Thai Spicy Eggplant With Basil

I have had some disastrous eggplant experiences (bitter, tough, under-seasoned) so I am always wary of buying them in the store. I know that I ruin them more often than make something tasty out of them but I couldn't pass up these teeny tiny adorable eggplants when I saw them in the Korean market. This is probably my favorite preparation of eggplant though and it worked out very well for me this time. This is what I constantly order when we get Thai carryout (although I'm sure this recipe is nowhere near authentic) and I wanted to see if I could make a reasonable approximation of it at home. I found this particular recipe at vegetariantimes.com.

I always have a basil plant on hand because they are like 3 bucks (only slightly more than you would pay for a bunch of cut) from traitor joes and even with cats occasionally munching on the leaves they usually have a good run of about 6 months in my house before they die.

Another good tip is to salt the cut eggplant with coarse salt and let it drain in a colander for an hour, then rinse thoroughly before you use it.





Ingredients:

2 Tbs. peanut or vegetable oil

½ to 1 tsp. crushed red pepper, or to taste

3 baby eggplants, cubed into bite-sized chunks

1 medium-sized onion, diced

1 medium-sized red bell pepper, seeded and diced

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 Tbs. white vinegar

3 Tbs. dark soy sauce, such as tamari

2 Tbs. dark brown sugar

20 leaves fresh basil, shredded or torn

Preparation:

Meanwhile, heat a deep skillet or wok-shaped pan over high heat. Add oil and crushed red pepper, and let sizzle for 10 to 15 seconds.

 Add eggplant, and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes.

 Add onion, bell pepper and garlic, and stir-fry for 3 minutes more. Add vinegar and soy sauce. Sprinkle with sugar, and toss for 1 or 2 minutes longer.

Remove pan from heat, add basil leaves and toss to combine with eggplant. Serve over hot cooked rice.

AUBERGINES OR COURGETTES?!

Hot Cross Buns

So I was sitting around on Easter, because of my heathen leanings I was barely aware that it was Easter, when I started to get a load of phone calls from family members wishing me happy Easter and telling tales of baked hams and homemade sweet Easter cheeses. It suddenly felt very inadequate to sit around and eat salmon and brown rice while watching reality tv.

I remembered something that could potentially save the day. I had recently seen a show where Paul Hollywood and this adorable old British dame make a few really fusty British Easter recipes--including a huge pavlova with lemon custard and little egg white nests stuffed with chocolate eggs. Most of these recipes were dubious and impractical, full of marzipan, dates, currants, sugared primrose, and handmade puff pastry. They took hours and appeared to be throwbacks to a time when sugar was so scarce that, on special occasions, bakers would throw every single sweet thing available into a cake and assemble it in the most impractical/religiously symbolic way possible. The only recipe that looked even remotely appealing was for hot cross buns. I love baking bread and I love cinnamon. These would surely save my Easter at the last minute.


Here is a photo of the lemon curd pavlova from the program.

They did turn out beautifully. I felt very festive and connected to all other bakers and home cooks who must have also been baking this recipe on Easter. Again, be wary of my metric conversion. It helps if you have done bread before and you can recognize when the dough is too dry or wet. I omitted raisins (or 'sultanas' as they are adorably referred to in the program) because there is no reason to ruin a perfectly good bun with a failed grape. I added quite a large granny smith apple for tartness. I also doubled the cinnamon and added ground ginger. Make it to your taste of course! Many reviewers of the recipe said it could use more spice so keep that in mind.








Hot Cross Buns

Ingredients:
for the buns:
1 1/4 c. full fat milk
3 1/2tablespoons of butter
2 c. white flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1/3 c. sugar
1 tablespoon oil
7g yeast sachet
1 egg beaten
zest of 1 orange
1 apple peeled, cored and finely chopped
2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
pinch of nutmeg

for the cross:
1/3 c. of flour
water

optional glaze:
3 tablespoons apricot jam, heated and strained

Directions:
1. Bring the milk to boil, remove from heat and add the butter. Leave to cool until it reaches hand temperature. Put the flour, salt, sugar and yeast into a bowl. Make a well in the center. Pour in the warm milk and butter mixture, then add the egg. Using a wooden spoon, mix well, then bring everything together with your hands until you have a sticky dough.

2. Tip onto a lightly floured surface and knead by holding the dough with one hand and stretching it with the heel of the other hand, then folding it back on itself. Repeat for 5 mins until smooth and elastic. Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with oiled cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for 1hr or until doubled in size and a finger pressed into it leaves a dent.

3. With the dough still in the bowl, tip in the apple, zest, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg. Knead into the dough, making sure everything is well distributed. Leave to rise for 1 hour more, or until doubled in size.

4. Divide the dough into 15 even pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth ball on a lightly floured work surface. Arrange the buns on one or two baking trays lined with parchment, leaving enough space for the dough to expand. Cover, but don't wrap with more cling film, prove for 1 hr more.

5. Heat oven to 400F. Mix the flour with about 5 tablespoons of water to make the paste for the cross. Mix it into a thick paste and spoon the paste into a ziplock bag, snip a tiny hole in the tip and pipe the cross across all buns. Bake for 12-15 minutes on the middle shelf of the oven until golden brown.

6. Optional: Gently heat the apricot jam to melt, then sieve to get rid of any chunks. While the jam is still warm, brush over the top of warm buns and leave to cool.

White Bread

I really love bread. I love kneading it, I love the smell of it while it's in the oven, and I love the feeling of accomplishment I get when it's completed. I always get an overwhelming feeling of loneliness when someone tells me that they are eliminating gluten from their diet for non-essential reasons--they are missing out on some of life's great joys. That's my little soapbox bit. Eat bread and be happy, or do something else.

So I was watching this BBC show on bread-making. The guy's ridiculous name, Paul Hollywood, and the fact that he looks like an ultra-handsome version of my ex-stepfather (I instantly distrust people who sing very well or who have bewitching crystal blue eyes) made me wary of trying this out but he seemed knowledgeable and the recipe looked good. Plus, men baking is adorable. The bread itself also has a stupid name, a bloooomer, but it's just a white bread with some olive oil mixed in. He has a series and I'll probably try a few more of his breads out this month.

The big take-away bits from this were: 1. Use cold water and regular yeast--you get better flavor when the yeast takes longer to develop and cold water slows things down (as opposed to warm water which speeds it up and pretty much every bread recipe will tell you to use). Throw away your rapid rise packets! 2. Kneading your bread in a little puddle of olive oil instead of flour prevents you from adding too much flour while you knead (too much flour will make a cute little brick that only smells like bread). 3. The method for spraying the loaf with water and dusting with flour just before baking makes a really nice crisp crust.

Fair warning: This will take almost 5 hours to complete. If you have a day when you just don't feel like leaving the house then that's your day.  I feel that my bread did not get as puffy as his but the amount of air he can knead into the dough in 10 minutes and the amount I can knead in with my jello arms in 10 minutes probably varies by a bit. It still had great texture and flavor.








Recipe:
4 and 1/4 c. white flour (plus extra for kneading)
1 tsp salt
1 7g sachet of yeast
1 and 1/2 c. cold water (the conversion came out as slightly less than 1.5 but just use enough to make your dough stick together)
4.5 tbsp of olive oil (plus extra for kneading)

Procedure:
1. Place the dry ingredients in a bowl (don't let the salt and yeast touch). Add the oil and a cup of water.
2. Mix the ingredients together with your paws. Gradually add the rest of the water or as much of it as you need to until the flour leaves the side of the bowl and you have a soft, rough dough.
3. Pour a little oil onto a clean work surface. Knead the dough in the oil for 10 minutes, or until the dough becomes smooth and silky. Place the dough in a clean, oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place until tripled in size (about 2 hours).
4. Once risen, place the dough on a floured surface. Knock the dough back by folding it in on itself repeatedly. Do this until the air knocked out and the dough is smooth.
5. To shape, flatten the dough into a rectangle. With the long side facing you fold each end into the middle then roll like a Swiss roll so that you have a smooth top with a steam along the base. Gently roll with the heal of your hands.
6. Place on a tray lined with parchment, cover and leave to prove for 1-2 hours at room temp or until doubled in size When you feel you have about 10 minutes left to go preheat your oven to 425 so it's ready to go. Also you can put a little pan of water in the bottom to create a steam bath for the bread.
7. Lightly spray with water and dust with a little flour. Make four diagonal slashes using a sharp knife across the top.
8. Place the loaf on the middle shelf and bake for 25 minutes at 425. Lower to 400 and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove and cool on a wire rack.

Snickerdoodles

The delicious cookie with the undignified name! I made some rolo-filled snickerdoodles at Xmas time with my sisters and they were great--very chewy and delicious. I went in search of a non-stuffed recipe and I found these. They are very good and my husband raved and ate half of them in one night. They aren't as chewy as the other recipe (some could argue that the other recipe was too hard/chewy but I do like that texture more than most but I also like burnt popcorn so what the hell do I know), they're more tender but still have a little chew to them. I have made these twice and would do so again if I need a reliable crowd-pleasing type of cookie for a bake sale or gift. I gave a batch to our neighbors after they let us tromp around in their back yard looking for our wayward cat.

I did reduce the sugar (by 1/4 cup) in the recipe the second time. I found them a little sweet. I would also recommend doubling the recipe as it only yields 16-18 small cookies.

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar(or do 1/4 cup if you prefer)

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

For rolling:

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars with an electric mixer on high speed. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth.

2. In another bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar.

3. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix well.

4. Preheat oven to 300 degrees while you let the dough rest for 30 to 60 minutes in the refrigerator.

5. In a small bowl, combine the sugar with the cinnamon for the topping.

6. Take about 2 1/2 tablespoons of the dough and roll it into a ball. Roll this dough in the cinnamon/sugar mixture and press it onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Repeat for the remaining cookies.

7. Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes and no more. The cookies may seem undercooked, but will continue to develop after they are removed from the oven. When the cookies have cooled they should be soft and chewy in the middle.

Ddeok Gook

I try to make this traditional Korean dish for New Year's Day every year. In addition to it tasting really good, I like to be able to cook food that my husband loves/reminds him of childhood. Don't be afraid of cooking with the anchovies--they look like odd little fish mummies but you strain them out of the broth (then feed to cats) and they really set off the flavor of the small amount of beef in the recipe. I was just listening to a radio show with Bridget Lancaster and Jack Bishop who explained why they make it so much better:

"Glutamates ... [are] savory compounds; your taste receptors will pick that up and say, wow, that's nice and savory. But anchovies, in particular, they contain something else. It's another compound called a nucleotide — and a nucleotide plus a glutamate basically is a savory explosion. It really amps up the flavor of the glutamates 20, 30, even perhaps 40 times. So if you're tasting beef on its own, or soy sauce, or any of those glutamate-rich ingredients, your tongue will say, wow, that's very beefy. You add something with nucleotides in it, say anchovies, and you'll say this is the best beef stew ever. It tastes so much more meaty than meat."

I ordered the Cook's Illustrated "Science of Good Cooking" and I'm sure that will give me a nice review of  all of this. I think the glutamate/nucleotide phenomena explains why Korean food is so impossibly good. Warning: Whenever you start cooking a new type of food you usually have to spend quite a bit initially to get all of your ingredients. I anticipate that you will need to drop about $20 at an Asian market to get everything. This, kids, is why I rarely make Indian food at home X)

I used the rough instructions that my Mother-in-law gave me (she doesn't write anything down) and this basic fooddotcom recipe to fill in the blanks. You need to marinate the beef while the rice cakes soak. I get very thinly sliced beef from the Korean market (no idea what cut but when you're slicing it very thinly, marinating, and putting it into a soup it doesn't really matter). I usually marinate the big slices, they are about the size of playing cards and 1/8 inch thick, and then cut them into tiny strips after I have browned them. Cutting into strips before marinating works too but I find that cooked meat is easier to cut into very thin strips.

Ddeok Gook:

1 package thin sliced korean rice cake (I used about half of the package which is probably a little too much)
1/2 cup dried anchovy (myeol chi - I think the Japanese word is naboshi)
6 cups water (I just filled a large pot I have, I think I used closer to 8 or 9 cups)
2 green onions, chopped
4 ounces beef, cut into thin strips 

2 eggs, gently beaten (season with a little salt)
2 sheets nori (seasoned kim , dried laver seaweed) 

Beef Marinade:
1/4 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
1/8 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon minced garlic

Directions:

1. Soak the rice cake in cold water for 30 minutes.

2. Marinate the beef in the soy sauce, sesame oil, pepper, sugar, and minced garlic.

3. Saute the beef in a skillet, then set aside.

4. Put the 6 cups of water and the dried anchovies in a pot.

5. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes.

6. Strain out the anchovies and return the broth to the pot.

7. Add the rice cakes to the broth.

8. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium.

9 Cook for 5 minutes, until tender (check them often, the original recipe said 10 to 15 but mine were already soft after a few minutes).

10 Add the green onions.

11 Pour the egg in a little at a time.

12 Let it set a bit, then stir- if you stir right after adding the egg, the broth gets milky (this happened to me but it does not effect the taste imo).

13 Put into bowls.

14 Garnish each bowl with some beef and some strips of kim.

Lobster Risotto

This is one of those recipes that seems very intimidating, but it's actually just requires a few more steps than your average dinner and it gives a tremendous sense of accomplishment when you're done. Risotto is one of the cheaper meals you can make and it never fails to impress people (see the charming post-it my husband left for me on the stove the next morning). You essentially just need arborio rice, stock, and parmesean cheese. I would definitely put mushrooms in this next time though. I have never regretted putting mushrooms in a risotto. I omitted them on my first try here because the original recipe, from the nytimes, didn't have any and thought it might distract from the delicate flavor of the lobster. I think it would have been even better with mushrooms though.

It was surprisingly affordable: I found lobster tails on sale for for $10/2 this week--I think this recipe cost me less than $15 dollars to complete and I was able to use the leftovers to make fried risotto "cakes" with egg on top the following night.

The first step in all this is to poach the lobsters. Defrost the two tails and then boil a pot of water, enough to cover the tails when submerged. Wrap the tails tightly in plastic wrap and poach them for 3 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.




I took kitchen shears and cut the underside of the tail and cracked it open to pull out all of the meat and set aside for later. Reserve the tails for making the stock.



Lobster Stock:
Shells from cooked lobsters, rinsed
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 bay leaves
10 peppercorns.

In a large stockpot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the lobster shells and sauté for 1 minute. Add enough water so that the pot is 2/3 full, then add the onion, bay leaves and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for several hours or overnight. (The longer it simmers, the better.) Using tongs, remove and discard the large shells, then strain the stock through a fine sieve twice. Makes 6 or more cups.



Lobster Risotto
About 6 cups lobster stock
¼ cup butter
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
Salt
2 cups arborio, carnaroli or other short-grained white rice
Meat from 1 cooked lobster, chopped
2 tablespoons minced chives
½ cup grated Parmesan
Freshly ground black pepper.

1. In a medium pot, heat the stock and keep warm.
2. In a large, wide saucepan, melt the butter in the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add a large pinch of salt, then add the rice and stir constantly for about 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of broth and simmer, stirring until the broth is almost absorbed. Add more broth, a cup at a time, allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding the next. Stir often. Cook until the rice is tender and the mixture is creamy, 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in the lobster meat until heated through, then add the chives and ¼ cup of the Parmesan. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately with remaining Parmesan. Reserve excess risotto for eggs over (easy) lobster risotto patties (recipe here). Serves 4, plus leftovers. All recipes adapted from Sam Sifton.
NOTE: For a meatier risotto, cook an extra lobster or two.

Biscoff Oatmeal Cookies

I recently found a stock of crunchy Biscoff spread at our discount grocery store. If you've never been on a Delta flight or had a Biscoff (or Speculoos cookie) elsewhere, the best way I can describe it is like a cross between gingerbread and shortbread. It's a little spicy and buttery and people go mad for them. To make the spread they just crush the cookies and mix with oil, it comes in creamy and crunchy, like peanut butter. I have been excited to try baking with this spread but I could never find it.

My next recipe idea for this stuff would be a Nutella cake with a crunchy Biscoff buttercream--I also think Biscoff cookies would make a lovely crust for a cheesecake. 

I found this recipe at twopeasandtheirpod.com. I changed a few things the second time I made them: I doubled the amount of salt--I like a lot of big grains of sea salt in cookies, I toasted the oats in the oven and then processed them in the food processor to deepen the flavor and break up the big chewy oats. That's just my personal preference though.








Biscoff Oatmeal Cookies

Yield: 2 1/2 dozen cookies

Cook Time: 8-10 minutes
Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats (toasted and processed if you like)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus 2 tablespoons of flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup Biscoff Spread
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter, Biscoff spread, sugar, and brown sugar and beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the egg and vanilla extra and beat until smooth.

4. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the dry ingredients, beating only until blended. Chill the dough 30 minutes in the refrigerator (do not skip this step--it helps keep the middles of the cookies chewier). When you have about 10 minutes left you can preheat your oven.

5. Form the cookie dough into rounded tablespoons and place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until cookies are golden and just firm around the edges. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then remove with a spatula onto a cooling rack.