Japanese Chicken Scallion Rice Bowl

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups any rice, preferably short-grain japanese –OR–

4 oz. per serving of udon or soba noodles (I prefer udon)

2 onions, thinly sliced (not diced)

2-3 cups any broth (depending on how soupy you like it)

1 tbsp. sugar

3 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp mirin or sake

2 eggs, beaten

1 bunch chard or spinach, chopped (optional)

8 oz. chicken, turkey, pork, beef or anything else you want to put in this cut into 1/2 inch chunks (optional)

1 bunch of scallions, thinly sliced

3 or 4 inari wrappers per serving (optional)

Directions:

If you are making it with rice, cook the rice according to the package directions first so it will be ready when everything else is done. Cut everything up so it is ready to go. This dish assembles very quickly. Heat a large saucepan or soup pot over medium high heat. Coat the bottom with 2 tbsp of vegetable oil. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally until beginning to brown.

Next, dump in your broth, sugar, soy sauce and mirin or sake. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium low.

If you are making the soup with noodles, dump them straight into the broth and cook them until a bit underdone. I really like doing this with the semi fresh, refrigerated udon noodles that you can get at Japanese markets.

Now, dump in your meat and chard or spinach if you are using them. Cover the pot and let it hang, unattended for about 1 minute. If you cut the meat into 1/2 inch pieces, it should only take about 3 minutes to cook. If you kept them larger, it will take a bit longer.

After the meat has been there for about 2 minutes, remove the cover, stir and gently por in the eggs. You want to try and keep the eggs kind of floating on top of everything. Dump in the scallions on top and cover the pot. Let it sit unattended for about 2 or 3 minutes.

When the egg is set, run a chopstick or knife through the egg a few times to break it up and you’re ready to eat. Spoon some rice into the bottom of a bowl, top with the brothy goodness and enjoy. If you are using inari wrappers, just place a few on top of your dish. The bowl will be rocket hot, and heat the inari up very quickly. There’s no need to add it to the broth.

I think one of the things I like best, is that the pecans are chopped up.  The whole big ones sitting so pretty on top do look lovely, but it’s hard to cut a slice down the middle of one of those and sometimes you get a whole pecan in your mouth and other times you just get the custard.  This recipe has you chop them up.  Problem solved!

Ingredients

1 deep dish pie shell, bought or made yourself

1 1/4 cups chopped pecans heated in the oven for no more than 3 minutes

5 tablespoons butter (salted) melted

1 cup brown sugar corn syrup

3 eggs beaten

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons bourbon

1/2 teaspoon salt – a must, don’t leave this out

1 teaspoon vanilla

Oven temperature: 350 – then- 325

Mix all ingredients together EXCEPT the pecans.  Place pecan pieces evenly in the bottom of the uncooked pie shell.  Pour mixture over the pecans distributing evenly.  Bake for 15 minutes at 350, the drop the temperature to 325 and bake an additional 25-35 minutes.  The pie is done when the very center is still a dot jiggly, not too jiggly, but not solid.  Cool on counter then in fridge.  It’s the best with fresh whipped cream.

This is really good.

Ingredients
6 tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 lb strawberries

Directions
Beat butter and 1 cup sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in egg, milk, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients gradually, mixing until just smooth. Pour into prepared pie plate. Arrange strawberries, cut side down, on top of batter. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over berries.

Bake cake for 10 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 325°F and bake cake until golden brown—about 50 minutes.

 INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds red beets (4-5 beets), peeled and diced (1/4 – 1/2″)
• 1/2 cup peanut oil
• 2 1/2 tablespoons wine vinegar (white, rice or red)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 – 2 tbs curry powder (if you have it, use a West Indian leaning curry instead of an Indian leaning curry)
• 1/2 – 1 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 or 2 heads of endive roughly chopped (the leftover center of a head of Romaine will do fine, too)

 STEPS

1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Shake the oil, curry, vinegar, S&P in a jar.  Toss the beets with about 2/3 of this mixture then spread them out on a rimmed baking sheet–one large enough so they’re generally in one layer.
3. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 20 minutes, remove the foil, stir and roast for another 15-20 minutes until they become tender and the edges of the cubes begin to look roasted.  Try a piece and dash with a little more S&P and/or curry, depending what you think it needs.
4. In a good sized bowl, mix the cilantro and endive/lettuce.  Toss with 1/2 of the remaining oil mixture. Add the beets and the remaining oil mixture and mix it all up. Check for salt and pepper and enjoy!

NB: These are yummers and you will want to eat a lot of them.  Be prepared for surprising results when you visit the facilities next.

You will need:

White rice – at least 1 cup (makes about 4 balls), preferably short grain sushi rice. I used Jasmine rice because I was out of sushi rice and it worked out fine.

A few tbsp. sesame seeds

Some sort of salty asian sauce – I made a simple miso dipping sauce a few days ago that I used for this as well.

Steps:

Cook the rice according to the package directions. Let it rest until it is still warm. While this is happening, preheat your grill. If you are using a charcoal grill, you don’t want it super hot. I just cooked the onigiri around the outside of the grill and veggies in the middle over the hotter coals. When the rice has cooled off enough to handle, wet your hands, grab a handful of rice and begin forming it into a ball. Honestly, it should be somewhat flatter to maximize surface area directly on the grill. I made mine about 4″ across and about 1.5″ thick. Working with wet hands will keep the rice from sticking to you. Press the rice firmly, but don’t go nuts. If you do, the onigiri will end up having a texture similar to paste, not what you want. When you have however many balls you are making, sprinkle sesame seeds over both sides and get ready to grill. If you are not going to grill them right away, cover the onigiri with plastic wrap. Right before you put the balls on the grill, brush one side lightly with your salty concoction. Don’t soak them or they will fall apart. Put the salty side down and brush the opposite side. Cook for about 3 minutes, then flip carefully using tongs to turn. Cook about 3 minutes more and you’re ready to eat. Top with more salty sauce if you like.

You will need:

6 tbsp any miso

3/4 cup warm water or sake

1 tsp. sugar

1 tbsp mirin

1 tbsp rice vinegar, more to taste

salt if needed.

Put everything in a mason jar and shake it until there are no more lumps. Done.

Radish sandwiches are apparently French, and although the recipes I found all said that the combination of salt and butter completely changes the flavor of the radish, I didn’t believe it until I tried it. It’s actually pretty uncanny how delicious this incredibly simple sandwich is.

Ingredients
a couple radishes
a piece of good bread
butter
salt

Directions
Butter a piece of bread, slice radishes and put them on top, sprinkle some sea salt or other slightly coarse salt on top, and eat it over faced.

The issue had three different variations, but I decided to go for the one with apples and tarragon, which turned out deliciously. If you’re thinking about making this, definitely read through all the instructions, because true Cooks Illustrated style, they have some very bizarre recommendations (microwaving the cabbage, for example).

Ingredients

3 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 large green cabbage cored and shredded fine (6 cups)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 Granny Smith apple cut into matchsticks
2 tsp. minced tarragon

Directions

1. Combine vinegar, oil, mustard, and pepper in a small bowl and put it in the freezer for 15 to 30 minutes.

2. Toss cabbage with sugar and 1 tsp. salt in a microwave-safe bowl, cover bowl with a plate, and microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir, re-cover, and continue for 1-minute intervals until the cabbage is partially wilted and has reduced in volume by 1/3, then microwave it for 30 seconds longer.

3. Transfer cabbage to salad spinner and remove all excess water. Take liquid out of freezer and combine it with the cabbage, apple, and tarragon. Refrigerate until chilled and eat!

Anyway, all in all this ended up being easier than I thought it would be to make, and it was a huge hit at the brunch. There was basically nothing left except for the eggs, which for some reason people seemed afraid of—either that, or my dye job made them too pretty to eat.

Ingredients

5 uncooked eggs, colored
2 packages of dry yeast
3/4 cup butter
3 more eggs
1 cup warm water
6 cups flour
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. lemon zet
1 tbsp. milk

Directions

Soften yeast in 1 cup warm water; blend in 1 1/2 cups of flour and mix well. Cover and set in a warm place to rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Cream butter, sugar, and 2 eggs plus 1 egg white until thick. Add lemon juice and rind. Blend egg mixture into yeast sponge along with 4 1/2 cups flour to form a soft dough. Add additional flour as needed. Place in greased bowl, cover, and let rise until double in size, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Punch down, divide into three pieces, and roll each piece into a rope. Form a loose braid and space the five eggs into the loops. Cover, and let rise until doubled in size.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 mins. Brush with leftover egg yols mixed with 1 tbsp. of milk and then bake an additional 40-45 mins.

Is there anything better?

Stuffed Artichoke

You’ll notice in the store, that there are 2 kinds of artichokes, ones with pointy leaves and ones with rounded leaves.  Buy the ones with the rounded leaves.  Also. look for artichokes without any brown on the leaf tips.  Sometimes it just can’t be helped, that’s all they have.

Ingredients for Stuffed Artichokes

Ingredients

artichokes

Italian seasoned bread crumbs

garlic powder

2-3 fresh garlic cloves

grated cheese

fresh parsley

olive oil

any fresh herb you might have

Preparing the artichoke

Cut stem off bottom and save

Trim off bottom leaves

 

Trim off bottom leaves

Now, put artichoke upside down on cutting board and smoosh down to kind of open up the globe leaves

 

Globe opened

Now, (for 2 artichokes) in a bowl, mix about 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 2 Tbs chopped parsley, and 2 Tbs grated cheese (I don’t always put this in, sometimes I forget).

With your finger, gently pull a leaf section out and slide some of the breadcrumb mixture between the leaves.  Work your way around the globe, sprinkling in many of the leaves.  You want to put about 1/2 tsp full in each leaf you fill.

 

Filling with stuffing

 

Work your way around the globe

Set upright in a saucepan that just fits the artichokes without them tipping over.  Fill with water 1/4 way up artichoke, salt the water.

 

Sitting upright in the saucepan

In the center of each artichoke, insert a half garlic clove and whatever fresh herb you have on hand (parsley, oregano, basil).  Add a sliced garlic clove to the water and some of the fresh herbs also.

Drizzle each artichoke with 1 Tbs olive oil

 

Drizzle with about 1Tbs olive oil

Cover the pan tightly and bring to a boil.  Turn heat down to a simmer.  Let simmer until done.  How do you know it’s done?  Gently pull one of the outside leaves, if it comes off with a little tug, then it’s done.  If you have to give it a hard tug, cook it some more.  Of course, you should taste it also.

Baste every 15 minutes or so.  Get out that turkey baster you only use once a year, now’s the time to use it!

 

Get out the turkey baster!

Are they ready???

 

Tug a leaf to see if it's done

It may take 1-1/12 hours cooking time, depending on the type and freshness of the artichokes.

Okay, this is it, plate it up and dig in!

 

Stuffed Artichoke

You can eat these hot or room temperature, with etra butter for dipping or not.  I don’t particularly like extra butter, Niko does.  Be sure you add some of the broth to each bowl.  If there is broth leftover, I have learned to freeze the extra in ice cube trays and use as vegetable broth when cooking soups, sauces, or rice.

Enjoy!