I made my 2nd spinach lasagna and it came out great again! I used fresh spinach that I steamed using the boiling water from the lasagna noodles. I bought ricotta cheese (the 2nd time it was fat free) and mozzarella cheese, which I grated myself. I used a bottled pasta bake sauce that had some cheese in the mix. I think that's what made it so tasty.
I love lasagna when it's so tasty and not dry. Even more so when it is meatless. And the spinach was so yummy being that it was fresh and not frozen. This will be made again and again. Who knew lasagna was so easy.
I would really like to try this sausage lasagna that I saw made on an old run of Martha Stewart's tv show. It was piled and stuffed full of 3 kinds of sausage and lots of cheese using sheets of lasagna instead of just the noodles. Wow! That would be a feat!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Village cooking lessons: Day 2
Samlor Majoo Kroeng Sait Gou (Sour Soup with Morning Glory and Beef)
*Note: In Cambodia Morning Glory is not a flower, but an aquatic vegetable with a hollow stem, sometimes called Water Spinach.
For a picture of what it can look like go here.
Step 1: Remove leaves from the Morning Glory. A few smaller ones can be left on the ends. Using the flat side of a knife (preferably a cleaver) flatten the Morning Glory stocks, then chop into 1.5" pieces.
Step 2: Add 5-6 garlic cloves and pieces of galangal rhizomes to a mortar, then smash them together. Add the "kroeng" mix (pounded lemongrass and tumeric root and other things) and continue pounding. Add some finely chopped kaffir lime leaves (or add some sour tamarind paste later) to make it sour.
Step 3: Cut up the meat into small bite-sized pieces.
Step 4: Heat some oil in the bottom of a large stock pot. Add the pounded mixture along with some "prahok" (Cambodian fish paste) and cook for a couple of minutes. Then add the meat and cook until it's browned. Cover with water and bring to a boil then simmer. Once it's simmering add the Morning Glory pieces. Cook until those are soft.
Eat with steamed rice.
*Note: In Cambodia Morning Glory is not a flower, but an aquatic vegetable with a hollow stem, sometimes called Water Spinach.
For a picture of what it can look like go here.
Step 1: Remove leaves from the Morning Glory. A few smaller ones can be left on the ends. Using the flat side of a knife (preferably a cleaver) flatten the Morning Glory stocks, then chop into 1.5" pieces.
Step 2: Add 5-6 garlic cloves and pieces of galangal rhizomes to a mortar, then smash them together. Add the "kroeng" mix (pounded lemongrass and tumeric root and other things) and continue pounding. Add some finely chopped kaffir lime leaves (or add some sour tamarind paste later) to make it sour.
Step 3: Cut up the meat into small bite-sized pieces.
Step 4: Heat some oil in the bottom of a large stock pot. Add the pounded mixture along with some "prahok" (Cambodian fish paste) and cook for a couple of minutes. Then add the meat and cook until it's browned. Cover with water and bring to a boil then simmer. Once it's simmering add the Morning Glory pieces. Cook until those are soft.
Eat with steamed rice.
Village cooking lessons
I'm back in "cooking school" with my Cambodian mom. I am learnign how to make some standard Cambodian dishes so that I will be able to make them in the future.
Day #1: Fried meat and vegetables (aka stir-fry)
Now I already know how to do this, but was told I needed to know how to make it tasty.
Step 1: heat oil (any kind will do).
Step 2: add freshly minced garlic to cook until golden, then add a spoonful of sugar.
Step 3: add chopped meat. We used pork, but beef will do just fine, and of course tofu. Let cook thoroughly so there's no pink in the middle.
Step 4: when meat is cooked, add the vegetables. We used sliced onions and angle-sliced cucumber, but you can choose you can choose your favorite. I think using onion is a must, and you can choose carrots, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, or any other vegetable. The key thing, however, is to pay attention to your chosen vegie's density to determine cooking order and time. Cauliflower takes longer so it should go in first. Onions and cucumbers tend to be softer so they go in later.
Step 5: I think there is some salt added to taste, but I must have been looking away when it was added. Very important: check the taste of the dish using a spoon. If it isn't salty enough, add salt. If it's too salty, add water and/or sugar. Finally serve it in a serving bowl alongside steamed rice for your meal.
[sorry no pics for this one as I didn't have the camera with me.]
Day #1: Fried meat and vegetables (aka stir-fry)
Now I already know how to do this, but was told I needed to know how to make it tasty.
Step 1: heat oil (any kind will do).
Step 2: add freshly minced garlic to cook until golden, then add a spoonful of sugar.
Step 3: add chopped meat. We used pork, but beef will do just fine, and of course tofu. Let cook thoroughly so there's no pink in the middle.
Step 4: when meat is cooked, add the vegetables. We used sliced onions and angle-sliced cucumber, but you can choose you can choose your favorite. I think using onion is a must, and you can choose carrots, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, or any other vegetable. The key thing, however, is to pay attention to your chosen vegie's density to determine cooking order and time. Cauliflower takes longer so it should go in first. Onions and cucumbers tend to be softer so they go in later.
Step 5: I think there is some salt added to taste, but I must have been looking away when it was added. Very important: check the taste of the dish using a spoon. If it isn't salty enough, add salt. If it's too salty, add water and/or sugar. Finally serve it in a serving bowl alongside steamed rice for your meal.
[sorry no pics for this one as I didn't have the camera with me.]
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Papusas - Guatemala City, Guatemala
With the assistance of my roommate, I discovered these wonderfully delicious treats when in Guatemala from the 3rd - 8th of December, 2007.
According to my roomie, she had papusas in Ecuador. I just had to try them, not only cause they were homemade compared to the Subway, Taco Bell, Quiznos, Dominoes and so on, available to us in the food court, but they were also inexpensive!
The woman was so delightful and patient, always making sure she had the order correct, since I was speaking in a second language.
They are more or less pancake-like. She started with a ball of dough, then pushed a hole into it in which the fillings were added. With only 3 choices of cheese (the fresh kind: think queso fresca), frijol (bean) and chicherrito (meat) filling. I opted for the beans and meat fillings either separately or combined (mixta).
They are then flattened and placed on the griddle to cook for 5-10 minutes. It's worth the wait. Believe me! These suckers filled me all day.
After served, you had your choice of toppings: a cabbage mixture, various spicy levels of salsa, guacamole and onions.
I ate these 3 days in a row. I loved coming here. I still crave these things to this day. I need this recipe for myself.
According to my roomie, she had papusas in Ecuador. I just had to try them, not only cause they were homemade compared to the Subway, Taco Bell, Quiznos, Dominoes and so on, available to us in the food court, but they were also inexpensive!
The woman was so delightful and patient, always making sure she had the order correct, since I was speaking in a second language.
They are more or less pancake-like. She started with a ball of dough, then pushed a hole into it in which the fillings were added. With only 3 choices of cheese (the fresh kind: think queso fresca), frijol (bean) and chicherrito (meat) filling. I opted for the beans and meat fillings either separately or combined (mixta).
They are then flattened and placed on the griddle to cook for 5-10 minutes. It's worth the wait. Believe me! These suckers filled me all day.
After served, you had your choice of toppings: a cabbage mixture, various spicy levels of salsa, guacamole and onions.
I ate these 3 days in a row. I loved coming here. I still crave these things to this day. I need this recipe for myself.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Fudgy Chocolate-Walnut Cookies (flourless)
Yes, indeedy! These cookies have no flour, but yessiree they are baked. According to the article, they are ideal for Passover baking. Apparently, this is one of the 1oo tastes to try in 2008.
These were salivated after by my mom, so much so that she called me up from work to tell me to me to bake more 'cause she couldn't stop thinking about them.
Here's the recipe:
2 3/4 cup walnut halves (9 oz.) - toasted, then chopped
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large egg whites at room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract (I used the Bourbon kind from Madagascar)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Position 2 racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. (Parchment paper is very important here as I tried without and they were very hard to remove from the pans.)
In a large bowl, whisk the confectioners' sugar with the cocoa powder and salt. Whisk in the chopped walnuts. Add the egg whites and vanilla extract and beat just until batter is moistened (be careful not to overbeat or it will stiffen). Spoon the batter onto the baking sheets in 12 evenly spaced mounds.
Bake the cookies for about 20 minutes (shift the pans from front to back and top to bottom halfway through), until the tops of the cookies are glossy and lightly cracked and feel firm to the touch.
Slide the parchment paper (with the cookies) onto 2 wire racks to cool completely before serving.
The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days (but it's highly unlikely they'll last that long).
Recipe by Francois Payard was found in the January 2008 issue of Food and Wine. (page 48)
These were salivated after by my mom, so much so that she called me up from work to tell me to me to bake more 'cause she couldn't stop thinking about them.
Here's the recipe:
2 3/4 cup walnut halves (9 oz.) - toasted, then chopped
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large egg whites at room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract (I used the Bourbon kind from Madagascar)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Position 2 racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. (Parchment paper is very important here as I tried without and they were very hard to remove from the pans.)
In a large bowl, whisk the confectioners' sugar with the cocoa powder and salt. Whisk in the chopped walnuts. Add the egg whites and vanilla extract and beat just until batter is moistened (be careful not to overbeat or it will stiffen). Spoon the batter onto the baking sheets in 12 evenly spaced mounds.
Bake the cookies for about 20 minutes (shift the pans from front to back and top to bottom halfway through), until the tops of the cookies are glossy and lightly cracked and feel firm to the touch.
Slide the parchment paper (with the cookies) onto 2 wire racks to cool completely before serving.
The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days (but it's highly unlikely they'll last that long).
Recipe by Francois Payard was found in the January 2008 issue of Food and Wine. (page 48)
Baba Ghanoush
With an extra eggplant lying around I thought I would give a go at making baba ghanoush as a former roomie, the H-ster, had so inspiringly made on many occasions in our old abode.
I used a recipe from cooks.com, but modified it slightly as I usually do when I don't have the exact ingredients. Here's the recipe:
1 eggplant
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt & pepper to taste
8 oz. plain yogurt (I used a soy yogurt from Wild Woods)
1 clove garlic (I used 3 cause I love the stuff)
Tahini Sauce
1/2 cup tahini sauce
salt & pepper to taste
juice of 1/2 lemon
water
(I skipped the water and salt & pepper as I felt it was thin enough already)
Mix tahini sauce, salt, pepper and lemon juice separately in a mixer. Add a little water to thin. Mix with eggplant mixture.
Eat with pita bread and salad. Garnish with parsely.
Yummy, yummy! I love eating this with the baked pita chips from Trader Joe's. But it would also be nice over a cucumber, onion and tomato salad, too.
I used a recipe from cooks.com, but modified it slightly as I usually do when I don't have the exact ingredients. Here's the recipe:
1 eggplant
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt & pepper to taste
8 oz. plain yogurt (I used a soy yogurt from Wild Woods)
1 clove garlic (I used 3 cause I love the stuff)
Bake eggplant at 350 degrees until soft, about 1/2 hour. Test with a toothpick. Cool, peel, and remove head. Chop or put in food processor, whichever texture is preferred (I blended it.) Add garlic and continue to process. Add lemon juice, yogurt, salt and pepper.
Tahini Sauce
1/2 cup tahini sauce
salt & pepper to taste
juice of 1/2 lemon
water
(I skipped the water and salt & pepper as I felt it was thin enough already)
Mix tahini sauce, salt, pepper and lemon juice separately in a mixer. Add a little water to thin. Mix with eggplant mixture.
Eat with pita bread and salad. Garnish with parsely.
Yummy, yummy! I love eating this with the baked pita chips from Trader Joe's. But it would also be nice over a cucumber, onion and tomato salad, too.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Papusas, Black Beans and Fresh Tortillas in Guatemala
[picture coming soon]
I was delighted to encounter the Central American food of papusas. They are delightful and filling. Made with a cornmeal dough where fillings (my choices were queso, frijol, chicharron) are pushed into the center of a ball then covered and flattened into a pancake for cooking on the griddle.
While it took several minutes for my order to be made and cooked, it was well worth it and filling to last me the rest of the day.
My first papusas were 2 chicharron-filled. The second were 1 chicharron, 1 frijol. The third were mixed with frijol and chicharron. Topped with a cabbage mixture, red salsa, guacamole sauce, cilantro and lime, then served on a small plate with fork and knife, my stomach is growling for the next time I can eat one.
I was delighted to encounter the Central American food of papusas. They are delightful and filling. Made with a cornmeal dough where fillings (my choices were queso, frijol, chicharron) are pushed into the center of a ball then covered and flattened into a pancake for cooking on the griddle.
While it took several minutes for my order to be made and cooked, it was well worth it and filling to last me the rest of the day.
My first papusas were 2 chicharron-filled. The second were 1 chicharron, 1 frijol. The third were mixed with frijol and chicharron. Topped with a cabbage mixture, red salsa, guacamole sauce, cilantro and lime, then served on a small plate with fork and knife, my stomach is growling for the next time I can eat one.
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