The Cohen Bahn Mi

The story:

The story behind this dish is somewhat complicated. It didn't occur to me that I could combine two of my other dishes in this manner, but not knowing what you want for lunch and being hungry is a great motivator for innovation. The Thai cucumber salad is a somewhat recent addition to my culinary repertoire, but it has become quite the favorite. I have also worked on getting my fried tofu for a while too, and have only recently gotten the texture just right recently. Personally I feel that the salad is great fresh but its even better after having pickled for a week or so.

The recipe:
First element: Fried tofu
1/2 - 1 block of extra firm tofu
1/2 cup of bread crumbs (panko are best)
1/4 cup of vegetable oil

Drain the water in the tofu pack only about half way. You want to make sure that the tofu is moist when you bread it. Slice the block of tofu into 4-8 pieces. (think the shape and size of a Wendy's burger, square and 1/4 in. thick) Place the bread crumbs in a shallow bowl. Place the tofu slices into the bread crumbs one at a time and shake it about to completely coat the tofu. Don't put them all in at once or the bread crumbs will get clumpy. Heat the veggie oil to a medium heat in a shallow frying pan. Once the oil has reached to proper temperature gently place the tofu in the pan. Make sure not to crowd them, as it will lower the temperature and make the end product very greasy. Once the bottom is golden brown, flip the tofu. You might have to flip them a couple of times to get them to the dark golden brown that indicated the proper texture.

Second element- Thai cucumber salad
see previous posts for recipe
note: red bell pepper can be added in addition to jalapeno or in substitution for those who don't like the heat.

Third element - bread and sauce
a baguette of french bread or even hamburger rolls in a pinch
1-2 tbs of sweet baby rays BBQ sauce

Only instructions for this part is don't toast the bread. The soft chewy texture of the bread is the intended counterpoint to the crunchiness of the tofu and the cool moisture salad. Just spread the sauce on the bread, place the tofu on top of it, and then add a generous helping of the salad on top.

eat and enjoy!

super simple banana nut bread

This one is a Sandra Lee-esque kind of recipe. This one was basically created out of necessitaty, that being we had a lot of bananas and they were going bad. There are tons of recipes for banana bread out there, so if you want to use one of those for a base go for it, but this is the quick and easy route for it. Also a little side note, this recipe is great for adapting into banana bread pudding with the leftovers.

Ingredients:
Bread:
1 package of betty crocker banana nut bread mix
1/2 cup of water
Topping:
5-6 bananas
3 TBS of butter
1/2 TSP of vanilla
1/4 cup of brown sugar
3 dashes of cinnamon

Instructions:
I'm not gonna bother with the bread part of this recipe, just follow the instructions on the back. For the topping, heat a pan to medieum heat. Place the butter in the pan, letting it brown up. Slice the bananas into small chunks and toss them in the butter. Simply add the rest of the ingredients and stir gently for 2 minutes. Lower the heat to a simmer and let it sit for 5 minutes. It should thicken up fairly quickly. When baking the bread, take it out when its 3/4th done and scoop all of the topping onto it. Let it then finish altogether in the oven. To turn the leftovers into bread pudding, simply add milk or cream to it, and then bake it at 350 for 10-15 minutes.

enjoy!

a classic! french onion soup!

The story:

Ok, I guess now that I am back on the recipe horse I'm on something of a binge but here goes. French onion soup, who doesn't like it? It' s rich, oniony, and oh so cheesey! Who can say to no to such a dish? Especially when its got the croutons in the there...right so now I might be drooling a little but it's totally worth it. French onion soup doesn't have to be terribly complicated to make and even a simple one is gonna be so much better than one of those intolerable powder mixes or canned soup versions. Here's a tweaked version that I created when I was craving the soup but had some extra items in the fridge that needed to be used up.

Ingredients:

2 cans of veggie stock (the missus insists on beef but thats a no no to me)

2-3 large yellow or white onions ( vidalia works but it changes the sweetness of the dish)

4-5 sprigs of fresh thyme (a must have for the dish)

1/2 cup of water to thin it out

1/4 of dry sherry cooking wine ( I like mine to have that extra oomph)

1/4 cup of unsalted butter

2 tbs of flour

1 cup of croutons (can be bagged salad croutons if fresh bread ones arn't available)

1/2 cup gruyere cheese

1/4 cup swiss cheese

Optional ingredients:

1/4 cup of roasted sweet corn (canned works too, but bbq or oven roasted adds a smokeness)

1 Jalepeno

Start by dicing the onions finely. Take a med. sized pot, one large enough to hold all the ingredients when cooked, and bring up to med. high heat. Put the butter in the pot and let it melt until it starts to brown. Then add the thyme, ripping off the leaves into the pot and throwing away the stems. Allow that to sit for 30-40 seconds and then add all of the onions. Mix the onions well, so that they are all coated in the browned butter. Let them reduce and carmelize for 4-5 minutes, stirring often. Now its time to add the corn and the pepper if you're choosing to include them. Mash the corn just a little, so that when it cooks in the broth the starch helps thicken it a bit. Once the onions become translucent, its time to add the sherry. Add the wine, stirring well. After about a minute add the broth, and alot it to come to a slow boil. Now its mostly a waiting game. I tend to like to let it sit, on a med. low heat, so that the flavors come together. After 15 or so minutes, its should be about time for the rue. Take the flour and the water and mix thouroughly in a seperate bowl. Once its fully blended add to the soup on the stove. Bring the soup back up to a low boil, letting the mixutre thicken the soup. It should reach the proper consistancy in about 4-5 minutes. Now comes the best part the bread and cheese!! Fill a bowl roughly 2/3 full with soup, adding the croutons on top. Once those have settled in, add the cheese to it in a roughly 2:1 ratio of gruyere to swiss. There are now two way to go with it. If your bowl is heavy duty or a nice ramikin you can place it in the oven under the broiler to do the cheese up right, or if not, you can simply mix the cheese into the soup and eat it as is!

eat and enjoy!

THE TRIUMPHANT RETURN: THE RETURNENING thai cucumber salad

The story:



Well as I was looking at some photos on my computer I realized that at one time I had a food blog. I took a look online and what do you know it was still there! Well I figured that I might as well update the site as as you might imagine I have come up with a few new recipes in the last year or so. This dish, Thai cucumber salad, is something that I've had in restaurants several times and always loved it. It finally came to me some weeks ago, that you know what, I could easily make that at home. It really is easy to make, and its dangerously addictive. I keep making it as a side for dinner but it always turns into a pre-dinner snack.



The ingredients:



1 large cucumber

1 red jalapeno

3 tbs of fresh chopped cilantro

1/4 cup of fine white vinegar

3 tbs of sugar

3 dashes of ponzu sauce

1 carrot sliced very thin

1 tbs of sweet chili spring roll sauce



The directions for cooking are fairly simple, though a bit trickier if you don't have a multi-use mandolin. Wash the cucumber thoroughly, and slice very thinly on the mandolin. I like to use a shredder attachment, which creates strands that are about the length and thickness of thin spaghetti. Place all of the cucumber in a large bowl to the side. Using the mandolin, slice the carrot to the same thickness and place in the same bowl as the cucumbers. Slice the jalapeno into circles and place in the bowl. (remove the membranes and seeds if you can't take the heat) Rough chop the cilantro and place in the bowl. Now for the wet ingredients, as well as the sugar. Sprinkle the sugar over the veggies, and then gently mix it. Next comes the vinegar and the ponzu. Again, gently mix everything, until all the veggies are coated. Finally add the chili sauce, and mix one last time. Its best if you let this sit for a few hours before you serve it, and to me its best chilled.

one terrific tomato sauce

I realize that making your own tomato sauce can seem like a chore, while there are many good bottled ones out there, but nothing beats a well made fresh sauce. Lol, just ask any french foodie. In any case, this sauce is really quite simple, taking perhaps 15 minutes to cook once the prep work is done. TOTALLY WORTH IT, especially if you want to add it to a baked pasta dish.

Rich Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:
2-3 whole tomatoes or 1 can of diced
1 whole med. onion (white or yellow)
1/4 cup of white button mushrooms, quartered or diced
dash of garlic powder
three dashes of sea salt
three dashes Italian seasonings
2-3 dashes of fresh ground black pepper
1-2 teaspoons of sugar, depending on taste
1/2-2/3 cup of red wine, Cabernet Sauvignon works really well (definitely don't have to spend more than 8 dollars on the bottle)
3 tbs of balsamic vinegar
1 tbs flour or corn starch mixed with 3 tbs of water for rue to thicken

Heat a medium sauce pan with 2-3 tbs of olive oil to a medium low heat. Dice the onion and mushrooms. Once the pan is hot add the onions, stirring to coat them in the oil. Allow then to soften. Add all the spices, other than the sugar, to the pan. Once the onions are close to being translucent, add the mushrooms. Stir well, making sure the oil and spices coat them both well. Wait 2 minutes and then add the wine. Add the tomatoes, gently stirring the sauce. Allow the wine to reduce and cook off the alcohol. Next add the vinegar and sugar. Stir well. Let the sauce sit on the medium low heat fr 3-4 minutes, allowing the tomatoes to cook. Finally add the rue to the sauce, turning the heat up to a medium high heat. You should see the sauce thickening very quickly now. Continue to stir the sauce for a minute to work out the flavor of the flour. Once done allow the sauce to set for 2-3 minutes and then serve with just about anything!

Eat and enjoy!

A new mac and cheese variation for us

So its been a very long time since we posted, and frankly I don't know if anyone is following this at all but I thought it was time to add a new recipe. It's true that we have posted mac and cheese recipes before, but for what some might consider a simple food, to us it is most certainly not. This recipe is something of a ode to sandra lee's semi-homemade, someone who I am really not a fan of, but its her concept so credit where credit is due. This dish plays on some of our earlier mac and cheese variations, using greens to create a more complex flavor while still maintaining its classic down home soul food roots.

Semi-homemade baked mac and cheese

1 package of elbow macaroni
3 - 4 cloves of fresh garlic
1/2 cup of fresh spinach
1 can of broccoli and cheese soup
1/2 cup of shredded Wisconsin cheddar cheese
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
2 TBS of butter
1/4 cup of corn meal
1/2 cup of milk or condensed milk
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
1-2 TBS of capers

Bring water to a boil for the pasta. Add pasta, stir, and when reached the desired texture drain. Its best to leave it a little chewy because its going to continue cooking in the oven. Chop the spinach and the garlic. Bring a med. sauce pan to a med heat, allowing the butter to brown slightly. Add the spinach and garlic, and lower to temperature so the garlic does not burn. When the spinach has cooked down, add the can of soup. Continue to stir the mixture as you add the milk, letting the ingredients blend. Add fresh ground black pepper to taste. When the liquids have reached a simmer, turn off the heat, and then add the cheeses, keeping a small amount of the parm aside to put on top. When the cheese has melted, add it to the pasta. Let that set for a minute or two, while you butter the sides of the container you are using to bake it in. I suggest glassware, as it conductes heat well and is easy to clean. Once the sides are coated in the butter, add half of the cornmeal tossing it around to coat the butter. This will create a great crust for the mac and cheese. Add the mac and cheese mixture into the dish, and toss the rest of the cornmeal and parm on top.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and allow the dish to cook for 20-25 minutes or untill golden brown.

This is one great dish, and the leftovers just get better.

eat and enjoy!

Tempura Lime Chicken

Tempura batter is tricky, you will want to mix, mix and mix it till it so silky smooth, but resist! Lumpy tempura batter means good tempura batter! So here we go.


2lbs of chicken, cut into small pieces
tempura batter, follow directions on box. (tip-measure desired amount of liquid and let sit in the fridge for 30 minutes to make sure it's extra cold)
Half cup of flour
One lime
Oil for deep frying )the clearer the oil the higher the temperature will go!


Cut chicken into small pieces then I like to lightly dredge it in flour to insure the tempura batter really sticks, dip and batter and then deep fry. Drain and let sit. When you are halfway finished with the deep frying start juicing lime over chicken. While chicken is still warm garnish with Thai Basil.

It's so good!

optional, add some full fat yogurt to the lime juice and some rice and you will be in heaven!