Main – Page 5 – morestomach

Somen Noodle Bowl

Published on June 7, 2016June 6, 2016 by Lan | MoreStomach9 Comments

i finished two books recently,
which isn’t very remarkable
when i think about the period of time
in high school when i was able to knock out
a book a day.
sure, school work likely suffered,
but damn if i couldn’t just open
up a book at 1:38pm after 7th period
and lose myself.
if i find myself in a particularly
engrossing story
i tell dw it’s his turn to make dinner
or i throw something very
quick and easy together
and call it dinner.
either way,
i’m able to put my nose back into the pages.

fyi, for those interested,
i read:
me, earl & the dying girl
me before you
i know, so depressing
but they’re fast reads
and available as movies as now.

somen noodle bowl
makes enough for 2

*note: the way japanese noodles are packaged makes life easier. it’s usually already been divvied up into servings so i can tell dw how much to cook up. in this case: 2 servings. somen noodles also don’t clump, i’ve only ever used them cold and they are still really good the next day.
**note: this is ridiculous fast and easy, i may have been reading while i was making this.

2 bundles of somen noodles, cooked according to package instructions

sauce:
2-3 TBL tamarin or soy sauce
2-3 TBL rice vinegar or mirin
2 TBL sesame oil
splash of maple syrup, optional (just for taste)

seaweed dressing:
2 sheets of nori/seaweed, shredded by hand
2-3 TBL toasted sesame seeds, very important to toast!
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp sesame oil
pinch of salt

topping options:
sliced cucumbers
fried or boiled egg
kim chi or shredded cabbage
2-3 scallions, sliced thin
sesame seeds
nuts, like crushed peanuts or cashews
carrots, matchsticks
WHATEVER YOUR HEART DESIRES

essentially, for every component of this recipe: the noodles, the sauce and the sesame dressing, make/mix ingredients accordingly.

divvy up the noodles into two bowls. you can either pour the sauce and mix throughout the noodles and then top with whatever.

or you can assemble your bowl with the noodles and topped with whatever and then pour in the sauce.

either way, it works and it’s easy.

BAM!

3 years ago: strawberry sweet biscuit
2 years ago: strawberries & cream pavlova
1 year ago: yarn cupcakes

herby cauliflower salad + chili roasted tofu

Published on April 25, 2016April 24, 2016 by Lan | MoreStomach2 Comments

this last week has been beautiful,
on the cold side of warm when the wind
is acting up
but in the sunlight,
bliss.
we’re heavily in the middle of
a massive abode cleaning,
as well as painting.
doing at-home chores is never
my idea of time well-spent.
but these things hafta occur,
and to balance all that nonsense
i dragged dw out for a picnic.
an afternoon better spent
than doing home improvement, methinks.

hope you’re enjoying spring, friends!

thanks to Mastro Co for sponsoring this post. large casserole can be found here.

herby cauliflower salad + chili roasted tofu

*note: this isn’t a hard a dish to prepare and all measurements are guesses. i would recommend adding the herbs according to your preference, you may like mint more than parsley. the dressing is the standard dressing that i usually make for salads, and i never measure, i kinda just throw it together. you can use any vinaigrette dressing you want. finally, i used the very last pomegranate of the season, i would imagine dried cranberries would be a nice sub, though fresh strawberries or raspberries would be good too, just be gentle when mixing.

seed from one pomegranate (dried cranberries when off season)
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1/2 cup spring onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, rough chopped
1/3 cup fresh mint, rough chopped
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

dressing
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 TBL dijon spicy brown mustard
1 TBL maple syrup

chili roasted tofu
1 package of extra firm tofu, drained & pressed of water
juice of 2 lemons
1-2 tsp of chili powder, depending on how spicy it is
generous drizzle of maple syrup
1 TBL olive oil
salt to taste

prepare the cauliflower by working in batches, pulse it in a food processor until they’re pea-sized, aka riced. move to big mixing bowl. add in the pomegranate seeds, spring onions, mint and parsley. set aside.

make the dressing by mixing the ingredients together. set aside.

prepare the tofu by first wrapping the tofu in a towel and putting something heavy on top. this step is to extract the water out and can be done in advance as long as a day, or short as 30 minutes.

preheat oven 425F and prepare a baking sheet with foil.

in a bowl mix together the lemon juice with chili powder, maple syrup, olive oil and salt. cut the tofu in squares or if you’re feeling fancy, triangles. add the tofu to the chili marinade and coat it through. this particular step can be as long as overnight or as short as however long it takes your oven to heat up, up to you.

lay the marinated tofu on the baking sheet. bake for 30 minutes, the edges will get all golden brown and crispy.

when ready to serve, drizzle desired amount of dressing over the herby cauliflower. mix thoroughly, adding more dressing if needed. transfer salad to serving platter or dish. sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

serve alongside the tofu.

can be served when the tofu is hot straight from the oven, or at room temp.

BAM!

other delightful salads:
crunchy celery salad
lamb larb
spicy cantaloupe salad

creamy polenta and roasted mushrooms

Published on March 28, 2016March 27, 2016 by Lan | MoreStomach8 Comments

this spring has kinda crept up on me
but i feel like i’ve made a valiant effort
at catching up —
winter clothes were packed up,
dressing room tidied up
and garbs not touched for ages
were given up.
i feel lighter already.

i start a new job this week,
one i didn’t even know i was looking for
but one that i fought very hard for.
while the warmth makes its way
into our days,
and i’m figuring out my way,
you can follow along over on IG.

happy spring!

creamy polenta and roasted mushrooms – gluten free
inspired by yotam ottolenghi and america’s test kitchen

*note: i have made ottolenghi’s mushroom and herb polenta, sans the cheese, and it’s delicious. but rather than frying the shrooms i wanted to try roasting them. enter america’s test kitchen with their scientific brine action. this entire dish was all about prepping and getting the mise en place in place, but once that was all done, it was quick to throw together.
**note: rather than grate parmesan over top the entire dish, i made a smoked egg yolk bottarga, that might be my new fave ingredient.

mushroom brine
1 lb white button mushrooms, stems removed, quartered or halved, keep sizes relatively the same
5 teaspoons kosher salt
6 cups water

in big bowl combine the salt and water. stir to mix. add in the cut mushrooms and keep them submerged with a heavy plate. ignore for 15 minutes.

mushroom seasoning
generous drizzle of olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
thyme, amount to your liking
4-5 sage leaves, rough chopped

preheat oven to 400F

remove mushroom from brine and dry on kitchen towel. clean and dry the bowl that had the brine water. in that bowl add in the oil, minced garlic and herbs. toss the brined mushrooms in the bowl and then spread out in a single layer on a baking sheet.

roast for 30 minutes. they will shrink down significantly, fyi.

remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

*fyi: an alternative way: roast the mushrooms, without the herbs and garlic but coated in olive oil immediately after dried from brine. roast for 20 minutes, remove from oven and then toss with the herbs and garlic with another drizzle of olive oil. roast for remaining 10 minutes.

polenta – made according to package instructions, enough for two hungry people
2 TBL grated smoked egg yolk bottarga
(parmesan cheese can be used instead)
2 TBL chopped parsley, garnish

assemble:
on serving platter or in a bowl, pour the creamy polenta. top with the roasted mushrooms, get as much of the herbs and garlic goodness as possible. grate the egg yolk bottarga or parmesan cheese over top and garnish with the chopped parsley. serve immediately.

BAM!

other mushroom goodness:
mushroom stroganoff
homemade banh cuon chay, with mushroom filling

Jose’s Paella

Published on March 22, 2016April 22, 2016 by Lan | MoreStomach3 Comments

some weeks ago,
when the air still had a bite of winter
and the gloom of february seemed ever present,
(kinda like how this past weekend was,
except it’s way past the middle of march)
we had a paella party.
kinda sorta like the time
i spent with nuria’s family in barçelona.
nuria’s dad, jose,
cooked up a storm.
there was always something to eat.
and one of the things he made was paella.
every so often
i am able to convince nuria to make it for me.
it’s especially hard now that she technically lives in california,
but for the time being,
while she lives with us in baltimore,
i’m getting my fill of paella.
this was made in the dead of winter,
and as the weather warms,
and fresh spring vegetables make an appearance,
i see another paella party happening…

jose’s paella
makes enough for 6 people, or 3 very hungry people

*note: this was all nuria, i stuck my head in a few times to take pictures but she did all the cooking. from what i gathered, make sure you have your mise en place together.

1 lb sushi rice
1/2 cups olive oil
1 TBL minced garlic
2 Liters seafood stock (best if from scratch, recipe to follow)
1/4 cup white wine
1 TBL saffron or tumeric
1/3 cup simple marinara, ideally sofrito
8 shrimps, with heads on
12 mussels
1/2 lb small scallops
1/2 lb sliced squid or calamari
1 lb of white fish, cute in bite sized chunks (tilapia, monkfish, or cod are great choices)
12 bize-size chunks of pork ribs (any meat will do, even chicken)
1 big lemon, cut into 6 wedges, to garnish
1 roasted red pepper in long strips, to garnish

carefully detach heads from shrimp, using your hands, don’t cut it and in a small pan infuse the heads with the olive oil for 20 minutes. do not bring the oil to a strong boil, aim for a light simmer.

meanwhile, in a big pot add in the stock, saffron (or tumeric), white wine and marinara. strain the olive oil from heads, set aside the infused olive oil and add the heads to the pot with the stock to simmer for 30 minutes, covered.

clean the shrimp and set aside.

in a pan sautee these items separately, but use the same oil and pan: fish, squid, and meat, with a pinch of salt and garlic. mise en place each item.

in the pan that will be used to make the paella, heat the rice with the shrimp-infused olive oil, medium-high heat. make sure each grain is coated and warmed through. all the while the stock should be at a light boil, the key is to keep the stock and rice at the same temp.

add 1-2 ladle-fuls of stock into the pan, enough to cover the rice. the rice will absorb the stock gradually, like cooking risotto. stir every 102 minutes to prevent scorching. as the stock is being reduced and absorbed, continue to add ladle-fuls of the stock to the pan, stirring as well.

at around the 10 minute mark, add the fish, meat, and squid. cook for 5 more minutes.

when the rice is still on the al dente side but is just about to get soft, around the 14-15 minute, add the scallops, mussels and cleaned shrimp. place the mussels and shrimp following the same pattern as a bike tire with 6-8 spokes.

now leave the pan alone, don’t stir it, but keep the pan moist by adding stock, a ladle at a time. the cooking time of the sushi rice should be around 18-20 minutes.

turn off stove, remove pan from heat, add the lemon wedges and the roasted red pepper strips, cover sand ignore for 5-10 minutes. the rice will continue to absorb the stock and cook in those minutes.

serve immediately. any leftovers can be eaten at room temp.

BAM!

other international dishes:
african chicken stew
caribean oxtail stew
feijoada
lamb larb
vietnamese vermicelli noodle bowl

crock pot baked beans

Published on February 1, 2016January 28, 2016 by Lan | MoreStomach3 Comments

the city streets are littered
with snow piles now.
just earlier in the week
it was pristine, uninterrupted white.
while it was still in that phase
dw & i (and nuria)
were holed up at home.
we completed the Blacklist on Netflix
(just up to season 2)
and contemplated starting
something about making murderers.
3 people with 1 tv
makes for difficult Netflix
decision making.

meanwhile, with an out of commissioned kitchen
and all appliances in the living room,
none plugged in,
save the fridge,
it made for creative meal planning.
the slow cooker was in use,
and it’s pretty much the hero
and these beans are saving our lives
while we do daily dig outs.

crock pot baked beans
makes an assclown amount

*note: these are reminiscent of the baked beans eaten with hot dogs or hamburgers while camping, or during the 4th of july. kinda sweet, kinda smokey, and all sorts of warming. we’ve had it with just crusty bread for dinner, with rice for lunch and my fave: topped with a fried egg for breakfast. all i know is, it makes a lot and has kept me and two adults fed during the week as we muddle our way through snow and sludge and not much motivation to cook on a hot plate.

1 lb dry cranberry beans (really, any dry beans would work)
1 onion, chopped
4 strips center cut smokey bacon, chopped
1/4 cup molasses
1/8 cup brown sugar
1/8 cup tomato paste
2 TBL spicy mustard
1 very generous TBL cocoa powder
1/2 cup apple juice (an delicious option, in lieu of the juice, use coffee)
2 C water
salt/pepper to taste

depending on where you source your beans, soak them overnight.

in a crock pot put all the ingredients in, turn it on to LOW and ignore for 10 hours. if you think of it, around the 7 hour mark, stir and check the softness of the beans. you’re aiming for creamy beans and thickened sauce.

serve with crusty bread, or with an egg on top for a hearty breakfast.

BAM!