if life hands you lemons, make lemonade

It seems only appropriate that a recipe demonstrating the gratuitousness (sometimes) of fresh herbs be followed by one demonstrating the greatness that can be achieved with dry herbs. Using dry rosemary really does not make you a bad person. Really. Though I think there are some herbs for which the freshness factor really is key (basil, for one), sometimes, I've decided, using a dry herb doesn't compromise all that much.

As I've said before, so often the joy of cooking is taking whatever you've got and making something tasty out of it. Quick rummaging through the fridge yesterday found me half a sack of red potatoes, garlic, and some butter. And conveniently, the apartment my boyfriend is subletting this summer came outfitted with a very comprehensive collection of dry spices and herbs. So what did I make? Red potatoes with garlic, butter, and dry thyme, naturally.

Red Potatoes with Garlic, Butter, and Dry Thyme

-ingredients-
1 pound small red boiling potatoes
1/2 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dry thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

-preparation-
1. Cut potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Cook potatoes in boiling salted water until just tender, about 8-10 minutes.
2. Drain potatoes; transfer to bowl.
3. Add remaining ingredients to bowl and toss.

bruschetta for the people

After reading certain kinds of recipes, I am left feeling compelled to engage in grade-B criminal activity. Especially recipes for bruschetta. (You may think you're on to me and my witty wordplay of the day, but no, no, I'm not saying I love bruschetta enough to kill for it!) So many recipes for bruschetta, like so many recipes for crab cakes and ravioli filling, call for bits and smidgeons of way too many fresh herbs. Now don't get me wrong. I love fresh herbs, and for recipes that call for an array of herbs by the cupfuls, I'm all for it. But I'm unemployed, and really, I'll be damned if I ask my dad to pay my credit card bill again just to cover fresh herb expenses. That said, I am not going to rip off a few leaves here and a few leaves there from the bunches of herbs at the grocery store. It's beneath me, and I won't do it. What I will do is say 'no' to always following recipes, because I have learned over these recent trying times, that there's always room for empowerment of one's own mind and culinary instincts. And because following rules is boring. AND, because the unemployed should have their bruschetta too!

One-Herb Bruschetta

-ingredients-
4 red but firm plum tomatoes (other kinds of tomatoes are more likely to be mealier, and a mealy tomato is never as offensive as when in bruschetta)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lemon's juice (I like very lemony bruschetta; if you don't, add less.)
1/4 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 baguette

-preparation-
1. Cut plum tomatoes into small dice. Put diced tomatoes in a bowl.
2. Add remaining ingredients to bowl, mixing them into tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Let tomato mixture sit, covered, on countertop for at least 1 hour.
4. Cut baguette into 1/2-inch slices; toast.
5. When ready, top toasts with tomato mixture and serve.













Picture: Step 3.

the mysterious world of ban chan

Reliance on recipes, to me, is a very American thing. Korean women don't own measuring cups or spoons. You might think that this would leave a large margin for error. Call them crazy, call them reckless, call them geniuses. My great aunt's bin dae dduk (mung bean pancake) always tastes the same. My mom's jang jo rim (salty brisket) always tastes the same. My own oyee kimchi (cucumber kimchi) always tastes the same, for God's sake! It's amazing in the same way that it's amazing that a Pizza Hut pan pizza will taste just as it did when you were 7, if you dare try a slice of it now. Except, of course, unlike Pizza Hut, Korean women seek no guidance beyond what they might have seen their mothers do, or what their instincts tell them. They invoke the mysterious world of ban chan (side dishes)... (I'm in a very dramatic mood today if you haven't noticed.)

Okay, back to Earth. Because we weren't all lucky enough to be born Korean women, I thought I'd share with you recipes for two of my favorite ban chan, both of which you will see are very simple. So there you have it. The secret's out. Korean women may not use recipes, but that's only because there really isn't much to it. Enjoy!

Spicy, Sweet, and Sour Oyee Kimchi

*Note: A few of the below ingredients can only be found in Asian markets; they are denoted with an asterisk and shown in the photo following the recipe.

-ingredients-
5 pickling cucumbers (also called kirby cucumbers)
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 cup white vinegar
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes (not the American kind)*
1 1/2 tablespoons red pepper paste*
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

-preparation-
1. Slice cucumbers laterally so that they are no more than 1/4 centimeter thick. (Basically, slice them to be as thin as possible without endangering your digits!)
2. Put cucumber slices in a bowl and sprinkle salt over them. Mix the cucumber slices around so salt is evenly distributed. Let cucumber slices sit for at least 15 minutes.
3. Add all remaining ingredients. Toss cucumber slices to evenly distribute ingredients.
4. Taste; add more salt/vinegar/garlic/sugar as desired.













Picture: Step 1.












Picture: Red Pepper Paste (left), Red Pepper Powder (right).



Kong Na Mool Moo Chim (Garlicky Bean Sprouts)

-ingredients-
1 12-oz package bean sprouts (sold at Whole Foods and most other supermarkets)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced

-preparation-
1. Bring a medium or large pot of water to rapid boil. Add bean sprouts and cook for only about 1-2 minutes, stirring.
2. Once sprouts are barely cooked through but still crisp, remove from water and rinse once with cold water. Put sprouts in mixing bowl.
3. Add salt, pepper, and garlic. Taste; season more with salt and pepper as desired.

leftover leftover chili

There is one thing about me as a cook that often makes me even more proud than my modest culinary accomplishments: I rarely throw food away. I guess the fact that I am currently not working (and thus have the luxury to grocery shop everyday, sometimes more than once a day) and the fact that I am only cooking for myself and two others (and thus never feel the need to buy in bulk) help me out. At any rate, I would like to present as an example of my stunningly utilitarian resourcefulness, Leftover Leftover Chili.

The leftover ingredients that contributed to this chili are as follows: yellow cornmeal (from last week's birthday polenta), beef broth (from the porcini mushroom sauce for last week's birthday polenta), ground beef (from my roommate's Hamburger Helper), and cilantro (from last night's guacamole).

The easiest way to figure out a good way to use leftover ingredients is to go to Epicurious and search for a recipe that includes whatever you need to get rid of. Here's to never throwing away leftover ingredients again! Cheers.

Leftover Leftover Chili

This recipe will feed 6 to 8 people. This chili is particularly delicious when eaten the next day, as leftovers.

-ingredients-
2 pounds lean ground beef
2 large onions, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
5 tablespoons chili powder
3 tablespoons canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, chopped
2 cups kidney beans
2 cups red beans
2 cups canned diced tomatoes, with their juice
3 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
2 cups beef broth
1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 lime's juice

-preparation-
1. Saute beef and onions in a large heavy pot until beef is browned, about 10 minutes. Make sure to break up beef as it cooks.
2. Add garlic, chili powder, chipotle chilies, kidney beans, red beans, tomatoes, salt, and pepper; stir about 2 minutes.
3. Add beef broth to pot and bring to boil. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add cilantro (reserving some for garnish, if desired) and lime juice. Reduce heat and allow chili to simmer for about 1 hour, partially covered and stirring occasionally.
5. Serve with grated cheese, dollop of sour cream, and/or garnish of cilantro on top, as desired.














Picture: Step 3.

porkopolis

There's more to Boston than tea parties, clam chowder, and the Red Sox. There are pork chops. I know, seems strange, right? I would be inclined to associate pork chops with a town more like... Omaha? No, that's where bad steaks fly in from. Des Moines? (the answer is actually Smithfield, VA)

Today, walking around the South End of Boston in search of food-related employment, I probably read close to 30 menus, and about 20 of them included a pork chop dish. Grilled Berkshire pork chop at The Beehive, another Berkshire pork chop at Sorellina, honey brined crunchy pork chop at Pops... So what was for dinner tonight? Pork chops. My own special kind.

Balsamicky Pork Chops

This recipe will feed 4 people.

-ingredients-
4 center-cut top loin bone-in pork chops (1 for each person)
1 large sweet onion, sliced lengthwise into strips
15 crimini mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

-preparation-
1. Pat pork dry. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper.
2. Heat oil in heavy large saucepan on moderately high heat. Once oil is hot but not smoking, put pork chops in pan. After about 3 minutes, turn pork over and add onion and mushrooms to pan; cook for another 3 minutes.
3. Remove pork from pan. Add vinegar, sugar, rosemary sprigs, and remaining salt and pepper to pan, stirring onion and mushrooms. Cook until sugar is dissolved and sauce is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
4. Remove rosemary and return pork to pan, turning a few times to coat with sauce. Allow pork to cook through in pan, about 3 minutes.
5. Remove pork from pan and increase heat. Bring sauce to boil; allow to thicken, about 2 minutes. Melt in butter.
6. Drizzle sauce over pork and serve.














Picture: Step 4.

my first post for my first risotto

Today I made my first pot of risotto. I've cooked many things before, but I wanted to wait until all conditions felt just right to try my hand at something more complicated than my usual go-to's: stir fry with oyster sauce, spaghetti bolognese, bulgogi. Today, things felt right. I had 18 nice plump shrimp twiddling their thumbs in my refrigerator, prize-winning Caruso tomatoes from the farmer's market, and a small tub of very fresh fresh mozzarella. Okay, so there wasn't really the spontaneity that I had earlier implied. Yesterday, I felt that the next day, today, would be a good day to try making risotto. I slept like a baby, with dreams of the imminent mission.

Making risotto is a lot easier if you have a boyfriend with strong arms. My boyfriend's arm strength was put to the test twice today, in fact. Test #1: kayaking. Every 3 minutes or so, the muscles in my arms would get very melty around my bones, and David would have to make up for my girlish incompetence. Test #2: stirring the risotto. For about 25 minutes, David ladled hot chicken+vegetable (I did a 2:1 chicken:vegetable broth ratio) into the pot of would-be risotto, stirred it vigorously (I didn't actually know what level of vigor would be appropriate, so I decided to order a very vigorous stir) until all of the broth was absorbed, ladled more broth in, stirred it vigorously...

The result? A very, very good knock-off of Risoterria's Shrimp, Mozzarella & Tomato risotto, which they price at $16.55. I'm smiling that smile that turns up on the faces of those who have cheated - valiantly, astutely, imaginatively - the system.

Make it yourself; trust that you will be smiling the smile in just 45 short minutes.

Risotto with Garlicky Shrimp, Mozzarella, Asparagus, & Tomato (a very, very good knock-off)

This recipe will feed 4 people.

-ingredients-
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups chicken broth
1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined
6 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup 1-inch pieces thin asparagus
1 1/2 cup chopped plum tomatoes
3 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into small chunks
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

-preparation-
1. Combine both broths in a medium saucepan and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low and cover.
2. In a pan, melt 1 tablespoon butter with 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Add shrimp, 3 cloves minced garlic, crushed red pepper; season with salt and pepper. Cook until shrimp have just turned pink, about 3 minutes. Transfer shrimp to bowl with juices.
3. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped onion and saute until golden and tender, about 5 minutes. Add remaining minced garlic and stir 1 minute.
4. Add rice to onions; stir about 3 minutes.
5. Add wine; simmer until almost all liquid is absorbed while stirring often.
6. Add hot broth 1 cup at a time, allowing rice to absorb broth before each addition, stirring often.
7. When about 2 cups broth are left, add asparagus and chopped tomatoes.
8. When 1 cup broth left, add shrimp (with cooking juices) and last cup broth.
9. Cook, still stirring often, until rice is tender but still firm to bite and mixture is creamy overall. Once this has been achieved, add mozzarella chunks. Stir until all chunks have melted into risotto.
10. Remove from heat. Add parmesan cheese and 2 tablespoons butter. Stir until cheese and butter melt.
11. Sprinkle chopped basil and drizzle a bit of extra-virgin olive oil on top of each bowl of risotto. Serve, along with additional grated parmesan.