Superbowl Party

So I am not a football fan.  It's not that I dislike it.  I'm more just... indifferent to it.  That said, we had a Superbowl party again this year.  Superbowl parties are fun because they represent an excuse to make three or four small plates - something that is generally impractical, even on weekends.  This particular Superbowl party was special, though.  Even if the Giants missed the chance to beat the Patriots again, it was me versus the pork belly slider in the kitchen.  Last year, I braised the pork belly for way too long.  All the fat rendered off, leaving a handful of scorched, adamantine splinters of flesh.  This was my year of redemption, and I won!
The strategy turned out to be incredibly simple: pork belly is supposed to be fat.  When you let the pork belly be pork belly it melts into a delectable bite amid its bed of coleslaw and brioche, and this recipe from Food Republic comes into its own.  I made a few modifications to account for ingredients I didn't have.  For example, I used white sesame seeds only , instead of white and black sesame seeds.  Since I only took things away I suggest making it to original recipe, because it can only be better than what was already a juicy burst of sweet and sour porcine deliciousness.

Although the sliders were the clear MVP, a couple of other plates stood out as well.  Along with the sliders, I also made chicken tacos and mini-reubens.

Chicken Tacos

1 - 1.5 lbs chicken thighs, skin on
8 corn tortillas (unless people like double tortillas)
8 - 10 leaves butterhead lettuce, shredded
2 tomatoes, diced
6 - 8 scallions, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, minced
1 lime, sliced
Cotija cheese

Marinade

1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic
Juice of 2 limes

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp salt

This recipe is simple but it packed a lot of flavor.  The key to the flavor is a very long marinade.  In this case I let it go more than 24 hours.  When I was ready to prepare the legs, I dried them off with paper towels and then browned them on all sides in some safflower oil.  I preserved the marinade, separating the solids from the liquid.  When the thighs were thoroughly browned, I removed them and then sauteed the onion and garlic from the marinade.  When the onions were translucent, I added the marinade liquid and the thighs.

I then braised them for about 40 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees.  When the chicken reached temperature I removed the thighs and let them cool.  When they were cooled but still warm I shredded the meat with a pair of forks.  About an hour before serving I seeded the tomatoes, mixed them together with the cilantro, and seasoned with a little salt.  To serve, I heated the tortillas in a skillet, then added the chicken, the tomato mixture, and shredded lettuce, and garnished with a little crumbled cotija cheese.

Mini-Reubens

I love reubens.  They are probably one of my top five--maybe even top three--favorite foods.  Perhaps the best reuben I have ever had was from Friedman's Lunch in Chelsea Market.  I could wax poetic about that particular melty bundle of buttery joy, but I'll save that for another post.  Needless to say, my love for the perfect reuben meant my expectations were set impossibly high.

Friedman's makes theirs with pastrami, which according to Wikipedia should technically be called a "Rachel," since a reuben is made with corned beef.  I like both, so for this attempt I used corned beef.

3/4 lb. thin sliced corned beef

1/4 lb. sliced swiss cheese

2 cups sauerkraut, drained

1/2 loaf of rye bread

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 Tbsp parsley, minced

1 tsp horseradish (from a jar)

1 Tbsp sriracha

No mysteries here.  If you get good ingredients the sandwich will be good.  All you have to do is make sure that everything is sufficiently warmed to dissolve into a rich, juicy rhapsody on the tongue.  I combined the mayo, parsley, horseradish and sriracha to make the dressing.  Then I used two skillets, one to warm the corned beef and melt the cheese, and one to grill the bread.  For each sandwich I used about an ounce of corned beef and a half-ounce of cheese.  I layered the corned beef by folding each piece on itself in the skillet, then topped with the cheese.  For the bread I liberally buttered one side each of two slices, and grilled in the skillet until crispy and golden-brown.  I'm sure you can figure out the rest from there - hey, it's a sandwich!  While it didn't compare to Friedman's, it was good enough to proudly wear the moniker "reuben."

Original French Onion Soup

The title may be a bit of an oxymoron, but it refers to the fact that I completely winged this dish.  It turned out to be a thoroughly plausible rendition.  I used the beef fat and braising vegetables from the beef ribs I made the other night.

3 large yellow onions
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon beef fat
Vegetables from braised beef ribs
1 quart beef stock
8 ounces pumpkin ale
Red wine vinegar
Salt

Peel and cut the onions in to strips.  Melt the beef fat and butter in a pot large enough to hold at least a quart.  Saute the onions over medium heat until they are thoroughly caramelized.  They will turn brown but be careful not to let the butter burn.  Add the stock and beer and bring to a boil.  Wrap the vegetables in cheesecloth and tie up with kitchen string.  Add to the pot.  Reduce heat and simmer the soup for at 40 minutes.  Season with salt and vinegar to taste.  To serve, ladle into bowls and cover with crisped baguette slices and grated gruyere cheese.

Braised Beef Short Ribs with Maple-Ginger Glaze

This weekend we served this delicious variation on a recipe from Molly Stevens' All About Braising.

6 English-style beef short ribs
2 medium yellow onions
1 large carrot
4 cloves garlic
1 3-inch piece of ginger root
1 bottle pumpkin ale
2 cups beef stock
6 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tsp red pepper flakes
Salt
Pepper

Trim any excess fat off the beef ribs.  Chop the onions, carrot, garlic and 2/3 of the ginger into small pieces.  Add them to the beer.  Mix in the pepper flakes and 2 tablespoons of maple syrup.  Pour the mixture over the ribs and marinate for a minimum of 12 hours.  Turn the ribs at regular intervals in order to ensure they marinate evenly.

When the marinade is done, preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  Dry the ribs with paper towels and season them liberally all over with salt and pepper.  Strain out the onions, carrot, garlic and ginger from the marinade and set aside.  Heat the oil in the braising pot and brown the ribs on all sides.  Remove the ribs and pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of fat and oil.  Saute the carrot, onion, garlic, and ginger until the onions are translucent.  Pour in the marinade liquid and de-glaze the pot.  Add the stock and bring to a boil.  Add the ribs and situate them so that they are partially submerged.  Cover the pot and place it in the oven to braise for 2 1/2 hours or until the ribs are fork-tender.  Turn the ribs every 45 minutes to ensure even cooking.  When the braise is complete, remove the ribs and allow them to cool.  Skim the fat off the braising liquid and set aside.  Strain the braising liquid to remove the solids.  Reduce the braising liquid to about a cup, tasting it to ensure that it does not become too salty.

At least an hour before serving, cut the remaining ginger into small pieces and add to the remaining maple syrup in a small saucepan.  Bring the maple syrup to a boil and then remove from the heat.  Let the ginger steep until ready to serve.

Before serving, strain the ginger out of the maple syrup and brush onto the ribs.  Place the ribs in the broiler for 5 - 10 minutes, or until they begin to sizzle.  Be sure not to let them scorch.  Reheat the braising liquid reduction for a few minutes on the stove.  Serve the ribs over mashed potatoes, pouring the sauce around them so as not to wash off the glaze.

Bok Choy and Fried Tofu

I was just banging out dinner one night this week and it turned out to be absolutely delicious.  Unfortunately my expectations were so low I never snapped a picture.  Trust me when I say it looked lovely...

• 2 packages extra firm tofu, drained and pressed, and cut into small cubes
• 1 large head bok choy, chopped
• 4 bunches scallions chopped in ~ 1 in. pieces
• 3 Tbsp minced ginger
• 3 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1/4 cup mirin
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 Tbsp garlic chili sauce
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• Pinch of shredded kaffir lime
• 3 Tbsp sesame oil plus 1/3 cup vegetable oil for frying

Fry the tofu in the oil mixture until all pieces are slightly shrunken and golden brown all over (about 10 min).  Pour the hot oil through a sieve into a pot or pyrex and let the tofu drain thoroughly.  Pour a few tablespoons of the oil back into the wok and add the garlic, ginger and bok choy.  Saute until the bok choy leaves shrink.  Add the tofu, liquid ingredients plus the sugar and kaffir lime.  After thorough mixing sprinkle the scallions over the top and let them steam while the dish simmers for about 8-10 min.  Serve over brown rice.

Spicy Beef Broth Soup with Edamame and Rice Noodles

Just improvised this for my afternoon lunch, and it turned out to be so delicious I just had to share!  This recipe came about because I was trying to think of a use for the 1/4 cup of braising liquid plus beef tallow I had left over from a recent pot roast.  The simplicity of the dish belies the rich flavor it held.  I suspect that its depth of flavor derives from the use of the tallow and braising liquid.  However, since there were no particularly discernible flavors from the original roast, I suspect that any sort of leftover fat and/or enriched liquid will work.

• 2 1/2 oz. rice noodles
• 1/2 cup frozen shelled edamame
• Half a medium onion, finely diced
• 1 Tbsp tallow
• 1/4 cup beef braising liquid
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 2 tsp beef bouillon paste
• 1 tsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp chili sauce
• 1 tsp brown rice vinegar
• 1 tsp rice wine

Sauté the onion in the tallow.  When the onion is translucent, add the braising liquid and water and bring to a boil.  Dissolve the bouillon paste in the boiling liquid.  Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the oyster sauce, chili sauce, rice vinegar and rice wine.  Taste the mixture to make sure it is properly balanced.  It's ok if it's on the salty side, because the edamame and rice noodles will cut the saltiness.  Add the frozen edamame and let the liquid return to a simmer.  Add the rice noodles and continue simmering until they just cooked through.

Novel Chicken

We came up with a novel, simple way to prepare some delicious chicken legs tonight.  The key to making this spontaneous recipe work seems to have been using the lemon slices to cover the chicken while it baked, then removing the slices and broiling the chicken to crisp the skin.  We served the chicken with beets in broth and perfect seasoned rice for a delicious dinner.

Ingredients

• 2 whole chicken legs
• 1 lemon
• 2 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• 2 Tbsp minced parsley
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 Tbsp salt (for brine)
• 1 tsp salt (for paste)
• 1/4 tsp pepper

30 to 60 minutes prior to baking, dissolve 3 Tbsp salt in about 6 cups of cold water.  Submerge the chicken legs in the brine and refrigerate while prepping the other ingredients.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Mix together the thyme, parsley, salt, pepper, and olive oil to form a thick paste.  After at least 30 minutes, remove the legs from the brine and pat dry with paper towels.  Trim any excess skin and/or fat.  Coat the legs thoroughly with the seasoning paste and place in a baking dish.  Cut the lemon into slices no more than 1/4 inch thick.  You need enough lemon slices to more or less cover the chicken legs.  After placing the slices on the legs, bake the chicken for about 50 minutes or until an instant read thermometer reads 165 degrees.  Remove slices from the chicken and place the uncovered chicken in the broiler for about five minutes or until the skin is crisped.

Beets in Broth

For some delicious beets, here is a surefire and mindlessly simple recipe.  Peel and cut the beets into smallish pieces.  Peel and crush a few cloves of garlic.  Bring enough chicken or vegetable broth to cover the beets to a boil.  Add the beets and garlic and reduce to a simmer.  Continue cooking until the beets are tender.  Slice a ripe avocado and serve over the warm beets.

Perfect Seasoned Rice

N made this rice tonight, and it was absolutely perfect.  It didn't clump at all and complemented the protein and vegetables excellently, yet was delicious enough to eat on its own.

Ingredients

• 1 cup basmati rice
• 1 small onion
• 1 3/4 cups water
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 - 2 Tbsp minced parsley
• Salt and pepper

Measure the rice into a bowl and cover in two inches of water.  Mix and squeeze the rice by hand to remove the starch.  When the water appears cloudy drain it away.  Repeat until the water drains clear (4 - 5 times) and then drain completely through a sieve and spread out to dry.  In the meantime finely chop the onion.  In one pot, boil the water with salt and pepper.  In another, sauté the onions in the butter until soft.  Then add the rice and continue the sauté until the edges of the rice become translucent (2 - 3 min).  Pour in the boiling water, then reduce to a simmer.  Simmer covered for about ten minutes or until the rice is soft.  Season w/ fresh parsley and let sit covered (up to 10 min) until served.

Burrito Filling

I have no idea whether or not this technically qualifies as a "burrito," but we made this tonight, wrapped it in a tortilla with some (reheated) canned re-fried beans, covered the wraps with shredded cheese, guacamole, sour cream, and hot sauce, and ate it.  It was delicious.

• 1/2 lb. fresh chorizo removed from skin
• 1 can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1/2 bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tsp. chili powder

Saute the garlic, onions, and pepper in 2 Tbsp olive oil until tender.  Remove from pan and brown sausage.  When the sausage is thoroughly browned, add the tomatoes and de-glaze over high heat.  Return garlic, onions, and pepper to the pan and add the chili powder.  Continue cooking over high heat until most of the water from the tomatoes has evaporated and the mixture is fairly thick.  Add salt to taste (though if your chorizo is fairly salty and the canned tomatoes are not low sodium, salt is probably unnecessary).

Meatballs and Bell Pepper Sauce over Farro

We have been working on this dish for a few weeks and it is finally time to post it!  It was originally inspired by a Marcus Samuelsson recipe from his cookbook, The Soul of a New Cuisine.  We found the original, "Kofta Meatballs with Okra Tomato Sauce," a bit bland.  It was probably our fault for using frozen okra.  Anyway, discouraged by that experience we re-imagined the dish as lamb and beef meatballs with a Middle Eastern influenced pepper and tomato sauce over farro.

We rip off the tomato/pepper sauce from Oprah.  We use basically the same ingredients, but we saute the garlic and then add the pureed ingredients and heat it on low heat while we brown the meatballs.  When the meatballs were done browning we drain them and then add them to the sauce to finish cooking.

Roasting Peppers
For those of us who are urban dwellers, it's incredibly easy to roast peppers in the oven broiler.  Hopefully you have a broiler even if it's miniature like ours.  Just core the peppers, cut them in quarters, and then cut the tips off the quarters.  Press the quarters flat in a pan and put them in the broiler for about ten minutes.  It's a good idea to check them and turn them about halfway through for even roasting.  When the skins are blackened and blistered all over remove the peppers and let them cool a bit.  While they are still hot to the touch seal them in a plastic bag and let them sit for until they reach room temperature.  At this point they should be easy to peel.

Tomato Pepper Sauce

1 slice white sandwich bread, toasted and torn into pieces
1/2 cup walnuts
3 Tbsp. olive oil (for puree)
1 Tbsp. olive oil (for sauteeing garlic)
3 Tbsp. pomegranate juice
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
3/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
3 cloves garlic
2 roasted red bell peppers
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
2 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, divided
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 - 1 1/2 cup chicken stock

Use a food processor to chop the walnuts as finely as possible.  Then add the peeled roasted peppers, bread, tomatoes, olive oil, pomegranate juise, lemon juice, and seasoning. Puree the ingredients until they form a smooth, thick sauce.  Sautee the garlic in olive oil until it just starts to brown.  Add the puree and chicken stock and reduce heat to low.  Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

Meatballs
1/2 lb. ground lamb
1/4 lb. ground beef
1 slice white bread, soaked in milk
4 Tbsp. minced parsley
1/4 cup minced onion
2 tsp. cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix together the ingredients thoroughly.  Form meatballs approximately 1 1/2 in. in diameter (will make about a dozen meatballs).  Brown the meatballs in olive oil over medium heat.  Drain on paper towels and then add to the sauce to finish cooking.

Farro
1 1/2 cup farro
3 cups water
2 tsp salt

Cook farro as you would brown rice.  Total cooking time is approximately 45 min.  Be sure to check the farro toward the end-the more you try it the more you will develop your own preference for doneness.

Serving
Serve the meatballs and sauce over the farro.  Garnish with parsley if desired.

S & I Smash the Mold

On March 5th the Upper West Side Supper Club 2011 competition entered a new phase.  S & I created an event of truly unprecedented quality and proportions.  With the help of a Sterno fireplace and a buxom waitress they created a pop-up haute restaurant.  The appetizers, which consisted of baked brie in pastry, shrimp wrapped in pancetta, and asparagus (wrapped in prosciutto, naturally!) were delicious.  The main course and contest entry was a beef and barley stew that scored particularly well in the prep cookery department (one diner wrote in a "5+").  Overall S & I took a decisive lead with 29.1 points.  (Apologies for the lack of pictures--I think they are in Italy right now.  I will post when they get back.)

Standings:

UWSSC Standings
R & E: 26.3
A & N: 27.0
S & I: 29.1

Lamb Stew at the Second Upper West Side Supper Club Event

Sad that I'm only blogging it more than a week on, but I can still remember the delicious sweetness of this hearty lamb stew accented with rosemary, thyme, parsnips, and pearl onions.  Our entry in the winter stew category was N's adaptation of a Julia Child (JC? WWJCD?) recipe.  Uncharacteristically bereft of bacon, JC develops the flavor in the lamb by browning it, coating it in flour, and braising it in its own juices for a while before adding the other ingredients.  N improved upon the original by cutting the number of potatoes drastically, boosting the liquid with some extra stock part way through braising, and increasing the amount of herbs.  The result not only avoided the dryness of the original, it was absolutely delectable in my opinion.  We were so excited about it my mother in law made her own version today (thank goodness she's not in the SC--it wouldn't be a fair fight).  Our fellow diners, however, only awarded us a 27.  I'm hoping that was on account of my salad: bitter greens tossed in a mustard vinaigrette with gorgonzola croutons.

UWSSC Standings
R & E: 26.3
A & N: 27.0

Upper West Side Supper Club Inaugural Dinner

The Upper West Side Supper club is a group of friends who love to get together to enjoy good food, improve our cooking skills, and engage in some friendly competition.  Last night we kicked off the 2011 season with a delicious entry in the Winter Stew category by E & R.  They set the bar high in the flavor and originality departments with a chicken tagine.  A scrumptious salad of arugula, beets, goat cheese, and walnuts started things off.  Their total score: 26.3.  Stay tuned as the other contestants make their Winter Stew entries.

Another Weeknight Invention

Here's a recent invention that turned out to be worth making again.

1 package (8 oz.) of quinoa linguine
Four mild Italian chicken sausages, sliced in thin rounds
1 large bunch of Swiss chard
1/2 cup of white cooking wine
10 cloves of garlic, minced
1/3 cup of pine nuts
2 Tbsp of capers (drained)
4 Tbsp olive oil

Cut the chard in thin strips and wash very thoroughly.  Heat about a Tbsp of oil in deep skillet or pan and gently sauté about 2/3 of the garlic plus all of the pine nuts until the garlic starts to stick.  Pour in about half the wine, scrape off the garlic, and add the chard.  Turn up the heat and stir periodically until the chard wilts.  Turn down to low and simmer under a cover until the chard stems are tender.

In the meantime, heat the water for the pasta and add 2 Tbsp of oil to another skillet.  When it gets hot, add the rest of the garlic and the sausage.  Sauté until the sausage is nicely browned, being careful not to burn the garlic.  When the sausage is done, pour in the rest of the wine and scrape off any sticky garlic.  Turn off the heat and let the sausage sit while the chard finishes.

Cook the pasta and when it is done the chard most likely will be too.  Toss the chard, sausage and linguine together, adding the last Tbsp of oil and the capers in the process.

Chicken Roulade with Fennel & Pine Nuts

I've posted here before about a tasty chicken roulade that I've made a couple of times.  As it includes both prosciutto and cheese, though, it was not appropriate for dinner at a Jewish friend's house.  This presented the perfect opportunity to challenge myself to come up with a new version of the chicken breast roulade.  As I had some pine nuts left over from making pesto last weekend I tried to think about a filling that I could include them in.  I ultimately struck on the idea of combining roasted fennel with the pine nuts and some capers to make the delicious incarnation below that I served over Israeli couscous tossed with sautéed crimini mushrooms and onions.

• 6 - 8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3 large fennel roots
• 1/2 cup of pine nuts
• 3 Tbsp capers
• Olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar
• Salt & pepper

Cut the fennel into pieces and place in a baking pan.  Toss in 1 - 2 Tbsp of olive oil about about 1 Tbsp of balsamic vinegar.  Cover with foil and bake in the oven for about thirty minutes at 400 degrees.  Remove the foil and bake for another 5 - 10 minutes to get some carmelization on the fennel.  Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.  Turn the oven down to 350 degrees for baking the chicken.

When the fennel is cool, combine it with the pine nuts and capers in a food processor and process it into a paste.  Add salt a pepper to taste (it should be a little on the salty side as the chicken gets no other salt).  Beat the chicken breasts with a mallet to flatten them out (covering them with saran wrap or foil first helps to prevent flying bits of chicken).  With each chicken breast spread a 1/4 inch of the fennel and then gently roll it into the roulade shape.  If the roulade tends to fall open you can secure it with a grilling skewer or tie a piece of string around it.  Bake in the oven at 350 for 30 - 40 minutes (be sure not to let the chicken dry out).

Classic Brunch

Today we took a shot at that fantastic Manhattan tradition, brunch.  Last night we made a pesto and cooked a couple of chicken breasts in a broth of garlic, onions, and lemon juice based on the chicken marinade of the same ingredients.  This morning I bias-sliced them and drowned them in the pesto for an hour or two.  In the meantime we made a Hollandaise sauce and poached a few eggs.  When those were done we set them aside while we sliced some cantaloupe and made sandwiches using the pesto chicken, sliced tomatoes, and arugula on foccaccia.  The selection was rounded out by platter of lox, tomatoes, avocados and scallions.  Add a couple of mimosas and we were on our way.

Cashews are the new Mushroom

Last night I had a somewhat random assortment of ingredients available: a couple of chicken breasts, a couple of peppers, couple of carrots, some celery, onions, and garlic.  I asked Nina if she felt like stir fry (we eat a lot of stir fries).  Nope.  How about pasta?  (We'd already had past this week.)  No thanks.  So I mused for a bit and while I was musing happened to find a bag with about a cup of cashews in it in the freezer.  That's when the recipe below hit me, and it turned out so well I will definitely make it again.

1 cup cashews
1 clove garlic, minced
2 large onions, cut in ribbons
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 chicken breasts
1/2 cup white cooking wine
1/2 cup vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/8 - 1/4 cup flour

Heat the butter and oil over medium heat and sauté the cashews until they start to brown.  Add the garlic, onions and celery and continue to sauté until the celery is bright green and the onions are becoming translucent.  Add the cooking wine and then the stock.  Reduce heat to low and then place the chicken breasts in the middle of the pan.  There should be enough liquid in the pan to mostly--but not quite--cover the chicken breasts.  Cover an simmer until the chicken is done.  Remove the chicken and reduce the sauce by 1/3 to 1/2, adding salt and pepper to taste in the process.  Add flour and stir until the sauce just starts to thicken.  Serve the sauce over the chicken breasts accompanied by a favorite starch and/or vegetable.  The result is a rich, slightly sweet flavor that is somewhere between French onion soup and a mushroom sauce, but with the nutty deliciousness of the cashews.

Pork & Bok Choy Stir Fry

Here's something I put together that came out surprisingly well for a first go.  I bought a couple of pork loin chops, sliced them into strips, and marinated them for about four hours in a mixture of about a quarter cup of rice vinegar, a few tablespoons of toasted sesame oil, a few tablespoons of soy sauce, and a tablespoon each of brown sugar and roasted red Thai chili paste.  Then I took a couple of stalks of celery and a large onion and chopped them.  Next I cut two heads of bok choy into small pieces.  I got a tablespoon or two of toasted sesame oil hot in the wok and slightly browned the pork, then set it aside.  I added the onions and celery and sauteed them for a minute or two.  Next I added the bok choy and continued sauteing until it shrunk down.  Then I added the marinade plus a sauce made of about a half-cup of vegetable stock, a little fish sauce, and another tablespoon of the chili paste.  I then brought the sauce to a boil  (this is important since the marinade had the raw pork in it), then lowered the heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally in order to ensure even cooking.  After a few minutes I returned the pork to the wok and continued cooking until the bok choy was tender.

Carrots & Fennel

Here's a dish that I came up with recently that has three of my favorite attributes: is easy, healthy, and delicious.  The bitter earthiness of the celery is the perfect antidote to the aromatic sweetness of the fennel, while the carrots and onions round out the flavor.

Cube 2 - 3 large carrots and one large fennel root.  Dice half of a large onion and chop one or two celery stalks.  Heat about a tablespoon of oil or butter and sauté them over medium heat until the celery starts to get a bit brighter green.  Salt with a couple of pinches of kosher salt (I'm sure regular salt works too, just not sure how much to use) and continue sautéing until some of the liquid starts to come out of the vegetables.  Add about a quarter of a cup of white cooking wine.  Turn down to low and cover, simmering until the carrots are just soft to a prick with a fork.  Remove from heat and serve.

Potatoes: What are they good for?

Of course they're great for a lot of things, like providing the prime example of a Giffen good in Hal Varian's microeconomics text.  But this being the Hop and Hearth, after all, I'm going to talk about eating them.  The reason that I even ask the question is that Nina and I don't eat very many potatoes.  We tend to favor quinoa, or rice, or quinoa pasta for our dinner carbs.  Anyway, I bought a bag of mixed potatoes yesterday because Nina recently got into breakfast (I'm talking full-on American breakfast).  Yesterday I shredded a handful of potatoes and blanched them.  Then this morning I sauteed some onions in oil and added the shredded blanched potatoes (and a decent amount of salt).  I cooked them on pretty low heat in the pan--mixing them up occasionally--until they were pretty well browned all over.  Not too bad.

Come dinner time I still had a bunch of 'taters.  I decided to make an American potato salad (as opposed to German or Serbian potato salad).  I boiled the potatoes in salty water until they were just soft enough to get a fork into.  (I have learned that the #1 potato salad FAIL is to overcook the potatoes.)  I immediately removed them from the heat, drained them, ran cold water over them, and refrigerated them.  In the meantime I chopped some onions and celery and sauteed them in oil, salting them once they just started to get translucent.  I was careful not to over-do it, and soon removed them from the heat and refrigerated them as well.  I also hard-boiled two eggs and refrigerated them when they were done.  Shortly before serving time I took all out and mixed in a bowl with a healthy dollop of mayonnaise along with salt and pepper to taste.

It was one of the best potato salads I've made, and I think the reasons were:

• Plenty of salt in the water when I boiled the potatoes
• Didn't overcook the potatoes (as I said, this is critical)
• Use a lot of celery and onions: by volume there was almost as much of them as potatoes

Overall I was very pleased with the results, and definitely would make this again.