#this was dinner

[tango-mango]

How do you get back into blogging when it seems like you were well on your way into a permanent vacation? The answer is, without apologies, because if I go down that road you’d see a multi-paragraph text filled with good excuses. That said, I’ve missed this space and I hope to post again more often.

The garden is bigger and better than ever this year, and I’m in that spot where I scratch my head before I prepare our meals, trying to figure out how to include as much fresh, organic produce I can squeeze into the menu. 

Last night I made some cheese sauce, which I ladled over crisp-tender zucchini noodles and sweet carrots. It was bliss.

[tango-mango]

Tostadas

Have I made time in my life to cook lately during this whirlwind period of craziness? Yep! Have I taken the time to photograph these easy, fast, creations? Rarely. You’ve gotta draw the line somewhere, and that certainly has taken a hit. Hopefully that will change, starting with this weekend.

But in the meantime, here is a fabulous tostada, one of two that I consumed with gusto the other night.

There’s everything to like about tostadas, starting with the crunch factor. In addition to that flat, crispy corn shell, cold shaved iceberg lettuce is also a contributor. The creamy homemade pinto beans spread on the top of the tortilla sort of act as the “glue” to hold a few layers in place, but then it’s a balancing act. 

Eating tostadas is something you do with your hands. When you finally end up with a plateful of shattered goodies, it’s probably time to get out the fork.

When we have tostadas, I prepare bowlfuls of toppings and then people can just take turns building their own to their own liking. This outstanding tostada was layered with these ingredients in this order:

Crispy, flat tostada shell, warmed in a 375 degree oven for a few minutes

My famous bean dip

Shredded rotisserie chicken (it’s hiding)

Shredded iceberg lettuce

Diced tomatoes

Shredded Monterey jack cheese

Sliced avocados (also sort of hiding)

Sour cream

Paper thin slices of jalapeno peppers

Chopped cilantro

MIA - several kinds of hot sauce to douse on finished tostadas

Also MIA are diced onions, which I always prefer to skip, but are loved by many

How do you make your tostadas?

[tango-mango]

Spicy shrimp sauté

Wait – you thought I might have left this space? Due to other things taking up so much of my time over the past several months, it’s true I’ve been posting less than usual, but I have no plans of leaving tango-mango in the dust. I’m still cooking, lettering more than I have in years, enjoying family, and fleeing off on excursions in and around the Pacific Northwest.

A while ago I signed up for a daily newsletter from The New York Times that is filled with beautiful pictures of food, recipes, and ideas about cooking. I thought that after a while I might drag those emails into my “promotional” file, but I’ve been thoroughly enjoying them!

This easy recipe for Mario Batali’s spicy shrimp sauté was one that was featured a few weeks ago, and I decided to give it a go. It was every bit as scrumptious as it looks. Seriously, I almost licked my bowl clean!

Here’s the recipe as it appears online, but I halved it with great success. I served it with some jasmine rice.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons red curry paste

¼ cup fish sauce

¼ cup sambal

¼ cup sweet chili sauce

2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

3 tablespoons light sesame oil

1 cup sliced scallions

2 tablespoons sweet soy sauce (find prepared at Asian food stores, or see note below for a recipe)

1 (14-ounce) can light coconut milk

1 bunch cilantro, chopped.

Directions:

Combine curry paste, fish sauce, sambal and chili sauce in a medium bowl; add shrimp, tossing to coat. Place a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add oil, and heat till smoking then add the shrimp mixture, and sauté for 2 minutes. Add scallions; cover, and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in sweet soy sauce and coconut milk. Cook for 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated and the shrimp is cooked through. Add cilantro and serve.

Sweet soy sauce: I had never heard of this and didn’t want to run to my favorite Asian grocery store, so I found a recipe to make it. Including this step added more minutes to the prep time, but it was worth it. (From Serious Eats)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup mirin or other sweet rice cooking wine

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon crushed dried red pepper

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon corn starch

1/4 cup finely sliced scallions

Directions:

Heat soy sauce, vinegar, mirin, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, crushed red pepper, and sesame oil in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking until sugar is dissolved. Combine corn starch with 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl and whisk into sauce. Bring to a boil and cook until sauce is slightly reduced and thickened, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool for 5 minutes.

[tango-mango]

This was dinner - homemade cheese enchiladas with sour cream and fresh cilantro, with beans and Texas rice.

[tango-mango]

I have a hard time recycling cooking magazines. I always feel like there's probably a recipe hidden in the pages that I missed. When the stack of magazines gets too high, I take a little time to page through each and pull out anything that looks interesting. It's a liberating feeling to throw what's left in recycling.

My husband set several dozen old magazines onto a table in the family room the other day. (I had squirreled them away in our bedroom.) He said, "Are we saving these for some reason?" The time had come to toss them.

During my quick perusal of each, I found this particular recipe in the January/February 2016 issue of Cuisine at Home. I decided to make it for dinner because it looked tasty, and other than the noodles, I had everything I needed on hand. The recipe calls for "stir-fry noodles" (a vague description), or cooked spaghetti. I knew that if I used fresh yakisoba noodles, it would add the perfect flavor and crunch, so I made a quick trip to my favorite Asian grocery store. 

This dish was not particularly photogenic, but I promise you it was delicious! The lime wedges weren't listed as a garnish in the original recipe, but last night's diners agreed that they were a necessary ingredient.

I see no reason why ground chicken or turkey couldn’t be substituted for the pork - this dish is packed with lots of flavor!

Dan Dan Pork, a recipe from the January/February 2016 issue of Cuisine at Home magazine. Serves 3.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon peanut oil

Stir-fry noodles, or cooked spaghetti (I used fresh yakisoba noodles)

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup dry sherry

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce

2 teaspoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

1 pound ground pork

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

chopped, dry-roasted peanuts

Lime wedges

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the chicken broth, dry sherry, soy sauce and cornstarch. Whisk in the peanut butter, chili garlic sauce, brown sugar and sesame oil. Set aside. 

Frying the noodles is not listed in the magazine’s directions, but this is how I like them. In a large skillet or wok, heat the peanut oil over medium-high heat. Add the noodles and let them fry without stirring  until they become crisp on one side. Turn the noodles and fry again. Once noodles are hot and crispy, break them up with fork or chopstick and drain on paper towels.

Using same wok or large skillet, heat remaining oil. (You can add a little more if needed.) Brown the ground pork, breaking it up as it cooks with back of spoon or spatula. Cook through, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger, and continue to cook one minute longer, until fragrant. Stir in the sauce ingredients and simmer over heat until sauce has thickened. Stir in the chopped cilantro. Serve over noodles and garnish with peanuts and plenty of lime wedges.

[tango-mango]

Price for this dinner? Some seeds, and a lot of love and hard work. Other than a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of kosher salt, we grew those beautiful potatoes, tomatoes, beans, and carrots. As the tomatoes roast, they burst and add an incredible flavor to everything.

This is a one-dish meal, but vegetables take different amounts out of time to cook. I started by lightly coating the carrots, tomatoes, and some small to medium size potatoes (which I quartered) with some olive oil. They went into a 400 degree F oven. After about 10 minutes, I added the beans and continued to roast the vegetables for another 10 minutes or so. These times are approximate and can change depending on the size of your vegetables, and how tender or crisp you want them. My suggestion is to sneak a veggie occasionally and do a taste test. Remove any that are perfectly roasted, and continue to the rest.

The only thing I added to this simple dinner is some homemade bread with butter, and a cold bottle of pinot grigio.

All for now. Happy Saturday!

[tango-mango]

It’s tomato season! We have six plants, and all but two of them have some harvestable size tomatoes ready to pick. We’ve been snacking on sweet Sungolds for the past couple of weeks.

Last night we feasted on apple chutney and Cambozola crostini, crackers with Manchego cheese, toasted garlic bread with Sungold tomatoes, a smattering of red grapes, and icy glasses of Prosecco.

All for now, my friends. Onward and upward.