recipes from the motherland

(it's me, i'm your mom now) do you like reading through someone's life story just to get to a recipe? me neither. i hope to show you that cooking can be really easy and fun. enjoy!

[nessarolla-in-constant-flux]

Domee’s Mom’s Super Delicious Recipe for Bao!

http://time.com/5312600/pixar-bao-recipe/ 

Here’s the recipe so you can make your own delicious Bao!

[rootbeergoddess]

I’m going to save this because I really want to try baozi

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french onion soup

onions, lots of them (i like sweet onions, but that’s just a preference) butter worcestershire sauce beef stock red wine black pepper french bread gruyere or swiss cheese

chop the onions in however way you wish, except maybe dicing them. in a large pot, melt butter and sautee the onions until they are translucent, maybe 20 minutes. shake in about a tablespoon of worcestershire sauce. pour in enough beef stock to almost cover the onions, and then cover the rest with the red wine. grind in some fresh black pepper. stir and cover, bringing down to a simmer for 2 or more hours.

once your kitchen smells like a french bistro, check on your onions. they should have soaked in the color of the broth. taste for balance. add more stock, wine, or pepper as necessary.

serve in a bowl with a chunk of french bread on the side (or submerged in the soup!) and a thick layer of cheese on top. if you want to go all out, torch that cheese (or if you’re using oven safe bowls, pop them under your broiler - with a pan underneath to catch the drippings!)

[cooking-with-kat]

butternut squash soup

butternut squashes veggie or chicken stock salt & pepper creme fraiche or sour cream (to top) spices to taste (see note below)

heat your oven to 350F. while it’s preheating, cut off the stems of your butternut squash, cut the squashes in half and scoop out the seeds. peel the outside and coat the whole thing in a thin layer of oil, not forgetting the inner cavity. place cavity side down on a baking sheet and bake for an hour or until able to poke through easily with a fork. 

shop the squash into large pieces and put into a large pot. pour in your stock until it comes up to about half of the squash pieces. add in salt and pepper and whatever other herbs/spices you wish at this point. use an immersion blender and blend until smooth. taste for seasoning and add any extra that you’re missing. if it’s looking too thick, add more stock and blend. it’s better to be too thick and correct that, rather than too thin and needing more squash.

serve in a shallow bowl and top with creme fraiche or sour cream and any extra chopped herbs you have for color. try a swirl of olive oil on top for a pretty presentation.

note: this recipe is incredibly forgiving. you can basically use whatever spices you want for a different flavor profile. try adding sage and rosemary for a lovely and calming flavor, or curry powder and ginger for something more warming. 

you can also cut the squash with any starchy or root veggie like potatoes, carrots, etc. i used apples once and it turned out tangy and delicious. experiment for yourself and see what works! try to aim for a 2:1 squash to filler veggie ratio.

[cooking-with-kat]

crab cakes

container of lump crab meat panko breadcrumbs egg mayo old bay seasoning

set your oven to 375F. dump out the lump crab meat and feel around for any shells. it’s inevitable that you will get shell in your crab cakes, but you might as well try to fish some out while you’re here. try to keep the lump crab intact as much as possible.

in the same bowl, crack your egg, sprinkle a cup or so of breadcrumbs, a few spoonfuls of mayo, and a few spoonfuls of old bay. get your hands in there again and mush around to combine. take out any shell material you find. you want the consistency to be such that every lump is coated in mayo, old bay, and egg, but so that there is a good airy-ness with the breadcrumbs added. add in more panko or mayo as you see fit.

shape into tennis ball sized portions and put on a nonstick baking sheet. sprinkle more old bay on top. bake for 30 minutes. alternatively, bake for 15 minutes, then flip over and bake for 15 minutes more. i like my crab cakes high and mighty, so i prefer baking them on one side only, but you may like them flat, so it’s your call!

serve with more old bay, tartar sauce, and cocktail sauce.

[cooking-with-kat]

braised chicken with balsamic sauce

chicken thighs, skin on, bone-in or out shallots or medium onion fresh garlic balsamic vinegar dijon mustard white cooking wine

dice your shallots or onion, peel and smash your garlic with the side of your knife. set your oven to 350F. heat a heavy pan (like a cast iron) to high heat with a little oil in it - not too much, the chicken will release lots of oils as it’s cooking. be sure your oil has a high smoke point, try grapeseed or corn. pat the chicken thighs down with paper towels to get rid of excess moisture - this helps brown the skin and keep the oil from spattering! when your pan is hot, put the thighs in skin side down. if there is an immediate crackle, you’re doing a great job! if you don’t hear anything, take them out, pat them dry again, and wait for a little longer. when your chicken is happy and crackling away, leave them be! don’t touch them!

after five minutes, lift up a corner of one of the thighs with some tongs. if it’s nice and browned and crispy, give ‘em a flip! give the other side a few minutes to cook, then take them all out of the pan and set them aside.

turn down the heat to medium-low and let the pan cool a bit. put in your onion or shallots, and the fresh garlic. let those brown a bit, then add in balsamic vinegar so it just covers the garlic and onions. add in a spoonful of mustard and a bit of white wine, then let simmer for a bit uncovered. put the chicken thighs back in skin side up this time, put a lid on, and put into the oven for 30-40 minutes!

serve with rice or mashed potatoes and a hearty green item. i think shredded kale would go great mixed in with the balsamic/shallot/garlic mixture, and with the chicken placed on top.

[cooking-with-kat]

apple sauce

apples peeled, cored, and sliced water sugar maple syrup cinnamon

put your apple slices into a medium sized saucepan. pour in water until it reaches just under halfway up through the slices. add a few second pour of maple syrup, and a fourth cup of white sugar. shake in cinnamon. bring to a boil, stir, and bring down to a simmer. simmer for 15 - 20 minutes or until the apples are soft, but still hold their form.

the resulting batch will look nothing like apple sauce, but don’t fret! it’s going to look really watery, and the apples will still have their white color. let the sauce cool down and put it and the apples into a bowl. take a potato masher or a fork and mash the apples into your desired consistency. it should begin to look like apple sauce almost immediately. let cool completely, and put it into the fridge.

the original proportions i saw with my reference recipe were: 4 apples, 3/4 cup water, 1/4 cup sugar, and a few teaspoons of cinnamon. i used way more apples, so i just increased the proportions and added maple syrup for color and taste. you may want to try this out a few times if you’re uncomfortable with messing around with sugar amounts. 

[cooking-with-kat]

you’re gonna want to go apple picking for my next recipe!

[cooking-with-kat]

french toast

sliced bread two eggs milk sugar cinnamon vanilla extract almond extract butter

in a flat dish with raised edges, pour a spoonful of sugar and crack two eggs. scramble the eggs and sugar with a fork. pour in a little more milk than there are eggs/sugar, a splash of vanilla and almond extract, and a thin layer of cinnamon. whisk together.

heat up a pat of butter in a pan on medium-low. put a piece of bread into the egg mixture and allow to soak in on both sides. place it into the pan and brown on both sides. put more butter in the pan as needed.

using two eggs in this recipe should make about 4 slices of toast. double that for 8 slices and so on. serve with maple syrup.

[cooking-with-kat]

sry i haven’t been very active on here! what’s your favorite spice to cook with?

[cooking-with-kat]

i used kale and some lentils as well as a small hot green pepper in my curry last night and hoo boy was it tasty.

[cooking-with-kat]

chicken mole enchiladas

chicken tenderloins ground cumin ground coriander garlic powder chili powder paprika salt pepper corn oil

goya mole concentrate

tortillas shredded cheese avocado sour cream rice beans

put all of your tenders in a large ziplock bag. pour in enough corn oil to cover. add in a good amount of your spices, again, enough to cover. seal tight and squish around to cover every piece of chicken in your marinade. let refrigerate for a few hours, up to half a day. 

an hour and a half before you want to eat, start heating your oven to 375F. start prepping your mole sauce. the recipe on the back of the container is really vague, so start with less water than you think. once it’s started boiling and bubbling, stir it and see if you need to add more water. i like my sauce to feel velvety, so when you take a spoonful and pour it back into the pan it doesn’t splatter like water, but isn’t too thick.

while the mole sauce is going, take out your chicken. put the pieces into a large pan so they all have contact with the bottom, and pour the remainder of the marinade on top to cover. turn the heat on to medium-low and cover the pan with a lid. turn the pieces over every few minutes as they cook. cook the chicken until it flakes apart easily when pressed with your tongs. that’s a good indicator that it’s done in the middle, but always check to make sure it’s not still pink.

take out the chicken pieces as they finish cooking and put them in a large bowl. if you notice any rubbery bits, peel them off the chicken. they don’t shred well. when all of your chicken is done, pour a few spoonfuls of the pan oil into the bowl. this will help the shredding process.

take two forks and shred that chicken! the best method is to take one fork, hold a piece of chicken in place, and take the other fork and shred it from one end to the other. remove any not-meat bits as they are separated.

once everything is shredded, add a few spoonfuls of the mole sauce into the chicken, just to lightly cover. stir in a handful of shredded cheese. eat a few bites because this stuff is heavenly.

spread a layer of mole sauce on the bottom of a casserole dish. fill your tortillas with the chicken mixture, roll them up, and put them into the dish. be strategic! the more enchiladas you can fit in the more enchiladas you’ll have to eat. ;)

pour enough of the mole sauce to just the top edges of the tortillas - see the top picture. cover in a heavy layer of shredded cheese. put in your preheated oven for about 30 minutes.

while you’re waiting for that to heat up, start your beans and rice. i love goya’s yellow rice, it’s perfectly seasoned and tastes incredible. often i’ll just use a good refried bean from a can, but if you want to go nuts with your beans, by all means. sautee some onion slices and some diced jalepenos in a saucepan. once those are beginning to caramelize, add in some cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper, and some minced garlic, then add in some canned black and/or pinto beans.

everything should come together within 30 minutes. give your enchiladas a check-on to see if the cheese has melted and browned. once everything is done, serve up with some rice, some beans, a sliced avocado, and some sour cream. top with extra sauce and cheese.

[cooking-with-kat]

old bay shrimp boil

shrimp, fresh and in shells salt old bay spice beer - lager, cheap beer works well for both taste and ambiance lemons, halved onions, quartered potatoes, halved corn, cut in three pieces

in a large pot, bring 4 quarts of water, a 12oz can of beer, a heavy dose of old bay, lemons, and some salt. once boiling, add in potatoes and onions. cook on high for 12 minutes. add corn and cook for 7 more minutes. add shrimp and cook for 4 more minutes.

drain off the liquid and douse in extra old bay. serve with a dipping plate of old bay, butter for the corn and potatoes, and lots and lots of napkins. eat with your hands.

best served in the summer poured out onto an outside table covered with a few layers of butchers paper. even better among friends and lots of beer in a cooler.

i highly recommend trying to find dead rise old bay summer ale by flying dog brewery to pair with this meal. if you’re on the east coast, see if you can get your local liquor store to order it for you.

[cooking-with-kat]

salsa

tomatoes tomatillos jalepeno cilantro garlic onion lime salt pepper ground cumin ground coriander

chop all your veg. depending on how chunky you like your salsa, go for a finer or chunkier chop. juice your limes. put everything in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. cook until all your flavors are incorporated. cool and refrigerate. 

you can also blend the salsa together if you don’t want any big chunks. just don’t blend too much otherwise you’ll lose all the texture.

[cooking-with-kat]

made breakfast tacos with home made salsa this morning! my salsa recipe will be out today!

[cooking-with-kat]

steak salad and yummy salad dressing

flank steak lawry’s seasoning salt

lettuce tomatoes avocados feta or some other bold, dry cheese

1/2 cup ketchup 1/4 cup vinegar 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1/2 cup sugar splash lemon juice 1/2 cup dehydrated chopped onion 1 teaspoon paprika

if possible, one day before serving prepare your salad dressing. pour everything into a jar. put a lid on the jar and shake it up. let sit in the fridge overnight. you can still make this the day of serving your salad, but be sure to make it before anything else. letting it sit allows the flavors to mix together.

prep your salad. wash and chop lettuce and tomato. crumble feta. slice avocado.

bring your flank steak to room temperature. pat it dry, and heavily season all sides with seasoning salt. bring a cast iron pan up to a medium-high temperature, add a dollop of high-heat oil (vegetable or canola) and sear your steak to your preferred done-ness. take it off the heat and let it rest on a plate for 5-10 minutes.

slice thin, against the grain - see which way the muscle fibers are going and slice perpendicular to them. this makes the steak bits less chewy, as you won’t be gnawing on long fibers when you eat. if it’s not done enough for you, cook for a minute or two longer on your skillet. 

serve over your salad with the dressing and enjoy! this is the perfect meal for a summer night on your porch. :)

[cooking-with-kat]

shrimp scampi

shrimp (fresh or frozen) butter lemon-infused oil (optional) garlic lemon juice (fresh or bottled) chardonnay or vermouth parmesan parsley pepper

this comes together super quick, so have rice or pasta and green items nearly done before you start.

in a skillet, melt butter with some lemon oil (if you don’t have any, omit the oil and double the butter). once melted together, add in garlic and let brown slightly. add in lemon juice and your alcohol. grind in some pepper and parmesan, let simmer. if you’re using dried parsley, add all you want to use now. if you’re using fresh, add half in now, safe half for later. add in shrimps once everything is combined. cook until orange and curled up. add in remainder of parsley, if you’re using fresh.

serve over your starch with a healthy spoon of sauce on top. add more grated parm to your liking.

if you want to go super fancy, use langostinos if you can find them. they’re a little more expensive than shrimp, and will often be found frozen in a whole foods-type store.

shrimp scampi with rice and steamed brussels sprouts

langostino scampi with trader joes gluten free pasta and salad

[cooking-with-kat]

meatloaf

2lb ground meat panko (japanese breadcrumbs) egg milk salt pepper dehydrated chopped onion minced garlic parsley oregano basil rosemary ketchup

preheat your oven to 350F. in a large bowl, add your ground meat. add in about 1 cup of panko, your egg, and two splashes of milk - mix with your hands to combine. (if you’re squeamish about touching meat, use some disposable gloves! no latex!) add in your spices and combine to get a good feel for the mixture. you’re looking to get enough panko to separate the meat a bit, but not too much that it’s only breadcrumbs. add more panko if necessary - you want to feel some crunchy bits in the mixture, but not too many. too little panko will result in a tough meatloaf, too much will be too bready.

lightly grease a 9x5 loaf pan and pour in your meatloaf mixture. bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the inside reads the correct temperature for the meat you’re using (165F for poultry, 160F for beef or pork). 

serve with mashed potatoes and a green item, and a healthy dose of ketchup on top!

any leftovers will make the best sandwich you will ever have. fry up 1/2 inch slices of meatloaf until browned and put on bread with ketchup, mayo, lettuce, tomato, and onion.

this is one of those recipes you have to perfect on your own using your touch and intuition. it took me a while to figure out how much panko was good, and what proportion of things to use. don’t be afraid to experiment!