There are multiple reasons as to why it is 11PM and I am only in the first few steps of making a homemade beef stew. Andrew is sleeping but the smells are wafting through the house and even when I was taking a shower I could smell the bubbling stock creeping in under the door.
1) I feel guilty about going to a fancy, 3-course, late-night work dinner tomorrow leaving my husband to eat frozen pizza. Not that he can't/doesn't cook, but he cooked tonight and we try to lighten the load on each other.
2) I got my first pick-up of my CSA share which was a bounty of carrots (still white, not very flavorful), celery, soybeans, radishes, bok choy, and rainbow chard. Knowing that the next few nights are busy, I feel very pressed to make use of the fresh veggies ASAP.
3) I'm feeling very wired from my 6:15 spin class. Not sure why, but sometimes exercising at night makes me very awake instead of exhausted.
4) The cold, misty rain of October has crept in on us after a second Indian Summer and I was struck by the instantaneous desire for stew.
Beef stew is so hearty and full of nostalgia. There's both Chinese beef stew and then the more European/Americanized version of it that my mother used to make on cold Autumn nights. I love both but tonight it is the heartier, beefier, thicker Americanized stew that evokes feelings of being some pioneer man coming home from tramping around in the snow, knocking the snow off his boots, and sitting down to a steaming bowl of stew that was cooked over the fireplace. Or, that is, at least what I used to pretend when I was a kid.
I still have no idea how Mom made her stew and I don't attempt to recreate it. I just remember it was so delicious and full of onions and big chunks of beef and carrots. She would toast bread and slather butter on it (one of the few times we were really into butter) and we would dip it into the stew, letting the butter melt and slip off a little while the bread got soaked.
One Halloween Mom served me and my friend the stew before we headed out for trick-or-treating. I don't remember what I was dressed up as, but my friend was a witch. She had terrible table manners and I remember seeing her look up at me with her witch's hat, a ring of reddish-brown broth stain around her mouth, and a big, happy grin as she wiped her mouth with the back of her witch's robe sleeve.
Tonight's stew (tomorrow's dinner) has the following:
Beef (top layer chuck??), cut into chunks
Carrots -- two stalks diced, the rest chopped
Celery -- two stalks minced, the rest chopped
Potato, chopped
Onion, chopped, with a handful set aside
Garlic, crushed
Parsley (fresh)
Oregano (dried)
Rolling Rock canned beer
Olive oil
Red wine vinegar
Soy sauce
Salt
Black pepper
White pepper
Couscous
Corn (??)
1. Heat olive oil, throw in onions and garlic, sauté for 5 minutes
2. Add beef, stir
3. Add a little Rolling Rock, red vinegar, soy sauce, black pepper, white pepper
4. Add minced carrots, minced celery, parsley, and oregano
5. Cover and let simmer until beef tender
That's where I'm at right now. After all of that magic happens, it's just a matter of adding the carrots, celery, potatoes, and onions to cook. Then spice it up and ready to serve. I'm planning on adding some leftover couscous from last night's dinner and maybe some frozen corn. Not sure yet.
I'm also contemplating just finishing the "stock" now and then finishing the rest tomorrow morning. If I stay awake any longer I'm going to eat something regardless of how late it is b/c dang, my mouth is salivating. Those smells and memories are powerful!!
Showing posts with label beef. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beef. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Expanding on a memory: Shepherd's Pie
When talking/writing about food, I often talk about my comfort foods, family traditions, and recipes that are reliable to me and when creating them, evoke a feeling of happiness and security. For Labor Day, I went another route -- the route of experimentation and the attempt to successfully compose a dish that is largely a mystery to me: shepherd's pie.
Shepherd's pie is actually a strange kind of comfort food for me -- it calls back to very strong memories of a time in my life that, when I think back upon it, still seems quite surreal. Between the ages of 15 and 16, I lived in the 16th arrondissement in Paris, France with my dad. My dad had been relocated there for work and his company had offered to pay for my education at a premiere American/International school. We jumped at the opportunity. Fifteen was a fascinating time for me; growing up, I was a weird kid (who's to say that I'm not anymore?) and had a hard time socializing. Moving to a new city to a new school where the kids were used to students coming and going, I had a second chance to learn and utilize social skills. Up until then, all the people I knew were from the same town and anybody who did move into our insignificant zip code were from places similar. In Paris, I met kids who came from all corners of the world, united by one quality -- we were all nomads traversing the awkward land of being an expat AND a teenager. To this day, my time in France signifies a time in my life when I learned how to open up to others and actually enjoy what happened as a result.
I had an Irish-American friend who had a lovely apartment, family, and a dog named Lucy. Going to her house always provided what I, for that year, had exchanged for my newfound surreal independence. At my modernly furnished apartment near the Roland Garros stadium, my dad and I ate our meals at a granite bar and for days at a time, he would be out of town for work. I would have the freedom to wander Paris as if it was not the City of Lights, but just some regular old humdrum city. I had my first cellphone, my first laptop, and my first allowance. I was allowed full access to the subway and free range of the city. My mother was an ocean away and I only felt her warmth over the phone. My sister was in college and my friends on the other side of my IBM Thinkpad. It was a strange, but exciting, life so when I was over my friend's house, after riding a rickety elevator to her apartment, I was thrown back into the atmosphere of family and siblings and furniture that belonged to the family.
One day her mother offered us shepherd's pie. I had never heard of such thing and expected something sweet. Instead I was amazed at the concoction I was presented. Despite always loving Chinese and other Asian cuisines by default, this so called pie brought together everything I loved about non-Asian food. Ground beef, peas, corn, buttery mashed potatoes. I was impressed.
Since that day I have probably only had shepherd's pie once or twice but it's never stuck to me the way that shepherd's pie in France did. It reminds me of so much goodness -- the home of my friend, the experience of that year, the exploration into new relationships, foods, tastes, and cultures. I think because that experience was so unique to itself, I never attempted to make shepherd's pie although I have certainly thought about it.
However, when my husband (b/c I have one now) suggested it for a dinner, I decided I would go for it. Fundamentally shepherd's pie is basic and easy; there can't be too much of a challenge to it. Some of the recipes I researched called for canned vegetables and canned mushroom soup while others called for elk or crushed fennel. I read through a bunch of recipes before heading out the grocery store. The results of my grocery/ingredient list were:
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 large and 1 small white onion
- 2 large carrots
- frozen peas
- frozen corn
- frozen french cut green beans
- 4 cloves garlic
- tomato paste
- 6 russet potatoes
- rosemary
- parsley
- dried oregano
- butter
- milk
- regulars: salt, pepper, olive oil
- Worcestershire sauce
- soy sauce
This was something that definitely requires prep work. Can't cut and cook at the same time. It takes a while, but it ultimately makes the experience more cohesive.
Prep:
1. Chop onions and carrots.
2. Mince garlic.
3. Peel potatoes. Cube.
4. Mince rosemary and parsley.
5. Microwave frozen peas, carrots, and green beans. Drain.
Cook:
1. Heat up olive oil in a large and deep sauté pan. Add onions, garlic, and carrots (in succession with a little bit of time between each addition). Salt and pepper.
2. Add ground beef and brown (10 minutes).
3. Meanwhile, boil potatoes in salted water until soft (10-20 minutes, depending).
4. When ground beef is browned, drain (but retain) the juice.
5. Return beef to heat, add tomato paste and spices. Add Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, dried oregano, salt, and pepper to taste. Simmer.
6. When the potatoes are soft, drain water (a little left over is okay). Add about 3 tablespoons butter (or more, depending on preference and quantity of potatoes), salt, and pepper to potatoes and mash. After mashed, add milk and whip. I learned from my dad to always soften and thin your potatoes with milk. No water!
7. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
8. The ground beef should have little juice -- if there is any, drain it. Spread the ground beef as the first layer.
9. Add the second layer: the mix of peas, corn, and green beans.
10. Using a spatula, dollop the mashed potatoes as the third layer. Be sure to dollop and then smooth out the potatoes, otherwise, the veggies will mix into the mashed potatoes and ruin the layered effect. Use a fork to make a nice cross hatch design. (I'm not sure what purpose this serves other than aesthetic, but it's definitely worth it!)
11. Pop into the oven for 30-35 minutes.
12. Meanwhile, return the juice from the ground beef to heat. Add a little more Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, salt, and pepper. Mix some cornstarch with water and whisk into the juice (for gravy, duh). Whisk.
The result was quite beautiful and delicious. I was very happy with the results and found a great satisfaction in taking a memory and expanding on it.
Shepherd's pie is actually a strange kind of comfort food for me -- it calls back to very strong memories of a time in my life that, when I think back upon it, still seems quite surreal. Between the ages of 15 and 16, I lived in the 16th arrondissement in Paris, France with my dad. My dad had been relocated there for work and his company had offered to pay for my education at a premiere American/International school. We jumped at the opportunity. Fifteen was a fascinating time for me; growing up, I was a weird kid (who's to say that I'm not anymore?) and had a hard time socializing. Moving to a new city to a new school where the kids were used to students coming and going, I had a second chance to learn and utilize social skills. Up until then, all the people I knew were from the same town and anybody who did move into our insignificant zip code were from places similar. In Paris, I met kids who came from all corners of the world, united by one quality -- we were all nomads traversing the awkward land of being an expat AND a teenager. To this day, my time in France signifies a time in my life when I learned how to open up to others and actually enjoy what happened as a result.
I had an Irish-American friend who had a lovely apartment, family, and a dog named Lucy. Going to her house always provided what I, for that year, had exchanged for my newfound surreal independence. At my modernly furnished apartment near the Roland Garros stadium, my dad and I ate our meals at a granite bar and for days at a time, he would be out of town for work. I would have the freedom to wander Paris as if it was not the City of Lights, but just some regular old humdrum city. I had my first cellphone, my first laptop, and my first allowance. I was allowed full access to the subway and free range of the city. My mother was an ocean away and I only felt her warmth over the phone. My sister was in college and my friends on the other side of my IBM Thinkpad. It was a strange, but exciting, life so when I was over my friend's house, after riding a rickety elevator to her apartment, I was thrown back into the atmosphere of family and siblings and furniture that belonged to the family.
One day her mother offered us shepherd's pie. I had never heard of such thing and expected something sweet. Instead I was amazed at the concoction I was presented. Despite always loving Chinese and other Asian cuisines by default, this so called pie brought together everything I loved about non-Asian food. Ground beef, peas, corn, buttery mashed potatoes. I was impressed.
Since that day I have probably only had shepherd's pie once or twice but it's never stuck to me the way that shepherd's pie in France did. It reminds me of so much goodness -- the home of my friend, the experience of that year, the exploration into new relationships, foods, tastes, and cultures. I think because that experience was so unique to itself, I never attempted to make shepherd's pie although I have certainly thought about it.
However, when my husband (b/c I have one now) suggested it for a dinner, I decided I would go for it. Fundamentally shepherd's pie is basic and easy; there can't be too much of a challenge to it. Some of the recipes I researched called for canned vegetables and canned mushroom soup while others called for elk or crushed fennel. I read through a bunch of recipes before heading out the grocery store. The results of my grocery/ingredient list were:
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 large and 1 small white onion
- 2 large carrots
- frozen peas
- frozen corn
- frozen french cut green beans
- 4 cloves garlic
- tomato paste
- 6 russet potatoes
- rosemary
- parsley
- dried oregano
- butter
- milk
- regulars: salt, pepper, olive oil
- Worcestershire sauce
- soy sauce
This was something that definitely requires prep work. Can't cut and cook at the same time. It takes a while, but it ultimately makes the experience more cohesive.
Prep:
1. Chop onions and carrots.
2. Mince garlic.
3. Peel potatoes. Cube.
4. Mince rosemary and parsley.
5. Microwave frozen peas, carrots, and green beans. Drain.
Cook:
1. Heat up olive oil in a large and deep sauté pan. Add onions, garlic, and carrots (in succession with a little bit of time between each addition). Salt and pepper.
2. Add ground beef and brown (10 minutes).
3. Meanwhile, boil potatoes in salted water until soft (10-20 minutes, depending).
4. When ground beef is browned, drain (but retain) the juice.
5. Return beef to heat, add tomato paste and spices. Add Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, dried oregano, salt, and pepper to taste. Simmer.
6. When the potatoes are soft, drain water (a little left over is okay). Add about 3 tablespoons butter (or more, depending on preference and quantity of potatoes), salt, and pepper to potatoes and mash. After mashed, add milk and whip. I learned from my dad to always soften and thin your potatoes with milk. No water!
7. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
8. The ground beef should have little juice -- if there is any, drain it. Spread the ground beef as the first layer.
9. Add the second layer: the mix of peas, corn, and green beans.
10. Using a spatula, dollop the mashed potatoes as the third layer. Be sure to dollop and then smooth out the potatoes, otherwise, the veggies will mix into the mashed potatoes and ruin the layered effect. Use a fork to make a nice cross hatch design. (I'm not sure what purpose this serves other than aesthetic, but it's definitely worth it!)
11. Pop into the oven for 30-35 minutes.
12. Meanwhile, return the juice from the ground beef to heat. Add a little more Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, salt, and pepper. Mix some cornstarch with water and whisk into the juice (for gravy, duh). Whisk.
The result was quite beautiful and delicious. I was very happy with the results and found a great satisfaction in taking a memory and expanding on it.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Friends, Fajitas, and Feeding
There is a man named Jorge Munoz who, for the past 7 years, has been cooking and delivering hot, fresh, and free meals to migrant workers in Jackson Heights, Queens every single night at 9:30PM. My fiancé Andrew, our friend Jon, and I have visited him a few times with donations of rice, oil, sugar, pasta, and other staples in bulk. Since he cooks upwards to 140 meals a day, Jorge is in constant need of donations.
It’s been a few months since we’ve brought any donations to Jorge so last Tuesday night, Andrew, Jon, and I went to visit him. Jon, who also happens to be an amazing photographer, just returned from nearly 3 months in Central America working with several NGOs. Since Jon just got back and I wanted to hear his stories (and compare, since I studied abroad for a semester in Central America), I had them over for dinner beforehand.
Andrew came up with the genius idea of FAJITA NIGHT and we all simultaneously salivated over the idea and got really excited. I sent the guys a grocery list and by 5:30PM my stomach was grumbling with anticipation and hunger. Andrew and Jon pulled up to the front of my office just as I was leaving and when I got in, I remembered that my friend JC (also my best friend in the Peace Corps) had just gotten back from her Spring Break trip to Guatemala that morning at 3AM. I figured she must be exhausted and not at all in the mood for cooking dinner, plus it would be fun for all of us to talk about our shared experiences. So I called her and it worked out perfectly, she was just leaving work and walking on the street that we were going to drive down. We managed to scoop her off the street and brought her to my apartment for the commencement of Fajita Night.
It. Was. Amazing. Andrew marinated the steak in soy sauce, pepper, fresh garlic, garlic powder, cornstarch, and fresh lime juice. That sat for about an hour in the fridge while I prepared the rest. For the pico de gallo, I threw together chopped tomatoes (with the pulp removed), chopped red onion, a few cloves of garlic (minced), cilantro, sweet yellow corn, and a finely chopped hot pepper. I added some salt, ground black pepper, and because I simply cannot resist the allure of Asian ingredients, two capfuls of Marukan sweetened rice vinegar. I served my guests some Jameson on the rocks and demanded JC stir the pico de gallo. I think she was okay with that.
Then I thinly sliced up white onion, green peppers, and red peppers. This was thrown into a pan of hot olive oil and cooked until the onions were translucent. I sprinkled a generous amount of cumin and Korean red pepper and salted to taste. Shortly afterwards, Andrew cubed the steak and cooked the steak to perfection using the skillet I had cooked the onions and peppers in. Meanwhile, we heated up the authentic soft corn tortillas – it is so essential to a successful fajita night to have proper corn tortillas.
(thanks for the photo, jon!)
The house was alive with chatter about our travels, shared experiences, unique experiences, and just a general, happy camaraderie. There is such joy and satisfaction in having a nice, lovely home full of wonderful, interesting people while the rooms fill up with the smells of homemade meal. When everything was ready, we gathered round my tiny table and gobbled fajita after fajita, relishing in the fresh ingredients, the perfectly tender and marinated beef, authentic corn tortillas, and the sheer bliss and privilege of being able to make good, wonderful food in abundance. In the end we could have all eaten 5 more but alas, the food came to an end.
With great satiated effort, we cleaned up, wiped down, and then packed ourselves into Andrew's truck. We dropped (an exhausted) JC off and then headed out to Jackson Heights to help out Jorge, the man who remembers how food feeds not only the hungry belly but also the weary soul. His cooking has united him with these men and because I know that they are here to eat, not to make conversation, I stand aside and watch the way food and feeding unites people, ties them together, shows our universality.
It’s been a few months since we’ve brought any donations to Jorge so last Tuesday night, Andrew, Jon, and I went to visit him. Jon, who also happens to be an amazing photographer, just returned from nearly 3 months in Central America working with several NGOs. Since Jon just got back and I wanted to hear his stories (and compare, since I studied abroad for a semester in Central America), I had them over for dinner beforehand.
Andrew came up with the genius idea of FAJITA NIGHT and we all simultaneously salivated over the idea and got really excited. I sent the guys a grocery list and by 5:30PM my stomach was grumbling with anticipation and hunger. Andrew and Jon pulled up to the front of my office just as I was leaving and when I got in, I remembered that my friend JC (also my best friend in the Peace Corps) had just gotten back from her Spring Break trip to Guatemala that morning at 3AM. I figured she must be exhausted and not at all in the mood for cooking dinner, plus it would be fun for all of us to talk about our shared experiences. So I called her and it worked out perfectly, she was just leaving work and walking on the street that we were going to drive down. We managed to scoop her off the street and brought her to my apartment for the commencement of Fajita Night.
It. Was. Amazing. Andrew marinated the steak in soy sauce, pepper, fresh garlic, garlic powder, cornstarch, and fresh lime juice. That sat for about an hour in the fridge while I prepared the rest. For the pico de gallo, I threw together chopped tomatoes (with the pulp removed), chopped red onion, a few cloves of garlic (minced), cilantro, sweet yellow corn, and a finely chopped hot pepper. I added some salt, ground black pepper, and because I simply cannot resist the allure of Asian ingredients, two capfuls of Marukan sweetened rice vinegar. I served my guests some Jameson on the rocks and demanded JC stir the pico de gallo. I think she was okay with that.
Then I thinly sliced up white onion, green peppers, and red peppers. This was thrown into a pan of hot olive oil and cooked until the onions were translucent. I sprinkled a generous amount of cumin and Korean red pepper and salted to taste. Shortly afterwards, Andrew cubed the steak and cooked the steak to perfection using the skillet I had cooked the onions and peppers in. Meanwhile, we heated up the authentic soft corn tortillas – it is so essential to a successful fajita night to have proper corn tortillas.
The house was alive with chatter about our travels, shared experiences, unique experiences, and just a general, happy camaraderie. There is such joy and satisfaction in having a nice, lovely home full of wonderful, interesting people while the rooms fill up with the smells of homemade meal. When everything was ready, we gathered round my tiny table and gobbled fajita after fajita, relishing in the fresh ingredients, the perfectly tender and marinated beef, authentic corn tortillas, and the sheer bliss and privilege of being able to make good, wonderful food in abundance. In the end we could have all eaten 5 more but alas, the food came to an end.
With great satiated effort, we cleaned up, wiped down, and then packed ourselves into Andrew's truck. We dropped (an exhausted) JC off and then headed out to Jackson Heights to help out Jorge, the man who remembers how food feeds not only the hungry belly but also the weary soul. His cooking has united him with these men and because I know that they are here to eat, not to make conversation, I stand aside and watch the way food and feeding unites people, ties them together, shows our universality.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Chili tacos, God, and Scrabble
Despite my true and penultimate love for Chinese food, sometimes there is nothing better than tacos. Actually, scratch that -- sometimes there is nothing better than CHILI TACOS. Maybe it's because of that all too common second-generation American experience of loving the food your mother makes, but secretly craving the foreign simple foods of your American classmates that involve cheese and cream and tomatoes. Actually, this craving was satisfied every now and then when I was a kid; I remember my Dad making his 5-alarm chili and serving it to us on rice with sour cream -- which I totally thought was normal up until maybe 2 years ago when I found out that it wasn't. I didn't even understand what "5-alarm" meant at the time but I just remember being so freakin' excited whenever the house filled up with the smell of chili. I would stuff myself silly and be in pain from a full belly. Even so, that hasn't stopped me and to this day, there is something about the ground beef and beans and spices and cheese and sour cream that go on top of a bed of lettuce blanketed by crunchy crispy taco flour that titillates my food senses.
Unlike Chinese food though, this craving only hits me on occasion so chili tacos have kind of become a "special occasion food" in my book but when I satisfy this craving, it is so entirely gratifying. The craving hit me a few days ago along with the hankering for a good Scrabble game so I invited my best friend (an equally hardcore Scrabble fan) up for a Sunday evening of chili tacos and competition. This was, of course, highly anticipated for several days. I've been overwhelmingly busy and/or lazy so haven't cooked in a while and have been living off of frozen dumplings (which are, in and of itself, still amazing). Since tomorrow we have President's Day off, I felt at leisure to make a nice meal.
This morning I overslept and missed church. Disappointed at this and my annoying inability to wake up for anything other than work, I downloaded a few podcasts of some Jim Wallis sermons, popped in my Ipod, and headed out to run some errands. Call me a multitasker but this was awesome! I shopped for groceries and was hit by a good dosage of social justice preaching. When I got home, I turned on another sermon, poured myself a glass of Stonecap Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, and started on the chili. Usually I cook in silence but this time it was great to hear these heart-moving sermons as I chopped and minced away. Jan showed up and the chili simmered for a while on the stovetop and we competed in a good Scrabble game (good because I won) as we munched on Trader Joe's veggie stix. When our stomachs were hungry from the intensity of the game, we relished in chili tacos and red wine. Mmmmm, life is good.
Chili
1/2 red onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound ground beef
4 tomatoes, chopped with seeds and pulp
2 cans tomato paste (6 oz.)
1 can kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
1 bag frozen corn
4 chilis (whole, with a slit in the middle)
garlic
cumin
cilantro, chopped
salt
soy sauce
olive oil
In a large pot, heat olive oil. Saute onions for 5 minutes then add garlic. Add ground beef, stir thoroughly and cook until beef is about 2/3 done. I usually add some soy sauce for taste b/c who am I kidding -- I'm Chinese and I can't resist adding soy sauce to everything. Add chopped tomatoes, stir, turn heat down to low, and cover. Let the tomatoes break down and then add tomato paste. Let this simmer and then add beans. After 5 minutes, frozen corn is next followed by chilis and then salt, cumin, and cilantro to taste. Let this simmer for as long as you deem necessary for the tastes to kick in.
Serve as is OR -- even better -- serve as chili tacos. I use Whole Foods Blue Corn hard taco shells, shred up some romaine lettuce, and get some cheddar cheese and sour cream. Serve in taco form or, as I prefer, in a taco salad form. Compliment with a few glasses of wine and an ass-serving Scrabble game and you're golden.
Unlike Chinese food though, this craving only hits me on occasion so chili tacos have kind of become a "special occasion food" in my book but when I satisfy this craving, it is so entirely gratifying. The craving hit me a few days ago along with the hankering for a good Scrabble game so I invited my best friend (an equally hardcore Scrabble fan) up for a Sunday evening of chili tacos and competition. This was, of course, highly anticipated for several days. I've been overwhelmingly busy and/or lazy so haven't cooked in a while and have been living off of frozen dumplings (which are, in and of itself, still amazing). Since tomorrow we have President's Day off, I felt at leisure to make a nice meal.
This morning I overslept and missed church. Disappointed at this and my annoying inability to wake up for anything other than work, I downloaded a few podcasts of some Jim Wallis sermons, popped in my Ipod, and headed out to run some errands. Call me a multitasker but this was awesome! I shopped for groceries and was hit by a good dosage of social justice preaching. When I got home, I turned on another sermon, poured myself a glass of Stonecap Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, and started on the chili. Usually I cook in silence but this time it was great to hear these heart-moving sermons as I chopped and minced away. Jan showed up and the chili simmered for a while on the stovetop and we competed in a good Scrabble game (good because I won) as we munched on Trader Joe's veggie stix. When our stomachs were hungry from the intensity of the game, we relished in chili tacos and red wine. Mmmmm, life is good.
Chili
1/2 red onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound ground beef
4 tomatoes, chopped with seeds and pulp
2 cans tomato paste (6 oz.)
1 can kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
1 bag frozen corn
4 chilis (whole, with a slit in the middle)
garlic
cumin
cilantro, chopped
salt
soy sauce
olive oil
In a large pot, heat olive oil. Saute onions for 5 minutes then add garlic. Add ground beef, stir thoroughly and cook until beef is about 2/3 done. I usually add some soy sauce for taste b/c who am I kidding -- I'm Chinese and I can't resist adding soy sauce to everything. Add chopped tomatoes, stir, turn heat down to low, and cover. Let the tomatoes break down and then add tomato paste. Let this simmer and then add beans. After 5 minutes, frozen corn is next followed by chilis and then salt, cumin, and cilantro to taste. Let this simmer for as long as you deem necessary for the tastes to kick in.
Serve as is OR -- even better -- serve as chili tacos. I use Whole Foods Blue Corn hard taco shells, shred up some romaine lettuce, and get some cheddar cheese and sour cream. Serve in taco form or, as I prefer, in a taco salad form. Compliment with a few glasses of wine and an ass-serving Scrabble game and you're golden.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Hamburgers for the in-laws
Last Sunday, my boyfriend proposed to me during a lovely outing to The Cloisters and since then life has been a flurry of activity as we get prepared to throw the biggest party of our lives. Of course we are very focused on making sure that the food and drink is amazing (and, you know, that we're well prepared for marriage!), but in the meantime we needed to have an "in-law convention" and figure out our budget, game plan, and guest lists.
My parents volunteered to host the convention at their lovely house in Princeton, NJ and Andrew suggested that he and I cook dinner for our prospective future in-laws. This was a very nerve-wracking idea but at the same time, I felt like it would show our sincerity and it would be a nice gesture. At first we had some grandiose ideas of steak and homemade gnocchi and then I contemplated a Chinese-style beef noodle stew but all of these things would wind up being too stressful for something already kind of stressful so we decided to go a bit more low-key and Labor Day appropriate and went with hamburgers, potato salad, and clams casino.
It was a lovely and perfectly temperate day and when we got to the house, my mom was already bustling in the kitchen preparing a beautiful fruit salad. She had champagne grapes, red grapes, strawberries, green grapes, and slices of mango artfully placed in a glass bowl and she quipped that while she doesn't really like to cook, she certainly loves to arrange. There was also boiled peanuts (very Chinese) and steamed edamame to entice our appetites. AND of course their fridge was stocked with beer and we had our choices of Yeungling, Red Stripe, and Corona.
Cooking in their kitchen was a welcome change from my itty-bitty kitchen in Harlem and there was plenty of room to move around and loads of counter space to prepare on. It was a fun environment as we all had our individual cooking projects but we talked and bantered and it was one of those quintessential bonding-in-the-kitchen moments.
To begin with, my dad provided a couple of bottles of wine (including a stellar riesling) from his increasingly stellar wine collection as well as amazingly delicious hamachi kama (Japanese cuisine: the grilled jaw/cheek of yellowtail tuna) served with ponzu and scallions for an appetizer. This is one of our family's all time favorite foods and apparently we even get these cuts of tuna from a special dealer -- you can't just get them in the store. My dad lived in Japan for a while when he was a young boy so he is well versed in Japanese cuisine and it is always such a special treat when we have hamachi kama. It is a meal in and of itself!
Following the hamachi kama were Andrew's clams casino and I wish I had paid more attention (but I couldn't because I was preparing food too) to what he was doing because it was a symphony of tastes and I couldn't get enough. I don't know much about seafood, especially products with shells and this was thoroughly impressive. What was even more impressive was that he managed to portion it all perfectly; a common problem that I face is that I always make too much or too little but he managed to have the exact amount of everything. I am so grateful that I will be marrying a man who can cook.
My contribution was the hamburgers and potato salad -- once again, two dishes that I know are a sure thing because I've done them on numerous occasions. One thing that I've learned over the years is that when you need to 100% impress, go with something you know you can do. Friends are always a good guinea pig group, but future in laws seems like an audience that you should feed with confidence.
My hamburgers are a hit at home but this was the first time I was making so many patties so, in true Angelica fashion, I once again over estimated and wound up buying nearly 4 pounds of ground Angus beef. This resulted in 12 patties! As always, I never really know how much of everything I put into my food, I do it by feel, taste, and knowing my ingredients. So first I took the ground beef and dumped it into a large mixing bowl. Then I took a bag of Cape Cod reduced fat kettle chips (reduced fat is better because there is less salt) and smashed them up into fine crumbs. I use these as a kind of breadcrumb and also in this way, I don't actually ever have to add salt to the mix (which I feel like sucks out the moisture in the meat). Following this, I minced up about half a bulb of garlic and 2/3 of a large yellow Spanish onion (or a small one, I guess). The last main component is chopped portobello mushrooms (I prefer mature portobellos, not baby bellas). I don't really skimp on any of these ingredients as they really provide taste and texture to the burgers. Of course the main star is the beef, but I would say that for 2 parts beef there is 1 part onion and 1 part mushroom.
Into this mix I added soy sauce paste (I like Wan Ja Shan), Worcestershire sauce, red pepper flakes, ground black pepper, minced fresh parsley, and a generous dose of finely grated parmesan cheese. Three eggs were beat and then added for cohesion and then I mixed this all up by hand, trying to avoid handling it too much because I've heard that the more you handle it, the less likely it will stick well in patty form. I usually then take a small sauce pan and heat it up and taste test -- I very rarely get the right taste down on the first try so I'll cook up a small amount and then add more of the sauces and spices until it tastes just right. After everything was mixed up, I let it refrigerate for at least an hour. Dad grilled these babies up and we topped them with Swiss cheese, onions, romaine lettuce, and tomatoes.
The side dish was potato salad -- simple, but certainly not the healthiest! First I set a pot of salted water to boil and then I take russet potatoes (5 -- again, overdoing it) and chop them up into small cubes. When the water boils I dump them in and let them get soft but not so soft that when I later stir them they become mashed potatoes. You still want some form of the cube so keep an eye on them and don't let it over boil. In the meantime, I hardboiled 5 eggs (set salted water to boil, then add the eggs and let boil for 10 minutes, drain afterwards). When they were cool, I peeled them and cut them up into cubes. I then boiled (briefly) carrots and frozen peas. (When short on time, frozen peas and carrots are fine, but for some reason I prefer to boil my own carrots, but peas are great either fresh or frozen.) I also chopped up some Yellow Spanish onion and a bunch of mini pickled gherkins (aka cornichon). I also usually cube some ham but this time around we had dashed around the grocery store and it was the one ingredient I forgot. When the potatoes were ready, I drained them and added in all the just mentioned ingredients, along with a generous heaping of mayonnaise and dijon mustard. I added ground pepper and minced parsley for taste and mixed it all to the desired consistency. Something to remember is that the more you stir, the creamier it gets. After everything was all mixed up, I threw this into the fridge until sufficiently cold.
So we feasted like kings and followed it all up with tiramisu and tea for dessert. It's a surprise that after all of this we were able to stay awake to discuss the logistics of the impending wedding. If one thing is for sure with my future in-laws and my parents, it's that neither Andrew nor I will let the other starve! It was a perfect Labor Day meal that reflected both our American and Chinese/Asian tastes. Moreover, since I live in the city now, it was the rare chance to have something grilled. I love the smell of a charcoal grill and it certainly felt like the last hurrah of Summer, as some trees are already changing color. Soon it will be pies and stews and hot pot and turkey. How time flies, and the craziest part -- by next Labor Day, I will be married!
My parents volunteered to host the convention at their lovely house in Princeton, NJ and Andrew suggested that he and I cook dinner for our prospective future in-laws. This was a very nerve-wracking idea but at the same time, I felt like it would show our sincerity and it would be a nice gesture. At first we had some grandiose ideas of steak and homemade gnocchi and then I contemplated a Chinese-style beef noodle stew but all of these things would wind up being too stressful for something already kind of stressful so we decided to go a bit more low-key and Labor Day appropriate and went with hamburgers, potato salad, and clams casino.
It was a lovely and perfectly temperate day and when we got to the house, my mom was already bustling in the kitchen preparing a beautiful fruit salad. She had champagne grapes, red grapes, strawberries, green grapes, and slices of mango artfully placed in a glass bowl and she quipped that while she doesn't really like to cook, she certainly loves to arrange. There was also boiled peanuts (very Chinese) and steamed edamame to entice our appetites. AND of course their fridge was stocked with beer and we had our choices of Yeungling, Red Stripe, and Corona.
Cooking in their kitchen was a welcome change from my itty-bitty kitchen in Harlem and there was plenty of room to move around and loads of counter space to prepare on. It was a fun environment as we all had our individual cooking projects but we talked and bantered and it was one of those quintessential bonding-in-the-kitchen moments.
To begin with, my dad provided a couple of bottles of wine (including a stellar riesling) from his increasingly stellar wine collection as well as amazingly delicious hamachi kama (Japanese cuisine: the grilled jaw/cheek of yellowtail tuna) served with ponzu and scallions for an appetizer. This is one of our family's all time favorite foods and apparently we even get these cuts of tuna from a special dealer -- you can't just get them in the store. My dad lived in Japan for a while when he was a young boy so he is well versed in Japanese cuisine and it is always such a special treat when we have hamachi kama. It is a meal in and of itself!
Following the hamachi kama were Andrew's clams casino and I wish I had paid more attention (but I couldn't because I was preparing food too) to what he was doing because it was a symphony of tastes and I couldn't get enough. I don't know much about seafood, especially products with shells and this was thoroughly impressive. What was even more impressive was that he managed to portion it all perfectly; a common problem that I face is that I always make too much or too little but he managed to have the exact amount of everything. I am so grateful that I will be marrying a man who can cook.
My contribution was the hamburgers and potato salad -- once again, two dishes that I know are a sure thing because I've done them on numerous occasions. One thing that I've learned over the years is that when you need to 100% impress, go with something you know you can do. Friends are always a good guinea pig group, but future in laws seems like an audience that you should feed with confidence.
My hamburgers are a hit at home but this was the first time I was making so many patties so, in true Angelica fashion, I once again over estimated and wound up buying nearly 4 pounds of ground Angus beef. This resulted in 12 patties! As always, I never really know how much of everything I put into my food, I do it by feel, taste, and knowing my ingredients. So first I took the ground beef and dumped it into a large mixing bowl. Then I took a bag of Cape Cod reduced fat kettle chips (reduced fat is better because there is less salt) and smashed them up into fine crumbs. I use these as a kind of breadcrumb and also in this way, I don't actually ever have to add salt to the mix (which I feel like sucks out the moisture in the meat). Following this, I minced up about half a bulb of garlic and 2/3 of a large yellow Spanish onion (or a small one, I guess). The last main component is chopped portobello mushrooms (I prefer mature portobellos, not baby bellas). I don't really skimp on any of these ingredients as they really provide taste and texture to the burgers. Of course the main star is the beef, but I would say that for 2 parts beef there is 1 part onion and 1 part mushroom.
Into this mix I added soy sauce paste (I like Wan Ja Shan), Worcestershire sauce, red pepper flakes, ground black pepper, minced fresh parsley, and a generous dose of finely grated parmesan cheese. Three eggs were beat and then added for cohesion and then I mixed this all up by hand, trying to avoid handling it too much because I've heard that the more you handle it, the less likely it will stick well in patty form. I usually then take a small sauce pan and heat it up and taste test -- I very rarely get the right taste down on the first try so I'll cook up a small amount and then add more of the sauces and spices until it tastes just right. After everything was mixed up, I let it refrigerate for at least an hour. Dad grilled these babies up and we topped them with Swiss cheese, onions, romaine lettuce, and tomatoes.
The side dish was potato salad -- simple, but certainly not the healthiest! First I set a pot of salted water to boil and then I take russet potatoes (5 -- again, overdoing it) and chop them up into small cubes. When the water boils I dump them in and let them get soft but not so soft that when I later stir them they become mashed potatoes. You still want some form of the cube so keep an eye on them and don't let it over boil. In the meantime, I hardboiled 5 eggs (set salted water to boil, then add the eggs and let boil for 10 minutes, drain afterwards). When they were cool, I peeled them and cut them up into cubes. I then boiled (briefly) carrots and frozen peas. (When short on time, frozen peas and carrots are fine, but for some reason I prefer to boil my own carrots, but peas are great either fresh or frozen.) I also chopped up some Yellow Spanish onion and a bunch of mini pickled gherkins (aka cornichon). I also usually cube some ham but this time around we had dashed around the grocery store and it was the one ingredient I forgot. When the potatoes were ready, I drained them and added in all the just mentioned ingredients, along with a generous heaping of mayonnaise and dijon mustard. I added ground pepper and minced parsley for taste and mixed it all to the desired consistency. Something to remember is that the more you stir, the creamier it gets. After everything was all mixed up, I threw this into the fridge until sufficiently cold.
So we feasted like kings and followed it all up with tiramisu and tea for dessert. It's a surprise that after all of this we were able to stay awake to discuss the logistics of the impending wedding. If one thing is for sure with my future in-laws and my parents, it's that neither Andrew nor I will let the other starve! It was a perfect Labor Day meal that reflected both our American and Chinese/Asian tastes. Moreover, since I live in the city now, it was the rare chance to have something grilled. I love the smell of a charcoal grill and it certainly felt like the last hurrah of Summer, as some trees are already changing color. Soon it will be pies and stews and hot pot and turkey. How time flies, and the craziest part -- by next Labor Day, I will be married!
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