Tomato Beef Chow Mein

Don't sound so surprised... I can cook like the Chinese-American person I am;o) hahaha. (Yeah... I knew I couldn't say that with a straight face...) But well, since I was a kid... on the days that my dad was in charge of cooking and we would end up going to the chinese restaurant down the street and ordering some TBCM (Tomato Beef Chow Mein), I've come to think that this is a typical chinese dish--it isn't though... I've learned that it's more like a creation of the Chinese-American restaurants. My mom gave it a shot maybe once or twice... and I know when you make it at home, it never tastes the same as in the restaurant. But here's my second shot at it... and I thought it was pretty good.

Tomato Beef Chow Mein

1 package pan fried noodles (I used about 3/4 lb.)
1/2 lb. beef, sliced thin against the grain
2 tsp's soy sauce
2 tsp's cornstarch
1 tsp sugar
1 onion, wedged
1 green bell pepper, wedged
1 large tomato, wedged
2 tbsp's olive oil
for more veggies:
consider adding sliced (thinly) celery, carrots, and/or mushrooms

Sauce ingredients:
1 cup water
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4-1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp's sugar

Boil noodles in water for 2 minutes, rinse and set aside.

Slice beef thinly across the grain. Combine beef with soy sauce, cornstarch, and sugar.
In a separate bowl, combine sauce ingredients.

Heat the oil over medium heat. Spread the noodles over the bottom of the pan to fry until lightly brown, only turning once, remove noodles and set aside. Add more oil, fry the beef until done, remove and set aside. Add onions and peppers (and all other vegetables), stir fry a few seconds to break onion apart.

Add sauce mixture, stir until thickened. Add tomato and beef, stir gently to combine. Add the noodles and fluff gently with a fork to combine.

So like I said... this isn't AUTHENTIC Chinese--don't get it confused. But the recipe works--I think I've made it twice now and I was satisfied with the way that it turned out this time. The sauce didn't seem as tomato-y or salty like in the restaurant (for that, you may need to use a lil "magic dust", a.k.a MSG). Otherwise, this is a fun dish. Enjoy!

Linguine Puttanesca with a side of Summer Squash

A friend of mine (who shall remain nameless) told me about this sauce--"Puttanesca". What got me was that it had olives in it (yum!) and capers (double yum!). In my efforts to try new ingredients and new dishes, I ventured to make this... puttanesca sauce. I even did a little research before I decided which recipe to go with... Below is the recipe for Puttanesca sauce from the America's Test Kitchen Cookbook (ATK). I also found a recipe that had scallops (lightly breaded) accompanying the pasta, but I would just add chicken or italian sausage. This time, I decided to go straight with the recipe. [Sadly, I bought the italian sausage but did not end up using it.]

Linguine Puttanesca Sauce
makes 4 cups, enough to sauce 1 pound of pasta

3 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 tsp minced anchovy fillets (about 8 fillets)
1 tsp red pepper flakes
3 (14.5 oz.) cans diced tomatoes
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted an chopped medium (or any black olive)
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
3 tbsp capers, rinsed Salt and Pepper

1. Cook the oil, garlic, anchovies, and red pepper flakes in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until the garlic is fragrant but not browned (about 2 minutes.)
2. Stir in tomatoes with their juice and simmer until thickened slightly, 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Stir in the olives, parsley, and capers. Season with salt and pepper to taste. When tossing the sauce with pasta, add some of the pasta cooking water as needed to loosen the consistency of the sauce.

Provencal-Style Summer Squash Casserole

3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion, halved and sliced thin
pinch red pepper flakes
Salt
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tsp minced fresh thyme or 1/4 tsp dried
Pepper
2 medium summer squash (1 lb.), ends removed and sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 medium zucchini (1 lb.), ends removed and sliced 1/4 inch thick

1. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat 2 tbsps of the oil in a 12-inch skillet over med-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion, pepper flakes, and 1/2 tsp salt. Cook until the onion is well browned around the edges, about 10 minutes. Spread the onions evenly over the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
2. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil and the garlic to the skillet and cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir int he wine, broth and thyme, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
3. Shingle the squash and zucchini over the onion. Pour the broth mixture evenly over the top. Bake until the squash has softened and is just beginning to brown, about 45 minutes.

This was a new way for me to do squash. I was flipping through my ATK Cookbook and I came across this recipe for "squash casserole" they call it. I have a sneaking suspicion that my uncle used to (maybe still does)... man, it turned out good. I got a yummy bottle of Jacob's Creek Chardonnay Pinot Noir (don't ask me how it could be both). But... couple that with some squash and YOU'RE ALL SET.

Seafood Linguine with Mushrooms & Garlic Cream Sauce

Yikes! Is that a mouthful or what?! So... I'm riding the bus home today... trying to figure out what I'm going to make for dinner tonight. Aside from the fact that, it irks me every other time I go to the market, because I have to go to the smaller Nugget Market in Davis. I just feel like the selection isn't as good, but I make do with what I got. I find the main ingredients for what I need after circling the store like 4 or 5 times (yeah... I'm still getting used to where everything is)--shrimp, Alouette cheese, and mmmmushrooms. In the category of seafood pasta, it appears I found this recipe some time last year but I've never made it! Now that I've broken my fear of cooking with seafood, I feel empowered to try new things. Here goes:

Shrimp Linguine with Mushrooms & Garlic Cream Sauce

1 lb. medium peeled & deveined shrimp (wouldn't that be nice?! haha... I got Uncooked-"Easy Peel"-deveined shrimp; there's jus a lil extra work)
3 tbsp. butter
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
3 medium garlic cloves
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary, crumbled
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Salt to taste
4 oz. dried linguine
2 oz. Bel Paese cheese, cut into small cubes OR Garlic & Herb Alouette cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Melt butter in a heavy, large skillet over a med-low heat. Add garlic and mushrooms and a generous amount of fresh grated course black pepper. Cook until mushrooms exude their juices, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add rosemary and shrimp, and cook until they are starting to turn pink. Add cream and shrimp until sauce thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Season with salt.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water. Drain well.

Add pasta and cheese to sauce and stir until cheese melts. Transfer to plates. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Serves 2-3.
Courtesy of Cooks.com

Being my first time trying this recipe, there were a couple of things I may do differently. I still wonder some times about the variation of using dried versus fresh herbs. Not following the recipe, I used fresh rosemary instead of dried--I may have put too much because I felt it was almost overpowering the garlic taste. Maybe I should have put in more garlic--it is a GARLIC CREAM SAUCE I'm making. Also note, I did use the Alouette cheese but I held back because I wasn't sure how much of that taste I wanted in it... but I say, go for the entire 2 ounces! The more flavor the better! Do not be afraid!! :o) Lastly, you can cover and let the sauce sit on the pasta for a couple of minutes before serving--it allows for that extra thickening of the sauce we all like.

Braised Cod Veracruz

Thanks to my sister and my sister's husband for giving me some cod... I'm like, "What am I supposed to do with this?! I never cook fish!" Well, now I can say I do! It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to make with it. So I was flipping through my America's Test Kitchen Cookbook and they have a recipe for Braised Cod Provencal (but I'm thinking I need more!) So I look at the variations--now that seems right up my alley. Luckily, the cod from the freezer in my old apartment made it to my new one.

Braised Cod Veracruz

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 onion, halved and sliced thin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
Salt
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14.5 oz. can) diced tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup pimiento-stuffed green olives, sliced thin
1/2 cup dry white wine or vermouth
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
Pepper
4 skinless cod fillets (8 oz. each)
2 tbsp minced fresh cilantro

1. Heat oil in 1-inch nonstick skillet over med-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion and 1/2 tsp salt. Cook until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add the tomatoes, olives, wine, thyme, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Bring to a boil.

2. Pat the cod dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Nestle the cod into the sauce and spoon some of the sauce over the fish. Cover and reduce the heat to med-low. Cook until the fish flakes apart when gently prodded with a paring knife, about 10 minutes.

3. Transfer the fish to individual plates. Stir in the cilantro into the sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the sauce over the fish and drizzle a little oil (if desired).

Mmmmmm... I can't remember what we had to eat all day--maybe just a large brunch, so this served as a light but almost soulful meal for the night. It's starting to cool down in Davis (CA). I decided to couple the cod with Risotto with Dried Mushroom. It may seem like an odd combo but I thought they complemented each other well. Even though the fish comes with such a chunky, flavorful sauce, I don't think that the risotto is too heavy. The caption on the picture above should read: Braised Cod Veracruz with a dollop of Mushroom Risotto. It' s almost like I served it in "fancy restaurant portions".

Torta con Chile Verde

Hahaha... no. I didn't make 'em... I was cravin tortas!!! The kind I'm talking about is a mexican sandwich. It comes on a mexican bread roll and it's stuffed with your choice of meat, lettuce, guacamole, sour cream, and cheese (that's what mine came with). I went to Alejandro's Taqueria (Sacramento)...

Lunch was yummy. I had my torta stuffed with chicken and green chiles. I don't go to Alejandro's enough to know if this always happens but... there was something about the guac--it had this horseradish-y kick to it. If you like avocado (like I do) it was delicious. I'm licking my lips jus thinking bout it ;o) haha!
P.S. Does anyone know why that would be? what would give guacamole a horseradish-type of spicy taste to it? (and no, I really don't think it would actually be horseradish mixed in to the guac... or could it be?!)

But after that meal, I was pretty stuffed and I was falling asleep at my computer, (almost) regretting the fact that I got a horchata with my torta instead of opting to grab an ice coffee on my way back to the office. :)

Have a great weekend! Go exploring and leave me comments about your eating experiences!

Credits: The picture of a "typical torta" was ripped off of Wikipedia. [I'm crediting Wikipedia... ahaha!]

Shrimp Omelette with a side of Blueberry Pancakes

Sunday brunch is and has always been my favorite meal. I think it may have something to do with how my mama always made yummy things like eggs benedict for special occasion breakfasts, or tio's frittata. I make all sorts of breakfast-brunch combos... this one in particular just came to me.

The Blueberry Pancakes were nothing special--that's why they're considered a side dish (haha). Tio, look the other way... I'll admit it, I wasn't giving my full attention to the pancakes which is why i used Bisquick and added some frozen blueberries.

Onwards to the Shrimp Omelette... again with the leftovers from the Seafood Gumbo (I made last week). Play close attention to the way I stacked this omelette, don't make me go in to the sandwich stacking theory again...

Shrimp Omelette

2 or 3 eggs
sliced scallions
(already) cooked shrimp--no need to preheat
cheese (I used sliced Chipotle cheddar--yum!)
diced green bell peppers
diced onions
salsa (of the jarred variety, I like Southwest salsa)
First, fry up the onions and bell peppers on a hot skillet, then remove from pan, place on a plate and set aside. Put new oil on the pan. Scramble the eggs and add the scallions before pouring it onto the pan. Here's the stack order from bottom to top: 1) cheese, 2) shrimp, 3) onions and bell peppers, 4) salsa. Then, close it up and serve.

Thai Shrimp & Chicken Curry with Basil-Lime Couscous

I had some leftover shrimp from when I made seafood gumbo last week. (I bought like a pound and half of raw shrimp! ...AND i had to shell, devein and took off the tails of those suckers myself! --mama would be proud...) Anyways, while I'm shopping for groceries I always grab some basil to spice things up in my cooking... I never know what I'm going to do with it... til I get home and I'm like "I better use this before it goes bad."

OH YEAH! And I made couscous!! It was pretty daring... considering, I don't just cook for myself. I just knew I had to do something other than rice, ya know?! (It gets tiring...)

Borrowed from Rachel Ray's Thai Shrimp Curry with Chopped Lettuce and Basil-Lime Couscous...
Here's my version...

Thai Shrimp and Chicken Curry with Basil-Lime Couscous
2 tbsp oil (veggie or other light oil)
1.5 Ibs. large shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails removed
boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed
sliced mushrooms (Rachel suggests shittake... I used white mushrooms)
3 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
1-inch ginger root, peeled and grated or finely chopped
4 scallions, chopped into 1-inch pieces (whites and greens) or diced yellow onions (work well too)
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp mild or hot curry paste (red or green)
red bell peppers, cubed about 1-inch or smaller
1 cup coconut milk (Rachel suggests light or unsweetened... I just used the good stuff)
celery or carrots, cubed about 1-inch or smaller (optional--they add crunch)
1.5 cups chicken stock
1 tbsp butter
1 lime, zested and juiced
1.5 cups couscous
1 cup shredded fresh basil leaves (YESH!)

Heat oil over high heat and throw on some red pepper flakes if you'd like the extra heat and throw on the chicken to brown. Put it on a plate and set aside. Heat up some new oil over high heat (same pot is fine) and add shrimp; toss for 2 minutes then add the chicken, mushrooms, garlic, ginger, scallions or onions, salt and pepper, bell peppers, and celery or carrots. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes tossing constantly. Stir in curry paste and coconut milk and reduce heat to low. Simmer until ready to serve.

In a sauce pot bring chicken stock, butter and lime zest to a boil. Add couscous and stir. Turn off heat, cover pot and let stand. Add basil and the lime juice to the pot and fluff with a fork.

Serve couscous with the curry shrimp and chicken on the side in a saucer dish.