David Eyre's Pancake

This recipe is from one of my favorite cookbooks, The Essential New York Times Cookbook by Amanda Hesser, an updated compilation of popular NYT recipes.  In 1966, Craig Claiborne wrote of enjoying it at the home of a David Eyre in Honolulu, who found the recipe in a 1919 edition of the St. Francis Hotel Cookbook.

Similar to a Dutch Baby or German pancake, the beauty of this is its simplicity. Flour, milk, eggs, and a little freshly grated nutmeg are mixed together (I also add a dash of salt), poured into a cast-iron pan sizzling with butter, and baked for 15-20 minutes. With my oven, I find 16 minutes is perfect.  The recipe says "not quite a pancake and not quite a crepe" and that's a perfect description. Once you pull it out all puffed and crispy-edged, dust with powdered sugar and sprinkle with a little lemon juice as it deflates.  I like to serve it with fresh fruit, jam, maple syrup or, as I did this afternoon for Saturday brunch, with a drizzle of honey.  Serves 1-2.

Ingredients

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Pinch of nutmeg
3-4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
Confectioner’s/powdered sugar
Half a lemon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Mix flour, milk, eggs, and nutmeg in a bowl, but leave the batter a bit lumpy.  Melt the butter over medium-high heat in a 12-inch cast iron skillet and when it is hot, pour in the batter.  Don’t worry if the batter doesn’t spread to the edges of the skillet, it will spread and puff up as it bakes. Transfer to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the pancake is puffed and golden. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, top with a squeeze of lemon, and cut into wedges to serve. 

Note: You can double this recipe, using the same amount of butter and cooking approximately an additional 10 minutes (decreasing the temp to 350 for those last 10). It results in a thicker, more eggy pancake, which my husband likes with syrup. I prefer mine more crepe-like.

Eggplant with Israeli couscous, basil, and Aleppo pepper

I often use recipes as an inspiration for ingredient combinations or as a base to tweak it and make it my own.  This simple Martha Stewart recipe, however, is perfect as is.  My only changes are a garnish of Aleppo pepper flakes for their mild and fruity heat.  Here in Arizona, I can harvest eggplant and basil almost year round, and this is a frequent lunch in our household.  Israeli couscous is one of my favorite pastas,  and this easy cooking technique transforms the eggplant into velvety luxurious bites.  

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INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup Israeli couscous
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pound of eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
3 small shallots, chopped
2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar
1/3 cup lightly packed fresh basil, torn or chiffonade
Salt and pepper
Aleppo pepper

DIRECTIONS

In a small saucepan,  cook couscous according to directions, drain, and set aside.  In a large skillet with lid,  heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add eggplant and shallots, season with salt and pepper, and stir to coat. Cover and cook, stirring frequently  until shallots are caramelized and eggplant is tender, about 10 minutes.  Add couscous at end to warm.  Transfer to a serving bowl, toss with vinegar and basil, and season with salt and Aleppo pepper.

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Ichiban eggplant

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Aleppo pepper

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Israeli (pearl) couscous

Stetson Chopped Salad

This colorful composed salad served with a buttermilk-pesto dressing is a legacy of Chef Bernie Kantak.  It originally debuted on the menu at Cowboy Ciao when he was Executive Chef, and it can now be ordered at his restaurants Citizen Public House and The Gladly.  It's perfect for entertaining since it can be prepped ahead of time and plated when your company arrives.   I like to serve it as the first welcome dinner for out-of-town guests.  I don't always measure the ingredients, and its deliciousness has never suffered.  Be sure to make a generous batch.  Everyone always goes back for seconds, and I never have leftovers.  

Ingredients to serve 2

1/2 cup Israeli couscous, cooked
1/2 cup chopped arugula
2 ounces diced smoked salmon
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 cup super-sweet dried corn
1/2 oz crumbled asiago cheese mixed with 1/4 cup toasted pepitas and 1/4 cup dried black currants

Arrange the salad ingredients in rows on a dish to present, and toss with approximately half the pesto dressing to serve.

Pesto Dressing:

1/4 cup pesto
1/2 cup aioli or mayonnaise
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 shallot, chopped
1 tablespoon of lemon juice

Blend pesto, shallot and aioli well in a food processor.  With motor running, add buttermilk. Add lemon juice and a few grinds of cracked black pepper and combine well.  Season with salt and pepper. 

Aushak

Aushak are Afghan chive and green onion dumplings smothered in tangy yogurt sauce and a spiced meat sauce called keema. The aushak recipe I use is based on one from Gourmet Today, originally printed in Ruth Reichl's Garlic and Sapphires and attributed to an Afghan exchange student she befriended.

I love the unique combination of flavors in this layered dish. Thin-skinned dumplings are stuffed with a savory filling and served with garlicky yogurt and keema seasoned with ginger and coriander.  

Ground coriander and coriander seeds

Notes:  I suggest prepping components ahead as making the dumplings can be time-consuming. The meat sauce can be reheated with a little water, and the dumplings can be made the night before. The recipe for aushak printed in the books is great as is, though I've included my changes below: For convenience, I use an 8-oz can of tomato sauce (instead of tomato paste and water), like to saute the chives/green onions briefly (instead of leaving them raw), and use Urfa or Aleppo pepper instead of chili flakes. I love the yogurt sauce so I always make extra. I pull out this recipe when I have an abundance of garlic chives, Egyptian walking onions, and I'itoi onions in my garden.

Aushak

Serves 4

Dumplings:
1-1/2 cups of minced chive and/or scallion tops
1 Tbsp of olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp Urfa or Aleppo pepper (or red pepper flakes)
1 minced garlic clove
Round gyoza or wonton wrappers

Keema:
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
8 oz ground beef
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1 8-oz can of tomato sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Yogurt sauce:
1 cup yogurt
1 large clove of garlic minced and mashed with 1/2 tsp salt to make a paste

• In a skillet over medium heat, saute garlic until golden. Add green onions/chives, salt, pepper and chile flakes and saute for 30 seconds. Remove from burner and let residual heat soften the onions/chives. Allow to cool slightly. (Per original recipe, you can mix all filling ingredients without cooking). Moisten edges of wrappers with water and place 1 teaspoon of filling in the middle. Fold over and press firmly to seal, squeezing out any air pockets. Cover and set aside or refrigerate if made ahead.

• Combine yogurt and garlic paste and set aside. Thin with water if needed.

• For keema, heat oil in a pan and saute onion until golden. Add beef, garlic, coriander, and ginger and cook, breaking up meat with a fork, until it is browned. Add tomato sauce and simmer for 10 minutes to meld flavors, adding water if the sauce gets too dry. Season with salt and pepper to taste and keep warm.

• Bring salted water to a boil and cook dumplings for approximately 5 minutes. Drain.

• To serve, layer a little garlic yogurt onto a serving dish, place dumplings on top, spoon more yogurt over the dumplings and then finish with meat sauce. Garnish with fresh or dried mint.

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Fresh ginger with my ceramic grater

In the Kitchen - June Edition

June cooking and baking.

Israeli couscous with eggplant and basil

Ma po tofu

Marcella Hazan's Lemon Chicken

Slow-roasted cod with garden salsa

Hakka-style fried pork belly

Grilled ribeye with shishito peppers and artichoke-potato hash

Garden heirloom tomato salad with fior di latte

Teriyaki chicken with Chinese long beans and pork belly fried rice.

Vietnamese summer rolls with leftover teriyaki chicken and long beans

Chili-cheese dogs

Sockeye salmon with spicy cucumbers and nuoc cham

Chocolate-Kahlua bundt cake

Sichuan cooking: Ma po tofu

I first fell in love with Sichuan food when I lived in Boston (some of my posts on Chowhound.com about Sichuan Garden here, and Anise here and here). Locally, I loved Miu's in Tempe (pictures here; now closed) and had a great lunch on one visit last year to Szechwan Palace at the COFCO Chinese Cultural Center.   After discovering Fuschia Dunlop's Land of Plenty cookbook, now I can enjoy Sichuan at home too.  Ma po tofu ("pock-marked woman's tofu") is one of my favorite dishes, and her version is excellent.

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Tips: Silken tofu is the best for this, although I used firm in the dish above. The tofu is meant to be swimming in a hot and spicy chile oil, though you can cut down the oil in the recipe.  My favorite chile bean paste is the  first one with the blue and yellow label, although the Lee Kum Kee brand is very good and easier to find. I just picked up the one in the can, but haven't tried it yet. 

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I like it fiery so I add the optional fresh-ground chile peppers.

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I buy Penzey's Szechuan Peppercorns because they are high quality and fragrant (your looking for the rosy-red pods with just a few of the black, gritty seeds).

Some of the bags I've bought at the Asian market have been old or mostly seeds.  You want peppercorns that make your tongue tingle and give this dish its distinctive ma la ("spicy and numbing"). I toast them in a dry pan, grind in a spice grinder, and then put them through a fine sieve. 

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Fermented/salted black beans and garlic chives from the garden.  I rinse the beans before using as they can be too salty.

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Pock-Marked Mother Chen's Bean Curd (ma po dou fu).  Adapted from "Land of Plenty".

Ingredients:

Serves 2 as a main course with rice

1 block of tofu (about a pound) 
4 baby leeks/spring onions/scallions/garlic chives
1/2 cup of peanut oil 
6 ounces of ground beef or pork
2 ½ tablespoons Sichuan chilli bean paste 
1 tablespoon black fermented/salted beans.
2 teaspoons ground ground dried chiles (optional) 
1 cup of chicken stock 
1 teaspoon white sugar 
2 teaspoons light soy sauce 
salt to taste 
2 tablespoons of cornstarch or potato flour mixed with 3 tablespoons of water 
Ground roasted Sichuan peppercorns

Instructions:

• Cut the tofu into 1-inch cubes.

• Slice the onions at an angle in 1 to 2-inch pieces.

• Heat the peanut oil in a wok or pan over high heat.

• Add the ground meat and stir-fry until it is crispy.

• Lower the heat to medium and add the chili bean paste, stir-frying for about 30 seconds to turn the oil red.

• Add the black beans, ground chile (if you like it super-spicy), stock, sugar, soy sauce, and salt to taste and stir to combine. Simmer for a couple minutes to blend the flavors.

• Add the tofu and simmer for about 5 minutes so it absorbs some of the broth.

• Add the green onions and when they are just cooked, pour in the cornstarch or potato flour mixture a little at a time (I use about half of it). You want the sauce to be slightly thick and glossy.

• Pour in a bowl and finish with a sprinkling of ground Sichuan peppercorns.

Kentucky Derby menu

My husband is from El Paso, Texas and grew up watching the races while tagging along with his dad to Sunland Park. Watching the Derby is a tradition, and a good excuse for me to make some Southern-inspired eats.  Sometimes we have friends over for a viewing party, or sometimes we plan a low-key afternoon with just the two of us, as we did this past Derby Day.  Mint Juleps in frosted silver-plated cups are always poured, and this year the menu included deviled eggs with espelette pepper, pimento cheese biscuits with bacon jam and bourbon ham spread, and country-fried steak bites with cream gravy. Below is my favorite pimento cheese biscuit recipe, along with the easy bourbon ham spread.  Both make use of a food processor for quicker prep.  

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Pimento Cheese Biscuits (adapted from Mastering the Art of Southern Cooking by Nathalie Dupree)

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups self-rising flour

•  1/2 cup of lard, shortening and or butter cut into half-inch pieces

• 1 cup of milk or buttermilk

• 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese  

• 1 drained 4-oz jar of pimentos or 4 oz of chopped roasted red peppers

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Pulse flour 2 or 3 times in a food processor with the cheese.  
Scatter the chilled shortening or butter over the flour mixture and pulse 3-4 times until the mixture is crumbled and the pieces of butter or fat are the size of a corn kernel.  
Add roasted red peppers and slowly pulse in 3/4 cup milk or buttermilk to make a moist and shaggy dough that clumps together.  You want the peppers to still stay chunky so don’t over-process. You may need to add more flour if it's too wet or more liquid if it's too dry.  
Turn dough out onto a surface lightly sprinkled with flour.  With floured hands, fold the dough in half, pat out into a round, and fold in half again. Sprinkle with flour, pat dough a second time into a 3⁄4-inch-thick round, and cut into disks with a biscuit cutter.   
Bake the biscuits for 8-10 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven, let cool about 5 minutes, and brush with softened butter.

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BLTs are great on the biscuits too

Bourbon Ham Spread

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups of cooked ham

• 8 tablespoons of softened butter

• 1-2 tablespoons of good bourbon

Directions:

Process all the ingredients in a food processor until smooth  This is a great use of leftover baked ham since it can be frozen; just remember to bring to room temperature before serving so it’s spreadable.

Grilled artichokes

Happily, the Globe artichoke I planted in the spring of 2013 (which gave me 4 artichokes last year) has exploded in growth and I'll probably get 50 off of it this season.  

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So far, I've been cutting in half and grilling because it's easiest (less trimming).  Some recipes call for trimming the pointed tips of the outer leaves, butI pick them when they're still young and tender and this isn't necessary.  It's also a great entertaining dish since I can steam and marinate ahead of time and throw on the grill when guests arrive.

Directions:

• Snap off a layer of tough outer leaves and cut off the top 1-1/2 inches.  
• Cut in half, rub with lemon to prevent discoloration, and steam for about 20 minutes.
• Now that the choke is soft, it's easy to scoop it out with a spoon.  
• Let cool slightly and toss with extra virgin olive oil, minced garlic, fresh herbs, and a favorite seasoning blend (I like the rub that our local Arrowhead Grill Steakhouse sells, or Penzey's Fox Point).   At this point, you can chill for a few hours or even overnight.  Bring to room temperature before grilling.

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• To finish, simply grill over high heat for about 5 minutes to mark and impart that smoky flavor and serve with melted butter and a squeeze of lemon or a creamy vinaigrette.    

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Nicoise-inspired salads

One of my favorite dishes for guests is a composed salad, especially if I have crisp sweet lettuce from the garden and fresh juicy tomatoes.   The components can be prepped ahead and plated at the last minute with a generous drizzle of vinaigrette.  I use high-quality canned Italian or Spanish tuna, although a tuna steak off the grill is a nice change of pace.  For the vinaigrette, I give 3 tablespoons of champagne vinegar,  1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard, and a 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil a good shake in a glass jar to emulsify. Season with salt and pepper, toss in any combination of minced herbs you have on hand, and you're ready to go. 

Bonito del Norte (Spanish White Tuna) with red potatoes, green beans, hard-boiled eggs, and lettuce and tomatoes from the garden

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Especial Tuna Wild Pacific albacore, olives, anchovies, hard-boiled eggs, and potatoes with red and green lettuce and tomatoes  from the garden.

Homemade herb and citrus seasoning salts

This seasoning salt is not only a great use of garden herbs, but also makes lovely gifts.  Right now in my pantry, I have rosemary and garlic, mixed herbs, Meyer lemon and garlic, and plain Meyer lemon (great to rim margaritas!).  The ingredients are simple - mince herbs and toss with kosher salt.  I use roughly 1/2 cup of kosher salt to 1 cup of packed herbs.  If using a food processor to mince the garlic and/or herbs, add a little salt to help them process, before tossing with kosher salt.  With our arid desert weather here in Arizona, leaving the mixture out overnight on a sheet pan is usually enough time for it to dry.  If I'm using garlic or citrus zest, it takes a little longer and I'll sometimes leave the pan in the oven with the light on overnight to speed things up . 

Lemons, thyme, oregano, rosemary and marjoram from the garden.

Mixed herbs with garlic

I store the herb salt in Mason jars

Meyer lemon and thyme

Lucques salad with Valencia and Moro Oranges

Sunday Suppers at Lucques by Suzanne Goin is in my top 5 cookbooks for many reasons - seasonal menus, perfect for entertaining, delicious flavors, and every single recipe is a winner. This is a favorite winter salad with arugula, almonds, and dates.  I used homegrown Valencia and Moro blood oranges with plump Arizona dates we picked up at Dateland on a drive back from San Diego.   About this recipe, Goin says, "This salad is my homage to those blood oranges that won my heart so many years ago. Layered with sweet dates, Parmesan, almonds, and a few leaves of peppery arugula, the blood-orange slices burst with sweet, tart juice".  

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This is my Arizona variation of her recipe found in Sunday Suppers at Lucques: Seasonal Recipes from Market to Table.  I use two kinds of oranges to take advantage of my backyard harvest.  If you can get your hands on the seasonal Sphinx Black Dates, all the better.  This is a beautiful but simple company-worthy dish.  

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup toasted whole almonds or Arizona pecans
15 Arizona Medjool dates or Black Sphinx dates
2 Moro blood oranges
2 Valencia oranges
1/4 pound of Parmigiano-Reggiano, thinly sliced or shaved.  
2 ounces arugula
2 tablespoons pure almond oil
Salt and pepper (I like sea salts from local Go Lb Salts). 

DIRECTIONS

1. Halve the dates lengthwise and remove the pits.
3. Take a slice off the stem and blossom ends of the oranges so they sit flat. Following the shape of the fruit with your knife, cut the peel and white membrane from the orange, trying not to cut too much into the actual fruit, rotating as you go. Slice each orange horizontally into thin wheels.
5. Layer the salad in a large platter or individual salad plates:  Place about a third of the arugula on the plate and top with the sliced oranges, dates, cheese, and nuts. Follow with two more layers . Drizzle the nut oil over the salad, squeeze some fresh orange juice over it, and finish with sea salt and fresh ground pepper.  If  you would like more acidity, add a splash of champagne vinegar. 

Serves 6.