Ali Slagle's Southern Thai-Style Red Curry

When I mentioned this recipe to Joel, he was quick to ask me to clarify whether this was some Rachael-Ray-esque fusion of cuisines, i.e., the American South meets Bangkok. Chicken curry on shrimp grits, perhaps? Interesting thought, but, thank God, no.

I love recipes like these. One skillet, easy seasoning, big flavor. Easy to do when I get home at 6 p.m. Enough for lunch leftovers the next day. I also love the salad-like toppings you can add: cucumbers, cabbage, carrots (the pre-shredded mixes are my friend), herbs. It's a complete meal.

Southern Thai-Style Red Curry
adapted from Ali Slagle via The New York Times

2 T. neutral oil (I used avocado oil)
1/4 c. red curry paste (I used Thai Kitchen)
1 tsp. ground turmeric
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced, seeded if needed (or other hot chilis)
1 pound ground chicken
1/2 tsp. dark brown sugar
2 tsp. fish sauce
1/4 tsp. lime zest
Optional accompaniments: Rice, shredded carrots/cabbage, sliced cucumber, fried egg, mint, cilantro

Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium. Add the turmeric, curry paste and jalapeno until toasted and fragrant, about 3 minutes.

Add the chicken and cook, breaking up with a spoon. Stir to coat the chicken with the curry mixture, cooking until the chicken is cooked through, about 7 minutes.

Stir in the brown sugar, fish sauce and lime zest until it's mixed well.

Serve on rice with desired toppings.

Grilling in January: Bon Appetit's Fried Salsa Verde

My memory for year-over-year weather is pretty unreliable, but I feel safe in saying, based on photographic evidence and internet consultation, that this winter has been a mild one in Spokane. Joel's been on a couple bike rides, we haven't had to keep a faucet dripping overnight, and I've seen icicles just once.

On Friday, I even cooked outside. I cleaned off the grill's summer residue and threw a couple of steaks over the fire. I've always thought that grilling is for all seasons, but it hasn't been until this year, when I have an honest-to-goodness grill, and a clear pathway to it, that I've been able to put that thinking into practice. 

The impetus was a recipe I found while deleting photos from my phone. At some point I screenshotted a recipe for a fried salsa verde, and miraculously it was something that still sounded good to me many months later. Even though I hate the thought of frying anything. (I don't care about the method, it's the cleanup that scares me away.)

It was a recipe in which a couple stars aligned: fresh herbs were 50 percent off at Rosauers, and I had everything else but steak (which was cheap) to make this fancy-tasting meal, including some

red potatoes that would be perfect alongside. 

If you've read the last post as well, you'll notice that 2019 is turning out to be a magnificent year for sage.

I promise the salsa verde's there. #candlelitphotoprobs

Fried Salsa Verde

adapted from Bon Appetit

1 c. sage leaves

1/2 c. rosemary leaves

vegetable oil, for frying

Kosher salt

Pour about an inch or two worth of oil in a small saucepan, and heat over medium heat. Test one sage leaf - it should sizzle when you drop it in. When hot enough, drop the remaining sage leaves and fry 15-20 seconds, until the sizzling subsides. Remove with a slotted spoon and place leaves on a paper-towel lined plate. Season with salt. 

Add the rosemary leaves to the hot oil and repeat the process, removing them to a paper-towel lined plate as well and season with more salt.

In a separate bowl, combine...

1/2 c. finely chopped parsley

1 garlic clove, finely grated (I use a Microplane)

2 tsp. red wine vinegar

1/4 c. olive oil

Several grinds black pepper

Crush the fried herbs with your hands (I find this to be easiest - otherwise you could use a mortar and pestal, or try with a spoon and some elbow grease) and blend in with the parsley mixture. Season with salt if needed. Let mixture sit at least 15 minutes and up to 6 hours. 

Serve with steak, potatoes, even a citrus salad. Or eggs. Put it on a sandwich. This stuff is really so good and the texture of the fried herbs is best the day it's made. But I used leftovers the next day and it still tasted excellent.

Mom's Slow Cooked Pepper Steak (instantly!)

Sometimes I look back on old blog posts from years and years ago and try to recall the energy with which I used to approach cooking. Lately I am kind of bored with it and am forcing myself to branch out by buying ingredients without a plan. What should I do with a bundle of spring onions? (I'm still trying to decide. Meanwhile, they wilt in the fridge.) What can I do with tater tots and marinated artichoke hearts? (Eat separately, do not mix.) And didn't I once read a recipe that called for black sesame seeds, because I'm finally seeing them in the store! (Recipe still not found.) Ugh, I am a mess.

My solution this past weekend was to revisit my mom's cookbook and find something familiar that I had not yet made on my own. I know if anyone can appreciate the occasional drudgery of cooking, it's her - and I only know this because she has told me, not because it ever came through in what she put on the table. I keyed in on her recipe for slow cooked pepper steak - made with an unfussy cut of beef (round steak) and bell peppers.

I had intended to slow-cook it as written, but a long bike ride had me looking at my Instant Pot at 5 p.m. I knew that most beef becomes fork-tender after about 35 minutes under pressure, so I just set it for that and crossed my fingers. It turned out splendidly, because of course it would. Below is my mom's original recipe, and my adaptation for the Instant Pot. Both ways will comfort your soul and astound you when you realize there's not enough leftover for tomorrow night's dinner. Oops.

I texted my mom to show her what I did, and she replied that her "lazy" dinner that night was salami sandwiches on Jewish rye. I'd probably enjoy that just as much, but we all know sandwiches taste better when Mom makes them. In the meantime, I was glad to have this bowlful.

Slow Cooked Pepper Steak (Mom's original)

1.5 to 2 lbs. beef round steak
2 T. neutral cooking oil
1/4 c. soy sauce (or tamari)
1 c. chopped onion (1 large)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
4 tomatoes, cut into eighths, or 1 16-oz. can tomatoes with liquid, cut up if whole
2 large green peppers, cut into strips (or a colorful combination)
1/2 c. cold water
1 T. cornstarch
Cooked noodles or rice

Cut beef into 3-inch x 1-inch strips: brown in oil in a skillet. Transfer to slow cooker. Combine the next seven ingredients (through the ginger); pour over beef. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until meat is tender. Add tomatoes and peppers; cook on low for 1 hr. longer. Combine the cold water and cornstarch to make a paste; stir into liquid in slow cooker and cook on high until thickened. Serve over noodles or rice.

New-Fangled Instant-Potted Pepper Steak

Same ingredients as above

After cutting beef into strips, as above, brown the steak directly in the IP using the saute setting (you may need to do this in batches). Add the next seven ingredients and give the pot a good stir to mix everything together. Add the tomatoes and peppers on top, along with another 1/2 cup of water to be on the safe side (this helps it come to pressure). Close the lid and manually set the pressure to 35 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally 10 minutes (or longer, if you can stand it), then quick-release the rest. Combine the cold water and cornstarch as above, and stir into the mixture. Use the saute function again to bring it back up to a simmer and let it thicken to your liking (this took about 5 minutes). Serve over noodles or rice.

I served it over brown rice, cooked in vegetable broth, with peas thrown in at the last minute. Yum.

The week (and a half)

Halloween sunset

What I read:

• I finished up Prodigal Summer before the weekend (which made me want to commune with nature...it also made me realize I don't know an ash tree from a chestnut, and don't know a robin's song from a finch's. I even felt compelled to save and study the lives of the boxelder bugs that always make their way into our house. So...I loved this book). 
• Bored and Brilliant: Quick, thought-provoking read. This is one of those books that makes you grapple with your use of technology, but I liked that it was not an anti-tech book. Just one that makes you think about how to use technology, particularly your smartphone, in smarter ways that don't impede your creativity. The basic idea is that we need to re-learn how to be bored. I came away feeling pretty OK about my phone use, but it made me want to use it even less. 
• After reading an article about Thoreau in the latest issue of The Atlantic and being totally entranced by the illustrations by Lisel Ashlock that accompanied the piece, I went down a rabbit trail and found that she illustrated a book called Do Unto Animals, which I promptly ordered and started reading. It's a very sweet guide to treating animals humanely whether they're in your home or backyard or on a farm. It was a nice way to follow up on the feelings I was having after reading Prodigal Summer.

Margot cuddling up to Bored and Brilliant

Saturday morning walk with Luna

What I ate: One of the big reasons I bought my Instant Pot this summer was because I learned that Melissa Clark (my favorite living recipe developer) was coming out with a pressure cooker cookbook. I think I ordered my Instant Pot and pre-ordered that cookbook, Dinner in an Instant, on the same day. The cookbook arrived a couple weeks ago, and we tried out her recipe for smoky lentils and sausage on Halloween. Great success! If you have an Instant Pot and eat meat, you should probably get her book.

On Saturday, I had the greatest excuse to make pretzels: a neighborhood Oktoberfest party. I think pretzels might be one of my most favorite things to make. The dough is so fun to work with and the finished product is so satisfying.

And it's officially soup season (YES!), so I returned to an old favorite recipe for creamy parsnip soup from who else, Melissa Clark, and instead of serving it with a boring loaf of bread (I don't mean that), I tried this recipe for rosemary almond meal bread from Sprouted Kitchen. It was quite tasty, and another nice gluten-free discovery.

Parsnip soup, pre-puree, and the rosemary loaf

What I watched: Stranger Things 2. We finished it on Halloween and I was totally on a high from it. I didn't think I could get into it again like I did the first season, but after the fourth episode I was back in its grip.

Other excitement:

I ordered this pin to have for the anniversary of Nov. 8, 2016.

I have been watching squirrels with great delight. They were everywhere last week and were working seriously hard. This one paused above us while Luna investigated the smells on the ground.

I've also been enjoying how loud the falling leaves were in the quiet morning hours. I took this photo around 5:30 a.m. on my walk with Luna - if you look closely you can see a couple on their descent.

I found it sweetly coincidental that I had car trouble while my car-loving brother was in town for work. After getting a new battery and new starter installed, I got to share a pizza dinner with both brothers on Wednesday night. After a very satisfying bag of popcorn at the mechanic's.

Shredding dinner

Dinner doesn't always have to be a hot thing. The more cold dinners I can make this time of year, the better. I know I'm not alone in this quest, so I wanted to share a recent recipe that was extremely tasty, healthy and filling: coleslaw. Except it's not really coleslaw in the mayonnaise way. It's shredded cabbage and carrots, yes, but then it gets a Vietnamese treatment with a pound of shredded chicken, to boot. And a sprinkling of peanuts. It's a very attractive salad, actually, and I'm sure people would go nuts for it at potluck-type affairs.

In a house of two, this salad lasted a couple nights, and it can be easily zazzed up the second night with other veggies to add a little more bulk. Another bonus for those who need it: it's a gluten-free meal. The only time your kitchen will get hot is when you toast the sesame seeds and poach the chicken, though I'm sure a store-bought rotisserie bird or any leftover cooked chicken would be great, too. 

Note: The fish sauce really makes this dish wonderful in its classic umami way, but I would think soy sauce or Tamari might be OK, too, if you don't have, or like, fish sauce. I would use a little less at first (like 1.5 T.) and add more to taste before dressing the salad.

Vietnamese chicken and cabbage salad with peanuts

Adapted slightly from The Oregonian Cookbook

Chicken:

10 c. water

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast

Dressing: 

3 T. fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)

2 T. plus 1 tsp. fish sauce

1 T. rice vinegar

1 T. vegetable or peanut oil

1 T. firmly packed brown sugar

2 small cloves garlic, minced

1/2 Thai or serrano chili, minced (with or without seeds, based on your spice preference)

Slaw:

1/2 large onion, thinly sliced in half moons

2 T. sesame seeds

1 small head green cabbage, shredded (about 4-5 c.)

1 carrot (or more), shredded (about 1/2 c.)

1/3 c. fresh mint

1/3 c. cilantro

1/4 c. parsley

1 T. unsalted dry-roasted peanuts, finely chopped

Make the chicken: In a medium saucepan, boil the water over high heat. Add the chicken and reduce heat to simmer. Cook for five minutes, then reduce the heat again slightly, so that the liquid bubbles every few seconds. Cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let the chicken stand in the liquid for a few minutes. The chicken should now be cooked through. I check by separating the chicken with a fork. Remove the chicken and place on a plate or cutting board to cool completely. When cool, shred the chicken.

Make the dressing: Whisk ingredients together in a small bowl.

Make the slaw: Mix the sliced onion into the dressing to marinate for at least 10 minutes. Meanwhile toast the sesame seeds in a small skillet over medium-low heat, about 3 minutes, or until light golden brown. Transfer to bowl and set aside.

Combine the chicken, cabbage, carrots and fresh herbs in a large serving bowl. Dump the onions and the dressing in the bowl, too. Toss everything together well, then sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds and peanuts. Serve immediately. 

Cooking through cookbooks

Over the last several months I've been falling back in love with Excel spreadsheets. I started one back in July to track all my spending, and I feel a little silly being so enamored by it, but it's the only thing that's worked for me after trying out every other free budgeting method (the envelope/cash-only system, Mint, etc.). Then last week, after surveying my living room and all the cookbooks spread out everywhere, undoubtedly after a desperate search to find something that sounded good for dinner, I started a new spreadsheet. It's called Recipe Adventure and it's going to be one of those never-completed, long-term projects for which I could easily lose steam. But at the moment, I'm charging through like a mad woman.

How I'm doing it: I'm going through my cookbooks page by page and indexing all the recipes I would like to try someday, categorizing them by estimated but realistic time (knowing that prep takes longer than a recipe normally specifies), course/occasion, general category (like casserole, stir-fry, cookie, pie) and the key ingredients that stand out - particularly those ingredients I would classify as "occasional" that I either have and need to use up, or don't have and would need to add to my standard grocery list. This is a representation of how I look through my cookbooks, always searching for what I can make with the time and/or ingredients I have, and what I can make with just a little more planning. And because it's such a simple Excel process, I can now sort based on any of these things without hauling out all my cookbooks. If the weekend's coming up and I want to try something a little more involved, I have a whole list of ideas. Or if Joel's making a main dish and I want to contribute a side dish, all the easier. I even have a sub-category called "desperation dessert" which is a sweet treat I can make in 30 minutes or less. These are important things.

Here are two recent recipes I tried. I am having a terrible time with food photography lately (I blame dark winter days and wanting to eat food while it's still hot), so suffice it to say these tasted much better than they look.

Meatballs in Tomato-Chipotle Sauce, from My Berlin Kitchen by Luisa Weiss. 

This was a nice way to use some leftover chipotle chiles in adobo and ground pork from a recipe earlier in the week. I also like that it doesn't call for white bread to bind the meatballs (because I rarely have that on hand) and instead uses zucchini to add moisture (I'm okay with buying a zucchini since I used up the whole thing here). Fresh tomatoes are used in the sauce, though if I make it again I'd probably use whole canned tomatoes since they have more flavor in these winter months. A solid weeknight meal that, for 2 people, made for nice leftovers as well. Recipe posted here.

Recipe grade: A

Teriyaki Stir-Fried Beef with Snow Peas and Mushrooms, adapted from The Science of Good Cooking by America's Test Kitchen (theirs calls for green beans and shitakes)

My complaint about ATK recipes is usually that they're slightly on the fussy side and use a million dishes, but their stir-fries (and almost everything else) turn out every time. And this is one of those recipes you really can make on a weeknight with a variable marinating time - as little as 30 minutes while you prep all the other ingredients. It was a little on the sweet side, but such is the case with teriyaki.  Recipe posted here.

Recipe grade: B+ (just because of the sweetness)

Sick day

Here's a tip: whenever you're making soup from scratch, start by frying bacon. There's a common theme to my favorite soups: lots of vegetables, beans, greens, and salty bacon on top. Bacon provides the bookends to the whole process. When you start with bacon, you can saute everything else in its fat, and then garnish it with the bacon bits (unless you tend to snack on those bacon bits while you're cooking - I'm guilty of it).

Ham bone, greens and bean soup. I have made a million versions of this soup, sometimes with squash and/or potatoes, or with pasta instead of beans, but not often enough do I include a ham hock in addition to the bacon! It adds a richness, people. And when you're stuck at home with a cold, you need a lot of flavor to break through your flattened palate. And the cabbage says you're in it to win it. I declared this my favorite soup of fall 2015 as soon as I finished eating my first bowl of it, after I blew my nose for the hundredth time that evening. 

It's kind of sick to say, but sometimes I really enjoy these sick days. Yesterday I watched a little trash TV (it's called Antiques Road Show) and went through a box of old pictures (you thought I was going to say Kleenex? I got through about half of one of those, too). I took the dog out for a long walk while my head throbbed, feeling good about the fact that I could inhale with both nostrils. I used both the dishwasher and the microwave, two convenience appliances that are rarely put to good use around here. I got dressed at noon and went to Costco to buy dog food and oatmeal and got a primo parking spot. I came home and took a bath, finished a book, and microwaved this soup for dinner. I practiced a few sonatinas on the piano. I lit candles and poured an ounce of bourbon and watched the cat flip over her scratching pad.

And then I posted the recipe over here, if you're interested.  (The book from whence it came is one of my favorites. It's filled with inspiring but mostly simple recipes for all seasons.) Try it the next time you are left with a ham hock/bone, or feel like having a nice conversation with your local butcher. Cheers to a hearty spoonful.

Community cookbook recipe test: Isabelle Jones' Zucchini Lasagne

I brought home a 4-pound zucchini that was abandoned by some gardener I work with (who knows who it was - people leave things they don't want on the break room table). I knew that I could get a few meals out of this thing, so rather than just bake a bazillion loaves of zucchini bread, as is my tradition, I checked out a P.E.O. cookbook for inspiration. I found it in a recipe for lasagne, which today might be billed as gluten-free, but for me, all that mattered was that it featured my cast-off squash as the star. Best of all, it was a recipe from a member of my home chapter, Chapter BN in Boise.

Long strips of zucchini replace the pasta noodles, which already gives it the simplicity of no-boil noodles. This recipe calls for a meat sauce that you cook down with wine for an hour and a half, and then there's gobs of cheese.

Lasagne is not a particularly inspirational dish. It's more of a hearty family meal, a meal you throw in the freezer for when unexpected company arrives, something that's hard to mess up and sure to please anyone who's not on a strict diet. And let's not forget it was the favorite of Garfield the cat. I've never had bad lasagne, but still, it's never been something I dream about or order off a menu; I certainly never think to make it for a casual dinner at home, let alone eat the day it's made, with sauce that didn't come out of a can. So now I will admit that this was a fun treat, and the zucchini made it fancy. No, it won't go into a regular rotation, but I will gladly add it to my "what the heck to do with all this zucchini" file.

Zucchini Lasagne
Recipe adapted from Isabelle Jones, found in Kitchen Treasures: A collection of recipes from Idaho's 50+ year P.E.O. members

4 large zucchini (or, in my case, half a big honkin' one)
2 T. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 lb. ground beef or turkey (I used turkey)
1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 6-oz. can tomato paste
1 4-oz. can sliced mushrooms (I used a big handful of fresh)
3/4 c. dry red wine
1 1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. basil
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz. mozzarella, thinly sliced (I used part-skim)
8 oz. ricotta cheese (again, part-skim)
1/2. grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, onion and ground meat. Cook until tender but not brown, stirring to keep meat crumbly (if using fresh mushrooms, add now). Add tomatoes, tomato paste, mushrooms (if using the canned variety), and spices and salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered for 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350. Oil a casserole dish (I used a 9x13 pan). Cut zucchini lengthwise into strips 1/4 inch thick and place half of them in the bottom of the dish to cover. Top with one half the mozzarella and one half the ricotta. Add half the meat sauce. Repeat the layering. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes. Serves 4-6.

Oof

Upon the purchase of our house, my eldest brother told us - in a congratulatory way, I'm sure - that we would never have a free weekend again. Ha, ha. I went away for a few days earlier this month for a conference, and when I returned, Joel had done all these little projects that brought me much joy - everything from hanging up a coat rack to touching up paint inside and out. A new doorknob for the bathroom, too. He repainted the front steps this past week. And me? I'm doing the one thing I know how to do right now: weeding. And looking up how to right all the wrongs of sprinklers, landscape lighting and deck railing...and the number of my nearest handyman. But let's not bore you, eh?

Joel aglow from the reflection of primer.

In the midst of all this, I have been very careful to not let my life get too consumed with my new to-do list. Here are some non-house things I can share that might have some morsel of intrigue for you. Maybe not.

Knitting this Strathcona scarf, in turquoise. This will be my summer scarf.

No more stovetop kettle for me!

Making hot water for coffee and tea with my Bonavita electric kettle, which I bought with birthday money - one of those where you can set the temperature - with a gooseneck spout for dainty pouring. Joel says I'm becoming a temperature snob (and he's right), but truly, I love drinking green tea now because of it.

Reading All the Light We Cannot See.

Making desserts from this gem of a cookbook called Flourless (so far almond-butter chocolate chip cookies and strawberry rhubarb maple cake, which we consumed so fast that I didn't think to take pictures) - thanks, Mom!

Poppy surprise!

Between Two Lilacs

Mourning William Zinsser. Since first reading his On Writing Well in high school, the mere mention of his name reminds me to cut the clutter from my writing. He is also the primary reason it takes me as long as it does to compose an email. Or anything, really. This tribute is touching.

Working out at the bar, which is a really fun thing to tell people. But seriously, it's a workout.

Watering my plants, and recycling my wine bottles, with Plant Nannies. 

Vegan and gluten-free apple crisp

Just a quickie to share a really simple, incredibly yummy apple crisp we enjoyed over Thanksgiving. You know it's good when the baking dish disappears to a corner where someone is eating the remnants. 

I'm always looking for great vegan and gluten-free options, particularly the kinds that require simple ingredients. The Minimalist Baker has become a great resource, which is where I found this recipe. They call for a blend of apples, but I used all Granny Smiths. 

Visit their site for the recipe.