Oven-Fried Eggplant Poboy Sandwiches from fatftreevegan.com

Posted on July 21, 2015 by admin

1 large eggplant (approximately 1 1/4 pound)
3/4 cup non-dairy milk of choice
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt (if desired)
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (more or less, to taste)
1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper

Peel the eggplant and trim off the ends. Slice it into rounds about 1/2-inch thick. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 400F.
In a large mixing bowl, combine all remaining ingredients and mix well. You should have a batter a little thicker than pancake batter. If it seems dry, add a splash of non-dairy milk.
Dip each eggplant slice into the batter and turn it to coat both sides and edges well. Holding the slice between two fingers, allow any excess batter to drip back into the bowl, and place the eggplant on the baking sheet. Repeat with as many slices as you can fit on the baking sheet, being careful that they do not touch. (If your baking sheet is small, you may need to make two batches; batter can thicken between batches, so add more liquid if necessary.)
Place in the oven. After 20 minutes, remove and gently turn each slice–you may have to hold the parchment paper and peel it from the eggplant. Replace and cook until outsides are brown but not burning, about 15 more minutes.
Serve hot on hoagie rolls or French bread with marinara sauce, lettuce, and tomato.

Notes

I used soy milk, which thickens with the addition of lemon juice. If you use another plant-based milk, you may need to add a little extra flour if the batter seems thin.

Other flours should work, but I have only tested it at this time with brown rice flour. If you use a different flour, use your judgement about whether the batter needs to be thinned with extra milk or thickened with extra flour.

Preparation time: 20 minute(s) | Cooking time: 35 minute(s)

Sesame Panko Crab Cakes with Cilantro Lime Tartar Sauce

Posted on May 25, 2015 by admin

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For the crab cakes:

¼ cup mayonnaise
2 scallions, chopped
2 eggs
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs, plus ½ cup
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
salt and pepper
oil, for cooking

For the tartar sauce:

½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons chopped pickles
2 tablespoons chopped red onion
¼ cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon lime juice

Whisk together mayonnaise, scallions, eggs, mustard, Old Bay (you can find it at any major grocery store), and lime juice. Fold in the crab, followed by 1 1/2 cups panko, sesame seeds, and salt and pepper to taste.

Mushroom Stuffed Giant Shell Pasta from food52.com

Posted on May 20, 2015 by admin

12 jumbo shell pasta
1 cup cultivated white mushrooms
1 cup chanterelles
1 cup oyster mushrooms
2 onions, separated
2 cloves garlic
A few springs of parsley, as desired
1 chile, seeded
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided, plus more as needed
Juice of 1/2 lemon, divided
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup cream (or a mixture of milk and cream)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus more as desired

Cook the pasta according to the package, but reduce the cooking time by 1 minute so that they are al dente. Preheat the oven to 360º F (160º C).

Meanwhile, clean the mushrooms and peel the garlic and onion. Roughly chop the mushrooms and onions. Finely dice the garlic, parsley, and chile.

Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, 1/2 of the onion, and the garlic. Fry for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms, chile, and salt and pepper to taste. Fry for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, and add 1/2 of the lemon juice and the parsley. Add more lemon juice if preferred, or discard it (or save the rest for another recipe). Remove the mushroom mixture from the pan and set aside on a plate.

Add the remaining 1 teaspoon of olive oil to the pan and add the other 1/2 of the onion. Fry for 1 minute. Pour in the cream, add salt and pepper to taste, and stir occasionally. Cook for 3 minutes. (If you used milk to dilute the cream, you might want to add a bit of flour or corn starch to make the sauce a bit thicker.)

Meanwhile, fill the al dente shells with the mushroom mix and place in an ovenproof dish. Pour the cream over the shells and sprinkle the Parmesan on top. Place the dish in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, until the cheese turns golden brown. Serve with a few sprinkles of chopped parsley.

Serves 2 to 4

15-Minute Coconut Curry Noodle Soup from thewoksoflife.com/

Posted on May 4, 2015 by admin

2 tablespoons oil

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated

3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste

8 oz. boneless chicken breast or thighs, sliced OMIT

4 cups veggie broth

1 cup water

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2/3 cup coconut milk

6 oz. dried rice vermicelli noodles

1 lime, juiced

Sliced red onion, red chilis, cilantro, scallions to garnish

In a large pot over medium heat, add the oil, garlic, ginger, and Thai red curry paste. Fry for 5 minutes, until fragrant. Add the chicken and cook for a couple minutes, just until the chicken turns opaque.

Add the chicken broth, water, fish sauce, and coconut milk. Bring to a boil. At this point, taste the broth for salt and adjust seasoning accordingly (add salt if needed, or if it’s too salty, add a bit of water). Pour the boiling soup over the dried vermicelli noodles in your serving bowls, add a squeeze of lime juice and your garnishes, and serve. The noodles will be ready to eat in a couple minutes.

(Alternatively, you can add the noodles to the boiling broth to cook them, and then divide among serving bowls).

Vegetable Noodles With Shrimp from thewoksoflife.com

Posted on April 11, 2015 by admin

1 tablespoon oil

1 small onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup dried shrimp, soaked (optional)

1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine

2 cups veggie stock

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon sugar

8 oz. dried broad bean noodles, soaked 30 minutes

1 medium zucchini, sliced into noodles

1 large carrot, sliced into noodles

2 teaspoons soy sauce

½ teaspoon sesame oil

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

12 oz. large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 scallion julienned

Cilantro, to garnish (optional)

Prep all of your ingredients and have them ready before you start cooking. Heat a wok over medium high heat and add the oil, onion, garlic, and dried shrimp. Stir-fry until the onion is translucent. Add the shaoxing wine and stir-fry for another 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock, salt, sugar and broad bean noodles. Turn down heat to low and let everything simmer for about 10 minutes.

Add the zucchini and carrot “noodles,” along with the soy sauce, sesame oil and white pepper. Turn the heat up to medium and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, reducing almost all of the liquid. If you like your noodles a bit more soupy, you can add more chicken stock.

Stir in the shrimp and scallions and cook for another 2 minutes, or until the shrimp is just cooked through. Garnish with cilantro and serve! Yield: 2-4 servings

Chunky Portabella Veggie Burgers

Posted on April 11, 2015 by admin

2 cups portabella mushrooms, cubed (smaller pieces); gills removed
2 cups cooked black beans, rinsed and divided
1 cup minced broccoli, fresh only
1/2 cup red onion, minced
3 XL eggs, beaten
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbl Panko or Gluten Free Panko
1 Tbl Montreal Steak Seasoning
1 Tbl Worcestershire *for full vegetarian style use one that does not contain anchovies
2 Tbl minced garlic
3/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan *Look for vegetarian or vegan Parmesan cheese if you do not eat animal products
Olive oil

In a large bowl add 1 cup of black beans and mash with a masher (chunks are OK).
Next, add in the mushrooms, the rest of the beans, broccoli, garlic, onion, Worcestershire and steak seasoning.
Mix just until coated.
Add in the eggs, cheese and bread crumbs and mix gently with a large spoon until the mixture is combined.
Set aside while you place a medium non-stick pan over medium heat and add in 2 Tbl of oil.
Once the oil starts to shimmer (about a minute or two), using dampened hands (the mixture will stick to you if you don’t), scoop a 1/2 cup of mixture into the palm of your hand and gently shape into a burger all the while pressing together. The mixture should hold a burger shape. If it doesn’t add just a Tbl more of bread crumbs.
Place in the oil and cook for 3-5 minutes per side or until golden brown and a crust has formed on each side.
Serve with hummus, guacamole or steak sauce
from the http://www.thekitchenwhisperer.net/

Mustard-Roasted Fish from Ina

Posted on April 7, 2015 by admin

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4 (8-ounce) fish fillets such as red snapper
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces crème fraîche
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 teaspoons drained capers

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. (You can also use an ovenproof baking dish.) Place the fish fillets skin side down on the sheet pan. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

Combine the crème fraîche, two mustards, shallots, capers, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Spoon the sauce evenly over the fish fillets, making sure the fish is completely covered. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish, until it’s barely done. (The fish will flake easily at the thickest part when it’s done.) Be sure not to overcook it! Serve hot or at room temperature with the sauce from the pan spooned over the top. (Serves 4)

Shiitake Mushroom Tortellini w/ Soy Cream Sauce from thewoksoflife.com

Posted on March 21, 2015 by admin

mushroom-tortellini-11

Olive oil
6 oz. fresh shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped
1/3 cup minced scallion
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flake
½ cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste
36-42 square wonton wrappers (1 pack should be enough)
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
3 cloves garlic, sliced
2/3 cup milk
½ cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce

In a skillet over medium high heat, add a few good lugs of olive oil. Add the mushrooms and season with salt. Sauté the mushrooms until tender and caramelized. This could take a while, so don’t rush the process! Once the mushrooms are caramelized, you might have some sticky bits at the bottom of the pan. Deglaze with a bit of water.

Transfer the cooked mushrooms to a mixing bowl and add the scallion, crushed red pepper flake, Parmesan, ricotta cheese, egg, and salt and pepper to taste.

To assemble, use a bit of water to dampen the edges of each wonton wrapper, and add a teaspoon of filling to the middle.

Fold in half diagonally so you get a triangle. Make sure there aren’t any air bubbles in the middle, and that the edges are tightly sealed.

Bring the two farthest corners of the triangle together to make a pseudo “tortellini” shape. Continue assembling until you’ve run out of filling.

Bring a pot of water to a boil for the tortellini. In a skillet over medium heat, add a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Add the panko and stir constantly until golden. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add a couple tablespoons more oil to the skillet and add the garlic. Cook for 1 minute. Add the milk and cream, and bring to a simmer. Cook for 2 minutes and add the soy sauces. Season with pepper.

By now, the water for the ravioli should be boiling. Cook the ravioli in the boiling water for 20 seconds. With a slotted spoon, transfer the ravioli to the sauce and simmer for another 60-90 seconds.

Serve immediately, garnished with your panko pangrittata and more scallions.

Tomato Pie from Vivian Howard

Posted on March 15, 2015 by admin

a chefs life series

For the Filling
2 cups diced and drained fresh tomatoes
2 cups diced and roasted tomatoes
1 cup caramelized onions
1/2 cup picked basil
salt
pepper
sugar

For the Topping
1/3 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1/3 cup grated Fontina
1/2 cup mayo
1 pie crust

For the diced and drained tomatoes
Seed and dice about 3 cups fresh, high-quality tomatoes. Toss them with a little kosher salt and sugar. Set over a colander while you prepare the remaining ingredients if possible. If not, drain for a minimum of an hour. You should be left with about 2 cups of tomato.
For the roasted tomatoes
Seed and dice 4 cups fresh, high quality tomatoes. Toss them with olive oil (at C&F we use garlic oil), plenty of kosher salt, and several sprigs of thyme. Spread this mix out on a baking sheet and roast at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. You want the tomatoes to be dry and slightly caramelized, but not burned around the edges.

For the Onions
Peel and slice (with the grain) 4 medium yellow onions. In a large sauté pan, heat 1/4 cup butter. Add the onions and season them with salt. Let the onions simmer and become juicy. Once the situation becomes a bit drier and much of the onion liquid has cooked out, turn down the heat, to its lowest setting and settle in for a long, slow caramelize. To get these onions where they need to be, it could take about 2 hours. You are looking for a medium brown, sweet caramelization.

To Assemble the Filling
Combine the onions, fresh tomatoes, roasted tomatoes, basil, salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Keep in mind, tomatoes take a lot of seasoning to really make them shine in applications like this.

To Bake and Serve
Spread the filling over the bottom of a blind-baked crust. Flatten the topping between wax paper or use your good ol’ hands to create a 1/3 inch thick round of delicious, cheesy topping that spreads nearly to the edges of the pie. Bake at 375 degrees until the top is nicely browned…20-25 minutes. Serve at just over room temperature.

Tips/Techniques
At Chef Vivian Howard’s restaurant, the Chef & the Farmer, they make a tight aioli to fold into the cheeses, but you can substitute your favorite brand of mayo to great effect. As for the crust… Chef Howard will add the crust recipe when she gather it from Kim, their pastry chef. For now, use your favorite crust recipe or even a frozen crust…and blind bake it!

spaghetti pangrattato with crispy eggs from smittenkitchen.com

Posted on March 10, 2015 by admin

16619466105_a308392a45 Crumbs
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 lg or 2 sm garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup fresh or stale coarse plain breadcrumbs panko worked great here
Salt and red pepper flakes, to taste
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
Few fine gratings fresh lemon zest

Crispy Egg
1 glug of olive oil per egg
3 eggs
Salt and pepper

Pasta and Assembly
8 ounces dried spaghetti
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons small capers, drained (rinsed if salted), chopped
Handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese (optional)

Make crispy crumbs (pangrattato): Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add garlic and let sizzle for barely a minute, just until it begins to turn a pale golden color. Add breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, rosemary and lemon zest and reduce heat to low, cooking mixture slowly until all of the crumbs are an even golden color, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

Cook pasta: Bring a large pot of well salted water to a generous boil and cook pasta until al dente about 1 to 2 minutes shy of package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water before draining pasta.

Meanwhile, make crispy eggs: Wipe out breadcrumbs skillet. Return to stove over high heat and add a generous glug of olive oil per egg. Once hot enough that the oil begins to smoke, add egg(s). They’re going to hiss and splatter so step back as soon as you do. Spoon some of the cooking oil over the eggs, carefully. Season with salt and pepper. In 1 to 2 minutes, the egg(s) will be brown and very crisp underneath and around the edges. Shimmy a thin spatula underneath the egg(s) (a flexible fish spatula works great here), being careful not to break the yolk. If you’re cooking for someone who shouldn’t be eating runny yolks (ahem), you can flip the egg over and cook it for another 30 seconds or so before removing it. Transfer cooked egg(s) to paper towels to drain.

Assemble dish: Once pasta is drained, return it to the empty pot or a large skillet with 1 tablespoon olive oil and a splash or two (or all, if needed to loosen pasta) of reserved cooking water. Over high heat, toss with capers and parsley for 1 minute. Divide among bowls or plates. Sprinkle with Pecorino, if using, then 1/3 of breadcrumb (pangrattato) mixture. Place an egg over each dish, and break up with a fork. Eat immediately. Serves 2, in generous heaps, or 3, petitely

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