Mapo Dofu!

One more quick post, I made a dish called Mapo Dofu or Tofu. It is a Szehcuan dish so it is on the spicy side. It consists of cubed tofu in a black bean sauce and chili sauce with a small amount of ground pork. It is very good with rice and I also added as a side some bok choy with soy and lemon. It’s a good dish on a cold night. By the way Mapo Dofu means roughly “tofu dish with freckles” I guess this dish was invented by a chinese lady with lots of freckles and some tofu hanging around.

Home made Ramen!

During the few years I spent in Japan as a child I remember how good the Ramen was. I remember being intimidated by how large the bowl was and yet excited by the wonderful smell of the broth. I loved the ritual of bringing the chopsticks or “hashi” loaded with noodles up to my mouth and slurping them down loudly and having the noodles dissolve on my taste buds. Using the big ornate spoon I would drink down the soul warming broth, I was fascinated by all the things they put on top of the noodles including fresh vegetables, fish cakes that looked like pinwheels, and juicy cuts of pork loin. Well, I had to try it at home, and I have to say it turned out pretty good if I do say so myself. Mama loved it too and got in on it by making her own Gyoza, which was also very good.  I ended up serving the left overs to the kids the next day and they all loved it as well. I think what really made it good was Mama’s Chicken Broth and the Kombu (dried Seaweed) I put in at the end. here is the recipe.

For the broth:

• 2 quarts homemade chicken stock
• 1.5 lbs pork loin
• 1 leek, trimmed and sliced into 1″ discs
• 1/3c ginger, peeled and roughly chopped or sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/3c shoyu or other high-quality soy sauce
• 1 tbs vegetable oil
• salt
• 1 sheet of kombu (dried kelp)

For the ramen: 

• 24 ounces curly chuka soba noodles OR 6 3.5-ounce packs of fast ramen noodles (noodles only, no flavoring)
• 2c fresh baby spinach
• 3 thinly-sliced scallions

Instructions

1. In a very large stock pot, add the chicken stock (or water + chicken), garlic, ginger, leek, and shoyu. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer while you prepare the pork.
   Note: You could use a large slow cooker instead of the stock pot + stove burner.
2. Heat the vegetable oil over medium- high in a saute pan large enough to accommodate the pork. Salt the pork on all sides, and add to the pan.
3. Brown on all sides. About 12 minutes total. Transfer the browned pork to the stock pot.
4. Simmer the broth mixture and pork over low for 2 hours, or until the pork is very tender.
5. Once the pork is tender, remove it to a plate and refrigerate. Strain the remaining solids out and discard them.
6. Return the broth to the pot. Add the kombu, and continue to simmer for an hour and a half.
7. Remove from heat and let the broth cool for a while, and rest. Skim the fat and/or “scum” that appears on top.
8. At this point, you can either use the broth to make ramen right away, or you can refrigerate or freeze it and save it for later.
9. To finish the ramen soup, preheat the broiler. Slice the pork loin into 1/3″ slices.
10. Brush the slices with shoyu. Heat under the broiler for about 5 minutes, or until lightly browned on top.
11. Prepare the ramen or chuka soba noodles according to the package instructions, and heat up the broth (approximately 1 1/2 cups of broth per serving).
12. To prepare each bowl: Add the noodles, and pour 1 1/2 cups of hot broth over them. Add 3-4 slices of pork, 1/4c spinach, 2 sheets of nori, and sliced scallion to garnish. The spinach will wilt in the hot broth, and the nori will hydrate and become soft.

Here is where I got the recipe obviously made some changes but this is the original.

http://www.lolfoodie.com/archives/2010/10/shoyu-ramen/

Iowa Meat Market and Mama’s New Meat Grinder

While Mike was here we went to Iowa Meat Market in Mission Gorge. It is probably the most impressive butcher shop I have ever been too, which is not saying much because I have not been to many butcher shops, but it is very cool none the less. You get the feeling that if you develop a rapport with the guys behind the counter you could get the hook up into the world of delicious meats. I also added pics of Mama getting busy with her new fangled meat grinder, we have yet to sample the burgers we made from her ground chuck roast they are currently in the freezer begging to get grilled up by daddy….soon I think…when the weather gets better. That is Maddy wearing Uncles jacket, it was pretty cold in the meat market.

Tasty steak

Michael here. Sean and Jeni (mostly Jeni) made this tasty steak recipe while I was down there for Christmas. Unfortunately my cold was starting to come on and I didn't have all my taste buds available. But, I did have enough to tell that the steak was delicious and nice and tender. So I made it tonite and it was indeed quite tender and very tasty. I didn't get a chance to dry age the steak as is mentioned in the recipe, but I think I'm going to try that next time. The following recipe is for the pan seared method. But there is also a grilled method on the website, which I've posted after the recipe.

Thick-Cut Steaks Pan Seared or Grilled

serves 4

2 boneless strip steaks (1 1/2 to 1 3/4-inch thick), about 1 pound each

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 Tablespoons canola oil

1 large garlic clove peeled and sliced in half

*Note-- for a deeper beef flavor, you can dry age the steaks for up to 2 days in the refrigerator.  Pat the steaks dry with paper towels and set on a rack over a rimmed baking sheet (do not season).  Cover loosely with a double thick piece of cheesecloth and allow to age for at least 1 day and up to 2 days.  Proceed with the recipe.

For the Pan Seared Method

Place oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 275º F.  Pat steaks dry with paper towels.  Cut each steak in half vertically to create four 8-ounce steaks.  Season steaks liberally with salt and pepper.  Place the steaks on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet; transfer steaks to oven.  Cook until an instant read thermometer inserted in the center of the steaks registers 90º to 95º F for rare to medium-rare, about 20-25 minutes, or 100º to 105º F for medium, about 25-30 minutes.

In a large cast iron skillet, heat the oil over high heat until smoking.  Place the steaks in the skillet and sear until browned and crusty, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, lifting steaks halfway through to redistribute the fat. Using tongs, turn steaks and cook until well browned on the second side, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes.  Transfer steaks to a wire rack and reduce the heat to medium.  Using tongs, hold 2 steaks together and return to skillet to sear on all sides until browned, about 1 1/2 minutes total.  Repeat with remaining 2 steaks.  Transfer steaks to a plate.  Rub each side of the steak with the cut side of the garlic clove.  Cover loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

 

 http://www.thegalleygourmet.net/2011/10/thick-cut-steaks-pan-seared-or-grilled.html

Life Changes - Snacks

I did not make resolutions exactly, but I definitely feel like it is time for me to put into practice many of the things that have been bopping around my head for the past 3 years. Every time I would get to this mental place in the past we would be moving, I would be pregnant, or some other crazy life change would take priority.

The more I learn about food the more inspired I am to make as much as humanly possible myself, from scratch. In a perfect world it would all be whole grain, organic and non-gmo, but I have to start somewhere so I am starting with snacks! My goal is to shop on the "outskirts" of the grocery store: produce, dairy and meat. Avoiding the middle aisles as much as possible, as this is where the preservatives are prevalent. Many things are very easy and cheaper to do yourself, and I will do my best to share my successes and failures here with you!

That being said I have not tried the following recipe yet! But….I thought this was a good example of the type of food I would love to make vs. buy. I plan to try it, maybe tomorrow….and I will let you know what grade the girls give me!

 

Homemade Cheese Crackers

(Yields about 40 crackers — Adapted from Country Living goldfish crackers recipe)

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 tablespoons cold
unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 (7-ounce) bag grated extra-sharp 2% reduced-fat Cheddar cheese

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or paprika)

5 tablespoons cold water

Combine flour, butter, cheese, salt, and cayenne in a medium-sized bowl. Stir until crumbly. Stir in water, a tablespoon at a time, until dough comes together, similar to making a pie crust. (You may not use all the water.)

Wrap dough in plastic wrap, press into a disc, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350º. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper (this is important).

Place dough between two pieces of parchment paper. (It's sticky!) Roll to 1/8-inch thickness. Carefully flip dough in parchment over, and gently peel off the top layer. Using a pizza cutter, trim dough into a rectangle, then cut into 2-inch squares. Carefully transfer squares onto baking sheets, using a spatula if needed. (I poked holes in the top of mine, though I'm not sure they made them puff up any less.)

Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until crackers are just slightly turning light brown. Taste one for crispness. If they are not to your liking, bake just a few minutes longer–I baked mine for a full 25 minutes.

You can store these in an airtight container for up to 5 days–but I guarantee you they won't last that long. If crackers are soggy after storing, re-crisp in a preheated 400º oven for about 4 minutes.

 
 

Pasted from <http://dishtell.com/2011/07/24/homemade-cheez-it-crackers/>