Spring veg right now have been crazy! You can get local stuff right now that is amazing, so I I wanted to devote a recipe technique that can be used any season with whatever is local right then…it is Spring here so that is what we will be focusing on here. Not to mention I found a 2lbs box of imported Italian Arborio rice, the stuff for risotto! Gonna roast some veggies to bring out their natural sugar and starch…it’s a good time. Risotto should be done over medium heat and done with patience and care, many a risotto has been rushed and ruins the integrity of the dish…as with most things…the good stuff takes time and thought. Once mastered, risotto crafting can take on many delicious, crowd pleasing, variations…and its gluten free! So what the hell right?!
Playas:
1 ½ Cups Arborio rice
1 shallot minced
5 Cups chicken or veg stock
4 Tbsp butter
¼ Cup Parmesan
¼ Cup White Cheddar (I used a sharp, New Zealand import…but use a semi soft cheese of choice)
1 Cup dry white wine, if you won’t drink it, don’t cook with it
In a flat bottomed pot, over medium high heat, I used my le cruset French oven, put a few tbsp. of olive oil, add shallots, brown, add half of the butter, add rice, brown mixture, add wine, when it has evaporated start adding stock, ladle by ladle until the rice is perfectly al dente, probably will take about 25 minutes or so….taste as you go….add cheese and rest of butter, stir, serve right away!
A variety of seasonal treats, I choose some local asparagus roasted at 400 degrees, lightly coated with olive oil and salt for 20 min. I roasted some Leeks, same process as asparagus but takes about 15 minutes longer. I used some petite peas, and then topped it with whipped sundried tomato, which is super easy, basically you rehydrate some dried tomatoes with boiling water, for about 10 minutes, drain all but a ¼ Cup of water, add ½ Cup olive oil, and blend till foamy. Its super tasty, easy, and can be put on anything and will keep in the fridge forever.
This recipe serves four as a main.
Guam inspired Lumpia, this aint yo momma’s egg roll!
Back to “normal” for spring here in Portland….rainy! Doesn’t really bother me all that much to be honest…and back to cooking for rainy weather, it’s a different process completely. This recipe was inspired by the most amazing dish at PDX 671, they are a food cart in the pod by my house and they serve amazing lumpia! I’ve eaten my share of eggrolls/spring rolls but these lumpia (Guam version) are outta this world! They are light, crispy, and served with the most amazing sweet and sour sauce, not the red stuff you get on your sweet and sour chicken, a light vinegar based sauce with fresh chilies. Recently, PDX 671 was featured on “Diners, Drive in’s, and Dives” and ever since then they have had weird hours, sold out, and aren’t open for dinner hours. Great for them, bad for the locals who now have to fight the tourists to get their Guam food craving. So in defiance I decided to make my own, this is my recipe and my journey. Pretty damn good, but not as good as my homie up at the Rose City Carts…damn you Guy Fieri, leave my carts alone…haha!
My delicious, but inferior lumpia:
1 ½ lbs ground pork or chicken
1 cup grated jicama
1 carrot, grated
2 tbsp black pepper
2 tbsp fish sauce (Three Crabs is the best, I’ve found)
1 tsp grated ginger
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 egg
1 package Egg roll wraps, the thinner the better, I got the run of the mill thicker ones, I was on foot and couldn’t be picky so I had to get what was available at my local Wholefoods, which were fine but thinner would be way better.
Vegetable or peanut oil for shallow frying
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine all ingredients, except wraps, in a bowl. Open wrapper and place about a golf ball sized amount of meat filling on to wrapper, form meat into a cigar shape, roll like a burrito (there are instructions on the back of the package, practice makes perfect!). Repeat till out of filling, mine made about 20, and they all got eaten…haha! Heat a few inches of oil in a frying pan over medium high heat, when lightly smoking add four lumpia at a time and brown on all sides. We are shallow frying here, to get the color then finishing off in the oven, a little less oil is absorbed so they are slightly more healthy….these are in no way heath food….but healthier food. As you brown all your lil buddies add them to the sheet pan in the oven, when all are finished give the rolls about 10 min in oven and they are good to go!
For the dipping sauce, I kinda did a Vietnamese version, it of course got a lil fusion action as this is not exactly the most authentic, but more inspired by the awesome spring roll sauce that I have eaten in the past.
Not that authentic, but delicious dippy time express:
½ cup sugar
1 cup hot water
¼ cup red wine vinegar, you can use what you have, not balsamic, but white, cider, rice would all be great
¼ cup fish sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried thai chili, feel free to use fresh or serrano or whateves this is what I had on hand.
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
Put sugar in with hot water and dissolve in a mason jar, add other ingredients, combine. If using the same day serve as is, if waiting till later refrigerate, this recipe makes a bunch and can be stored in the fridge as long as needed.
I served my eggrolls wrapped in lettuce leaves and topped with the sauce. Try to find the thinner wrappers I think it will help with the crispy factor…..still great, but as with most things in life could be better!
Greek Style rock fish
“Plaki” is a dish that is usually eaten around Easter, it is a great family style dish that is full of health benefits. As a kid I remember eating many different varieties of this dish and always loved it. I served mine with Greek lemon rice, using brown instead of white rice, and served sauteed spinach with lemon juice and olive oil on the side. You can use a variety of different firm fleshed white fish, halibut, snapper, cod, bass, I happened to find wild caught rock fish for a great price, it is a mild fish in the bass family. This dish is easy and great if you are cooking for a crowd as all the prep can be done beforehand.
2 lbs rock fish fillets
1 28 oz can San Marzano tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 medium onion, sliced
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp sweet paprika
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 dry white wine
2 tbsp capers
olive oil
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 375, in a large casserole place enough olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of pan….add fillets seasoned with salt and pepper, and lemon juice, place in fridge till done with sauce. In a medium sauce pan, heat olive oil over medium heat, add onions and garlic, saute till translucent, add wine, tomatoes (crush them by hand), spices, capers, and salt, pep to taste. Simmer 15 minutes, pour over fish, bake 25 minutes till fish is flaky. Serve with side dish of choice, great with spinach. Serves 4.
Rainbow chard and barley soup with pork confit
I decided I would use my chard to make a soup with the rest of my pork I had, and some barley from the pantry. I have made several soup recipes, so if you browse those you can see what we are doing a variation on. For aromatics I simply used mire poix (3 carrot, 1 medium onion, 2 spring onions, heart of celery), after I boiled my 1 cup of barley in 2 quarts of stock for 20 minutes, I added mire poix, a few cups of fresh water and a large potato, medium dice. Simmer for twenty minutes, turn off the heat and add 1 bunch chopped chard. Salt and pep to taste. I call this pork “confit” because I am using the “confit” meaning cooked it its own fat, by using some rendered fat from the roast about a tablespoon in a medium high skillet add shredded pork and sizzle till crispy and brown, top the soup off with it! Yummasaurusrex.
Farmer’s Market to Table
Finally! Our farmer’s market is open! Surprisingly there were a few booths I didn’t see last season…I found some really nice stuff. Asparagus….fresh, beautiful, local, asparagus! I made a flat bread the other day with some asparagus I had gotten from out of state….it was good and all, but I can’t really explain the difference in the two varieties…the one today…eons better. It felt supple and kinda fuzzy, I kept telling the lady that they felt velvety, and she was like yeah dorko they were picked this morning…not her actual words but you get the gist. Anyway the market never fails to inspire my faith in the world…I know it’s a little weird. With temps being in the 80’s round here, everyone was out today..and unfortunately tamale lady was sold out, but we found some other things to try, and it seemed that summer had stopped by for a surprise visit! I just blanched the asparagus in sea salt, boiling water, for maybe 3 minutes and then put them in an ice bath so they retain their bright green color. I then placed them on a plate and added some walnut pesto I had made earlier (any Genovese variety would work)..seriously so good! I am always amazed by how a vegetable could taste so much better when it’s not been on a truck for a month before sold…picked before its ready so it will have a longer shelf life, ugh…some things aren’t meant to have a long shelf life, you just enjoy them why they are there and in their prime. I also found some spring onions that I used in some ramen, and I bought some gorgeous rainbow chard!
Porkadelic pulled pork…no smoker required.
So spring here in Portland has been beyond amazing this year, last weekend we had the pleasure of attending a friend’s birthday celebration which included a very delicious smoked, pulled pork. It was awesome to be outside with friends enjoying a home smoked pork extravaganza. When you smoke a pork shoulder (also referred to as a butt) you get the most amazing bark (chewy,crunchy outside) and gorgeous smoke ring….it really is one of those things, that when done well is quite extraordinary. I do not have a smoker however, so I decided I would try to “fake” it and see if I could at least get it to a reasonable facsimile. I make pulled pork occasionally and its pretty damn good….but this time I lowered the oven temp and did it slow without any additional liquid….and uncovered to imitate the tasty “bark” on the outside.
Cast members:
• Pork shoulder 5lbs or so
• Rub
1. ½ cup brown sugar
2. ¼ salt…sounds like a lot, but you are using a lot of meat
3. 2 tablespoons chili powder, I used chipotle for smokiness
4. 2 tablespoons granulated garlic
5. 2 tablespoons ground pepper
6. 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
7. 1 tablespoon onion powder
Combine and rub into your butt (pork), and place in a large roaster. In a preheated 250 degree oven cook your roast for 8 hours….yes 8….it will be fork tender and full of pan juice. Rest for 20 minutes and its ready to serve! Great with BBQ sauce, our friend Kevin made a great one with bourbon and red wine, or serve with the pan juice, I also like to make pulled pork chili and chili verde with this pulled pork, great filling for tacos and enchiladas. This is a super easy technique that anyone can master and you don’t need a smoker! Although I must mention you won’t get that great smoke ring that you get on a smoked pork butt…but this is aimed for the average joe/jane without the fancy equipment. Happy porkin! Cheers!
Pistachio Crusted Sockeye Salmon and Confetti cous cous
Well today turned out to be, as Bob Ross would put it “A happy accident”. Meaning by that…my original plan was foiled but brought about a better scenario. I could’ve sworn that today was the start of our local farmer’s market, it is three blocks away and totally awesome. Unfortunately, it wasn’t so instead we went to Wholefoods. I was bummed at first, already being a victim of “cookers block”, my term for a food blogger with writers block. I had a TVP (textured vegetable protein) incident on Thursday that had taken the wind out of my sails, I rarely prepare something that I deem inedible and I was slightly crushed that I couldn’t make it work. Anyway, I decided I would make a “confetti” cous cous salad, I had a bunch of Oregon bay shrimp at home and thought it would be great, while collecting my ingredients to be purchased I noticed Wholefoods had a sale on Local, wild, WA, whole sockeye for $5.99 a lb! I couldn’t pass that up so I purchased one and the fish monger even fileted it for free. My husband, never one to neglect the beer selection picked up the NWPA from Fort George, which just happens to be my favorite brewery….I have never had beer I didn’t like from them but I had yet to try the Tender loving empire NWPA, so we grabbed a four pack and headed on our way. I decided I would make a pistachio crusted sockeye with my whole wheat cous cous confetti salad and pair it with the easy drinking NWPA.
Salmon:
• 1 whole sockeye, fileted, I had to remove the pin bones from mine, but I got a helluva deal.
• 2 clove garlic, smashed
• A handful fresh flat leaf parsley
• Half a handful cilantro
• A few springs of basil
• Tsp salt
• Tsp pepper
• Tsp red pepper flake
• Handful of shelled pistachios
• Zest of one lemon
• 1 tbsp. capers
With a mortar and pestle, combine ingredients, mash with a lil’ olive oil until it reaches a pesto type texture. Put your “pesto” mixture on your fish.
Roast at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. Serve with some lemon wedges.
Confetti cous cous
• 2 cups whole wheat cous cous, add a tbsp. of olive oil and cover all the dry cous cous with it, it give it a nice fluffy texture (this makes a ton….but can keep in the fridge for a week)
• 2 cups boiling water
• ½ tahini dressing (the recipe is included in my Asian Slaw recipe, check it out, or purchase the premade version at Wholefoods, totally acceptable)
• 1 cup Bay Shrimp, cooked
• ½ red pepper, diced small
• 1 shallot, diced small
• 2 cups baby spinach
• A handful sundried tomatoes
• ½ cup diced olives, your choice, I used a spicy Greek olive blend
• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
In a large bowl, add dried cous cous and olive oil, mix around with fingers, when all are covered, add sundried tomatoes and chickpeas, add boiling water, set aside five minutes. Fluff with a fork. Add your other ingredients and combine, serve or refrigerate till ready to serve.
The dish ended up being great with the beer and my faith in humanity has once again been restored….not to mention we have had 6 days of sunshine in a row! Can’t complain….
Matcha thanks a Latte`!!
So I’ve already verbally splooged about how much I love Costco for certain items, well today I will be featuring another one!!! Ito en “Matcha” green tea! They sell it by the large box all individually wrapped and basically could survive zombie Apocalypse and come out of it brew ready. I fell in love with Matcha for the first time at Cafe D’ Bolla in Salt Lake City, the proprietors are basically tea and coffee aficionados and they make the most amazing chewy pearl matcha iced tea! Since I can’t really go there and have their tea, with the exception of a few times a year, I think I have found a reasonable way to solve my craving for Matcha. A lot of people think green tea is bitter and don’t like it, I suggest that if you haven’t enjoyed it in the past try the Matcha variety, it’s really a delicious way to get all the great health benefits without the tannic aftertaste of traditional green. Over brewing can sometimes be the culprit in that as well, that being said it can be adjusted to suit the individual….so if you are new to tea drinking, try this. Drinking this hot or cold or room temp, is a great way to curb a craving for sweets and it a great way to extend your hunger till dinner and speed your metabolism. 
Spring Asparagus flatbread with Marcona Almonds
Asparagus season is full bloom! Aside from all the nutritional value, asparagus is beautiful and the perfect way to celebrate the blooming of spring and end of winter (I’m over it). My go to way to serve asparagus is to just use a lil olive oil, salt, pep, and roast them, sometimes, though you may just want to make something a little more special without a bunch of time consuming prep work…here in Portland, when the sun shines you get out in it as much as you can! Well yesterday was “meatless” Monday so totally inspired by a flat bread that I had at New Seasons market, I decided to make my own version. I usually don’t drive during the week so I walked down to the Wholefoods and picked up some ingredients. I love the fresh made whole wheat pizza crust at Wholefoods, it has five ingredients, and it’s delicious and a bargain at $3! Honestly, it’s made in house and knowing that it’s made with good ingredients makes it a great short cut and saves me a load of mess and time, some pizza joints will sell you dough, or of course you can make your own…but avoid anything that pops in tube….full o’ nasties. I got some asparagus from Cali at the grocery outlet for 99cents on Sunday (that place is a goldmine!) and I had some Spanish Marcona almonds, pecorino, olive oil, and red pepper flakes at home.
Preheat oven to 450.
Roll out your dough into a rectangle, or the shape you like, you can even make individual flatbread if you so choose. Brush the dough with some olive oil, add asparagus (raw), almonds (press them into the dough), sprinkle with pecorino or parm (I like the tang and saltiness of the sheep milk pecorino, it’s a romano cheese and I think you can use a lot less and get a lot more flavor, add fresh ground pepper and throw it in the oven for about 15 minutes or until golden. When it done use some citrus zest to add a punch of freshness! Seriously who knew almonds and asparagus were so delicious together? Easily made vegan friendly without the cheese and still delicious! It will look like you slaved away in the kitchen, does anyone remember that rice crispy treat commercial from the nineties, where the mom put a bunch of flour on her face so it looked like she had been slaving over the no bake treat? Kinda like that but way better! Enjoy!
Greek Potato Salad
Let me begin today with why I like Costco, as far as corporations go, they ain’t bad. Costco pays a living wage to employees, provide health insurance, they work with local distributors, you can get certain products for quarters on the dollar, carries loads of organic products, Wal-mart could learn a thing or two from them, that is for sure. So about once a month or so I make the trek to Costco, it’s a total hassle…but occasionally I drink a few espressos and get ready to fight the crowds to hunt bargains. Well I got this 20lbs bag of Washington #1 Russets for $6, which is a heck of deal! Problem is, I’ve been trying to use them all up before they go to tater heaven (aka: become rotten and smell of decomp). So with that intro…let me introduce today’s recipe…..drum roll please TATER SALAD! Not that mayo extravaganza that you can play “guess that mess” with….meaning you never know what is in that stuff. I’ve mentioned in other post my dislike of mayo in general….spoilage…etc. This recipe I am sharing today is one of all time fav’s , as a kid I loved it! My Dad even made like 35lbs of it for my wedding reception! This is my version, I demo’d it on a televised fundraiser for public T.V. back in Utah, I was after Tony Caputo, he made gnocchi…tough act to follow but I think I held my own, even got an article in the paper! Sad part was the recipe was wrong…..instead of two teaspoons of garlic salt….it said two tablespoons, so really whoever made it from that recipe, probably didn’t enjoy it. HAHA! There are limitless variations of potato salad and this is mine…depending on what is available, you can use different potatoes, onions, fresh garlic or garlic salt, and use fresh herbs or dried, depending on the season. This is the salad in it most accessible and easiest version. Vegan and gluten free before it was trending, this salad should be one every home -cook has in their arsenal.
• 5lbs of potatoes of choice (I’m using russets, but I’ve also use a mix of Yukons, reds, and even blue potatoes when I can find them.)
• ½ red onion, small dice
• 1 cup celery, small dice
• 3 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh dill or 1 teas dried dill
• 2 cloves fresh garlic pulverized or you can use garlic salt 1 to 2 teas depending on how much salt your potatoes suck up, if you using garlic salt don’t add extra salt
• Juice of 1 lemon if it’s a juicy bugger….more if he ain’t got the flow
• ½ cup Olive oil (preferably Greek, but any extra virgin will work)
• Salt and pepper to taste (note no extra salt if using garlic salt)
Boil your potatoes with skin on till they can be easily pierced by a fork. Cool. Once cooled, peel, medium dice potatoes and place in a large bowl. Add the rest of ingredients and stir. Garnish with some lemon zest. Make it the day before and its extra tasty! Can be served at room temp and won’t spoil at your summer BBQ. Try this variation, I think you will like the bright, fresh, flavors!
