Steamy Kitchen Recipes » Soups/Salads

Leftover Turkey Recipe: Turkey Gumbo

SteamyKitchen — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 14:00:42 +0000

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

Grilled Steak and Tomato Salad with Rum Vinaigrette

SteamyKitchen — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 16:10:33 +0000

My husband, Scott, has quite an extensive single-malt scotch collection, which normally is off-limits to me and my kitchen.

According to him, scotch is to be slowly sipped and savored, not poured or glugged into a sizzling pan as a base for a sauce. Our rum stash, on the other hand, is fine for me to experiment with. Scott likes fine rum but not quite at the same intensity as the scotch.

We experimented with creating boozy salad dressings for adults a couple of weeks ago. We thought, why not make salad a little more fun for us? It turns out that aged rum, which is made from sugarcane, has the perfect caramel sweetness for a vinaigrette. Whisk a shot with a bit of apple-cider vinegar, mustard and olive oil for a salad dressing that’s sweet, tangy and has a touch of heat from the rum.

We used Flor de Cana rum from Nicaragua, aged 18 years. Of course, the better the rum, the better the results: You’re only using a shot-glass full. Aged rum or dark rum is better than the gut-twisting cheap stuff.

Rum Vinaigrette

Here’s whatcha need:

Simple, right?! Basically, you whisk everything together. Feel free to add more rum than stated in the recipe (hiccup!)

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©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2011. | Permalink | 22 comments

Warm Bacon Potato Salad

SteamyKitchen — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 15:10:12 +0000

A couple of years ago, my husband, Scott, asked me to make a potato salad. He’s not a man who asks very often for something so specific, 95% of his requests center around the one-syllable, “meat” so I took his request pretty seriously.

I’ve always considered potato salad one of those “filler sides” that come with your lunch order at a deli – it’s cheap, easy to make and generally all taste the same. The gloppy, mayo-heavy version that comes in a plastic tub is nothing to brag about, nothing to complain about, it’s just there next to your sandwich.

So I set out to make a version of potato salad that would be show-stopping memorable and that I actually could brag about. The first step was to do away with boiled potatoes, which have very little taste (except when mashed with loads of butter and drenched in gravy — but that’s an entirely different recipe), and instead roast them, which gave them a deeper, nuttier taste and a crisp-brown crust on the sides.

I definitely wanted to pair them with loads of warm chopped bacon, this was going to be a potato salad served warm with salty bacon that had just come from the skillet.

Instead of mayonnaise, I went lighter and made a tangy vinaigrette out of red wine vinegar, mustard and the bacon drippings. Toss it all together at the last minute, right before serving.

Bingo! It was all sorts of perfect, my husband had thirds of the warm potato salad and nearly forgot about the “meat” on his plate. So much for the salad being merely a side, it’s been one of my most requested dishes by my family and friends. You know you’ve got a winner when people rotate their dinner plates so that the warm potato salad stands closest, right in front.

Warm Bacon Potato Salad Ingredients

Here’s what you will need for the salad:

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Shoko’s Sesame Chicken Salad

administrator — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 12:47:09 +0000

A wonderful friend has just come out with her second book and I’m thrilled to be able to share one of the recipes with you. I first met Deb Samuels via email as we shared the same publisher, Tuttle Publishing. We finally got a chance to meet in person and shared a lobster dinner in Boston, which quite frankly, has to be the *best* way to meet new friends. Deb spent more than a decade in Japan, studying, eating, cooking Japanese cuisine. Now, she teaches Japanese cooking classes, writes for the Boston Globe and is the proud author of My Japanese Table book.

I’ve asked Deb to introduce the recipe, Shoko’s Sesame Chicken Salad, I thought you’d enjoy this recipe, as it’s quite different than any other chicken salad that you’ve experienced, especially with the drizzle of sizzling hot oil on cold chicken. ~Jaden

***

One summer day in Tokyo, deep in August, we were invited to the home of our Japanese “brother,” Shingo Oishi, his wife, Shoko, and their sons, Banri and Moro. It was only a ten-minute walk from the train station, but by the time we had arrived we had wilted from the heat. We greedily drank down ice-cold glasses of roasted barley tea, and Shoko had almost completed making a gorgeous cold chicken dish. The sliced, ginger-scented chicken lay on  a bed of lightly crushed chunks of cucumbers, surrounded by skinned tomato wedges and topped with a heaping mound of chopped green onions (scallions). Shoko had saved the drama of dressing preparation for last. She filled a soup ladle with dark sesame oil and held it just above a low flame. When the oil began to bubble, she withdrew the ladle and poured it directly over the chicken. The crags in the smashed cukes held the dressing. Sizzling hot oil met cold chicken and green onions. Wow! What an appetite trigger! I like to shred the poached chicken breasts and serve the whole dish on top of a bed of shredded lettuce along with the tomatoes and cucumbers.

You can purchase Debra Samuel’s book, My Japanese Table on amazon.

You can also keep up to date with her on Twitter and Facebook!

Sesame Chicken Salad

Servings: Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

4 cups (1 liter) water
 4 slices of ginger, 1⁄4 in (6mm) thick 
1 medium onion, sliced 
3 boneless chicken breasts(1 lb/500g)
 4-5 mini cucumbers or 1 English cucumber, unpeeled (or 1 Kirby cucumber, peeled and deseeded)
2 large tomatoes, cut into eighths
6 green onions (scallions), finely chopped
1⁄4 cup (65 ml) sesame oil 
Salt and fresh ground pepper, to tasteVinaigrette
1⁄4 cup (65 ml) light soy sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice 
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
 2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon whole pepper- corns, lightly crushed

Directions:

1) To make the Vinaigrette, mix the soy sauce, lemon juice, vinegar, sugar, and peppercorns in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for one minute and set aside. 
2) Bring the water, ginger, and onion to a boil in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat. Lower the heat to a simmer and add the chicken breasts. Cook for 15 minutes.
3) Turn off the heat and let chicken sit in the hot liquid  for 10 minutes. Remove the chicken from the stock, and when it is cool enough to handle, shred the chicken with your hands. Place the chicken back into the stock in a bowl and refrigerate until you are ready to use. 
4) Lightly scrape the skin of the mini or English cucumbers with a paring knife. 5 If using mini cucumbers cut them into 11⁄2 inch (3.75 cm) chunks. If you are using an English or Kirby cucum- ber cut them in half lengthwise, and then into 11⁄2 inch (3.75 cm) chunks. 
5) Place a chunk of cucumber under the broad part of a kitchen knife. With your fist, hit the top of the blade once, and lightly crush the cucumber. Repeat with the remaining pieces. 
6) Arrange a layer of the crushed cucumbers around a large serving platter. Remove the cold chicken from the stock and place it down the center of the platter. Surround the chicken with the tomato wedges and top it with green onions. 
7) In a stainless steel ladle or small pot, heat the sesame oil over a low flame until bubbles appear, approximately one minute. Turn off the heat and pour the oil evenly over the green onions and chicken. Strain the Vinaigrette and drizzle it over the chicken and vegetables. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Heirloom Tomato and Avocado Salad with Crispy Wontons and Spicy Cilantro Vinaigrette

SteamyKitchen — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 18:35:21 +0000

I’m currently in a room with 3,500 other women (mostly) bloggers – at the BlogHer conference in San Diego. You can imagine all the tweeting, facebooking, blogging and hugging that’s going on here. If you’re internet access speed at home is a little slow, blame it on the swarm of bloggers here in San Diego sucking all of the internet power

So while I’m here at BlogHer, I have a lovely, lovely friend Viviane Bauquet Farre, author of Food and Style blog as my guest. I discovered Viviane’s blog a couple of years ago and had the pleasure to meet her in person in NYC during my book tour. I hope you enjoy her recipe! ~Jaden

***

When I met Jaden at her book signing in New York City in 2009, it was love at first sight. While her bubbly personality shines through every word and every photograph on this blog, in person Jaden is truly like sunshine. So when it came to creating a recipe for this guest post, I wanted something as fun and colorful as she is.

This is how this salad came to be. It’s snappy-fresh, vibrant, super-flavorful, and has an Asian flair to boot. My hope is that it will look as beautiful as Jaden… and taste as scrumptious as her recipes.

When I think of colorful vegetables, heirloom tomatoes (though technically a fruit!) come instantly to mind. There are few things as delicious — or as stunning — as a vine-ripened heirloom tomato. Fortunately, heirlooms have become the jewel in the crown at farmers’ markets and gourmet stores all around the country, so they’re much easier to find today than ever. (Of course, if you happen to have a sunny spot in your backyard, these stunning fruits will be more than happy to grow there all summer long.)

In today’s salad, heirloom tomatoes and ripe avocados are served on a bed of baby arugula. The whole salad is drizzled with a spunky cilantro vinaigrette that’s almost like a cilantro pesto (the pine nuts give the dressing a lovely creaminess). Then the salad is garnished with crispy wonton strips that have been lightly sautéed in olive oil until they’re crunchy and golden-brown. Every bite is a delight, offering a marvelous array of flavors and textures.

For a casual meal, serve this salad in generous bowls and let everyone dig right in.

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©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2011. | Permalink | 20 comments

Tomato and Watermelon Salad

administrator — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 00:09:39 +0000

Jaden is knee deep in paint, tiles and packing boxes today, so she asked us to step in and tell you guys about this amazing tomato and watermelon salad. Today, we are introducing Zov Karamardian from the internationally acclaimed restaurant Zov’s. Jaden had the chance to meet Zov at IACP a couple of weeks ago and we could not be happier to share her recipe for this incredible salad. {Isn’t it just beautiful and the perfect side for your next BBQ?} The recipe comes straight from her newest cookbook, Simply Zov, Rustic Classics with a Mediterranean Twist.

Founded in 1987 by Chef Zov Karamardian, Zov’s Bistro & Bakery in Tustin, CA has become a culinary institution. Her cuisine blends contemporary with Eastern Mediterranean, a blend that is clear when flipping through her new cookbook, Simply Zov. Her approach is fresh and comes across easy, in a way that makes us feel we create her dishes just as she would in her restaurants. A few Adam and I have earmarked are her Parmesan Bruschetta, Tomato-Basil Risotto Fritters and of course that cover shot, a Greek Burger with Baby Arugula and Feta.

- Adam and Joanne

Photo and recipe from the Simply Zov: Rustic Classics with a Mediterranean Twist Cookbook

Tomato and Watermelon Salad with Feta Cheese

Servings: serves 6 as a side Prep Time: 15 Cook Time:

You will be surprised at how well watermelon and feta work together. Salty, sweet and refreshing, every bite bursts with flavor. This salad is truly a keeper, and an inventive way to make the most of summer produce. I love using heirloom tomatoes when I can find them. Serve with grilled fish or grilled steak.

Recipe from Simply Zov, Rustic Classics with a Mediterranean Twist by Zov Karamardian

Ingredients:

Red Wine Vinaigrette
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oilSalad
1 small cucumber, peeled
1/2 small red onion
3 heirloom tomatoes (about 12 ounces total), cut into bite-size chunks
3 1/2 cups peeled seeded bite-size watermelon chunks
1 red bell pepper, cut into bite-size chunks
7 ounces French feta cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (see note)
1 cup fresh mint leaves, thinly sliced

Directions:

MAKE THE VINAIGRETTE: Whisk the vinegar, salt and pepper in a medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in the oil to blend well. Set aside.

MAKE THE SALAD: Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise, then, using a spoon, scrape out the seeds. Cut the cucumber halves crosswise into thin half-moon slices. Using a mandoline, cut the onion into 1-inch-long paper-thin slices. Toss the sliced cucumber, onion, tomatoes, watermelon, bell pepper, cheese and mint in a large bowl with enough vinaigrette to coat. Serve immediately.

Do-Ahead Tip: The vinaigrette can be made up to 1 week ahead. Store it in a tightly-sealed jar and refrigerate. Let the vinaigrette stand at room temperature until the olive oil liquefies, about 20 minutes, before shaking to blend.

Cooks Note: Feta is traditionally a Greek sheep’s milk cheese, but I prefer the French variety for its mid and creamy taste. Always store tomatoes at room temperature; place them in a decorative basket in your kitchen. Refrigeration can make them pulpy and dull their flavor. Do not cut or slice the tomatoes too far ahead of time or they will oxidize and turn acidic.

More Refreshing Salad Recipes

Summer Tomato Salad by David Lebovitz

Watermelon Salad with Feta or Cotija by Simply Recipes

Young Coconut Salad Recipe by Herbivoracious

Watermelon Salad with Feta, Mint and Lime by Whipped

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

Bouillabaisse

SteamyKitchen — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 18:30:04 +0000

A couple of weeks ago, I hosted my buddy Hank Shaw of the award-winning Hunter Gardener Angler Cook at our home and hit 2 out of the 4 activities from his blog name: fishing and cooking. If you must know why those 2 specific activities, our garden is winding down for its summer rest and hunting involves either a gun, spear, snare or crossbow – none of which I know how to use.

Hank is traveling the U.S. as part of his book tour for Hunt, Gather, Cook: Finding the Forgotten Feast, where he will be visiting each of the 50 States to experience each native species. For us here in Florida, we were out to snag a grouper. You can read about our experience on my blog post. Oh, and if you have a chance, you must read the glowing review by the NY Times of Hank’s book.

Not only did we catch the grouper – but also (from left to right): Bonito, Grouper, 5 Amberjack, 3 Snapper.

So what do you make with all this fish, but more importantly the heads and tails of fresh fish? Bouillabaisse, of course.

This Mediterranean seafood stew’s uniqueness comes from the herb and spice combination of orange peel, fennel and saffron, which is what gives the soup its deep golden color.

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©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2011. | Permalink | 39 comments

Miso Ramen Recipe

SteamyKitchen — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 12:46:01 +0000

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

Miso Ramen Recipe

Servings: 4 Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes

Miso and dashi are both gluten free (though please double check the label of whatever you purchase). Instant dashi does contain MSG, so if you're concerned about that, make the dashi from scratch or leave it out entirely and add in an additional teaspoon or so of soy sauce.

For the broth, use pork-based or vegetable broth. Chicken and beef are too strong in flavor for this soup.

Ingredients:

4 eggs
10 oz (285 g) dried ramen noodles
1/2 cup (200 g) fresh or canned bamboo shoots, sliced
1/2 cup (170 g) fresh or canned corn kernels, drained
1/3 cup (80 g) defrosted frozen or fresh spinach
8 cups (2 liters) store-bought or homemade pork or vegetable broth
2 teaspoons instant dashi granules
1 tablespoon soy sauce, or to taste
4 tablespoons fresh miso paste
1 cup (100 g) fresh bean sprouts
1 stalk green onion (scallions), finely chopped
4 teaspoons chili oil (optional)

Directions:

Place the whole, un-cracked eggs in a medium pot and fill with water to cover eggs by 1 inch (2.5 cm). Turn the heat to high and when boiling, turn the heat off and let the eggs sit in the hot water for 10 minutes. Promptly use a slotted spoon to remove the eggs and peel the egg under cold running water. Slice each egg in half.

Return the same pot of water to a boil. Add the ramen noodles and cook according to package instructions (most ramen noodles only take 3 minutes to cook.) Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.

Divide the noodles, hardboiled eggs, bamboo shoots, corn and spinach among 4 large serving bowls.

In a large pot, add the stock, instant dashi and soy sauce. Bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the miso. Taste the soup and add an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons of miso if you’d like. Ladle soup into each bowl. Top each bowl with fresh bean sprouts, green onions and a drizzle of chili oil, if desired.

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

Chicken Sausage with Apple Slaw

SteamyKitchen — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 14:54:30 +0000

This weekend was unusually hot, which for 99.5% of the population is a good thing. But I just spent an undisclosed sum of money on clothing, shoes and accessories to keep my booty warm for my trip to NYC, and I’m just not quite done with justifying my purchases just yet. The wool scarf, earmuffs and gloves still have another 40 or so uses out of them this season, so that I can finally feel good and say, “wow, I’ve gotten my money’s worth!”

Unfortunately, the 85F weather just wasn’t agreeing with my neurotic need to wring every penny’s worth out of the earmuffs and I ended up giving into flip flops and capris — cooking warmer weather foods like this Chicken Sausage with Apple Slaw.

For slaws, the secret is in the cut. I try to get all my vegetables the same shape and size, so that when you take a bite, you’re not dealing with stringy this, knobby that and chunky others.

For celery, I like to run a vegetable peeler lightly over, just to remove some of the stringy bits which get stuck in your teeth.

Then I’ll cut into thin slices, but at a very extreme diagonal to get longer pieces. Cutting them diagonal also keeps the celery more tender/less stringy, as we’re cutting across the “grain”. If you cut your celery like you do for celery sticks, you’ll notice much more stringiness.

Then I just line the celery up lengthwise and run my knife one more time to make julienne strips.

Continue reading Chicken Sausage with Apple Slaw...

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2011. | Permalink | 30 comments

Black Eyed Peas with Ham – good luck for New Year’s!

SteamyKitchen — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 21:36:37 +0000

Happy New Year! Now that I’m a true resident in the South (though Tampa Bay Florida just doesn’t seem very south-ishy to me) I figured it was a fine time to start celebrating some of the southern food traditions, like enjoying Black Eyed Peas with Ham and Greens for New Years.

It’s thought that black eyed peas symbolize prosperity – according to someone who wrote on Wikipedia, “The peas, since they swell when cooked, symbolize prosperity; the greens symbolize money; the pork, because pigs root forward when foraging, represents positive motion”
Continue reading Black Eyed Peas with Ham – good luck for New Year’s!...

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2010. | Permalink | 29 comments