I Like My Thai

If I were told I could only have one cuisine forever...I would likely choose Thai. I love the flavor profile - the subtleties of the heat, the sweet and the salty - in all presentations, from papaya salad to Tom Yum soup to Kee Mao, more commonly known (when Pad Kee Mao) as Drunken Noodles. This dish features the fresh flavor of Thai, or Holy, Basil (pictured left) with chiles and garlic. While it certainly has some heat, it has a lovely, balanced mix of flavors.

This week my CSA had an abundance of Thai basil, so I helped out by taking a few large handfuls! It was perfect for making some Drunken Noodles, and I knew I could also use my baby onions and some garlic scapes.

By now you've noted my interest in mise en place, having all my ingredients ready to go before I turn on the heat of the stove top. With a stir fried dish like this, it's even more important to have everything ready to go.

I started by cutting up three Thai chiles (often called Bird chiles). One, I sliced into thin strips, and the other two I chopped and crushed a bit with the side of my knife. I then chopped and crushed five cloves of garlic, and thinly sliced the soft stems and bulbs of two garlic scapes. These are the flavorful aromatics that form the base for this dish.

I then sliced up a milder chile - I used an Anaheim pepper - in thin strips. I cut a plum tomato into wedges, and thinly sliced three baby onions. These are additional vegetables for the dish.

I measured out the sauces. In one bowl I added oyster sauce and light soy sauce. In another I measured out fish sauce. A bit of lime zest and an equal bit of sugar were also prepared.

Finally, I laid out the ground chicken meat (though any protein, from ground pork to cubed tofu, will work!) and separated a small (at least I tried for it to be small!) portion of rice noodles.

I put on some water to boil and salted it. This was on a back burner, to be out of the way. In a large frying pan or wok, some oil was heated and then the garlic, scapes and hot chiles were added. Over medium heat, they rendered down a bit. When the garlic started to turn golden and the mixture was very aromatic, I quickly added in the oyster and soy sauces, swirled the pan, and added the chicken.

After stirring to ensure the chicken breaks apart enough and mixing the sauces and spices into it, it was almost cooked through. Overall, this was about 6-8 minutes; no need to rush it! When the chicken was almost cooked through, I added the tomatoes, onions and mild chile and stirred so they could soften.

When the vegetables have softened a bit, the fish sauce, sugar and lime zest are added and mixed in. After about 30 seconds of sautéing, the basil went into the pan. I adore basil, and love the flavor it adds here, so I added lots.

After a few more minutes of stirring to wilt the basil, the dish was complete. Total cooking time was about 15 minutes - manageable on a hot summer night.

This picture makes me hungry, and I just ate this!

This dish was delightful! While I think I'll adjust the amount of sauces added (downward) next time, the flavors were wonderful, and I ate all of it...and loved it! I even enjoyed in with a Brooklyn Brewery Pennant Ale '55, in honor of my favorite Brooklynites.

Hot Town, Frittata in the City...

It was still 96 degrees when I got home a little after 7:00 tonight. I have these lovely vegetables and gorgeous eggs, and virtually no desire to do anything that requires heat or will be served hot. With the arrival of a dozen more eggs, though...I had to do something. A frittata seemed in order. While it does require the use of both the stove top and the oven, it goes relatively quickly.

Here's how I created my dinner this evening:

6 1/2 eggs (half, you may ask? well, these are farm eggs, and one of them I cracked funny and lost some of the yolk in being stuck to the eggshell - you can use 6 or 7)

3 Tablespoons basil, chiffonade (roll the leaves into cigars, and slice across the roll to create strips)

1 Tablespoon oregano, chopped

1 baby onion, sliced thin into discs

2 garlic scapes, bulb and soft stem sliced thin

1 inch of a cylinder of salami, sliced thin and slices quartered

1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

olive oil

Prep all of your ingredients. Put the sliced/chopped herbs aside. The garlic scapes, onion and salami can be together too. Have the ingredients ready to go!

Add a couple tablespoons of olive oil to a skillet/frying pan - mine is a 9 inch pan - that can go in the oven (specifically, under the broiler). Put over medium heat and add scapes, onion and salami. Stir occasionally and let cook down a bit. The salami will render fat into the pan, and the onions and scapes will soften and smell lovely. This part takes about 6-9 minutes, depending upon how high your heat is.

While the scapes, onion and salami are cooking down, crack your eggs into a bowl and stir them together to make a homogenous mixture. My farm fresh eggs make a thick, glossy and sunny mixture!

When the salami, onion and scapes are cooked sufficiently (getting a little golden), remove from heat and use a spatula or spoon to remove most excess fat from the pan. Set pan down, still off heat, and gently pour in eggs. Use spatula to stir salami, onions and scapes into eggs.

Place pan back on medium heat, and occasionally swirl the pan. You can also use the spatula to lift the edges every now and then, allowing the uncooked egg to run along the edges. After about a minute of cooking, add the herbs and stir into egg. Then add parmesan and stir into the egg mixture as well.

Now you should turn on your oven's broiler.

At this point, let it cook over medium heat,

occasionally swirling the pan and lifting the edges with a spatula. Once the edges are set and only the top center is still runny, which took about 7-8 minutes for me, remove the pan from the heat on the stovetop and put it in under the broiler.

Leave it under the broiler until the top of the frittata begins to turn golden brown, which took three minutes for me. USING A POTHOLDER remove the pan from the oven. Ensure your stovetop and broiler are off, too! Let the frittata cool for about ten minutes.

Golden goodness.

Once it has cooled a bit, use a spatula to loosen the frittata from the pan, and remove to a plate. At this point you can cut it into slices and serve, or let it cool further.

Frittata!

I served mine with some fresh salad greens, lightly drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, with a quick grind of pepper and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

Hot weather dinner.

There is leftover frittata; I cut it into slices too, wrapped each loosely in waxed paper, and stored it in tupperware in the fridge. This could be breakfast, lunch and dinner tomorrow - and tomorrow it'll require NO heat!

Greens are Good for You!

This week, I arrived a little later than I have been to pick up my CSA veggies from Bull Run. Because it was later, he had run out of the limited supply of cherry tomatoes, eggplant, cauliflower and broccoli (the latter two did not concern me...). Because of this, he gave me an extra half dozen eggs and told me to take as much of the Thai basil and as many of the garlic scapes as I liked!

In addition to those, I got some BEAUTIFUL baby onions, more fresh basil (of the Italian variety), a few springs of Oregano, and some salad greens. I also got two potted calendulas. I put them in a larger ceramic planter I have at home, out on my balcony. I've been impressed that I have kept the basil and cilantro alive thus far, but am skeptical about my abilities to keep these plants all alive for the long haul...we shall see!

Stick around...there's more to come, and I will continue my endeavor to use ALL the vegetables I get every week!

Baby Onions

Salad Greens and Garlic Scapes

Thai Basil, Oregano and Salad Greens

Teriyaki Table

Tonight's dinner was a stir-fry of the last of my CSA ingredients for this week. As with all my stir-fries, I first complete my mise en place to ensure I'm ready to go. I chopped garlic scapes, washed pac choi, sliced tomatoes and sliced a Hungarian wax pepper that a coworker was kind enough to give me!

I also stirred up a little teriyaki-like sauce, made from equal parts sake and soy sauce, with about 2/3 as much brown sugar (give or take).

I started the stir-fry with some store-bought chicken sausage, sliced thin and sauteed.

When it was almost done after about six minutes, I added the tomatoes, scapes and pepper. I also added some of the sauce and let it all simmer away.

The juices from the tomatoes mix in the sauce to thin it a little, which is fine. I tend to let the sauce cook down to a little more than a glaze, about 8-9 minutes.

At the very end, I added the pac choi, large leaves first, to simmer in the glaze quickly and wilt a little. As the bigger leaves cook down, I add the smaller ones, and add in a few fresh herbs as well.

By now the kitchen smells fantastic, and the sauce has reduced down to a lovely glaze on all the vegetables.

I quickly added a couple turns of the pepper grinder, gave it all a stir, and dumped it onto a plate. It was a lovely plate of vegetables, with a little Asian flair. Yum! I am also particularly proud that, for the second week, I've eaten all of my vegetables! This is proving to be a good exercise in both cooking for one and in eating all my vegetables. Waste not!

Saturday Lunch

It was a hot Saturday here, so a simple, veggie-laden lunch sounded lovely. I still had my lettuce from the CSA, and it was fresh, though not as crisp as it had been. I decided to wilt it fully over some heat, so washed the lettuce and put it in a saute pan over medium heat.

Wilting lettuce.

After about 30 seconds of stirring, I added some sliced tomatoes to the pan as well. These released so much juice that the lettuce was able to cook a little slower! I adore tomatoes (these are campari tomatoes, commonly available in grocery stores - we don't have local tomatoes yet!) and put them in a lot of my food.

After cooking down the tomatoes for a few minutes, I added some pesto and a few slices of prosciutto, torn up. I sauteed this together for about two minutes.

While this did involve the stove top on a hot day, the entire cooking time was less than 10 minutes, and the flavors and colors were beautiful. It was such a lovely lunch!

More Devils...Still Mayonnaise Free!!!

I was asked about a recipe for deviled eggs. I am not the best with recipes...I tend to change them, or simply look at them and then not refer to them while cooking. That said, here's my best attempt. Let me know how they turn out!

Anti-Mayo Devils

4 eggs

mustard powder

country-style dijon mustard

chives

prosciutto

skim milk

sea salt

fresh ground pepper

Hard-boil the eggs. Let cool in chilled water, until they are cool. Peel the eggs (it's easiest when they're cooled!). Slice in half lengthwise, and scoop yolks into a small bowl. Put whites on a plate.

Crush yolks a little with a fork in the bowl. Chop chives, and add about a tablespoon of chives to the yolks. Chop prosciutto and add about one and a half tablespoons. You can add more chives and prosciutto if you want! Add a scant tablespoon of mustard powder, and a heaping tablespoon of dijon mustard. [Warning: I like the mustard flavor, so you may want to start with less.]

Crush and mix with a fork. Add about a tablespoon of milk, stir into yolk mixture, and repeat until the mixture achieves a nice, creamy consistency. I added about five or six tablespoons, I think. Taste and add salt and pepper as appropriate. Depending upon how salty the prosciutto is, you may not need any salt.

Carefully spoon the yolk mixture into the egg white shells. Top with a small slice of prosciutto, and enjoy!

Presto Pesto!

This week in my CSA goodies, I got a large handful of basil! I adore fresh pesto, and was excited to make some pesto with the fresh basil!

In my kitchen, I always make the pesto with basil, and perhaps a little parsley if I have it on hand. Often pesto recipes call for a mix of basil and parsley, as the basil has a sharper flavor...but I like it!

I began by toasting some nuts. Normally I use pine nuts, but I only had hazelnuts at home this time. I put them in a pan over medium-high heat, and let them start to get fragrant. Then I tossed them in the pan for a minute or so, until the skins began to darken.

Toasted hazelnuts, with their skins.

After they were toasted, I rubbed them in a paper towel to help remove the skins, and put about a handful of the toasted hazelnuts in my food processor. I added the leaves from my large handful of basil, about a two-inch chunk of fresh parmigiano-reggiano cheese, and some olive oil. I blitzed it for a minute or so.

Blitz de pesto!

At this point, I also put two garlic scapes in the oven at 350 to roast a bit. After about 15 minutes, they were soft and fragrant. I cut off the tender, curled ends, and tossed those soft, garlicky stems into the processor as well, with some additional basil leaves from the potted basil plant from the first week. [Side note: I am VERY proud of myself for keeping all three potted plants alive!]

Garlic scapes, basil and goodness.

I continued to pour a slow stream of oil into the processor until the pesto reached the right consistency, almost creamy and smooth, with small chunks of basil. It looked beautiful! At this point, I put on some water to boil for some store-bought cheese ravioli. When it was done cooking and drained, I put a few dollops of pesto into the pan and swirled it around. I put the leftover pesto in a little pyrex dish I have with a lid, and poured a little extra oil over it to keep it from drying out or oxidizing too much and turning black (it still tastes the same, but it is not very pretty!). I plated my ravioli and pesto and put a few shavings of parm on top...yum!

Mmm...ravioli, parm and pesto!

Funny Little Devils

I love my new fresh eggs, but I have not been eating as many eggs these days - it's hotter, so scrambled eggs for breakfast just don't have the same appeal for me! I had a lot of eggs left over, and needed to use them - I just got another half-dozen. So, in pondering what sounded good, it hit me. I love deviled eggs, and so rarely get to eat them. They're high protein, low carb and generally delicious! With these beautiful eggs, what better way to utilize and showcase their goodness for some light summer dinner?

Hard-boiling my eggs.

I started with four eggs, because I invariably have a hard time peeling the eggs; while I knew I'd have four yolks to work with, I wasn't sure I'd have eight white "shells" to fill! Sure enough, the first egg I peeled came apart. I rescued the yolk, intact, and managed to have about half of a white left. I had better luck with the others, but was only able to peel one perfectly (25% was satisfying in this particular challenge!).

My yolks and whites...or pieces of whites.

After my adventure in peeling eggs, I moved on to the filling. I chopped some chives, added some Colman's mustard powder, fresh ground pepper, salt, and some country style dijon mustard. I also pan-friend, for about 30 seconds, two slices of prosciutto, chopped, and added. I mashed it all together with a fork, and it tasted good, but wasn't creamy enough. I know that most people achieve that lovely creamy texture with mayonnaise, but not I. I have "issues" with mayonnaise (YUCK!) so I added a little milk at a time, slowly stirring to incorporate, until I achieved that lovely creaminess. My brother would approve - mayonnaise-free deviled eggs! I filled the egg white shells with the filling, and then I topped each egg with a slice of the prosciutto. I will definitely do this again, and will experiment with other flavor profiles as well! I tried one, and then shamelessly ate only deviled eggs for dinner.

Deviled Eggs for dinner...mmm...

Hot Spearmint Summer Treats

Last week's CSA came with some spearmint, and I thought perhaps I would try a sorbet. It's a traditional Mexican summer treat and palate cleanser, so recipes are readily available on the internet. That said, I don't use recipes all the time, so I simply measured out my spearmint leaves, which were drying a bit by now, and added three times the water. I brought the mixture to a boil to let the spearmint leaves steep.

Steeping spearmint leaves.

After boiling for about five minutes, I took the mixture off the heat and added some sugar, about half as much as the water, and stirred vigorously to dissolve. At this point, the mixture was infusing the kitchen with the refreshing smell of spearmint. I sat the pan aside to let it cool.

Adding the sugar.

Once cool, I whizzed the mixture with my immersion blender to further break up the spearmint leaves and release those flavorful oils into the syrup. I poured a bit of the mixture, with the spearmint leaves, into the freezing canister of my ice cream maker, and then strained the rest of the spearmint leaves. I wanted a few green flecks for color and contrast, but not all the leaves.

After running through my ice cream maker for about 20 minutes, the sorbet was light and creamy. I quickly scooped myself a serving, and put the rest into a container for another night. I can't wait to have more on a hot, humid night - a perfect treat for a summer night!

The cool, refreshing sorbet - it's beautiful, and it's amazingly refreshing!