Mock Eel

A few nights ago, TSB came over to make pizza with me. I’m a big fan of buying dough at the pizzeria or grocery store (Trader Joe’s has decent whole wheat dough), rolling it thin and grilling it on my Griddler, before covering it with cheese, sauce and toppings. A few minutes in the oven at 400 degrees to melt the cheese and warm it through, and you have a great pizza.

Last week’s homemade ravioli experiment taught us that she and I are not the best culinary collaborators without a designated leader, but when one of us takes the helm and they other plays sous chef, we make a great team in the kitchen.

We built one pizza with grilled turkey ham, sautéed shallots and leeks, and goat cheese and another with sautéed mushrooms and goat cheese, and based on the remaining ingredients, we made a shallot, leek, mushroom and goat cheese pie.

I was assigned to grill the dough and prep the veggies, while she took the lead on designing the menu, creating the toppings, and cooking the sauce. This was the first time she had made pizza sauce, and had recently decided she wanted to create her own recipe. That night she engaged in what we expected would be a long and arduous process of revamping and fine tuning, but by Jove, she nailed it the first time! This sauce is incredible, and despite my foolhardy urging, has no added sugar, so it is far better for you than what you can buy in a jar.

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
½ can tomato paste
3 stewed Roma tomatoes from a can
¼ cup cabernet sauvignon
2 tablespoons dried basil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf

1. Heat olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat.
2. Smash and peel two cloves garlic and add to pan, removing when they start to brown.
3. Add remaining ingredients and let simmer and thicken, stirring frequently.
4. Remove bay leaf before using.

Saturday afternoon, I was searching the Ferry Building Farmer’s Market in San Francisco for something new and unique to infuse in vodka. There was little that thrilled me, so I settled on a packet of dried spicy peppers that seems to include habanero, Thai, cayenne and maybe pepperoncini (I am guessing based on looks, but I wouldn’t expect it to be so hot).

I softened one of each in a half cup of Stoli for a day and then poured it all into a bottle and topped it off with another half cup or so. As I was transferring it into the bottle, I dipped my finger into the vodka and it was so hot after only a day that I felt the burn in the back of my throat an hour later and I am sure I will need to do dilute it quite a bit.

I’m planning some serious bloody marys and have started to ponder where else spicy vodka might be suitable. For some reason, my mind keeps going back to grapefruit juice. Is that wrong?

If you have any suggestions for hot cocktails, leave me a comment.

I would hate to imply that colonialism could be a good thing, but when I bite into a Vietnamese sandwich (Bánh mì), I have to catch myself. People were oppressed, enslaved and killed, but when potent Southeast Asian flavors are intertwined with pâté and mayo on a crusty, toasted baguette, it’s enough to make me forget the atrocities. Whether it’s barbecued chicken, meatballs or shredded pork on top of those pickled veggies, spicy peppers and tangy sauces, my moral fiber begins to weaken as soon as I start chewing.

As necessity is the mother of culinary innovation, I just MacGyvered a new curry for dinner and it is surprisingly tasty. I was craving the coconut curry sauce from last week’s Lunar New Year party, but lacking some vital ingredients, I got creative with what I could find around the house (ok, really just around the kitchen). What I ended up with was a scrumptious and spicy pineapple coconut shrimp curry. Oddly, this pairs well with Orange Fanta, but a dry white wine would be nice as well.

2 tablespoons oil
3 large shallots, diced *
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon red chili flakes (optional, but good if you like spicy)
1 red bell pepper, seeded, ribbed and julienned
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, ribbed and diced
1 20 ounce can pineapple chunks, drained *
1 14 ounce can coconut milk *
1-2 cups medium size, raw shrimp
1 lime, juiced and zested

* items that everyone should always have on hand, but so few people do.

1. In a stir-fry or other large pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil until shimmering over medium high heat. Add shallots and garlic and sauté until soft.
2. Add all but the last three ingredients and stir fry 3-4 minutes more before adding the coconut milk.
3. Bring to a boil and simmer 15 minutes to reduce.
4. While curry simmers, heat remaining tablespoon of oil in another pan over medium heat. Add shrimp and cook two minutes on each side, then add to the shrimp to the curry and remove from heat.
5. Finish sauce with lime juice, serve over rice noodles and garnish with zest, but not too much zest.

The dinner party went off without a hitch, other than my being chained to the stove more than half the night. That was to be expected and my kitchen is open to the main party room, so I got to visit with all 18 guests as they munched and mingled. Several friends also stopped into the kitchen to lend a hand with stuffing wontons, stirring sauces, wrapping spring rolls and washing dishes.

What I served:

Shrimp and pork potstickers
Crab Mangoon
Vietnamese spring rolls
OMG ribs

Noodles: glass, rice and egg
Sauces: Peanut Sauce, Coconut Curry, Asian Pesto
Veggies: snap peas, cucumbers, beets, carrots, broccolis, tofu, peppers, sprouts, mushrooms
Seasoning: Sriracha, soy, hoisin, chili paste, rice vinegar, mirin, sesame oil
Toppings: sesame seeds, scallion, lime wedges, cilantro, mint, basil, peanuts
Meat: rare, thinly sliced beef

Oranges
Wonton Cannolis filled with Haupia and mango caviar
Ginger bacon cookies

Special thanks to TSB and her lovely roommate for secretly cleaning my apartment while I was working at the museum Saturday.

It’s easy, it’s traditional, and it’s delicious. My only concern is that, like a cornstarch-thickened gravy, it’s hard to get out all the lumps.

1 14-ounce can coconut milk
1 cup whole milk
1/3 cup sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch
Vanilla (I scraped out about 1/5 of a bean, but I would guess that a few drops or a 1/4 teaspoon extract would do the trick)

1. Whisk together all ingredients in saucepan over low heat, whisking occasionally until thickened.
2. Chill.

Just because I bring my own reusable grocery bags, please do not assume that I would like to bag my own groceries.

My dear mother wanted to make my potsticker dumplings for a family dinner while I was visiting Vermont. Annoyed that I couldn’t give her a recipe more precise than a grocery list, she stuck out a measuring cup every time I reached to add a fistful, pinch, splash or squirt to the mixing bowl, and then carefully recorded the recipe.

In transcribing the recipe, it hit me that traditional potstickers are steamed and then fried, but I fry mine first and then braise them. I have no idea how or why I began cooking them this way, but as far back as I can remember, I have filled wantons with raw ingredients, fried them to crisp the wrappers, then poured in broth and cooked them until the liquid was reduced by about 80%.

Actually 80% is a guess. Like my lack of measurements in this dish, I also don’t time the cooking or go by sight to determine doneness. I think it bothered my mom a bit when she asked me when they would be done and I told her she didn’t need to lift the lid because I would be able to hear when they were ready. The best way I can describe it is to say that when the bubbling noise first turns to a sizzle sound, they are perfectly cooked and ready to be served.

If nothing else, my process saves time and dirty dishes, because it all happens in one pan without removing the dumplings.

2 pounds bok choy
2 pounds pork, finely chopped (almost to the point of looking like ground meat)
1 pound raw, shelled shrimp, finely chopped
1 small can water chestnuts, ¼ inch dice
1 small can bamboo shoots, ¼ inch dice
6 scallions, cut to ¼ inch rings
3 shallots, fine dice
2 large carrots, shredded
2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 cloves garlic, fine dice
4 tablespoons rice vinegar
5 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons Sriracha
1 cup panko flakes (optional)
1 package Wonton wrappers
2 cups chicken broth

1. Combine all but last three ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour to overnight.
2. Put a couple of drops of cooking oil in a large, hot sauté pan and add 1 tablespoon filling. Stir fry until cooked through and taste. Adjust seasoning accordingly. If filling is very wet or loose, or on a whim, add ½ to 1 cup panko flakes.
3. Lay out several rows of wontons, and place a round tablespoon of filling on each.
4. Wet one finger (no, not with spit) and moisten the outside edge of the wonton, then fold it in half to make a triangle and pinch along the edges to seal. Use a fork to crimp the edges.
5. Heat 1-2 tablespoons oil in a large, heavy-bottom sauté pan, and fill with dumplings, being sure they don’t touch. Once golden brown, flip the dumplings and brown the other side.
6. Add ½ cup broth to the pan, keeping in mind that if the dumplings didn’t absorb enough, you are essentially pouring water into hot oil, which is dangerous and stupid…but no recipe devoid of danger and stupidity could ever be as fun.
7. Shake pan back and forth until all dumplings slide freely, then cover. Shake occasionally and wait until the broth has reduced to the consistency of maple syrup.
8. Repeat until all potstickers are cooked, keeping them in a warm oven until all are ready to serve.

4 pounds pork spareribs, cut to 2-inch lengths and separated
¾ cup soy sauce
2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and minced
8 scallions, roughly diced
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoon orange zest
2 cloves garlic, minced

1. Combine ribs, ½ cup soy sauce, ½ of the ginger, scallions and star anise in a large pot. Add water to cover. Cover and simmer until cooked through, 20-30 minutes.
2. Cool to room temperature in cooking liquid, then drain, or just refrigerate covered, in the liquid overnight.
3. Combine ¼ cup soy sauce, remaining ginger, broth, syrup, zest and garlic in an oiled stir-fry pan or large skillet over high heat and cook down to thicken (3-4 minutes).
4. Add ribs and stir-fry about 5 minutes until ribs are coated in a thick glaze.
Note: Alternately, follow steps 1, 2 and 3 but brush the sauce onto the ribs as a glaze on a hot grill.