Mon Petit Chou

Nov 11

Sake Salmon with Quinoa

• 1 (1-pound) salmon fillet

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 2 teaspoons sugar, divided

• 1 1/2 cups sake, divided

• 1/2 teaspoon chili paste

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 cup quinoa

• 1 teaspoon butter

• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil, divided

• 1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

• 1/2 cup finely chopped carrot

• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion

• 1 cup water

• 1/2 cup orange juice

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1. Place salmon, skin side down, on a plate. Combine 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1 teaspoon sugar; rub salt mixture evenly over skinned sides of salmon. Cover with plastic wrap; chill 2 hours.

2. Remove plastic wrap from salmon. Rinse salmon under cold water; pat dry with paper towel. Combine 1 cup sake, remaining 1 teaspoon sugar, chili paste, and garlic in a zip-top plastic bag. Add salmon; seal and marinate in refrigerator 1 hour, turning occasionally.

3. Place quinoa in a fine sieve; place sieve in a large bowl. Cover quinoa with water. Using your hands, rub grains together for 30 seconds; rinse and drain. Repeat procedure twice. Drain well.

4. Heat butter and 1 teaspoon olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until butter melts. Add pepper, carrot, and onion to pan; sauté 2 minutes or until onion is tender. Add quinoa; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in 1 cup water, remaining 1/2 cup sake, juice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is tender. Remove from heat; fluff with a fork. Stir in parsley. Keep warm.

5. Preheat oven to 450°.

6. Remove salmon from bag, reserving marinade. Place marinade in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, and cook until reduced to 2 tablespoons (about 7 minutes).

7. Brush skinned sides of salmon with remaining 1/2 teaspoon oil. Heat an oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add salmon to pan, skin side up; cook 3 minutes or until golden brown. Turn salmon over, and baste with reduced marinade. Place pan in oven, and bake at 450° for 5 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Serve immediately with quinoa.

Veggie Bowl

• 1/4 cup millet

• One 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

• 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

• Kosher salt

• 1 cup water

• 4 shiitake mushrooms (2 ounces), sliced 1/4 inch thick

• 1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds

• 2 baby bok choy, halved

• 1/2 cup shredded red cabbage

• 1 scallion, thinly sliced

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 2 tablespoons toasted sunflower seeds

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 3 tablespoons apple-cider vinegar

1. Place millet, black beans, and ginger in a small saucepan.
   Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and water. Bring to a boil, stir once, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes. Allow to rest for 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork.

2. Steam shiitakes in a steamer over boiling water, covered, for 3 minutes. Add carrots and bok choy and steam 4 to 6 minutes more. Remove steamer from heat.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together oil and vinegar to make dressing. Season with salt.

4. Transfer millet to bowls and garnish with steamed and remaining raw vegetables. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour dressing over top and sprinkle with sunflower seeds.

Oct 08

Stir-Fried Fish with Ginger (traey cha k’nye - Cambodia)

• 1 pound firm fish fillets
• 1/2 pound fresh ginger, preferably young ginger
• 3 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil
• 1/2 cup minced shallots
• 4 scallions, trimmed, smashed flat with the side of a cleaver, sliced lengthwise in half, and then cut into 2-inch lengths
• 2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Slice the fish fillets into strips about 2 inches long and less than 1/2 inch thick.  Peel the ginger, then cut into fine matchstick-length julienne (this is most easily done by cutting thin slices, then stacking these to cut them into matchsticks).  You should have about 2 cups loosely packed.

Heat a wok over medium-high heat.  Add the oil and, when it is hot, add the ginger.  When the ginger is starting to turn golden, after about 3 minutes, toss in the shallots.  Stir-fry until the ginger is golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes.  Toss in the scallions, reserving a few shreds for garnish, and stir-fry briefly, pressing the scallions against the hot wok to sear them.  Add the sliced fish and stir-fry gently for 1 minute, using your spatula to separate the slices and to expose them all to the hot wok.  Add the fish sauce, sugar, and salt, stir gently, and cook for 3 minutes, or until the fish is just cooked through.  Add the lime juice, taste and adjust the seasonings if you wish, and turn out onto a platter.  Garnish with the reserved scallion shreds and serve hot.

Serves 4 as part of a rice meal.

Apr 13

French Scalloped Potatoes

• 1-1/2 c heavy cream
• 1-1/2 c chicken broth
• 1 c white wine
• 1/2 c minced shallots
• 1 T minced garlic
• 4 t herbs de provence
• 3/4 t salt
• 1 - 10oz goat cheese
• 4 lb russet potatoes peeled and sliced

Preheat oven 400 degrees, butter 9x13 glass baking dish. Mix first 7 ingredients in a large pot and bring to a simmer. Add half of cheese and whisk until smooth. Add potatoes to pot and bring back to a simmer.

Transfer mixture to baking dish, spreading evenly. Cover with foil, bake 15 minutes. Uncover and bake until tender and liquid bubbles thickly (about 50 minutes).

Dot potatoes with remaining goat cheese and bake until cheese softens (about 5 minutes). Let sit 15 minutes before serving.

Apr 12

Indian Tofu with Spinach

•  3/4 pound firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes

• 2 tablespoons canola oil

• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped shallot or red onion

• 4 lengthwise slices peeled fresh ginger (2 inches long, 1 inch wide, 1/8 inch thick), coarsely chopped

• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds

• 2 whole dried red chilies, like Thai, cayenne or arbol

• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, ground

• Salt to taste

• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne

• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

• 1- 1/2 pounds fresh spinach, stems trimmed at the end and washed in 2 changes of water, or 12 ounces baby spinach, rinsed

• 1/2 cup drained yogurt

•  1/4 teaspoon cornstarch

 1.Drain the tofu on paper towels. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat in a wok or a large, heavy lidded skillet and add the tofu. Stir-fry until golden brown and remove from the heat.

 2. Combine the shallot or onion and the ginger in a food processor or mini-chop and blend until finely minced, almost a paste.

 3. Heat the remaining oil over medium-high heat in a wok or skillet and add the cumin seeds, fennel seeds and whole chilies. Cook, stirring, for about 15 seconds, or until the spices are fragrant and reddish-brown. Add the onion and ginger and stir-fry until it is lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the coriander, salt, cayenne and turmeric, stir for about 10 seconds and add the spinach in batches, adding the next batch after the first batch wilts and stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze.

 4. Stir in the tofu, cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the spinach is uniformly wilted and the tofu is warmed through.

 5. Whisk the cornstarch into the yogurt. Remove the pan from the heat, remove the chilies, and stir in the yogurt. Taste, adjust salt and serve with rice or other grains.

Feb 15

Shiitake Hot and Sour Soup

Ingredients

• 24 shiitake mushrooms (2-3 oz)
• 2 carrots, cut into 1/2” by 2” sticks OR rangiri
• 2-8oz cans bamboo shoots, rinsed (substitute celery)
• 2-14oz extra firm tofu cubed (I pressed to preserve integrity)
• 1 t pepper
• 4 c sliced green cabbage (napa)
• 4-1/3 c water divided
• 4 c mushroom or vegetable broth
• 1/4 c rice vinegar
• 1/4 c red wine vinegar
• 1/4 c soy sauce
• 1 T sriracha
• 3 T cornstarch
• 1 T toasted sesame oil
• 3 c cooked lo mein noodles (about 6oz dry)
• 1 c sliced scallions

1. Discard mushroom stems and cut the caps into 1/2in pieces. Spread the mushroom pieces in the bottom of a saucepan. Add carrots and bamboo. Add tofu. Sprinkle with pepper. Top with cabbage.
2. Combine 4c water, broth, both vinegars, soy sauce, sriracha in a bowl and add to the saucepan.
3. Cover and cook for and hour or two on high.
4. Whisk the remaining 1/3c water, cornstarch and sesame oil in a bowl. Stir in the soup. Cover and cook on high for approx 20 min. Stir in noodles, voer and heat through for 10 min. Serve topped with scallions and more soy or sriracha if needed.

Dec 21

Miso Glazed Carrots

Ingredients

• 3 pounds carrots, sliced on the bias 1/3 inch thick
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup red miso paste
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 1 cup thinly sliced scallions (about 6)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425°. In a large pot of salted boiling water, blanch the carrots until barely crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Drain and pat dry.
2. In a medium roasting pan set over a burner, heat the oil. Add the carrots and cook over high heat, stirring once, until lightly browned in spots, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the miso with the butter, brown sugar and half of the scallions to form a paste. Add the miso butter to the carrots and toss until coated.
3. Roast the carrots for about 20 minutes, stirring once, until tender and glazed. Stir in the remaining scallions. Transfer the carrots to a bowl and serve.

Sep 15

Niçoise Salad

• 8 oz slender green beans (such as haricots verts), trimmed
• 4 med. red-skinned potatoes (about 1 lb), cut into ½-inch-thick wedges

            Vinaigrette

• ¼ c fresh lemon juice
• 1 small shallot, minced (about 2 T)
• 2 t Dijon mustard
• 2 t minced fresh thyme
• ¾ t fine sea salt
• ¼ t freshly ground black pepper
• ½ c extra virgin olive oil

            Salad

• 1 large head butter lettuce, leaves separated and larger leaves torn in half
• 3 ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges, or 10 to 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
• Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 log Peppercorn-Crusted Tofu Chèvre, sliced into rounds
• ⅓ c niçoise or kalamata olives
• 2 T capers, drained
• 1½ T minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Cook the green beans in a large pot of boiling salted water until they are crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Drain and submerge the green beans in a bowl of ice water just until they are cold. Drain beans again and pat dry. Set aside.

Place the potatoes in a steamer basket set in a saucepan filled with 1 inch of simmering water. Cover and steam until they are just tender and still hold their shape, about 8 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.

Meanwhile, whisk the lemon juice, shallot, mustard, thyme, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in the oil to blend well.

Arrange the lettuce on a serving platter or in a large shallow salad bowl. Place the green beans, potatoes, and tomatoes in a large bowl. Toss with enough of the vinaigrette to coat, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon the beans, potatoes, and tomatoes atop the lettuce. Arrange the tofu cheese slices amid the vegetables. Sprinkle the olives, capers, and parsley over the salad. Spoon on more vinaigrette and serve immediately.

Peppercorn-Crusted Tofu Chèvre

• 1 (12-oz) container water-packed extra-firm tofu, drained and halved
• 1 large clove garlic
• 2 T yellow miso
• 3 t extra virgin olive oil, divided
• ¾ t fine sea salt
• Black or multicolor peppercorns

Pat the tofu dry with paper towels, then set in a colander over a bowl. Cover the tofu with plastic wrap, then place 3 heavy cans, each at least 14 ounces, on the tofu to help extract the excess liquid. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Mince garlic in a food processor. Pat the tofu halves with paper towels to absorb any excess moisture, then add to the food processor. Add the miso, 2 tsp of the olive oil, and the salt, and blend until the mixture is very smooth, stopping the machine occasionally and scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl.

Scrape the tofu cheese onto the center of a sheet of plastic wrap on a work surface, then wrap the cheese to form a log. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Unwrap cheese log and place it on a baking sheet. Brush lightly with the remaining 1 tsp oil and bake just until warmed through but the center is still creamy, about 25 minutes.

Grind peppercorns, sprinkle on cheese, and pat gently to adhere.

Red Cabbage

•             2 pounds red cabbage, cored and finely shredded
•             1 medium onion, peeled and grated
•             2 McIntosh or Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and grated
•             1 large Bartlett pear, peeled, cored and grated
•             4 cloves
•             8 black peppercorns
•             1/2 cup golden raisins
•             1/2 cup red currant jelly
•             1 tablespoon salt, plus more to taste
•             1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
•             1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
•             1 cinnamon stick
•             1 bay leaf
•             1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
•             1 750-milliliter bottle dry red wine

1. Place cabbage in a large pot. Add onion, apples and pear. Place cloves and peppercorns on a double layer of cheesecloth and tie with string to make a bag. Add the bag and all the remaining ingredients to the pot. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

2. Place pot, uncovered, over medium-low heat. Bring liquid to a simmer. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is tender and liquid has reduced and thickened, about 2 hours. Remove bag, cinnamon stick and bay leaf. Add salt to taste. Serve hot.