Sticky Rice

Today is the third day of perhaps the most quintessentially Thai holiday- "Songkran" or New Year!  Part of the celebration includes a gigantic water fight in the public streets with super-soakers and water balloons from what I'm told (sounds way better than sipping champagne at midnight)!  Another way of celebrating the New Year includes preparing a traditional dish that is one of the most intoxicating treats a human can ask for. It is called "sticky rice" and served with fresh mango. The recipe to follow was given to me by my Thai friend, Jiab, who is currently working in the same research lab that I am. She continues to wow the mouths of Americans when she makes this dish (like today)! I have not tried making it myself yet, but here it is for safe keeping:

Thai-tastic!!
Picture.

Thai Sticky Rice
10 servings



6 cups sticky rice (sweet rice). Find it at your local Asian Grocery.
2.5 cups coconut cream/coconut milk
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons of salt


Soak sticky rice in plain water overnight. Then steam the soaked rice in a bamboo steamer until the rice is cooked. While waiting for the rice, make the coconut sauce by putting all of the sugar and salt in the coconut milk, bringing to a boil and stirring until the sugar and salt is completely dissolved. When the rice is cooked (and still HOT), transfer to a mixing bowl, pour in the coconut sauce, mix well and cover. The hot rice will absorb all of the sauce in about half an hour or so.  Serve with fresh mango slices. Optional: Reserve some of the coconut sauce and drizzle over mango and sticky rice to serve. Additional note: Serve leftover sticky rice with a spicy curry for a real treat.

Here, Here, to Irish Cheer!

Helloooooo!!


I believe it's been 2011 for three months now and I have not added one post since bringing in the new year. Despite my crazy semester, I am determined not to let this outlet of creativity escape, so let's cheer to la vida loca and St. Patty with a suiting recipe that my family has grown quite fond of in the past few years: Irish coffees!

The handsome couple before revisiting Buena Vista in San Fran.
My mom admitted that she didn't like whiskey until drinking
these Irish Coffees in Minneapolis.

The story begins in San Francisco, California about four years back. My family was taking a trip to celebrate Mike's graduation from high school and it just so happened to overlap with my parents 25th wedding anniversary! They took a honeymoon in San Francisco and remember visiting the Buena Vista cafe overlooking Fisherman's Warf. We went there on their anniversary eve to get an Irish coffee, a drink they are quite famous for, however, my parents had to take their coffees out into the cold wind in two parts: a disposable cup with the coffee + a small plastic bottle of whisky (since Mike and I were still too young to share in the drinking atmosphere)!


A few years later on a mild June evening Mike and I decided to surprise them with a "proper"cup before going out for dinner. I bought my first bottle of Jameson. Mike did some dark coffee roasting. Sitting around a table on a slanted porch in Mike's rented house in Minneapolis, Minnesota we brought out the "surprise" and well... three hours and a few cups later we were stumbling into a cab to grab some grub to soak up the bottle of whisky in our stomachs! Now, it is a funny family drink. We made some last Christmas morning with hand-whipped Amaretto cream (Mike's creation). I introduced them to Joe on our second annual snow day (thank you Chancellor Biddy). And now, you can make them too!


Irish Coffees (Nuss Family Style)


Brew a strong pot of a dark roasted coffee
While brewing, boil hot water and pour into glasses/mugs to heat
Whip the whipped cream with sugar (and a splash of Amaretto) until it peaks
When the coffee is done, pour the hot water out of the serving glasses/mugs
Pour a shot or two of whiskey into the glasses
Scoop equal parts sugar and stir
Pour coffee until 3/4 full and stir until sugar is dissolved
Top *carefully* with the whipped cream as to not mix with the coffee
Enjoy one a cold night, or as we do, anytime you want to get giggly!

The "key" to a perfect Irish Coffee.
As some call it, "dumb blond in a black dress."
The beauty about not mixing the cream and coffee is
that they combine perfectly when sipping.
The slower you drink, the more the layers mingle.

Mama Mia Pizza

Tonight's dinner menu consists of homemade pizza! Madison finally received its first snow dump last night so what better way to spend a Saturday night than warm dough with cheese and a movie?  I am preparing a pizza recipe from the Joy of Cooking but substituting pre-made crust for some real Italian-style handmade yeast pizza dough.  You know its a real recipe for authentic dough when it lists flour amounts in grams. I had to google the conversion to cups. Here is what I did:


Italian Pizza Crust
The Essential Mediterranean Cookbook


Mix the following in a large bowl:
1.6 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
7 g (1 packet) yeast
Mix the following in a separate bowl:
1/3 cup milk
3/8 cup warm water
1 tablespoon olive oil


Add the wet mixture to the dry 
Stir with a wooden spoon. Knead for 5 minutes on floured surface. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and let rise in warm place (about 1 hour or double in size).
Punch down and knead another 5 minutes
Place on a lightly greased baking sheet with sprinkling of polenta. Bake 415 degrees 10 minutes*

Pizza pie perfection step #1: Put in the extra effort!

*The recipe bakes it along with pizza toppings for 15-20 minutes so I reduced the time to get the crust to stiffen (raw enough to bake again with my pizza toppings)! I also brushed the crust with olive oil. Kneading dough for 5 minutes is difficult from what I discovered by this recipe. I guess-timated that I would need to knead for the length of two songs playing from my itunes. The Black Keys was great to knead with a rhythm! The most remarkable experience making this recipe was that the dough behaved so well! I have had many bad experiences making yeast breads. My dough never turns out right. THIS pizza dough, however, was as dream come true! I couldn't stop remarking that it was truly remarkable the whole time...stretchy, tender, and smooth. And it even rose nicely in the oven into the golden crusty dream that I was wishing for. I am flagging this recipe with a post-it note for easy future reference and recommending it to everyone! (Note: I got so enthusiastic about this dough that I tried to toss and spin it it in my hands instead of rolling out with a roller. This was not elegant to watch).


Roasted Garlic and Pepper Pizza
Joy of Cooking


1 garlic bulb
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 large sweet red peppers
1/2 cup sliced pimiento-stuffed olives
2 tablespoons  red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1 (10 oz) prebaked thin Italian bread shell 
3/4 cup sweet onion slices
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese


As the name implies, this recipe requires oven roasting of a bulb of garlic as well as fresh bell peppers. I only had frozen green, yellow, and red peppers so I slapped those on a baking sheet and placed in the oven as it pre-heated for the garlic. I let cook for about 20 minutes and was surprised to see them so burned around the edges! The sugars seemed to seep out of the skins and onto the baking sheet making them very difficult to take off, as well as clean the sheet for the dough. I think I will use fresh next time. Slight variations in the toppings were also used: I also didn't have onions so a few dashes of onion powder was put into the topping mixture and pepperoni slices were added to half the pizza for fun! The garlic created a wonderful aroma in my apartment. The whole bulb seemed like a lot for a small pizza but  I followed the recipe and added it all anyways. Doubtful that there will be any complaining since both Joe and I will have garlic breath.


Almost 8:00 PM and pizza is done!! Its beautiful and colorful and smells dangerously delicious! I'm serving with side salad topped with tahini lemon dressing. Voila!

The colors shout "delicioso!!"

Final critiques: Do not bake raw crust separate from toppings. I solved the extra-crispy problem by serving with a balsamic vinegar and olive oil emulsion. Joe loved it regardless and had thirds. Will try again in the near future using the same crust but creative combinations of toppings.

Something Fishy

Tonight I am preparing Portuguese Fisherman's Stew. I cut it off of a White Northern Beans package years ago and kept it tacked on my refrigerator as a reminder to make. Well... that day has finally come! I am preparing it to be eaten tomorrow to give it a night of "rest" to allow the flavors to mingle and mature.


Portuguese Fisherman's Stew
Serves 4-6


2 cups Great Northern Beans, pre-cooked
1 lb. filleted firm white fish
1/4 cups lemon juice
2 quarts water
2 tbsp. margarine
3 small onions, sliced
1/8 cup minced garlic (fresh)
2 bay leaves

1 can (16 oz) chicken broth
 1 can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes
 1 1/2 tsp. thyme
 Salt and pepper to taste

In large pot brown onions and garlic in margarine. Add cooked  beans, water, bay leaves, broth, stewed tomatoes, and thyme and  simmer for 45 minutes. In separate skillet add lemon juice, fish and 1/2 cup water. Simmer slowly until fish flakes with a fork. Drain liquid and add fish to stew. Season to taste with salt pepper. 

 

A peek from start to finish.

I made a few modifications to this recipe. For one, I used a olive oil and butter combo instead of margarine for cooking the onions and garlic. I also used concentrated natural chicken bouillon paste instead of broth. For the tomatoes, all I had on hand was the canned, diced variety so I used those instead of stewed. I'm not sure if there is a real difference if adding to soup or stew but I increased the simmer time anyways. The butcher at Copps helped me pick out a nice "firm white fish" to use. We decided on Flounder. He said it was more fishy than Tilapia or Roughy. I thought fishy would be good flavor for a rich broth (and it also happened to be a cheaper choice). Let me tell you something though, it really smells fishy too! My apartment is going to stink like fish for days...


I seem to be on the roll with fishy things since I just finished off some homemade pasta sauce that included canned sardines. It was one of those nights where you are scavenging your bare refrigerator shelves after a long weekend away trying to find something dinner-worthy. My choice ended up producing very potent breath that lingers until morning (even after brushing and Listerine-ing). It's funny how something so terribly smelly can taste so good!


So the stew is now finished and sitting on my counter to cool before putting it into the refrigerator for the night. I just realized I forgot to drain the cooked fish before adding. I think I will serve with some of my sauteed sourdough bread, that I talked about in a previous blog, and perhaps some white wine.

Winter Root Vegetables

After returning home from a Baltimore Thanksgiving gathering with Joe's family friends yesterday evening I was astonished to find a lonely rutabaga in the crisper drawer of my refrigerator. I had purchased it a few weeks ago after growing curious of the larger purple-blushed bulbs propped up next to the carrots in the produce section of my grocery store. Knowing I needed to cook this ASAP and also wanting something relatively healthy after the past week of feasting, I found the following recipe, but made a few manipulations including adding leeks, excluding potatoes, and doubling the olive oil.


Roasted Root Vegetables with Mustard


3 tbsp. Dijon mustard, coarse
6 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper, fresh ground
4 carrots, sliced 1-in lengths
2 parsnips, sliced 1-in lengths
1 rutabaga, 1-in cubes
1/2 large yellow onion, 1/2-in wedges
3 leeks, sliced 1-in rings

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Whisk together mustard, oil, and spices in a large bowl. Prepare vegetables and mix with the mustard sauce until well coated. Let vegetables marinate for 10 minutes and then place on baking sheet. Bake for 45-50 minutes turning every 15 minutes. Season to taste with more salt and pepper.

This recipe rocks. It is a wonderful way to experiment with winter root vegetables and I have to admit this was a first-time experience with rutabaga, leeks, and parsnips! Fantastic! The mustard flavor was more muted than I would have preferred but I think it is because I didn't use coarse Dijon like the original recipe calls for. I ended up drizzling some homemade mustard dressing on top (olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper shaken in an almost empty mustard bottle) and ketchup. The ketchup wasn't the most elegant side to pair with this but I had a craving for it tonight. Next time I won't because it disguises the simples spices of this dish.

Grilled leek greens and mustard veggies.

There were so many leek greens to discard that I googled "eating leek greens" and I discovered you can eat them! I opted for grilling them on my George Forman grill brushed with olive oil (pictured above). The leaves are quite fibrous and resemble giant green onions in my opinion.  I think they might be nice drizzled with some soy sauce and sesame seeds.


I also had some dried pumpkin seeds that I pan toasted using hot light olive oil and sprinkled with cinnamon and salt. During this heating process, a very pleasant cinnamon fragrance drifted from the pan which I found to stir up feelings of comfort.  I was also surprised to find that the seeds began to jump out of the pan like popcorn in the last few minutes of heating from steam bursting from the seed coat!

Sweet-n-savory pumpkin seeds.

In addition to these experiments, I whipped up some tahini based scones while the vegetables were roasting so that I could just slide them into the already-pre-heated oven when they finished. The recipe can be found on food.com as well from this link.  I used a glass drinking glass to cut the scones into round shapes after rolling out with a rolling pin. Also they received overwhelming positive feedback, I have to disagree. I would have to suggest from my experiences to hand shape into an inch high small circle for better rising, adding a 1/4 cup of honey to the dough to sweeten up a bit, and dipping the top of the scones in sunflower seeds to make them stick better (or drizzle some honey on top as a glue).

Rustic scones.

Tastes Around Town

I feel as though recently I've had such a marvelous time flirting with the Madison food scene!


Last weekend Joe and I went to a well-known "oldie-but-goodie" Madison restaurant, called, Osteria Papavero, located next to the former Restaurant Magnus off the Capital Square. It was a very chilly evening and I have to say we felt warmed immediately after stepping into its doors, and for more reasons than to meet some of Joe's friends from school.  The walls were painted a warm golden wheat color. There was a bar extending the whole back side of the restaurant and a chalk board on the north wall full of daily specials. The wine menu listed names encrypted for a true wino to decipher. I couldn't even tell whites from reds!  I ended up settling for Capitol Octoberfest to go with my fine Italian dining. The "Polenta, Funghi, e Lamache" dish, described as a fall ragout of wild mushrooms and snails with fried polenta. I had spent that week playing with a traditional Zambian corn dish (which I will write about later in its own entry), so I really wanted to try traditional Italian corn! I'm ashamed to say I'd never tried polenta before... or snails for that matter. Other things on the menu included boar, crepes, sausage and lentils. There was a bottomless assorted bread basket that included salty fried dough. It is interesting how good bread can make a lasting impression on me. Unfortunately so did the snails. They were a bit grimy. I could feel a sandy grit with each bite. The polenta tasted bland, like the Zambian corn dish. I think I will go for the boar next time!

Cuisine focuses on the rustic
food of both the Emilia Romagna and Toscana regions of Italy. Website.

I've also gotten to try a brand-spanken-new restaurant, named Nostano, located in the building that was formerly Peppino's on a corner street of the Capital Square. The occasion was Joe and my 5-year anniversary and 1-year engagement anniversary! It was my year to plan the evening so I decided to surprise him with somewhere he would probably never guess because it just opened its doors mid-October and word is slow to get around. Much like Osteria Papavero the interior is small and intimate. The walls were painted a cool blue color covered with a playful collage of antique window panes. There was very little light, creating a blanket of privacy despite the crowded seating arrangements (there were probably only a dozen tables total)!  Despite an elaborate drink menu, Joe and I paired our entrees with some wine with the help of our lovely server. Below is what we ordered, Joe with the Sturgeon and I with the rabbit.  We order the last item (an appetizer) for dessert, hehe.

Nostrano is operated by a husband and wife chef team,
Timothy and Elizabeth Dahl.

GRILLED STURGEON: CHICKPEA AIOLI | ROASTED ARTICHOKE | NOCELLARA OLIVES | SALSA VERDE

QUINTA DO FEITAL "AURATUS": Minho, portugal i alvarinho, trajaura

Rabbit confit: RYE TAGLIOLINI | HEN OF THE WOODS | MADEIRA | SCARLET CARROT

CONDE DE VALDEMAR: RIOJA, SPAIN I TEMPRANILLO

 CHARCUTERIE PLATE: PÂTÉ CAMPAGNOLA | SALSICCIA | PORK LIVER MOUSSE | SALAME NOSTRANO | BALSAMIC SHALLOTS | CAPONATA | PIPARRAS | FINGERLING POTATOES

The food was nothing short of fabulous. Although the entree portions were small, the ingredients were top notch! The chefs source locally as much as possible and their food is presented very thoughtfully on the plate without being overdone. Unlike the snails, my curiosity in rabbit was a good choice (better than what I had in Mexico)! The meat had been shredded, balled into a patty, battered in bread crumbs and pan fried to a crispy-on-the-outside-tender-on-the-inside treat! The salami was impressionable too! They make all of their meats in-house except for one, ironically called "salame nostrano".  The idea, from what I gathered, is to come to Nostrano to share a few appetizers and follow up with a modest entree while enjoying a leisurely evening with good company. It was the perfect date place for an anniversary, but I would go back with girlfriends or family. This comfortable versitality must have been a pre-meditated idea because Nostrano means "Home-grown, local" or even "ours" in Italian.

"I like pie" -Mystery Science Theater

The many flavors to choose from!
Website here. 

The last place I will blab about is Hubbard Avenue Diner in Middleton (just 10 minutes west of town). I have been salivating for a piece of their locally renowned pie ever since my birthday back in September. Joe and I decided a cold, windy, overcast Sunday morning this past weekend was the time to finally make the trip. The place was packed to the gills with hungry people anxious to get their slice of heaven. You can tell you've chosen a good place to eat when you realize the people around you are returning customers. It also seems the crowds here are recurring because they have found something for people to do while waiting... drink free piping hot coffee (well you can bet that I was pumped) and admire all the beautiful pies in their glass displays. By the time we got our table we were so excited by the sights and smells we ordered up some eggs, bacon, hash browns and biscuits to go with our coffee and pie. I got to pick the pie flavor, which was a seasonal "Sweet Potato Pecan". It may seem silly to spend $5 on something that disappears in two short seconds but it was worth it! Hubbard Avenue really does know pie (and well, breakfast for that matter)!

Stay tuned for more dining adventures!  Next up: the Underground Kitchen this Thursday followed by the Sugar Distillery on Friday.

"Better Than Chocolate" Chocolate Frosting

Occasionally I have these intense cravings for baked, sweet things and usually they must contain chocolate.   One of my go-tos for an easy fix is to whip up some chocolate cake in cupcake tins using the Hershey's Cocoa recipe that is printed on their cocoa powder packaging. I made them this past week but somehow I managed to botch the frosting. The original chocolate frosting recipe is as follows:

"Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Frosting

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

Picture from Hersey's website.

Instead of the warm, creamy chocolate lava that I was expecting (and have made before just fine thank you very much!) I ended up with chunky chocolate siting in butter oil. After separation and I couldn't get it to homogenize! Sometimes I wonder in puzzlement what I do wrong to mess up recipes. Did I heat my butter too hot creating a separation with the caseins and fat? Did I not heat enough? Was it because I added the vanilla to the mixture before the sugar and milk?

What ever the problem, I was determined not to let such fundamentally amazing ingredients like chocolate and butter be tossed down the sink. I was convinced I could use them somehow. In fact I started by shoving it into the center of some cupcakes as sort of a filling but the cupcakes didn't really look appetizing after gorging them with a mysterious brown pudding. 

My ultimate solution: Beat with 8 oz. cream cheese. 

One block of Neufchatel (1/3 less fat cream cheese) created a beautiful, dark chocolate cream that was smooth and spreadable. I received rave reviews from everyone at work; even so much to say "can I have one with extra frosting please?" I even admit I spread it onto my bagel as a sweet and savory cream cheese topping.  Big win for this curious chef's baking adventures.  I think the moral of this story is to whip all baking mishaps with some cream cheese to turn it into something Martha Stewart would be proud of. There is only one problem with making sweet cream cheese spreads... you end up licking, spooning, and finger dipping until your stuck with a generous sugar hangover!