main course – Page 6

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!

2 years ago: Chocolate Ginger Molasses Cookies
1 year ago: brinjal pickle hummus

feijoada – Brazilian Bean Stew

Published on January 25, 2016January 27, 2016 by Lan | MoreStomach9 Comments

we’ve been waking to low temps lately,
maybe not as low as the northern states,
but lower than the southern states,
and you know what?
low is low
and comparison is the thief of joy.
our kitchen is currently out of commission
but before we started
the renovation
dw made a stew that warmed us through,
staving off the chill,
and comparing to all other stews
i’ve thrown together,
let’s just say it’s
such a joy that dw can cook too.

feijoada – a brazilian bean stew
as dictated to me from dw who read 5 recipes and then mashed them all together

*note: feijoada is a stew of portuguese origin, with the respective portuguese colonies having versions of their own. dw went with a brazilian bent, though we did top off with asian rice vinegar to cut through the richness. using lime would be fine too. finish the meal with some slices of clementines or tangerines, to cleanse the palate. this is a super fatty, but sooooo good, stew.

1 onion, fine diced
5 cloves of garlic, minced
olive oil
6 slices of smoky bacon
1 lb pork shoulder, large cubes
1 cup dried black beans, soaked overnight
chorizo sausage links, sliced
3 bay leaves
dried chili flake to taste, optional
1 TBL coriander seeds, toasted and then finely ground
enough water or stock to cover
rice vinegar to serve

in a pan with a bit of olive oil saute the onions until translucent season with salt, add in the garlic and coriander seed to warm through. add the entire onion and garlic saute to the bottom of crock pot.

return pan to stove top and cook the bacon until crispy. pull bacon out and crumble. add to onion/garlic mixture in crock pot. (though, it can be added at the end, prior to eating. up to you).

drain off excess bacon fat, but reserving enough fat to cover pan (about 1-2 TBL) and brown the pork cubes on all sides. add pork cubes to crock pot.

saute the chorizo sausage, just to give it crisp edges. add to crock pot.

add soaked beans to crock pot, discarding the soaking water.

add the bay leaf and smattering of dried chili flakes, if using.

add water or stock to cover.

put crock pot on high until beans are soft, about 4 hours.

serve over plain rice with splash of rice vinegar and side of clementine slices.

BAM!

1 year ago: frozen old fashioned waffles
2 years ago: kale + tofu balls with pasta
another portuguese concoction: chicken curry + chorizo and olives

mushroom stroganoff

Published on January 18, 2016October 21, 2016 by Lan | MoreStomach9 Comments

our current living arrangement
feeds one more mouth
no, we did not have a baby or adopt.
well.
i mean.
my dear friend nuria is crashing with us
while she finishes a contract at the local university
so it’s kinda like adopting a child
but fully fleshed out
with personality and potty trained.
she and i lived together before,
it wasn’t a hard transition for me.
i can’t speak for dw,
but i can only imagine how he feels
when she & i are:
giggling
bickering
pseudo meal planning
hogging the couch.
for the most part,
we eat dinner together,
the 3 of us.
i cooked for nuria when it was just us
i cooked for dw when it was just us
now i cook for all of us.
this was such a meal
that received rave reviews.

mushroom stroganoff
serves 4-6

*note: this was made vegan, but can easily be made with meat products: stock, actual cream and butter and yogurt, it’s entirely up to you.
**note: i didn’t use the mushroom stems, i save those in a gallon bag and freeze to make stock with scraps of random vegs.

1 lb white button mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
1/2 large onion, diced
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
up to 1 cup of water or veg stock
1/2 cup white wine
healthy splash of vegan Worcestershire sauce, i use wizard‘s
1 heaping TBL dijon mustard
1/4 cup vegan yogurt, i use So Delicious
olive oil
1-2 TBL AP flour
smoked paprika, sprinkled liberally, about 2 tsp.
rough chopped flat leaf parsley, to garnish
1 package noodles, cooked according to package instructions

in a large pan, heat up a healthy splash of olive oil (medium high). add in the onion and garlic, saute until fragrant, anywhere from 5-10 minutes, you’re not aiming to caramelize it, though if it does, don’t freak out, it just adds another layer of flavor. *season with salt*

add in the mushrooms and saute. the mushrooms will brown and release a lot of liquid. don’t be alarmed.

at this point, boil noodles according to package instructions

add in the white wine and scrape the bottom of the pan to get all the good brown bits. next, add in the dijon mustard and healthy splash of worchestershire sauce.

allow the mixture to reduce down, scraping the pan periodically.

spoon the flour over the mushrooms, minimum 1 tablespoon, or up to 2 tablespoons. stir the mushrooms until the flour has been incorporated into the oils/liquid/onions. slowly add in the water or stock, liquid amount at your discretion, depending on how saucy you it to be.

allow for the mixture and flour to warm though and thicken.

add in the yogurt and paprika, stir until fully incorporated.

by this point, the noodles should be done. the dish can be served with the sauce ladled over the noodles, or the noodles can be added into the pan and mixed through with the mushrooms.

garnish with parsley and more paprika.

BAM!

1 year ago: crocheted broomstick cowl
2 years ago: crocheted minecraft creeper hats

chili + fennel seed pork pie

Published on January 11, 2016January 9, 2016 by Lan | MoreStomach5 Comments

with the arrival of 2016
i know i should be thinking about
goals and resolutions
clean slates
good intentions
and yet, as per usual,
i spend an inordinate amount of
time and brain cells
on food –
the making of it,
the consumption of it.
not the best use of my time
for sure,
but i’m not too pressed about it,
it is what it is,
and when i convince dw to
join in my frivolity,
it’s all the better.

he put together this here meal,
that we shared on new year’s day,
all because i saw it on
The Great British Bake Off,
and would not shut up about
Hot Water Pastry.
we spent the morning laboring
over the dough,
dicing the pork,
shaping the pies,
and then enjoying the
remainder of the day doing nothing.
time well spent methinks.

chili + fennel seed pork pies
adapted from ruby tandoh
makes 3 4″ pies

*note: this is a dish usually served on the cold side, which honestly, weirds me out. from my understanding, when the pastry is hot, it’s greasy and the lard is all melted and not at all palatable. so we ate the pies just as they were cooling at room temp, which i felt was a good compromise. we also had sides of roasted maple carrots and an arugula salad. even though these pies were about 4″ in diameter they were hefty – we only consumed half. to reheat, dw scraped out the meat and heated it up separately in a pan. we let the pastry warm to room temp and then put the meat back in. no judgement.

dough

75g cubed butter, firm but not chilled
300g AP flour
¼ tsp salt
135ml water
75g lard

filling
400g pork shoulder, diced
150g smoked bacon
2 tsp fennel seeds, toasted and ground
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
salt, to taste

preheat oven 400F

add the butter and flour in a bowl, and crumble them together with your hands until the mixture is like breadcrumbs. add in the salt.

meanwhile, in a small pan heat the water and lard over low heat, just until the fat melts. pour the liquid over the flour mixture and stir to combine. (at first we used a wooden spoon but then went back to using our hands, but take care, it is hot). press the pastry into a ball and knead it a few times to stretch it. set aside, uncovered while you do the other steps.

in a large bowl, mix the pork shoulder, bacon and spices. use your hands. season with salt/pepper, though be mindful, the bacon is likely salty.

the pastry should be cool to the touch. fyi: hot pastry is too pliable and oily, whereas cold pastry is hard and difficult to work with. you want something in the middle (i know, could i be more vague?).

portion 2/3 of the dough, and with that, cut into 3 equal pieces. set the remaining 1/3 piece aside. take one of the 3 pieces and roll out on lightly floured counter top, aim for about 8″ diameter, you’re aiming to cover the base of the pan and pull the pastry up the sides of it as well. the dough is so forgiving, slide it into the pan and use your fingers to press into corners and up the sides. repeat for remaining 2 pans.

firmly pack the meat mixture into the pans. with the remaining 1/3 dough, cut into 3 equal pieces and roll out to about 4 1/2″. transfer to top of the pies. seal the lid and sides together as best as possible. i used a fork to press down on the sides and make a pretty design, it’s not necessary. (i also used a star cookie cutter to lightly decorate the top, but i will tell you during the bake, it puffed up and the star kinda sorta disappeared. press down hard if you want to keep the design.) stab a hole in the middle with a knife to let the steam out during baking. before pies in oven, brush with beaten egg.

bake for 15 minutes and then lower temp to 350F and bake for additional 45 min to 1 hour. you’re looking for a golden brown crust.

cool completely in the pan, on a wire rack. once cool, refrigerate until ready to serve.

BAM!