Paneer, Indian Homemade Cheese

Recipe adapted from Foodnetwork.com

Ingredients

Cheesecloth

8 cups of whole milk

1/4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions

1. Line a large colander with a large double layer of cheesecloth, and set it in your sink.

2. In a large wide pot, bring the milk to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring frequently to avoid burning the bottom (a nonstick pot works really well for this purpose). This will take a little while so be patient!
3. Add the lemon juice and turn the heat down to low. Stirring gently, you should almost immediately see the curds (white milk solids) and whey (the greenish liquid) separate.  
4. Remove the pot from the heat and carefully pour the contents into the cheesecloth-lined colander. Gently rinse with cool water to get rid of the lemon flavor. 
5. Grab the ends of the cheesecloth and twist the ball of cheese to squeeze out the excess whey. Tie the cheesecloth to your kitchen faucet and allow the cheese to drain for about 5 minutes.
6. Twisting the ball to compact the cheese into a block, place it on a plate with the twisted part of the cheesecloth on the side (this will ensure your block of cheese is nice and smooth!) and set another plate on top. Weigh the second plate down with cans of beans or a heavy pot. Move to the refrigerator and let it sit about 20 minutes.
7. Unwrap the disc of homemade cheese.

I made Palak Paneer with my beautiful disc of homemade cheese.  The only change I made to this recipe was instead of using 2 tomatoes, I used 1 tomato and 1 tablespoon of tomato paste.

Seared Scallops with Butternut Squash

Recipe Adapted from America's Test Kitchen "30-Minute Suppers"

serves 4

Ingredients

1 butternut squash (2 lbs), cut into 1-inch cubes

1 tablespoon half-and-half

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

salt & pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 1/2 lbs sea scallops

2 tablespoon veg oil

1 shallot, minced

2 teaspoons minced fresh sage and 8 whole sage leaves

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions

1. Place squash cubes in microwave-safe bowl, cover, and microwave 10 minutes, stirring squash halfway thru.  Drain, then mash with a fork.  Add half-and-half, 1 tablespoon butter, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and cayenne. 

2. Pat scallops dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.  Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet over high heat until just smoking.  Add scallops and cook without moving them, until well browned, 2 minutes.  Turn scallops and cook until sides are firm and centers opaque, 1 minute.  Transfer to plate and tent loosely with foil.  You may need to cook the scallops in batches, if the skillet is too small.  

3. Heat remaining butter over medium heat, swirling skillet constantly, until butter has nutty aroma, about 1 minute. Add shallots, minced sage, and sage leaves and cook for 1 minutes.  Make sure to scrap off all the yummy stuff left from step 2.  Off heat, stir in lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

4. Pour sauce over scallops and serve with butternut squash.

Rice and Sweet Corn Porridge with Dried Scallops

Recipe: Corey Lee's Rice and Sweet Corn Porridge with Dried Scallops

Ingredients

8 small dried scallops (1 ounce; see Note)

6 small dried wood ear mushrooms ( 1/2 ounce; see Note)

2 ears of corn—kernels cut off, cobs cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces

2 quarts plus 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 large chicken thigh (7 ounces)

One 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

1 celery rib, sliced 1/2 inch thick, plus 1/2 cup celery leaves

1 1/2 cups short grain or sushi rice, rinsed

1 tablespoon tamari

2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Salt

Directions

1. Put the scallops and mushrooms in 2 small separate bowls and cover with water. Let stand at room temperature overnight.

2. In a small saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the corn kernels until just tender, about 2 minutes. Drain.

3. In a large saucepan, combine the chicken broth, corn cobs, chicken thigh, ginger and sliced celery and bring to a simmer. Cover partially and simmer over low heat until the chicken is cooked through, 30 minutes. Strain the broth and reserve the chicken thigh. You should have about 5 1/2 cups of broth.

4. Preheat the oven to 325°. Measure out 1 cup of the broth and reserve. In a 3- to 4-quart casserole or Dutch oven, combine the remaining 4 1/2 cups of broth with the rice and bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Cover and bake for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender and a thick porridge has formed.

5. Drain the scallops and transfer to a small saucepan. Add 1/2 cup of the reserved broth and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the scallops to a plate. Remove any membranes, then thickly shred the scallops; cover. Add the tamari to the cooking liquid in the pan and cover.

6. Drain the mushrooms and cut off the knob ends. Cut the mushrooms into 1/2-inch pieces. Remove the meat from the chicken thigh and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Add the chicken, mushrooms, corn, the remaining 1/2 cup of reserved broth, half of the celery leaves and the cheese to the porridge. Season with salt.

7. Spoon the porridge into bowls. Top with a little of the scallop-tamari broth. Scatter the shredded scallop and remaining celery leaves over the porridge and serve.

(Paid $13 for 8 dried scallops in SF Chinatown. Gulp.  Next time I'm so taking a Chinese speaking friend with me.  Update!  Here's what my Chinese coworker said after seeing the 8 little guys... "I think they are worth $13.  I almost paid $25 for a small bag of top quality dried scallops.")

Supremes De Volaille Aux Champignons

Happy 100th, Julia Child 

Recipe from Julia Child's Supremes De Volaille Aux Champignons

Ingredients
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (supremes)
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice 
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 big pinch white pepper
 5 tablespoons butter 
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1/4 lb sliced fresh mushrooms 
1/8 teaspoon salt 
For the sauce:
1/4 cup stock (white or brown) 
1/4 cup port wine (or madeira or dry white vermouth) 
1 cup whipping cream 
salt and pepper 
2 tablespoons freshly minced parsley

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
2. Rub the chicken breasts with drops of lemon juice and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Heat the butter in a heavy, oven-proof casserole, about 10 inches in diameter until it is foaming. 
3. Stir in the minced shallots or green onion and saute a moment without browning. Then stir in the mushrooms and saute lightly for a minute or two without browning. Sprinkle with salt. 3 Quickly roll the chicken in the butter mixture and lay a piece of buttered wax paper over them, cover casserole and place in hot oven. 
4. After 6 minutes, press top of chicken with your finger. If still soft, return to oven for a moment or two. When the meat is springy to the touch it is done. 
5. Remove the chicken to a warm platter (leave mushrooms in the pot) and cover while making the sauce (2 to 3 minutes). 
6. To make sauce, pour the stock and wine in the casserole with the cooking butter and mushrooms. Boil down quickly over high heat until liquid is syrupy. Stir in the cream and boil down again over high heat until cream has thickened slightly. Off heat, taste for seasoning, and add drops of lemon juice to taste. Pour the sauce over the chicken, sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.

Whole-Wheat Penne with Tomatoes and Red Onion

Recipe adapted from Whole Living


Ingredients
3-4 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 medium red onion, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
8 oz dried whole-wheat penne
1 garlic clove, miced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese


Directions

1. Preheat broiler. Toss tomatoes and onion with 2 teaspoons oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the red-pepper flakes. Broil on a rimmed baking sheet until tomatoes are just starting to brown, 5 to 7 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water.
3. Toss warm pasta with garlic, remaining 2 teaspoons oil, and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Stir in tomato mixture and the basil. Add 1/4 cup reserved cooking water to moisten; stir in remaining water as needed. Divide pasta among 4 bowls, and stir 1 tablespoon ricotta into each.

Wednesday Bapsang

Spaghetti with Maitake Mushrooms & Asparagus

~Yum~

Poke!

Recipe adapted from Shiro: Wit, Wisdom & Recipes

serves 4
Ingredients
1 lb tuna sashimi, cut into 1/2" thick cubes
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
1/3 cup ponzu
1 teaspoon chili oil
2 teaspoon siracha
1/2 kewpie mayo
1 teaspoon wasabi

Directions
1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix gently.
2. Serve with thinly sliced cucumber.

Beef Donburi

Recipe adapted from Cooking with Dog (minus the onsen egg).  Woof!

April 2, 2012

March Bapsang

Spicy Chicken  춘천닭갈비 

Kimchi Jjigae with Tuna

Kobe Beef 

Soy/Dashi-Braised Chicken Wings

Ginger-Garlic Fish in Parchment

Recipe adapted from Rachel Ray's Ginger-Garlic Fish in Parchment
serves 4
Ingredients
Parchment paper
4 (6 to 7-ounce) portions sea bass

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bunch scallions, cut into 3-inch pieces on an angle
• 1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
• 3 to 4-inch knob ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
• 4 large cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons tamari sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Rip off 4 pieces of parchment to form packets each about 12-inches long. Season fish with salt and pepper. Place a piece of parchment in a shallow dish then in the center of the paper stack 1/4 of the scallions and shiitakes, layer with slices of ginger and garlic and top with fish. Combine the honey, vinegar and tamari and pour 1/4 of the sauce over fish. 

Fold over the top of the parchment then roll the sides in to form a sealed pouch. Repeat with remaining parchment and ingredients. Arrange the pouches on a baking sheet and roast in hot oven 12 to 14 minutes.

Kale Chips

Recipe adapted from Baked Kale

Ingredients

1 bunch kale

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. Remove the leaves from the thick stems and chop into bite size pieces.  Wash and dry kale with salad spinner or paper towel.  Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.

3. Bake for 10-15 minutes.

Moroccan Carrot Salad

Recipe adapted from Alice Waters Moroccan Carrot Salad


serves 4
Ingredients
3 dozen baby carrots, cut diagonally
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp paprika
3 pinches cayenne
2 pinches ground cinnamon
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp chopped parsley
salt to taste


Directions
Toss carrots and garlic olive oil and salt.  Oven roast at 375 for 10 minutes.  Transfer to a bowl, add cumin, paprika, cayenne, cinnamon, lemon juice, olive oil, parsley, and salt to taste; toss well.

Feb 4, 2012

Aquarius birthday celebration @ Universal Cafe.

(I had beef hash with poached eggs.)

Bibimgooksu for dinner.

San Francisco Symphony.  It was one of the best programs conducted by Herbert Blomstedt.  He conducted the entire Tchaikovsky Symphony #5 without music.  He's 85 years old.