all kinds of vegetarian from a can

This dish can be made all kinds of better with the addition of pork.  But should you not happen to have pork in the fridge, it is just as good as is, and best of all, the ingredients keep indefinitely thank you gods of canning.  It happened to be one of my very favorite Szechuan dishes as a kid, and my mom made it faithfully every time I came home to visit.  I don’t make it much at home as the flavors are a bit pungent, but your family may be more friendly to it than mine!  The beauty of this dish is its simplicity (not just the can factor) – the flavors are very basic and can be easily adjusted to taste.  There are three main components:

First, you take a can of Radish Chinois:

You will find this in a Chinese grocery store.  It says it is a Chinese radish, which, if you Google it, will probably only turn up daikon, but I am fairly sure it is a pickled Chinese mustard green.  This is fairly salty and spicy.  When it comes out of the can it looks like this:

Slice the radishes thinly into matchsticks.

Similarly, get yourself a can of bamboo.  Being Taiwanese, I am partial to the Wei Chuan brand:

As an added bonus, you can buy this already cut into matchsticks!  It’s not cheating, I promise.  Drain all the liquid from the bamboo and slice (if necessary) similar to the pickled Chinese radish.  This is your slightly bitter but mostly neutral component.

The last ingredient is some string beans pickled in brine.  This ingredient is the only ingredient not canned.  It is, however, vacuum packed, and as such, lasts indefinitely in your fridge.  These brined string beans are severely salty.  I would recommend soaking them and rinsing well before cooking with them.

The string beans come out looking like a tangled, Medusa like web of greens.  Simply slice them into segments roughly as long as your matchsticks and you’re good to go!

Mince some garlic and brown in some hot vegetable oil.

Add all three chopped ingredients to taste (pickled+spicy/bitter/salty).  Stir fry until hot and cooked through – just a few minutes.  If you’re doing pork, thinly slice the pork and dredge it in a little cooking wine and cornstarch before stir frying it, for texture.  Stir fry it first, then set it aside.  Add it at the last minute.

Serve hot with lots of jasmine rice!

to-mah-to to-may-to

Ok! So I know my last two posts have been on how fall-like the weather is here and how lovely it is for stews and soups and so forth.  I’m going to throw everyone for a loop here, but I do live in Texas, where it can be 60 and gorgeous one day, blazing and 90 the next.  So here’s a delicious, fresh and simple cherry tomato recipe for those of you lucky enough to be still getting beautiful cherry tomatoes.  I made chicken escoffier (according to Alice Waters) which involved chicken, bread crumbs, and… butter.  A quick fridge survey turned up some shallots and tomatoes, a trip to the garden for rosemary and wham bam thank you ma’m, dinner is served:

summery cherry tomatoes

Chop a few sprigs of fresh rosemary and heat in a skillet with butter.  Slice 3-4 shallots thin and saute until brown and crispy.  Working quickly, place halved cherry tomatoes cut side down over the hot shallots in the skillet and char on their cut sides.  Let sit for a couple minutes, then stir, remove from heat and serve.  This quick method of cooking ensures the tomatoes remain juicy, plump and fresh tasting while still getting a bit soft from the heat.

shanks a lot!

I was going to make chicken last week but at the meat counter found myself engaged in an epic inner struggle.  The sudden onset of fall drew me inexorably toward beef shanks – lovely, meaty, please-braise-me food that results in rich drinkable broth and bones for the dogs.  Please, no hate comments, I am a responsible dog owner.

After 15 minutes of debate, (did I draw stares? probably) I did buy the shanks and ended up making this lovely recipe.  Please do yourself the favor of serving it with something which soaks up sauce – bread, or mashed potatoes.  The corn cake was pretty, but came from a healthy cook book, and therefore was also somewhat flavorless.  (In the process I discovered possibly the most USELESS CORNBREAD RECIPE EVER which will also not be reprinted here).

Garlic Braised Beef Shanks

from epicurious

This recipe will fill your home with the most amazing aromas.  Enjoy!

Salt and pepper 2 beef shanks and brown all over in a hot skillet.  Place in a dutch oven and surround with 1 head of garlic, peeled if you wish, 1 bay leaf, 3 roughly chopped celery ribs, and 4 sprigs of fresh thyme.  Braise in a 350 degree oven for 2-3 hours – until the meat falls off the bone.

Remove meat from broth; strain broth.  Skim, and reduce as necessary to form a rich sauce.

cauliflower soup

It’s fall again.  Ok, a yearly thing, I admit.  Two things happen to me in the fall: I cook more and I start taking out library books (& football, but that’s a given).  I crave stews, soups, and long-preparation foods that would never have been made in the summer, even though my house is fully air conditioned and even though, conversely, the Texas fall doesn’t cool enough for me to need warming.  My trend toward comforting foods is wholly irrational but never fails, and this is one my mom used to make all the time:

cauliflower soup

Wash and trim a head of cauliflower; chop into bite-sized pieces.  Saute a chopped onion in a little oil until brown.  Add cauliflower pieces and saute a few minutes.  Add stock to cover, cook until just cooked through.  Remove from heat and stir in a big spoonful of sour cream.  Season to taste and serve hot!

loofah

Did you know that as well as being something that makes your skin silky smooth in the shower, loofah is a deliciously delicious squash?  In fact, this is the incarnation I knew it as growing up and it is not until I started getting strange looks in the school lunch room that I realized I ought to stop talking about what I had for dinner the night before.

My mother, father, uncle and two aunts came recently to visit, and as is custom they came bearing many foodstuffs as gifts.  Among them: a box of Reese’s candy bars, some bags of fish sung, a couple of moon cakes, fruit (dragon fruit, plums) and a bag of loofah.  Now, loofah is available in the Chinatown supermarkets here in Houston but I hardly ever make it out there, so this was very exciting to me, and even better was that before she left, my mother prepared them for me!

Loofah in their native (non bath) habitat present as a thick skinned, ridged, long squash.  To prepare them, use a vegetable peeler to mostly peel the rough skin (some can remain), then quarter the squash lengthwise and slice thinly.  1/2 inch slices will do.  Toss a few smashed garlic cloves in hot oil until fragrant, then add the loofah.  It will lose shape quickly and sweat a lot of liquid.  Add water if necessary to create a delicious, mild broth (my mother prefers it soupy, I like it less soupy).  Season, and serve over rice.  Loofah has a very mild, delicate flavor that I can only describe as “green,” and I usually need to put what seems like an inordinate amount of salt in it.

aviation & singapore sling

Two drinks off of Anvil’s list:

#7: the Aviation – gin, lemon, maraschino, creme de violette

#86: the Singapore Sling – gin, cherry heering, lime, pineapple, cointreau, benedictine, grenadine, angostura bitters

what’s better than fried chicken?

Well… honestly, not much.

But additive powers of ranch dressing plus fried chicken?  Now we’re talking.

Last night, we went to BBQ Inn to partake of some more of their delicious fried chicken.  Why do I feel like I was just there?  Oh wait… maybe because I just was.  What I didn’t write about, though, was my leftover fried chicken adventures.  See, I had lots of leftover fried chicken – the portions at BBQ Inn are huge, and we had two orders to save from.  We all know fried chicken is delicious the next day.  Serendipity, struck, though, in the form of a visit from my friend Joni (@jabuck1979).  Joni has been working on her own delicious line of hand blended spices, and she brought me a huge bag stuffed to the brim with jars of beautiful spices.  I dove in, gleefully.

The first one I tried was her beautiful ranch dressing/dip multitasker.  This beautiful spice blend is a vibrant, speckled green.  And as I quickly learned… it’s delicious on cold leftover fried chicken.  In fact, I now save fried chicken exactly for this purpose.  It’s also wonderful on tomatoes, with chips, and probably raw veggies, if I liked raw veggies.

mmmm…. ranch dip!

The next spice jar I opened up was her Texas Chili.  Did I make chili expressly for the purpose of making frito pie?  Possibly.  Did I eat four frito pies in the next week?  I plead the fifth (sixth, seventh and eighth…).  Mmmm… cheese covered chili.  All I know is every time I reheated that chili, my hands automatically went for the frito bag.  So delicious, and it only got better with time.

add meat, add beer = yum

Lloyd & Buck’s other offerings include creamy chipotle dressing, grill seasoning, Italian dressing, taco seasoning, enchilada filling and sauce, meatball seasoning and hot chocolate.  I used the Italian dressing mix dry to make a kick-butt pasta salad with cucumbers and tomatoes one evening.  Next week I’ll be test driving her enchilada filling and sauce with some cheese and chorizo enchiladas.

Check her out at www.lloydandbuck.com or, if you like, leave me a comment or tweet (@treelight) and I’ll be happy to let you try any of these mixes yourself! Provided, of course, that I haven’t used them all up already…

anvil’s List

Anvil Bar & Refuge, has released a list of 100 classic cocktails they believe everyone should try.  The fun part? Once you begin working your way down the List, you get a stamp card on which you can track which cocktails you’ve gotten through.  Although I’ve just begun, I’m pleased to have found quite a few new and wonderful drinks.  Now, hopefully I’ll remember them all through the end.

Anvil’s 100 classic cocktails you must try, or “the List”

1. Absinthe Drip – absinthe, water, sugar
2. Air Mail – rhum, lime, honey, champagne
3. Alexander – spirit, creme de cacao, cream
4. Algonquin – rye, french vermouth, pineapple
5. Americano – campari, italian vermouth, soda
6. Aperol Spritz – aperol, sparkling wine
7. Aviation – gin, lemon, maraschino, creme de violette
8. Bijou – gin, italian vermouth, green chartreuse, orange bitters
9. Blackthorn – irish whiskey, french vermouth, absinthe, angostura bitters
10. Blinker – rye, grapefruit, raspberry syrup
11. Blood & Sand – scotch, orange juice, italian vermouth, cherry heering
12. Bramble – gin, lemon, creme de mure
13. Brandy Crusta – cognac, cointreau, lemon, maraschino, peychaud’s bitters
14. Caipirinha – cachaca, sugar, lime
15. Champagne Cocktail – brut, sugar, angostura bitters
16. Champs Elysees – cognac, lemon, sugar, yellow chartreuse, angostura bitters
17. Chrysanthemum – french vermouth, absinthe, benedictine
18. Cocktail a la Louisiane – rye, benedictine, italian vermouth, absinthe, peychaud’s bitters
19. Coffee Cocktail – cognac, ruby port, egg
20. Collins – spirit, lemon, sugar, soda
21. Corn ‘N Oil – blackstrap rum, falernum, angostura bitters
22. Corpse Reviver #2 – gin, lemon, cointreau, lillet blanc, absinthe
23. Cuba Libre – rum, coca cola, lime
24. Daiquiri – rum, lime, sugar
25. Daisy – bourbon, yellow chartreuse, lemon, lime
26. the Darb – gin, french vermouth, lemon, apricot brandy
27. Death in the Afternoon – champagne, absinthe
28. Dulchin – pisco, apricot brandy, curacao, lime, grenadine
29. East India Cocktail – cognac, curacao, pineapple gomme, maraschino, angostura bitters
30. El Diablo – tequila, creme de cassis, lime, ginger beer
31. Fernet-Branca – it’s a shot of fernet-branca
32. Fourth Degree – gin, french & italian vermouth, absinthe
33. French 75 – gin, lemon, sugar, brut champagne
34. Gimlet – gin, lime, turbinado
35. Gin & Tonic – gin, tonic water, lime
36. Gin Gin Mule – gin, lime, ginger beer, mint
37. Gin Rickey – gin, lime, soda
38. Hemingway Daiquiri – rum, lime, grapefruit, maraschino
39. Hot Buttered Rum – rum, butter, sugar, water
40. Improved Cocktail – spirit, maraschino, peychaud’s & angostura bitters
41. Jack Rose – applejack, lemon, grenadine
42. Japanese – brandy, orgeat, angostura bitters
43. Jasmine – gin, cointreau, campari, lemon
44. Knickerbocker – rum, raspberry syrup, curacao, lime
45. Last Word – gin, lime, green chartreuse, maraschino
46. Mai Tai – rum, curacao, lime, orgeat
47. Maiden’s Prayer – gin, cointreau, orange, lemon
48. Manhattan – rye, italian vermouth, angostura
49. Maple Leaf – bourbon, lemon, maple syrup
50. Margarita – tequila, lime, cointreau
51. Martinez – italian vermouth, gin, maraschino, orange bitters
52. Martini – gin, french vermouth, orange bitters
53. Metropole – cognac, french vermouth, peychaud’s & angostura bitters
54. Milk Punch – spirit, sugar, milk
55. Mint Julep – bourbon, mint, sugar
56. Mojito – rum, lime, mint, turbinado, soda
57. Monkey Gland – gin, orange, grenadine, absinthe
58. Monte Carlo – rye, benedictine, angostura bitters
59. Morning Glory – scotch, lemon, egg white, absinthe
60. Navy Grog – rum, honey, lime
61. Negroni – gin, campari, italian vermouth
62. Old Fashioned – spirit, sugar, angostura bitters
63. Old Pal – rye, campari, french vermouth
64. Opera – gin, dubonnet, maraschino
65. Oriental – rye, italian vermouth, curacao, lime
66. Paradise – gin, apricot brady, orange, lemon
67. Pegu Club – gin, curacao, lime, angostura & orange bitters
68. Pimm’s Cup – pimm’s no. 1, gin, lemon, soda, cucumber
69. Pink Gin – gin, angostura bitters
70. Pink Lady – gin, applejack, lemon, grenadine, egg white
71. Pisco Punch – pisco, pineapple gomme, lemon
72. Pisco Sour – piso, lemon, egg white
73. Port Flip – ruby port, sugar, whole egg
74. Punch – jerry thomas’ special punch recipe
75. Ramos Gin Fizz – gin, cream, lemon, lime, egg white, soda, orange flower water
76. Red Hook – rye, punt e mes, maraschino, angostura & orange bitters
77. Rum Swizzle – rum, lime, falernum
78. Rusty Nail – scotch, drambuie
79. Satan’s Whiskers – gin, french vermouth, italian vermouth, curacao, orange, orange bitters
80. Sazerac – rye, absinthe, peychaud’s bitters
81. Scofflaw – rye, french vermouth, lemon, grenadine, orange bitters
82. Seelbach – bourbon, cointreau, champagne, bitters
83. Sherry Cobbler – sherry, sugar, fruit, soda
84. Sidecar – cognac, cointreau, lemon
85. Silver Fizz – spirit, lemon, sugar, egg white, soda
86. Singapore Sling – gin, cherry heering, lime, pineapple, cointreau, benedictine, grenadine, angostura bitters
87. Smash – spirits, sugar, water, mint
88. Stinger – cognac, creme de menthe
89. Suffering Bastard – bourbon, gin, lemon, ginger beer, angostura bitters
90. Tailspin – gin, italian vermouth, green chartreause, campari
91. ‘Ti Punch – rhum agricole, lime, sugar
92. Toddy – spirit, sugar, hot water
93. Tom & Jerry – rum, brandy, egg, nutmeg
94. Twentieth Century Cocktail – gin, lemon, creme de cacao, lillet blanc
95. Vesper – gin, vodka, lillet
96. Vieux Carre – cognac, rye, italian vermouth, benedictine, angostura & peychaud’s bitters
97. Whiskey Skin – scotch, lemon, hot water
98. White Lady – gin, cointreau, lemon
99. Widow’s Kiss – calvados, benedictine, yellow chartreause, angostura bitters
100. Zombie – jamaican rum, lime, lemon, pineapple, passion fruit syrup, brown sugar, angostura bitters

pho

The hottest foodie craze to hit our little Houston foodie community is probably the Pho Binh trailer at I-45 south and Beltway 8.  Though it’s a good 30-40 minute drive from our house, we’ve made the trip down there for breakfast pho at least three times now.  Ok, you say, that’s nothing compared to the pho-natics who go every week, natch every day.  But may I remind you that I live with a (my mom calls him in a hushed voice, “very American”) stalwart who I have a difficult time dragging even to Houston chinatown?  And that’s at a reasonable hour for dinner.  For pho, I’m talking about a 40 minute drive for a foreign soup when we’re both hungover and cranky at 9 AM on a weekend.  When we’d both rather be sleeping in.  This stuff is good.

image courtesy of gary wise

My mom used to get pho all the time when I was growing up and I never understood the appeal.  Perhaps it was nostalgia, or maturing tastebuds, but as I got older I developed more of a taste for it.  Pho is a Vietnamese noodle soup based on a richly simmered broth, to which various meats and condiments are added.  Meats can include rare beef, brisket, fatty and lean flank, chicken, meatballs, tripe, tendon, and so forth.  The diner usually adds veggies to the hot broth to taste, which are softened and cooked in the broth.  These include mint, cilantro, basil, peppers, bean sprouts, and lime.  Of course, you can’t forget the siracha and oyster sauce that are also used to flavor the broth.

image courtesy of gary wise

Pho Binh does things a little differently, and until I went back to my usual pho places I didn’t fully appreciate the difference.  For starters, the broth is more flavorful, less salty.  Don’t get me wrong – there’s still a healthy dose of salt in the broth, but there’s also a developed flavor that comes from long simmering.  The noodles have been pre-rinsed so they don’t clump, something which I never appreciated until I had unclumpy noodles.  Now I can’t go back – all other noodles seem gummy and gross by comparison!  Finally, the quality of the meat here is stellar.  I can’t get enough of the meaty, toothsome brisket.  The only flaw might be that the rare beef cooks too quickly in the hot broth, but I’ve seen people solve that by ordering the beef on the side and adding it to the broth when it’s slightly cooled.  These too meats are so good I’ve yet to try the other offerings on the menu but I’ve heard nothing but praise for the rest.  What it all adds up to is a hangover cure even the most American of us will drive a long way for…

Below is a little video of Pho Binh I, done by Jay Francis (@JaypFrancis).  It’s a cash only, high turnover operation, as you can tell by the hustle and bustle in the kitchen.  And yes, it is located in a trailer.  Result? Pure awesomeness.

a joke

This isn’t the usual thing I post in my blog, but it won’t fit on twitter and I really wanted to share it.  Baron von Awesome (@cptincredible) suggested I blog it and I don’t really have any other upcoming topics so here goes…

[disclaimer: this joke is not meant as a dis to either elephants nor pastry chefs.]

———————–

It seems there was an elephant who decided to get a part time job at a bakery* to save up to buy a toilet. When he showed up to the interview, the manager asked the elephant what qualifications he had to work a part time job. As the elephant passionately laid out his extensive retail and patisserie experience, the manager interrupted him curtly exclaiming, “Wait — if you buy a toilet, and flush your business — what will the poor dung beetles eat?”

The elephant straightened his tie and tossed this beauty of a zinger orally into the ether: “They shall eat your finest croissants,” the elephant intoned, “And doubtless they shan’t taste the diff.”

*you should know that this particular bakery is known for the unusually poor quality of its croissants