Recipes Of The World

Please welcome guest author Jaden Hair of the ever-so-Steamy Kitchen. ~Elise

Because I’m the resident foodie here in my neighborhood, I’m usually the one hosting dinner parties. And that’s totally fine by me because of all the recipe development and testing that I have to do every week. I’d rather feed my friends than to see all the food go to waste. But sometimes, the recipe development goes awry and the dish just fails. Yes, so bad it would ruin my rep as the kitchen superstar. In those moments, I whip out my never-fail-save-my-dinner-party dish. Of course, I hide all evidence of the earlier recipe disaster in the trash.

So, what’s that dish? Well, honestly it’s not even MY recipe, it’s part of a recipe from Heidi’s 101 Cookbooks blog called Otsu. I’ve committed to memory the lemon-ginger dressing that’s in the Otsu dish and use it for everything - tossed with warm noodles, drizzled on roasted cauliflower, as a salad dressing and even to top grilled fish. Yes, it’s that good.

Continue reading “Noodles with Mushrooms and Lemon Ginger Dressing” »

Please welcome guest author Garrett McCord of Vanilla Garlic as he shares his favorite Chinese egg drop soup. ~Elise

In college one of the dishes I relied on was my own version of egg drop soup. It was simple, tasty, comforting and (most importantly) budget friendly. As I started to make it more and more I began to notice that friends started to drop by for dinner with increasing frequency. This was fine as all I had to do was add a bit more chicken stock and soy sauce and toss in another beaten egg. I could feed my guests cheaply and enjoy their company.

For years I ate what I thought had been faux egg drop soup cobbled together by a hungry student, however it was only recently I discovered that my recipe was actually quite accurate. With the addition of some cornstarch and the use of white pepper the soup is dead ringer for the one at your favorite Chinese-American restaurant.

Continue reading “Egg Drop Soup” »

I’m starting to go through some of the older recipes on this site and make them again, if I haven’t for a while, and shoot new photographs. This recipe I first posted in 2005, and it is just as good four years later. I will be away from my kitchen for a week or so, so I may be pulling a few more from the archives. This is one great, try it! ~Elise

A few weeks ago I got a call from my friend Elizabeth who said, “You’ve got to try my mother’s flank steak; it’s soooo good!” I begged the recipe from Maria (Elizabeth’s mother) and tried it out last night. It was terrific. Very tasty, everyone ate it right up. Best thing about it? It’s fast and easy. Maria adapted her recipe from one in a Williams Sonoma cookbook (details below).

Continue reading “Flank Steak Stir-Fry with Asparagus and Red Pepper” »

Fava beans are a gardener’s dream. The come up early in Spring, they’re easy to grow, and their roots fix nitrogen in the soil, helping to prepare the soil for vegetables planted later in the season. They are delicious, though you do have to work for it. Unless very young, the beans need to be shucked twice, first before cooking to remove the bean from the pod, and then after cooking to remove the tough outer membrane from the bean. Garrett was over the other day to help pick and shuck and we made this lovely spring salad with fava beans from my garden. Fennel and Parmesan are one of those weird but wonderful flavor combinations that work great alongside fava beans and mint .

We still have plenty of favas growing in our garden. Do you have a favorite way of preparing them? (Hold the Hannibal Lector quote, thank you.) If so, please let us know about it in the comments.

Continue reading “Spring Fava Bean Fennel Salad” »

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Recipe submitted by Vanessa_Alexandra, 05/13/09

Sweet Potato Curry

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

    1 very large or 2 average sized sweet potato(es)
    2 small potatoes
    1 medium yellow onion
    2 cloves garlic
    2 carrots
    1 -  14 ounce can diced tomatoes
    1 teaspoon garam masala
    1 teaspoon tumeric
    3 tablespoons curry powder
    1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
    2 teaspoons minced ginger
    1 teaspoon cayenne
    1/2 teaspoon cumin
    Vegetable oil, as needed
    1 cup coconut milk
    Cilantro (optional)

Directions:

1) Dice the onion, and mince the garlic and ginger. Cube the sweet potato and potatoes, dice the carrots.

2) Add about 2 tablespoons vegetable o…

I’m smiling as I write this. Why? Because there is no dish that reminds me more of my mother than her ground turkey with peppers. I’ve never had it anywhere but at home, not even at a school cafeteria, where God knows they’ve served every other budget meal known to mankind. Did my mother invent it? Probably not, but she may just as well have. We’ve eaten this in our house at least once a month for almost 50 years. And you know what? It’s good. It’s cheap (especially ground turkey thighs which have the added benefit of more flavor). It can be cooked in the time it takes to make some rice or pasta to go with it. For years she seasoned the ground turkey with chili powder or chopped pickled jalapenos. These days she likes to add the smokey flavor of chipotle powder.

Do you have a favorite ground turkey recipe? Please let us know about it in the comments.

Continue reading “Mom's Ground Turkey and Peppers” »

Updated, from the recipe archives.

Risotto is one of those dishes that we love to eat, but neither my father nor mother have the patience to make often. It takes about 20 minutes of careful watching and every few minutes adding a half cup of hot stock to the rice, as the rice slowly absorbs the liquid it’s in. For this mushroom risotto, mushrooms are sautéed first, then cooked in cognac (or vermouth) and cream. Arborio rice is cooked slowly with stock and when done, the mushroom cream mixture is stirred in, along with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese. (Hungry yet?) I actually don’t mind watching over risotto, it’s easy enough to do, and you can prepare other things while keeping the corner of your eye on the risotto. The result is so worth the effort.

Continue reading “Mushroom Risotto” »

From the archives, ¡Happy Cinco de Mayo! ~Elise

Guacamole, a dip made from avocados, is originally from Mexico. The name is derived from two Aztec Nahuatl words - ahuacatl (avocado) and molli (sauce). The trick to perfect guacamole is using good, ripe avocados. Check for ripeness by gently pressing the outside of the avocado. If there is no give, the avocado is not ripe yet and will not taste good. If there is a little give, the avocado is ripe. If there is a lot of give, the avocado may be past ripe and not good. In this case, taste test first before using.

Continue reading “Perfect Guacamole” »

Add to: Recipe Box | | Brendy, 05/02/09

Baha Tofu Tacos with Cilantro Cole Slaw

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

    1 pkg hard tofu
    1/4 cup fresh lime juice
    1 teaspoon cumin
    2 teaspoons vegetable oil
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    1/2 cup flour
    1/3 cup plain tofu yogurt
    2 cups Panko bread crumbs
    4 cups vegetable oil
    1/3 cup fresh lime juice
    2 tablespoons sugar
    1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    1 teaspoon cumin
    2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
    3 cups multi-colored coleslaw blend
    1 1/2 cups fresh cilantro
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    8 corn tortillas

Directions:

Wrap tofu in a clean towel, place cast iron skillet or other heavy object on top to press out wat…

Add to: Recipe Box | | wholewheatchick, 05/02/09

Vegan Gumbo

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

    1/2 cup vegetable oil
    1/3 cup flour (white works best)
    1 14-oz. tube imitation sausage mix OR 1 package Soyrizo
    1 package seitan or vegan "chicken" (optional)
    1 large green pepper, chopped
    1 medium onion, diced
    2 cups fresh or frozen green or wax beans in bite size pieces
    1 cup each chopped carrot and celery
    1-2 cups fresh or frozen okra
    handful or so of fresh thyme (about 6-8 sprigs)
    3 bay leaves
    1 28oz. can tomatoes
    2-3 cup vegetable broth
    2 tablespoon cumin; salt, pepper, and chili powder to taste

Directions:

Add oil and flour to a pan and coo…