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black bean lasagna

Published on December 16, 2013December 13, 2013 by Lan | MoreStomach11 Comments

right now
the chill seeps
past the usual barriers,
finding passage through
cracks & crevices
every year
i wonder aloud
why we don’t live
in the tropics
or at the very least,
winter in Australia

it’s a daunting task
to shake slumber off
when burrowing beneath the
corduroy comforter
is far more appealing
it’s also tempting to
fall into the soup rut
what’s not to like?
they’re warming,
usually quick & nutritious
but truthfully:
repetitive

what to do?
sleep like the bears
surfacing when the world is green anew?
flying south is out
december has already made her presence
known
what with the frost
the shiver inducing gusts of wind
the rain,
the bloody freezing rain,
it feels like i’m going to be cold forever

so i made this lasagna
because we’re going to incorporate more beans in our diet
because i can’t be bothered to cook every night
because it was easy
because it kept me in the kitchen,
warmed by the stove, oven and crock pot
and it fed us all week,
either for dinner or lunch
and damn if it didn’t warm us through

today’s post is a loose nod towards write alm‘s december promt-a-day.

black bean lasagna
adapted from trisha yearwood

*note: i was in 7th grade when trisha yearwood’s song She’s In Love With The Boy came out and dang if i didn’t sing that song all summer long. prior to cutting cable i saw this recipe on her show and it intrigued me. my proportions, seasonings and techniques are different from hers, so use her recipe if you want exact measurements.

1 jar of tomato sauce, i used our csa jarred tomatoes
8oz can of whole tomatoes squished/cut up
3 generous tablespoons of homemade tomato paste
1/2 large onion, chopped
a few garlic cloves, minced
3 carrots, skinned and diced
1 cup of dried black beans, soaked over night, then cooked on low in the crockpot for 5 hours
olive oil
salt/pepper to taste
1 package lasagna noodles, cooked according to package instructions
tofu ricotta, recipe below

Tofu Ricotta
1 container of firm organic tofu, excess water squeezed out
1/4 cup – 1/2 cup of raw cashews, eyeball it, i didn’t measure it
1/4 cup – 1/2 cup nutritional yeast, eyeball it, i didn’t measure it
healthy sprinkle of italian seasoning
salt/pepper to taste

in a food processor, whizz all the ingredients together. the mixture won’t be silky smooth, but it won’t be chunky either. set aside, in fridge until ready to assemble the dish.

in a large pot, boil up some water. cook the lasagna noodles according to package instructions.

in a large sauce pan or skillet, heat up some olive oil, saute the onions, garlic and carrots. season with salt/pepper. allow the mixture to brown up a bit, it’s at your discretion. add in the tomato sauce and paste. again, season with salt/pepper. add in the prepared black beans, allow to simmer on low while you complete the noodle boiling.

preheat oven to 350F.

to assemble, in a casserole dish, spoon out some of the tomato sauce first. layer noodles, then add the tofu ricotta, spreading it as best as you can, top with tomato sauce. repeat until all the noodles are done, making sure the final top layer is the tomato sauce.

bake in oven for about 45 minutes – an hour, if the top gets too browned/dry, put foil wrap on it.
allow to sit for 15 minutes before digging in.
will keep, covered, in fridge for a week.

Phở Gà – vietnamese chicken noodle soup

Published on November 7, 2013November 6, 2013 by Lan | MoreStomach26 Comments

when i was in college,
maybe 18 or 19,
i dated a beautiful boy
(dated is probably too strong a word, ahem)
one with almond shaped eyes
hair silkier and blacker than mine
and he had a tendency to ignore me at the parties
where i would impatiently wait for him to look my way
but his eyes always shifted anywhere and everywhere else
to say the least,
it was a complicated relationship
one studded with embittered arguments
huffy silences
really mean answering machine messages
(yes, it was that long ago)
until one night,
actually,
middle of the night soon after the start of my 3rd year,
during a period in time when
i had gotten myself ridiculously entrenched
in yet another complicated relationship,
one that got me kicked out of the house,
i told him enough already
it was 3am
i was half asleep
and goddamnit, i had to report to work
in two and a half hours
and i put the phone back on the cradle
turned off the ringer
and washed my hands of that soap opera
coupledom

the thing about phở is that
it seems complicated
the broth is spice laden
you add things
you subtract things
it is never the same bowl
i myself would prefer to go out for phở
than to make it
but i found myself with a whole chicken to use
and it being soup season & all
i decided to uncomplicate it
in its most simplest
it’s chicken broth that’s been infused with
some exotic spices
maybe i’m oversimplifying
but in a time where i don’t have time
for convoluted bs
this is exactly what i can handle

phở gà
adapted from wandering chopsticks

package 1-lb of Banh Pho (Vietnamese Flat Thin Rice Noodles)
1 whole chicken, about 3-4lbs
1 onion, studded with about 15 cloves
2 2″ knob of ginger
2 sticks of cinnamon
6 star anise pods
4 cardamom pods
head half a of garlic
4 carrots, scrubbed and chunked, keep the skin on
2 tsp salt
fish sauce to taste

in a small frying pan, dry fry the spices

with a creme brulee torch char the clove studded onion, garlic and ginger knobs

in an 8 quart pot add the chicken and charred vegs, and carrots

in a small spice bag add the spices and then put into pot

add water until everything is just about covered

season with salt

bring to boil and then lower temp to simmer for about 45 min – 1 hour

remove chicken and allow to cool, then shred, putting bones back into pot. cover chicken until ready to eat

meanwhile, allow soup to simmer for another hour or so (i let it go for about 3 hours)

when ready to eat, cook up noodles according to package instructions and divvy into bowls

top with shredded chicken, garnish with thinly sliced onions and scallions

carefully ladle soup into bowls

it’s even better the next day, and then the next

serves 8 – calories: 366 | fat: 6g | carbs: 41g | protein: 37g

other noodle bowl concoctions:
morestomach – vermicelli noodle bowl
whisk & knife – beef noodle soup
i am a food blog – oxtail pho
my darling lemon thyme – spicy noodle salad with pickled vegs
use real butter – chinese soy sauce chicken
angry asian creations – wonton noodle soup
angry asian creations – shrimp pad thai
angry asian creations – singapore noodles

butternut squash & pearl barley risotto

Published on October 28, 2013October 25, 2013 by Lan | MoreStomach18 Comments

if you were to ask me what my
favorite thing about autumn was
i’d be hard pressed to come up with
an answer
i would respond with more than
one answer
because despite my dislike for
the chill,
for the need for layers,
for the fading light starting at 4pm
there is still plenty to like
about autumn

for one,
the sunsets seem prettier,
the horizon has an urgency to it,
like it’s beseeching you to stop & look at it
for another,
hand-yarned neck adornments
i lucked out this year,
nuria knitted me THREE scarves,
of which i will eventually blog about

then there’s the food
(it always gets back to that, doesn’t it?)
the crock pot can come out of hiding
soups & stews are on the weekly menu
most days the dwelling is warmed
by the hardworking stove and oven

while our csa is dwindling down
we’ve been stockpiling our stash of squash
i tried delicata squash recently
the abundance of them is a wonder now
we’ll tire of them soon enough
as the season progresses
but in the meantime,
like all good things
some coaxing and attention is required
for this dish
not only from the squash
but from the pearl barley as well

butternut squash & pearl barley risotto
adapted from martha stewart living, april 2013
*note: i used already cooked squash which i had roasted when i made the autumn harvest soup. if using raw squash, you want to add it earlier in the process of cooking the barley, maybe 15 minutes in? make sure the cubes are uniform in size so they cook at the same time. it’s tricky, because you want the squash to soften and the barley to be cooked through at the same time, it’s all about timing.

5 cups chicken broth (or, 3 cubes of homemade bouillon cubes + 3-4 cups of water)
2 TBL olive oil
1 cup pearl barley, rinsed and drained
1 bunch kale, stems removed and leaves torn into large pieces (about 6 cups)
half a good sized butternut squash, already roasted and cubed
half an onion, diced
2 cloves garlic minced
grated fresh Parmesan cheese, to top

heat up broth in a saucepan, keep warm

heat oil in a pot over medium heat. add barley and stir to coat until toasted. at this point, i removed the barley from the pan. return empty pan to fire, heat up a bit more oil and saute the onions and garlic. when fragrant, add in the barley again, then add in about 2 ladles-worth of broth. simmer, stirring constantly until broth has been absorbed.

do this continuously, until there’s about 2 ladles worth of broth left. add in the kale and squash, stirring in the remaining broth.

serve hot or at room temp, topped with grated parmasen cheese

other winter squash dishes:
morestomach – autumn harvest soup
real simple – coconut rice with winter squash
the kitchn – creamy butternut squash orzotto with toasted pecans
my recipes – thai butternut soup

chicken masala

Published on September 12, 2013September 11, 2013 by Lan | MoreStomach10 Comments

it’s not yet autumn
but i suppose it’s unofficially fall,
what with school already started,
the daily commute with the added 10 minutes
due to kids ambling with textbook laden backpacks
and yellow school buses dotting the neighborhoods
the ac has been turned off at night
as the temperatures dip into the delicious 60s,
our windows flung open to cool the abode
only to be shut the moment i open my eyes from slumber
as i haul ass to shower in the morning,
shivering and silently lamenting the passing of summer
already the trees are shedding their leaves
the morning is darker still when i rise

these are dw’s months
autumn is his favorite season
you can tell a lot about a person
by what their favorite season is
i like the summer months
hot and heady and sweaty and messy
golden days with humidity to exhaust even the staunchest
and healthiest of beasts
(i’ll leave it to you to figure out what kind of person
i am with that description!)
but man, when september hits,
leading into october
the air has a crunch of apples
and cinnamon breezes,
cool to the skin but warming to the core
fall makes me feel drowsy
but frantic all the same
i am holding out for an indian summer
desperate for july & august
whilst trying to bask in what the coming days could bring

and what is coming in these days
are stews and soups
and hearty one pot dishes
that require ingredients thrown into a pot
set on low
and simmered all the long day

if you can’t tell
i’ve been on an indian kick lately
(truth be told, i’d make afghani food if i could
find a reputable cookbook or blogger,
that cuisine is so underrated)

for this dish,
amrita says you must have this recipe in your life
i completely and wholeheartedly agree
i started the process saturday night
cooked it on sunday
and as i’m typing this, wednesday,
i have one portion left for lunch

chicken masala
adapted from the subjectivist

*note: we (i mean, dw) chopped an entire bird. we get our poultry from a local farm every two weeks and i will tell you, this past summer with this csa has been an exercise in coming up with interesting chicken recipes. i wanted to make use of every part of the chicken, with bones. i can’t imagine not having bone-in. i’m just saying.
**note: i completely and utterly forgot to add chili. i know. so there was no heat but it was still incredibly good. also, i like my chicken to fall off the bone tender so i cooked it on low for longer than amrita’s version.

1 whole, organic grass fed chicken, about 3-4lbs, chopped with bone in

for the marinade:
1 black cardamom pod
half cinnamon stick
1 tsp nutmeg (i don’t have whole pieces of the stuff)
2 tsp of fennel seeds
3-4 cloves
3 TBL of white vinegar
1 tsp of ground turmeric

2 large tomatoes
2 TBL vegetable oil
2 large cloves of garlic
1 large red onion, sliced thinly
1/4 cup of coconut creamer (i use So Delicious)
Salt

in a frying pan, dry toast the black cardamom pod, cinnamon stick, nutmeg, fennel seeds, and cloves. don’t get crazy and burn it. add mixture to a spice grinder, again don’t get crazy, you’re not going for a powder, just a slighlty coarse-fine mix is good (i know, it’s confusing, go for in btwn the two textures.) add to big bowl with vinegar and turmeric. then add in the chicken pieces, you want to coat the pieces well. cover with plastic wrap and leave in fridge overnight.

next day: take the chicken out of the fridge an hour before starting the whole cooking thing. you want the chill to be off the meat/bones prior to adding it to the hot pan.

on the stove bring a pot of water to boiling. criss cross cut the butt ends of the two tomatoes, add to the water and cook for about 5 minutes. you want the tomatoes to be just submerged in the water. remove the tomatoes and put into blender/vitamix. reserve 1/2 cup of the water, discarding the rest. blitz the tomatoes, skin included, into a puree.

meanwhile, in the same pot, add a bit of oil and saute the garlic and onion slices. season with salt & pepper, and cook until nice & brown. remove from heat and grab the mixture of onions & garlic to add to the blender/vitamix. blitz with the tomato puree.

using the same pot, that will have residual oil (add more if you need) brown the chicken pieces. you may have to do it in batches. don’t crowd the pot. when done, lower the heat, throw all the browned chicken pieces back into the pot, add the tomato/onion/garlic puree, along with the reserved 1/2 cup of water. simmer on low heat. add in the coconut creamer, mix, ignore for anywhere from 25 minutes to an hour. season to taste. per the original recipe, this is a slightly dryer dish. i will admit to missing the gravy.

serve with naan.
it’s great the day of, but even better the ensuing days.

other indian inspired dishes:
morestomach blog – coconut egg curry
morestomach blog – vegan indian feast
bon appetit hon – butter chicken
manger – butter chicken + peshawari naan

roasted bone marrow

Published on September 6, 2013September 5, 2013 by Lan | MoreStomach11 Comments

during the languid months of Winter
i’m my least social
except for that first year
i met dw
for some reason
there was always something planned –
an out of town trip
a girls’ weekend
guests in town
you name it, i had it going on
and so,
dw kept my interest
with his daily emails:
eloquent
thought provoking
speckled with $5words
that made me swoon
i could cry when i
think back to that time
when i was already enamored with
someone i hadn’t yet met

by nature, i am a realist
by heart, i am a romantic

it was 3 weeks
before we finally met
it was a slow start,
admittedly,
but i can still taste
how delicious
the anticipation was

roasted bone marrow
*note: you can bake at 350F for 20 minutes, or broil for 8-9minutes

4 bone marrow, we purchased from whole foods, i can’t recall the weight
salt/pepper
rosemary
olive oil, optional

place the marrow in oven safe dish
in a mortar & pestle, grind the salt/pepper with rosemary, amounts at your discretion and according to taste
season over marrow

broil for 8-9 minutes. the goal is to soften the marrow, but not liquefy it.

to serve: i made rosemary dutch oven bread earlier in the day. spread the marrow goodness on sliced bread, enjoy!

i meant to grab the green tomato & mint chutney, which would’ve cut through the richness but i forgot!