morestomach

crunchy celery salad

Published on June 14, 2013June 19, 2013 by Lan | MoreStomach7 Comments

it’s finally the weekend
i shouldn’t complain,
it was a short week for me.
we spent a long weekend in
Atlanta,
where we dodged raindrops
visited a big fish tank
and ate like royalty.

right now our abode
is a mess
(when is it not)
(i’m not much of a housekeeper)
there is laundry to be done
a kitchen light to be replaced
a bathroom needing cleaning
and a gutter to be fixed

instead, we’ll ignore all that
and focus on:
CSA pickups
a donut making morning
wedding invitation making
ice cream eating
movie watching
i just don’t know if we’ll have
enough time!

what are you doing this weekend?

in the meantime, i made this super quick
celery salad
that takes no time
at all.

crunchy celery salad
note: you will not use all the syrup/dressing. don’t feel like you have to.

bunch of celery, washed/cleaned and sliced on the diagonal
1 tiny or 1/4 of a large red onion, sliced thin
1 TBL sugar
1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup white wine (i used a pinot grigio, a reisling would be nice but any will do)
1/2 rice vinegar
3/4 cup sugar

fish sauce and lime juice, to taste (the fish sauce is only optional, omit if keeping vegan)
red chili

in a mixing bowl add in the celery + red onion slices, mix with a tablespoon of sugar and 1/2 tsp of salt. put bowl in fridge for a few hours.

meanwhile, in a saucepan add the white wine + rice vinegar and 3/4 cup of sugar. reduce down until it’s like a syrup. allow to cool. about 15 minutes.

pour syrup over celery and mix well. for taste, add in a tsp of the lime juice and fish sauce, adding more according to preference. add in the red chili if desired.

best to eat this salad day it’s made.

strawberry sweet biscuit

Published on June 7, 2013June 12, 2013 by Lan | MoreStomach18 Comments

if you’re anything like me,
you didn’t grow up wondering where the
foods you ate came from,
and the exotic fruits you had for dessert
came from a can.
now that i think on it,
i didn’t have my first strawberry until
i was older,
like, a teenager older.
fresh strawberries are expensive
and were usually bypassed
on grocery trips.

now i know where these gems come from,
now i know the labor
it takes to harvest them
and now i understand their price tag
and why it was always
more important to buy the rice
and fish sauce
and tofu
and vegetables.

much like asparagus season,
strawberry season is fleeting.
dw took me strawberry picking the first
year we met
we missed it last year
so we made a point to go
this year.

he is too good to me,
he squats and stoops to pick me
the best berries,
while i hold an umbrella over him,
taking pictures and
~~judging others~~
~~pretending to harvest~~
resisting eating the fruit as we
worked our row.

it’s not possible to eat all
the berries we picked,
most have been washed
& packed into the freezer
destined for smoothies
or coulis
or ice cream
but i set aside a few handfuls
for fresh snacking
and for this,
a kindof strawberry shortcake.

what’s your favorite spring fruit?

strawberry sweet biscuits
adapted from whole grain vegan baking by celine steen & tamasin noyes
copyright Fair Winds Press

3/8 cup (or 6 TBL) coconut milk
1 cup (120g) organic pastry flour
1/2 cup (45g) oat flour
1/2 cup (70g) spelt flour
1 TBL baking powder
generous pinch of salt
1/2 cup organic sugar, + more for sprinkling
1/3 cup ( 74g) cold coconut oil
fresh strawberries

preheat oven 400F
in food processor mix together dry ingredients
add in the coconut oil, pulse until mixture looks like little peas
add 1 TBL at a time of the coconut milk into processor until mixture pulls from sides of bowl
move dough onto lightly floured surface
knead until comes together, roll or pat down into rectangle, 1/2″ thick
cut dough with desired sized cutters
pat scraps together & cut until all dough is used
transfer biscuits to baking sheet, 2″ apart
brush with coconut milk & sprinkle with sugar
bake for 16 – 18 minutes
allow to cool
serve with strawberries
*note: i served my biscuits with sweetened tofutti cream cheese

additional info:
pink paper basket handmade via the elli blog

lamb larb

Published on June 3, 2013June 12, 2013 by Lan | MoreStomach16 Comments

many many (and many) years
ago
i lived in thailand.
it was during my
formative years
so please know
i will not be able to provide
any kind of reference for
the best street food
but i can tell you that
they really are the
land of smiles.

we have plans to honeymoon
there
with the goal of
this
until then, i console myself
with this salad

this really simple thai salad
can be prepared ahead of time
be served hot
or at room temp
any ground meat will do
and other than the random
cleaning of herbs
very simple to put together

what’s your favorite thai dish?

lamb larb

1 lb organic ground lamb
1/4 white onion (red would be better) thinly sliced
1/4 cup water
2 stalks of green scallions/onions, diced
handful of kale, washed & rough chopped (sooooo optional, omit if authenticity is your thing)
3 TBL lime juice
3 TBL fish sauce
dried red pepper flakes
1 thai chili
cilantro leaves and mint, washed & dried, amount according to preference
1/8 cup of toasted rice powder (recipe/instructions follow)

toasted rice powder

1/8 cup of rice or gluttonous rice

dry roast in pan over medium heat until turns a light brown. grind in spice grinder until powder-ized.

cook ground lamb in skillet with no oil, with a wooden spoon be sure to separate the big chunks. go for medium heat, if you go too high it’ll caramelize the meat and that’s not the goal. cook through. at this point, i usually strain the meat of any excess oil/fat. the dish is supposed to be juicy so i add water, it’s up to you. return the meat back to the pan, add in the green onions and kale (this is just *my* addition because i had an excess of the stuff in the fridge, this is very optional) and cook until wilted.

take off heat, add in the onion slices, mix it through. allow to cool and then season with lime juice and fish sauce. season according to taste, i went with 3 TBL of each but you can certainly add more or less. i also added a dash of red pepper flakes and diced thai chili for pretty color. right before serving i add in the mint and cilantro leaves and top with rice powder.

this dish can be served at room temp or hot, with lettuce leaves or sticky rice.

others who’ve made this:
shesimmers
wandering chopsticks

dutch oven bread

Published on May 28, 2013May 29, 2013 by Lan | MoreStomach28 Comments

may is disappearing quickly,
much quicker and cooler than anticipated.
we’ve been traveling this season,
almost at a manic pace.

i must confess that i am
better suited for the quiet mundane of
A Set Schedule.

last week, for something to divert my attention from
work,
i began a series of confessions on
facebook,
ranging from the silly to the downright
mean.
i won’t divulge them here,
but i will share with you this one confession:
for all my desires for a happy gut,
soaking & fermenting,
sometimes i just want a quick & easy recipe
where none of that is required,
and so enters this recipe for bread.

while it does require an overnight rising,
therefore requiring some forethought,
it’s a very easy recipe
there is no kneading involved
but you will need a dutch oven.

june is shaping to be a usual summer month of berry picking and csas
it will shape in the everyday kind of way that happens only when you’re staying close to home
and i confess to reveling in the very thought of sameness.

what confessions would you like to share?
no worries, i won’t judge! 🙂

dutch oven bread smothered with garlic-herb olive oil
adapted from simply so good

3 cups organic AP flour
1 3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp yeast, i use red star
1 1/2 cups warm water, i just turn the tap on to warm

dump all ingredients into a bowl and mix with a fork or, you know, a handy dandy dough whisk. it’ll be a lumpy mess, not too wet or dry. cover with plastic wrap, leave on counter, forget about it for 18-24 hours.

when ready, heat oven to 450F. when it’s reached that temp, put dutch oven or cast iron pot in oven for 30 minutes. meanwhile, generously dust counter with flour. dump out the dough onto the counter and just shape into a mound or ball. cover with kitchen towel for the 30 minutes the pot is in the oven. when ready, put the dough into the pot (be careful to not burn yourself!) (edit to add: an option is to plop the dough on parchment paper and then plop into the pot. less chance of getting in contact with the hot pot!), cover and bake for 30 minutes. then remove lid and bake for an additional 15 minutes. remove bread and allow to cool on rack.

optional:
during the first 30 minutes of baking, in a sauce pan add 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 generous tsp of dried herbs (oregano, dried thyme, or italian spices is fine) and 3 cloves of minced garlic. on med-low heat just allow the oil to warm through, infusing with the herbs and garlic. for the final 15 minutes of bake time, when you take the lid off the pot, with a pastry brush, brush the olive oil on top of the bread.

great for dipping, or if you have any leftover, make into croutons.

Portuguese Chicken Curry with Chorizo + Olives

Published on May 20, 2013June 2, 2013 by Lan | MoreStomach18 Comments

i received an email from a dear blog friend recently.
the usual words:
catching up
swooning
lamentations
a song

and she ended the note with colors:
Mint green, coral, raspberry describe my days…
how lovely

lately, my days have been burnt yellow:
bright
warm
promising

it’s been a mild spring,
some days venture below the 50s
i made this curry some weeks ago,
when summer was just a tease,
winter was still fresh
and i needed some
burnt yellow

what color would you describe your days right now?

Portuguese Chicken Curry with Chorizo + Olives
loosely adapted from Tasting Table’s Chef’s Recipe, which was adapted from Abraham Conlon, Fat Rice, Chicago

1 lb package of chicken, breast or thighs, though i recommend thighs as it’s got more flavor
kosher salt/black pepper
3 TBL cornstarch
3 TBL olive oil, divided
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 1″ piece of ginger, finely minced
1 TBL curry powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 cans coconut milk
handful of baby red potatoes, scrubbed cleaned. if you want, peel but i kept the skins on (be sure they’re organic)
handful or two of dried tomatoes (original recipe calls for fresh cherry tomatoes, sliced)
4 ounces chorizo, sliced
12 oil-cured kalamata olives, pitted (original recipe calls for black morroccan olives)
1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, stems removed and leaves roughly chopped
steamed white rice, for serving

on a plate or cutting board, season chicken pieces with salt/pepper. sprinkle with cornstarch on both side, coat evenly. in a large pot or dutch oven set over med-high heat, add in a bit of oil and brown chicken. do this in batches. once you place the chicken in the oil, try not to move it until it’s ready to be flipped. transfer pieces back to plate or cutting board.

in the same pot or dutch oven, add the rest of the oil, onion + ginger, sauteeing until onion is soft and translucent. add in the curry powder and cayenne pepper, stirring often. pour in the coconut milk, add the potatoes & browned chicken pieces. bring liquid to a simmer. reduce heat to low & cover. continue to cook until chicken and potatoes are cooked through, and the sauce has thickened, 45 min – 1 hour.

remove lid, throw in the dried tomatoes, chorizo and olives. cook until warmed through. garnish with chopped parsley, serve with steamed white rice.