Okonomiyaki

These are Japanese cabbage pancakes that I gather are usually eaten as street food.  They're delicious--we eat them twice a month, probably, which is amazing since Mark hates eating things more than once. This recipe isn't mine originally--it comes from here, but I've made some changes so I'll post my version below.    Don't skip the bonito flakes--you can get them at Whole Foods or any Asian grocery store.  This feeds the two of us for dinner, and while it's slightly more than we need I wouldn't try to serve three without doubling.  Zach and David, you're SOL on the shrimp.  I'm not really sure what a good substitute would be--that crab stick stuff that has no crab in it? I might try chicken sausage, actually.  Pork would work, but that doesn't help much!

Sauce:
Mix mayonnaise, soy sauce and sriracha, to taste.  I usually start with about a third of a cup of mayo and go from there. Leftovers are great for dipping vegetables in.

Pancakes:
5 eggs
Glob of soy sauce
Glob of sesame oil
Salt
1/2 c flour (gluten free works great here)
Wedge of cabbage (maybe...1/5 - 1/6 of a normal size cabbage?) sliced as thin as you can get it. You want 2-3 c of cabbage, but I never measure.
Bunch of scallions (chopped finely--white and dark green parts), or an onion (sliced as thin as you can get)
1 c raw shrimp, chopped finely
Neutral Oil
bonito flakes

1.  Whisk the eggs, soy sauce, sesame oil, and salt
2. Whisk in the flour
3. Stir in the cabbage, scallions, and shrimp
4. Heat a large, non-stick pan over medium-high and add the oil. Cook the pancakes (I usually use the same measuring cup to scoop the batter.  Flatten the pancakes once they hit the pan so they're mostly even). Cook for about three minutes a side.
5. Serve by spreading pancakes with sauce and sprinkling with bonito flakes.  NOM.

Grav Lax

Many thanks to Zach for inviting me to contribute to this blog.

I'll start out with this recipe, which is currently in-process in my fridge.

Ingredients:

1 lb salmon fillet

2 tbs salt

2 tbs white sugar

2 tsp black pepper

fresh herbs (dill, tarragon, mint, etc.)

Ever wanted to cure salmon at home?  This is how to do it.

You need sushi-grade salmon to do this.  Ask at Whole Foods and they will bring it out from the back.  Or buy a share of a Community Supported Seafood (if you live in Philadelphia, we recommend Otolith)

1.  Defrost the fish, wash and dry it, and take out the bones (and de-scale if neccesary.

2.  Mix together the salt, sugar, and black pepper

3.  Put some plastic wrap down in a pan and then put the fish on top of it.

4.  Cover the fish with the mixture.

5.  Put the fresh herbs directly on top of it - no need to chop them or take them off of the stalks.  Dill is traditional, but I don't like it very much, so I've used mint and tarragon before with great success.  Reserve some for garnish.

6.  Wrap in plastic wrap and put in the fridge.

7.  Forget about it for 48-72 hours.

8.  Take it out of the fridge, through out of the now-soggy herbs, and rinse off the fish.

9.  Using a sharp knife, slice it very thin.  Garnish with reserved herbs.

10.  Serve with crackers, crème fraîche, boiled potatoes, mustard, chopped onion, chopped hard boiled eggs, or whatever else you'd like.

David

(adapted from http://www.cookingforengineers.com/recipe/132/Gravlax)

Hurricane Butternut Squash Soup

The name comes from the fact that I first made it during the hurricane in the fall. The soup is easy to make and really good.

Ingredients:

1 Onion

1 Butternut Squash (~2.5 lbs)

1 Clove of Garlic

4 Carrots

Chicken Stock

Olive Oil

Cumin

Salt

Pepper

Serving size:

~5 – 6 people

Instructions:

·         Chop onion, squash, garlic, and peeled carrots

·         In large pot, warm Olive Oil and add onion and garlic

·         Sauté until onion is translucent. (~5 minutes)

·         Add chopped butternut squash and chopped carrots.

·         Add Chicken Stock until vegetables are covered. This is about 2.75 small cans (~40 oz)

·         Add ½ TSP Cumin, ½ TSP Salt, ½ TSP Pepper

·         Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15- 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender

·         Remove from the heat and puree the soup using an immersion blender

·         Return to heat and add more spices to taste. For me, that was:

o   ½ TSP garlic powder

o   1/3 TSP Cumin

o   ¼ TSP Curry Powder depending on who is going to eat the soup

Oven pancakes

I've seen these called German or Dutch pancakes.  I call them "Ned's birthday pancakes" in honor of Yalie Kate/Ned O'Brien, who introduced me to them on her birthday.

Ingredients:

3 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
a pinch of salt
a pinch of vanilla extract
butter
lemon juice
confectionary sugar

Preheat oven and cast-iron skillet to 400 degrees. Beat eggs lightly in a bowl; add flour and stir until smooth. Add milk, salt, vanilla extract and mix together.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in the cast iron skillet, and add the whole mixture (if it's a large skillet) or half the mixture (if it's small or medium). Cook for 10-15 minutes, until it is puffy and the top is golden. Drizzle with lemon juice and sugar. Repeat if using small skillet. This serves two people (unless they're very hungry.)

Zucchini Pasta

This is a very simple but tasty recipe I swiped from my former Italian flatmate, who inherited it from his mother.

Ingredients:

1-2 onions chopped into thin slices
around 6 zucchinis chopped into thin slices
olive oil
dried thyme
salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese
pasta

Saute the onions for a few minutes in a generous amount of olive oil on medium heat, and then add all the chopped zucchinis. You'll need a big pan, but the zucchini will shrink, so don't be alarmed. Add salt, pepper, and lots of dried thyme, and cook for a long time, stirring occasionally. You want to cook it until the zucchini are falling apart and all mushy (not just sauteed) -- this will take at least 30 minutes. It gets a lot tastier once the zucchini are falling apart, so be patient!

Serve with pasta. Top with lots of parmesan and more olive oil if you're feeling Italian.

Ginger Tofu Steak

This one's good but you really have to like ginger.

Recipe: Tofu Steak with Miso and Ginger

"Tofu steak" is one of those Japanese restaurant menu items I'm overly familiar with. As a vegetarian, the sizzling skillet of tofu is often one of the few dishes I can order (as long as it isn't topped with bonito, or dried fish flakes). I've found most tofu steaks to be uninspiring, but then a a ginger-laden version at one restaurant changed my opinion. It turned tofu steak from a dish I was relegated to eating to something I started craving at home.

The restaurant version included egg, as many tofu steaks do, but I wanted to keep this version vegan. You could certainly incorporate egg if you wanted to make it more substantial. Baking is also an option to make it more healthy. This is a quick and easily adaptable recipe. It does help to use a cast iron skillet for that sizzling effect, but any pan is fine.

Tofu Steak with Miso and Ginger
Serves 2-3

1 (14-ounce) block extra firm tofu
1 tablespoon white miso
6 tablespoons warm water
3 tablespoons finely grated ginger
Vegetable oil for frying
Scallions and sesame seeds for garnish (optional)

Drain and rinse tofu. Cut into 6 slices. Place tofu slices between clean kitchen towels (or paper towels) on a dish or cutting board. Gently press to remove excess water.

In a small bowl, mix together miso, water, and ginger.

Heat a little vegetable oil in a skillet. Fry tofu until golden on both sides. Reduce heat to low.

Pour miso mixture over and between tofu slices and cook until sizzling.

Just before serving, garnish with scallions and sesame seeds.

Related: Try This! Baked Tofu

(Image: Emily Ho)

8 COMMENTS

03.20.09 12:00PM EMILY HO

Categories:

 Supplies, Asian, Easy, Main Dish, Recipe, Tofu, Vegan, Vegetarian

Spoon's Eggnog

In honor of the Christmas/Congratulations new doctors/Goodbye party we threw last night, here is a spectacular eggnog recipe. Don't worry about the raw eggs, they cook in the alcohol when you let it sit in the basement for two days. (No, really) No one's ever died from this that I've ever heard of, at least. And it's worth it. The recipe comes from Dad's college roommate, Spoon. Note: it takes 48 hours, so plan ahead. Feeds a big crowd.

Ingredients:
1/2-3/4 lb confectioners sugar
12 eggs, separated
1/2 pt heavy cream
1pt light cream
1/2 gal whole milk (or maybe more)
1 qt bourbon
1/2 pt brandy
1/2 pt dark rum
2-3 T vanilla (the real stuff, please)
Nutmeg

Beat the confectioners sugar (I always use the low end) and egg yolks. Add the booze and vanilla.  In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until thick but not to peaks and gently blend in to the booze/sugar mixture. Add both creams.  Cover with saran wrap and store in a cool, dark place (not the fridge) for 48 hours.  Periodically beat the brown crust back in as it's curing.  When ready to serve, add the milk (add more than .5 gal if it's too strong for your taste. Wuss.) and twice as much nutmeg as you think you need.  Drink and be merry.

Japanese Mapo Tofu

One of my go-to dishes - Japanese style Mapo tofu. I use Srirachi instead of Tobanjan (which I can't seem to find in London). Zach, you can probably substitute ground lamb or chicken for the pork.

Mapo Tofu (Japanese Style)

Makes 4 servings

for sauce
1/3 cup sake
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tbs red miso
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon tobanjan
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoons potato starch (halve if using cornstarch)

for Mapo Tofu
1 tbs sesame oil
3 scallions, white part minced, green part sliced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/2 pound ground pork
14 ounce pack of silken tofu, drained and sliced into 1″ cubes

Whisk all the ingredients listed under “for sauce” together in a bowl.

Heat a frying pan or wok over medium high heat and then add the sesame oil. Add the white parts of the scallions, the ginger, and minced garlic. Stir-fry until very fragrant (about 1-2 minutes).

Add the ground pork and stir-fry breaking up the chunks of meat until the pork is cooked. Add the sauce and stir until the sauce has thickened and the alcohol has burned off. Add the tofu and gently stir to coat with the sauce.

Turn down the heat and continue to cook until the tofu has warmed through and the sauce is nice and thick. Serve the Mapo Tofu with steamed rice.

Simple Beef Chili

About

I mentioned to Phil that I make chili and he asked for the recipe. Truth be told, mine is pretty basic and boring. But, I like the taste. That said, everyone else should post their own chili recipes. I bet someone has a great one.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 large onion (chopped)
• 2 can crushed tomatoes in thick puree 
• 1 or 2 medium sized can red kidney beans
• Frozen corn
• Chili powder
• Pepper / salt
• Cumin

Directions

1. In large pot, put small amount of olive oil. When hot, add chopped onion. Cook until onions are soft and translucent but not brown.
2. Add ground beef. Brown the meat very well on both sides. Add salt, ground pepper, and a bit of cumin.
3.  Add large can crushed tomatoes in thick puree. Stir well.
4. Add about 1/4 to 1/3  bottle chili powder. Stir.
5. Bring meat mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and cover pot. Simmer on low heat, covered about 45. Stir occasionally. I don't think the time actually matters to much. Simmer for more or less time as it is convenient.
6. Add bag of frozen corn
7. Take one or two cans medium size can red kidney beans. (Best to put in colander and rinse with water to remove thick starch. Not necessary.) Add to pot. Return to boil, then lower heat again to simmer. Continue cooking beans and meat an additional 20-30 minutes. (Can cook longer with no problem).

Chicken Marbella

If you come over to one of Annie and my shabot dinners in the past two years, the odds are good you would have been served Chicken Marbella. The recipe is easy and I, at least, enjoy the outcome

Ingredients

• 8 chicken quarters
• 2 cloves fresh garlic
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup Spanish olives
• 1/4 cup capers
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
• Salt, pepper, oregano
• 3 bay leaves (optional)

Directions

1.     Put 8 chicken quarters in a Pyrex dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

2.     Peel and finely chop (with a knife) 2 cloves of fresh garlic.

3.     In a bowl combine:

--chopped garlic

--1 Tablespoon oregano

-- ¼  cup red wine vinegar

-- ¼  cup olive oil

-- ¼  cup Spanish olives

-- ¼  cup capers

--3 bay leaves (optional)

-- ½  cup brown sugar

-- ½  cup white wine

-- ¼ cup chopped parsley (fresh)

Mix together with a spoon.

4.     Pour the mixture over the chicken. Cover the dish (with plastic wrap) and put in the refrigerator. Tastes better if you let sit for many hours, but not necessary.

5.     Add a few extra olives on top

6.     Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

7.     Cook chicken until it is done. Normally about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes

About This Blog

Phil now cooks Japanese food expertly. Jeremy eats like a caveman yet cuts his meat with space age knives. Laura and Catherine already were experts back in Freshman year in college and have only improved since then. Noah looks amazing in the kitchen without his shirt on.

I starting this blog as a way for us to share some of our favorite recipes and maybe even post photos of cooking creations. Seems as we cook would be fun to learn from each other. If you have a recipe you want to share either post the full recipe as a blog post or simply give the link to some online recipe. And of course, tell any stories around the dish. The bar here is low. Share any recipe you enjoyed.

Post away!