Cooking With Hanzipan

My family has made Dutch Baby Pancake for as long as I can remember. There was even a little bit of time there when I would make one and eat it all on my own right out of the baking dish (oh yeah, those were the days). I can’t imagine why it would be called “Dutch Baby”… your guess is as good as mine, although my guess aren’t very pleasant. It’s ridiculously easy to make and the dough warps into some amazing shapes (think puffy clouds/funny hats). It is a slightly sweet, eggy, pancake that is perfect for a quick, easy weekend breakfast. Dutch Baby Pancake

Serves: 4

1 C. flour

1 T. sugar

1 1/4 C. milk

2 eggs

1/4 t. salt

1 T. butter (melted)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Combine wet ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Whisk in flour until well combined. Pour into a greased pie pan with high sides (the pancake likes rise very high so the higher the edges are to contain it, the better) the one in the photo has three inch sides. Bake for 30 minutes or until sides are browned and middle is beginning to brown. This pancake has a tendency to deflate very quickly, don’t worry, it’s still extremely tasty. You can add fresh fruit, maple syrup or powdered sugar to the top.

Alex and Casey came over for a little dinner party with Ben and I so the three of us(Ben was on the phone with his mamarama so Alex, Casey, and I cooked) made Pad Thai. I found the recipe by googling “Pad Thai recipe” and came up with one from Alton Brown(you may know him from his Food Network show or from Iron Chef). The recipe can be found here:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/pad-thai-recipe/index.html

And I’ll copy and paste for convenience

• Yield 2 servings

Ingredients

• 1-ounce tamarind paste
• 3/4 cup boiling water
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons palm sugar
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 4 ounces rice stick noodles
• 6 ounces Marinated Tofu, recipe follows
• 1 to 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 1 cup chopped scallions, divided
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 whole eggs, beaten
• 2 teaspoons salted cabbage
• 1 tablespoon dried shrimp
• 3 ounces bean sprouts, divided
• 1/2 cup roasted salted peanuts, chopped, divided
• Freshly ground dried red chile peppers, to taste
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Directions

Place the tamarind paste in the boiling water and set aside while preparing the other ingredients.

Combine the fish sauce, palm sugar, and rice wine vinegar in a small bowl and set aside.

Place the rice stick noodles in a mixing bowl and cover with hot water. Set aside while you prepare the remaining ingredients. Once the other ingredients are measured out into separate bowls, drain the water from the noodles and set them aside. Cut the tofu into 1/2-inch wide strips, similar to French fries.

Press the tamarind paste through a fine mesh strainer and add to the sauce. Stir to combine.

Place a wok over high heat. Once hot, add 1 tablespoon of the peanut oil. Heat until it shimmers, then add the tofu. Cook the tofu until golden brown, moving constantly, for no longer than 1 minute. Remove the tofu from the pan to a small bowl and set aside.

If necessary, add some more peanut oil to the pan and heat until shimmering. Add 2/3 of the scallions and then the garlic, cook for 10 to 15 seconds. Add the eggs to the pan; once the eggs begin to set up, about 15 to 20 seconds, stir to scramble. Add the remaining ingredients in the following order and toss after each addition: noodles, sauce, cabbage, shrimp, and 2/3 of the bean sprouts and peanuts. Toss everything until heated through, but no longer than 1 to 2 minutes total. Transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with the remaining scallions, bean sprouts, and peanuts. Serve immediately with the ground chile peppers and lime wedges.

*Notes: I doubled the recipe for the four of us and it was perfect; I used sushi rice vinegar which has a little bit of sugar in it, didn’t affect the flavor that I could tell; I did not marinate the tofu but it was still delicious; I used tamarind concentrate that came in a plastic jar and was liquidy, but followed the instructions anyway since I assumed it needs to be diluted; for “palm sugar” i just used organic evaporated cane juice(aka granulated sugar); and I used some crushed red pepper flakes and a bunch of Sriracha sauce for the spice.

Enjoy!

Mummy and I picked up some semolina flour yesterday and then decided to make some pasta from scratch. I can remember her hanging pasta between the backs of two chairs when I was little… ah the good old days. These noodles are thick, chewy and a pretty buttery yellow color when they’re all done. They would work really well in a soup (I’m thinking chicken noodle soup… mmmm… without the chicken, that is. Oh how I miss chicken noodle soup.) or old school with a bit of pasta sauce. If you have a pasta machine, great! Crank it to about 6 and roll away! If you’re doing it by hand, make them as thin as possible, they’ll still be chewier than you think when they’re done cooking.

Twelve Mile Noodles

This recipe makes a lot of pasta (a few pounds of ravioli or enough noodles for about seven people) so make a half batch or refrigerate it if you’re not planning on feeding an army.

3 c. Semolina Flour

1 c. All purpose flour

2/3 c. water

3 eggs

2 T. oil

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add wet ingredients and combine thoroughly (I find that making a little well in the center of the dry ingredients and then pouring the liquid into the center and slowly combining the two, working my way from the center outwards works well if you’re hand mixing).

Make a large ball and wrap with plastic wrap. Let it rest for an hour, or refrigerate overnight (if you refrigerate, let it rest and warm up to room temperature for at least an hour before you roll it out).

After an hour, divide into six sections. Roll out each section as thin as you can into a long, narrow rectangle. Thoroughly dust with semolina and then, roll the dough up, beginning on a narrow side so that you have a narrow, thick roll (like a cinnamon roll).

Carefully slice the dough into 1/8 inch sections. Unroll each slice and hang to dry for about 30 minutes. Toss into boiling water for four minutes or refrigerate for up to three days or so (once it’s completely dry). Makes enough for about seven hearty servings of pasta.

One of my favorites foods is baked squash so it only makes sense that one of my favorite recipes is one I found on 101 cookbooks. I love the warm squash and the fluffy millet all mixed together with some tart cranberries topped with more than a little butter. Mom and Dad are gone for the weekend so I baked myself a batch and I’m planning on living on it over the next couple of days. For now I’m going to go sit in my stretch pants and watch a few episodes of All Creatures Great and Small with a bowl of this glorious squash extravaganza.

Beginning.

Middle.

And END!

Right before it finds a new home in my tummy.

Mark Bittman’s Autumn Millet Bake Recipe

Recipe borrowed from 101 cookbooks

I screwed up a bit and used dried cranberries. If you are referencing the photo, you’ll notice the shrivel factor. Still good. You can make this vegan, vegetarian, I used a bit of cream* - but you can use just stock or water. The real trick is getting the millet to cook all the way though, so don’t over toast it, and keep adding liquids if you need to.

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus oil for the dish
3/4 cup millet
1 medium butternut or other winter squash or 1 small pumpkin, peeled seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup fresh cranberries
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon minced sage leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
1 cup vegetable stock or water, warmed*
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds or coarsely chopped hazelnuts
Preheat the oven to 375F and grease a 2-quart casserole, a large gratin dish, or a 9×13-inch baking dish with olive oil.

Put 2 tablespoons of the oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the millet and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant and golden, about 3 minutes (hs note: don’t overdo it). Spread in the bottom of the prepared baking dish.

Scatter the squash or pumpkin cubes and the cranberries on top of the millet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and the sage and drizzle with syrup. Carefully pour the warmed stock over all (hs note: I did about 1/2 cup stock & 1/2 cup cream based on one of his variations). Cover tightly with foil and bake without disturbing, for 45 minutes.

Carefully uncover and turn the oven to 400F. As discreetly as possible, sneak a taste and adjust the seasoning. If it looks too dry, add a spoonful or two of water or stock. (hs note: This is key! The millet should be close to being cooked through at this point, if not you need to add liquid and keep it moist and cooking - I used another 1/4 cup+ of stock here). Sprinkle the pumpkin seeds on top, and return the dish to the oven. Bake until the mixture bubbles and the top is browned (hs note: and the millet is cooked through), another 10 minutes or so. Serve piping hot or at room temperature (hs note: drizzled with the remaining olive oil if you like).

Serves 4 to 6.

*In the end, I used 3/4 cup stock + 1/2 cup cream

My birthday fell on a Monday this year which meant that any sort of special food/things were pushed to Thursday. We had some friends over and I made a casserole, an artichoke dip and an amazing chocolate cake… busy busy busy! I’d promised myself that I’d make a cake and, while it wasn’t the one I was planning on originally, I did wind up making a really good Chocolate Stout Cake from Smitten Kitchen. I used really strong liquid coffee instead of instant and it worked really well. This cake keeps getting better the longer it sits around in the kitchen too! Oh man, I’m going to have to go have a piece now…

Chocolate Stout Cake

This recipe was originally intended to make a layer cake of 3 8-inch rounds. Upon many reviewers’ suggestions, I halved it and it fit perfectly in a bundt pan. The halved amount is below, and the icing replaced with a simple ganache.

1 cup stout (such as Guinness)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream*
6 ounces good semisweet chocolate chips
6 tablespoons heavy cream
3/4 teaspoon instant coffee granules

Cake prep:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter or spray a bundt pan well; make sure you get in all of the nooks and crannies. (Some people even go so far as to brush the inside of their bundt pans with melted butter–you cannot be too careful!). Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer cake to rack; cool completely in the pan, then turn cake out onto rack for drizzling ganache.**

Ganache:
For the ganache, melt the chocolate, heavy cream, and coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally. Drizzle over the top of cooled cake.

101 Cookbook’s mushroom casserole is so very tasty! I like to substitute wild rice for half of the brown rice the recipe wants. Here’s the recipe taken from 101 cookbooks, make sure you visit her site to see what other tasty things she has:

Mushroom Casserole Recipe

Use any cooked grain you like. Feel free to use low-fat cottage cheese or sour cream if you prefer.

1/2 pound (8 ounces) brown mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
1 large onion, well chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 cups cooked brown rice, room temperature
2 large eggs
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
a bit of fresh tarragon, chopped

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Rub a medium-large baking dish with a bit of olive oil or butter and set aside. The pan I use is slightly smaller than a classic 9×13 baking dish - just grab for something in this ballpark.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat saute the mushrooms in a glug of olive oil sprinkled with a couple pinches of salt. Stir every minute or so until the mushrooms have released their liquid and have browned a bit. Add the onions and cook for another 4 or 5 minutes or until they are translucent. Stir in the garlic, cook for another minute and remove from heat. Add the rice to the skillet and stir until combined.

In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs, cottage cheese, sour cream, and salt.

Combine the rice mixture and cottage cheese mixture in a large bowl, stir until well combined and then turn out into your prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with 2/3 of the Parmesan cheese, cover with foil and place in oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 20 or 30 minutes more or hot throughout and golden along the edges. Sprinkle with the chopped tarragon, and the remaining Parmesan and enjoy.

Serves about 6.

I also used 101 cookbooks’ baked artichoke dip recipe. I feel like there was something missing from it… something earthy to balance all of that artichoke, but it did wind up being pretty darn good, fresh from the oven. I think next time I’ll use the Quattro Formaggio cheese blend from Trader Joes instead of Parmesan, press the artichokes to get some of that extra moisture out and use a little less yogurt. This recipe was also taken directly from 101 cookbooks:

Baked Artichoke Dip Recipe

Sometimes silken tofu can be hard to find. No worries, I’ve had success using medium firm regular tofu as well - just stay clear of the firm and extra-firm varieties. For some added nutritional punch and color quickly saute a couple handfuls of spinach in a bit of olive oil - toss it in the food processor with the artichokes, tofu, and garlic.

2 (14-ounce) cans water-packed artichokes, well drained
4 ounces organic silken tofu
3 large cloves garlic
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
2/3 cup plain (or Greek) yogurt
1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt, or more to taste
pinch of cayenne pepper

more Parmesan to sprinkle on top

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. In a blender or food processor puree the artichokes, tofu, and garlic. In a separate medium bowl whisk together the parmesan cheese, yogurt, salt, and cayenne. Stir in the artichoke puree and pour mixture into a medium-sized baking dish (or multiple smaller dishes). Sprinkle the top with more Parmesan. Bake uncovered until heated through and the cheese on the top starts to brown, about 45 minutes.

Makes 2-3 cups of artichoke dip.

My granny, Valerie Ann McCourt had a recipe box that mom and I took when she died. It was full of handwritten notecards(some of them even from her mother, Sylvia) and cut out recipes from magazines and such. One of them is a recipe that my mamarama has been making since I was wee. I don’t know where the original recipe came from but here is what my mom produced from memory, since the original notecard is too faded to read now.

• Cook about 3 to 4 cups dry macaroni ( not the cheap stuff)in a pot of boiling salted water about 7 minutes
• Cube plenty of sharp cheese,(at least 14 oz) much better with sharp (I use Tillamook)
• Grease with butter a 2-4 qt casserole dish, and lid
• Put in one layer of mostly,or partially cooked macaroni
• Dot it with cubes of butter, salt and pepper well
• Add a layer of cubed cheese to cover
• REPEAT!
• Beat one egg with one cup of milk, mix with 2 cups, 14-16oz. of stewed tomatoes,( mexican or italian can be good if low on spices) . season with salt, pepper, garlic(powder ok), and basil
• Pour tomato mixture over the macaroni casserole and punch the tomatoes down into it,
  add any left macaroni, butter, cheese

• Sprinkle lavishly with paprika (Hungarian is best)
• Cover and Bake , about 350 for about 35 minutes.

I thought perhaps we’d be having more people come to dinner tonight than actually did and I started cooking with this in mind. I started to make a Pear Upside-Down Cake at 3:30, pulled it out of the oven at 5 and stuck the Baked Pasta Casserole into the still hot oven to get oozy and toasty as these cheesy things are wont to do. Alas it was only the three of us and I’m glad one of my favorite things just happens to be leftovers.

Ok, so this is really REALLY not my picture. I horked it from 101 cookbooks where I got the recipe. When I cook, I usually do it for dinner when the light is not so good and rather yellow. This happened with the pasta. I love this dish and I wanted to do it some justice.

I was intrigued by this cake recipe because it wanted buttermilk as well as freshly ginger, two things I definitely don’t dabble in every day. Or at all. I was totally unprepared for how beautiful fresh ginger smells. It has a clean, sweet smell that gets worked into your fingers as you grate it and into the wood of our counter top.

It turned out to be a heavy, molassesy moist cake that was still warm after we’d finished with dinner. With a chunk of vanilla ice cream melting into the edges, soaked up by the cake, everything felt right with the world. Right now both of these are sitting happily together on their respective dessert and pasta shelves in my tummy.

I don’t have pictures of this one because it was a while ago when I made it, but I thought I would post a recipe to get the blag going.

This is a recipe from the Co-op’s monthly ad! It is delicious!!!

Chicken Tikka Masala

To make the marinade:
Combine 1 cup of plain yogurt with juice from half a lemon, one teaspoon of fresh chopped ginger, 2 teaspoons of black pepper and one teaspoon each of ground cumin, ground cayenne pepper, cinnamon, and salt.
Place 2 pounds of boneless chicken breast or thighs, cut into one inch chunks, into a glass or metal bowl, add the marinade and refrigerate overnight.

To make the sauce:
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 serrano pepper, diced [i substituted some jalapeños from my garden]
2 tablespoons garlic, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon each of garam masala [i found this at the co-op in bulk, so I'm sure you can find it wherever you live, too!], ground cumin, paprika, and coriander
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup tomato sauce, plain
1 cup heavy cream

In a 6 quart sauce pan [or 5 quart soup pot, in my case], heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil and saute the onions until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, serrano pepper, garam masala, cumin, and coriander and saute 3 minutes more. Add the tomato paste and simmer 3 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and heavy cream and simmer 15 minutes.
While the sauce simmers, in a heavy skillet over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and saute the marinated chicken, stirring often. Add the cooked chicken pieces to the warm sauce and mix well. Serve over basmati rice.

Here’s a picture of how it COULD look:

this is not my picture