Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce

This is the easiest way I've found so far to make this dish and had to note it here. The Chinese name for it is 蚝蠔芥蘭.

Notes:

• I had less vegetable to start with so I scaled down the recipe to fit what I had.

Verdict: This was really tasty! I knew before making it that I like this dish, and thought this version was really nice and easy to make. I would definitely make it again and this particular person really makes me want to learn more about Chinese cooking techniques. His father apparently worked in the restaurant business for most of his life as a cook/chef, and a big part of this person's reason for making a blog and videos is to document and share his father's extensive knowledge.

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RECIPE: Perfect Chinese Broccoli w/Oyster Sauce (Made with Lau)

(Video version)

Scallion Pancakes

Notes:

• I froze two of them for later. It's a little harder to make sure they get cooked in the middle without burning the outside but they still taste really good.
  

Verdict: I already knew I liked scallion pancakes, and fresh homemade ones are even more of a treat. They're kind of a lot of work, but really delicious.

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RECIPE: Cong You Bing Scallion Pancakes (The Woks of Life)

Squash Toasts with Ricotta and Apple Cider Vinegar

I wanted to try a new way of preparing winter squash and I also had a lot of ricotta cheese on hand, so I decided to make this, even despite my misgivings about cooking vinegar into it.

Notes:

• I used buttercup/kabocha squash.
• I only used 3 tablespoons of maple syrup because I greatly prefer savory preparations of winter squash to sweet ones.
  
• I didn't have any fresh mint so I skipped it.

Verdict: I did enjoy it (yes, even with the vinegar cooked in!) but I will make less next time if I'm the only one eating it. I was getting sick of it by the 4th round.

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RECIPE: Squash Toasts with Ricotta and Cider Vinegar (Smitten Kitchen)

Zucchini Fritters

finished fritters

I used to make these a lot, and then stopped because my household (= my partner) was getting sick of zucchini. This summer, though, I have been craving them again and couldn't find my original recipe, so I used this one instead.

fritter batter before frying

Notes:

• Make sure you squeeze enough water out of the zucchini before mixing in, otherwise the patties will not stick together.
  

Verdict: Just as delicious as I remember. A great way to use up a lot of zucchini, and they are pretty healthy, too. I like serving them with something acidic (fresh tomato, plain yogurt, a squeeze of lemon juice). They also make a great filling for a pita sandwich with the aforementioned acidic ingredients.

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RECIPE: Easy Zucchini Fritters (Natasha's Kitchen)

Chinese Style Fried Chicken

This recipe scrolled by on one of my social media feeds a few years ago, and it caught my eye because it sounded really similar to a dish I like to get at one of my favorite local Asian fusion restaurants: crispy grilled chicken with ginger-scallion chutney. I was putting away chicken thighs this morning and remembered that I had this recipe, and realized I had everything I needed to try it out.

Notes:

• I served this with jasmine rice.
• I marinated the chicken for longer than directed, about 3 hours.
• I did not have a fresh chili pepper on hand so I used red pepper flakes to taste. If you don't want or can't have it spicy you can leave this out.
• I used fresh baby spinach instead of mizuna because it was what I had on hand, but any salad green would taste good here, especially a slightly peppery one like arugula.

Verdict: It's not exactly the same as the restaurant dish but it is close, and quite delicious! It was relatively easy to make and I was pleasantly surprised that the skin actually got crispy. I would definitely make this again.

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RECIPE:

Chinese Style Fried Chicken

adapted from Tasty Japan

Serves 2

2 chicken thighs, skin on

Marinade

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp salt

2 tsp sake

Sauce

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp granulated sugar

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

1 tsp minced garlic

1 small scallion, minced

1 birdseye or Thai chili pepper, thinly sliced

4 tbsp canola oil

3 tbsp corn starch or potato starch

4 oz (1/4 lb) mizuna or arugula, or salad greens

12 cherry tomatoes, halved

On a cutting board, de-bone the chicken thighs if they have bones, then either score the skin with a knife or prick the skin all over with a fork. Place marinade ingredients in a quart sized plastic bag, then add chicken. Close the bag and move the chicken around inside it until marinade ingredients are mixed and chicken is fully coated in the marinade. Place in the refrigerator and let marinate for at least 30 minutes, and up to 4 hours.

Meanwhile, prepare sauce. Place all ingredients in a small bowl and stir until sugar has dissolved. Set aside.

When you're ready to cook the chicken, heat the canola oil on medium-high heat in a shallow frying pan on the stove. Spread cornstarch on a shallow plate. Remove chicken thighs from bag and discard marinade. Gently press each side of the chicken into the cornstarch to coat the entire surface, and shake off any excess. When oil is shimmering, place chicken in the pan skin side down and cook until the skin is golden brown and crisp, about 5-6 minutes. Flip each chicken thigh and cook for 2-3 more minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

To serve, let chicken rest for a few minutes, then slice. Place greens on a plate and place sliced chicken on top. Arrange cherry tomatoes around the chicken, then pour sauce over the top.

Mushrooms with Garlic and Sherry

I'm not the biggest fan of mushrooms but my husband is. I tried this recipe because I had a bunch of them I needed to use up quickly, and the one type of mushrooms I do kind of get excited about are the garlic mushrooms at the Renaissance faire. I wanted to make a fancier version of those. I liked these reasonably well but he LOVED them.

Notes:

• To make this dish vegetarian, you can use vegetable stock instead of beef stock. Mushroom stock would be particularly appropriate.
• I used about 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes and still found it a little too spicy for my liking, but I'm decidedly not a fan of spicy heat with my mushrooms. I will probably leave it out from future batches.
• If you don't have sherry, a dry white wine would also work.
• Someone in the original recipe's comments mentioned wanting to add thyme and I rather like that idea.

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RECIPE:

Mushrooms with Garlic and Sherry
adapted very slightly from Leite's Culinaria
Serves 4

2 tbsp (1 oz) butter
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 lb (~450 g) button or other mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp (30 ml) Fino, Amontillado, or Manzanilla sherry
3/4 cup (180 ml) beef or vegetable stock
1/4 tsp hot red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 tbsp flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped, for garnish

Place a skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Add butter. When the butter is melted, add garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds), then add mushrooms. Cook for approximately 7-10 minutes, or until they release their liquid and begin to brown. Add lemon juice, sherry, stock, and pepper flakes (if using) and stir briefly to mix. Bring the pan to a boil, then reduce heat to low and allow to simmer uncovered until the liquid has reduced significantly and become syrupy, about 10 minutes. Add salt and black pepper, and sprinkle parsley on top.

Crab Cakes

 

Given that I live in the upper Midwest, I don't have a lot of experience with seafood that is not breaded and deep fried, and especially not when it comes to cooking seafood. However, when life hands you a can of crabmeat from dear friends who are moving across the country and don't want to move the contents of their pantry, and tricks your husband into buying a whole bunch of imitation crab sticks when you meant to get another kind of Asian fish cake, you get to experiment and try something new. I opted to try making crab cakes since the crab meat I had was the right texture and I heard they were good. I'm not sure about other parts of the US but crab cakes are considered fancy here, and I'm all about being fancy, or at least pretending to be fancy.

Notes:

• I used a mix of canned crab meat (4.5 oz) and imitation crab sticks (about 8.5 oz). The crab sticks were made of a finely shredded textured fish cake so when I cut the sticks into ~3/4 inch long pieces, they fell apart into skinny threads.
• I opted to pan fry them and was pleased with the result. They are admittedly a little hard to shape and they feel like they'll fall apart in the pan but they seem to solidify a bit as they cook and if you push any small bits that escape back onto the edge of one, they tend to stay there. You do have to handle them somewhat carefully when you flip them.
• I used a little less sriracha than the recipe calls for (maybe ~1/2 tsp) because I thought it might be too spicy. They had a slight kick to them that I could taste but there was no lingering burn.
• You might want to reduce the salt, particularly if you use imitation crab. I think I could have left out the added salt completely.
• This recipe made 10 patties around 2.5-3 inches in diameter and about 1/2 inch thick.
• I served these with roasted potatoes but I think a simple green salad would also taste good with them.

RECIPE: Easy Crab Cakes

Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates with Hazelnut Pesto

When I first met my friend Andrea, she worked for a restaurant that made this as an appetizer. She told us about it, and how she liked them so much she would get the chef (her friend) to make them for her sometimes to eat whenever she could sneak back to the kitchen. This got me interested, and my husband and I went to the restaurant to have some for ourselves. This is the food that made me decide I like dates.

The restaurant is no longer open, but the chef gave her the recipe so that she could make them for herself if she felt like putting in the work. She loves food but not cooking...so she came to me to ask me if I'd help. Since I love them too, it didn't take much convincing. We made them for a tea party at my house a while back, but this time I helped her make them to bring to a murder mystery party because I had the proper equipment and it's always nice to not have to cook alone :)

The recipe as written when Andrea got it was for a much larger amount, and the amounts of the components as written weren't proportional to one another (for example, we ended up with LOTS of extra pesto the first time) but after making it twice I think I have it adjusted to a home setting reasonably well.

Notes:

• It is important to use medjool dates. They are larger and softer than dried dates. Making this was the first time I had a reason to shop for them. I found them pitted and packaged in the produce section of the grocery store, in the bulk section of a grocery store that sold bulk items by weight (also pitted), and sold by weight in the produce section of an Asian market (still contained pits). The Asian market was by far the cheapest option. We determined that there are about 32 dates in 1 pound.
• Since this recipe is from a restaurant, the weights are of fully prepared/peeled ingredients. When buying ingredients, you may want to get slightly larger amounts of things that have skins or things that need to be removed before use (like garlic and shallots).
• MAKE AHEAD TIPS: If making ahead, stuff but do not bake the dates or put the pesto on them, and keep in the refrigerator wrapped in saran wrap or in an airtight container in a single layer. Keep pesto separately in an airtight container in the refrigerator with plastic wrap over the surface to prevent browning. (I think these could be kept for up to 2 days before baking and serving.)
• Stuffing and pesto can also be frozen.

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RECIPE:

Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates with Hazelnut Pesto
from 43 North in Madison, WI
Makes 32; serves about 6-8

Dates
32 medjool dates (about 1 lb)

Goat Cheese Filling
11g (about 2 ½ tsp) garlic, minced
25g (about 1 ½ tbsp) shallot, minced
3g (about ½ tsp) fresh thyme, stems removed, chopped
25g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter
225g (8 oz, 1/2 lb) chevre/goat cheese
1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Spinach Hazelnut Pesto (yields about 1 cup)
75g (2.6 oz, a little over 1/8 lb) hazelnuts, toasted
7g (about ½ tbsp) fresh garlic, chopped
57g (2 oz) fresh baby spinach leaves
1 g (1/4 tsp) salt
113g (about 4 fl oz/ ½ cup) olive oil

Slice dates open lengthwise (do not cut in half) and gently squeeze out the pits if they still contain pits. Set aside.

To prepare goat cheese filling: Gently cook garlic, shallot, thyme, and butter together on medium-low heat until shallots are soft and translucent. Transfer to a stand mixer. Add goat cheese and pepper and whip in a stand mixer using paddle attachment until blended and fluffy.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spoon about ½ tablespoon of filling into each date (or more to fill; swipe off excess with your finger) and squeeze (mostly) closed. Place stuffed dates on a baking sheet lined with foil and put in oven. Bake until dates are heated through and have softened slightly, about 8-10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare hazelnut pesto.

To prepare hazelnut pesto: Place half of the toasted hazelnuts, garlic, and salt in a food processor and process until finely ground and sandy looking. Add spinach and oil and process until smooth. Add remaining hazelnuts and pulse until nuts are chopped but still slightly chunky (about 10-12 pulses).

Spoon pesto over warm dates. Serve immediately.

Pickle Egg Rolls

I have a friend who likes to watch those super quick cooking videos on social media, many of which feature questionable foods. He asked me if I would help him make these, and I agreed because I was morbidly curious and had the proper equipment.

Verdict: They tasted better than I thought they would, but I don't think I'd make them again because I felt gross eating them, lol. If I did happen to make them again I would chop up the pickles because the pickles in the finished product were hard to bite through and you'd end up either crushing the entire thing or pulling out an entire pickle half with your bite.

RECIPE: Pickle Egg Rolls

Smoky Eggy Deviled Eggs

I did not warm up to deviled eggs until I was an adult because I was grossed out by mayonnaise until my teens, and too much mayonnaise can ruin food for me so I needed time to learn how much was too much for me, but I love them now. They are a great picnic food, and people get really excited about them at parties!

Deviled eggs are one of those things that everyone has their own way of making and thinks theirs is the best, probably because anyone who makes them regularly tailors their recipe to how they personally like to eat them. It's not necessarily a contest, it's about finding what you like! I love their versatility. I've developed my own recipe emphasizing what I love in a deviled egg:

• Simple: so as to let the egg flavor shine, and also because I am lazy. Gudetama would approve.
• Minimal mayonnaise: just enough to stick everything together. This makes the filling quite thick as deviled eggs go, and not necessarily pretty or easy to pipe (unless you make a lot of them at once) but it tastes good and has a nice deep yellow color. Quality is important here. I like to use Kewpie mayonnaise because I keep it on hand and I love its rich, eggy flavor. You can get it at bigger Asian grocery stores.
• Dijon mustard instead of yellow: I do not like yellow mustard so I use a mild Dijon mustard instead. Maille is my very favorite but it can be hard to find where I live; Grey Poupon or Emeril's brand works well too.
• Smoky flavor: Paprika is a common topping for deviled eggs. I love smoky flavor with my deviled eggs so I use Spanish smoked paprika. Evokes bacon without the work of cooking bacon or excluding vegetarians from eating delicious deviled eggs.
• A little spicy: If you like smoky AND spicy food, you can use dried ground chipotle (chipotle peppers are smoked jalapeño peppers!) instead of or in addition to the smoked paprika for an extra kick; Penzey's sells a nice one for my mild-end-of-medium spicy tolerance.

One of my former coworkers, Maria, served deviled eggs in a simple but absolutely beautiful fashion for a work potluck once, and I will include some instructions for it here because I am normally terrible at presentation but this is something I can handle.

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RECIPE:

Smoky Eggy Deviled Eggs
By The Matcha Chronicles
Makes 12; serves 3-4 people as an appetizer

6 eggs, the best quality you can find, refrigerator temperature
2 tbsp Kewpie mayonnaise
1 tsp smooth Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp dried parsley
A sprinkle of onion powder (the tiniest bit, so you can taste it but it doesn't make everything taste like onion)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
A few grinds of black pepper
Smoked paprika and/or ground dried chipotle pepper, for garnish

For serving, if you're feeling fancy and/or want vegetables to eat with the eggs:
Green leaf lettuce or butter lettuce leaves
Fresh sweet peppers (red/orange/yellow), either cut into strips or finely diced


Place eggs in a single layer in a saucepan. Add enough cold tap water to cover eggs. Place pan on burner and set heat to high. Heat to almost-rolling boil. Take pan off heat and let sit 18 minutes. Meanwhile, fill bowl with cold water and ice. Transfer eggs to the bowl of ice water after 18 minutes to halt cooking.

Once eggs are cooled to room temperature (about 10-15 minutes), peel them under cold running water. Cut each boiled egg in half lengthwise and gently push the underside of each half to pop out the yolks into a small bowl. Place egg whites on a plate or leave on the cutting board. Add mayonnaise, mustard, parsley, onion powder, salt, and pepper to the bowl. Mash everything together, breaking up the yolks with a fork, then switching to a spoon after the mixture is fairly smooth. Spoon about a tablespoon of the mixture into the indent of each egg white. Sprinkle with smoked paprika and/or chipotle powder.

For serving: Place the lettuce leaves on a plate. If you cut your peppers in strips: scatter them over the lettuce. Arrange the deviled eggs between the pepper strips. If you diced them finely: Arrange the deviled eggs on top of the lettuce, then top the deviled eggs with a little bit of the diced peppers.

Sausage and Fennel Seed Rolls

While browsing for finger food type recipes to make for a tea party, I came across this recipe and thought it sounded delicious. I was a little worried about working with puff pastry because I'd never done so before, but it turned out to be just fine. I liked the finished product quite a lot! This is definitely party food and not an everyday food but I'd absolutely make it again for a special occasion. My version includes some very small changes from the original and is localized for people living in the United States.

Notes:

• I got plain ground pork and mixed my own set of spices and seasonings into it. I liked this quite a lot but if you have a favorite pork sausage mix or want to save time by getting pork sausage, by all means use that instead.
• Puff pastry is usually sold frozen and often comes in boxes of 2 sheets that measure about 15x10 inches. The original recipe calls for 375 g (~13.2 oz). I bought a 17 oz box and I had some left over.
• I prepared this the previous evening and refrigerated it overnight, then baked it a couple of hours before the party per the make ahead directions on the recipe. It worked really nicely.
• By the time it was done baking, there was a big puddle of grease at the bottom of the pan. I am pretty sure it was from the meat so if you are worried about that, or cannot or don't want to eat pork, maybe a leaner ground meat would work better, though it will not taste quite as rich as pork. I'd recommend ground chicken, turkey, or venison.

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RECIPE:

Sausage and Fennel Seed Rolls

Adapted from BBC Good Food

Makes 2 logs, about 20-24 pieces total; serves about 6-8

Sausage filling

14 oz plain ground pork

2-3 cloves minced garlic (about 1-1.5 tsp)

2 tsp dried powdered or rubbed sage

2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tbsp water

Pastry

2 sheets puff pastry

1 tbsp fennel seed
1 egg or egg yolk, beaten, for brushing onto pastry

Place all ingredients for the sausage filling in a medium bowl and mix with your hands or a spoon until evenly mixed. Be careful not to overwork the mixture. Divide into 2 halves. Place one half of the sausage mixture on a piece of saran wrap about 16 inches long. Shape the mixture into a cylinder or log about 12 inches long, then wrap it tightly in the saran wrap. Transfer it to a tray or plate and place in the refrigerator. Repeat with the other half of the sausage mixture. Let chill for at least 15-20 minutes (you can chill it for longer).

Preheat oven to 390°F (400°F if your oven doesn't set to 390°). Unfold puff pastry sheets onto a flat work surface lined with parchment paper. Cut one of the pastry sheets in half lengthwise (to make 2 pieces 15 x 5 in). Unwrap the chilled sausage logs and place one in the center of each piece of the cut puff pastry. Top each with 1/2 tbsp fennel seeds. Using a sharp knife, make cuts every 3/4 inch from the edge of the pastry to the meat along the long sides of the puff pastry to create little tabs; if you're very precise about your math you should end up with 19 cuts/20 sections on each side. Fold up the ends. Starting at one end, pick up a tab from one side of the roll and drape it over the sausage, then repeat with the one from the other side. Do this until all of the tabs are folded over the sausage. Repeat with the other roll. If you are baking them immediately, lift the rolls onto a baking sheet (the parchment paper helps with this) and brush with the beaten egg.

Cut six 3/4 inch wide strips lengthwise from the other puff pastry sheet (15 inches long by 3/4 inch wide). Reserve the leftover pastry for another use. Lay 3 of the strips with their tops overlapping, pinch the ends together, and braid them. Once you have braided all the way to the bottom, pinch the ends together to keep them from unraveling. Repeat with the other 3 strips. Place one braid on the top of each of the sausage rolls, and if you are baking them immediately, brush the braids with the beaten egg.

Place rolls in the oven on the second rack from the bottom and bake for about 40 minutes, or until the outside is golden brown and pastry has puffed up. Once baked, they can be sliced and served immediately, or they can be served at room temperature.

If making ahead: Do not preheat the oven while you prepare the pastry and do not brush the rolls with beaten egg. After shaping, cover the rolls with saran wrap or place inside a container with a lid and refrigerate until ready to bake (up to 24 hours). They may also be frozen for several months and defrosted in the refrigerator overnight before baking. If you freeze them, place in the freezer for about 1 hour on a flat surface to firm up, then wrap tightly in saran wrap and store in a plastic freezer bag. Brush rolls with beaten egg just before baking.

Salad Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce

I was taught how to make these at a party recently, and when it got really hot I wanted to have some more. These are fresh tasting and super filling, and great for using up your farmer's market haul!

Notes:

• Don't let the wrapper sit too long in the water or it will get really soft and might rip or get gummy.
• These don't keep very well (the wrapper texture gets kind of tough and it's kind of like chewing on plastic) so be sure you're going to eat them within about an hour of assembling them and do not refrigerate them. You can prepare and chop all of the ingredients and then store them until you're ready to make them.
• Suggestions for fillings:
• Vegetables: lettuce leaves, salad greens, cabbage, carrot, cucumber, sweet pepper, kohlrabi, radish
• Herbs: Thai basil, regular basil, mint, cilantro
• Proteins: dry fried tofu, shredded cooked chicken or pork, cooked shrimp
• Others: cooked rice vermicelli, cooked glass noodles, mango, avocado

RECIPE: Salad Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce