Chinese New Year

Each Chinese New Year, we set out the obligatory citrus fruit bowl to welcome the new year. It's filled with Chinese grapefruit, oranges, tangerines and the like.

We enjoyed dinner with family and friends and it included a little bit of "everything" such as roast duck, roast pork, bbq pork, chicken, steamed veggies and rice. We made pork and shrimp spring rolls using bean curd sheets which yield a light crispy exterior reminiscent of phyllo. The spring roll filling is made of chopped pork and shrimp, bamboo shoots strips seasoned with oyster sauce and sesame oil. At one end of the diamond of the bean curd sheet, roll a small handful of the pork-shrimp filling, folding the sides in as you approach the other end of the diamond and seal with egg wash. Heat canola oil in a deep pan until hot but not smoking. Deep fry for a few minutes until golden brown.

Vegetable Korma

I tried a Korma sauce from Seeds of Change Foods, which was quite tasty but it won't keep me from going to my favorite local Indian place (Moksha) to enjoy their wonderful Vegetable Korma dish.

This was an easy way for me to duplicate Vegetable Korma at home. I sauteed some chopped onion in olive oil until translucent and then added 2 cups of chopped cauliflower and 1 large carrot diced. I sauteed for a minute and added the jar of Korma sauce along with 1/2 jar of water to dilute the sauce a bit since it was quite thick. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Then add 1 can of chick peas drained and a small bag of frozen petite peas; cover and cook until hot (about 5-10 minutes). Serve over hot Basmati rice and a side of Indian bread (naan or fried plain puppodums from Tiger Tiger).

Beef Tenderloin with a Mushroom Cognac Sauce

One family night after the holidays, I served beef tenderloin medallions with a mushroom cognac sauce. My mother loves mushrooms and we had cognac on hand. I consulted my copy of Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking for inspiration and technique. Thanks to the recent movie Julia and Julie, there's a renewed interest in the alumna of my alma mater.

Beef Tenderloin Medallions with a Mushroom Cognac Sauce

1 3-5 lbs. beef tenderloin, sliced into 2"-3" thick pieces

magic salt*

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 pkg. sliced mushrooms

1 can beef consomme

1/3 c. cognac

1 c. heavy cream

dash of nutmeg

chopped parsley

*My boys call the Chinese seasoned salt, magic salt, because it's magical how it makes everything taste better! This salt is prepared in a skillet over medium-high heat and infused with 5 spice powder. Heat for a while until the seasoned salt becomes fragrant, stirring often. Let cool and store in a jar with star anise.

Preheat oven 400F. Place a 9"x13" pan in the oven and heat for 10 minutes.

Using the magic salt, season each beef medallion. Set aside. Over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil in your dutch oven for a minute. Add the beef tenderloin medallions, avoid crowding, and brown all sides for 1-2 minutes. Set aside in a hot 9"x13" pan. Place the pan in the 400F oven and roast the beef medallions for 10 minutes for medium. Remove from oven when done.

Lower the heat to low-to-medium heat, add the onion and garlic to the dutch oven and cook until the onion is transparent and slightly carmelized. Add the mushrooms and cook several minutes until soft. De-glaze with a can of the beef consomme, scraping the small bits of beef and bring to a gentle boil. Add the cognac and stir for a minute, which releases the alcohol. Add the heavy cream and nutmeg; lower the heat if necessary to cook the sauce gently. Reduce until slightly thickened. Pour the sauce over the beef medallions and sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley.

Serve with your choice of starch. Rice pilaf is a favorite in our household.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

We've basically gone through our leftovers from Christmas by now. We were ready for something different for dinner tonight so Spaghetti and Meatballs it was! I've leaned toward making a Bolognese style sauce lately because it readily appeals to kiddie palates.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 can (28 oz.) tomato puree*

1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste*

2 T. brown sugar

1/2 c. chicken broth

1 c. milk

1/4 t. nutmeg

1/4 c. red wine

1 T. Penzey's Spices Pasta Sprinkle

1 pkg. (20 oz. or so) pre-made frozen meatballs

*Substitution: 1 jar of store bought spagetti sauce.

In a dutch oven (I use Le Creuset) over medium heat, add the olive oil and heat for a minute. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 5 minutes until lightly brown. Next add the tomato puree, tomato paste, brown sugar and chicken broth. Heat for a few minutes, stirring gently. Follow with the milk, nutmeg, red wine (I used Merlot tonight) and Penzey's Spices Pasta Sprinkle, stir well. Finally, add the meatballs and heat over low-to-medium heat for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over hot thin spaghetti (my boys' favorite).

Quick Cheesy Garlic Bread

1 small loaf of Italian bread, sliced in half length-wise

mayonnaise

spreadable butter

garlic powder

grated Parmesan/Romano cheese mix

Penzey's Spices Old World Seasoning

Spread a layer of mayonnaise and spreadable butter onto each length of Italian bread; score the bread into smaller pieces for easy tearing. Generously dust the bread with garlic powder and grated Parmesan/Romano cheese mix and sprinkle a bit of Penzey's Spices Old World Seasoning. Bake in a 350F oven for 10-12 minutes until lightly golden brown.

We served a Caesar salad with dinner using torn hearts of Romaine lettuce, Naturally Fresh Caesar Dressing and a sprinkling of grated Parmesan/Romano cheese mix and croutons. Finish with freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Christmas Fried Rice

Well, what do you do with all of the leftovers from La Noche Buena and Christmas Day? At our house, we make fried rice (see my recent post for the method). We had lechon asado (Cuban style roast pork) leftover from Christmas Eve and Honey Baked Ham from Christmas Day so that's what we added to our fried rice tonight! Tasty with a side of maduros (fried sweet plantains) too!



Honorable Mention

We finished off our Christmas Day dinner with gorgeous and absolutely delicious cupcakes from Cami Cakes.

Ropa Vieja "Old Clothes"

Tonight we had Ropa Vieja for dinner, which my boys just LOVE! I'd call it a tomato-based pot roast that's shredded at the end of the cooking process.

Ropa Vieja

3-4 lbs. boneless chuck roast

1-2 T. extra virgin olive oil, Spanish style

1 c. sofrito (see below)

1 can chicken broth

1/4 c. red wine

1 tsp. cumin

1-2 bay leaves

salt and pepper to taste

In a large dutch oven over medium-high heat, brown the chuck roast in the extra virgin olive oil. Add the sofrito, chicken broth, red wine, cumin and bay leaf(ves), stirring well. Bake in a 350F oven for several hours until the meat is tender. Take 2 forks and shred the meat. Serve over hot steamed rice.

Sofrito

It's easiest to make a big batch of sofrito and then freeze it in ziploc baggies containing about 1 cup of the mixture.

2 T. extra virgin olive oil, Spanish style

2 onions, peeled and skinned, chopped

4 garlic cloves, peeled and skinned, minced

4 medium green peppers, chopped

8 tomatoes with skins removed, coarsely chopped

In a large dutch oven over medium-high heat, saute the chopped onions and minced garlic cloves in the extra virgin olive oil until the onion is soft and tender. Add the green peppers and saute for 3-4 minutes. Finally, add the chopped tomatoes and cook over low to medium heat for 20-30 minutes to reduce the mixture a bit. Cool before bagging and freezing.

Fried Rice

One of my favorite one skillet dishes is fried rice. Use your leftover rice and add a little meat, veggies and scrambled eggs -- whatever's leftover in the fridge. We used Chinese sausage, shrimp, ham and green onions in this version. The key is to fry your rice in a bit of vegetable oil over medium-high heat stirring and tossing frequently to remove as much moisture as possible; just keeping frying until the grains of rice become loose and separate. Add soy sauce to achieve the desired color of light golden brown, stirring well and then add your meat, veggies and scrambled eggs. Finish with a drizzle of sesame oil; we use the Kadoya brand in our home.

Lately, my son loves and asks for the Pineapple Fried Rice from our favorite Thai place, Thai Emerald, so I've been sprinkling some Madras Curry Powder into our fried rice, along with some pineapple tidbits and cashews, and doing my own version of Pineapple Fried Rice at home.