Are you by any chance in a post-Thanksgiving detox mode as I am? I'll be about whole grains, fruits, and vegetables for the next several days. No meat, dairy, refined starch, or sugar for at least a week.
A week of going without chocolate and ice cream? Wish me luck.
The story of Turandot has been on my mind so much these past few days that the thought of it has unfortunately interfered with my daily activities including cooking. I annoy myself to death sometimes.
There seems to be something about Puccini that makes me susceptible to developing split personalities. Take, for instance, La Bohème. While the romantic and sappy part of me never fails to tear and choke up during Act 3 when Rudolfo confesses to Marcello the real reason why he has acted unkindly to Mimi, the cynic in me rolls her eyes and groans audibly every time she hears the cutesy Sì, mi chiamano Mimì. Last week, three hours of Turandot brought out the two personalities again.
Here it is, ladies and gentlemen, one of my favorite Thanksgiving side dishes -- right up there with sweet potato soufflé and baked corn custard.
Blanch one pound of pearl onions in boiling water for approximately one minute; drain off the water and add cold water to the pot to cover the blanched onions. With a paring knife, remove the onion peels. When blanched, pearl onions are easy to peel. Sometimes, you can rub each onion with your palms and the skins will just come right off.
When Mel of Gourmet Fury and I hosted Battle BEETS, our first monthly food fight, Beet n Squash YOU! last month, we had so many fabulous beet recipes sent to us by both our fellow bloggers and our readers. I can't wait to see what fennel dishes you all will create for our Battle FENNEL the deadline of which is fast approaching.When we announced the winners of Battle BEETS, I mentioned that, Mark, one of our contest participants, had entered a very interesting recipe which I would blog about soon. So, here it is -- Mark's delicious and cleverly-named "BeetBQ Chicken."
On one of the recent trips to my favorite soul food restaurant, MacArthur's, as I sunk my teeth into the crunchy fried catfish, I heard the lady in the next booth lament to her friends that she had lost the recipe for, "the best d--n sweet potato pie" she'd ever had in her whole life. Further eavesdropping revealed that said sweet potato pie was none other than the one by Chef Leah Chase of the famous Dooky Chase Restaurant in New Orleans, one of whose fans is the President himself.
I thought of telling that lady and her group that I knew the recipe by heart. But since fried catfish was my priority at that point, I waited. By the time I was done with my meal, wiped the grease off my hands, and poked my head into the next booth, those ladies had left.
This is just a simple sandwich in which all components of a typical satay meal served in Thailand, i.e. bread, grilled marinaded meat, peanut sauce, and cucumber-onion relish, are represented.
Although the kind of bread served as part of a satay set in Thailand is always soft, white, and grilled, in this case we need the kind of bread that's strong enough to hold all the fillings and the sauce. Ciabatta rolls work quite well. They can be toasted or not, depending on what you like.
Mel of Gourmet Fury and I had so much fun co-hosting Beet n Squash YOU! -- our monthly contest open to anyone who finds a vegetable-themed food fight enjoyable. And, boy, did our November BEETS participants duke it out. The red beet juice stains that can still be seen on the battleground testify to the fierce battle which had just ended this past Friday. Our cleaning squad is still working over time picking up severed beet tops as we speak.
As one of the judges, I started off reveling in the power to declare a winner. After having seen all the entries, however, I reveled no more. Choosing one winner is hard. No. It's impossible.
This coming Monday concludes the first round of Beet n squash YOU! - a fun food fight hosted by Mel of Gourmet Fury and me. We've had so much fun hosting the event and going through all the fabulous entries. I never knew beets could be turned into so many delicious dishes. My blogger friends and readers are such talented people.
A dish is usually the starting point of a blog post; the related story comes later. That is to say, I normally start off with a dish which I'd like to present, then think of something about my life (or life in general) or something about that particular dish that I'd like to talk about. The story, therefore, serves as the peripheral context in which the dish stands. To put it Socratically, the dish is psyche, the immaterial vital core, whereas the story is merely soma/sarx, the corruptible shell. And that's my way of confusing you with a convoluted explanation to the self-explanatory beginning sentence.
Have you had bitter melon? Do you like it? Have you cooked with it? What is your favorite bitter melon dish? (If you could share your bitter melon stories in the comment section, I'd be grateful.) This one is mine. I have never made or eaten bitter melon prepared any other way.
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I season about 3/4 pound of ground pork or turkey with some "white" soy sauce, minced large garlic clove, a couple of grinds of white pepper and set it aside. Then I take a large bitter melon and cut it crosswise into approximately 2.5-inch pieces. With a paring knife or a melon baller, I scoop out the seeds and membranes in the middle of the melon and scrape the inner walls clean.
The seasoned ground pork then goes inside the cavities. The stuffed bitter melon pieces are arranged in a medium pot and I cover them with simple chicken stock (made from nothing but fresh chicken carcasses; no herbs or vegetables). The whole pot is brought to a gentle boil, covered, and simmered for 20 minutes. Mom said the lid was to remain on the pot at all times lest the bitter melon become too bitter. I can't find a scientific explanation for that, but the method has worked well and I have zero interest in fixing what ain't broke.
Season to taste with fish sauce and garnish with cilantro leaves. The soup is served the Thai way, i.e., with rice as a main course.
My recent rhapsody of a beet dessert and the chef who makes it may have led you to believe that I am a beet enthusiast. Though that is true, I have to admit - beets and I didn't start off so hot.
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