So, here’s the dilemma:

When I freak out, I procrastinate. When I procrastinate, I shop. When I shop, I get hungry. When I get hungry, I eat. When I eat too much, I freak out.

Okay, freaking is a bit too strong of a word, but it certainly is an emotionally charged word and certainly helps justify the destructive chain of events that happen following the initial emotional breakdown.

So, I’m on deadline for this book – well, truth be told, I’m past deadline (thus the freaking out) — and now all I can think about are these dishes, these glasses, chubby hubby bars and Frito Pie….as in homemade 1 Hour Texas Chili spooned on top of a mound of Frito chips.

Frito Pie is a Texas delicacy, popular at county fairs and considered good tail-gaitin’ eats. It’s an easy enough treat to make – a 10 minute prep and then let it simmer an hour on the stove. Rip open a package of Fritos, pour it on and eat straight out of the bag.

The recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks of 2011 – Lisa Fain’s Homesick Texan Cookbook - slightly modified to shave off a few minutes of the hands-on involvement in the recipe.

You can customize this recipe any way you want, including adding a can of Rotel diced tomatoes, a can of beans or using ground turkey, but there’s one thing you don’t want to change: use dried chiles instead of just chili powder.

Lisa’s recipe calls for dried ancho, chipotle and pequin — though I only used ancho and chipotle (couldn’t find pequin). The dried chiles will last forever in your pantry and all you need to do is rehydrate them in water and add them in the blender along with dried oregano, ground cumin, clove and cinnamon. This homemade chili base that has so much more depth and flavor than just ground chili powder.

The kids loved it – it’s not spicy-hot (top it with chopped jalepeno peppers if you want) and they thought I was the coolest mom letting them eat out of a chip bag. 
Continue reading Frito Pie with 1 Hour Texas Chili...

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2012. | Permalink | 17 comments

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)

How to make Steak with Orange Miso Sauce

Rub both sides of the steak with cooking oil and season with salt.

Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet, such as a cast iron pan, over high heat. When hot, add the steak to the pan. Sear both sides until browned, about 3-5 minutes on each side.

Transfer the steak to a clean plate then make the orange miso sauce. Turn the heat to medium-low and add about 3/4 of a cup of beef stock to the pan.

Next, add miso, mirin (a Japanese sweet rice wine) and Asian sesame oil to the pan. Cook the sauce for one minute.

Now, squeeze the juice from half an orange into the sauce.

Add the steak back into the pan and cook until your desired doneness.

…and, you’re done!

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2012. | Permalink | 5 comments

A reader asked me what miso paste tastes like, while she has enjoyed miso soup at Japanese restaurants, she couldn’t quite imagine what cooking with miso paste would be like.

So what flavor dimension does miso paste add to a dish? If I had to just choose one single word, I’d say “umami” which is just a fancy foodie term that writers and chefs use. This is a tough one…..but okay, if I couldn’t use that word, I’d say, “tasty.” Even just a teaspoon of miso paste added to a dish (whether it’s a sauce for the asparagus, salad dressing, mashed potatoes or casserole) makes the dish tastier.

Miso has a very deep, complex flavor – salty yet slightly sweet, a little nutty. Lately, instead of adding salt to a dish, I’ll stir in a small spoonful of miso paste.

I need a little help from you all – can you help me describe the taste of miso vs. salt? Maybe it’s easier to use an analogy:

Salt is to Miso…….as _____ is to _____.

And hey, the one who comes up with the best analogy gets a prize. How about a $25 gift certificate to the Steamy Kitchen Store?

***

*Why all these miso recipes? I’m developing recipes for Marukome, the makers of Miso & Easy and some of the very best miso paste. 

Miso Ginger Asparagus Recipe

This recipe couldn’t be simpler….

Basically, throw the asparagus on a baking sheet and roast. In the meantime, whisk together the remaining ingredients – pour on top when the asparagus is done!

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2012. | Permalink | 50 comments

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

Year of the Dragon Prediction (from Chinese Fortune Calendar)

“Dragon is a legendary animal and it is symbol of emperor in China. Since the Dragon is coated with mysterious color, Chinese consider that the dragon is unpredictable, untouchable and people cannot see its head and tail at the same time. Therefore, we can might see something unexpected happening in 2012.”

My prediction? Well, I’m no good at predicting things (which is why I’ve never won the lottery), but I’m all for major transformations this year!

Last year, I posted a long list of Chinese New Year recipes, and I’ve gotten several requests to republish the post. I’ve added a few new recipes as well.

Gong Hay Fat Choy!

From top left:

1. My Mother’s Famous Chinese Egg Rolls (egg rolls look like gold bars, which symbolize wealth)
2. Chinese Boiled Pork Dumplings (also symbolize wealth)
3. Pan Fried Shrimp & Pork Potstickers (wealth)
4. Shrimp Fried Rice (shrimp for happiness and joy)
5. Chinese Broccoli Beef Noodles (noodles for longevity)
6. Fresh Pear and Shrimp Stir Fry (shrimp for happiness and joy)

From top left:

1. Long Life Fertility Noodles and Happy Shrimp
2. Chinese Lettuce Cups (lettuce = rising fortune)
3. Hainanese Chicken Rice (serve your chicken whole & cut at table for Chinese New Year. Cooking a whole chicken or duck represents health — carving it before serving would meant to “cut” your health)
4. Chinese Tea Eggs (for prosperity)
5. Chinese Whole Steamed Fish
6. Stir Fried Beef with Nectarines (nectarine = happiness, health)

See more Chinese New Year Recipes on Steamy Kitchen!

More Chinese New Year Recipes

Jiaozi Dumplings – from my friends Nate & Mary Kate on Epicurious (who just came out with their Chinese cookbook Feeding the Dragon!)
Chicken Lettuce Cups - Nate & Mary Kate on Epicurious
Stir Fried Prawns with XO Sauce – Noob Cook
Stir Fried Leeks with Vegetable – Noob Cook
Chinese Almond Chicken – Appetite for China
Braised Bok Choy – Taste Hong Kong
Sichuan Wonton – Appetite for China
Steamed Pork & Shrimp Dumplings (Sui Mai) – Flavor Explosions
Steamed Chicken in Lotus Leaf – RasaMalaysia
Stir Fried Pine Nuts with Corn and Peas – RasaMalaysia (dish means “full of gold and jade”)
Stir Fried Broccoli and Scallop – RasaMalaysia (“richness and abundance”)
Baked BBQ Pork Buns – RasaMalaysia
Soy Sauce Chicken – RasaMalaysia (though serve your chicken whole & cut at table for Chinese New Year. Cooking a whole chicken or duck represents health — carving it before serving would meant to “cut” your health)
Flank Steak with Fried Noodles – Food Network
Ketchup Prawns – Sea Salt with Food
Egg Dumplings – Show Shanti
Homemade Chili Oil – Show Shanti
Singapore Black Pepper Crab – Sea Salt with Food
Chinese Long Beans – Washington Post (long beans = longevity)
Chinese Almond Cookies – Simply Recipes (beautiful, Garrett, just beautiful!)
Fortune Cookie Recipe – Martha Stewart
Fortune Cookie Recipe video – Cookbook Maniac (love her tips for fortune cookies)
Chocolate Fortune Cookies – Martha Stewart
Vegetarian Buddha’s Delight – Epicurious
Orange Peking Duck – recipe from Ken Hom, author of Ken Hom’s Top 100 Stir Fry Recipes
Sweet & Sour Pork – recipe from Grace Young, author Breath of a Wok
Buddha’s Delight with Tofu & Brocooli- Cooking Light
Peanut Sesame Noodles – Appetite for China
Soy Sauce Chicken – Appetite for China
Water Chestnut Cake with Ginger – Appetite for China
Dragon Well Tea Shrimp – Appetite for China
Dan Dan Mian – Appetite for China
Stir Fried Noodles, Taiwanese Style – Explore Hong Kong
Chinese New Year Cake – Asian Grandmother’s Cookbook
Scallion Pancakes – Tigers and Strawberries (perfect recipe. we made these many times)
Chinese White Cut Chicken – Sunday Nite Dinner (serve your chicken whole & cut at table for Chinese New Year. Cooking a whole chicken or duck represents health — carving it before serving would meant to “cut” your health)
Tea Smoked Duck – Cooking Channel
Nian Gao Cake - Asian Grandmother’s Cookbook
Shanghai Style Nian Gao – Donna Cooks (“rising higher each year” This dish is a must for our table – I love the soft, chewy noodles. This is also one of my Dad’s hometown dishes)
Stir Fried Shanghai Nian Gao – mmm-yoso
Lion’s Head Meatballs – NY Times (lion = strength; big round meatballs = family togetherness)
Fuscshia Dunlop’s Braised Pork Belly – Cookbook Maniac
Chinese Walnut Cookies – Lily’s Wai Sek Hong
Paper Lined Cup Sponge Cake – Lily’s Wai Sek Hong
Dragon Cookies – Lily’s Wai Sek Hong (love this idea – we’ll make these dragon cookies w/my kids)
Almond Cookie Cresents – Lily’s Wai Sek Hong
Double Sided Gold Noodles – Lily’s Wai Sek Hong (one of my favorite noodles as a kid)
Steamed Pork Bun Recipe + how to fold Chinese buns video – Christine’s Recipes
Braised Chinese Mushrooms – Christine’s Recipes (easy dish to make, we always have whole Chinese mushrooms on CNY)
Egg Custard Pastry – Christine’s Recipes (with a cheater crust! brilliant)
Stir Fried Glutinous Rice – Christine’s Recipes
Stir Fried Broccoli with Fish Fillet – Christine’s Recipes
Tomato Chili Prawns – Christine’s Recipes (shrimp = laughter and joy)
Butter Cookies – Christine’s Recipes
Braised Chinese Mushrooms – Christine’s Recipes
Baked Coconut Cake – Christine’s Recipes
Radish Cake – Christine’s Recipes

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2012. | Permalink | 21 comments

It’s nearly mid-January and I’ve been working hard testing recipes, writing, photographing my next Steamy Kitchen book. Writing a cookbook is possibly one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done – even skydiving holds no candle to obsessing over creating perfect recipes and enticing photos for 12 months.

I’ve enlisted one of my best friends, Kelly, to help me once a week in the kitchen. Kelly was the very first friend I made when we moved to Florida and I don’t think I would have made it without her love and support – Scott and I had sold a house, bought a house, moved cross-country, started a business, got married, went on a honeymoon and got pregnant in 2 months flat. (Whew!)

Nathan, Andrew and Kelly’s son are best friends as well, all of them around the same age. The 3 Muskateers are often spotted dashing across the lawn with Nerf guns, hiding in a corner playing their Nintendo or out in the back pond luring a fish.

Kelly is a grad from Le Cordon Bleu, works as a personal chef and at the Viking Cooking School — so she knows her way around the kitchen. I couldn’t have found a better match!

How to make Grilled Tofu Salad with Miso Dressing

The ingredients:

Continue reading Grilled Tofu Salad with Miso Dressing...

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2012. | Permalink | 12 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

We have a habit of publishing recipes on Steamy Kitchen that involve a boozy pan sauce. The three of us, Adam, Joanne and I all cook with a spatula in one hand and a glass of somethin’ in the other, and it’s just so easy to pour a little of that magic into the pan (oh hello, Salmon with Blackberry Brandy Sauce!)

Most of the time, the booze goes into the pan by purpose (Steak with Creamy Whisky Mushroom Sauce). Other times, after a quick taste test, we notice, “hmmmm….it’s missing something….” and in goes a splash of brandy (Garlic Brandy Prawns) and all is right in the world.

A creamy, white wine sauce is perfect with either chicken or pork – the white meats are delicate enough to let the nuances of white wine shine through.

How to make Pork Chops with White Wine Sauce

Start by brushing each side of the pork chops with olive oil then season with salt.

Add the chops to a hot pan. Sear about 2 minutes on each side or until browned.

Remove the chops to a plate then add some butter, sliced mushrooms and onions to the pan. Cook 2-3 minutes or until soft.

Pour in the wine. When you choose the wine go for a dry white, something like a Chardonnay or Chablis.

Cook the wine, about 1 minute then add in some cream.

Add the pork chops back into the pan, turn heat to low and cover with aluminum foil.

Cook the pork chops until they reach somewhere between 145 and 150 degrees F.

More Pork Chop Recipes

Pork Chops with Apricot Brandy Sauce (Steamy Kitchen)

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2011. | Permalink | 26 comments

I don’t know what I like better: the collard greens, the rich pot liquor or digging out the bits of smoky meat from the ham hock!

The Collard Greens recipe is from my good friend and fellow food blogger, Lisa Fain, who writes the blog, Homesick Texan. She’s a 7th generation Texan who moved to New York City for a job and one day found herself scouring the city in search of Ro-Tel tomatoes, the only brand of tomatoes fit for true Tex-Mex Chile Con Queso.

Of course, she couldn’t find any, and thus the Homesick Texan blog was born. Lisa has just come out with her very first cookbook, The Homesick Texan Cookbook.

It’s one of my favorite cookbooks this year – after no less than 4 trips to the Lone Star state this year alone – I’ve been craving Tex-Mex foods like crazy.

Even though Lisa lives 1,200 miles from me, I see her more often than friends down the street. Every trip to NYC is incomplete without sharing a meal with Lisa – we’ve done sushi, Jamaican, sushi and more sushi.

And those red cowboy boots she’s wearing? Only Lisa could be responsible for this.

Lisa’s Collard Greens are simple. Throw in a couple handfuls of hearty smoked meats, add the collard greens, pour in water and apple cider vinegar and let it simmer for an hour and half or until the greens are as soft as you like them. Collard Greens are just as much about the simmering sauce as it is about the greens.

The savory, smoky, vitamin-rich pot-liquor is so full of rich flavor that you’ll savor every last drop. In fact, spoon your collard greens onto your plate, right next to the roasted garlic mashed potatoes on your plate. Forget the gravy – the pot liquor will find its way over and bleed into the soft mashed potatoes. I guarantee my kids will be forming a mashed potato moat, just so the pot liquor doesn’t escape.

Vegetarian version of Collard Greens? You bet. Lisa’s got a secret ingredient, one that actually made me say outloud, “No. Way. Really????”

Continue reading Collard Greens with Ham and Smoked Hock...

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2011. | Permalink | 21 comments

It’s funny the difference in reactions I get between “we’re having squid tonight” and “we’re having calamari tonight” – one it utter disgust “EWWWW SQUID!???” And the other, “oh, we’re going fancy Italian tonight, aren’t we?”

Most of the calamari we order from restaurants is the traditional battered ‘n deep fried (LOVE!) but somehow I lost my deep fryer during the move. It’s a mystery — where is my electric deep fryer full of slightly used canola oil? Where could i have put it? Did the moving people lose it? Did it get accidentally mixed in with another family’s stuff? Did Swiper swipe it?

Well, whoever has it, I’m sure is making beautiful battered and deep fried calamari.

In the meantime, our calamari is grilled on a stick, which in my opinion, is just as good as fried (so THERE!)

Buying squid…errrrr…..calamari can be a little scary – what do you do with the slippery tubes and funny fingers? For this recipe, I buy already cleaned squid, which you can get frozen in a bag or your nice fishmonger might have some already defrosted in the glass case for ya.

Now…I know some of you can’t get already-cleaned squid…so I ventured out to the interwebs to find you some videos. But I gotta say, since handling slimy squid with a giant eyeball staring at you and long tentacles waiting to (eeeeks STOP IT!! I watch too many horror flicks) isn’t the most easy thing to do, I was hoping that I could find a happyhappyjoyjoy video about cleaning squid.

Continue reading Simple Grilled Calamari...

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