Gaeng Hang-lay Northern Style Beef Curry

Ingredients

1 lb of beef, cut into bite sized pieces
2 cups of coconut milk
1 cup, raw shelled peanuts

For the curry paste
3 tbs of very thinly sliced lemon grass
3 tbs of palm sugar
1 tbs thick soy sauce
2 tbss of garlic, minced
2 tbs dried red Thai chile peppers, crumbled
2 tbs of shallots (small red or purple onions), thinly sliced
1 tbs ginger, grated
1 tbs shrimp paste - gupi
1 tbs coriander seed
1 tbs cumin seed
pinch turmeric powder
quarter cup fish sauce - nam pla
1 tbs tamarind concentrate mixed with 3 tablespoons water


Method
1. Simmer the beef, and peanuts, in the coconut milk, in a covered saucepan for 30 minutes or until the beef is. tender .

2. Toast the coriander and cumin seeds until fragrant,
3. Make a well-blended paste out of the ingredients from fresh lemon grass to tamarind, either by pounding the chopped ingredients with a large mortar and pestle, or by pureeing them in a blender or food processor.

When the beef is tender
1. add the curry paste, stir to combine
2. continue to simmer, covered for 10 minutes.

Since the beef is simmered it is possible to use cheaper
(tougher) cuts of meat.
If necessary extend the cooking process until the meat is tender.

Serve with Thai Jasmine rice, and the usual Thai table condiments.

Thanks : http://www.simply-thai.com

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Cornmeal Blini with Smoked Trout and Crème Fraîche

Who doesn't like appetizers? They're cute, they're tasty and you can pop them in your mouth in one bite. No muss, no fuss. About a year and a half ago, I had this great cornmeal blini appetizer at a cooking/dinner party. The host had taken a recipe from Chow and substituted the caviar with smoked fish. The miniature-sized apps were delectable and I filed the recipe away in my "to make" file. Yesterday, Mr. S. and I attended a BBQ at his cousin's house and I decided to try my hand at them. Well, making teeny, tiny "pancakes" is actually harder than it looks. After the first half dozen or so, I gave up trying to achieve a perfect circle and settled for a haphazard oblong shape...hey, it all tastes the same, right? :)

Cornmeal Blini with Smoked Trout and Crème Fraîche

Ingredients

1/2 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 cup milk

Vegetable oil for frying

1.5 cups crème fraîche

1/4 lb. smoked trout (I used applewood smoked Steelhead Trout purchased at Taylor's Market)

1 bunch chives, finely chopped



Instructions

1. Heat oven to 250°F.

2. In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking soda, and salt and stir well to mix. Add egg and milk, and mix until smooth.

3. Heat a heavy griddle or frying pan over medium heat until hot, then brush or mist with oil. Using a spoon and working in small batches, drop tablespoons of batter into the pan. When bubbles form evenly on the top of the blini, flip over and cook until golden.

4. Transfer the first batch of cooked blini to a heatproof plate lined with paper towels and keep warm, covered, in the oven. Repeat with remaining batter.

5. To serve, top each warm blini with 1 tablespoon crème fraîche, a tablespoon of smoked trout and a pinch of chives. Serve immediately.
 
(Adapted from Chow.com's Cornmeal Blini with Caviar recipe.)

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Oto's Parking Lot Party, Oct 3rd

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B*tchin' Shrimp : Basil Lime Shrimp

"You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces- just good food from fresh ingredients."

- Julia Child

I've been cooking this recipe from Bitchin' Camaro since April and I'm not sick of it yet (it appears neither is Mr. S., since we had it again this week and all of it was happily consumed). Since I've recommended it to several friends now, I figured I should post it. This is great for a night when you're pooped from work and want something simple to throw together. The shrimp are cooked in a flash (you barely have to do any stove time) and it's ooooooh so yummy! Also, it's not very spicy (more on the tangy side, in my opinion) so even kidlets can enjoy it. The original recipe says to serve it up with some baked plantains but we prefer it with rice or some stir-fried fresh veggies.


Basil Lime Shrimp

Ingredients

2-3 tbsp. olive oil

1 lb. large shrimp, peeled, de-veined and tail-off

1 1/2 tsp. Thai red curry paste

1/3 cup vegetable stock

juice of 2 limes

3 tbsp. chopped basil leaves

salt to taste


Instructions

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat with the olive oil.

2. Whisk the curry paste, stock and lime juice together in a small bowl and set aside.

3. When the skillet is hot, add the shrimp, stirring constantly to ensure they cook evenly on all sides and don’t stick to the pan. Make sure not to overcook the shrimp or they’ll lose their tenderness. Three to 5 minutes should do it.

4. Once they’re cooked, remove from heat and toss with the curry lime sauce and the basil.

5. Taste and add salt if needed.

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Unwrapped : Enoki Packets

This recipe involves very little effort, quick clean-up (who doesn't love that) and results in a sweet, earthy tasting side dish. If you're not familiar with Enoki mushrooms; they are long, thin, bone-colored and delicate in flavor. They are often used in Japanese recipes and are known to be high in niacin, iron and potassium.  I often toss some in some sukiyaki or simply wrap them in bacon and roast them in the oven.

Enoki Packets

(serves 2)

Ingredients

1 package of Enoki mushrooms (you can find these at Oto's, most Asian markets and the Raley's on Freeport often carries them...buy the fresh stuff not the canned or jarred)

1/3 cup mirin

1/3 cup soy sauce (I prefer Kikkoman Lite Soy Sauce for this recipe, it's not as salty tasting)

1/3 cup water

2 T unsalted butter


Instructions

1. Hold Enoki bundle together, cut off and discard the roots. Wash under running water for several minutes. Place on a papertowel and pat dry.

2. Mix mirin, soy sauce and water in a bowl.

3. Add mushrooms and allow to marinate for about 5 minutes. (Do not rinse)

4. Remove mushrooms and place on a sheet of aluminum foil.

5. Cut the butter into 4 pats and place them on top of the mushrooms (spaced apart).

6. Fold foil over to make a "packet", seal both ends well.

7. Place in an oven-safe dish (in case of leakage) and pop it in the broiler for 10-12 minutes until enoki are tender.

8. Remove from oven. Unfold packet.  Be careful the contents will be pipin' hot!

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Have You Checked This Out?

These days, one of my favorite pre-made meals to have on hand is Trader Joe's Pacific Flounder Stuffed With Crab Meat. It can be found in their frozen foods section and runs about $2.99. The fish is tender and there's a decent scoop of crab in the filling. You just need to thaw it and then bake it in the oven for 20-25 minutes...perfect if you're feeling lazy. Tonight, I squeezed some fresh lemon juice on it and served with a simple haricot vert sauté. Surprisingly, the meal was pretty filling.

(photo by Back Porch Musings)

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Zippy Zucchini : Zucchini Pasta

Overrun with zucchini? Trying to eat healthier? Going gluten-free? Try replacing your pasta with zucchini ribbons. Not convinced? Check this out...it takes seconds to make, is very low in calories (one medium sized zucchini only has about 25 calories) and is rich in Vitamin C (also it's good source of vitamin B6, riboflavin and manganese). In addition, this recipe only requires a few ingredients and one pan. Gotta love that! Now, you can top it off with whatever you want (the recipe suggests marinara sauce or Parmesan) but I've found it to be quite tasty with just a few turns of the pepper grinder.

Zucchini Pasta

Ingredients

2 pounds zucchini

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

3/4 cup fresh tomato sauce (optional)

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, for serving (optional)


Instructions


1. Using a vegetable peeler, cut the zucchini into lengthwise ribbons. Peel off several from one side, then turn the zucchini and peel off more. Continue to turn and peel away ribbons until you get to the seeds at the core of the zucchini. Discard the core.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. A

3. Add the zucchini ribbons and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Cook, tossing and stirring the zucchini, for two to three minutes, until softened and beginning to turn translucent.

4. Add freshly ground pepper to taste, and transfer to a serving dish.

5. Repeat with the remaining olive oil and zucchini. Serve, topping with tomato sauce and freshly grated Parmesan if desired.

* Serves four. This dish is best served right away.

Original recipe can be found in the New York Times' Recipes for Health section: Zucchini Pasta.

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