Spicy Potato "Salad"

I'm not eating mayo anymore but I miss potato salad so much. On a whim, I created this masterpiece of flavor. It uses a deliciously spicy harissa olive oil and BUTTER. YES BUTTER.



But it's worth it you know.

Did I mention it's served hot? Oh savory deliciousness...


Spicy Potato "Salad":

3 medium Yukon gold potatoes, cut into large chunks
1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups fresh green beans
2 tbsp butter
***2 tbsp harissa olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt

In a small pot, boil potatoes until JUST fork tender. Add green beans and boil for an additional minute. Drain.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp harissa olive oil in a large pan. Add bell pepper and saute for 3 minutes. Add butter, stirring until melted. Add potatoes and green beans to pan; season with salt. Cook an additional 2-3 minutes, mixing gently.

Serve hot. Serves 3.

The vegetables will still be crisp and crunchy and the potatoes will be just soft enough. If you prefer them softer, boil for an additional minute or so.

***So, harissa olive oil is probably going to be impossible to find. I got mine from Victorine Valley Farms awhile ago and it's no longer listed on their website. I'm still trying to find out if it's a seasonal item or if it's gone for good. Harissa itself is a spicy pepper paste that can be found in supermarkets, so it's reasonable to say that you can blend some harissa paste with regular olive oil to achieve this spicy flavor. Otherwise, some chili pepper paste and garlic will get the job done. I'll have to experiment a little more.

Spicy Veggie Pasta

Over the past few months I’ve moved away from jarred sauces because they taste too sweet (and contain way too much sugar) and end up being too heavy and rich for my palate.

Canned tomatoes are so much cheaper than pre-made sauce and just as easy to use. Not to mention they create a nice, light sauce that’s still flavorful without being overbearing. Those of you whose pasta is invisible under the mountains of red—you know who you are. Feel ashamed.

Sometimes I want to put a spoon in a jar of sauce and hand it to these people (I have them in my life, and I do judge).

But I digress. Try this, please pretty please?

Spicy Veggie Pasta:

½ lb rotini pasta (shells would also be lovely, I think)
½ small yellow onion
1 zucchini
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp basil flakes
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1/3 cup chicken stock
½ tbsp red pepper flakes
Salt to taste

Cook pasta per package directions. In a medium pan over medium-high heat, add 1 tbsp olive oil OR coat pan with olive oil cooking spray. Add onions and allow to cook for 1 minute. Then add your zucchini and garlic; cook for 3 minutes. Add in mushrooms last and cook until mushrooms are soft and brown, about 4 more minutes.

In the meantime, drain your pasta and set the pot back on medium heat. To this pot add tomatoes, chicken stock (white wine or vegetable stock might substitute), basil, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes. When the vegetables are done, add them to the sauce and mix well. Allow sauce to heat through; about 4 minutes. Add pasta to sauce, season with salt, and serve. Top with parmesan cheese.

Serves 3.

--Jirafa

Soy and Garlic Zucchini

I know, I'm such a slacker. This is a really quick recipe that I like to make when I have my Japanese-styled breakfasts (miso soup, gyoza, rice). It's so simple and tangy and delicious!


Soy and Garlic Zucchini:

1 large zucchini, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp pepper
2-3 tbsp soy sauce

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic, brown for 30 seconds and add sliced zucchini. Cook until somewhat softened, about 2-3 minutes. Add pepper and soy sauce.
+You can add salt, just remember that the soy sauce is very salty so you won’t need much.

Serves 2.

--Jirafa

Pita's Comfort Dinner

You know that saying, a picture is worth a thousand words? Yeah, that’s it. Yum x 1,000. This meal is my favorite carb-laden vicetastic (yes, viceTASTIC) dish of pure indulgence.

Mashed potatoes now, jogging later.

What you’re currently drooling over—what? Oh excuse me, that was me. Let me get a napkin.

…

Okay, I’m good now. What you’re seeing is panko fried chicken, basic mashed potatoes, and sautéed zucchini and mushrooms. And I’m going to show you how to make it all!

First things first:


Basic Mashed Potatoes

These are just your run-of-the-mill delectable mashed potatoes. Nothing overly fancy and that’s because I’m kind of a purist when it comes to mashed potatoes. And stuffing. Putting things like nuts and cranberries and apples into wholesome savory stuffing is the worst idea in the world. If you do that well…go away right now. Just kidding. But seriously.

ANYWAY. Potato purity, people. Potato purity.

And while I’m here I may as well discuss gravy. Pictured, you see tasty chicken gravy FROM A PACKET. I’ve long gotten over my shame. I cannot cook gravy from scratch. My mother is a gravy-cooking queen who can take an empty pan and make amazing mushroom gravy appear much like Mrs. Weasley and her cheating wand (Oh yes, Harry Potter reference for you nerds. I love you all.) I, unfortunately, was not given gravy-making genes. I accept this.

If you can make delicious smooth scratch gravy, then go for it. Just know that I loathe you.

3 Yukon Gold potatoes (peeled if desired and sliced into even chunks)
4 tbsp butter
¼ cup milk
½ tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper

Add potato chunks to a pot of boiling water and boil until fork-tender, about 7-8 minutes or so. Drain and place into a sturdy bowl. Add butter and mash until butter has melted. Add milk, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, mixing thoroughly.

Serves 2



Panko Fried Chicken

Panko, how I love thee. Let me count the ways. Something like that. Panko, for those of you unfamiliar, are Japanese bread crumbs. They can be found in the Asian section of your grocery store and some regular bread crumb brands have started offering “Panko-style” crumbs as well. I prefer to get the authentic kind but we’re all on a budget these days so do as you will.

Unlike traditional bread crumbs, panko crumbs are light and fluffy and stick well during frying or baking.

I like pan-fried chicken, but I LOVE panko fried chicken. And like everything else I make, it’s easy-peasy.

2 thinly-sliced chicken breasts
1 egg, beaten
½ cup panko bread crumbs
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp salt

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Mix garlic powder, pepper, and salt into panko crumbs in a flat dish. Dip chicken breasts into egg wash, then into panko crumbs. Fry until golden-brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side.

Serves 2



Sautéed Mushrooms and Zucchini

And in order to cordon off the guilt of mashed potatoes, I make this vegetable dish which tastes even more decadent than the potatoes. This dish is one of my mother’s signature vegetable recipes. This used to be the only way I would eat zucchini because it’s really just that good.

2 zucchini, sliced into coins
6-8 oz mushrooms
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp basil
Salt and pepper

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a frying pan over medium-heat. Add all ingredients, stirring only to blend spices. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring 2-3 times so that zucchini gets browned but doesn’t burn. If you prefer softer vegetables, cook for another 3 minutes or so as they will be otherwise still firm.

Serves 2

And there you have it: a great meal for a winter evening. Or comfort sustenance when you have 20 pages of Japanese grammar to study in one night.

--Jirafa

Broccoli Beef

I consider broccoli beef heavenly delicious and I think a higher power agrees, judging by the glorious light gracing the above photo. It can only mean acceptance.




And really, what’s not to accept? Crunchy broccoli, savory beef, all over rice.



Nom. Nom. Nom.

Broccoli Beef:

2 round steaks, sliced into strips
1 head broccoli, chopped
¼ onion, diced
1 cup water

Sauce:

6 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp mirin
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp white sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
¼ tsp black pepper

Mix all sauce ingredients together, set aside.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok over medium-heat. Fry meat until browned, about 2-3 minutes. Remove meat to a plate.

Add another tbsp of oil to the wok and toss in broccoli and onion. Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in meat and sauce plus 1 cup water. Cook for another 2 minutes, stirring as sauce thickens.

Serve over sticky rice.

Serves 3.

--Jirafa

Green Bean Beef

From No Sin Sans Sugar

This is my broccoli beef recipe, sans broccoli because I was being too cheap to buy broccoli and got green beans instead. :D Ah, college life.

And yes I do realize I’ve been making a lot of Asian food lately. I promise, there will be variation soon. As soon as I either stop wanting sticky rice or run out of it.

From No Sin Sans Sugar

Aren’t they gorgeous? Cooking the beans after the meat ensures that they pick up all that leftover deliciousness and color.

And I’m all about deliciousness and color. ;)

Green Bean Beef:

For Sauce:

2 tsps cornstarch
2 tbsp white sugar
2 tbsp mirin
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp oyster sauce
¼ tsp black pepper

Mix together in a small bowl. Set aside.


¼ yellow onion, diced
2 round steaks, sliced into strips
2-3 cups fresh green beans


In a wok over medium-high heat, heat 1 tbsp of oil. Add beef, stir frying until brown. Set beef aside on a paper-towel lined plate. Add another tbsp oil to wok and stir fry vegetables about 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Return beef to wok, stir fry for another minute. Add sauce plus 1 cup water. Stirring constantly, heat until sauce becomes thick.

Serve over sticky rice.

Serves two.

-Jirafa

First Post! Red Ashe.

Today is a celebration of both my first post AND my birthday! Yay!

Red Ashe (pronounced “osh”) is my favorite soup ever. Mama Pita learned to cook it by watching Papa Pita’s cousins and I learned to cook it from watching her. (Let it be known that the best way to learn to cook is through observation. And demanding taste tests.) There are many variations of Ashe (“soup” in Farsi) and I’ve only tried a few, but loved them all. I hope to one day visit Iran and taste authentic Ashe for myself; until then, this will have to do.

There is much to be said about the herbs in this soup. I like to fill the sink with cold water and soak them; the smell of cilantro, parsley, and green onion mingling is heavenly. It’s enough to pique even my scent-challenged roommate.



Have you ever seen a more beautiful sight?



The real challenge is separating the cilantro and parsley from the stems. If you’re lazy like my father, you can cut the leaves off before you untie the bunches and soak them. I prefer to do it the hard way and separate them by hand because then I can be sure that no stems will sneak into my soup. It’s really a matter of how much stem you can handle.



After you’ve separated the leaves off the cilantro and parsley, throw them into a large soup pot. Chop the green onions and toss those in too, followed by ½ stick of butter, 6 oz tomato paste, 1 cup of rice, and enough water to just cover the vegetables. It will look like quite a lot in the pot, but it will wilt down as it cooks.



While this is going on, it’s time to prep the saffron. You’ll want a pinch of saffron to about one cup of HOT water. Put the saffron into a mug or a measuring cup and pour one cup of boiling water over it. Cover and let it steep for a few minutes. It will turn from a lovely golden color to a deep and beautiful orange color. Be sure to admire it for a few minutes.

Let the soup boil for about 20 minutes., then turn the temperature down to medium and add the black eyed peas. At this time, salt and pepper it. There’s no good measurement for the amount of salt needed since I’m a salt-a-holic and tend to hold a container of Morton’s over the pot while I yawn. So be sure to taste the soup frequently and adjust to your tastes. At this time you can also add in the saffron and lemon juice. Again, lemon juice somewhat to taste. I am also a lemon-a-holic in addition to being a salt-a-holic and Mama Pita would be cross when she found her soup suddenly saltier and sourer than it had been before she’d left the kitchen.

Sweet Potato Lesson #1: Never leave food unattended if I’m around. I firmly believe there is nothing that can’t be improved with copious amounts of lemon juice.

Let the soup cook for another 5-10 minutes, so the beans can heat through and the saffron and lemon juice have time to share their glorious flavorfulness. Yes. Flavorfulness. Learn it, love it, share it.

At this point, feel free to steal one of your roommate’s photogenic Mikasa bowls and plate the simple, delicious soup. Then promptly trip over your fat cat that snuck under your feet when he saw you had hot food that could burn him.

Devour. Well, let it cool a bit. Then devour!




Red Ashe

½ stick butter
1 cup of basmati rice (long-grain)
6oz of tomato paste
2 bunches each of cilantro, parsley, and green onion
3-4 tablespoons lemon juice
*3 tablespoons saffron-infused water
2 cans black-eyed peas, rinsed
Salt and pepper to taste

Rinse the vegetables and separate the leaves from the stems. Chop the green onion and add all herbs to a large soup pot. To this add 1 cup of long-grain rice, a 6oz can of tomato paste, and ½ stick of butter. Fill with water until the vegetables are just covered. Turn onto high and let soup boil for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to mix in the tomato paste. After 20 minutes, turn the heat down to medium and add two cans of rinsed black-eyed peas, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and saffron. Heat through for another 5-10 minutes.

*To make saffron-infused water, add 1 cup of boiling water to 1 pinch of saffron threads. (1 pinch being whatever fits between your thumb and forefinger. If you’re using your knuckles to pick up a gumball-sized amount you’ve gone way too far.)

You can find saffron at most grocery stores now, for the low-low price of $1000 per thread. Trader Joe’s sells Spanish saffron for a reasonable price—Spanish saffron will work just as well, although I prefer Iranian-imported saffron. Your best bet is to find a Middle Eastern or International market. Very few markets will keep saffron out because of how much it’s worth so if you don’t see it, ask the cashier.

This soup is good to make when you’re expecting a few people. If you’re making it for one or two, expect to be eating it for at least three days.

-Pita

Next recipe: Apricot Almond Cake (Scheduled post: Tuesday, November 11)