Inarizushi (Seasoned Sushi Pockets)

Inarizushi are at the tip of the boat

We like to include these in our sushi parties - a nice variation that's sweet and usually a good way to get your kids to decide they like sushi, since it doesn't include anything fishy.  You can also just stuff the pockets with sushi rice or add some other toppings, but I like it this way.

ingredients:
1 1/2 cups rice prepared for sushi*
1-2 Tbs. minced pickled ginger
2 Tbs. chopped peanuts
1 Tbs. sesame seeds
2 dates, chopped
2 Tbs. fresh cilantro, chopped
tofu pockets

Mix flavorings into rice. Squeeze most of the liquid out of the pockets.  Press into egg shape, then stuff into pocket.  Fold top over and press the whole thing together.

*For sushi rice instructions, see Sushi Bowls Recipe

Dragon Noodles

This is my latest discovery, and I've been making it often because it satisfies all my cravings for takeout, is fairly quick to make, and is easily adaptable to whatever ingredients I have on hand. The sauce is sweet, tart, and spicy.

Dragon Noodles

1 pkg tofu (or cooked chicken, shrimp or beef or ground meat or skip it and add more eggs)

1/2 lb cooked noodles (spaghetti, angel hair, rice noodles -- whatever you've got)

2 cups (about) chopped vegetables (any mix of the following: carrot, celery, broccoli, snap or snow peas, shelled edamame, cabbage, onion, green onion, mushroom, bell peppers)

2 eggs, beaten

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbs. ginger, minced

Sauce:

2 Tbs. chili paste

2 Tbs. brown sugar

2 Tbs. soy sauce

1-2 Tbs. fish sauce

juice of 1 lime

optional garnishes:

1/4 c. chopped peanuts

1/4 c. chopped cilantro 

2 green onions, thinly sliced

If I have the time and energy, sometimes I fry or bake the tofu to give it more texture.  To fry, just cut in cubes or strips and fry until golden and crispy.  To bake, stir cubes with a little soy sauce and sesame oil (1-2 tsp each), then bake at about 425, stirring occasionally, until they're a little golden on the corners.

Mix together the sauce.  

Heat a couple tablespoons of oil (vegetable, canola, peanut) in a wok or large frying pan.  Saute the vegetables (start with carrots, celery, onion first, because they take a little longer to cook), adding the garlic and ginger about a minute or two before the rest of the vegetables will be crisp-tender.  

Push the vegetables off to one side and pour the beaten eggs into the pan.  Let them cook until they're cooked about halfway through, then give them a little stir and let them finish cooking before mixing into the vegetables.  

Pour the sauce into the pan and stir in the noodles and tofu.  Serve quickly, garnishing with peanuts and cilantro or green onions if desired.

Chinese Egg Noodles with Five-Spice Pork (or Turkey)

We really like this recipe and it's pretty easy.

Serves four.

Adapted from recipe by Tony Rosenfeld, Fine Cooking, Issue 104

1/3 cup unsalted dry roasted peanuts

1/3 cup precooked real bacon bits (I use the ones from Costco)

2 medium cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1 2-inch piece ginger, coarsely chopped

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

3/4 lb. ground pork or turkey

1/2 tsp. five-spice powder

3 scallions, trimmed and sliced (white and green parts kept separate)

3 cups shredded cabbage and a bit of shredded carrot or a bag of coleslaw mix (no dressing)

2 Tbs. soy sauce

1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbs. Asian sesame oil

1 tsp. white vinegar

1/2 tsp. granulated sugar

3/4 lb. fresh Chinese-style egg noodles

Bring a medium pot of well-salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, coarsely chop the peanuts in a food processor. Transfer to a small bowl.

Heat the oil in a heavy-duty 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until the bacon crisps up a bit, about 1-2 minutes.  Stir in the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes.  Cook another minute.  Raise the heat to medium high and add the pork or turkey, five-spice powder, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon, until it loses all of its raw color, about 3 minutes.  Stir in the cabbage and cook a couple minutes until the cabbage begins to wilt. Stir in the scallion whites, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, and sugar. Keep warm over low heat.

Cook the noodles in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and put in a large bowl; toss in the pork or turkey mixture. Portion among 4 bowls, sprinkle with the peanuts and scallion greens, and serve.

nutrition information (per serving):
Calories (kcal): 820, Fat (kcal): 50, Fat Calories (g): 450, Saturated Fat (g): 11, Protein (g): 32, Monounsaturated Fat (g): 24, Carbohydrates (mg): 61, Polyunsaturated Fat (mg): 10, Sodium (g): 1560, Cholesterol (g): 130, Fiber (g): 4,

Miso Soup

I originally found this recipe on steamykitchen.com and have really liked it.  It is super fast and easy, using an instant dashi instead of requiring that you make the dashi stock yourself from boiling seaweed and bonito flakes.  I've adapted the recipe by adding an extra cup of water, because I thought it was too strong and salty without.    This also makes it serve an extra person.  Taste your finished broth to see if it needs more water than that (it might, if it has simmered a while). I've used several different kinds of dried seaweed for garnish, and they've all been fine.  I made this for our New Year's Eve Sushi Party.  It's great to have such an easy side dish for something more difficult like sushi.  Just pop some edamame in the microwave for another easy side, and you've got yourself a feast.

Miso Soup Recipe

Ready in 10 minutes! Remember, you don’t want to boil the miso paste — add it at the end with the heat off to avoid a gritty texture.

serves 5
5 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons instant dashi granules
1/2 cup miso paste
1 tablespoon dried seaweed (for miso soup), soaked in water
1/2 cup cubed tofu
2 tablespoons chopped green onion

1. Pour the water into a pot and bring to a boil. Add the instant dashi and whisk to dissolve. Turn the heat to medium-low and add the tofu. Drain the seaweed and add the seaweed to the pot. Simmer for 2 minutes.

2. In the meatime, Spoon the miso paste into a bowl. Ladle about 1/2 cup of the hot dashi broth into a bowl and whisk with chopsticks or a whisk to mix and melt the miso paste so that it becomes a smooth mixture.

3. Turn the heat off, add the miso paste to the pot and stir well. Top with green onions and serve immediately.

Thai Roasted Butternut Soup

Today I cleaned out most of the rest of my vegetable garden.  I still have a basil, and few beets and carrots that just don't seem big enough to bother harvesting yet, as well as tiny kale, which will survive a freeze.  I picked armloads of chard, beets (with greens), and rhubarb.    We ate chard and onion tacos for dinner.  It's a beautiful fall day, which helps me be glad to be home again instead of visiting with family in California.

This is for my mom, whose beautiful California garden is overflowing right now with not only roses and guavas, but butternut squash, kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass.  The original recipe doesn't call for the lime leaves and lemongrass, but this is how I would adapt the recipe to take advantage of them.  I plan to make this myself later this week with what I brought home from my visit.

Thai Roasted Butternut Soup

Adapted from "Can I Freeze It"
makes about 2 quarts

4 lbs butternut squash
2 Tbs. canola oil
2 Tbs. butter
1 large onion
3 cloves garlic
1 quart chicken or vegetable stock
4 Tbs. red curry paste
2 15 oz. cans unsweetened coconut milk
2 stalks lemongrass, cleaned, trimmed, and split lengthwise (opt)
4 kaffir lime leaves (opt)
4 limes (less if using lemongrass and lime leaves)
bean sprouts
fresh basil & cilantro to garnish

Preheat to 350.  Cut the butternut in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.  Place cut side down on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone mat.  Roast on rack in top third of oven for about 45 mins, or until very soft to the touch.  It should not brown on the cut surface; if needed, reduce temperature by 50 degrees.  Allow to cool slightly.

Heat oil in a skillet over low heat.  Add the butter and once foaming, add the onion and garlic and cook for 8 minutes or until soft but not browned.  Place the onion mixture and the squash in a blender and puree until smooth.  You  may need to add a little of the stock and process in two batches to help puree more efficiently.  Transfer the puree to a large pot and add the remaining stock.  Stir in the curry paste and coconut milk and toss in the lemongrass and lime leaves.  Bring to a boil and cook for 10 min. Salt to taste.  Add freshly squeezed lime juice to taste, and garnish with bean sprouts, fresh basil, and cilantro (all are optional). You can also garnish with a little finely julienned kaffir lime leaves (cut out the central rib first).

This soup freezes wonderfully, so feel free to double it.  You can also make a plain butternut soup by stopping before you add the curry paste and later ingredients, just adding salt and pepper to taste and simmering 5 min and serving swirled with creme fraiche in each bowl.

I hope you like it as much as we do!

Spicy Peanut Noodles with Ground Pork and Zucchini

We are excited this year to finally have something coming out of our garden, even if it is mostly zucchini so far.  We put mesh over the entire garden to keep the animals out, and it has made a huge difference in spite of the 3 times that groundhogs have made their way in.  The deer keep the plants trimmed on the outside of the mesh, so we're reminded that we're glad they can't get in.  And in spite of a few tomatoes being eaten by chipmunks, we're pretty happy with the results. 

So we've been eating lots of yellow squash and zucchini out of the garden, and while we love it sauteed in a bit of olive oil and sprinkled with herbs de provence, salt & pepper, it gets a bit tiresome.  I've made zucchini cake, zucchini soup, crustless zucchini quiche, and zucchini muffins.  I've frozen it shredded to use later and I've stirred it into my yeast bread.

Yesterday we had this new Asian noodle dish from Fine Cooking, which disguises the squash very well - they become kind of like noodles themselves in the peanut sauce.  After I dumped the shredded yellow squash and zucchini in the bowl (it calls for 2 large ones!), Z thought that it was going to be way too much and we wouldn't have enough noodles, but we agreed they kind of disappeared.  I didn't have the jalapeno and substituted srirachi to taste.  I think it would be good with chicken or tofu instead of the ground pork, but that was good, too.  Also, I found that since the zucchini lets out a lot of moisture, the sauce was too runny, so I removed the 3 Tbs. water from the original recipe.

Spicy Peanut Noodles with Ground Pork and Shredded Vegetables

Grated carrots, squash, and chopped mint balance the spicy heat of the jalapeños. For a milder dish, use only 1 chile and remove its seeds and ribs—they’re hotter than the flesh itself.

Serves 4

adapted from the recipe by Liz Pearson, from Fine Cooking Issue 110

• 1/2 lb. dried 1/4-inch-wide rice noodles (pad thai noodles)
• 1 Tbs. Asian sesame oil
• 3/4 lb. lean ground pork
• 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter, preferably natural
• 1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
• 1-1/2 Tbs. fish sauce
• 1 or 2 jalapeños, stemmed and finely chopped (seeded, if desired) or sriracha sauce
• 2 medium carrots (about 6 oz.), grated
• 2 large yellow squash or zucchini (about 1 lb.), grated
• 2/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint (reserve 2 Tbs. to garnish)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (opt.)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (opt)
• Lime wedges, for serving

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the rice noodles and cook, stirring often, until just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water; leave to drain in a colander.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tsp. of the sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork and ½ tsp. salt and cook, stirring to break up the meat, until just cooked through, 4 to 8 minutes; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the peanut butter, vinegar, fish sauce, and the remaining 1 tsp. sesame oil until smooth. Add the drained noodles, pork, jalapeños, carrots, squash, and all the herbs but 2 Tbs. of the mint and toss gently. Garnish with the remaining mint, and serve at room temperature with the lime wedges on the side.

nutrition information (per serving):
Calories (kcal): 620; Fat (g): 29; Fat Calories (kcal): 260; Saturated Fat (g): 6; Protein (g): 26; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 6; Carbohydrates (g): 65; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 3; Sodium (mg): 1000; Cholesterol (mg): 50; Fiber (g): 5;

Photo: Scott Phillips

Spicy Peanut Noodles fine cooking recipe link

Pad Thai

I originally got this recipe from The Far East Cookbook, but I have adapted it over the years to my taste preferences and ease of cooking. This probably takes under 1/2 hour from start to finish, and the bulk of the time is in preparing the ingredients. Once you start cooking, it goes very quickly, so make sure you have everything ready before you heat up the wok. I sometimes add other vegetables if I have them on hand. Fresh pea pods are delicious.

Pad Thai

8 oz. flat rice noodles
1 tbs. soy sauce
1/4 tsp. hot chili paste or sriracha sauce
2 Tbs. fish sauce
4 tsp. rice vinegar
1 Tbs. brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
3 carrots, in matchsticks
1/2-1 lb. cooked shrimp, chicken or egg
6 oz. bean sprouts
6 green onions, thinly sliced on a diagonal
2 Tbs. sesame oil
1/4 cup chopped peanuts to garnish
1/4 cup chopped cilantro to garnish

1. Place noodles into a large heatproof bowl. Add enough hot water
to cover noodles by 2 inches and let stand 15 minutes or until softened.
Drain and set aside.





2. Mix together the soy sauce, chili sauce, fish sauce, vinegar, and sugar in a small bowl. Set aside. Make sure all your ingredients are ready (vegetables cut up, eggs cooked, etc.) before you begin cooking, because once you start it goes very fast.





3. Heat a wok (or large pot or frying pan) until very hot. Add 3 Tbs. vegetable oil and swirl to coat wok. Add garlic and bell pepper and carrot and stir fry 3 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender.





Add noodles, and sauce mix and stir-fry 1 minute. Add a little water if noodles begin to stick.







Add shrimp (or chicken or egg), bean sprouts, green onions and sesame oil and stir-fry 2-3 minutes until hot.







Sprinkle with peanuts and cilantro and serve hot. Add salt and additional fish sauce and chili sauce to taste.

Thai-inspired Peanut Sauce

March is finally here, but somehow it looks just as snowy as it did yesterday. I take hope in a few difficult things coming to a successful conclusion: Zoe got an A on her last English essay (the first from a very demanding teacher) and Clay finished reviewing the portfolios of hundreds of student applicants. He's almost done with his latest commission, a dramatic, large painting for the remodeled Renaissance Hotel in downtown Pittsburgh.

I'm trying to pull myself together and get things done in spite of the mood all these gray skies and white landscapes have gotten me into. Last night I actually planned today's lunches in advance and made some yummy peanut noodles with vegetables. It helped this morning go more smoothly. Ok, I have to admit it's almost 11 and I'm still not fully dressed, but at least they both got off on time with a good lunch. I got this recipe years ago from Vegetarian Times. It's very easy to make, it makes a good school lunch, and we all love it.

Thai-inspired Peanut Sauce

1/4 c. peanut butter
1/4 c. tahini
1/4 c. rice or cider vinegar
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. orange juice (or lemon or lime)
a dash of hot pepper sauce, to taste
2 Tbs. apple juice to thin as needed
1 Tbs. fresh minced ginger (optional, but I always add it if I have it on hand)
1/2 Tbs. fresh minced garlic (optional)

Combine all but apple juice in blender. Puree on high until creamy and smooth, at least 1 min. Add apple juice as desired to thin the consistency.

Serve over: 1 lb. cooked pasta and your choice of vegetables (thinly sliced carrots, green onions, fresh sweet peas, lightly steamed green beans and broccoli, cooked yams, edamame, etc.). Sometimes I add some broiled tofu as well. This is a good recipe for using a whole wheat pasta, because the flavors go well together.

I've never tried freezing it, but I think it would probably work well to freeze any of it but raw veggies. If any of you try that, let me know how it goes.

Salmon with Thai Curry Spinach

I had salmon on the menu schedule for this week and found this delicious, easy recipe online:

http://closetcooking.blogspot.com/2008/01/pan-seared-salmon-on-thai-curried.html

It took about 15 minutes to make, start to finish. I should have started the rice earlier, because although I started it before I even got out the other ingredients, it wasn't finished cooking by the time the salmon and spinach were done.

We all really liked it, and salmon and spinach are both so good for you, that this is a keeper.

(This is for one serving)

Ingredients:
1 serving salmon (de-boned)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 teaspoon red Thai curry paste
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon palm sugar (grated or sugar)
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 (6 ounce) package fresh baby spinach

Directions:
1. Season the salmon with salt and pepper.
2. Heat the butter in a pan.
3. Sear the salmon on both sides, about 5 minutes on the skin side followed by 2 minute on the other side.
4. Heat the coconut milk in a pan.
5. Mix in the curry paste, fish sauce, palm sugar and lime juice.
6. Add the spinach and cook until wilted.
7. Place the curried spinach on a plate and top with the salmon.

Sushi Bowls

Clay measured with a yardstick - we got 20 inches of snow last night and it's still coming down. I've never seen so much snow. Apparently our back alley is impassable because one of the trees has so much snow on it that the branches are hanging down and touching the ground where the road is.

Last night, after a dinner of Sushi Bowls, we built a big fire and sat around it. Clay had to finish up (FINALLY) reviewing 286 applications. Zoe played her violin for us and I read a bit. What a cozy, lovely evening!

This recipe is a recent discovery - sushi that's so quick and easy you can make it on a weeknight. The rice requires a little advance preparation, but the actual assembly takes about 10-15 minutes. We love sushi, and this is basically sushi taste without the time-consuming rolling. It's nothing like as fancy as real sushi, but it has it's own beauty (and, look, I have my first food pictures!). Family style sushi.

Sushi Bowls
(makes enough for 3 very generous servings)

2 cups sushi rice
1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar (scant)

optional toppings: veggie options:
1 avocado, sliced lengthwise
1/2 cucumber, sliced
1 carrot, peeled and julienned (or thinly sliced at an angle)
green onion, sliced thinly at an angle
tiny strips of nori (the stuff you usually make sushi rolls with)

protein options (choose 1-3):
2-3 eggs (mixed with about 1 tsp. soy sauce and 1/2 tsp. sugar - just eyeball it)
tofu - cut in strips and fried if desired
sushi quality raw fish, in strips
cooked shrimp
imitation crab
fish roe
other toppings/condiments:
furikake seasoning (comes in a shaker at the japanese store - I got one with sesame seeds, dried egg and seaweed bits)
soy sauce
wasabi paste
pickled ginger
sesame seeds

Rinse the rice thoroughly until the water runs clear. Let it drain for at least 15 minutes. Put it in a pot with 2 1/2 cups of water and bring it to a boil. As soon as it comes to a boil, turn it down to the lowest heat setting you've got, cover and let it simmer for about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it steam for about another 15 minutes. Resist the temptation to stir it at any point. If you have a rice cooker - lucky you! Turn it out into a large bowl , pour the vinegar over the top and stir it gently, fanning to cool it quickly, until it is room temperature. Fanning helps bring out the gloss and the right texture in the rice. Warm rice is ok for this dish (and actually was quite satisfying last night in the snowstorm), but you NEVER want warm rice when you're making sushi rolls because it makes the nori chewy.

While the rice is cooking, cook the eggs and/or tofu if using and assemble the toppings. It doesn't really matter how you cook the eggs, but I sprayed a little oil spray in my nonstick pan and cooked them in a solid, thin layer, turning once, and then I cut it into strips.

Divide the rice into 3 bowls and arrange the toppings on top. Serve with the condiments.

A note about doubling the recipe: I haven't had luck with cooking more than 3 cups of rice at a time - it always ends up undercooked in the middle and overcooked around the edges. For 3 cups rice, use 3 1/2 cups water and a little more than 1/4 c. of seasoned vinegar. I would recommend cooking the rice in 2 batches if you need more than that.

Update: larger amounts work fine in a rice cooker or instant pot.