 1 tsp salt and some pepper.

Place half the caramelized onions in an even layer in a 9x9 inch gratin or baking dish. Arrange one layer of alternating potatoes and tomatoes on top of the onion layer. Drizzle with 2 Tbsp of the cream from the potatoes and 1 Tbsp olive oil. Season with 1/4 tsp salt, a healthy pinch of pepper, 1/2 tsp thyme and half the basil.

Scatter the rest of the caramelized onions over the potatoes and tomatoes.

Arrange another layer of potatoes and tomatoes on topl make this layer pretty, because it will be the top of your gratin. Pour the remaining cream (from the potatoes) and remaining Tbsp olive oil over the potatoes and tomatoes. Season with 1/4 tsp salt, a pinch of pepper, the remaining 1/2 tsp thyme, and the remaining basil. Press the vegetables down with your fingers. The cream and oil will come u p through the layers and coat the vegetables evenly.

Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake about 2 hours, until the potatoes are tender when pierced. Remove the gratin from the oven and uncover it, being careful of the steam.

Turn the oven up to 450degreesF and return the gratin, uncovered, to the oven. Cook another 25-30 minutes, until the juices have thickened and the top is nice and golden brown (as in "gratinéed").

grilled tuna over arugula

perfectly seared on the inside

Grilled Tuna
serves 6

6 tuna steaks, 5 to 6 oz each, about 1 inch thick
1 lemon, zested
1 chile de árbol, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 Tbsp thyme leaves
1 Tbsp sliced flat lead parsley
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp fleur de sel
1 Tbsp freshly cracked black pepper
2 oz arugula, cleaned
2 Tbsp super good extra-virgin olive oil

Season the fish with the lemon zest, chile, thyme and parsley. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Light the grill 30 to 40 mintues before cooking, and remove the fish from the refrigerator to come to room temperature. Alternately, use an indoor grill pan over high heat.

When the coals are broken down, red, and glowing, brush the fish with olive oil, and season on both sides with fleur de sel and cracked black epper. Grill the fish 2-3 minutes per side, rotating it once or twice. The tuna should be well seared but still rare.

Scatter the arugula onto a large platter and arrange the tuna on top. Squeeze some lemon juice over the fish, and then drizzle the fish with the super good olive oil. Dollop each piece of fish with rouille (I didn't make the rouille but the recipe is available in the book).

Red Shrimp Chowder with Corn

Cold weather time is finally upon us and that means it's time to make comfort food! Comfort food makes me gain weight. And umm, I know it's getting cold in other parts of the country but here in Los Angeles, it was 85 degrees today. But this morning it was down to about 65 degrees! That's cold. You people on the East Coast probably are shaking your heads right now and have no sympathy for me whatsoever.

This soup is delicious and best to make at the tail end of summer or the very beginning of fall, when fresh corn is still available. You can definitely make it with frozen corn as well, but I've never tried it that way before. Fresh corn has a sweetness to it that frozen just can't capture.

You cut the kernels off the corn and combine the naked corn cobs with the shrimp shells and either water or clam juice to make an awesome broth. I had some lobster tail shells in the freezer so I threw those in as well. Afterwards you add all the ingredients except for the shrimp and let it all cook together until delicious and turn off the heat. THEN stir in all the chopped up raw shrimp. The heat from the soup will cook the shrimp to tender perfection and ensure that they don't get tough and chewy. So genius.

The soup is perfect for a chilly night in., especially in this cold(er) weather. Make yourself a big bowl because there is no oil going into this, just fresh and healthy ingredients. Well except a little but from the bacon, but goes that really count?! Also, I didn't use the bacon. I'm ashamed of myself.

Red Shrimp Chowder with Corn

adapted from The Wednesday Chef

4 cups fish stock, clam broth, chicken broth or water (you can buy bottled clam broth at the market)
1.5 lbs shrimp, shelled, chopped into pieces roughly 1/2-inch thick, shells reserved
4 ears corn, shucked, kernels cut off, cobs and kernels reserved separately
2 sprigs basil cut into fine ribbons, stems reserved
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 lb bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (optional)
1 large onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 celery stalk, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 fennel bulb, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 carrots, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 lb potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 bay leaf
Red pepper flakes
28-ounce can whole tomatoes, squashed by hand, juice reserved

In a medium pot, bring the fish stock, broth or water to a boil with the shrimp shells, naked corn cobs and basil stems. Simmer for about 20 minutes.

In a large pot set over medium heat, melt the butter and fry the bacon in it. When the bacon is crisp, remove with a slotted spoon and set it aside. Cook the onion, garlic, celery, fennel and carrots in the hot fat until softened, about 10 minutes. Season with salt.

Strain the shrimp and corn cob broth into the pot. Add the corn kernels, potatoes, bay leaf and red pepper flakes to taste (about 1/4 tsp). Bring to a boil, cover the pot, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Using the back of a wooden spoon, crush about a third of the potato against the side of the pot. Stir in the squashed up tomatoes and reserved juice, return to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes more.

Turn off the stove heat. Add the chopped up shrimp, stir well and adjust the seasoning to taste, adding salt, pepper and more red pepper flakes. The shrimp will cook from the heat of the soup; it's a miracle! Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with the reserved basil leaves and bacon.

A Craving for Steamed Fish

I know I had promised to update more with the last post, but things have just been so crazy lately. My dad had a birthday, and my brother, and my co-worker ... there was Book Club ... a trip to San Francisco and Monterey ... and budgets. Budgets are the bane of my existence, the one and only time at work where I'm actually crazy busy from the moment I walk in until the moment I leave. Excel spreadsheets in size 7 font are opened and my eyesight diminishes from day to day. I think I talked about this last year too.

I made the above dinner one night when I was really really craving steamed fish, Asian style. I was just going to go to 99 Ranch, have them fish one out for me (haha, get it?!), whack it until it died and then bring it home right away to steam up ... then realized that maybe Boyfriend and his Italian-ness wouldn't eat fish with the head on and he'd get grossed out. But don't Italians eat branzino?? What was I thinking. Basically out of that fear, I made the three other dishes to go with it, just in case. As it turned out, I didn't have to worry because he scarfed as much fish as he could. And poured soy sauce on his rice (from the bottle, not like, using the soy ginger onion sauce with the fish - that would have been acceptable) ... I have such a long way to go in teaching him not to do that.

Steamed Whole Fish with Ginger and Scallions
adapted from Epicurious

3-lb whole black bass or black tilapia

1/2 tsp salt

1 bunch scallions, white and pale green parts cut into very thin 2-inch strips and greens reserved separately

1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into very thin matchsticks

3 Tbsp light soy sauce

1/4 tsp sugar

1 Tbsp peanut or vegetable oil

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. Put baking dish in roasting pan.

Clean fish by removing the guts (the fishmongers at 99 Ranch will clean and scale if for you, but only if you ask them to). Using sharp kitchen shears, cut off the top fin and side fins. Rinse fish and pat dry, then rub inside and out with salt. Transfer to baking dish and sprinkle with scallion strips (white and pale green) and ginger.

Stir together soy sauce and sugar until sugar is dissolved, then pour over fish. Add enough boiling-hot water to roasting pan to reach halfway up side of baking dish. This is the same concept as doing a water bath when baking cheesecake. Oil a large sheet of heavy-duty foil, then tent foil (oiled side down) over fish and tightly seal around roasting pan. Carefully transfer roasting pan to oven and bake until fish is just cooked through, about 30 to 35 minutes. While fish bakes, cut enough scallion greens diagonally into very thin slices to measure 1/2 cup.

Just before serving, remove foil from fish and transfer to a serving platter. Sprinkle with the cut scallion greens. Heat wok over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes instantly. Pour oil around side of wok, then tilt wok to swirl oil, coating side, and heat until smoking. Remove from heat and immediately pour oil over scallion greens and fish. Make sure you stand back to avoid being splashed the hot oil, and it will hiss like crazy! Don't be scared. (I didn't do this last part because I had too many things going on, but I've done it before and its delicious.)

Chili Beef Stir-Fry with Scallions and Snow Peas

adapted from The Cooking Channel

2 Tbsp chili-garlic sauce

2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp mirin or sherry

1 tsp honey

2 tsp toasted sesame oil

2 tsp cornstarch

3/4 lb flank steak, trimmed and frozen briefly

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

3 scallions, ends trimmed and thinly sliced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp grated ginger

12 ounces snow peas

Whisk the chili-garlic sauce, soy sauce, mirin, honey, sesame oil, and cornstarch together in a small bowl and set aside. While half frozen, cut the beef lengthwise along the grain into 3 or 4 (2-inch) wide pieces. Slice each piece of beef across the grain into paper thin pieces, about 1/8-inch thick. Doing this half frozen will give you the thinnest cuts. Pat the beef dry and season well with salt and pepper.

Heat 1 Tbsp of the oil in a medium nonstick skillet over high heat just until smoking. Add the beef and cook, stirring rarely, until well browned, about 4 to 5 minutes. Set aside.

Return the skillet to the stove over medium-low heat. Add the remaining 1 Tbsp of oil, 2/3 of the scallions, the garlic, and the ginger, and cook until just fragrant and starting to color, about 30 seconds. Stir in the snow peas, and cook, stirring occasionally, until bright green, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the chili-garlic sauce mixture, then remove the pan from the heat, and add the beef and accumulated juices. Toss to coat and sprinkle with remaining scallions.

The Walking Dead S2E6 - Mussels with OS Sauce

One more week until the mid-season finale! Then no more zombies until Febuary 2012 ... such a long time to wait! At least this will be back on before Game of Thrones and Mad Men. Is it me or is Andrea a cuh-razy bitch? I hate her so much. Everything about her annoys me - her self-righteous attitude, her cockiness even though she totally sucks, her whining for a gun all the time even though she doesn't know how to use it, her seduction (if you could even call it that) of Shayne after she all of a sudden became a head-shot killer of zombies ... ugh. Also, girl-who-slept-with-Glenn shouldn't be going all crazy on preggers Lori and yelling at her for almost getting her and Glenn killed because they went to town for her. Isn't she the one who was defending the barn and its inhabitants to Glenn and pretending the zombies were harmless?

Since it was pouring rain this Sunday, I had no real huge itch to make a crazy time consuming dinner, but was still in the mood for something delicious. The Momofuku cookbook had just the thing ... Mussels with Oriental Sauce. Shortened by David Chang to Mussels with OS Sauce, beause his kitchen staff was not pleased at having to say the word "oriental" over and over in the kitchen when their boss was a Korean guy. This dish is really easy to put together, and great with a salad and bread.

Mussels with OS Sauce
from Momouku Cookbook
serves 4

4 to 5 lbs mussels
1/3 cup dajiang bean paste or white miso
2 Tbps finely chopped ginger
2 Tbps sherry vinegar
2 Tbps chopped green onion
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 cup dry sake
1/2 cup julienned green onions
2-3 tsp grapeseed oil or other neutral oil

Put mussel in a large bowl and clean them by scrubbing and removing the beards. Refill the bowl with water and throw in a handful of either flour or cornmeal, to encourage them to spit up their sand. Let soak for 10 minutes, then drain and rinse well. Drain again. Discard any open/dead mussels.

Combine miso, ginger, vinegar, green onion and garlic in a small bowl. Smash together well with a rubber spatula.

In a large, wide saucepan, heat oil over high heat until hot but not smoking. Add in mussels and stir for 1 minute. Pour in sake, cover pot with lid. Steam until all the mussels have opened, about 5 minutes. Push all the mussels to one side of the pot and add miso paste, mixing to combine with the pan juices. This should happen very quickly. Toss the mussels a few times to coat with pan juices and remove from heat immediately. Discard any unopened mussels.

Ladle mussels into deep wide bowls and top with julienned green onions and a good dose of Sichuan black pepper.

* If no good mussels are available, use clams instead.
** To store mussels before cooking, pour them into a container and cover with a wet paper towel. Keep in refrigerator until needed.

We finished dinner with a good cup of Starbucks Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate, made at home for a fraction of the price! Thanks to Vanessa for sending me a picture of it from Target. It was pretty good, though of course getting one in a seasonal paper red cup just tastes different ...

But when it's pouring outside, my own ceramic red cup will do. I'm extremely paranoid about this cup breaking (the "tall" size for ceramic red cups has been discontinued) and have forbid Boyfriend from using it.

The Walking Dead S2E1 - Bucatini with Clams, Fennel, White Wine and Thyme Breadcrumbs

Ahh The Walking Dead. I hope everyone out there watches this show. I watch a variety of shows such as Top Chef, Gossip Girl, The Vampire Diaries, Glee, Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire, Revenge and American Horror Story ... but this is the ONLY show that Boyfriend and I make time for together - and most importantly, in real time. We do watch other shows together such as Community, Parks & Recreations, 30 Rock, Game of Thrones, and Terra Nova, but these are often a taped/downloaded recording since I'm basically hogging all the prime TV time for my shows.

The much anticipated season 2 of The Walking Dead was broadcasted Sunday night on AMC. Did you watch? If not, you can even catch up on season 1 very quickly - it was only six episodes. I guess they didn't commission an entire season because they didn't know how viewers would respond. Needless to say, it was a smash hit, especially to followers of the graphic novel (umm like Boyfriend). Since we had just wrapped up a whirlwind week of car shopping, more car shopping and then car purchasing, I busted out dinner from the Sunday Suppers at Lucques cookbook. As you can see from the top picture, I put dinner on the [coffee] table with 1 minute 10 seconds to spare. Woot for me!

Bucatini with Clams, Fennel, White Wine and Thyme Breadcrumbs
adapted from Sunday Suppers at Lucques
Serves 6

1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
2 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbps extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbps fresh thyme leaves
1/2 sprig rosemary
2 chiles de arbol, plus 1 teaspoon sliced
2 cups red onion, diced
2 cups fennel, diced
2 bay leaves, preferably fresh
1/4 cup thinly sliced garlic
1 lb bucatini, spaghetti or linguini
3 lb Manila clams
3/4 cup dry white wine
4 Tbps unsalted butter
1 lemon
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Clean the clams by placing them in a large bowl filled with cold water for 10 minutes. Add a small handfull of cornmeal or a splash of milk to encourage them to spit out any sand. Every few minutes, give the clams a stir. Drain and return to the bowl.

Combine breadcumbs and 1 tablespoon thyme; drizzle with 2 tablespoon of olive oil. Using your fingers, toss the breadcrumbs to evenly coat with the oil. Place in the oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring once or twice, until golden brown.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Meanwhile, heat a large dutch oven over high heat for two minutes. Pour in 1/2 cup olive oil, toss in the rosemary sprig and crumble in the 2 chiles de arbol with your fingers. Let them sizzle in the oil for 1-2 minutes and then turn down the heat to medium. Add the red onion, fennel, bay leaves and remaining tablespoon of thyme. Season with 2 teaspoons of salt and several grindings of black pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and continue to cook for another 3-4 minutes until the vegetables are translucent and soft.

Once the water is at a hard boil, season with salt and drop in the pasta.

Add the cleaned clams to the vegetables and stir to coat well. Pour in the wine and cover the pot. Cook until the clams open, about 5 minutes or so. After a couple minutes, lift the lid, gently stir the clams to help redistribute the heat, and re-cover the pan.

When all the clams have opened, remove the pan from the heat and use a slotted spoon to transfer the clams to a large bowl or rimmed baking sheet. Discard any clams that haven't opened. Remove half the clams from their shells (this step may be skipped).

When the pasta is al dente, reserve one cup of the pasta water, and then drain the pasta. Return the dutch oven to medium-high heat, and add the pasta to the vegetables, tossing the noodles well. Cook 3-4 minutes to reduce the juices and coat the pasta. If the pasta seems too dry, add some of the reserved pasta water (I did not have to do this). Stir in the butter, a big squeeze of lemon juice, the sliced chile, clams, parsley, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and a couple grindings of black pepper. Toss well and taste for seasoning.

To serve, pile the pasta into a large bowl/platter and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs.

* You can play according to your tastes, but I was able to cut back on the olive oil about 30% (for example, using 1/3 cup olive oil to cook the veggies in instead of 1/2 cup). The resulting pasta was still extremely flavorful and not dry at all, so use your own descretion. At least olive oil is good for you!

Summer Fruit Salad
Serves 6

9 figs
1 ripe peach
1 ripe nectarine
1 ripe plum
1/2 cup blackberries (I used raspberries)
8 oz arugula
1/3 cup Marcona almonda

Dressing
2 Tbps minced shallot
2 Tbps sherry vinegar (I used red wine vinegar)
1/2 tsp salt
3 figs
6 Tbps exta virgin olive oil

Combine shallot, vinegar and salt in a small bowl; let stand for 10 minutes. With a mortar and pestle, pound the figs into a paste. Combine with shallot/vinegar mixture. Whisk in the olive oil to make a dressing. Taste for balance. I had to add in a bit of sugar for the acidity.

Half the figs. Cut the peaches, nectaries and plums in half, remove the pits and slice into 1/4" thick slices. Combine all the fruit in a large bowl and drizzle with half the dressing, some salt and some fresh ground pepper. Toss very gently. Add the arugula, some more salt and fresh ground pepper and toss gently again. Add enough dressing to coat the fruit and arugula. Scatter almonds over (I skipped this part) and serve on a large platter.

Soy & Sugar Grilled Salmon

There are so many different ways to cook salmon - grilled, baked, boiled, smoked, poached, not cooked, etc. People love it, but I generally prefer my salmon sashimi-style. Most times restaurants make it dry dry dry. That's why I prefer to cook it myself so I can leave the center a bit pink and rare. If I even cook it at all.

However, I can't have sushi all the time. My crazy mom told me a story once about an actress who ate sushi five times a week, and had a stomachache, and doctors found maggots in her stomach. Is this true?!?! Probably not, but it freaked me out nonetheless. Servved the salmon with sauteed "water spinach" or "on choy" (which can be found in any Asian market and is actually getting very popular/mainstream) with preserved bean curd sauce. If you don't like the strong flavor of preserved bean curd, you can always just use garlic. Finished a healthy dinner with a plate of healthy fruit.

Soy & Sugar Grilled Salmon
Serves 4-6

1 1/2 lbs salmon fillets
garlic powder
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Season salmon fillets with garlic powder, and salt.

In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and vegetable oil until thoroughly mixed. Place fish in a large resealable plastic bag with the soy sauce mixture, seal, and mush around gently a bit to coat/absorb. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Preheat grill on medium heat and ightly oil grill grate. You can do this on an outdoor grill or a stovetop grill. Place salmon on the grill and discard marinade. Cook salmon for 6 to 8 minutes per side, or until the fish flakes easily and is barely cooked through.

Roasted Shrimp and Broccoli

Last night, boyfriend was working late. Or he said he was working late, but showed up at home 1.5 hours before he said he'd even be off work. Was he trying to see what I was up to? All he got was me finishing up the season of Boardwalk Empire (such a great show) and reading through all the archives of WeezerMonkey, which I am thuroughly enjoying. I have a sicknes in that whenever I start reading someone's blog, I start FROM THE BEGINNING. My Type-A personality-self likes things in chronological order. Since I met her at my first foodblogging event, Monkey (as she refers to herself) has been amazing to talk to on Twitter and is maybe a potential lunch buddy (once I make it to present day times in the archives and find out if she's still working close to where I do).

I remembered on my way home from work that I had some broccoli lingering in the fridge, so I stopped by the market to get a pound of shrimp and do a quick oven-bake, from reading Luisa's site (The Wednesday Chef). Quick, delicious, and low in calories (if you don't eat it with rice, which is highly recommended). Since I made it the very first time and had my mind blown with the combnation of ingredients, I make this dish once every couple of months.

Roasted Broccoli with Shrimp
Serves 4

2 lbs broccoli, cut into bite-size florets
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 heaping tsp ground corriander seeds (or 1 tsp whole)
1/2 heaping tsp ground cumin seeds (or 1 tsp whole)
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp hot chili powder
1 lb large shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 1/4 tsp lemon zest (from 1 large lemon)
Lemon wedges, for serving

Preheat oven to 425F. In a large bowl, toss broccoli with 2 Tbsp oil, coriander, cumin, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and chili powder. In a separate bowl, combine shrimp, remaining 2 Tbsp oil, lemon zest, remaining 1/2 tsp salt and remaining 1/2 tsp pepper.

Spread broccoli in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes. Add shrimp to baking sheet and toss with broccoli. Roast, tossing once halfway through, until shrimp are just opaque and broccoli is tender, about 10 minutes more. Serve with lemon wedges, or squeeze lemon juice all over shrimp and broccoli (and toss again) just before serving.

Shrimp Pasta

One of my favorite blogs is Pioneer Woman - she's fun, funny, and her blog is full of pictures and step-by-step recipes captured on film. When I first made this pasta, I was amazed by how a few imgredients could create such amazing flavors. Simple and straight-forward, this pasta requires minimum prep work, especially if you buy pre-peeled shrimp. Or buy shell on, so you can take out some rage issues while peeling them, and then save the shells to make shrimp stock.

A couple weeks ago at the Irvine Farmers Market (Saturdays 8am-12p) I came across some English peas. Super cute! I envisioned myself sitting on a porch in gingham and Ginger-esque pigtails, shucking peas. In reality, they were shucked over my kitchen sink while I was still in my work clothes, but the inital idea was very romantic. They look a lot like sugar snap peas so make sure you verify with the seller that they're English peas. You simply pop the pods open, run your finger along the inside and the peas fall out. Try to get the smaller ones, as they are sweeter; the larger peas may be kind of starchy. These ones below were starchy (see how huge they are) but I got some a couple weeks before that and they were small, sweet and crisp.

The peas really adds a brightness to the dish. You can totally make this yourself tonight! Just go to the market and grab a few ingredients. Dinner will be on the table in no time.

Shrimp Pasta
adaped from Pioneer Woman

3/4 lb rotini pasta (or your favorite shape)
1/2 cup fresh English peas, or frozen peas
2 Tbsp olive oil, separated
1 Tbsp butter
1 lb shrimp
8 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine or broth
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup basil, chiffonade

In a large pot, bring water to a rapid boil and add enough salt to make the water taste like the sea. Add pasta and cook to just al dente. You want it barely done, with still a bit of a bite, so it can continue to cook in the tomato cream sauce. In the last minute of cooking, throw the peas in and let them blanch before draining.

In another large pan, melt oil and butter over medium-high heat. Cook shrimp on one side, and then the other, until pink but barely done. They will continue cooking in the sauce later, so do not overcook. Remove, cool slightly, and cut into 3-4 pieces per shrimp.

In the same pan, add reminaing oil and cook onions for about 3 minutes until softened and translucent. Add garlic and stir for another minute, to toast the garlic. Add wine; it should sizzle and pick up all the shrimp bits and flavoring at the bottom of the pan. Let the alcohol cook off for a couple minutes. Pour in the tomato sauce and once heated through, lower the heat to medium-low and add the heavy cream. Stir to incorporate, the sauce should be lovely and pinkish. Add shrimp.
Once the sauce is done, drain pasta and peas; add directly to the sauce. Stir to coat the pasta; it will finish cooking and soak up the sauce. Add basil and stir to incorporate. Salt and peper to taste. It is very important to add enough salt, as the dish will not taste right otherwise.

Scallops? Yes Please

Scallops are low in fat and calories, high in protein and uhh cholesterol, but who really cares when they taste so delicious (just eat them in moderation ie not a few dozen at a time). To get a good sear on scallops, make sure they are dry dry dry. I generally set them out wedged between two sheets of paper towels to blot excess moisture. This is a bit harder if the scallops are bought frozen, but you can leave them between several sheets of paper towels in the fridge overnight to get the moisture out. Fresh & Easy offers never-been-frozen scallops in a pack of 9.

Pasta in Tomato Cream Sauce
Serves 2-3

1/2 lb pasta in any shape you like
1 Tbsp each oil & butter
1/2 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup dry white wine or broth
8 oz can tomato sauce
2/3 cup cream

In a large pot, bring water to a rapid boil and add enough salt to make the water taste like the sea. Add pasta (the one in the picture is mafalda pasta) and cook to just al dente. You want it barely done, with still a bit of a bite, so it can continue to cook in the tomato cream sauce.

In another large pan, melt oil and butter over medium-high heat. Cook onions for about 3 minutes until softened and translucent. Add garlic and stir for another minute, to toast the garlic and bring out the aroma. Add wine and let the alcohol cook off for a couple minutes. Pour in the tomato sauce and once heated through, lower the heat to medium-low and add the heavy cream. Stir to incorporate, the sauce should be lovely and pinkish. Salt and peper to taste.

Once the tomato sauce is done, drain pasta and add directly to the sauce. Stir to coat the pasta; it will finish cooking and soak up the sauce.

Seared Scallops
as many as you can eat

Bring the scallops to room temperature by leaving them out for about 15 minutes. This helps the entire scallop be the same temperature throughout, which helps them cook through quickly without having any raw cold spots in the middle.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil over high heat. Once the pan is very, very hot, add scallops in a single layer. Make sure you don't overcrowd the pan, or they will steam instead of sear (do two batches if you have a lot of scallops).

Don't move them! Resist all temptation to peek underneath and see the beautiful searing. After 1.5 minutes, turn the scallops to sear on the other side. If they have not gotten a good sear, leave them on the same side and check every 15 seconds until they are golden brown. Cook on the other side for 1.5 more minutes and plate immediately. Scallops cook up very quickly and continue to cook after you take them off the heat, so take care not to overcook.

* Serve both with salad if you want to capture all food groups.
* Substitute the wine/broth with vodka and you will have vodka sauce.