deliciousness

雞絲涼麵 - spicy cold noodles with chicken slivers

serves 4
adapted from fuchsia dunlop’s land of plenty: a treasury of authentic sichuan cooking

2 chicken breasts
pepper, soy sauce
1 lb fresh chinese noodles, shanghai-style
peanut of vegetable oil
2 large handfuls of bean sprouts
4 scallions, thinly sliced

2 1/2 tbsp sesame paste
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp chinkiang vinegar
1 tbsp + 1  tsp white sugar
3 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp ground roasted sichuan pepper
2-3 tbsp chili oil with chile flakes (or hunan chili paste)
1 tbsp sesame oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season chicken breasts with pepper and soy sauce and roast for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through. Let cool and tear or cut into 1/4 inch thick slivers. 

Cook noodles in boiling water according to directions (usually 3-4 minutes) - make sure not to overcook. Rinse in cold water, drain, and mix with oil to prevent sticking (I didn’t really need the oil, just rinsed with enough water to wash off the starches that cause stickyness and consumed quickly).

Blanch bean sprouts for a few second in boiling water, then rinse with cold water and drain. Combine all seasonings into sauce - add water to dilute to desired consistency.

To serve, layer sprouts, noodles, chicken, and scallions. Pour sauce and toss.

NOTE: this is a spicy dish, thus the title. The measurements above, sans sichuan peppers, are for a less spicy sauce as I was making for my mom, aka does not like spicy. To make spicier, add more chili paste and sichuan peppers.

spicy pasta, bean, and sausage soup

adapted from epicurious.com
serves 4-6

2 15- to 16-ounce cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound Italian hot sausages, casings removed
4 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1/4 cup tomato paste
5 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
8 ounces (about 2 1/3 cups) orecchiette (little ear-shaped pasta) or other small pasta
1 1/2 cups grated Romano cheese

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add sausages, rosemary, garlic, and crushed red pepper. Sauté until sausages are cooked through, breaking up with fork, about 8 minutes. Mix in tomato paste. Add beans, broth, and pasta. Simmer until pasta is tender and mixture is thick, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Mix in 1/4 cup cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Serve, passing remaining 1 1/4 cups cheese.

shepherd’s pie

via life, in recipes
serves 4

shepherd’s pie
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
20 oz. ground beef or lamb
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 14 oz. can peeled tomatoes
1 cup beef stock
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme
1 cup fresh or frozen peas (i used frozen corn)
sea salt and cracked black pepper

potato mash
2 lb potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 1/2 oz. butter
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup freshley grated cheese (parmesan or cheddar)

Start by peeling 2 lbs. of potatoes.

Cut them into 1-2 inch pieces and boil in liberally salted water until fork tender. Mash with 1/4 cup milk, 2 1/2 oz. butter and 1/2 cup cheese.

Chop 2 medium carrots (or a couple of handsful of mini peeled carrots) and two small onions. Saute in 1 Tb. olive oil until tender.

Add 20 oz. ground beef or lamb and cook until browned. To this mixture add 2 Tb. tomato paste, 1 cup beef stock, 1 bay leaf, 1 sprig of thyme and 1 14 oz. can peeled tomatoes. Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Uncover, add 1 cup frozen or fresh peas and simer 15 minutes more, or until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Pour meat mixture into a 4-cup baking dish.

Cover with mashed potatoes and bake at 375F for 35 minutes, until potatoes have browned.

pasta with creamy smoked bacon and pea sauce

via jamie oliver
serves 4-6

10 slices smoked streaky bacon or pancetta, preferably free-range or organic, diced into small chunks
small bunch of fresh mint, finely chopped
150g parmesan cheese, finely grated
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
400g dried mini shell or other type of pasta
olive oil
knob of butter
300g frozen peas
2 heaped dessertspoons crème fraîche
1 lemon

to prepare:
bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and add the mini shells. cook according to instructions.
get a large frying pan over a medium heat and add a good lug of olive oil and the butter. add the bacon to the pan, sprinkle a little pepper over and fry until golden and crisp. as soon as the bacon is golden, add your frozen peas and give the pan a good shake. after a minute or so, add the crème fraîche and chopped mint to the bacon and peas.
drain the pasta in a colander over a large bowl, reserving some of the cooking water. add the pasta to the frying pan. halve your lemon and squeeze the juice over the pasta. when it’s all bubbling away nicely, remove from the heat.
it’s really important that the sauce is creamy, silky and delicious but if it’s too thick for you, add a splash of the reserved cooking water to thin it out a bit. add the grated parmesan and give the pan a shake to mix it in.

tuscan lamb with garlicky tomato sauce and polenta

via real simple
serves 4

1 teaspoon olive oil
8 small lamb loin chops (about 3/4 inch thick; 2 pounds total)
kosher salt and black pepper
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
3/4 cup instant polenta
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Heat oven to 400° F. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Season the lamb with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook until browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side; transfer to a plate.

Discard all but 1 tablespoon of the drippings. Add the garlic to the drippings and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, wine, rosemary, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the sauce begins to thicken, 2 to 3 minutes.Nestle the lamb in the tomatoes, transfer the skillet to oven, and cook, 10 to 12 minutes for medium-rare.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring 3 cups water to a boil. Gradually whisk in the polenta. Cook, whisking frequently, until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Whisk in the butter, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Serve with the lamb and tomato sauce.

lamb ragu with mint

via giada de laurentiis
yield: four servings

1 pound rigatoni pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 pounds ground lamb
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup red wine
4 cups marinara sauce 
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, torn
1/2 cup ricotta cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet warm the olive oil over high heat. Add the shallots and the garlic and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the ground lamb, salt, and pepper. Cook until the lamb has browned and the juices have evaporated. Add the wine, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan using a wooden spoon. Simmer until the wine has reduced by half. Add the marinara sauce and simmer over low heat until the flavors have blended, about 10 minutes. Add the mint and ricotta and stir until mixed. Add the pasta and stir to coat. Serve immediately.

sausage stuffing with fennel and roasted squash

via epicurious
serves 8-10

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
4 cups 1/2- to 3/4-inch cubes peeled seeded butternut squash (from one 13/4-pound squash)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 cups chopped onions (about 1 pound)
2 cups chopped celery (4 to 5 stalks)
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped fresh fennel bulb (about 1 medium)
1 1-pound pork sausage log
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
2 tablespoons chopped fresh marjoram
12 cups (generous) 1-inch cubes day-old pain rustique or ciabatta bread with crust (about 1 1/4 pounds)
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 cup (or more) low-salt chicken broth

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Scatter squash on sheet in single layer; sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Roast squash until tender, stirring occasionally, about 55 minutes. Transfer to large bowl; cool.

Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, celery, and fennel. Sauté 8 minutes. Add sausage. Sauté until vegetables are tender and sausage is cooked through, breaking up sausage with fork, about 10 minutes. Add all herbs; sauté 1 minute longer. Add to bowl with squash. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, cover, and chill.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Divide bread between 2 rimmed baking sheets. Bake until bread is crusty but not hard, reversing sheets after 5 minutes, 10 to 12 minutes total. Transfer to very large bowl and cool.

Butter 13x9x2-inch baking dish. vegetable mixture into bread. Whisk salt, and pepper in small bowl to blend whisk in 1 cup broth. Add egg mixture stuffing, tossing to combine evenly and adding more broth by 1/4 cupfuls if dry. Transfer stuffing to prepared dish.

Bake stuffing uncovered until cooked through and brown and crusty on top, 60 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes.

bacon and herb roasted turkey breast

via emeril lagasse
serves 8

3 strips thick-cut bacon
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon freshly chopped sage leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly chopped rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon freshly chopped oregano leaves
1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme leaves
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 (5 1/2 to 6-pound) whole turkey breast, rinsed and patted dry

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a shallow roasting pan or baking dish with aluminum foil.

Cook the bacon in a medium skillet until crisp. Transfer to paper towels to drain, reserving 1 tablespoon of the rendered bacon fat separately. When the bacon has cooled, chop it finely and transfer to a small bowl. Add the garlic, sage, rosemary, oregano, thyme, butter, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper. Using a small spoon, mix thoroughly to combine and form a paste.

Using your fingertips, gently loosen the skin on both sides of the turkey breast so that it is separated from the flesh. Divide the herb paste in half and gently spread half between the skin and flesh on each side of the breast. Season the outside of the turkey breast with the remaining teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Brush the turkey all over with the reserved bacon fat. Place prepared turkey breast in the prepared pan and roast, uncovered, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the deep portion of the breast registers 165 degrees F, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 or 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 20 minutes before carving into thin slices. Serve with the pan drippings.

Notes: Instead of cooking the bacon before, I just folded the slices in half and slid it under the skin with the butter/herb mixture. Make sure to test the temperature of the meat. I kept the meat in the oven for almost an hour and a half, but the meat was still a little undercooked in the middle. Not dry at all though!

oven-roasted veggies

via ina garten
serves 4 

2 small fennel bulbs, tops removed
1 pound brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half
Good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Cut the fennel bulbs into 6 wedges each, cutting through the core to keep the wedges intact. Place on a sheet pan. Drizzle olive oil over the fennel and season with salt and pepper. Make sure everything is evenly coated.

Place the brussels sprouts on a separate sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss with your hands.

Roast the vegetables in the same oven for 35 to 40 minutes, tossing once while cooking.

Combine the vegetables in a large serving bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Notes: I’m not sure why the recipe wants you to separate the fennel and brussel sprouts in the oven when it’s seasoned exactly the same and roasted for the same amount of time. Also, since I had some leftover bacon to use, had a lot of time, and needed to warm up the veg, I chopped up and browned some bacon and tossed the brussel sprouts in the leftover oil.

darling pasta

via use real butter

1/2 lb. chicken breast, diced
1 lb. rotini or cheese tortellini, cooked
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup sundried tomatoes, rehydrated and cut into strips
1 cup roasted red peppers, diced
1 cup pesto
1/2 cup pine nuts
2 tbsp vegetable oil
parmesan, grated

Heat oil over high heat in a large sauté pan. Add garlic when oil is hot and stir until fragrant. Add the chicken and sauté until just cooked. Stir in the tomatoes and peppers. Mix in the pesto and pine nuts. Toss the drained pasta into the pan and stir together. Remove from heat and serve with grated parmesan.

Notes: Instead of adding the garlic in the beginning and very likely burning it, I added it when the chicken was almost done and sautéed them together before adding the tomatoes and peppers. Also used the oil that came with the sun-dried tomatoes instead of regular olive oil.