Ponzu Soba Noodle Salad with Flank Steak

Ingredients

 ½ cup Ponzu Sauce

2 teaspoons Sambal Oleek (or to taste)

2 cloves roasted Garlic

2 spoonfuls of the Olive Oil the roasted garlic was stored in

8 oz. (uncooked) Soba Noodles

1 bag Coleslaw mix

2 cups shelled Edamame, boiled per package directions, and drained

1 lb. Flank Steak

Montreal Steak Seasoning or Salt and Pepper

Directions

Whisk together the dressing ingredients (Ponzu Sauce thru Olive Oil) in a salad bowl.

Bring a pot of water to a boil, add Soba Noodles, cook for 3-4 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Add to Salad Bowl along with Edamame and Coleslaw. Toss well. Set aside while making the steak.

Place flank steak on a broiler pan. Season both sides with Montreal Steak Seasoning or Salt and Pepper.

Place under broiler. Broil for 5-6 minutes per side.

Remove from oven, tent with foil and let rest for 10 minutes.

Thinly slice steak, against the grain.

Serve steak with soba noodle salad.

The Verdict

For the dressing, I used roasted garlic and garlic olive oil because that’s what I had on hand. You could just mince a clove of a garlic and use that instead.

I overseasoned the flank steak – but mixed in with the salad it was still tasty. Also, the recipe called for 5 minutes of resting time for the steak, next time I would do 10, 5 just wasn’t quite enough.

Overall, a good meal. Emma really liked it.

Sarah ate plain soba noodles with soy sauce and shelled edamame.

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients

¼ cup Dried Porcini or Shiitake mushrooms

6 cups Chicken Broth

¼ cup Soy Sauce (I used a premium dark version)

2 tablespoons Sherry

1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

1-2 tablespoons Brown Sugar

1 Jalapeno, quartered

2 inches Ginger, peeled and cut into coins

½ medium Onion, cut into 2 pieces

2 Star Anise

Juice of 1 Lime, (Zest first and reserve the zest)

2 Chicken Breasts

2-3 cups Cremini Mushrooms, sliced (amount of mushrooms is based on taste)

½ medium Onion, thinly sliced

Rice Noodles

Cilantro, chopped

Hoisin Sauce

Sriracha Sauce

Directions

Bring 1 cup water to boil, remove from heat, add dried mushrooms. Let steep for about 10 minutes. Combine broth, soy sauce, sherry, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, jalapeno, ginger, onion, star anise, and lime juice in a dutch oven. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. When dried mushrooms are steeped, remove mushrooms, chop and reserve. Strain the steeping liquid through a coffee filter to remove any dirt. Add steeping liquid to the broth. Simmer broth for an additional 5 minutes.

Add chicken breasts to the simmering broth. Poach chicken in the broth until cooked, about 10-15 minutes. Remove chicken, slice into bite sized pieces.

Strain broth, put broth back into the pot. Add chicken, mushrooms, reserved mushrooms, sliced onions, and reserved lime zest. Simmer while cooking the rice noodles.

Place rice noodles in a heatproof bowl. Bring water to a boil. Pour over rice noodles. Let sit until rice noodles are tender. Drain.

To serve: place rice noodles in a bowl, ladle soup over noodles. Serve, allowing diners to add cilantro, hoisin, and sriracha to taste.

The Verdict

MMMMMMM. Good soup for a chilly day. Nice depth of flavor, nice heat level.

Emma really liked it – even added some sriracha to her bowl!

It’s also not very fussy the quantities can really be varied according to taste. The simmering/cooking times are also more of a guideline than strict instructions.

Red Velvet Pancakes

Based on: the Kitchy Kitchen

 Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose Flour

1 teaspoon Baking Powder

1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 teaspoon Salt

3 tablespoons Sugar

2 tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1 large Egg

3/4 cup Buttermilk

1/4 cup Sour Cream

3 tablespoons Butter, melted

1 tablespoon Red Food Coloring, mine was the gel kind

1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract

Chocolate Chips (optional)

Butter

Maple Syrup

Directions

In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the egg, buttermilk, sour cream, melted butter, red food coloring, and vanilla extract. Whisk just until combined. A little lumpy is fine. If the batter seems too thick, add a little more buttermilk.

Heat a frying pan or griddle over medium high heat. Grease with a small amount of butter. Once melted scoop pancake batter onto griddle in desired size – the girls like silver dollar size pancakes. Add 2 chocolate chips to each pancake. Wait for the pancakes to bubble (2-3 minutes), flip and cook for a minute or two more.

The Verdict

The girls love red velvet cupcakes, and I was seeing red velvet pancakes on food shows and on the internet – so we decided to try them out! Yum! They did turn out very tasty. 

Seared Sea Scallops with Thai Green Curry Spinach

Ingredients

1 12 oz. can Coconut Milk

1-2 tablespoonsThai Green Curry Paste

1 tablespoon Brown Sugar

1 tablespoon Fish Sauce

1 lb. fresh Spinach, rinsed

½ cup Roasted Red Pepper, chopped

12 Large sea scallops (3 per person)

Kosher Salt

Black Pepper

Olive Oil

¼ cup Cilantro, chopped

¼ cup Peanuts, chopped

1/3 cup Scallions, chopped

Steamed white rice

Directions

Bring coconut milk to simmer in a large sauté pan. Add green curry paste to taste, we are more in the 2 tablespoon camp. Add Brown Sugar and Fish sauce. Simmer until fully incorporated and slightly cooked down – about 5 minutes. Add spinach and roasted red pepper. Cook until spinach is wilted down. Turn heat down to low and keep warm while cooking the scallops.

Salt and pepper both sides of the scallops. Heat up a large skillet, add 1 tablespoon olive oil. When oil starts to shimmer, place scallops (without crowding) in the skillet. This may have to be done in batches, depending on your skillet size and number of scallops you are cooking. Cook 3 minutes and turn over. Cook 3-4 minutes on second side, making sure to get a good sear on them. Remove from skillet. Cook remaining scallops in same manner (if cooking in batches).

On a large platter, place the thai green curry spinach. Arrange scallops on top of the spinach. Sprinkle with cilantro, green onions, and peanuts.

Serve with steamed white rice.

The Verdict

Delicious! The scallops were cooked perfectly. I love thai curry, this is the first time I’ve made a spinach one – it turned out very tasty. It was a little soupier than normal, next time I’m thinking I should sauté the spinach first then take it out of the pan to get some of the excess water out, than make the curry sauce and add it back in.

Meyer Limoncello: The Beginning

Meyer Limoncello: Part 1

Ingredients

9 Meyer Lemons

3 (ish) cups Vodka

Directions

Take the peel off the lemons, being careful to avoid taking off the pith at the same time.

Place lemon peels in a jar. Pour the vodka over the peels. Let steep for 40 days.

The Verdict

Easy so far. The hard part will be waiting long enough for it to steep.

Salmon Pho

Salmon Pho

From: Cuisine at Home, June 2011

Ingredients

1 cup sliced onion

1 tbsp minced fresh ginger

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 cups water

2 cups chicken broth, low-sodium

2 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp soy sauce, low-sodium

½ teaspoon whole cloves

Cilantro stems from 1 bunch cilantro

Shiitake mushroom stems

6 oz. salmon fillet

1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon ground coriander

Salt and pepper

1 cup sliced shiitake mushroom caps

½ cup shredded carrots

¼ chopped scallions

¼ cup thinly sliced onion

1 bunch cilantro leaves, chopped

1 cup cooked rice noodles

Garnishes:

Bean sprouts

Chopped scallions

Mint leaves

Basil leaves

Cilantro

Thinly sliced jalapeno or Serrano peppers

Lime wedges

Sriracha Sauce

Hoisin Sauce

Directions

Saute 1 cup onion, ginger and garlic in oil over medium high heat. Add water, broth, fish sauce, sugar (1 tablespoon), soy sauce, cloves, cilantro stems, and mushroom stems. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes.

Strain broth through a sieve into a large bowl. Discard solids. Return broth to pot and bring to a simmer. Season salmon with 1 tsp. sugar, coriander, salt and peppter. Add salmon fillet to broth and poach for (about) 5 minutes – depending on how much salmon you are adding. Remove salmon from broth when done.

Bring broth up to a boil. Add mushroom caps, carrots, scallion, onion, and 1 tablespoon cilantro to broth.

Divide salmon and noodles between 2 large soup bowls. Pour broth into bowls.

Serve with garnishes.

The Verdict

Wow….soooooo good. As good as any I’ve had in a restaurant. I would use the same recipe again, and switch up the protein – beef, chicken, or pork - all seems like it would go well.

The girls gave the soup two thumbs up.

We doubled the broth and made extra noodles to have enough for all of us.

Our salmon piece had skin on, so after straining the broth, I poached the salmon in the broth for about 5 minutes. Then after removing it and letting it cool a little, just peeled the skin off. If you have skinless salmon, you can slice it very thin and add it to the soup bowls and it will cook when you pour the hot broth into the bowl.

To cook the rice noodles, I ignore the package directions. I put the rice noodles in a heatproof bowl. Heat up enough water to cover the noodles till boiling, then pour the boiling water over the noodles. Then, depending in the thickness of the rice noodles, let them sit in the hot water for 5-15 minutes. Once they are soft enough, drain and give a quick rinse under cold running water.

Corn, Tomato, and Basil Salad

Corn, Tomato, and Basil Salad

Ingredients

6 ears Corn, shucked

2-3 cloves Garlic, minced

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

½ cup Basil

1 cup Cherry Tomatoes, halved

3 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar

3 tablespoons Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Directions

Cut corn off the cob.

Heat skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add corn and minced garlic. Saute for approximately 5 minutes. Transfer to a salad bowl.

Let corn cool for 10-15 minutes. While corn is cooling, chiffonade basil.

Add remaining ingredients (basil thru olive oil) to corn. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir. If you can wait, let it cool further in the refrigerator.

The Verdict

This is a summer staple since the first time we made it many years ago. So tasty with great summer corn and in season tomatoes also it’s a quick and easy dish.

Habanero Pepper Jelly

Loosely adapted from Williams Sonoma Art of Preserving

Ingredients

4 Jalapeno Peppers, roughly chopped

2 Habanero Peppers, roughly chopped

1 medium sized Walla Walla onion, roughly chopped

1 ½ teaspoons celery seeds

1 cup Cider Vinegar

4 cups Sugar

1 package (1.75 ounce) powdered Pectin

Directions

In a blender or food processer, combine the peppers, onion, celery seeds, and ¼ cup (ish) cider vinegar. Blend until finely chopped. Transfer to a large nonreactive saucepan. Add remaining cider vinegar and sugar. Bring to a full boil over medium heat. Once sugar has dissolved, pour in pectin while stirring. Bring back to full boil, boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and let stand for 5-10 minutes.

Ladle jelly (carefully, it’s HOT) into jars.

The Verdict

This turned out really well. I was a bit nervous when it first went into the jars because it was very runny – more like syrup than jam. But after putting it in the refrigerator overnight – it did setup.

It was nicely spicy. Very good with a mild cheese on crackers (goat cheese, cream cheese, etc). We also mixed it with cream cheese and served it as a burger topping which was delicious.

I might try a slightly spicier batch next time with 3 habaneros – just to see.

I think other flavors would be great in it too…maybe ginger?,  berry?, lots of possibilities.

Crostini with Fresh Ricotta, Fava Beans, and Asparagus

Ingredients

8 cups Whole Milk

2 cups Buttermilk

French Bread

Fava Beans

Asparagus

Salt and Pepper

Directions

Place the whole milk and buttermilk in saucepan. Heat over medium high heat, stirring often. The milks will separate into curds (ricotta) and whey at about 170 degrees. Once it separates, gently scoop the curds into a sieve lined with cheesecloth over a bowl. Let the cheese drain for about 10 minutes.

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Thinly slice the French bread, put it on a baking tray. Drizzle bread with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in oven for about 10 minutes, till slightly crispy.

Raise oven temp to 400 degrees. Place asparagus on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 10 minutes.

Shell fava beans. Place in boiling water for three minutes. Remove from water, let cool for a couple minutes. Peel the beans.

To assemble:

Take crostini, spread with ricotta, top with fava beans or asparagus or both. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

The Verdict

Very good. I love all the components, and they all go well together.

I think next time I will drain the ricotta a little bit less. This time it was crumblier, draining less (I’m assuming) will make it creamier. I would also add a pinch of salt to the ricotta.

Use bigger slices of bread, add a poached egg on top and it would be dinner instead of an appetizer.

Broccolette Soup

Broccolette soup

Adapted from Down Home with the Neely’s: Broccoli Soup 

Ingredients

4 tablespoons Butter

1 large Onion, diced

2 Carrots, chopped

2 Garlic Cloves, chopped

1 ½ lbs Broccolette, roughly chopped

1 teaspoon Red Chili Flakes

Salt and Pepper

¼ cup Sherry

4 tablespoons Flour

4 cups Chicken Stock

½ cup Milk

Directions

Melt butter in a  heavy medium pot. Add onions and carrots, sauté until onions are translucent, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, broccolette, chili flakes, and salt and pepper. Saute for 6 more minutes. Pour in sherry. Once sherry has reduced, add flour. Let cook for 2-3 minutes. Slowly pour in chicken stock while stirring. Once all chicken stock is added, cook for 20-30 minutes. Blend soup either in blender or with an immersion blender. Stir in milk.

Serve with crostini (or crackers) and parmesan cheese (optional).

The Verdict

I made this because we had a bunch of leftover broccolette that I had blanched and sautéed with garlic and chili flakes. It worked out really well using it up in this soup.

I like cream of broccoli soup, so I expected to like this. It turned out even better than I expected. Lots of broccoli flavor, creamy. Nice heat.

It was served with crostini and a sprinkling of parmesan.

Green Chili Cheese Sauce

Green Chili Cheese Sauce

Ingredients

3 Poblano Peppers, roasted, peeled, and chopped

2 Jalapeno Peppers, chopped

1 small sweet Onion, diced

Oil

3 tablespoons Butter

3 tablespoons Flour

1 ½ cups Milk

¼ cup Beer

3 cups grated Cheese (I used a mix of Pepper Jack and Cheddar)

Salt and Pepper

Directions

In a medium pan, heat a little bit of oil over medium-high heat. Add the peppers and onions. Cook until softened. Add butter, once melted, add flour. Cook for 3 (or so) minutes.

Slowly whisk in milk then beer. Turn down the heat to medium. Sprinkle in cheese handful at a time while stirring. Once all cheese is added cook for another minute or two.

Serve.

The Verdict

Turned out really yummy. We served it over burgers and homemade corn tortilla chips.

Would be good as a dip with some some chorizo added in, or as nachos.

Strawberry Frozen Yogurt

Adapted from David Lebovitz - The Perfect Scoop

Ingredients

1 lb. strawberries, cleaned, hulled, and chopped

2/3 cup sugar

1 cup plain Yogurt, I used Greek yogurt

1-2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

1-2 teaspoons Lemon Juice

Directions

Put strawberries and sugar in a bowl. Stir around and mash it up a little. Let sit and macerate for at least an hour.

Place macerated strawberries and remaining ingredients in a blender, puree until smooth. 

Freeze per your ice cream maker’s directions.

  

The Verdict

Amazing!!…why don’t we make homemade frozen yogurt or ice cream more often? We will be rectifying that mistake this summer!

I would try varying the yogurt – maybe a strawberry-honey, or vanilla yogurt flavor. Not that you need to, it is delicious as is – but it would be fun.

…and yes, 8 plus pounds of strawberries leads to lots of strawberry related recipes….only 4 more pounds to use!

Crepes with Strawberries and Whipped Cream

Crepes with Strawberries and Whipped Cream

Ingredients

1 cup Milk

2 Eggs

2 tablespoons Sugar

1 cup Flour

3 tablespoons Butter, melted

½ teaspoon Salt

Strawberries, hulled and sliced

1 cup Heavy Cream

2 heaping tablespoons Powdered Sugar (more or less, depending on how sweet you want it)

2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

Directions

Note: crepe batter needs to rest for at least an hour…so plan ahead.

Place all crepe batter ingredients in a blender (milk thru salt). Blend until smooth.

Let rest for at least one hour.

Place medium size non stick skillet over medium high heat. Melt a small amount of butter in skillet. When skillet is hot and butter is melted, spread about ¼ cup of batter in skillet, tilting to spread batter evenly around skillet. Cook until golden, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Flip and cook an additional 30-45 seconds. Repeat until batter is gone.

Pour heavy cream in mixing bowl. Start mixing on low speed, slowly increasing speed. Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Whip to desired consistency.

Place crepe on plate. Spoon some whipped cream onto ¼ of crepe. Add sliced strawberries. Fold crepe in ½ and in ½ again. Top with whipped cream and additional strawberries.

You could also spoon the whipped cream down the center, add strawberries and roll the crepe up.  

The Verdict

Whipped cream, fresh picked strawberries, crepes…what’s not to like? And, according to the girls I am the best whipped cream maker on the planet J

Strawberry, Fennel, and Arugula Salad

Strawberries!!

July 3^rd and strawberries are finally back in season in Washington! Time for a u-pick strawberry expedition!

Strawberry, Fennel and Arugula Salad

Ingredients

Arugula

Fennel

Strawberries

Carrot (just because I had a few leftover carrot sticks)

Salt and Pepper

¼ cup Balsamic Vinegar

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons honey

Salt and pepper

½ cup olive oil

Directions

Toss salad ingredients in a salad bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To make the dressing combine all dressing ingredients (garlic thru olive oil) in a mason jar. Cover tightly and shake until well mixed.

Dress salad to taste.

The Verdict

Good salad. I think toasted, slivered almonds would be a good addition. Or toasted pumpkin seeds.

Grilled Fig, Proscuitto, and Arugula Pizza

Figs

Yea! Figs are back in season!

Ingredients

Pizza dough, homemade or storebought

Garlic, minced

Olive Oil

Figs, washed, stemmed, and halfed (or quartered depending on size)

Chevre (Goat Cheese), I used garlic and herb flavor

Mozzarrella

Parmesan

Proscuitto

Arugula

Balsamic Vinegar

Salt and Pepper

All ingredient amounts can vary, depending on both personal taste and the size of your pizza.

Directions

Start charcoal for the grill (or pre-heat gas grill). When charcoal is ready, dump onto one side of the grill.

Stretch dough into pizza (like) shapes. Oil one side of the dough. Place dough on grill grate. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Take pizzas off the grill to add toppings.

Oil the uncooked side of the pizzas. Turn over, the already cooked side is where you will be putting the toppings.

Oil the cooked side of the dough. Sprinkle with minced garlic. Place figs and crumbled goat cheese around the dough. Top with a little bit of mozzarella and parmesan.

Place pizza on the grill, over indirect heat. Cover grill. Cook about 7 minutes. Once the dough is cooked and cheese melted, remove pizza from the grill.

Lay prosciutto slices on top of the pizza.

Dress the arugula with a little bit of olive oil and balsamic. Top pizza with arugula. Salt and pepper to taste.

The Verdict

I do need to work on my pizza dough making skills. The dough was tasty, but felt more like flatbread than pizza dough. Overall, the ‘pizza’ was very tasty. What’s not to love about figs and prosciutto?? One of our favorite combinations.

Next time I might make a balsamic syrup with the vinegar – just reduce till a little thick, and drizzle that on the pizza. That would be a good variation.

The girls love making homemade pizzas - although they are more into the standard toppings of sauce and cheese right now.

Three Bean Salad

Three Bean Salad

Adapted from Down Home with the Neelys

Salad Ingredients

1 cup dried pinto beans

Haricot Verts

1 14 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced

¼ cup parsley, chopped

Salt and pepper

Hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco Habanero sauce)

Vinaigrette Ingredients

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

¼ cup Champagne Vinegar

2 tablespoons lemon juice, or ½ lemon juiced

2 tablespoons honey

4 dashes hot sauce (Tabasco Habanero)

Salt and pepper

½ cup olive oil

Directions

Wash and rinse pinto beans. In a saucepan, cover beans with fresh water and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Turn down to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 1 ½ hours, or until tender. Rinse, drain.

Steam the haricot vert for 5  minutes. Rinse under cold water or shock in an ice bath to stop the cooking. Drain and let dry.

Place the beans (pinto, haricot verts, and kidney), scallions, and parsley in a large bowl.

To make the dressing combine all dressing ingredients (garlic thru olive oil) in a mason jar. Cover tightly and shake until well mixed.

Pour dressing over salad ingredients – start with ½ of dressing and work your way up to suit your tastes. Toss, taste, and add more dressing if needed. Add salt and pepper if needed. Add a few more dashes of hot sauce.

Chill for 30 minutes (or so) to allow flavors to meld.

Have hot sauce at the table for anyone who would like to add additional heat.

The Verdict

Personally, I love three bean salad. We both thought this one was excellent. Dressing was sort of creamy and garlicky. The texture of the beans turned out great.

You could really swap in any combination of canned beans, and/or add more varieties. I didn’t have yellow waxed beans – but those are always delicious in these salads.

Loved the addition of the habanero hot sauce, except on the remnants of the leftovers added a wee bit too much….phew…super hot, but sort of addictive. It didn’t stop me from finishing it, with lots of drinks of ice water in between bites!