Bacalao, pronounced [bah-kah-LAH-oh] is Portuguese dried, salted cod fish. Before refrigeration, fish was dried and preserved in salt to keep in the cellar. There are hundreds of variations of bacalao recipes, but my favorite has always been Bacalao con Patatas (bacalao with potatoes) – however I don’t make it much at home because traditional recipes require too many steps and forethought for my bad habits (impatience and spontaneity).

After spying a bag of bacalao at my local market, I decided to create a recipe that that would cut out a major tedious step. Unfortunately, I couldn’t nix the “forethought” part – as bacalao needs to be soaked overnight in water to get rid of some of its salt. It’s a step that can’t be skipped (boo) and there really isn’t a good shortcut.

The “major tedious step” I’m talking about is boiling the potatoes first before adding it to the dish. Okay, so I’m being dramatic, but bringing a large pot of water to boil (and of course, staring at the darn thing waiting for the first bubbles) and then cooking the potatoes until tender is crazy boring and requires another pot on the stove.

Instead, dice the potatoes into 1/2″ dice, briefly brown them in the saute pan along with the rest of the vegetables. Then add the bacalao, a cup of water, cover and let ‘em all simmer quietly and harmoniously for 15 minutes, just enough time to cook the potatoes through. 

Serve over pasta, rice, quinoa….or enjoy with a loaf of bread.

Salt Cod (Bacalao) with Potatoes over Rice  

Step 1: soak the bacalao overnight in cool water. This is a step you cannot skip….the fish will be way to salty.  

The fresh ingredients – bell pepper, garlic, onion, tomatoes, salt cod (bacalao), celery and potatoes. All the veg are diced small – quicker cooking! 

First, brown the potatoes in the saute pan.

Then saute the aromatics – garlic, onion, bell pepper, celery.

and add the rest of the ingredients in:

Including the de-salted (and drained) bacalao. 

Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Serve over rice, pasta, quinoa…or enjoy with a loaf of bread.

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2012. | Permalink | 13 comments

A few weeks ago, I got an email from a reader named Gabriela (love that name) asking for more recipes involving miso paste. Gabriela had made my 10 Minute Miso Soup recipe 4 months ago and still had this massive tub of miso paste in her refrigerator. By the way, did you know miso paste lasts for 6-8 months in your refrigerator? Just make sure after opening, cover well and store in the back of your refrigerator.

We’ll be posting miso recipes regularly for the next few months, I’m working with Marukome to develop recipes for their brand new Miso & Easy product with substitutions using regular miso paste. So, Miso & Easy is like instant miso in a squeezable bottle. You can make miso soup in seconds, there’s no need for kombu or bonito flakes or dashi – it’s all in the bottle!

This recipe can be made with Miso & Easy or regular Miso Paste (I love the all-natural low sodium miso paste from Marukome)

What is Miso?

Made from fermented soybeans, Miso is a thick paste-like substance. It is brown in color and tastes pleasantly salty and tangy on its own. Miso has a surprisingly low salt use of Miso is in Japanese-style Miso soup, Miso also adds a unique burst of flavor to salad dressings, sauces and marinades, baked tofu, vegetable dishes, and even dessert sorbets.

Often called “soybean paste” by Westerners, Miso has played a vital role in the culinary life of Japan for hundreds of years. More and more, however, the salty taste and buttery texture of Miso is becoming popular in the west, as a favorite ingredient in a range of recipes.

Miso is manufactured by adding a yeast mold known as koji to soybeans and other ingredients, and allowing them to ferment. The fermentation time, ranges from weeks to years, depending upon the specific type of Miso being produced. Once this process is complete, the fermented ingredients are ground into a paste similar in texture to that of butter.

The color, texture, and degree of saltiness of a particular Miso depends upon the ingredients used, and the duration of the fermentation process. Miso ranges in color from white to brown. The lighter varieties are less salty and more mellow in flavor, while the darker ones are saltier and have a more intense flavor.

How to make Creamy Miso Chicken Pasta

Here’s what you’re going to need:

…and for the sauce:

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, and then cook 1 pound of pasta according to package directions. About four minutes before the pasta is done, add some broccoli florets to the hot water. While the pasta cooks, you can cook the chicken and make the miso sauce.

Cut two boneless, skinless chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Add olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Then, add the chicken until cooked through and browned on all sides.

Remove the chicken from the pan and turn the heat to low. Add butter to the pan, once the butter melts add the miso. Stir the butter and miso until combined. Now, remove the pan from the heat completely.

Add the Greek yogurt and stir to combine.

When done, drain the pasta and broccoli, reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water. Then, add the pasta, broccoli and reserved water to the sauce.

Now, add some shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

Add the chicken then use tongs or two large spoons to toss the pasta.

Serve the pasta with a handful of finely sliced green onions sprinkled on top.

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2011. | Permalink | 36 comments

I know it’s a little early to think about Thanksgiving leftovers, but believe me, time goes by so crazy fast! Once the big meal is over, even after the late-night refrigerator raid (you sneak in and pick at the turkey in the refrigerator too, right?!), we’ll always have more than enough leftover turkey for Turkey Gumbo.

Since Thanksgiving is such a big, heavy dinner, I created this recipe with restraint in mind.  It’s a lighter, milder version of gumbo than what you may be used to, a little more broth-y and no mouth-burning cayenne pepper or hot sauce, since the little kids will be enjoying this too (but feel free to douse your version with as much hot chili pepper as you like!)

While the ingredient list may look long, it is ingredients that you’ll probably have on hand anyways from cooking Thanksgiving meal. Leftover turkey meat is stirred into the gumbo at the end, just to heat through. The slow-simmered, richly flavored Turkey Gumbo served over steaming hot rice may just break the monotony of leftover turkey sandwiches this year for you too.
Continue reading Leftover Turkey Recipe: Turkey Gumbo...

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2011. | Permalink | 13 comments

Last week, on a surprise visit to see family, Mom made a couple of dishes that I normally don’t cook myself. One of them is this Chinese Fried Sticky Rice Cake Noodle dish (long name!) In Chinese, it’s called 炒年糕 Chǎo Nián Gāo.

The recipe is from my Dad’s hometown of LingBo in China.

What are Sticky Rice Cake Noodles (Nian Gao)

Nian Gao is normally eaten for Chinese New Year, as it signifies good fortune for the coming year. “Nian” means year and “gao” means high — translating loosely to “every year, may you reach higher and higher.”

Nian Gao can also mean sticky rice cakes that are fried in egg (savory) or fried with sugar (sweet). The Shanghainese and Korean version (TteokGuk photo)of nian gao is this recipe, where they take the glutinous rice cakes, cut them into ovals 2 inches long, 1 inch wide, and stir fry them like noodles.

You can find these rice cake noodles at Asian markets, either dried form (in the dried noodle section), frozen or in the refrigerated noodle section. Mom likes to buy frozen rice cake noodles, as they keep well in the freezer. They have to be soaked for 2 hours up to overnight in water. Purchase either the Korean or Chinese version, they are the same.

The rice cakes have to be soaked for 2 hours (up to overnight)

Dried or fresh Chinese mushrooms (or shiitake), canned bamboo shoots

Mom used mustard greens that she had salted overnight, but I’ve given easier instructions in the recipe to use Napa Cabbage.

and Pork marinated in soy, rice wine, pepper, cornstarch and a pinch of sugar.

The pork is first stir-fried until almost cooked through.

Then add the Chinese mushrooms.

Continue reading Chinese Stir Fried Sticky Rice Cakes (Nian Gao)...

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2011. | Permalink | 37 comments

Since last summer when I posted my 15 Minute Udon Miso Soup recipe, I’ve gotten so many requests for a recipe for Miso Ramen that I’ve decided to post this recipe that appears in the Steamy Kitchen Cookbook. Though truthfully, the only part of this recipe that I follow is a) the miso soup base and b) cooking the ramen noodles. All other toppings in my Miso Ramen varies each time I make it depending on what’s in my refrigerator, as most times when I’m craving this dish it’s usually pretty darn close to midnight. Or 2am.

Ramen Noodles

These are dried ramen noodles, though the ones that are fresh are much better. But at 2am, I’ll take the dried kind. I’ve also been known to rip open one of those 29 cent instant ramen noodle packages and use the noodles from the package, throwing away the spice pack. A couple times, as an emergency measure, I even used…..dried spaghetti pasta *covering eyes*

So I guess what I’m saying is, keep a package of dried ramen noodles in your pantry.

The Miso

White miso, or shiro miso is my favorite. It’s more delicate and less salty than the other kinds of miso. This stuff lasts for 6 months in the refrigerator (just keep it well sealed and preferably in a plastic tub)

Not only do I use it for making Japanese style noodle soups, but if I’m making a whatever-soup that needs a kick of flavor, I’ll stir in a big tablespoon of miso paste, which is a natural umami-master.

The Dashi

This is instant dashi, which like sand-colored tiny granueles. Dashi is Japanese bonito fish stock. Don’t be intimidated if you’ve never used dashi – there’s absolutely NO fishy taste at all. In fact, if you like miso soup, you like dashi. All miso soup is made with a dashi base.

This is always in my pantry too. Of course, you can make your own dashi from scratch from dried bonito shavings and seaweed – Fuji Mama shows you how.

The Toppings

Raid your freezer and refrigerator:

Fresh spinach – blanch, then squeeze all of the water out.
Frozen spinach – defrost, then squeeze all of the water out.
Corn – canned, fresh or frozen
Green onions – chopped
Bamboo shoots – Canned or fresh
Bamboo Shoots in Chili Oil – oh yummmm my favorite
Dried seaweed
Tofu – drained and cubed
Snow peas – blanched
Barbeque cha-siu pork
Enoki or shiitake mushrooms
Sliced Japanese fish cakes
Fresh bean sprouts

The Shoot

As I was going through my old photo files for the Miso Ramen, I found a couple I’ll share with you just for kicks. When I was writing the cookbook, I was teaching myself food styling and photography as I was going along. Basically, that means trial and *cough* lots of errors.

These photos were taken July 15, 2008 with my first dSLR camera, the Canon Rebel XT and the cheapy $100 lens, the 50mm 1.8. I was still really unsteady (oh handshake!) and 90% of the photos from the shoot were blurry and unusable. In fact, even the final shot wasn’t as sharp as I would have liked.

I was just learning to shoot tethered, meaning hooking up my camera to my laptop so that I could see the photos better. I also had a $30 tripod that had a leg that kept buckling, which taught me never to buy a $30 tripod ever again. These days, I trust my heavy-duty Manfrotto tripod to hold up and support the Canon 5D Mark II camera with 24-70mm lens….basically a $500 tripod to hold up $5,000 worth of photography equipment.

On the day of the shoot, since the leg of the cheap-o tripod kept coming down, I grabbed a step stool and relied on holding the camera myself. I wanted an overhead shot. And yes, on the floor is my famous $3 foamboard. Cheapest photo studio around.

Let me try to explain the shot. I wanted the entire bowl plus lots of the gorgeous indigo-colored Japanese fabric as possible. The lens, the 50mm, is a 1:1 lens, meaning, what you see is what you get. It replicates what you see with your naked eye. Hold up your fingers to create a “frame” in front of your face. That’s what the 50mm lens will shoot.

I placed the stool as close to the foam board as I could to get an overhead shot. However, when standing on the stool hovering above the bowl of ramen, I really couldn’t get the entire bowl in the shot.

Problem: I’m short. The stool is short.

So then I had to move the laptop, stand on the ottoman which is a good 6-inches higher.

The ottoman was squishy, making it difficult to balance. To get a true overhead shot, I needed to lean waaaaay forward.

Problem: I’m still short. And have no balance.

The last shot as I was faaaaaaaalllling off the ottoman:

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2011. | Permalink | 29 comments

Introducing the McGowan family! Angie and her family are fellow Floridians and they publish the popular Eclectic Recipes blog and the fact that she has a recipe category called “Spanglish” wins my heart. Oh and that cute little boy, Julien, she’s got there wins my heart too. I love Angie’s blog – her recipes are simple and happy – check out these colorful Springtime Flower Treats perfect for kids and the Nutella Mug Cake!!!!

This week, Angie is my guest on Steamy Kitchen, featuring her Greek Style Mac ‘n Cheese recipe — packed with olives, spinach, sundried tomatoes and feta cheese.

Enjoy!

Jaden

Greek Style Mac and Cheese

by Angie McGowan, Eclectic Recipes

I was just tickled when Jaden asked if I would like to guest post on Steamy Kitchen. I have been following Steamy Kitchen ever since I started blogging, and have picked  up many tips and tricks not only about food and cooking, but also about photography, blogging and all the other aspects of social media. Jaden is such a huge inspiration to me, and always there when I need a bit of advice in this much to complicated world of food blogging.

So I guess your wondering who I am.  My name is Angie and I have been blogging for about 2 years now. My blog is Eclectic Recipes, and I am also a daily contributor to Babble’s Family Kitchen. I grew up in rural north Florida, which is very southern and much more like rural Alabama or Georgia than south Florida. I grew up eating very southern foods. We raised catfish, chickens, goats, pigs and cattle (although not all at the same time). We had pecan trees, fruit trees and a prized persimmon tree. We had a huge garden with just about everything, and what we didn’t grow, we would get at local u-pick type farms.

I currently live in Orlando, Florida with my husband and three year old son, Julien. Although we don’t have any space for a garden yet, I try to plant as many herbs as I can in containers. I can’t wait until we have a good-sized yard where I have room for at least a small garden. When I’m not in the kitchen, I enjoy crafts, movie night with my family, and outdoor family activities like hiking, boating and skiing.

My family loves macaroni and cheese any way they can get it, but I get tired of doing the same old same boring recipe over and over. I like to experiment with using different cheeses, adding different vegetables, bits of ham or chicken, and even sometimes tuna. This is my Greek style mac and cheese. I used feta and  creamy havarti with dill to make the cheese sauce.

I got the havarti with dill in the deli section of my supermarket, and just asked them to cut my a half pound slice so I could shred it. I also added some good pitted kalamata olives, a few capers, a bit of sun-dried tomatoes and lots of fresh spinach. This made the perfect quick fix vegetarian meal, and since it’s mac and cheese, it will even satisfy your little picky eaters.  I served this as a main dish, but you could add some grilled chicken and a small Greek salad if you’d like.

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2011. | Permalink | 44 comments

I think this is my second favorite Vietnamese dish, right after Pho. It’s light, healthy and incorporates the salty, sweet, tangy, spicy, sour elements that make Vietnamese food so tasty.

Recipe for Vietnamese Barbecued Lemongrass Beef, courtesy of Periplus Publishing on my other site, New Asian Cuisine.

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2011. | Permalink | 10 comments

Bon Appétit and I are celebrating slow cookers this month — I’ve created three incredible slow cooker recipes for them, Slow Cooker Vietnamese Pho Ga Noodle Soup; Slow Cooker Cedar Planked Salmon and Slow Cooker Moroccan Lamb Stew. Oh, and if you don’t have a slow cooker, guess what? Bon Appétit is giving away a $150 KitchenAid Slow Cooker to one lucky duck.

For the full recipe for Slow Cooker Vietnamese Chicken Pho Ga Noodle Soup, head over to Bon Appetit. I’ll go into more detail about 3 of the secrets to the recipe.

Slow Cooker Vietnamese Chicken Pho Ga Noodle Soup

Secret #1: The Moist Chicken

See how moist and tender that chicken is? The secret is to separate your chicken. Chicken bones and parts for the broth; and 1 chicken breast reserved for slicing and eating with your Pho Ga.

The chicken bones and parts go into the slow cooker to make the soup.

The chicken breast is thinly sliced and poached just before serving – cooks in 3-4 minutes. If I had cooked the chicken-for-eating in the slow cooker, it would be flavorless and tough. All of the flavor would have transferred into the broth….and chicken cooked for hours on end in a slow cooker ends up chewy and tough.

Secret #2: Size Matters

Let’s talk about the Pho Ga soup for a bit. I add 2 pounds of chicken parts, whole coriander seeds, half an onion, ginger slices, whole cloves, star anise, and a bundle of cilantro.

Of the 2 pounds of chicken, 1/2 pound of that should be wing tips. Most slow cooker have capacity of 7 quarts. The chunkier the chicken, the less room you have left for broth.

Chicken wing TIPS (the section that really has no meat anyways) have maximum flavor, minimum size. That’s why I love using wing tips. Or chicken feet, if you can find them (did I hear someone squeal?! chicken feet is great for soup!) So remember, size matters. A 7-quart slow cooker will make enough Pho Ga soup for 4 big bowls.

After taking out the big chicken parts, I’ll strain through cheesecloth just to ensure that the broth is clean and clear. For cooking noobs, here’s something to remember. Anytime you are cooking raw chicken in simmering water, you’ll get quite a bit of “white stuff” in the water. Don’t be afraid of it, it’s just chicken protein. If you have time on your hands, you could parboil the bones first in a stock pot, discard water (and “white stuff”) and then proceed with the recipe. But if you have time on your hands, you could just make Pho Ga without the slow cooker.

Straining the broth gives you golden, richly colored, clean soup.

Secret # 3: The Noodles

Soak the dried noodles in COOL water first then DRAIN. This helps makes them pliable, soft and cook better.

To cook the noodles, bring a pot of water to boil and then put the cool drained noodles into the hot water and simmer for 1 minute. After 1 minute — the noodles are DONE!!! That’s it. Don’t overcook the rice noodles, they’ll get too soft and soggy.

Oh and a note on why I boil my noodles in water instead of the pho ga broth we made? Well, I always boil my noodles and pasta separately from my precious soup. That’s because dried noodles/pasta tend to have excess starch that boils out into the water (that’s why boiled pasta water is murky) and many times the dried noodles might have itty bitty weevils or dirt particles that I just don’t want in my soup.

Not so secret secret:

I love garnishing with shaved onions, fresh bean sprouts, cilantro and a squeeze of lime. No Sriracha or Hoisin for me, though many people do enjoy those condiments in their Pho Ga, I think it totally overpowers the beautiful broth.

For the full recipe for Slow Cooker Vietnamese Chicken Pho Ga Noodle Soup, head over to Bon Appetit.

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2011. | Permalink | 17 comments

Hey guys ‘n gals – it’s Green Eggs and Ham 50th Anniversary this year and to celebrate, rock stars Melissa d’Arabian, Michael Symon, Mitzi Dulan and I created some fun recipes using…you guessed it…green eggs and ham. Together, we’re on the consumer advisory council for the Pork Board.

I’ll tell you what though, my toughest cooking challenge ever was making green eggs look appetizing! My first experiment with green food coloring in the eggs resulted in a gnarly concoction that looked more like something out of a Dr. Seuss book.

uhh….hmm….ha!

Okay, so Dr. Seuss books aren’t great for appetite and I’m suspiciously eyeing that Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook. I wanted to create food that wasn’t just for show and tell but a dish that was actually appetizingt o both little kids and big kids.

So, Green Eggs and Ham Sushi was born (hat tip to American Style Sushi Cookbook). The eggs are mixed with chopped spinach, lots of chopped spinach.

By the way, did you know you can also get the book with Chinese and English, French (les oeufs vert et jamon) and even Italian (proscuitto e uova verdi). The boys really love the animated DVD (it’s only $5.99!)

Below are step by step photos on how to roll the sushi – please try it with your kids! They’ll have a blast making sushi with you!

Take a look at more Green Eggs and Ham Recipes -
Melissa d’Arabian: Ham and Green Egg Mini Tartlets
Mitzi Dulan: Ham and Avocado Deviled Eggs
Michael Symon: Ham Sandwich with Greens and Eggs

oooh and before you go…can I humor you with An Ode to Spam in the Style of Seuss?

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2010. | Permalink | 28 comments

Traditional Taiwanese Lo Ba which Lo ba literally means stewed meat in Taiwanese. “Lo” = stew “ba” = meat, is one of those comfort foods that will have your house smelling delicious all day. The star anise and cinnamon give this dish its authentic Taiwanese flavor.

This simple recipe only takes a few minutes to make and I’m sure it will become a family favorite. Serve with a side of steamed broccoli.

Brown the meat with the shallots (or onion) and spices.

Then add the soy mixture, simmer.

Serve over noodles.

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2010. | Permalink | 12 comments