This is the second half of my immense pile of delicious recipes all borrowed (thank you site owners!) from delicious sites. Take a look at these, give them a try. I kept in mind recipes for romantic dinners, dinners for a school night, dinner for the rather picky eater, dinner for the not-so-kitchen savvy etc. because these are the people I aim to cook for. And I love it! However, some of these are recipes that I make on a cold winters day when Im bored out of my skull. Then it turns into a movie night trying out three or four amazing recipes! Or cooking one together, or offering a yummy snack on a Greys or Gossip girl night.
Pad Thai, Alton Browns Eggplant Pasta, Roasted Potato Stacks, Roasted Eggplants, Crispy Kale and Orange Cream Cheese Cookies
Pad Thai
Pad Thai Recipe
Adapted from The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook
Serves 4-6 people
Ingredients:
Pad Thai Sauce
4 tablespoons Pad Thai paste
2 teaspoons tamarind paste/concentrate
3 tablespoons fish sauce
3 teaspoons sugar
2/3 cup water
2-4 teaspoons Sriracha or 1-2 teaspoons chili powder
Other Ingredients:
8 oz packaged Pad Thai noodles
3 tablespoons cooking oil
2 eggs
1 lb. peeled and deveined raw shrimp
1 tablespoon minced garlic
A small bunch of chives (cut lengths)
1 cup bean sprouts
1 lime, cut into 8 wedges
1/2 cup coarsely chopped unsalted roasted peanuts
2 blocks fried tofu (cut into thin pieces)
Method:
Soak the rice noodles in hot water for about 15 minutes or until they soften. Drain and set aside.
Combine the ingredients for the Pad Thai sauce in a bowl.
Heat up a wok and add oil. When the oil is very hot, add the minced garlic and do a few quick stirs. Add shrimp into the wok and stir until half cooked and then add the fried tofu pieces, noodles and Pad Thai sauce into the wok and stir continuously. Push the noodles to one side and crack the eggs into the wok, break it up by stirring and wait for 10-15 seconds, and then stir in the noodles. Add bean sprouts and chives into the wok, stir for 1 minute, dish out, sprinkle some peanuts on top and serve with a wedge (or two wedges) of lime.
Cook’s Note:
The above recipe is adapted from the cookbook. If you wish to make Pad Thai sauce from scratch. My recipe is below.
Pad Thai Sauce from Scratch
Ingredients:
1/4 cup warm water + tamarind pulp the size of golf ball
1/4 cup fish sauce
4 tablespoons palm sugar
1 1/2 – 2 tablespoons paprika powder (if you like it hot, use 2 tablespoons)
Method:
Soak the tamarind pulp in warm water for 15 minutes to extract the juice. Squeeze the seeds and membrane of the tamarind pulp to get the juice. Filter the tamarind juice for use and discard the residue.
In a small sauce pan, heat up tamarind juice, fish sauce, palm sugar, and paprika powder. Lower the heat and let it simmer until the sauce thickens. Turn off the heat when it’s done.
http://rasamalaysia.com/pad-thai-recipe/
Eggplant Pasta by Alton Brown
Eggplant Pasta
Adapted from Alton Brown’s “Good Eats: The Early Years”
Servings: 4
- 2 medium-large eggplants
- Kosher salt, for purging
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 small tomatoes, seeded and chopped
- 1/2 cup cream
- 4 tablespoons basil chiffonade
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- Freshly ground pepper
1. Peel each eggplant leaving 1-inch of skin at the top and bottom unpeeled. Slice the eggplant lengthwise, about 1/4-inch thick. Evenly coat each slice with salt, and let them rest on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Rinse with cold water and roll in paper towels to dry. Slice the pieces into thin strips to resemble pasta.
2. In a large saute pan, heat the oil. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and toast.
3. Add the eggplant “pasta,” and toss to coat.
4. Add the tomatoes, and cook for 3 minutes.
5. Add the cream, and increase heat to thicken sauce.
6. Add the basil and Parmesan, and toss to combine. Season with pepper. Serve immediately.
Roasted Potato Stacks
These Roasted Potato Stacks looks beautiful, don’t they? This is one of my family’s favorites, in addition to the Hasselback Potatoes. These Potato Stacks can either be a great side dish or enjoyed as a snack. I used a mixed variety of small potatoes, finely sliced using a Japanese Mandoline. Of course, you can carefully slice the potatoes thinly using a sharp knife; but, using a mandoline makes it effortless and so much faster. So, consider giving the recipe a try and to all my Canadian readers, a very Happy Thanksgiving holiday to all! Enjoy!
http://www.seasaltwithfood.com/2009/10/roasted-potato-stacks.html
Roasted Potato Stacks
(Printable Recipe)
Ingredients
24 (1 kg) Small Mixed Color Potatoes, scrubbed
¼ Cup Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Chopped Rosemary
1 ½ Tbsp Lemon Juice, or to taste
Sea Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 Regular-Size Muffin Pan
Method
Preheat the oven to 220˚C (425˚F).
Lightly oil the 12 molds in a regular-size muffin pan.
Peel the purple color potatoes, if using. Then slice the potatoes thinly with a Mandoline or a sharp knife. Wash the potatoes, drain well and pat dry with a paper towel.
In a large bowl, toss the potatoes with olive oil, rosemary, lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
Stack the potatoes and lay them sideway in a muffin pan and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes or until the potatoes turn crispy on the outside and the flesh is soft.
Transfer the muffin pan to racks to cool for 2 to 3 minutes before carefully removing the potatoes. Serve warm.
Roasted Eggplant
Ingredients:
2 eggplants
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions (sliced)
4 cloves garlic (chopped)
4 tomatoes (peeled and diced)
1 green pepper (seeded and sliced)
1 teaspoon oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1 handful parsley (chopped)
2 tomatoes (sliced)
1/2 onion (sliced)
Directions:
1. Slice the eggplants in half lengthwise, scoop out the middles and chop them.
2. Salt the eggplant shells and chopped middles and let rest in a strainer for 203-30 minutes.
3. Roast the eggplant shells in a preheated 400F oven until tender, about 15-20 minutes.
4. Rinse the salt from the eggplant and pat dry.
5. Heat the oil in a pan.
6. Add the onions and saute until the onions are tender, about 7-10 minutes.
7. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.
8. Add the chopped eggplant, tomatoes, green pepper, oregano, salt and pepper and cook until the sauce thickens, about 25 minutes.
9. Remove the sauce from the burner and stir in the parsley.
10. Place the eggplant shells in a baking dish, fill them with the mixture and top with the sliced tomatoes and onions.
11. Fill the dish with hot water until it goes halfway up the eggplant shells.
12. Bake in a preheated 400F oven until the water has evaporated and the tomatoes and onions are well roasted and caramelized, about 1 hour.
http://closetcooking.blogspot.com/2009/10/imam-baildi.html
Krispy Kale
CRISP, ROASTED KALE CHIPS
1 Large Bunch Kale, stems removed
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Zest of ONE Lemon
Sea Salt
Pinch Sea SaltPreheat the oven to 250ºF.
To remove the stems of the kale, hold it up side down, stem side up with one hand and pinch the stem with your other thumb and forefinger to tear it up and away from the leaf.
Toss the leaves with the oil and lemon zest in a large bowl to coat evenly.
Lay the leaves out in a single layer on a baking sheet and lightly sprinkle with salt.
Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until crisp.
Cool on brown or paper towel to remove any excess oil
http://veganvisitor.wordpress.com/2009/10/09/crispy-roasted-kale/
Orange Cream Cheese Cookies
Orange Cheesecake Cookies Yield about 3 dozen
Adapted from here
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
3 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
1 teaspoon fresh orange zest (you could also use lemon or lime)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chocolate chips, melted
Heat the oven to 375 and prepare two sheet pans with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a mixer cream the butter and cream cheese until they are well combined.
Add the sugar, vanilla, and citrus zest and blend until the ingredients are well combined but not fluffy. Add the flour and mix on low until the flour is incorporated.
Scoop the dough into 1″ balls onto the prepared sheet pans. Bake for 12 to 13 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the tops are slightly puffed.
Cool on the pan for two minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Once cool drizzle, or dip, the cookies with the melted chocolate. Put the cookies into the refrigerator for thirty minutes to set the chocolate.
http://www.evilshenanigans.com/2009/10/orange-cheesecake-cookies/
Enjoy everyone!!
Liss
