Ulterior Motives

I didn’t spend 3 hours boiling the hell out of a piece of beef just to make sandwiches. What I really wanted to do was make corned beef hash. There are so many variations out there, but in its simplest form it’s leftover corned beef and potatoes. I like to add fresh herbs, such as thyme, oregano, parsley, cilantro or basil. I also add mustard or hot pepper sauce to give it a kick.

Corned Beef Hash:

• 2 cups boiled potatoes, roughly mashed
• 2 cups cooked corned beef, diced to your preferred size
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tbs Italian parsley, chopped fine
• a few (about 4) sprigs of thyme (oregano or basil is fine too)
• 1 tbs Dijon mustard (or a few splashes of hot pepper sauce or Worcestershire to taste)
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
  

However you embellish this recipe, just remember to use a 1:1 proportion of corned beef to potatoes. Mix everything together and, if possible, let it sit for half an hour for the flavors to meld together. I mixed it the day before and let it sit in the fridge overnight.

The key to a good hash is patience. I like my hash to be crusty and “loose”, and that takes time. In a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, add enough oil to coat the bottom (about 1-2 tbs). When the oil is hot, add the mix and flatten it out in the skillet. Don’t be tempted to turn it. Give it about 4 or 5 minutes to form the first crust. Flip and spread the mix back out in the pan and wait another 4 or 5 minutes. Keep doing this until you get the level of crispiness you like. For me, it took about 20 minutes. Season with fresh cracked pepper. I like it served with fried over-medium eggs, but poached eggs work as well.

When I lived in Denmark, I would make hash with whatever leftover meat we had. Sometimes it was steak and/or sausages. I’ve even done one with salmon. And we never ate it for breakfast, just lunch or dinner.

I Would Like to Thank the Universe

Remember how I couldn’t find kaffir lime leaves at my local specialty stores? Today is my lucky day. I received a catalogue from Nichols Garden Nursery and guess what they have. If you guessed 14” kaffir lime trees grafted onto dwarf root stock, you’re totally right! I’m going to order mine immediately. I’ll be a good daughter and order one for mom too.

Finger-licking good

I found this recipe for Thai grilled chicken years ago, but I can’t remember where it came from. It’s incredibly good, even better than what you will find in most Thai restaurants IMO. Perfect with sticky rice.



Thai Grilled Chicken:

• 2 stalks lemon grass, whites only
• 2 tbs ginger, grated or crushed
• 2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/3 cup cilantro, preferably stems with roots
• 2 tbs brown sugar
• 2 tbs curry paste (any Thai paste will do)
• 1 ½ cups light soy sauce
• chicken, approximately 2-3 lbs (see note below)
• 1 portion sweet chilli dipping sauce (recipe follows)

I like to use a mortar and pestle to make the marinade because I have a large one, like this. Otherwise, it's just as effective to use a food processor. Start by pounding the lemon grass, ginger, garlic and cilantro until everything is well mash. Transfer to a bowl and add the sugar, soy sauce and curry paste. Mix until you get a uniform consistency.

How long to marinate? For chicken with skin and bones, I typically marinade for 6-8 hours. A whole chicken cut in half should go for about 8 hours. For boneless breasts, I pound them a little and marinate them for about 4 hours. This time I did chicken wings and marinated them for 5 hours.

The best way to cook the chicken is to grill it. However, that only happens during the three months of nice weather here in Portland. I do thighs, drumsticks, and breasts on the grill, and during the other 9 months out of the year, I do whole (cut in half) chickens in the (convection) oven at 350º for about 50 minutes to an hour and chicken wings for about 35 minutes.

The dish is not complete without the dipping sauce. Of course you can buy it, but it’s just as easy to make. Make it as sour or spicy as you like by adjusting the vinegar or sambal oelek.

Dipping sauce:

• ½ cup white sugar
• ½ cup water
• ¼ cup rice vinegar
• 1 tbs fish sauce
• 1 tsp sambal oelek (or 1-2 red chillies diced)

In a small saucepan, bring the sugar, water and rice vinegar to a boil. Reduce the heat a little and simmer for about 5 minutes or until it starts to get a little thick. Turn off the heat, add the fish sauce and sambal oelek (or chilies).

Foolproof

There was no strong baking tradition in my family. Mom used the oven exactly two times a year: Thanksgiving and Christmas, the requisite turkey cooking times. Occasionally she’d whip out Betty Crocker for our birthdays, but usually she’d buy a cake. If there was a bake sale at school, I was always the kid who brought a check for $5 instead of baked goods.

I am a horrible baker. One part of it is the measuring thing. Baking needs to be exact. I also have a tendency to over-knead, over-beat and under-cream. But since Sonny’s been in my life, I want to be a better baker. I’d rather bake him something than buy him sweets from the store. At least I’ll know what’s in it and if I have to do it myself, we probably won’t get sweets as often. That’s the logic, at least.

So where did I turn for inspiration? This lovely book. Hubby bought this book because he knew I wanted to involve Sonny more in the kitchen. It’s also perfect for beginning bakers like me. The recipes make smaller portions, so you’re not left with 33 cupcakes to tempt you. I only wish there were more savory dishes. Sonny and I made the “Easiest Chocolate Cake” with a couple modifications. It really was very easy, and delicious.

Easiest Chocolate Cake

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• ½ cup white sugar (3/4 cup if using unsweetened cocoa powder)
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ¾ cup milk
• 1 portion buttercream frosting (recipe follows)

In a medium to large bowl, sift all the dry ingredients together, except the sugar. In another, whisk the other ingredients until well blended. Then mix the dry and wet ingredients (a good baker would probably do this gradually, but I just did it all at once). Beat until smooth. This recipe made 6 cupcakes (exactly the size of my cupcake pan) plus 1 small 4” springform. The cupcakes took about 20 minutes to bake at 350º F. The springform took about 28 minutes.

Buttercream Frosting:

• 2 1/2cups confectioner’s sugar
• ¼ cup butter, soft
• ¼ cup milk or cream
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ½ to 1 cup toasted coconut, cooled (optional)
• 2-3 tbs chopped dried fruit

In a medium to large bowl, cream the butter until very soft. Add about ½ cup of the sugar. Stir in the milk, then the rest of the sugar. Add the vanilla. Whisk until you have a smooth frosting. If the frosting is too thick, add a little bit of milk. Make sure the cakes are completely cooled before frosting, otherwise you’ll get melted butter on top of your chocolate cupcakes. We also toasted about a cup of shredded coconut and added this to the frosting. Instead of sprinkles (which sonny requested), I chopped up some dried fruit and let him sprinkle them on top.

The Virtues of Fried Rice

Traditionally, fried rice is a meal in itself. It contains meat, veggies, eggs, rice- everything you need for a delicious, filling meal. Yet, it is fast and easy to make. If you use leftovers, like I do, it's also economical.

The dish I make is more Chinese style, rather than Thai style. It contains oyster sauce and soy sauce, rather than fish sauce. I don’t buy ingredients with the purpose of making fried rice. I use whatever I have on hand. Today it was left over roasted chicken, carrot, frozen peas and green onions. If you don’t normally have leftover rice lying around (which I normally do), make it the evening before and stick it in the fridge. Instead of adding eggs, I serve fried over-medium eggs on top.

Leftovers fried rice:

• ½ lbs cooked chicken, cubed (any other meat will do)
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• ½ cup carrot, small diced
• ½ cup frozen peas
• 2 eggs (optional)
• 3 tbs oyster sauce
• 1 tbs low sodium soy sauce
• 6-8 cups (loosely measured) cold cooked rice
• 3 scallions, sliced diagonally
• Extra sliced scallions and roughly chopped cilantro for garnish

It is important that the rice is cold. Otherwise you’ll get a mushy fried rice. Break up any big clumps (but don’t mash it).

Mix together the oyster sauce and soy sauce in a small bowl.

In a hot wok on high heat, heat 1-2 tbs oil (I like using peanut oil for a little extra flavor). Add the garlic and fry for about 15 secs (don’t let it burn). Add the peas, carrots and eggs. Fry for about 30 seconds, then add the rice and meat. Let it sit for about 30 seconds before stirring. Turn the rice in the wok, breaking up any clumps. Give it about 10-15 seconds between each turn. After about 4 or 5 minutes, add the sauce mix (if you used 6 cups rice, add only about ¾ of the mix) and the scallions. Continue to stir fry until heated through, about 5 minutes. Adjust the seasoning if necessary. Garnish with scallions and cilantro.

Try experimenting with different vegetable and meat combinations. The only thing I would recommend is using fresh veggies whenever possible. They contribute more flavor to the dish. Frozen veggies often get soggy and their flavors get lost behind the oyster sauce and soy sauce. Try snow peas, snap peas, bean sprouts, bell pepper, green beans, asparagus, etc. Occasionally, I purchase Chinese roasted pork from the Asian deli (they even have it at my regular supermarket deli now) because this is sonny’s favorite.

Oh, cast iron, how I love thee

Photo updated January 2009

Sometimes I wonder how I ever lived without a cast iron wok. If it wasn’t for a friend, I would still be stir frying with some pricey tri-ply stainless steel nonsense. After one test drive of the ol’ cast iron wok, my own mother was hooked. She was actually envious of my cookware!

If you like to stir-fry, you must have a cast iron wok. No ifs, ands or buts about it. There is no other material that can hold heat the way cast iron can. When it’s well seasoned, the food will not stick. And with proper care, it only gets better with age. Of course it’s heavy as a mo’fo’, and you may have to store it in the oven when not in use because it’s too big for any conventional cabinets. It’ll be a bitch to clean, not because anything sticks to it but because it probably won’t fit in your sink. Oh, but the magic you can make with it...

Chicken with roasted chili paste:
Serves 3

• 2 tbs oyster sauce
• ¼ cup coconut milk (lite is fine)
  
• 1-2 tsp palm sugar (brown sugar if fine)
  
• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tbs roasted chilli paste (explained below)
  
• 1/2 lbs chicken in small cubes or ground (I like skinless, boneless thigh meat)
• 2 cups of your favorite vegetable, cut for stir-frying
  
• 1 bunch Thai basil leaves
• fish sauce, to taste

Instead of making my own roasted chilli paste, I use store bought, which is what I grew up on. The name of this paste is naam Prik Pao. One day, when I have the time (and after I use up my store bought paste), I will try making some from scratch. Thai people use prik pao as a dipping “sauce’ for grilled meats, fried eggs and sticky rice. My mother adds it to her hot and sour shrimp soup. My nephew spreads it on toasted bread and sprinkles dried shredded pork on top (talk about east meets west, huh?). It’s sweet, spicy and savory all in one.

Start by mixing the prik pao, oyster sauce, sugar and coconut milk in a small bowl until well combined. Heat your wok over high heat. Once your wok is blazing hot, add about 1-2 tbs oil (peanut or vegetable, and make sure you coat the sides of the wok) and fry the garlic and chicken together. Avoid over stirring because you want the meat to get a good sear. When it's just about cooked through, remove it to a bowl and throw the vegetables into the wok. Stir-fry until crisp tender. Add the meat and juices back in and add about 2/3 of the fish sauce mixture. If your wok is sufficiently hot, you will see the coconut milk bubble on the sides. If the stir fry is too dry, add more of the coconut mixture or a couple of tablespoons water. Turn the meat and vegetables in the sauce until nice and caramelized. Adjust seasonings with fish sauce, if necessary. It's done when the meat is cooked through. Turn off the heat and add the basil leaves.

Great with steamed jasmine rice.