Adobong Tadyang (Filipino Short Ribs)

A friend on facebook has made this dish twice and his wife raved about the unique flavors. I figured I had to give it a shot! And wow, it really is great! I couldn't find sherry vinegar. (I was able to find sherry cooking wine, but not sherry vinegar, so I substituted with red wine vinegar. I think the sherry vinegar would have had a bit more fullness and less acidity, so to compensate, I added a few tablespoons of brown sugar.) The end result was really tasty, and my friend's wife was right - it's a flavor I haven't had before and can't wait to have again!

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tbsp. canola oil
• 4 beef short ribs
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 1½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup coconut milk
• ¾ cup sherry vinegar
• ¾ cup soy sauce
• 24 cloves garlic, peeled
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 small red Thai chiles
• Cooked white rice, for serving (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat oil in a 6-qt. saucepan over medium-high. Season ribs with salt and ½ tsp. pepper; working in batches, cook, turning as needed, until browned, about 15 minutes. Using a spoon, discard excess oil from pan. Stir in remaining pepper, the stock, coconut milk, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, bay leaves, and chiles; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, covered and stirring occasionally, until meat is falling off the bone, 2½–3 hours. Transfer ribs to a serving platter; keep warm. Simmer sauce over medium-high until thickened, 18–20 minutes; pour over ribs. Serve with rice, if you like.

Basted Flank Steak on Freekeh and Beet Salad

This was my second Blue Apron meal, and it was quite tasty! I've never cooked freekeh or beats before, but it was really easy and delicious! I'd make this again in a heartbeat. The blue cheese really evened out the acid of the salad, and complimented the steak.

http://www.blueapron.com/recipes/flat-iron-steaks-with-freekeh-beet-salad-gorgonzola

Bo Kho

One of my favorite Vietnamese dishes growing up, so I finally decided during my snow day to try making it myself! (And I have to admit, it turned out awesome!) Bo Kho is usually eaten as a stew with some airy French baguette pieces to dip in the stew. Sometimes folks eat it as a noodle dish (think Pho), but I prefer it with the bread. 

INGREDIENTS

- 2-3 pounds bone-in beef cut (this time around I used two large pieces of beef shank, and some short ribs that were on sale)

- 3 tsp madras curry powder

- 3 tsp Chinese five spice powder

- 3 stalks lemongrass (or lemongrass purée if you can't find fresh stalks at the store)

- 2-inch knob ginger, cut into big slices

- 1 stick of cinnamon
- 3 star anise
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tsp salt
- 6-oz can tomato paste
- 2 carrots, cut into 2-inch chunks
- 3 potatoes or more, cut into 2 -inch chunks
- 1 cup pearl onions, or 1 large onion, cut into 2 inch chunks

1) Season the beef with some curry powder, five spice powder, and if you're using lemongrass paste, some of that. (If you're using lemongrass stalks, don't worry about this step.)

2) In a large Dutch oven, brown the beef in small batches in some olive oil. 

3) Remove the beef and set aside.

4) Toss the potatoes, onions, and all the remaining ingredients into the same Dutch oven. (Be sure to scrape up all the brown pieces from the bottom of the pan.) 

5) Add back in the beef and fill the pot with water so that the beef is covered, (about a 3/4 full pot.)

6) Let simmer for three hours.

7) Toast the baguette and serve with the dish!

Thai Lettuce (Cabbage) Wraps (aka Nam Sod)

A GREAT little dish full of flavor for those going no-carb or paleo-esque. (I know there's paleo-friendly fish sauce out there, but I haven't looked THAT hard for it.)

INGREDIENTS

- 1 lb ground meat (it's traditionally made with pork, but I made this with ground chicken since I'm TRYING to cut back)

- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro

- 2 tbsp chopped mint

- 3 tbsp fish sauce

- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice

- dash of sugar

- chopped fresh chili pepper (I use Thai peppers bc they're particularly hot and flavorful, but a jalapeño will work just as well)

- fried shallots (I get these ready-made from the Asian grocery store)

- 1 head of cabbage (or lettuce if you prefer, but I like the crunchiness and slight sweetness of cabbage)

1) Brown the meat in a pan, cooking it the way you would taco meat.

2) Before it's completely done, add in chopped cilantro and mint, fish sauce and lime juice. (Leave some fresh cilantro and mint to the side for garnishing later!)

3) Allow the meat to cook in the fish sauce and lime juice so that it marries the ingredients. 

4) Add a dash of sugar to your liking. Sometimes the fish sauce and lime juice can come out quite tart, so I usually add just a tad bit of sugar to balance it out.

5) Add in chopped chili pepper and cook another minute.

6) Separate the cabbage leaves.

7) Spoon meat into cabbage leaf and garnish with some of hat leftover fresh cilantro and mint, and fried shallots. 

8) Eat!

Skillet Seared Ribeye

Everyone who knows me knows I loves me some steak! And although it causes a bit of smoke in the kitchen (it's fine - just disconnect the smoke detector!) it produces a perfectly cooked steak each time. So grab your iron skillet, and let's get started!

Why an iron skillet, you ask? Grill marks are pretty and all, but I'm more about taste. For all you food science geeks, you know what I'm talking about: the Maillaird  Reaction. The more your meat touches a hot surface (in this case a flat iron skillet) the more browning/caramelization you get on the meat and the tastier it becomes. Oh, I should also add that I currently don't own a grill...so grilling a steak isn't really possible. STILL - I'd choose to pan sear one any day of the week! 

INGREDIENTS FOR STEAK

- a steak (preferably ribeye) that's at least an inch and a half thick

- Lawry's Seasoning Salt or Tony Chachere's Cajun Seasoning (whatever you have on hand)

- Worcestershire Sauce 

- Dales Steak Seasoning

Seasoning: 

Very simple. Season the thick cut steak with some Lawry's Seasoning Salt or Tony Chachere's, whatever you have in hand. Douse it with some Worcestershire Sauce and Dale's Seasoning. Let sit for at least 20 minutes.

Cooking:

I got these instructions from Alton Brown. Works like a charm.

Place a 10-to-12-inch cast-iron skillet in the oven and heat the oven to 500 degrees F. Bring the steak to room temperature. 

When the oven reaches temperature, remove the skillet (remember it's hot!) and place on the range over high heat for 5 minutes. Remove steak from marinade and coat the steak lightly with oil.

Immediately place the steak in the middle of the hot, dry skillet. Cook 30 seconds without moving. Turn with tongs and cook another 30 seconds, then put the pan straight into the oven for 2 minutes. Flip the steak and cook for another 2 minutes. (This time is for medium-rare steak. If you prefer medium, add a minute to both of the oven turns.)

Remove the steak from the skillet, let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

MUSHROOMS

- Sauté the mushrooms in a pan with the same seasonings as the steak marinade.

INGREDIENTS FOR MASHED SWEET POTATO

- 1 large sweet potato

- 3-4 tbsp butter

- 1 tbsp REAL maple syrup (just splurge and get the real stuff. It's better for you, you don't use it too often, and it makes a world of difference.) or raw honey

- dash of cayenne pepper

Cut the sweet potato up in big chunks and boil until soft enough to mash. (I find if you soak the sweet potato chunks in water for at least an hour beforehand it gets rid of that weird stringy consistency that sweet potatoes sometimes have.) Mash the sweet potato with the other ingredients and serve. (One sweet potato will serve two people.)

INGREDIENTS FOR ASPARAGUS

- bundle of asparagus

- 3 tbsp butter

- 1 shallot, minced

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- dash of olive oil

Although my mother would hate for me to "waste" any part of the asparagus, we're not actually supposed to eat the entire stalk. Asparagus will break on its own when you bend the stalk (right at the point you're supposed to cut it) so I break them by hand instead of cutting them (This is only if I'm eating them as long stalks, which, admittedly, look prettier.)

Melt the butter with the olive oil, add the shallot and garlic. Toss in the asparagus and cover until tender.

Braised Short Ribs (Graham's recipe!)

I've never made short ribs before, but when I saw these beautifully cut ones at Fresh Market, I couldn't resist trying! (Also, Graham sent me his most recent recipe and said they were the best he ever made.)

Ingredients

- 3-4 lbs short ribs

- 1 lb crimini mushrooms, quartered

- 1 medium sweet onion, chopped

- 3 cloves garlic, chopped

- 1 bottle cheap drinkable red wine

- 1 qt. beef broth

- a few sprigs of fresh thyme

1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2) Turn the stovetop on to medium high and put a Dutch oven on it. Pour in olive oil.

3) Salt the short ribs on each side. Brown the short ribs, 2 minutes each side. When they're done, take them out of the Dutch oven and set aside.

4) While the ribs are browning, chop the onions and mushrooms.

5) Once the ribs are removed from the Dutch oven, turn the heat down to medium and throw in the onions and garlic. Add salt and fresh cracked pepper. Sauté until translucent.

6) Add mushrooms. Add more salt and pepper. Cook for five minutes.

7) Pour in the bottle of wine and beef stock.

8) Add short ribs back into the Dutch oven. Make sure they are covered in the wine/broth mixture.

9) Place the entire pot in the oven, with the too slightly ajar. You want the juice to reduce over the next few hours.

Throughout the braising, I tasted and added some Maggi seasoning, Dale's and honey.

We ate this with an artisan baguette. I really liked it. It's definitely not a light meal. I might throw the mushrooms in later on in the process. They were very wine heavy-tasting. The meat was perfect though. 

Pistachio Crusted Chicken - pantry cooking!

It's one of those nights where I decided to just make dinner with whatever I found in the pantry. (Well, technically Jonathan's pantry.) Here's my creation: pistachio crusted chicken with a wonderfully baked  potato. Not the prettiest dish, but it sure was tasty! The chicken came out super juicy, and as always, rubbing the potato with oil and salt before baking it made the skin delicious to eat!

Pistachio-Crusted Chicken

2 skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup whole shelled pistachios

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp seasoning salt

1 tsp parsley

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp honey

2 tbsp olive oil

1) Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

2) I used a Bullet blender to crush the pistachios. I left some larger pieces, bit for the most part, they came out to the consistency of bread crumbs.

3) In a small bowl, pour in crushed pistachios. Add all other dried ingredients. Mix well.

4) In a medium bowl, using a fork or whisk, mix together mustard, honey and oil until you get a smooth consistency.

5) Dip chicken breasts in mustard mixture, then in pistachios. Place on a greased cookie sheet.

6) Place the chicken in the oven and IMMEDIATELY TURN DOWN to 375 degrees. Bake for 25 minutes or until juices run clear when cut.

Alton Brown's Baked Potato

Heat oven to 350 degrees and position racks in top and bottom thirds. Wash potato (or potatoes) thoroughly with a stiff brush and cold running water. Dry, then using a standard fork poke 8 to 12 deep holes all over the spud so that moisture can escape during cooking. Place in a bowl and coat lightly with oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt and place potato directly on rack in middle of oven. Place a baking sheet on the lower rack to catch any drippings.

Bake 1 hour or until skin feels crisp but flesh beneath feels soft. Serve by creating a dotted line from end to end with your fork, then crack the spud open by squeezing the ends towards one another. It will pop right open. But watch out, there will be some steam!

Thit Kho

Mom used to make this all the time. It's funny that this dish is often found on dinner tables in Vietnamese homes, but rarely will you ever find it at a Vietnamese restaurant. (They have versions of braised meats, like the ones normally made in clay pots, but rarely this dish with the hard-boiled eggs!)

Here's how I made it!

- 3 tbsp coconut caramel sauce (bought at an Asian grocery store bc I can't make caramel on my own for the life of me!)

- two cloves garlic, minced

- dash of olive oil

- 2 soda cans of coconut water/juice with pulp

- 2-3 tbsp fish sauce

- 1 lb pork, cut into inch-and-a-half cubes (traditionally this dish is made with pork belly, but tonight I used tenderloin because it was on sale)

- 6 peeled hard-boiled eggs

- 1-2 tbsp brown sugar to taste

- cilantro for garnish

1) Par boil the chunks of pork for 2-3 minutes to get rid of the impurities. (This will ultimately make the juice clear and not cloudy.) Remove pork from boiling water and set aside.

2) In a big pot (I use my trusty Le Creuset Dutch oven) heat the caramel, garlic and olive oil. 

3) Add the pork to the pan so that all the pork is eventually covered in the caramel. Add fish sauce and allow to cook for 3-4 minutes.

4) Pour the two cans of coconut water I to the pot. Add the hard-boiled eggs. Cook on a simmer for at least 30-45 minutes, covered. The longer it cooks, the more flavorful it gets!

5) Like always, taste it while the sauce is cooking. This time around, I added some brown sugar to sweeten the sauce a bit.

5) Serve over white rice and garnish with cilantro.

(A side note...one of my favorite things to do is to cut open the hard-boiled egg and pour some of the sauce on it so that the yolk soaks up the yummy sauce!)

If you want a more detailed recipe with pics taken while cooking, check out this link. 

http://gastronomyblog.com/2007/03/20/thit-kho/