In grade school, one of my favorite packed lunches was a Potato Salad Sandwich. As a grade-schooler, I assumed that this potato salad was Chinese food because that’s what mom makes, Chinese food. It wasn’t until later that I realized that it didn’t really fit. Then, I started thinking it was just one of the few American dishes my mom knew how to make. She did make spaghetti occasionally too. Over time, I started to find that none of my American friend’s moms made potato salad this way. My friends would stare at my lunch and ask, what is that? That lead to the belief that it was just my mom’s own concoction. She has a lot of those so I thought nothing of it.

It wasn’t until late in high school, where I had a lot more Chinese American friends, that I found friends who’s moms made potato salad in this way. It was only the Chinese American ones. Hmm? A few of my aunts make this potato salad (and did not learn it from my mom) and I’ve seen it at a few Chinese bakeries. I even saw a very similar one on another Chinese American blog, Ga Ga in the Kitchen.  I have not yet unlocked this mystery so maybe you’ll all help me out, but it seems to be some version of potato salad that has spread among the Chinese American population.

I’m not sure of the lineage of this dish, but I do know that it brings me back to childhood. It reminds me of packed lunches, which for me were always great since my mom is a fantastic cook. I love the different textures, some that crunch and some that pop. The potatoes are soft and starchy and the whole thing is creamy. The saltiness of the ham really brings it all together. You can eat it as is or put it between soft white bread for a hearty sandwich. It’s a kid-pleaser. Well, it certainly was for me.

Chinese American Potato Salad
~about 8 cups

• 1 1/4 cup peas (freshly shelled or frozen)
• 3/4 cup diced (1/4″) carrot
• 3 cups diced (3/4″) cooked russet potato
• 2 cups diced (1/4″) ham
• 3 large hard-boiled eggs, chopped
• 1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon honey dijon mustard
• kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

Instructions -

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, set up a bowl of salted ice water on the side.

2. Put peas into boiling water for about 2 minutes, or just until tender but not mushy. Scoop out with strainer and set in ice water immediately. Set aside to drain thoroughly and cool.

3. Bring water back to a boil, making sure you have ice water reset. Cook carrots for about 4 minutes, or until tender. Place in ice water immediately. Drain thoroughly and set aside to cool.

4. Before you assemble, make sure all ingredients are dry and cool. You don’t want excess water and you don’t want the ingredients to be warm.

5. In a large bowl, toss together peas, carrots, potato, ham, egg, mayonnaise, and mustard. Season to taste. Serve as is or in a sandwich.

Storage: Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

One of the questions I often get is, “How do you eat so much and not get super fat?” I don’t know if I have all of the answers but I believe it has to do with 2 main things. One is that I try to stay away from processed foods. I’m pretty sure that something about all those chemicals messes with your body and screws up your metabolism, but I’m not a scientist so take my opinion as is. The second is that I stay very active. I started out as a figure skater and gymnast, and I’ve gone through fazes of yoga, marathon/triathlon training, hip-hop and break-dancing, or just basic gym-going. I also love walking in nice weather. (Sorry, this is starting to sound like a personals ad. I assure you, I am happily married.)

Sometimes my exercise routine gets boring so as soon as I feel less motivated, I just switch to a new activity. I try to find something fresh and exciting that I’ll look forward to every time instead of dread. It should feel like a hobby and not a work-out program. Lately, my thing has been salsa dancing (on 2). I take classes but haven’t had the nerve to go out to a club yet. I love the music, the rhythm, the sexy feel. I think it has even taught me how to better walk in heels. (I’m a flip-flops kind of girl.)

Speaking of salsa (and you should totally come dance with me), I’ve made this Pineapple Salsa several times and I couldn’t believe that I haven’t written about it. I’ve served it with tortilla chips, which is an easy party starter to throw together. I’ve also served it on top of grilled fish, a bright and refreshing touch, extremely versatile and pretty. You just want to be sure you’re using ripe and sweet pineapple.

Pineapple Salsa
~about 2 cups

• 1 1/4 cup (1/4″) diced pineapple (no core)
• 1/2 cup (1/4″) diced seedless cucumber
• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro
• 1/2 jalapeno, seeded and chopped (1/8″ bits)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime juice
• kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions -

Stir all of the ingredients together. Cover and rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. You can store longer and just take it out when you’re ready to serve. Best same day.

Pineapple Bowl

If you want to take the extra steps, it’s fun to serve it in a pineapple bowl. Just cut a pineapple in half. You will be using the bottom half.

Cut around the edge. Cut the inside into pieces to remove. It’s difficult to remove it whole and it’s a meaningless effort because you’re going to chop up the pineapple anyway.

I usually cut around, leaving the core.

After you make the pineapple salsa, you can put it in the pineapple bowl, wrap with plastic wrap, and store till serving. It’s all ready to go when guests come.

]]> http://www.foodmayhem.com/2010/04/pineapple-salsa.html/feed 12 http://www.foodmayhem.com/2010/04/bacon-kimchee-and-6-minute-eggs.html http://www.foodmayhem.com/2010/04/bacon-kimchee-and-6-minute-eggs.html#comments Mon, 19 Apr 2010 12:10:29 +0000 jessica http://www.foodmayhem.com/?p=7713 Finally! We moved, but it’s not all smooth sailing yet. We’re living out of boxes and we don’t have a kitchen yet. While our perfect kitchen is being built (which we will be talking about soon), I’m going to have to get crafty. I do have many plug-in appliances (rice cooker, toaster oven, panini press, waffle maker, microwave, etc.) so we’re still going to have a ball here. I think we’re going to be pleasantly surprised with how much I (or you) can do without a kitchen. (Gulp) Determined to eat well every single day without exceptions, here goes…

I don’t often eat out alone. I don’t have anything against the practice or people who do, but I always want to try as many dishes as I can, so the more the merrier. Between a meeting and salsa class, I had to eat dinner so I reluctantly sat by myself at The Green Table 75 Ninth Avenue, New York, NY 10011 in Chelsea Market. My wonderful waitress found me a seat near a plug so I could do some work on my laptop. As I browsed the menu, the inevitable happened; I wanted at least 6 dishes. I started wishing, if only you were all here eating with me.

As I often do, I relied on my waitress to help narrow the field. When she started describing a burger with kimchee and bacon on it, I was immediately sold. It reminded me of the delicious pork belly and kimchee we had at San & Deul Restaurant, a memory still fresh on my palate.

The combination of kimchee and bacon hits an especially comforting spot for me, perhaps the blend of my taste buds being raised on both American and Asian food. To my relief, it’s also easily achieved. You can cook it together in almost any way you want. In my limited kitchen at the moment, I heated them together on a Forman Grill.

I was going to do a burger, but then decided that I would like it even more with some runny yolk. And there you have it: my new favorite breakfast or brunch. I’ll likely eat it for lunch and dinner too. I’m quite obsessed. The salty fat soaks into the kimchee, which adds that kick and brightens with some acid. Everything is better with a runny egg, natures rich yellow sauce. It’s complete with some fresh toasted bread to sop and carry the flavors to your mouth.

Let’s talk about the eggs, the 6 minute eggs. You may have seen it on Top Chef when Michael Voltaggio made them to showcase some farm fresh local eggs. They’re very soft boiled eggs, where the whites are delicate and just holding together. The yolks are completely running. You can also think of it as an egg poached in it’s shell to hold better shape. For a more in depth and scientific explanation, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt does a great article on Serious Eats. They are my favorite way to have eggs now and all it takes is simmering whole large eggs for 6 minutes (or extra large eggs for 7 minutes). Place them in ice water immediately to stop the cooking, and peel the shells very gingerly.

Bacon, Kimchee, and 6 Minute Eggs
~for one

• 2 large eggs
• 2 slices bacon, each sliced into half the length
• 1/3 cup kimchee
• bread to serve

Instructions -

1. Prepare an ice bath and set aside.

2. Start simmering water. Preheat George Foreman Grill or a cast iron pan on your stove.

3. Add eggs to simmering water and try to maintain at a simmer for 6 minutes (7 minutes for extra large eggs).

4. While eggs are simmering, place bacon on grill or cast iron pan. Cook for 2 minutes.

5. Add the kimchee right on top of the bacon in one layer. (With the Foreman grill, bacon grease will drip out by itself. In a cast iron pan, you will need to pour out excess oil.)

6. When the eggs are done simmering, place in ice bath immediately. Gently crack egg shells, being careful not to bang too hard. The whites are very delicate. Peel off the shells.

7. Serve the 6 minute eggs with the bacon and kimchee. Serve with choice of bread.

This was my first time ever using a slow-cooker. My mom never used one. We never learned about them in culinary school. None of the commercial kitchens I’ve worked in stocked this appliance. I always figured that I didn’t need this extra contraption in my kitchen. Well, now that I’m working on just appliances alone, I jumped at the chance when my mom called and said, “Someone gave me a slow-cooker. Do you want it?” I thought, “N—Yea!” I was going to habitually say no, as I have refused these once or twice before, but now things have changed. You gotta take all the help you can get when you don’t have a kitchen. As patient as you all are, I figured you didn’t want 101 ways to use your toaster oven.

I thought about the point of a slow cooker, and it’s really all about the ease. Most people use one so that they can “set-it and forget-it” in the morning, and come home to a cooked meal. The less steps involved the better. The chopping doesn’t even have to be so even and exact.

I wasn’t expecting my first slow-cooker recipe to come out so well, but I was really impressed with it and now I’m turned on to this long over-looked appliance. The Kielbasa & Beans are a play on the American kids’ classic, Franks and Beans. As easy and rustic as it is, there is also a sense of refinement in this dish. The slow and low cooking allowed the beans to absorb tons of flavor from the kielbasa, but not get totally mushy after half a day. I did not add any additional fat (there is fat in the Kielbasa) so it isn’t greasy, but certainly moist. However, there will be some variance (in flavor and fat) depending on the kielbasa used.

Use this as a hearty side dish, or even a main served over rice.

Kielbasa & Beans
~yields roughly 6 cups

• 2 (15.5.oz) cans red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups diced kielbasa
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1 cup water
• 7 cloves garlic, halved
• 1 rounded tablespoon whole grain mustard

Instructions –

Put all of the ingredients in a slow cooker (mine is 6 QT but as small as 4 QT  should work too) and turn it on at low setting. Set for 6 hours. Serve it warm/hot.

Can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

I’ve been thinking about parsnips and oxtail for a while, flipping from some kind of ravioli, to a mash, to a terrine, and finally deciding on a Parsnip Gnocchi with a Braised Oxtail Sauce.

I present it here as two separate recipes because they are wonderful on their own. You can serve the Braised Oxtail over any pasta or rice. You can serve the parsnip gnocchi with any pasta sauce or just sauteed in butter (which I did for my vegetarian guest). If you have time to do the work, and both recipes are work intensive, I strongly recommend it together – a match made in heaven. Well, at least my heaven. Both recipes can be made ahead, even several days ahead, so I’m keeping this one very handy.

Braised Oxtail
~8 entree or 16 appetizer servings

• 1 tablespoon vegetable or blended oil
• 4.25 lbs oxtails
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 1/4 cup brunoised carrots
• 1 (15oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup Chinese cooking wine
• 1 (2″) cinnamon stick
• 2 (quarter-sized) slices of ginger
• 2 pieces star anise
• chopped chives to garnish, optional

1. Heat oil in a large pot on medium high heat. Brown the oxtails on all sides. (You may have to do it in two batches if the pieces are big.) Remove to a plate.

2. Turn heat down to medium and add onions and carrots. Stir with a wooden spoon as it browns.

3. Add tomato sauce and scrape up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. When it starts bubbling, return oxtails to the pot and add the rest of the ingredients. Bring back to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook covered for 3 hours, or until meat starts falling off the bone.

4. Remove from heat and allow to cool enough to touch. Pull meat off the bone. Discard bones, ginger, cinnamon, and star anise. Serve garnished with chives, if desired.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. (Optional: Save meat and sauce in two separate airtight containers. When the sauce has been chilled, the fat will separate to the top and you can remove it if you want to have less fat. I like the fat though.) This can keep in the fridge for at least 5 days.

I ended up having less parsnips than I had hoped for (and no one was selling any in the Union Square Green Market yesterday). The gnocchi are only mildly parsnip flavored but everyone loved them so much I decided to post this. Next time, I might try to up the parsnip though.

Parsnip Gnocchi
~6 entree or 12 appetizer servings

• 1.5 lbs russet potato, peeled and cut in chunks
• 8 ounces parsnip, peeled and cut in chunks (a little smaller than potato chunks)
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup freshly grated (on big holes on box grater) Parmesan
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon finely ground white pepper
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, + extra for dusting

Instructions -

1. Place potato and parsnip in a medium sized pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered for 15 minutes, or until fork tender. *Make sure the parsnip is tender because sometimes they can be harder in the center.

2. Drain potatoes and parsnips and run through a ricer or mash with a fork. Cool enough to touch. Form a mound with a well in the center inside a large bowl. Add eggs, Parmesan, salt, nutmeg, and pepper to the center well. Mix together gently with your hands.

3. Sprinkle 1 cup of flour on top. Mix in with your hands, trying to fold and not knead. Sprinkle the remaining cup of flour on in 4 separate additions, mixing in and trying not to knead.

4. Check if dough is ready: If dough is ready you will be able to roll into a long snake (1/2″ to 3/4″ diameter) on a floured board. If it’s too sticky, add more flour. If it’s too dry, add a little bit of beaten egg until you get the right consistency.

5. Using a handful of dough at a time, roll into a snake on a floured surface. Cut into 1/2″ to 3/4″ segments. Sprinkle with flour so they don’t stick. Place finished gnocchi on a sheet pan covered with a sheet of parchment paper and well floured. Repeat until you use up all the dough.

6. If you’re not cooking the gnocchi with the next hour, wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze until use. (This will last for a month in the freezer in an airtight container.) To cook it, bring salted water to a boil. Place gnocchi in the water and cook until it floats to the top. If it’s fresh, give it another minute. If it’s frozen, cook it another 90 seconds. Drain and serve with desired sauce.

The key to fried rice is to fry up the eggs first (described in recipe) and remove it from the wok. If you added the egg on to something else, the egg would coat it and you’d get an omelet of sort, not fried rice. Many of the other ingredients should be sauteed separately as well. When in doubt, just saute each ingredient separately and then put it all back together. It seems like a lot of bowls and steps, but it’s really very easy.

The flavors in this fried rice are bright and festive. Crab, pineapple, Chinese sausage, with a hint of curry, on a backdrop of ginger, garlic, and scallion is complex but so balanced. Salty, sweet, and tangy, seem to enhance the crab flavor which is still the centerpiece. I love it! Maybe you’ll make it for Chinese New Year? It’s coming up…

Fancy Crab Fried Rice
~2 one-bowl meals or 4 sides

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/4 teaspoon agave (or 1/2 teaspoon sugar)
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/3 cup chopped Chinese sausage
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped ginger
• 2/3 cup cooked crab meat
• 2 1/2 cups left-over cooked rice
• 1/2 cup chopped pineapple
• salt and white pepper to taste

Instructions -

1. Stir together soy sauce, curry powder, and agave in a small bowl. Set aside.

2. Heat oil in a wok, on medium high heat, swirling it to coat the wok. Add eggs and stir as it cooks in seconds. Remove to a bowl, leaving any excess oil in the wok, and set aside.

3. Add sausage to the wok and toss. When the sausage has softened, remove to a bowl and set aside.

4. Add scallion, garlic, and ginger, with a sprinkle of salt. Toss for 1 minute. Add crab meat and toss just until warmed. Remove the contents of the wok into the bowl with the sausage. Set aside.

5. If the wok is dry you can add 1 teaspoon oil and swirl. Add rice and break up any lumps. Stir for 2 minutes. Add pineapple and stir for 1 minute or until rice has softened. Add soy sauce/curry mixture and toss. Add the egg, sausage, crab, scallion, ginger, and garlic back in and toss until well distributed.

6. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. (I only added pepper because the soy sauce was enough for me.) Serve immediately.

Being Chinese-American does influence a lot of who I am, including my taste and cooking. I have a well-stocked pantry of both Chinese and Western ingredients, and often I like to play with the blending of the two.

When some of my cousins stayed with us, we decided to try these alternative scrambled eggs on them. It’s inspired by the Gordon Ramsay technique for making scrambled eggs, but flavored with some Asian accents. Chinese pork sausage and fried shallots can be purchased at any Chinese supermarket. You can also make your own fried shallots.

I will be serving this to guests again!

ABC Scrambled Eggs
~4 servings

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces and divided
• 1/3 cup chopped scallion
• 3/4 cup sliced Chinese pork sausage
• 8 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
• fried shallots to garnish
• sriracha to serve (optional)
• toast to serve (optional)

Instructions -

1. Heat 1/2 tablespoon butter in a small non-stick pan. Saute scallions until softened. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. Steam sausage until warmed and tender, about 3 minutes. Set aside covered.

3. Crack eggs into a medium sized pot (cold). Break the yolks. Add sour cream, remaining 3 1/2 tablespoons butter and sesame oil.

4. Bring it over medium-low heat and stir with a rubber spatula constantly and quickly. You can move it on and off the flame to control heat as it thickens. When almost to desired consistency, remove from heat, season with some salt and add reserved scallions.

5. Divide into 4 serving, plate and top with Chinese pork sausage and fried shallots. Serve with sriracha and toast if desired. Eat immediately.

Whether you’re right up there with Lon, or even more reserved than me, you might want to tred lightly when introducing someone new to lamb. Lamb has a distinct flavor that some love and some hate, but it can be strong and shocking for a first timer. When I made this red sauce with lamb, my immediate thoughts were: This lamb sauce (on pasta) is a great introduction for a lamb virgin. Everyone loves pasta with red sauces. Tomato is familiar, being a childhood favorite for most, and pasta is like getting into your comfy old PJ’s. The lamb meat is braised until it falls apart and the shreds of meat just add a nice alternative flavor to your standard beef meat sauce. Please don’t forget the star anise here. I think it makes worlds of a difference and rounds out the flavor and aroma so perfectly.

This is also a great recipe for your first time cooking lamb. While lamb chops need to be cooked perfectly medium rare, the shanks are braised until the meat is so tender and comes right off the bone. The timing and technique doesn’t need to be exact and it’s really hard to mess up.

Lamb Sauce
~10 servings

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 lamb shanks (1 lb each)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1/3 cup sweet sherry
• 1 (35 oz) can peeled plum tomatoes
• 1 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 3 star anise
• pasta to serve

Instructions -

1. Heat oil in a large pot and brown shanks on all sides. Remove to a plate and cover with aluminum foil.

2. Add onions and celery to the pot, to soften. Stir around for a few minutes. Stir in sherry, until it evaporates. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, garlic, and star anise. Bring to a boil. Return lamb to the pot, reduce to a simmer and cook covered for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

3. Remove lamb to a plate and pull off meat. Shred with a fork and return lamb meat to the pot.

4. Simmer for another 15 minutes, or until thickened to desired consistency. Serve with pasta of choice. ( Here, it is served with Egg Fettuccine.)

Store left-overs in an airtight container in the fridge. Re-heat sauce on the stove-top or microwave for quick and easy meals all week long.

Holidays aside, one of the reasons I make this recipe so often is because it’s one that travels well. Just keep the dressing separately and dress right before you serve it. The other major advantage, which I appreciate even more these days (with my brother’s vegetarian girlfriend and a Kosher sister-in-law), is the ability to serve a meat version and a no-meat version. I just keep the meat in a separate container and allow the meat-eaters to add meat to theirs, while the vegetarians love this dish just as much, without the meat.

Chicken or Turkey Pasta Salad

Dressing:

• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup light olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Pasta Salad:

• 1 box (1 lb) dry pasta (any shape)
• 3 cups shredded chicken or turkey
• 2 large cucumbers, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/2 cup chopped scallion
• 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

Instructions:

1. Whisk all of the dressing ingredients together and set aside. (I usually do this the night before just to get it out of the way.)
2. Cook pasta as instructed on the box. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
3. Toss together pasta, chicken or turkey (is using), cucumber, cilantro, scallion, and sesame seeds. Dress and toss. Serve immediately.

*If you are making it ahead of time or packing to bring, it can all be done a day ahead. Just don’t combine them until you’re ready to serve it.

]]> http://www.foodmayhem.com/2009/11/chicken-or-turkey-pasta-salad.html/feed 14 http://www.foodmayhem.com/2009/11/hasselback-yams.html http://www.foodmayhem.com/2009/11/hasselback-yams.html#comments Thu, 26 Nov 2009 01:24:40 +0000 jessica http://www.foodmayhem.com/?p=6723 Are you a procrastinator? If you’re reading food blogs the night before Thanksgiving, good chances you are. Or perhaps, you do what I do, which is make a plan weeks in advance, only to start second guessing myself right before I start cooking, or even in the midst of cooking. Ugh, it’s a serious problem.

I already plotted out the Roasted Butternut Squash with Pears and Cranberries, the Pumpkin Lasagna, and the Cloud Topped Pumpkin Loaf. Don’t forget some of last year’s favorites like Bacon, Beets, and Brussels Sprouts, and the Upside Down Cranberry Pumpkin Cake. But after seeing so many wonderfully enticing pictures of Hasselback potatoes all-over the blogosphere (on Things We Make, Sea Salt with Food, Craving Comfort, and Almost Bourdian), I wanted those too.

This Swedish method of slicing and roasting potatoes is so easy that you could easily throw this in last minute. I chose yams (Japanese yams) which my brother loved, calling them cool looking yam fries because they crisp up at the edges while the inside remains tender. The salty flakes of salt bring out the contrasting sweetness inside, so I say yams win. Plus, I like the contrasting colors, but you can do this with potatoes for sure, the original, but I think sweet potatoes are too high in water content and won’t hold up as well.

You really don’t need a recipe for this, but I wrote one for those who find comfort in exact measurements. Feel free to eye-ball it and add a sprinkling of herbs.

Hasselback Yams
~approximately 9 small side servings

• 3 yams
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon butter, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions -

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2. Place chopsticks on either side of the yam. Slice yams thinly, without cutting all the way down (the chopsticks helps prevent cutting through). Repeat with all the yams.

3. Tuck garlic and butter slices into the yams, in the slits.

4. Place them on a aluminum foil covered baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

5. Bake for 40 minutes, or until tender on the inside.