Category Archives: noodles, pastas etc

Kung Pao Tofu

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When David Leibovitz recommends a recipe it’s generally fabulous. I followed the recipe pretty exactly except I used regular peppercorns in place of Sichuan peppercorns

It’s very good!!

https://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2018/07/kung-pao-tofu-recipe.html

Here is the recipe

Kung Pao Tofu

author andrea nguyen

yield 4 servings

Ingredients

14 to 16 ounces extra-firm tofu

Rounded ½ teaspoon salt

3 to 4 tablespoon canola oil, divided

2/3 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts

Seasoning sauce 1

2 ½ teaspoons regular soy sauce

1 teaspoon Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry

Seasoning sauce 2

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Chinkiang vinegar, or 1 tablespoon balsamic and 1 teaspoon cider vinegar

1 tablespoon water

1 ½ teaspoons regular soy sauce

1 teaspoon dark soy sauce, or ½ teaspoon regular soy sauce plus ½ teaspoon molasses

1 ¼ teaspoons toasted sesame oil

8 dried red chiles, stemmed, halved lengthwise with scissors, seeds discarded

1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns

Rounded 1 tablespoon minced garlic

Rounded 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

White part of 4 large green onions, cut to match size of peanuts

Green part of 1 large green onion, cut to match size of peanuts

Instructions

Cut the tofu into thumb nail-size cubes (each about ¾ inch). Sprinkle on the salt and gently toss to coat. Spread out on 2 layers of paper towel and let drain for 10 to 15 minutes.

Heat 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil in a large wok or skillet over medium-high or high heat. When barely shimmering, add the tofu (work in batches, if needed), then cook for 1 to 2 minutes, tossing and stirring to sear and lightly brown the tofu. Transfer to bowl and set aside.

Reheat the wok or skillet over medium-high heat until bead of water evaporates in 2 to 3 seconds. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and the peanuts, stirring constantly for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant; take care not to burn them. Use a slotted spoon to transfer peanuts to small plate, leaving excess oil behind.

Stir together the ingredients for each of the seasoning sauces, keeping them separate. Set near the stove with the remaining ingredients from dried red chiles down to the green onion.

Reheat the wok or skillet over high heat. Add the chiles and Sichuan peppercorns. Stir briskly for 20 seconds, until aromatic and crisp. Add the tofu, give things a stir, then splash in seasoning sauce 1. Let the tofu absorb the seasonings, then add the garlic, ginger and white scallion parts. Stir-fry for 1 minute more to cook through and become aromatic.

Give seasoning sauce 2 one last stir, then add to wok. When sauce is thick and coats things, about 30 seconds, return the peanuts and add cut green scallion parts. Stir, transfer to a plate, and serve.

courses main

cuisine chinese

Mushroom Bolognese from America’s Test Kitchen

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Like many vegetarians, I’ve tried many many recipes for Mushroom Bolognese. This is the best and the easiest recipe I’ve found. I love recipes that start with the food processor and then cook without too many interventions. The soy, the porcini, the tomato paste all add so much umami flavor. The dish is meaty and heartening and also paradoxically refreshing and delicious. I generally halve this- 2 small boxes of crimini mushrooms make up one lb

Step 1: food processor ! 1 lb crimini mushrooms, half a carrot, half an onion, approximately 6-7 rehydrated porcini mushrooms. Chop in batches, dump in pot

Step 2: add 2 tbsp of butter and the porcini water (hate to waste that) and cook till browned (15-20 min) but not burnt

Step 3: add ½ tsp sugar, 1 tbsp tomato paste – cook

Step 4: deglaze with ½ cup red wine. Cook wine off till mixture is dry

Step 5: add ½ tbsp soy sauce, ¼ cup vegetable broth and 1 small can (14 oz) tomatoes with 2 cloves of garlic (use food processor for tomatoes and garlic too) and salt and pepper

Let cook for 10 min too – don’t let this dry out. Finish with 2 tbsp of heavy cream off heat

Cook pasta , add sauce thinned out with some pasta water. Add Parmesan !

Spinach pasta

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My version of Spinach pasta. I start with an old favorite modified Sanjeev Kapoor saag planner base.1tbsp cumin, Olive oil, crushed whole garlic, one dried red chili- heat and then wilt 5 oz of spinach (I always cheat and use the pre washed baby spinach- I know, it’s horrible for the environment). Then add 2 cups of veg broth, boil for 15 min. Whiz through the vitamix, add 1tsp of cumin powder and 4 tbsp of heavy cream. For protein -I’ve used tofu in the past, today I fried up some vegan sausage pieces (I like smart dogs from lightlife). Boil spaghetti, toss with sauce, garnish with fried capers (my favorite garnish for pasta). If you don’t have capers, add a squeeze of lemon. Parmesan optional to top it off. My 9 year old took seconds 🙂

Cauliflower sheet pan pasta

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My favorite sheet pan recipe: based off a Melissa Clark NYT recipe. Roast cauliflower with cumin, salt and pepper – 450 for 20 min, add pasta , dollops of ricotta, garlic, capers and breadcrumbs with melted butter- back in oven for another 10. Serve with a squeeze of lime. A weekly regular at our house

Original recipe :https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018580-spicy-roasted-broccoli-pasta

Cauliflower pasta (based on a Marcella Hazan recipe)

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I wrote this recipe down a while ago. This pasta is a huge hit at our house, the only real work is breaking down the cauliflower. I love recipes that cook for a while without much intervention. The Marcella Hazan recipe adds a half cup of onion (in place of the garlic) and doubles the butter. Sacrilegiously, I like my version better. At the end, the cauliflower should be soft enough to break down. I remember a America’s test kitchen episode where they discussed how the grassiness of cauliflower goes away with a longer than 20 min braise. This is important in this dish

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower- finely chopped into florets

4 cloves garlic

1 cup vegetable stock

1 can tomatoes

1 cup cream

2 tbsp butter

Melt the butter, add the garlic and cauliflower, let it sizzle. Add tomatoes, cook for 10 min. Add the stock- cook for 20 minutes till cauliflower is soft. Add cream. Add salt to taste.

Add pasta, top with parmesan.

The cauliflower, butter, tomatoes and cream get together to make magic.