Simple Carrot Ginger Soup

Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons peeled and finely chopped ginger root (a microplane really helps here) - can use more ginger if you like it spicy
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 chucks
- salt & fresh pepper

Directions:
- heat olive oil in large stock pot over medium heat
- add onion, ginger and garlic - saute for 5-10 minutes
- add the stock and carrots
- heat to boiling and reduce heat and simmer uncovered over medium heat until the carrots are very tender, around 30 minutes
- puree the soup in a blender (in batches) or use an immersion blender
- season with salt and pepper to desired taste

Boiled Kale with a Fried Egg and Toast

Adapted from The Zuni Café Cookbook

I like to use cavolo nero - also sold as Tuscan kale, lacinato kale, or dinosaur kale - for this, but you could also use curly kale. And while you could use just water for this, I prefer to make it with chicken stock, preferably homemade.

Here’s a good, quick chicken stock: take 2 pounds of chicken parts (I like legs, or a mix of legs and wings) and dump them into a large saucepan with the following: 3 sprigs of fresh thyme; 1 small carrot, cut into a few pieces; 1 celery stalk, cut into a few pieces; and half of a yellow onion. Add 2 quarts of water. Bring to a simmer, and cook gently for 45 minutes, skimming away any foam that rises to the surface. Salt to taste. Strain through a colander to remove large solids; then strain again through cheesecloth. It’s ready to go.

About 8 ounces kale
5 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
A pinch of dried red pepper flakes
2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3 to 4 cups mild chicken stock, or water, or a combination of the two

To serve:
Thick slices of country bread
Eggs
Olive oil
Prosciutto, torn into bite-sized bits (optional)
Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano


First, prepare the kale: trim away any discolored spots, and then remove and discard the ribs and stems, if they are thick or woody. Stack a few leaves at a time; then slice them into ¼-inch-thick ribbons. Dump the sliced kale into a salad spinner, and add plenty of cold water. Swish the kale around to free any trapped dirt. Let stand for a minute or two – this lets the dirt fall to the bottom – and then lift the basket from the spinner. Pour out the dirty water. Replace the basket, add fresh water, and repeat. Spin dry.

In a large (4-quart) saucepan, warm the oil over medium-low heat. Add the onions, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are translucent but still firm. Add the red pepper flakes and garlic and the kale, and stir until the kale is fully wilted. Add stock to cover by about ½ inch. Bring to a simmer. Cover, and continue to simmer until the kale is tender but not mushy, about 30 minutes. Taste, and salt as needed. This dish needs quite a bit of salt, so don’t be shy.

To serve, toast one slice of bread per person. While still hot, lightly rub both sides of the toast with raw garlic. Place the toast in the bottom of a wide soup bowl. Now, fry some eggs – one per person, probably – in olive oil. Pile some kale onto the toast in each bowl, drizzle with a little bit of olive oil, and top with a fried egg. Strew with prosciutto, if you want. Grate some cheese over the whole thing, and serve.

Yield: about 4 servings

Butternut Squash Carrot Ginger Soup

Ingredients

• 1/2 medium butternut squash
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 pound carrots - peeled and diced
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed or to taste
• 1 (2 inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
• 4 cups water
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 pinch ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup heavy cream (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Scoop seeds out of the butternut squash half, and place cut side down onto a greased baking sheet. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until softened. Allow to cool, then scoop the squash flesh out of the skin using a large spoon and set aside. Discard skin.
2. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan or soup pot over medium heat. Add chopped onion and garlic, and cook, stirring until onion is translucent. Pour in the water, and add squash, carrots and ginger. Bring to a boil, and cook for at least 20 minutes, or until carrots and ginger are tender.
3. Puree the mixture in the blender, or using an immersion blender. Add boiling water if necessary to thin, but bear in mind this is meant to be a thick creamy soup. Return soup to the pan, and heat through. Season with salt, pepper and cinnamon.
4. Ladle into serving bowls, and pour a thin swirl of cream over the top as a garnish if desired.

Nutritional Information Amount Per Serving Calories: 246 | Total Fat: 12.8g | Cholesterol: 20mg

MA PO TOFU (麻婆豆腐)

So so, I had never had any success in cooking ma po tofu well.. I was told that they were fine.. but you know, people are nice. I always did it on my own imagination, I didn't know that I had to use two different sauces in two stages of cooking.. so here it is, as I learned from the great internet (this is a Malaysian style):

INGREDIENTS:

1 block silken tofu (19 oz box)
1/4 lb ground pork
3 tablespoons Sichuan spicy bean paste (辣豆瓣酱)
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons cooking oil
3 tablespoons chili oil
1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns (roasted and ground to powder)
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon fermented black beans (rinsed and pounded)
2 stalks of leeks or scallions (chopped into 1 or 2-inch length)
2 gloves garlic (chopped)
1/2 cup water
Salt to taste

METHOD:

Cut the tofu into small pieces, drain the water from the tofu and set aside. Heat up a wok and pour in the cooking oil and chili oil. Add the chopped garlic, ground pork, spicy bean paste and stir-fry until the pork is half-done. Then add in chili powder, soy sauce, fermented black beans and stir-fry until aromatic. Add in the tofu and water; stir gently to blend the tofu (don’t break them) well with the sauce. Lower the heat and simmer for about 3-5 mins or until the sauce thickens. Add in the roasted Sichuan peppercorn powder and chopped scallions. Gently stir and blend well. Dish out and serve hot.

stuffed mushrooms to die for!

Baked Stuffed Mushrooms

* 1 lb. fresh mushrooms with caps
* 1/2 to 1 stick (4 to 8 Tbs.) of melted butter
* 1 cup bread crumbs
* fresh chopped parsley
* 1 Tbs. oil
* 1 crushed garlic clove
* 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
* 1/2 cup white wine
* 1 minced medium onion

Remove mushroom stems and chop. Place caps on buttered baking sheet and set aside. Sauté chopped stems, onions, and garlic in oil. Mix other dry ingredients. Add them to melted butter and wine in a sauce pan and stir together. Mold a small amount on the cap. Bake 20 minutes at 350 F.

Serve warm.

Eggplant Southeast Asian Style

Sorry it took me a while to post this, I have been meaning to share.
If you are a Southeast Asian food lover, this should satisfy your taste buds.
I followed the recipe and it turned out really good.

Ingredients:
A:

3 teaspoons of chopped garlic
1 teaspoon of chopped ginger
1 tablespoon of preserved salted soya beans, pounded (which I just used miso paste and it did the magic)
1 teaspoon of chilli sause

B:

1 lb of eggplant
1 cup of oil for frying
3 tablespoons of lard or oil
4 dried Chinese mushrooms, thinly sliced
8 oz of minced pork
4 oz of chopped shelled shrimps

Seasoning:

1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons tapioca flour dissolved in 2 tablespoons of water
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Method:

1. Remove stems from eggplants and cut them into thick slices and soak in salt water. Drain before frying.

2. Heat 1 cup of oil in an iron wok until very hot, fry eggplants till lightly browned. Remove to a medal colander to drain oil.

3. Heat 3 tablespoons lard or oil in wok, fry A over moderate heat, until garlic and ginger brown. Add mushrooms and stir for 1 minute. Put in pork and shrimps and stir fry for another minute before pouring in seasoning. Cook for 1 minute and add eggplants. Mixed well and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Serve.