Hoisin - Glazed Ribs

I haven't posted in a while.  I've been reading The Hunger Games series.  I'm on book 3 now, the final book.  I'll admit - when I first heard of this series, I thought it was so preposterous.  Who would find it entertaining to watch teens fight to the death?!  Well my daughter Gianna insisted on seeing it, and said that her neighbor/friend Grace was reading the books and said Gianna would really like them.  Well, if Grace said so, I figured I would trust her and give in to taking the girls to see the movie.  I just loved it.  The point is - it is an injustice!  It's horrific, and you can't help but want to see it through the end.  There has to be a happy ending to it all!  Then the whole Team Gale or Team Peeta thing - you have to know who she's going to end up with, afterall!  As I was reading Catching Fire, I noticed aloud that they sure did mention food a lot.  Sasha, the wise 6 year old daughter of mine said, "Well it is The Hunger Games."  Good point.  I get it now.

So the last great thing that I made in the red kitchen lately was hoisin - glazed ribs.I have never met a rib that I didn't love.  Hoisin sauce is an Asian barbecue sauce that is slightly sweet like the slightly sweeter barbecue sauces are.  You can find them stored on the shelf in Asian grocery stores.  When I discovered that Sasha loved these, and of course Gianna would without a doubt as well - I decided to make them more often.  Any chance of getting protein in Sasha is a reason to celebrate in our home!

Ingredients:

• 1 Rack of spareribs
• 1/2 cup of hoisin sauce
• Juice of 1 orange
• NOH Asian char siu dry rub
• Chives for garnish
• Sesame seeds for garnish
• 1 Teaspoon of sesame oil

Directions:

1. Place the spareribs into a large gallon plastic bag.  Add the char siu dry rub.  Add the hoisin and juice of the orange.  We used a Cutie!  They are truly seedless, and the best of all the clementines out there.  I have a theory that Vitamin C helps proteins absorb things like marinades better.
2. Store overnight or for a few hours in the refrigerator.
3. Remove from the fridge for about 20 minutes before cooking.  Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
4. Cover a large shallow pan with foil for easy cleanup.  Place the drained rack of ribs on top.  Cover securely with foil.
5. Cook for 2 and 1/2 hours.  Remove from oven, the remove the top foil.  Turn on broiler.
6. Combine the hoisin, chives, sesame seeds, and sesame oil.  Baste the ribs generously, then broil for about 7 minutes.  Watch closely, as the sugar in the hoisin will likely burn if you don't pull the ribs out just in time.

Seafood Pot Pie Mini

I have made a previous pot pie with lobster using canned Cream of Mushroom soup, but I have to say that this version is creamier.  I also enjoyed experiencing the dish with other seafood, including shrimp, scallops, and cod.  Lately I've been looking for any reason to make something with puff pastry.  Love that stuff!

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of coarsely chopped mixed seafood (cod, shrimp, scallops)
• 1 bundle of asparagus, cut into small sections
• 1 small bag of baby carrots, chopped
• 1 1/4 stick of butter
• 3/4 cup pearl onions, peeled
• 4 cups seafood stock
• 3/4 cup half and half
• 1 frozen puff pastry sheet, defrosted
• 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water
• coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. In a small sauce pan, bring the stock to a boil, then set aside.
2. In a large casserole, melt the butter.  Cook the pearl onions over low heat, until translucent.  Add the flour and continue cooking for 2 minutes stirring continuously.  Add the hot stock.  Let it simmer 1 minute till the sauce thickens.
3. Add the half and half, 1 teaspoon salt, and some ground pepper.
4. Add the vegetables and stir well.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
5. Add seafood to mixture, and stir until just barely cooked.  Remove from heat.
6. Pour into 4 separate Le Creuset mini - cocottes or large ramekins.
7. Cut 4 round circles out of the puff pastry sheet.  Place circle on top of each mini cocotte.
8. Brush with egg wash.  Cook for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Crawfish Boil 2012

This was our third year to attend our friend Brad Caldwell's Crawfish Boil at his house in Cabot, Arkansas.  Cabot is about 45 minutes north of Little Rock, our home in the state capital of Arkansas.  This is quite an occasion in many southern homes, with many variations.  Last year I loved discovering that the cooks at Brad's put button mushrooms, shrimp, corn, and smoked sausage into the mix with the crawfish.  This year they also included garlic cloves and jalapeno halves.....and, ooooohhhh....spicy!

Brad had a large crowd out on this beautiful, sunny afternoon.  There were several jumbo - sized pots to cook the 235 pounds of crawfish that they had on hand.  Cabot is what some people like to call "God's Country."  If you live here, you have lots of room to move.  Here, they have a lake filled with catfish, a gazebo, a treehouse and trampoline at the neighbors', horseshoes, and 4 Wheelers!  All the neighbors were at the Brad Caldwell Crawfish Boil, since they hang out on a regular basis.  And this is the third year for us!

There were several large tubs under the awning - covered cooking area.  I made my way through the chair - covered "tailgate" area to have a closer look.  Yes, the crawfish were alive and kicking.  Crawfish are cooked while still alive like lobsters are.

To me, a table filled with a huge pile of crawfish is so appealing.  Sasha said that to her, it's hard to peel them, and they have tiny little dot eyeballs.  Which I did not actually notice.  I'm just proud of Sasha for trying!  She's 6, and she wonders if anybody reading this knows who she is...

You get your choice of grabbing a tray full of food and going to sit down to enjoy your feast, or you can stand around the makeshift crawfish - eating table, which Brad explained is actually 2 sawhorses with a top wrapped in plastic with a hole in the middle and a trash can underneath that catches all of your shells. 

I can't wait to see what's new next year, Brad.  And thanks to you and your wife Lisa for your wonderful southern hospitality!!!

Paella (with Pearled Couscous)

Paella is a traditional dish of Spain that is typically prepared with rice, saffron, seafood, chicken, and Spanish chorizo sausage.  I was inspired to make it when I came across a cute little bottle of saffron at the new Marshall's that recently opened out here by the Chenal Kroger. 

Marshall's is a department store known for selling a variety of discount items.  At $7 for a .03 oz. portion of saffron, this product of Spain was indeed a great deal.

The deep orange and yellow saffron threads are known to be the most expensive spice in the world.  This is the spice that gives paella its signature flavor and color.  Saffron is also the name of Edwina's daughter in Absoulutely Fabulous, a British sitcom that many of my friends love.

 
Instead of rice, I used Israeli, or Pearl Couscous to make my Paella.  Regular couscous is actually smaller and has more of a grainy texture.  I found this bag deep in the International section of Kroger Marketplace.  It's actually much easier to find in The Fresh Market or Whole Foods.  The back of the bag has instructions on toasting the couscous in light olive oil with diced onions before adding hot broth to it.

I didn't have any chorizo, so I just used what I had in the house at the time.  This was my first time to ever attempt this classic dish.  The first time I ever had it was at Cafe Tapas, an old restaurant that we had in Little Rock so many years ago.  It was at Breckenridge Village, and it was absolutely the best restaurant that I think we've ever had in Little Rock.  I have so many memories of that place!

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups of Israeli or Pearl Couscous
• 4 Cups of hot chicken broth
• Large pinch of saffron threads
• 3 lbs. of boneless, skinless, chicken thighs
• 1 lb. of Private Selection tomato & garlic mussells
• 1 lb. of calamari, cleaned and tubes halved
• 1 lb. of 16 - 20 count Wild American shrimp, peeled & deveined
• 3 oz. package of smoked, sundried tomatoes, julienne cut
• 1 small white onion, finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Handful of cilantro, coarsely chopped

Directions:

1. Season the chicken with a spray of olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, and freshly ground pepper.  Toss to coat.  Cook in oven 30 minutes at 375 degrees.
2. Cook the couscous.  Heat a large dutch oven with a light film of olive oil, add the onions, then the garlic, and toast the couscous.
3. When slightly browned, add 2 1/2 cups of hot chicken broth.  Reserve the rest.
4. Bring to a boil, reduce to low, and simmer while covered for 10 minutes.
5. Heat the mussels in a separate, smaller dutch oven or saucepan.  Heat over high heat, then cover and simmer on low heat for 5 minutes.  Uncover and leave on low heat, stirring occasionally.
6. After the couscous has absorbed all the liquid, add the calamari and shrimp.  To the rest of the hot chicken broth, add the saffron threads.  Toss both mixtures.
7. Add the remaining broth to the couscous, then cut the cooked chicken into large chunks.  Add the chicken.  Toss until the calamari is opaque and the shrimp is orange.  Add the cilantro and smoked, sundried tomatoes.
8. Serve by spooning the couscous mixture into a dish, add some mussels, and add broth from the mussels if you'd like.

This may be the best thing I've ever made in the red kitchen.  I think that my bestie Kristi may also agree!  I'm so glad that she and Bailey were here to witness this delicious dish that somehow turned out so well...because that's what it's all about.  Cooking for the ones you love.  And I feel so fortunate to have some really wonderful people in my life.

Banh Bao - Vietnamese Steamed Pork Buns

I remember making these with my mom when I was little on late weekend nights.  My mom ground her own pork with a meat grinder, and I helped by cutting up little 3 x 3 squares of notebook paper for our big metal steamer.  You can make these steamed pork buns anytime, then wrap them individually in plastic wrap and warm them up any time you want one.   

It has been a really long time since I've made these.  I thought of them as I read David Chang's book Momofuku, named after his restaurant group in New York.  Momofuku is Japanese for "lucky peach," although every time Sasha reads the title of the book sitting on the table in my breakfast nook, Gianna insists she is saying a bad word.  Chang is Korean, and he is known for his pork belly buns.  They're on his menu at Noodle Bar along with a few of his ramen dishes.  His inspiration for putting them on the menu came from eating tons of char siu bao in Beijing, along with eating tons of Peking Duck at Oriental Garden in NYC's Chinatown.  The book is just so entertaining, and the writing inspires me.  This guy started with a slight struggle to run Noodle Bar with 27 seats, and now has 5 restaurants, including Ma Peche, a French - Vietnamese restaurant with banh mi and summer rolls on the menu.  The book is endorsed by Anthony Bourdain and Martha Stewart, and I love it...

These steamed pork buns can be made several different ways, whether you're cooking them up Chinese style, Vietnamese style, or Momofuku style.  The recipe that I share here is what I remember making with my mom - with the only ingredients I can imagine!  Ground pork, Chinese sausage, and soft boiled eggs.  The soft outside steamed bun is so yummy, but getting to the inside meat filling is like finding the treasure!  

There are tons of different Banh Bao flour mixes, whether you are shopping at Vietnam Market, Sam's Oriental, or K Oriental for them.  The instructions are actually printed on the back of the packages, some of them in broken English.

I like to make my filling a day ahead to cut out some of the prep time.  Soft - boiled eggs can be made by placing your eggs in a small soft pan, cover with one inch of water, bring to a boil, and once it boils you lower the heat a little to simmer 4 minutes.  Then remove the pan from heat, add the eggs to an ice bath for 10 minutes, and they're done.

Soak the mushrooms in warm water to rehydrate for 20 minutes, then stir fry the ground pork with the mushrooms and Chinese sausage.

Mix up the flour mixture per package instructions, then add more milk if needed to form a nice dough - like batter.  Let rest.

I used a large glass cutting board and a pizza cutter to go from a long cylindrical dough shape to 12 individual pieces that I could roll and flatten with a rolling pin.

Add as much filling as you can.  Then close up the sides along the top to make a little bun.

In a double layered bamboo steamer, you can make 6 on each to total 12.  Place into a large pan that resembles a wok with a large domed lid, and steam for 20 minutes over high heat.

When I was little, we used little 3 x 3 squares of notebook paper to line my mom's big double tiered stainless steamer.  In most recipes, I see people use parchment paper.  I used banana leaf that I picked up from Saigon Market.

Ingredients:

•  4 oz. ground pork
• 1 package banh bao flour mix
• 1 package Chinese sausage, sliced
• Wood ear mushrooms or black bungus, hydrated
• 3 soft boiled eggs, quartered
• milk per package instructions
• oil per package instructions
• parchment or banana leaves to line steamer

Directions:

1. Stir fry the ground pork in a light spray of oil until lightly browned.
2. Add Chinese sausage, then add wood ear mushrooms.
3. Prepare flour package per instructions.
4. Fill each of the 12 rolled out sections with the meat filling and egg.
5. Gather the top and twist to close.  Place on top of parchment or banana leaf - lined steamer basket.
6. Fill the wok or large pan with 3 cups of water.  Place the steamer basket in, making sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the steamer basket.  Cover with a lid.  Steam over high heat for 20 minutes.

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Ferneau (For Now)

My first visit to Ferneau was in 2007.  That was a big year in my life, so I remember.  My brother Tien was in town from Dallas - for a visit to Fidelity, his home office - for work stuff.  My husband Jereme was in Arizona working on a project for Bechtel (hello Halliburton) at Palo Verde.  The kids were still young, so I didn't really get out much.  My life was consumed with work and taking care of kids, getting them to school and trying to figure out how to work Little Rock, Springfield, and Joplin in a 2 week routing for King Pharmaceuticals.

I didn't even cook that much back then!  I know that Jayne came in from Jackson to unpack me in the new house that year.  It took me weeks to even find where she organized everything in my kitchen!  But well worth it.  Friends like Jayne are irreplaceable and so valuable to me in my life.  She drove Jereme and me to Memphis to catch our honeymoon flight to Playa del Carmen!  It saves you money to drive from Little Rock to Memphis and catch flights, btw.  I have a plethora of unforgettable memories with Jayne Caldwell Jackson.  She gets me, she makes me laugh, and she is witty like the writers of Sex and the City!  Jayne...love ya, mean it...always!

Today I had lunch at Ferneau with another long time friend, Lisa.  Lisa was there when things got rough with an illness in my family.  I'll always remember the friends from that time.  Lisa was the first one of us to get a "real job" after college, too.  (I was still waiting tables!)  I always looked up to her for her independence and ambition.  It took me a little more time, but I eventually got there myself. 

Ferneau has been my favorite restaurant since my first visit there.  It's now under new ownership, and the name may or may not change.  As I've noticed the gradual differences in the restaurant's appearance, I really wish that they had not changed a single thing.  The food quality is still excellent.  I'm so glad they're open for lunch, and I'm sad that Kitchenco. is closing.  So hopefully Chef Donnie Ferneau will find a new venue for his cooking classes because his are the best in town!

Lunch at Ferneau was excellent!!  Lisa and I agreed that there were so many items that were appealing, we could have eaten just about anything on the menu!  

Mabo Tofu

This is a Chinese dish that I stumbled on that looked really delicious.  It's made of tofu with your choice of ground beef, pork, or chicken.  You could even use Morning Star crumbles if you want to keep it totally Vegetarian.  Gianna talks about a boy in her class who says he's a Vegan.  Then one day she saw him eat pudding, and declared that it had dairy in it and he really wasn't a Vegan.  Smart girl - I would not have been able to tell you what a Vegan was when I was in the third grade!

I used a store bought package of Chinese Mabo Tofu from Sam's Oriental to make the sauce.  It has hints of ginger, sesame, and garlic.  I chose the mild selection because I knew Gianna would want to try it.  But I did like adding the fresh cilantro and a little bit of spice to my dish.  You can also choose a medium or hot selection, though.  I couldn't believe how easy it was to make, and I know we will be having more in the red kitchen again soon.

Ingredients:

• 4 oz. ground pork, beef, or chicken (I used pork)
• 1 box of Mabo Tofu Sauce or Mapo Tofu Sauce
• 1 package of firm tofu, cut up as small or as big as you'd like

Directions:

1. Spray a small amount of oil into a large saucepan, and heat over medium high heat.
2. Brown the ground meat and break up into little pieces with a wooden spoon.
3. Pour the sauce in, and simmer over medium or low heat.
4. Add the tofu and lightly toss to coat and heat.

Taziki's - West Little Rock

I can't believe how long it took me to go to Taziki's - many of my friends have been talking about how great it is!  They added a second location at Chenal Creek, the shopping center which also includes Cold Stone Creamery, so they are really close to the office and the house.  On my first visit, I had some hummus with my friends.  I also had the lamb gyro which was not like the shaved lamb that many other Greek restaurants in town usually serve.  The Taziki's lamb gyro could easily be mistaken for the beef tenderloin gyro.  It's tender, tasty, and has that distinct lamb flavor that I love.  Pictured above is the beef tenderloin gyro that I had on my second visit to Taziki's during the same week.  The pita was so warm, soft, and toasty with the tzaziki sauce that I also had as an appetizer with Gianna.

There are several variations of the popular tzaziki sauce.  Usually it's made with Greek yogurt and cucumber.  The Taziki's version seemed to have grated the cucumber, and there's also dill in the sauce.  It's also amazing to me how fast the food comes out.  You order at the counter, pick a table, and in about 5 minutes your food is there!  This happened to me twice in one week.  Each time, everything that we ordered was delicious and not lacking in quality at all!  I may not have voted for the owner in the last election, but I do vote Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe as one of my new faves in West Little Rock!

The gyro came with a side (I picked the tomato and cucumber salad with feta) and some chips.  There was plenty to eat, and the price was really reasonable for lunch.  These days, under $10 makes me happy!   

Saigon Cuisine

Spotted:  B98.5 radio's fabulous morning show hostess Lisa Fischer lunching with Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's brilliant, witty columnist Jennifer Christman....at Saigon Cuisine!  If you don't watch Gossip Girl, you may not get that.  Or you may think that my literary prose is excellent.  Ha!  But anyway, I think they made this Vietnamese/Thai restaurant a little more trendy chic today.  So glad I spotted them there!

So Saigon Cuisine moved out of the Steinmart parking lot on Cantrell to the shopping center right next to Caper's on Highway 10, and we are so glad!  They are close to my house, they are close to the office, and they deliver!  In fact, I am still full now that it's the time that I usually try to get some dinner on the table.  Saigon Cuisine has a $5.99 lunch special every week day, and you get the soup of the day with a fried spring roll with that.  (Shown above.)  But wait, that's not all - you get your choice of steamed or fried rice!  All for $5.99 (plus tax.)

Today I wanted to see what portion sizes they provided for the lunch price, and I was pleasantly pleased.  I had plenty left over, and I was full.  Otherwise, I would have had a big bowl of pho (beef noodle soup), or pho do bien (seafood noodle soup), some fresh springrolls with shrimp and pork, or an extra order of fried springies.  I have a habit of ordering too much food.  Imagine that!

Try Saigon Cuisine.  My 3 companions and I were very happy with our food.  We even got there at 12 noon and left by 1:00.  Great timing...

Beef Wellington Mini

I don't know why it's called Beef Wellington, or why they're called the Villages of Wellington, but I love them both...

I saw a Beef Wellington for one dish on one of the recent Food Network shows, and I was inspired to make my own.  The dish on the show was served with mushroom duxelles, a side of foie gras, and a thin shaving of truffle.  There was also additional sauce involved.  When I cook, I really like to enjoy food in the simplest form.  I don't really season heavily or drown food in sauce.  So my adaptation is pretty straightforward without all the dramatic extras. 

As I read several different recipes for Beef Wellington online, I decided that the one I liked most was from Rachael Ray Magazine.  She used pate in her recipe.  There are so many varieties of pate, and I chose a mushroom pate.  I would have liked a pate de foie gras, but they are really expensive.  They are considered the king of pate.  If anyone has any hesitation about cooking or eating foie gras, check out David Chang's book Momofuku where he expresses quite articulately that Hudson Valley is a truly respectable farm for ducks.  His book is just great!!  I want to eat at his Noodle Bar if I ever go back to NYC...

On foie gras, I always wondered why restaurants named their menu items specifically with the Hudson Valley name.  Now I know. 

I had some dried porcini mushrooms that I'd picked up at Terry's Finer Foods, so I soaked them in warm water for 30 minutes to rehydrate them.  They have such a rich beefy flavor, they are one of my favorite mushrooms!

Lately I've been researching the farms that raise the food we eat.  I noticed that The Fresh Market serves plenty of Hereford Beef, so I read about them, and I've been enjoying several of their different cuts.  For this recipe, I had a 7 ounce filet mignon steak which cost less than a meal from Firehouse Subs!  (I know The Fresh Market sale days).  I used kitchen twine to tie around the beef to help keep its shape while cooking.

After the puff pastry has thawed (about 40 minutes), cut along the creases to cut out squares from the corners.

I placed 2 thin slices of the mushroom pate onto the puff pastry, then some of the sauteed porcini mushrooms.  SO much flavor in these 2 things alone, who needs anymore sauce?  They are just the right compliment to the puff pastry and the Hereford filet mignon steaks.

Eggwash really gives the puff pastry a nice color.  I know because I accidentally forgot it once.  Not as pretty!  Gianna said that she loves things wrapped in pastry.  So, I may be researching more things to make with puff pastry!  And Sasha just enjoyed the leftover scraps of pastry that I baked for her!

Ingredients:

• 1 Filet mignon steak (about 7 ounces)
• 1 Sheet of puff pastry
• Handfull of porcini mushrooms (about 3-4 ounces)
• Small amount of pate
• Splash of wine or stock (about 1 half cup)
• 1 Tablespoon of oil
• Eggwash

Directions:

1. Sesason the filet with some course kosher salt and freahly ground pepper.  Garlic would also be great.
2. Lay out the puff pastry to thaw.  When it's easy to unroll, do so gently so that it doesn't tear.  Let it continue to thaw about 30 more minutes.
3. Soak the porcini mushrooms about 30 minutes in warm water.
4. Remove the pate from the packaging by opening, run a knife around the edges, then gently squeeze while inverted.  Have a plate ready for it to land.
5. Drain the porcini mushrooms when they're rehydrated. 
6. Saute them in a tablespoon of oil or butter to warm up.  Add a splash of wine or stock and heat until evaporated.
7. Trim the puff pastry as shown above.  Lay 2 slices of pate onto the center, then top with some porcini mushrooms.
8. Heat a cast iron skillet until hot.  Spray some oil on it - away from the heat.  Top with the filet when hot.  Brown all sides about 2 mintues each.
9. Place the beef onto the mushrooms and remove the twine.  Bring up all sides of the puff pastry and make sure the edges are sealed.  Flip over and place onto a pan.  Brush with eggwash (1 beaten egg and 1 tablespoon of water.)
10. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes until the pastry is golden and the beef is medium rare.  Remember to let it rest for 15 minutes before cutting, so that the juices rest and don't run all over that good pastry.