Recipes by Ingredient + Prep – Page 73 – Writing With My Mouth Full

Flank Steak with Sugar Snap Peas on Vermicelli

There have been some wonderful sugar snap peas in Chinatown for less than $2 a pound. I imagined making some sort of crunchy salad with them so I stopped by my butcher on Mott to buy a nicely-red beef flank steak to match. After searing the steak, the sauce caramelized and I ended up throwing the snap peas in the same skillet to wipe it off. The beef came out perfectly medium-rare and pink inside when I was slicing it against the grain. You can definitely eat this with rice but I opted for vermicelli noodles to make it lighter. Because it took less than an hour to make this, two people were able to drink the rest of the night after eating.

Ingredients:
1 pound of beef flank
4 tbsps kecap manis
3 tbsps sambal oelek
a bunch of cilantro, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp peanut oil
rice vermicelli
1 red bell pepper, julienned
a handful of sweet snap peas, trimmed
salt

1. Marinate the meat. In a large bowl, combine kecap manis, sambal oelek, cilantro, garlic and sesame oil and rub all over the flank steak. Cover and put in the fridge for about 20 minutes.
2. In the meantime, trim the peas and julienne the vegetables. When ready to cook, heat peanut oil in a large skillet and sear the flank steak in high heat. Let it sit on one side first without moving it and then turn to sear the other side, about 8 minutes each depending on its thickness. Remove to a chopping board and let rest for about 5 minutes.
3. Keep the heat on and cook the peas using the remaining oil and crusty bits in the skillet and then add the peppers. Stir-fry until peas are tender.
4. Boil some water in a pot and then turn the heat off. Add the vermicelli in the hot water and let it cook in the remaining heat for a couple of minutes. Drain and using a fork, separate noodles and serve in a bowl. Slice the beef against the grain and serve on top of the noodles with the vegetables. Pour remaining sauce from the skillet on top.

Related post/s:
More recipes using flank steak

Thai Chicken with Basil and Cashews

I’m on a Thai and Indian kick lately so I’ve also been craving spicy and hearty stews. But I didn’t want to spend too much time cooking last night–I just wanted to eat. Something quick for dinner to me means stopping by the Asia Food Market around the corner from the office and buying fragrant Thai basil leaves and lemongrass. Chicken is usually my fallback when I just want to eat from a big rice bowl in front of the TV and I ended up doing just that after putting this together, quickly and painlessly. I made a big batch so guess what I’m having for lunch?

Ingredients:
4 boneless chicken thighs, cut in small pieces
1 bunch of Thai basil leaves
a handful of cashews
1 small knob of ginger, peeled, sliced thinly
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 lemongrass stalk, crushed, chopped
1 bunch of cilantro stalks, finely chopped
2 red chilis
juice from 1 lime
2 tbsps palm sugar
2 tbsps fish sauce
oil

1. In a large bowl, mix the chicken with the ginger, garlic, lemongrass, cilantro and chilis.
2. In a large skillet, heat some oil and lightly toast the cashews. Remove to a plate and drain with a paper towel.
3. Add more oil to the skillet and cook the chicken in batches, stir-frying until they’re cooked and lightly browned.
4. Stir in the basil leaves with the lime juice, sugar and fish sauce until the leaves wilt. Toss in the cashews and simmer until the liquid thickens a bit.

Related post/s:
Another Thai-inspired dish

Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce

I never really bake because I’m not a big fan of desserts. When I tell my friends who love to bake that I am a better cook because I can just throw ingredients in a pot and make a nice dish out of it, they tell me the same thing–that they throw eveything in a bowl and bake. I honestly think baking requires more skill and patience. I can chop vegetables until my hands are numb so I can make my own Vietnamese summer rolls and I enjoy braising and waiting for my beef bourguignon to come out of the oven, but I have no patience to wait for anything to turn golden brown. If I need more than my finger to poke and see if it’s cooked inside, then I don’t want it.

I bought a loaf of ciabatta bread the other day to make some pizzetta for dinner and ended up only using less than half of it. I didn’t want it to go to waste so I picked up a quart of heavy cream the next day and actually baked pudding when I got home. Sure enough, it took a few TV shows before they were the color I imagined the top of pudding should be, but they actually came out perfectly. I used a 12-muffin tray and topped them with caramel sauce and packed them for sweet-toothed co-workers the next morning.

Ingredients:
1 big loaf of day-old bread
3 eggs
3 egg yolks
1 cup maple syrup
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
2 tsps vanilla extract
2 tbsps butter

1. Prepare everything before baking. Preheat oven to 300Âº. Grease muffin tray with melted butter. Set aside. Slice and break bread into small pieces and fill each muffin hole.
2. In a large glass bowl, whisk together eggs and egg yolks. Add 3/4 cup of the maple syrup, 1 cup of the heavy cream with the milk and vanilla. Pour this mixture into each muffin hole with the bread, enough to make sure they are swimming.
3. Fill a deep baking tray with about 2 inches of water. Place the muffin tray in the baking tray and bake until golden brown, about 1 hour. If necessary, gently flip each muffin with a spatula and cook the bottom of the muffins until they are also lightly browned.
4. During the last 30 minutes of baking, make the caramel sauce. In a small non-stick pan, heat the remaining maple syrup and whisk in the other cup of cream until thickened. Add the butter and a pinch of salt and keep whisking in low heat until caramelized.
5. When ready to serve, place muffins on a plate and pour caramel sauce on top.

Swordfish with Braised Endives

The Dr. was on call so I knew I had time to make dinner before he comes back from the hospital. I stopped by the Blue Moon fish stand at the farmers’ market on my way to work and bought a couple of swordfish steaks. I’ve been buying fish from them because they also give me fish heads for free to make stock. Lately, I go up and check what’s on their blackboard and buy the kind I’ve never cooked before. We caught a swordfish when we were vacationing in Panama but we let the bugger go because he was so small. Notorious for being elusive, it’s a good fish to catch for sport. The FDA warns about high amounts of methylmercury in them so it’s been adviced not to eat them more than one serving a week. But oh, they make an excellent dinner with a bottle of white wine and they can make a very tired doctor happy.

Ingredients:
2 swordfish steaks, sliced about 1/2-inch thick
2 bulbs of endive, leaves separated
6 slices of bacon
a handful of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2 garlic cloves, minced
juice of half a lemon
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp sugar
parsley, finely chopped
salt, pepper, olive oil

1. Marinade swordfish in a shallow dish with the garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper and olive oil. Make sure the fish is well-coated. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.
2. Braise endives in the meantime. In a deep skillet, bring 1 cup of water, butter, sugar, a pinch of salt and pepper to a simmer. Add endive in one layer and braise them, covered, turning wedges over once in a 10-minute period. Remove lid and increase heat to medium-high, then cook until all of liquid is evaporated and endive is caramelized, about another 6 minutes. Transfer to a serving plate.
3. Place swordfish on a baking sheet with the tomatoes and broil in the oven for about 20 minutes or until fish is tender and cooked through, turning over once. Place on top of the endives.
4. Cook bacon in a skillet until golden brown and crispy while the fish is in the oven. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel and drain. Chop roughly and sprinkle all over fish with the parsley. Serve with lemon wedges.

Steamer Clams in Wine-Basil Broth

I cooked these steamer clams the way I cook mussels, but I added some fresh basil to give the dish a different taste. It was a nice appetizer with crusty ciabatta bread.

Ingredients:
half a dozen steamer clams, rinsed
2 tbsps butter
1 cup of dry white wine
a small bunch of basil leaves
1 bay leaf
parsley, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced

1. Put the shallots and white wine into a large stainless steel pot. Add the clams and cover. Steam them over high heat until the clams have opened, about 5 minutes.
2. Drain the clams into a large bowl, saving the liquid. Discard unopened clams. Return the liquid to the pot and bring to a boil. Add the butter, basil and chopped parsley. Pour this broth over the clams and serve immediately.