Thai Fried Rice

 Ingredients

firm tofu

5 cups cooked and cooled jasmine rice

2 carrots - peeled, cut in half lengthwise, then cut into 1/4 “ pieces.  Cook in salted simmering water until almost tender then drain

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 - 1 red chili pepper, sliced in half and seeds and membrane removed.  slit halves into small pieces.

2-3 baby bok choy, cleaned, dried, stems and leaves separated and sliced into thin pieces.

1 tomato, chopped

3-4 scallions, both white and green parts, sliced thinly

sauce:  

2 Tbsp Braggs amino or fish sauce

1 Tbsp garlic chili sauce or sriracha

1 Tbsp oyster sauce

1 Tbsp tamarind paste

2 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp peanut butter

1. Press tofu to get rid of excess moisture.  Cut into cubes, dust all sides with cornstarch, then shallow fry until crispy and brown   Keep warm on a rack in oven
2. Combine all sauce ingredients in bowl and set aside
3. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in non-stick pan.   Add garlic and chilies and stir-fry for 30 sec.  Add bok choy stems and stir fry for 2 min.  Add bok choy leaves and stir fry another 30 sec.
4. Add rice and sauce mix, tomato, carrots,  and chopped scallions.  cook all by scooping up and mixing for several minutes until heated throughout.  Add tofu cubes and mix together thoroughly.  Squeeze 1/2 lime over rice and mix.
   
   Serve with thinly cut cucumbers, chopped cilantro, sliced hot peppers, lime wedges
   

Mixed Vegetable and Farro Soup

 

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 celery ribs, thinly sliced

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 medium leek, white and pale green parts only, cleaned well and thinly sliced

1 cup farro

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 quarts chicken or vegetable broth

One 15-ounce can borlotti (aka cranberry or roman) or pinto beans, drained and rinsed

3 large carrots, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick

1 1/2 cups frozen peas

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons thinly sliced basil

Directions

In an enameled cast-iron casserole or other heavy pot heat the oil.  Add the celery, onion and leek, stir well, cover,  and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 minutes. Add the farro and tomato paste and cook, stirring, until the grains are coated and shiny, 30 seconds. Add 1 quart of the broth and bring to a boil.  Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Add the carrots and the remaining 1 quart of broth. Cover and cook over low heat until the carrots and the farro are tender, another 15+ minutes. Add the peas and beans, cover and cook until warmed, 5 minutes.   Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary, top with the basil and serve crusty bread.

PICKLED RED ONIONS

1 red onion, halved and sliced thin
1 cup distilled white vinegar
⅓ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon Salt

Place onion in medium bowl. Bring vinegar, sugar, and salt to simmer in small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves and the vinegar just comes to a boil. Pour it over the onions and cover loosely. Let onions cool completely, about 30 minutes. 

Fish tacos (Milk Street)

For these tacos, choose a firm, meaty white fish—we liked cod and tilapia. Coating the fish with seasoned cornstarch before frying gave the pieces a delicately crisp crust that contrasted nicely with the tender, flaky interior. To add bright notes and pull all the flavors together, we made a creamy dressing laced with jalapeños, fresh oregano and lime. Offer shredded cabbage, thinly sliced radishes and fresh cilantro as additional fillings.

2 teaspoons grated lime zest, plus 5 tablespoons lime juice, divided

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

3 jalapeño chilies, 2 stemmed and sliced into thin rounds, 1 stemmed, halved and seeded

1/3 cup fresh oregano leaves

6 medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup cornstarch

1 1/2 pounds skinless white fish fillets (see note), cut into 1-by-2-inch strips

4 tablespoons grapeseed or other neutral oil, divided

8 corn tortillas, warmed

PICKLE THE JALAPEÑOS

4 Tbsp lime juice

¼ tsp kosher salt

2 jalapeno chilies, stemmed and sliced into thin rounds

In a small bowl, whisk together 4 tablespoons of the lime juice and ¼ teaspoon salt. Stir in the sliced jalapeños and set aside.

MAKE THE SAUCE

2 tsp grated lime zest, plus 1 Tbsp lime
1 jalapeno chili, stemmed, halved, and seeded
⅓ cup fresh oregano leaves

6 medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

1 tsp kosher salt

½ tsp pepper

¼ cup sour cream

¼ cup mayonnaise

In a food processor, combine the lime zest, the halved jalapeño, the oregano, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Process until the garlic is finely chopped, about 10 seconds. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice and process until smooth, another 20 seconds, scraping the bowl as needed. Transfer to a medium bowl stir in the sour cream and mayonnaise.

COAT THE FISH

⅓ cup cornstarch

2 tsp Kosher salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

1½ lb skinless white fish fillets, cut into 1 X 2 inch strips

In a large bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Add the fish and toss to coat. Set a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet.

COOK THE FISH

4 tsp grapeseed or other neutral oil, divided

In a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil until beginning to smoke. Add half of the fish in a single layer and cook without disturbing until light golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Carefully flip each piece and cook until light golden brown on the second sides, another 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to the prepared wire rack and tent with foil. Repeat with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and remaining fish.

SERVE

Smear some of the sour cream mixture onto one side of each tortilla. Divide the fish among the tortillas and top with pickled jalapeños.

Sicilian Trapanese Pesto (Gemelli With Tomato-Almond Pesto and Croutons)

Makes 4 servings

When we sampled this no-cook tomato sauce while in Sicily, it was made the traditional way, with a large mortar and pestle, but a food processor gets the job done faster and more easily. Topped with crisp, olive oil-infused croutons and toasted almonds, the dish is served warm or at room temperature after the pasta has had a little time to soak in the flavorful sauce. Instead of blanched, slivered almonds, you could also use sliced or whole almonds that have been roughly chopped.

Don’t overprocess the second addition of tomatoes. We pulse the first half to create a juicy sauce, but the rest we pulse only until roughly chopped so that tomato chunks add bursts of bright color and texture.

¾      cup blanched slivered almonds
12      ounces gemelli or other short pasta
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
4        medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
½      cup lightly packed fresh basil, leaves torn if large
2        pints cherry tomatoes, divided
6        tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more to serve
3        ounces crusty white bread, torn into rough ½-inch pieces (about 1¾ cups)

In a 10-inch skillet over medium-high, toast the almonds, stirring frequently, until golden brown and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside; reserve the skillet.

In a large pot, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add the pasta and 2 tablespoons salt, then cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Reserve about ½ cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta.

Meanwhile, in a food processor, process ½ cup of the almonds, the garlic, and 2 teaspoons salt until finely chopped, about 30 seconds. Add the basil and half the tomatoes, then pulse until chopped and well combined, 4 to 6 pulses. Add the remaining tomatoes and 2 tablespoons oil, then pulse just until the whole tomatoes are broken up, about 3 pulses. Transfer to a serving bowl, add the pasta and ¼ cup of the reserved cooking water, then toss. Let stand, tossing once or twice, for 10 to 15 minutes, to allow the pasta to absorb some of the sauce.

While the pasta stands, in the same skillet used to toast the almonds, toss the bread, remaining 4 tablespoons oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook over medium, stirring frequently, until the bread is crisp and golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes.

Scatter the toasted bread and the remaining ¼ cup almonds over the pasta. Drizzle with additional oil and sprinkle with pepper.

Crunchy Tofu Tacos

JOE KIM 

May 2010

Ingredients

• One 14-ounce package extra-firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3 tablespoons chile powder
• 1 tablespoon Siracha
• 1 tablespoon finely grated garlic
• 1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon toasted-sesame oil
• Kosher salt
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 2 cups vegetable oil, for frying
• 12 corn or 5-inch flour tortillas, warmed
• Hoisin sauce, kimchi, Asian pear, scallions and chopped honey-roasted peanuts, for serving

How to Make It

Step 1    

Place the tofu on a rack lined with paper towels and drain for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of the chile powder with the Siracha, garlic, ginger and sesame oil and season with salt. In another large bowl, whisk the cornstarch with the remaining 2 tablespoons of chile powder and 1 tablespoon of salt.

Step 2    

In a medium, deep skillet, heat the oil until it reaches 365°. Add the tofu to the chile sauce and stir gently to coat. Scrape the tofu into the cornstarch mixture and toss to coat. Transfer the coated tofu to a colander to tap out the excess cornstarch. Fry the tofu in one batch, stirring occasionally, until golden and crunchy, 3 to 3 1/2 minutes; maintain the heat near 360°. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the crunchy tofu to a paper towel–lined rack and sprinkle with salt. Serve the tofu right away with the tortillas, hoisin sauce, kimchi, Asian pear, scallions and peanuts.https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/crunchy-tofu-tacos

Mexican Green Rice

A cilantro rice pilaf cooked in chicken stock with poblano chiles, parsley, cilantro, onion, and garlic. Also called Arroz verde.


⦁ Prep time: 10 minutes 
⦁ Cook time: 50 minutes 
⦁ Yield: Serves 6 

Ingredients

⦁ 3 Tbsp olive oil 
⦁ 1 1/2 cups long grain white rice 
⦁ 2 1/4 cups chicken stock (or more depending on your rice*) 
⦁ 1 cup roughly chopped parsley, lightly packed 
⦁ 1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro, lightly packed 
⦁ 2 large poblano chiles, seeded and roughly chopped 
⦁ 2 Tbsp chopped onion 
⦁ 1 garlic clove, peeled, roughly chopped 
⦁ Salt to taste**

*Use the amount of stock that is the liquid requirement of your particular brand of rice. Long grain rice typically ranges from 1 1/2 cups of liquid per cup of rice to 2 cups of liquid per cup of rice.

**If you are using homemade unsalted stock, you will want to add at least half a teaspoon of salt to the stock.

Method

1 Purée parsley, cilantro, chiles, onion, garlic, 1/2 cup of stock: Place the parsley, cilantro, poblanos, onion, garlic, and 1/2 cup of the chicken stock in a food processor. Pulse until smooth.

2 Brown the rice: Heat the oil in a thick-bottomed pot on high heat. Add the rice and stir to coat all of the grains with oil. Spread out in an even layer.  Let the rice lightly brown. When it starts to brown, stir it and spread it out in an even layer again so that more of the rice browns.

3 Stir parsley cilantro mixture into rice: When much of the rice has lightly browned, scrape out the parsley purée from the food processor into the rice. Stir to evenly mix the purée with the rice. Let cook for a minute or two.

4 Add remaining stock, simmer, cover, cook: Add the rest of the chicken stock to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer and cover the pot. Let cook on a very low simmer for 15 minutes, or as long as your package of rice indicates is the right cooking time for your rice.

5 Remove from heat, cover with towel and lid, let sit: After the cooking time indicated on your rice package, remove the pot from heat. Uncover the pot and place a clean terry towel or dish towel over the pot, then re-cover.

The towel will help absorb excess liquid as the rice continues to cook in its own steam. (If you don't have a clean towel, you can skip this step, just cover normally.) Let sit for 20 minutes.

Fluff the rice with a fork and serve.

from Simply Recipes ~ https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/mexican_green_rice/

Recipe inspired by recipe for Arroz Verde in Diana Kennedy's The Essential Cuisines of Mexico.