Want a refreshing appetizer that will whet the appetite of your guests and hint at the freshness of summer, but not fill them up or weigh them down? Try these deliciously fresh summer rolls.

When Chris and I were in Vietnam a couple years ago, [...]]]>

Want a refreshing appetizer that will whet the appetite of your guests and hint at the freshness of summer, but not fill them up or weigh them down? Try these deliciously fresh summer rolls.

When Chris and I were in Vietnam a couple years ago, we were pretty much in a food-lover’s paradise. Light crusty baguettes baked fresh every morning, with an egg omelet, a thin layer of pork pâté, some cilantro and hot sauce sandwiched within – UMM! The only thing that made breakfast any better was the deliciously strong Vietnamese coffee sweetened with condensed milk.

It was in Vietnam that we got the opportunity to eat snake, prepared 10 different ways, with a vast assortment of delicious side dishes. We also ate our share of piping hot bowls of pho, or beef soup noodles, plates of fried noodles, as well as huge thin crepes stuffed with a variety of fillings. One of the things we noticed about Vietnamese dining was that many dishes were accompanied by a big platter of fresh leafy vegetables – lettuces, basil, mint, and other vegetables I can’t put a name to. And these summer rolls were one of the freshest tasting little dishes we tasted while we were in the country.

Luckily they’re easy to reproduce, once you get the hang of rolling. Made with rice paper, tofu, and some quick-pickled vegetables, these Vietnamese-style summer rolls are served with a delicious peanut dipping sauce

Vegetarian Summer Rolls
Makes 10 rolls

10 sheets of 8-inch rice paper wrappers
1 head romaine lettuce, washed and torn into pieces
1 cup julienned carrots
1 cup julienned daikon radish
¼ cup white rice vinegar
1 tsp sugar
4 pieces pressed firm tofu (they’re sold in flat pieces rather than blocks)
Extra greens (thai basil, mint, etc… as you like)

Peanut Sauce
2 heaping tablespoons peanut butter
1 tablespoon white rice vinegar
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
Chopped fresh red chilies (optional)

Put the carrots and daikon in a bowl with the rice vinegar, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Let them sit for 20 minutes, then drain.

Cut the pressed tofu into thin strips. Lay one rice paper wrapper on a flat surface, and moisten with a wet paper towel until it becomes soft, but not soggy. Lay some lettuce (and other greens, if using) on the wrapper, then add some tofu, carrots and daikon. Fold one side of the wrapper over the vegetables, then fold the sides over and finish rolling the summer roll. Repeat until all the rolls are finished.

In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the peanut sauce (the best way is to stir it briskly with a pair of chopsticks) until they come together.

Serve summer rolls with dipping sauce on the side.

One of our favorite cuisines, but one that we don’t often cook at home, is Malaysian food. After actually being in Malaysia and eating TONS of freshly fried mee goreng (fried noodles in a delicious sauce), curry, nasi goreng (fried rice), laksa (noodles in [...]]]>

One of our favorite cuisines, but one that we don’t often cook at home, is Malaysian food. After actually being in Malaysia and eating TONS of freshly fried mee goreng (fried noodles in a delicious sauce), curry, nasi goreng (fried rice), laksa (noodles in a spicy coconut-seafood soup), most of these served from little carts on the street, it’s just hard to recreate those flavors at home in a satisfying way.

One of my favorite restaurants in Toronto is Restoran Malaysia in Richmond Hill, at the corner of Major Mackenzie and Bayview.  A few good Singaporean friends of mine swear that their Hainanese Steamed Chicken is just like how Mama made it, and their pineapple fried rice is also really good.

Fortunately, pineapple fried rice is an easy dish and even without the street cart, possible to recreate at home. Serve it in a hollowed-out half pineapple, and you’ve got a stunning presentation that would look at home in a restaurant. And like all fried rice dishes, you can vary the ingredients depending on what you have on hand.

I took a suggestion from Rasa Malaysia, and instead of using a heavy hand with soy sauce, I flavored the rice mostly with a bit of Thai fish sauce. Thai fish sauce is a salty, savory sauce that doesn’t taste fishy at all – it just adds savoriness, or umami – think anchovies in Italian cooking. And don’t mistake it for the Vietnamese version, which is delicious too, but nowhere near as salty.

Fried rice is best with leftover rice that has been refrigerated at least overnight – the rice has a firmer texture and less moisture, so it won’t make the final dish soggy.

Pineapple Fried Rice

½ large pineapple, hollowed out and flesh cubed
½ pound fresh or frozen shrimp, shelled
200g pork, thinly sliced
¼ cup diced carrot
½ onion, diced
1 red chili pepper, thinly sliced
2 cups cooked leftover rice
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1 egg

In a wok, heat a little oil and fry the pork and shrimp until cooked through (shrimp should be opaque). Remove to a dish and set aside.

Stir-fry the carrot and onion in the wok until carrot is softened and onion is translucent. Add a little more cooking oil. Add the pineapple, rice, red chili pepper, cooked pork and shrimp. Toss together until thoroughly mixed and rice is heated through. Make a space in the center of the wok and crack in the egg. Use your spatula to scramble the egg right there in the center of the fried rice until gently cooked. Mix into the rest of the rice.

Add the fish sauce, dark soy sauce, and toss thoroughly. Taste for seasonings, and add salt if desired. Serve in the hollowed out pineapple half. Garnish with chopped roasted cashews and more red chili pepper if you like.

Risotto sounds intimidating, and it does require a lot of stirring, but really, it’s a very simple dish to make. The best thing about it is that you can basically stir in just about anything and thus reinvent the dish for yourself. It’s [...]]]>

Risotto sounds intimidating, and it does require a lot of stirring, but really, it’s a very simple dish to make. The best thing about it is that you can basically stir in just about anything and thus reinvent the dish for yourself. It’s the perfect palette for a variety of flavorful foods, from mushrooms to leeks, to spring peas, to sun-dried tomatoes, to seafood, to lemon – you name it!

This risotto is a simple one, with the only added ingredient being tangy sun-dried tomatoes. I complemented the sun-dried tomatoes with some simply roasted cherry (or grape, to be precise) tomatoes over the top. The roasting brings out the sweetness of the tomatoes, and their freshness was a nice counterpoint to the creamy risotto.

You CAN leave the risotto on its own for a minute or two – especially if you’re using a non-stick pan, but you need to make sure it doesn’t stick to the pan and burn. I found that the 40 minutes of stirring wasn’t too tedious if I busied myself doing other tasks around the kitchen at the same time (washing dishes, organizing spices, etc…).

Oh, and you MUST serve this immediately, otherwise the luscious creaminess turns sticky and thick and not very nice.

Sun-Dried Tomato Risotto with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
Serves 4

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
salt and pepper
olive oil

Risotto
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
2 shallots, diced fine
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 ½ cups Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups (or more) warm chicken broth
¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil or softened in hot water), chopped
2 tbsp toasted pine nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Toss the halved cherry tomatoes with 2 tbsp of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and roast in oven about 10 minutes, until soft and slightly browned.

Melt the butter with the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic, and cook until they start to soften. Add the rice and cook, stirring, until edges of rice begin to grow translucent, about 2 minutes.

Add the white wine, and stir until absorbed by the rice. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes. Gradually add the broth one cup at a time, allowing each cup of broth to be absorbed by the rice before adding more. Rice is done when creamy and tender, but still a bit al dente.

Serve the risotto topped with roasted tomatoes and sprinkle with toasted pine nuts, if desired.

Growing up, my mom often made stir-fried Napa cabbage as part of our meals. In my mind, Napa cabbage always came cooked, as part of a Chinese family-style meal, with rice and the works. And it IS really good cooked, simply stir-fried with [...]]]>

Growing up, my mom often made stir-fried Napa cabbage as part of our meals. In my mind, Napa cabbage always came cooked, as part of a Chinese family-style meal, with rice and the works. And it IS really good cooked, simply stir-fried with some minced garlic. It has a slight sweetness to it, and doesn’t make you as gassy as normal cabbage (oops, did I just say “gassy” on a food blog? That’s gotta be a big no-no).

It took a trip to California to visit the in-laws for me to learn about this simple, no-brainer, and absolutely delicious way to prepare Napa cabbage. IN A SALAD!!! Hello, light sweet flavor? Crisp, refreshing texture? Wrinkly leaves perfect for catching and holding the flavor of a light sesame dressing? Napa cabbage salad, where have you been all my life? Thank you, thank you, mother-in-law!

It’s so easy to make. Just slice up a whole cabbage with a big knife (discarding the bottom 2 inches or so which are mainly stem), then rinse the leaves and spin them dry. Chop up a cucumber and a yellow pepper – oh how I love the crunch of this salad – and add some soy candied walnuts for extra crunch and sweetness (you can get these pre-made at your local Asian supermarket). A slightly sweet honey-sesame dressing rounds out the flavors and makes this salad distinctly Asian.

Asian Napa Cabbage Salad

1 medium head Napa Cabbage
½ English cucumber, sliced thinly
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
¼ cup candied walnuts, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp honey
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 tbsp olive oil

Slice the whole head of cabbage crosswise into ½ to ¾ inch sections, discarding the bottom two inches of the cabbage. Rinse the cabbage and spin the leaves dry in a salad spinner. Toss cucumber, pepper, and walnuts with cabbage.

Whisk together vinegar, honey, sesame oil and olive oil. Toss with salad. Adjust seasonings to taste, adding more vinegar if needed.

Summer comes early in our little town in Southern China, and right now in early March it’s already strawberry season. One of the joys of living seasonally is anticipating the various fruit seasons, enjoying the fruit to the utmost while it’s in [...]]]>

Summer comes early in our little town in Southern China, and right now in early March it’s already strawberry season. One of the joys of living seasonally is anticipating the various fruit seasons, enjoying the fruit to the utmost while it’s in season (and perhaps canning some for the months to come), and then looking forward to the next seasonal fruit. Strawberries will only be around for about a month, and the brevity of this season makes them all the more delicious. No woody, grassy-tasting strawberries for me in November – no thanks – I’d rather have the best tasting, melt-in-your mouth berries for a few weeks than have less than the best all year.

This is the first time I’ve made strawberry shortcake, and I gotta tell ya – this recipe’s a keeper! Cobbled together from an Epicurious recipe and a few others from around the web, this dessert couples meltingly sweet, ripe strawberries with a lemony buttermilk biscuit and fluffy whipped cream. It’s got the perfect blend of crispness from the biscuit and lusciousness from the macerated strawberries. And I love, love, LOVE the contrast of the lemon zest and the strawberries.

PLEASE don’t use strawberries that are anything less than ripe. This recipe is basically a strawberry delivery system, and if the star ingredient isn’t up to par, it falls flat.

Lemony Strawberry Shortcakes
loosely adapted from Epicurious
Serves 6

Sweet Lemon Buttermilk Biscuits

2 cups flour
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tsp baking powder
1 scant tsp baking soda
2 tbsp sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
½ tsp salt
½ tbsp grated lemon zest
2/3 cup buttermilk, well shaken, plus extra

Strawberries
2 pounds ripe strawberries, washed and hulled
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice

Whipped Cream
1 cup chilled whipping cream
3 tbsp sugar

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt together in a bowl. Using your fingertips, rub in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the lemon zest and buttermilk. Fold gently into dry ingredients until incorporated.

Transfer dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat (with floured hands) into a circle about 1.5 inches thick. Cut dough into 6 wedges and transfer to baking sheet.

Brush wedges with extra buttermilk and sprinkle with extra sugar. Bake for about 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into middle of biscuits comes out clean.

Meanwhile, cut the strawberries into quarters (or halves if they’re small), and mix with the sugar and lemon juice. Let macerate for about 15 minutes.

Beat the whipping cream with the sugar until it forms soft peaks.

When biscuits are done, let them cool about 5 minutes, then cut them in half. Pile with strawberries and whipped cream, and serve immediately.

]]> http://foodrepublik.com/strawberry-shortcakes-with-lemon/feed/ 3 http://foodrepublik.com/chickpea-vegetable-salad/ http://foodrepublik.com/chickpea-vegetable-salad/#comments Sat, 06 Mar 2010 11:01:21 +0000 Camilla http://foodrepublik.com/?p=1083

I love salads that can double as main courses. Sometimes I really crave fresh vegetables, but I’m also really hungry, so I end up eating salad, plus a bunch of other stuff (PB&J, muffins, cookies, etc…). I love it when I can just [...]]]>

I love salads that can double as main courses. Sometimes I really crave fresh vegetables, but I’m also really hungry, so I end up eating salad, plus a bunch of other stuff (PB&J, muffins, cookies, etc…). I love it when I can just scarf down a salad, and it’s good enough and satisfying enough that I’m shoveling it down my throat and don’t need anything more… This Chickpea Veggie Salad is that kind of salad. Definitely shovel-down-the-throat material.

This salad is just plain GOOD! The combination of flavors is bright and fresh, but earthy and nutty at the same time. I forgot how good chickpeas are, even just from a can. The nice thing about this recipe too, is how easy it is to throw together. You don’t need a lot of exotic ingredients; in fact, you probably have everything you need to put this salad together right now.

And of course, you could doll it up a little more. Add some olives and feta for a Mediterranean slant, or some more spices (I feel like a sprinkle of cumin would go well in here) for extra kick.

Chickpea Veggie Salad
Serves 2 as a main, or 4 as a side

1 can chickpeas
1 English cucumber, chopped (seeded if necessary)
1 ½ cups halved grape tomatoes
3 tablespoons thinly sliced red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped mint (optional)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons good olive oil
salt and pepper

Mix together vegetables (chickpeas, cucumber, tomatoes, onion). Toss with cilantro and mint (if using). Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper.

Whisk together lemon juice, cider vinegar, and ½ tsp salt. Add olive oil and whisk until emulsified. Toss with salad. Taste for seasoning and adjust (you may want to add more lemon juice or vinegar depending on how acidic you like it).

I felt like scones this morning (my husband would say, “But you don’t look like one!”), but I didn’t want to use the recipe I normally use, which is for a sweet scone with currants. I was craving something more savory. Half an [...]]]>

I felt like scones this morning (my husband would say, “But you don’t look like one!”), but I didn’t want to use the recipe I normally use, which is for a sweet scone with currants. I was craving something more savory. Half an hour of experimentation in the kitchen, and I came up with THESE!

Now, not to toot my own horn, but these are, I think, the best biscuits I’ve ever made (by the way, what’s the difference between scones and biscuits? I have no idea.).

Using buttermilk instead of milk made the biscuits more tender and moist, and the addition of the Gouda cheese and rosemary satisfied my salty cravings and (in my opinion), upped the “foodie factor” as well. Finally, using baking soda as well as baking powder (baking soda needs to react with an acid, so I could use it since there was buttermilk in the dough) seemed to make the biscuits lighter and fluffier.

The resulting biscuits were rich, tender, and as savory as I could desire. Try them and let me know what you think!

Rosemary and Gouda Buttermilk Biscuits
Makes 8 biscuits

1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
5 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into cubes
2/3 cup buttermilk (you can make your own buttermilk by adding a tablespoon of lemon juice to 2/3 cup milk and letting it sit for 5 minutes)
1/3 cup Gouda cheese, finely diced or grated
1 1/2tsp dried rosemary (double the amount if you use fresh)
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp milk for brushing

Preheat oven to 400 F (about 200 C).

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and rub it into the flour using your fingertips, until the mixture becomes a fine crumble, like cornmeal.

Crumble the rosemary needles in your hand and add them to the mixture. Add the cheese and toss to combine.

Pour in the buttermilk and fold in gently with a spatula until mixture forms a sticky dough. Divide roughly into 8 and drop onto a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake for about 12 minutes until golden on top or a toothpick comes out clean.

These are best fresh out of the oven of course, though I suppose you could reheat them gently later in the day. Definitely best when the cheese is bubbling and melted though!

Check this out. No, that is not some weird oval shaped avocado up there. That, my friends, is an emu’s egg.

What, you may ask, were we doing with an emu’s egg? Well the story goes like this: my brother-in-law and his wife [...]]]>

Check this out. No, that is not some weird oval shaped avocado up there. That, my friends, is an emu’s egg.

What, you may ask, were we doing with an emu’s egg? Well the story goes like this: my brother-in-law and his wife were taking care of their neighbor’s backyard pets while they were away on a vacation. These “pets” included a chicken coop full of chickens, and yes, an emu (it’s a big backyard). The emu lays an egg once or twice a week, and since each emu egg is about the same volume as 10-12 regular chicken eggs, they had plenty to share with us.

My husband drilled a hole in each end of the egg, and painstakingly blew out all the insides. That’s a whole lot of egg! The total volume came to about 600 ml, about 2 1/2 cups.

My brother-in-law told us that although the flavor is very similar to chicken eggs, the white of the emu egg doesn’t set quite as well as a chicken egg, so if you end up scrambling or frying the whole thing, you end up with slightly slimy fried eggs. So we decided to use it in a quiche instead, where the cream and cheese and other ingredients would compensate even if the white didn’t completely set.

Actually, we made a couple.

The result? I honestly couldn’t tell the difference between this quiche and any other normal chicken egg quiche. And the quiche itself isn’t a bad recipe.

So next time life gives you emu eggs…make quiche!

Yes, we made a broccoli/goat cheese one too, but I don’t have room to share both recipes.

Emu Egg Leek and Canadian Bacon Quiche
Williams-Sonoma Breakfasts and Brunches

1 pie crust pastry
6 slices Cdn bacon, cut into strips
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 leek, washed and cut crosswise into slices
2/3 cup beaten emu egg, or 3 normal eggs
1 ½ cups half and half
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
6 oz Gruyère or Jarlsberg, grated
1 ½ tsp cornstarch

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Roll out pastry and press into 9 inch tart pan. Trim pastry edges. Prick pastry all over with a fork. Line pastry with foil and pie weights (opt). Bake 8 minutes. Remove foil, bake another 4 min. Reduce oven temp to 325 F (165 C).

Sauté bacon until slightly browned, 2-3 min. Drain on paper towels.

Melt butter in pan, sauté leeks until tender, about 10 min. Set aside.

Beat eggs until frothy, add half and half, salt and pepper. Toss cheese with cornstarch. Add cheese, bacon, and leek to the liquid and stir well. Pour into pastry shell.

Bake 35-40 min until middle is set.

Cool 15 min and serve.

Bulgur wheat is an easy substitute for rice or couscous in many dishes, and it’s really easy to cook. Just simmer it in some water for about 15 minutes, and then leave it while it absorbs the rest of the water. Bulgur wheat is [...]]]>

Bulgur wheat is an easy substitute for rice or couscous in many dishes, and it’s really easy to cook. Just simmer it in some water for about 15 minutes, and then leave it while it absorbs the rest of the water. Bulgur wheat is a whole grain that has been parboiled, dried, and the bran partially removed.  It’s higher in fiber and vitamins than white rice or couscous, so I guess it’s pretty good for you too.

Last night I simmered some bulgur wheat in vegetable broth, added some seasonings, then sautéed a yellow and red pepper, some mushrooms and an onion, and mixed them all together for a satisfying, though still quite light, dinner. We had it with some baked chicken nuggets as well, but I could very well have gone without the chicken.

Bulgur Wheat with Sautéed Vegetables

1 heaping cup bulgur wheat
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 large yellow bell pepper, diced
1 large red bell pepper, diced
½ red onion, diced
6 medium mushrooms of your choice, sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp granulated garlic
½ tbsp dried basil
salt and pepper

Simmer the bulgur in the broth, uncovered, for about 15 min, mixing occasionally. Add granulated garlic and basil and stir thoroughly, then set aside so bulgur can absorb any remaining liquid.

Sauté the onions and mushrooms in 1 tbsp of the olive oil until onions are softened and starting to turn translucent. Add bell peppers and continue to cook until peppers are crisp-tender. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the bulgur wheat to the pan with the vegetables and toss to combine, breaking up any lumps. Drizzle with remaining olive oil (or alternatively, stir in some butter). Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly. Serve immediately while hot.

hirekatsu / sxc.hu

So I finally picked up an issue of Bon Appetit the other day, curious to see how it would compare to the now defunct Gourmet (sob).  And I was pleasantly surprised to find that there were quite a few in-depth articles similar [...]]]>

hirekatsu / sxc.hu

So I finally picked up an issue of Bon Appetit the other day, curious to see how it would compare to the now defunct Gourmet (sob).  And I was pleasantly surprised to find that there were quite a few in-depth articles similar to what I would expect in Gourmet.  One of them was about buckwheat.

Now, am I the only person here who assumed that buckwheat was just some form of wheat?  Well apparently, buckwheat is a whole other plant, and the “grains” of buckwheat are actually the seeds of the buckwheat plant.  The buckwheat recipes in Bon Appetit led me to do a little research of my own, and it turns out that buckwheat is really good for you.  As in, it’s rich in fiber, minerals, protein and antioxidants.  Oh – and buckwheat is gluten-free.  What’s not to love?

So expect some experimentation with buckwheat in future recipes.  In the meantime, here’s an article I wrote for HealthyTheory.com about the nutritional benefits of buckwheat.

Buckwheat: A Healthier Starch

Please post a comment if you’d like to share a great way to cook buckwheat!