Char Siew Lamb Chops

I'm slowly trying to get back into my cooking (and blogging) rhythm. Thus, I found myself leafing through my past issues of Bon Appetit magazine this afternoon. One particular recipe for char siew (or Chinese barbecue) lamb chops caught my eye. I love char siew, and I love lamb chops. But instead of using the Bon Appetit recipe, I decided to try adapting this recipe for some tasty New Zealand lamb chops I picked up from Trader Joe's today. SUCCESS! The smoky flavor of the Chinese 5 spice powder adds a nice dimension to the lamb. I like my lamb chops medium rare, but if you prefer yours medium, then up the cooking time to 4 minutes per side.

CHAR SIEW LAMB CHOPS

4 lamb chops (about 1 lb)

3 tablespoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon rice wine

1/2 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon Chinese 5-spice powder

1) Place all the ingredients in a ziploc bag and marinate in the fridge for 2 hours.

2) When ready to cook, lightly oil a cast iron skillet and warm over medium heat.

3) Remove chops from marinade and place in the skillet and pan-fry for 3 1/2 minutes.

4) Turn the chops over and pan-fry for an additional 3 1/2 minutes.

Makes 2 servings.

Salisbury Steak

I've always had a fondness for salisbury steak. Back when I was in elementary school, I remember this being one of my favorite school cafeteria foods (right behind the sliced turkey with dressing and the cheese "pizza").

Since then, I've satisfied my salisbury steak cravings by partaking of Budget Gourmet and Boston Market's frozen versions. Till now...

Skimming through an old copy of the Fannie Farmer Cookbook, I found an uber-simple recipe and jazzed it up with my rendition of a mushroom gravy. I may never go back to the frozen version again.

SALISBURY STEAK WITH MUSHROOM GRAVY

For the steaks:
2 slices white bread, crusts removed

1/4 cup milk

2 lbs ground beef

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon steak seasoning

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/3 cup bread crumbs

For the gravy:

8 oz mushroom, cleaned and sliced

1 cup beef broth

1/2 cup cool water

2 tablespoons Wondra flour

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1) Preheat the broiler.

2) In a medium mixing bowl, soak the bread in milk.

3) Add beef and remaining seasonings. Mix thoroughly.

4) Divide meat into 6 equal portions. Shaped into oval-shaped patties about 1 inch thick. Place patties on a cookie sheet.

5) Cook 3 inches from the broiler for 5 minutes. Turn and broil for another 5 minutes. Check for doneness. Serve with gravy, if desired.

6) For the gravy, saute the mushrooms in a lightly oiled sauce pan over medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove mushrooms to a plate.

7) In the same pan, heat beef broth in a small saucepan over medium heat.

8) In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons Wondra flour with 1/2 cup water. Slowly pour this mixture into the beef broth, stirring constantly.

9) Add the remaining seasonings as well as the mushroom. Cook for 2 minutes.

Makes 6 servings.

Scallion and Shallot Pancakes

I remember my very first scallion pancake. It was a dark, stormy night during my freshman year of college. Ok, maybe not so dark and not so stormy. My friends and I were ordering delivery from a local Chinese restaurant (none of us had cars), and I saw the words "scallion pancake" on the menu.

I remembered reading about them in one of my Frugal Gourmet cookbooks. And I thought to myself...I like scallions. I like pancakes. Let's give it a try. Ooo...famous last words. how can one not love the taste of greasy, crispy, scallionny (is that a word?) goodness. Many of the recipes I've seen call for lard. Now, I love the stuff, but my waistline and arteries can't handle it anymore. I found the original recipe in a Martha Stewart magazine,and I've added shallots (because I thought they would go well with the green onions).

SCALLION AND SHALLOT PANCAKES

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
3/4 cup boiling water
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 teaspoons sesame oil
5 scallions, thinly sliced
2 medium-sized shallots, thinly sliced
additional salt, to taste

1) In a bowl, mix together the flour, salt, boiling water, and a tablespoon of vegetable oil.

2) Remove dough to a lightly floured surface. Knead for 10 minutes or until soft and smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes.

3) Roll the dough into a 16-inch long log. Cut into 24 equal pieces. Cover with plastic wrap.

4) On lightly floured surface, roll out one piece of dough into a 4-inch circle. Brush with sesame oil.

5) Combine scallions and shallots in a small bowl. Spinkle 1 teaspoon of scallion-shallot mixture on the rolled-out dough.

6) Roll up the dough circle into a tight cylinder. Pinch the ends close. Then wrap the cylinder into a tight spiral. Cover with plastic wrap and repeat with remaining dough pieces. Let rest for 20 minutes.

7) On a lightly floured surface, stand up one of the spirals vertically (like a snail shell). Flatten gently then roll out into a 4 inch circle. (The point here is to create as many layers as possible so you get a flaky pancake).

8) Repeat with remaining spirals, stacking the rolled-out circles between waxed paper.

9) Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook 2 or 3 of the pancakes at the same time for 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove to a paper-towel lined plate. Sprinkle with additional salt, if desired.

10) Repeat with the remaining pancakes, adding more oil as needed. If you like, you can keep the pancakes warm in the oven at 200 degrees. Serve with dipping sauce (see recipe below).

Makes about 24 pancakes.

DIPPING SAUCE

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
1 teaspoon sugar

1) Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.

Ed's Note: If you don't like shallots, then omit them. Up the number of scallions to 7 scallions.

Whoppers Ice Cream Pie

Wow. Has it really been 3 months since my last post? It's amazing how time flies amidst work-related projects, timelines, and deadlines. But, my hope is to get back into the rhythm of blogging (and cooking) again.

So, my first foray back into cooking and entertaining included this recipe which was not hard to find. It was right on the back of a box of Whoppers. The malted chocolate candy Whoppers not the Burger King hamburger Whopper just in case anyone was confused.

The only change I made was instead of using vanilla ice cream, I substituted cookies n' cream. This made the perfect finale to the 4th of July get together that Dean and I hosted. And it was so easy to make!



WHOPPERS ICE CREAM PIE

1 pint cookies n' cream ice cream, softened
8 oz whipped topping
2 cups of Whoppers, crushed
1 graham cracker pie crust

1) Mix together the ice cream and whipped topping until well-blended.

2) Stir in 1 cup of the crushed Whoppers.

3) Spoon mixture into the graham cracker pie crust.

4) Sprinkle top with the remaining crushed Whoppers.

5) Place in freezer for at least 4 hours.


Makes 6 -8 servings.

IsItEDible at OB Town

A few years ago, the New York Times had a great article on Korean Fried Chicken. During my trip to to NYC last year, I had the opportunity to try BonChon's version. Luckily for those of us in the Bay Area, New York City isn't the only city that has access to great KFC. Oakland's got it, too, thanks to OB Town(formerly Oriental BBQ Chicken Town).

OB Town
6101 Telegraph Ave
Oakland, CA 94609
(510) 595-5338

For those of you who want to give Korean Fried Chicken a try, order the Gan Jang Chicken ($14.50), which is coated with a delicious sauce with garlic and soy. Or if you like it spicy, then try the Yang Nyeom Chicken (also $14.50).

There's also several "bar dishes" on the menu. The garlic fries ($5.90) go great with the fried chicken.

If you are in the mood for seafood, then give the Shrimp Ganpengji (12.99) a try. At OB Town, the fry up the shrimp in a nice batter and coat it with a spicy sauce. Also, good are the spicy rice cakes and seafood ($12.90).

Split Pea Soup

Here's a dish I literally turned my nose up at when I was a kid. But like many other foods, I've developed a fondness for this as an adult. It all started with the annual pilgrimmage that Dean and I make down to Palm Springs. We usually try to stop at Andersen's Pea Soup for a bowl of the restaurant's signature dish.

With the cold, wet weather we've been having lately, I've been in the mood for the smoky goodness of this comfort food. I scouted around on the internet and found some interesting variations over at 101 Cookbooks, the Food Network, and A Year of Crockpotting.

Here's my take on this comfort food classic.

SPLIT PEA SOUP

1 lb dried split peas
4 strips bacon
1 onion, sliced
5 cloves garlic
6 cups water
2 tablespoons "Better than Bouillion" chicken base
1 tablespoon garam masala
salt and pepper to taste

1) Pick through the split peas for foreign particles. Rinse.

2) In a large pot, fry the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove and place on paper-towel lined plate. Crumble the bacon.

3) Add onions and garlic to the bacon grease. Cook for 3 minutes.

4) Add 1 cup of water and quickly scrape off the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the remaining water.

5) Add the dry split peas, chicken base, and garam masala. Bring the water to a boil.

6) Cover and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes.

7) Remove from heat. Place half of the soup in a blender and puree. Pour pureed soup back into the pot and stir.

8) Salt and pepper to taste.

9) To serve, ladle soup into bowl and top with crumbled bacon.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Ed's 1st Note: Thanks to my honey for helping me to stage this shot. All my previous attempts looked like green gloop in a white bowl.

Ed's 2nd Note: The garam masala gives this recipe a nice "smokiness." For extra smoky flavor, I used some of the Saltworks smoked sea salt I picked up at the Fancy Food Show.

IsItEDible at Citron

One of the great things about moving to a new city is getting to explore all the new restaurants. Granted, Oakland is just a hop, skip, and jump away from San Francisco, but Dean and I have truly enjoying scouting out new dining spots.

One of our discoveries is Citron. Located in the Rockridge area of Oakland, this restaurant has not let us down over several visits during the last 6 months. Michael Bauer of the San Francisco Chronicle describes it as a "charming neighborhood restuarant with a destination attitude." We always appreciate the chef's amuse-bouche, the warm bread (try the orange-hued one made with pepper), and the delicious French/Mediterranean cuisine served by an attentive and friendly staff.

Citron
5484 College Avenue
Oakland, CA 94618
(510) 653-5484

Note the menu here does change regularly. On each of our visits, the Maine lobster bisque ($10) with creme fraiche gougere has always been on the menu. This is hands-down one of the best bisques I've had. It's svaory richness of the lobster is nicely accentuated by the gougere. This is a "must-order" if you see it on the menu. On our most recent visit, we brought Dean's mom who was visiting from out of town. She thoroughly enjoyed her butternut squash soup ($9) with orange scented shrimp and crispy leeks. For salads, try the baby spinach salad ($10). It's served with a warm balsamic dressing and accented by spiced pecans. A few slivers of sweet Medjool dates add an extra layer of sweet flavor that sets it apart from your typical spinach salad. Usually there is a choice of about 5 different entrees on the menu. We particularly liked the rosemary-scented rack of lamb ($26) which was served with a straw potato cake, romano beans. and a black olive-red wine sauce. For desserts, try the ginger ice cream ($9) served with whole wheat graham crackers and dulce de leche. A sprinkle of pomegranate seeds added a sweet and tart crunch.