Miso-glazed Eggplant

Easy, pretty, delicious!  There's not much more I could want from an eggplant dish.  Thanks to Joy for posting this recipe.

Miso Glazed Eggplant
serves 2

5 small Japanese eggplants
Canola oil
1/4 cup white miso
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoon rice wine
Toasted sesame seeds

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Cut off the top of each eggplant and slice in half, lengthwise.  Carefully cut crosshatches into the flesh of the eggplants, but do not cut all the way through.  Place the eggplants skin side down on a baking sheet and brush the tops with some oil.  Bake for about 8 minutes, until the flesh starts to become tender.  Remove the eggplant from the oven and set your oven to broil.

In a small saucepan, over low heat, combine the miso, sugar, mirin, and rice wine.  Whisk until the sugar dissolves and the sauce begins to thicken.  Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Top each eggplant liberally with the miso glaze.  Place under the broiler until browned and bubbly, just a few minutes.  

Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve with rice.

Slow-cooker Mushroom Risotto

Now that I have a baby I've had to be more realistic when planning to cook for large groups of people.  This includes figuring out stove space, oven space, and making sure the meal is balanced (I'm a fan of making people eat vegetables.  If it makes people feel better I'm also a fan of making people eat dessert.)  I've yet to figure out the counter-space conundrum, but hopefully that will change when we move.

This risotto served as a perfect side dish for chicken and squash.  I think one friend ate more risotto than anything else!  I didn't have any wine on me but I think water and chicken broth worked just fine.  I also omitted the cheese at the end because I totally forgot.  I don't think anyone missed it though.

Thank you, Naptime Chef!

Slow-cooker mushroom risotto

1 ½	cups uncooked Arborio rice  (I used medium-grain rice)
¼	cup olive oil
¼	cup white wine
4	cups low-sodium chicken broth
1	small yellow onion, finely chopped OR 2 teaspoons onion flakes
2	cloves garlic, finely chopped
1	cup cremini mushrooms, finely sliced
2	teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage
1	teaspoon kosher salt
¼	teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
2/3	cups finely grated Parmesan cheese

1. In a small bowl mix together the rice, olive oil, garlic, onion, sage and mushrooms. Then pour it all into the slow-cooker. Pour in the broth and white wine and cook it on high for 2 and ½ hours.

*Tracie's note: I sauteed the onions in olive oil first so they would be softer.  Afterwards I threw the rice in and toasted it, too.  Then I threw everything in the slow cooker.

2. Once the risotto is finished cooking stir in the Parmesan cheese and leave uncovered.

*Tracie's note: After 2 1/2 hours it was probably done but I wasn't ready to serve it yet, so I just stirred it and kept it on low.  There was still plenty of liquid left to keep it moist, but make sure there's enough in yours.  If you want your risotto to have a "bite" then I would turn off the slow cooker and serve at this point.  The risotto I had at the end was sorta mushy, but luckily everyone still liked it.

Macaroni and Cheese

I can't get enough of mac and cheese.  We grew up eating a packaged version (not Kraft, surprisingly) and I loved it with chili and occasionally with tuna.  As much as I like Easy Mac, I've been looking for an easy recipe to make from "scratch" that didn't involve baking it.

Simply Recipes to the rescue!   I happened to have a small block of cheddar that worked really well once I shredded it and added a little bit of cornstarch.  I wouldn't recommend using already shredded cheese because the caking agents they add makes the cheese stringy.  I added some mixed vegetables (previously frozen) to make it a little healthier, and I didn't add ham because we were eating it with leftover meatloaf.

Thanks, Elise!

Quick Macaroni and Cheese

INGREDIENTS

• 2 quarts water
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 lb cheddar cheese, grated (about 2 cups, packed)
• 1 teaspoon corn starch
• 2 teaspoons flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 cup ham, chopped into 1/4 inch cubes
• Freshly grated black pepper

METHOD

1 In a medium sized bowl, mix corn starch into the grated cheese, so that the cheese is coated, set aside. This will help the cheese from getting too stringy.

2 Bring 2 quarts of water with the tablespoon of salt to a boil in thick-bottomed saucepan. Add the elbow macaroni and follow the cooking time instructions on the package, minus about 2 minutes. (If your macaroni doesn't come with instructions, start checking at 7 minutes). Cook until al dente - cooked through, but still slightly firm. Drain the water from the cooking pan.

3 While the macaroni is cooking, prepare the sauce. Melt the butter in a large saucepan on medium heat. Whisk in the flour. Slowly dribble in the milk, while whisking (to avoid clumping) until the sauce is smooth. Slowly add the grated cheese, while whisking, until smooth. Stir in the lemon juice. Add the cooked, drained macaroni and ham. Do not over-mix. Sprinkle in some freshly grated black pepper.

Serve immediately.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

I was trying to think of a good snack to eat during a football game and the Eng brothers' Spinach Artichoke Dip came to mind.  This isn't a healthy dish (you'll see when you read it) but at least it has spinach and artichokes!  Warning though: if you happen to reheat it, it's gonna be oily.  I would just make sure that you have enough people to eat it all on the first pass.  Between 4 of us (including two preggos) we got through 3/4 of it.  

I made it in an 8x8 glass pan so we had to increase the baking time by 5-10 minutes for it to heat properly.  Thanks to Scott for writing down the recipe and making notes on variations.  

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Ingredients
1 14 oz can artichoke hearts
1 8 oz package frozen chopped cooked spinach, defrosted
1 8 oz jar real mayonaise (no Miracle Whip!)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 2-cup package shredded jack cheese

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Drain artichokes. Cut off all remaining leaves, to get ONLY the heart meat of the artichokes. Finely chop artichoke hearts. Drain spinach.
3. Mix artichoke hearts, spinach, mayonaise, parmesan, and 1 1/2 cup jack cheese in bowl. Spread mixture in tin pie pan. Cover top with remaining jack cheese.
4. Cover with foil and bake 15-18 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 3-5 minutes. Serve hot with unsalted corn tortilla chips.

Notes
If you don't want it that cheesy, take out 1/2 cup of jack cheese. Unsalted corn tortilla chips are absolutely the best chips to serve this with. Regular tortilla chips are a far second. Sourdough bread slices are good too. Plain crackers can be used if no suitable substitute can be found. I have tried this with fresh spinach that I steamed. It worked fine, but was more work. I have not tried this with fresh artichokes or low-fat anything. And always try to use real ingredients. That means no processed cheese, or mayonaise substitutes.

Beef and Leek Stew

I've tried lots of beef stew recipes and I think this is my favorite one so far.  Usually I rely on lots of reviews for recipes but this one just sounded right.  Plus, it had a popover recipe with it, and I can't say no to popovers.  I didn't have sun-dried tomatoes so I used a fresh tomato and ketchup.  I'd probably use less liquid next time, too.

Thanks to Rose Murray for posting it!

Beef and Leek Stew

Ingredients

• 1¼ lb (625 g) stew beef
• 2 tbsp (25 mL) olive oil
• 4 small leeks, thickly sliced
• 4 carrots, cut in 1-inch (2.5 cm) chunks
• 2 tbsp (25 mL) all-purpose flour
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp (25 mL) balsamic vinegar
• 2½ cups (625 mL) beef stock
• 1/3 cup (75 mL) sun-dried tomato strips
• 1 tsp (5 mL) dried thyme
• Pinch hot pepper flakes
• Chive Popovers (recipe follows)

Chive Popovers (Makes 12 Popovers):

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup (250 mL) milk
• 1 cup (250 mL) all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp (25 mL) snipped fresh chives or green onions
• ½ tsp (2 mL) salt

Directions

1. Cut beef into 2-inch (5 cm) cubes. In large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat; brown beef all over, about 10 minutes.

2. Add leeks and carrots; cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Sprinkle with flour, and salt and pepper to taste; cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

3. Stir in vinegar, then stock, 1 cup (250 mL) water, sun-dried tomatoes, thyme and hot pepper flakes; bring to boil, scraping up any brown bits from bottom of pan. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally and adding a bit more water if necessary. Taste and adjust seasoning. Split open popovers and serve stew on top.

For the Chive Popovers:

1. In large bowl, beat eggs; stir in milk, flour, chives and salt until blended. (Don’t overmix; ignore a few lumps.) Fill 12 well-greased muffin cups three-quarters full with batter.

2. Place in cold oven. Turn oven to 450°F (230°C); bake for 25 minutes. Remove and prick each popover with point of sharp knife to release steam. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes or until golden brown and puffed. (Popovers can be cooled, placed on cookie sheet, covered with clean towel and set aside at room temperature for up to 8 hours. Reheat in 350°F/180°C oven for 5 to 10 minutes.)

Asian Pasta Salad

Happy June!  It's not officially summer yet, but it definitely feels like it here in CT.

I'm a huge fan of noodles in any form: stir-fried, in soup, with creamy sauces, with pesto...you name it, I will most likely eat it.  Yesterday we had a potluck at work and I brought this cold noodle salad.  I wasn't sure what my co-workers would think of it since it's not your everyday pasta salad, but they really liked it!

I used linguine instead of bowtie pasta because that's all I had on hand- I just cut the linguine after cooking it.  In retrospect I would have broken the linguine before cooking.  I also included a little bit of minced garlic in the sauce cuz I had some on hand.  I chilled the noodles overnight and tossed in some spinach and field greens right before serving.  Also, I didn't add chicken, green onions or cilantro- as you can tell I was not well prepared for this recipe.  Luckily I had most of the ingredients on hand, but it's so versatile that you could probably make a lot of modifications with good results.

Thanks to Week of Menus!  It almost seems redundant for me to archive her recipes since I'm on her site so much.

Asian Bowtie Pasta
Serves 6-8

1 lb farfalle (bowtie) pasta (I used the mini farfalle)

1/3 cup canola, safflower or other mild tasting oil
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

2 red, yellow or orange bell peppers, cut julienne
1 cup of scallions, diced
2-3 cups of rotisserie chicken, cut into bite sized pieces (put more chicken if you want it meatier)
3 tablespoons roasted sesame seed
Pepper to taste
3 cups washed baby spinach
1/4 cup cilantro, OPTIONAL
2 tablespoons red pepper flakes, OPTIONAL

Boil and cook pasta according to directions. Make sure to salt the cooking water. Drain pasta and set aside. Return the pasta pot back to the stove. (You don't need to wash it.) Add the canola oil, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, and rice wine vinegar. Heat over low heat until the honey is dissolved. Remove from heat and toss in the pasta. Add the bell peppers, chicken, scallions, pepper, sesame seeds, cilantro (optional) and red pepper flakes (optional). Toss well to coat all the ingredients. Before serving, toss the pasta with the spinach, to keep the vibrant green as much as possible.

This can be chilled or served warm at room temperature.

Leek Risotto

Leeks look like scallions (green onions) but a LOT bigger.  Don't use the dark part- it's too tough to eat.  Cut that off and use the rest.  I usually cut them, separate the parts, and soak them in a bowl of water to get all the dirt out.

Risotto is awesome because it seems really complicated but it's not- it just takes some time.  I cheated and used medium-grain white rice because I didn't have arborio, and I don't think anyone could tell the difference.

I've made this as is and I've also added roasted chicken and asparagus for a more complete meal.  Thanks to the Gourmet Traveller for a simple yet elegant recipe!

Simple Leek Risottoeek Risotto
serves 2

2 leeks, trimmed and sliced
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
a sprig of thyme, leaves only
a generous knob of butter (about 20g)
150g arborio rice
150ml dry white wine
750ml vegetable (or chicken) stock
a large handful of freshly grated parmesan
freshly ground black pepper
salt

Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the leeks, red onions and thyme, and cook on a medium heat until soft and golden, about 10 minutes. While they are cooking heat stock in a separate pan and leave on a low simmer.

Once the leeks are tender, add the rice and stir to coat in the leek butter mixture. Pour in the wine and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the stock a ladle at a time, stirring constantly. Make sure the rice has absorbed most of the stock before adding the next ladleful.

After about 15-20 minutes of cooking the rice grains will have puffed up, but still have a bite to them. Remove the risotto from the heat (the rice should still be quite wet at this point), stir in the grated parmesan and season to taste.

Serve with a grating of parmesan on top and eat immediately!

Cheesy Orzo

Orzo is a huge hit in our house.  It's pasta but it's kinda like rice, so it's best of both worlds.  Plus, you can add whatever you want to it!  I usually add spinach at the very end of cooking so it just wilts.  I love this recipe cuz it's like a sophisticated version of macaroni and cheese.

Thanks to Rachael Ray for the recipe!  I know there are lots of RR haters out there, but this recipe is solid.

Cheesy Orzo

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 cans (14 ounces) chicken or vegetable broth or stock
• 2 cups orzo pasta (enriched rice may be substituted)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano or Romano
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat a 8 inch pot with a tight fitting cover over moderate heat. Add oil, onion and garlic and saute for 2 or 3 minutes. Add broth to the pan and bring to a boil. Stir in orzo and return broth to a boil. Cover pot and reduce heat to simmer. Cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until liquid is absorbed and pasta tender. Remove lid and stir in cheese. Season with salt and pepper to your taste. You favorite fresh herbs may also be stirred into the orzo or rice to strengthen the flavor even more.

Korean Side Dishes- Spinach and Spicy Cucumber Salad

I love eating Korean food, but since there aren't that many Korean restaurants in the Northeast I've had to make it myself.  It's not as good as what we get in Garden Grove, but it's good enough anytime we need a fix.

Two of my favorite sides are seasoned spinach and spicy cucumber salad.  The spinach works well in bibimbap, and the spicy cucumber salad is more like a cucumber kimchi.  One of my friends got me a Progressive grater set to help me slice the cucumbers and I am forever grateful!  If she lived closer I'd make her Korean food anytime she wanted it. 

Thanks to Jenny Kwak, author of Dok Suni, for the recipe!  Many more to come.

Seasoned Spinach

1 pound fresh spinach

1 tsp Coarse salt

sauce:

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp sesame salt

1 tsp crushed garlic

½ tsp minced scallion

1 ½ tsps red pepper sauce

1 ½ tsps vinegar

1 tsp brown sugar

1. Prepare spinach by cutting off the roots and separating the leaves
2. In boiling water, dissolve 1 tsp of salt and blanch the spinach for no more than 1 minute.  Turn the spinach over once in the boiling water and strain immediately.  Rinse thoroughly with water.  Keep aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, stir together all the ingredients for seasoning the spinach.  Then add the spinach and toss with your hands in a massaging motion.

Spicy Cucumber Salad

1 ½ pounds Kirby or Korean Cucumbers

2 tbsps coarse salt

1 ½ tbsps red pepper flakes

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tsp sesame salt

1 tsp crushed garlic

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tbsp brown sugar

1. Slice cucumber into thin rounds.  Use a food slicer to make it easier.  In a mixing bowl, evenly sprinkle the coarse salt on the cucumber.  Allow it to sit for 20 minutes.  The salt not only helps to season the cucumber but also to absorb the water from the cucumber.
2. Strain the cucumber.  (use a wire strainer, putting a heavy object on the cucumber to press out excessive water.)  After the cucumber has been strained, keep it aside in a mixing bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, stir together the red pepper flakes, rice vinegar, sesame salt, garlic, sesame oil, and sugar.  Then combine the dressing with the cucumber and toss, using your hands to mix in the seasonings evenly.  Serive it whenever you like, but keep it chilled.