green[meat]egg[plant]s and [no ham]

Alright, I have to do the last of my catching up here. Sadly, I don't have much by way of pictures but I do have some colorful recipes. A few weeks ago now my parents came to Queens for dinner, seeing as I now finally inhabit an apartment that parents would willingly sit through a meal in. Dinner was delicious and simple. We started with a goat cheese and pears from this fabulous store followed by aged steaks topped with Sauce Vierge, roasted potatoes and greens with Accidental Dressing (refer to last week if you don't know what that is). The sauce, translated, means Virgin Sauce due to the fact that it's uncooked. It certainly does not lack pungency and with a good steak the sauce really brings out the meaty-goodness.
{funny side note into the workings of my brain: as I typed that I realized that I served Virgin Sauce with Naughty Cake for dessert, kinda funny, no?}

Then, a recent issue of this magazine so inspired me that I made two recipes from it in as many days. The first was the Eggplant Parmesan. Truth be told, I'm not a big eggplant fan but something about this recipe made me believe that it would be good. I like that fact the eggplant wasn't breaded and rather pan-friend in olive oil and layered lasagna-style and baked. While the outcome really was gooey and decadent and made it feel much more indulgent than it actually was... this dish is deceptively labor intensive (unless perhaps you have an industrial size saute pan). Eight EIGHT rounds of browning eggplant before it was actually done. But like I said, it was wonderful and kept really well in the fridge.

Lastly, I made the Green Masala. To think that only a couple years ago I hated cilantro and now I make a recipe because it calls for 2 cups of the stuff... I must be SO mature now. Well that and I had nearly ever ingredient on hand to make the dish, so it was a bit of a no brainer. I used cubed lamb instead of chicken. Oh, and hey, listen to what happened. Lamb Shoulder was $3.99 at the butcher and I asked for it off the bone and cube, suddenly it was $8.99 a pound. He didn't tell me this 'til all the hacking was said and done. But I've never heard of such a thing, have you? Anyway, back to the recipe. In all honesty, I thought it would pack a little more flavor than it did and I would have appreciated a bit of heat in the dish. Also, the sauce was a little bit thin so I threw in a can of red beans to add some heft and take up some of that curry. I haven't had leftovers yet, but I checked on them today (weird?) and the sauce has thickened in the fridge and I have a feeling that it would be better today.

Ok, that's it, I'm caught up. More recipes to come this week for sure. It is a certain gentleman's birthday Tuesday and a menu is currently in development.

Sauce Vierge
adapted from, Saveur #113
1/4 cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tbsp. capers
12 large green olives, such as cerignola, pitted and roughly chopped
6 oil-packed (good quality!) anchovy filets, drained and finely chopped
4 cornichons, roughly chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 jalapeño, stemmed and finely chopped
1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. dijon mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 1/2 "-thick top sirloin steaks (about 2 lbs.)

1) On a cutting board, pile together the parsley, capers, olives, anchovies, cornichons, shallots, garlic, and jalapeño. With a large knife, finely chop and scrape the ingredients to combine.
2) Transfer the parsley mixture to a large bowl and stir in 6 tbsp. of the olive oil and the mustard with a fork to make a thick and chunky sauce. (Drizzle in more olive oil for a thinner consistency, if you like.) Season with salt and pepper. Set the sauce aside at room temperature to let rest for 30 minutes, to allow the flavors to mingle.
3) Cook the steaks to your liking. (I prefer mine with a good sear, medium rare on a cast iron skillet). Stir the sauce (it will begin to separate slightly as it sits) and spoon it over the steaks. Serve hot or at room temperature.
serves 4

Eggplant Parmesan
adapted from, Food & Wine, October 2008
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus about 2 cups for frying
1 onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
Two 28-ounce cans whole, peeled Italian tomatoes, drained
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
8 small eggplants ( 1/2 pound each), cut lengthwise 1/2 inch thick [I needed about a dozen to get to the necessary 4 lbs]
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped basil
1 pound lightly salted fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced and torn into small pieces
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
3 tablespoons dry bread crumbs

1) In a large skillet, heat the 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook over moderate heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Using your hands, crush the whole tomatoes into the skillet. Bring to a simmer, add pepper flakes and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is very thick, about 25 minutes. Transfer the tomato sauce to a food processor and puree until smooth. Season generously with salt and pepper.
2) Meanwhile, in a very large skillet, heat 1/4 inch of olive oil making sure to get the oil very hot. Season the eggplant slices with salt and pepper. Working in several batches, cook the eggplant over moderately high heat, turning once, until golden on both sides, about 8 minutes per batch; add more olive oil to the skillet between batches. Drain the eggplant slices on paper towels.
3) Preheat the oven to 400°. Spread 1 cup of the tomato sauce in a 9-by-13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Arrange one-third of the fried eggplant slices in the baking dish and sprinkle all over with 1 tablespoon of the chopped basil. Top with one-third of the torn mozzarella and sprinkle with 1/3 cup of the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Repeat this layering twice. Sprinkle the bread crumbs all over the top of the eggplant Parmesan. Bake in the upper third of the oven for about 45 minutes, until the top of the eggplant Parmesan is golden and the tomato sauce is bubbling. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.
serves 6-8

Green Masala
adapted from, Food & Wine, October 2008
2 cups cilantro leaves
1 cup mint leaves
2 jalapeños, coarsely chopped, seeded
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 onion, finely chopped
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (1 3/4 pounds), cut into 1-inch pieces or 1 1/2 lbs cubed lamb shoulder
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk

1) In a blender, combine the cilantro, mint, jalapeño, garlic, lemon juice and water and puree until smooth.
2) In a large, deep skillet, heat the oil. Add the onion and cook over moderately high heat, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken and turmeric and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden in spots, about 7 minutes. Add the cinnamon, cardamom and cloves and cook for 1 minute. Add the cilantro puree and coconut milk, season with salt and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat until the sauce is slightly reduced and the chicken is tender, about 15 minutes. (At this point I added a can of rinsed and drained red beans as the dish was seeming too liquidy). Serve with basmati rice.
serves 4

a naming....

So, I guess I forgot to mention. I ended up taking that management position, but did it in a part-time capacity. Somehow I thought this would still leave me with plenty of free time. Unfortunately, it hasn't really. Well, it's left me with enough free time to do some cooking, but not quite enough to keep pace with my updating online here. As a result, I don't want to do too much yammering today. Let me cut to the chase. I've made a whole bunch of stuff lately, and the majority of it was rather delicious. I slacked mildly with some of my picture taking. Forgive me please?

This bunch of recipes is from a night when Jessica came for dinner. We had Saumon Aux Lentilles, essentially a pan-seared salmon over lentils, both cooked with a delicious herb butter. The recipe was simple, looks like it came from a restaurant, was totally healthy and really delicious.* The meal was terrific; though through a series of minor mishaps (and miscommunications) a couple items became fabulously renamed. "Accidental Dressing" was created when a jar of sugar was mistaken for salt, the result: a perfectly balanced shallot vinaigrette. And "Naughty Cake", well that's actually Edna Lewis' Fresh Apple Cake with Caramel Glaze in disguise. You see, the conversation went something like this when I removed this delicious rustic cake from the oven.

"Hey Jess, check out this cake. It looks all knotty."
"Jules, did you just call your cake naughty?"

Thus, we have naughty cake. This cake was also made again for a family dinner a few days later. With it's dense crumb, autumnal apple-y goodness and the perfect amount of sweetness imparted from the caramel glaze, how could I not make it twice in one week? I also made an outstanding Chocolate Stout Cakefor said family dinner, which might now be my go to choice for a not-too-sweet chocolate cake recipe.

Saumon aux Lentilles
adapted from, Gourmet, March 2008
For mustard-herb butter
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 teaspoon chopped tarragon
2 teaspoons grainy mustard
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
For lentils
1 cup French green lentils
4 cups water
2 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 to 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
For salmon
4 (6-ounce) pieces skinless salmon fillet
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1) Make mustard-herb butter: Stir together all ingredients with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.
2) Cook lentils: Bring lentils, water, and 3/4 teaspoon salt to a boil in a heavy medium saucepan, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until lentils are just tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking liquid, then drain lentils.
3) While lentils cook, chop leeks, then wash. Cook leeks in butter in a heavy medium skillet over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes.
4) Add lentils with reserved cooking liquid to leeks along with 3 tablespoons mustard-herb butter and cook, stirring, until lentils are heated through and butter is melted. Add lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and keep warm, covered.
5) Sauté salmon while leeks cook: Pat salmon dry and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper (total).
6) Heat butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until foam subsides, then sauté salmon, turning once, until golden and just cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes total.
7) Serve salmon, topped with remaining mustard-herb butter, over lentils.

* This recipe was possibly even better the next morning when the lentils were cooked slightly longer with a lil more butter and a fried runny egg on top and a small piece of called salmon next to it. Seriously good.

Accidental Dressing
1 shallot, finely chopped
3 T red wine vinegar
1/4 t sugar
1 t dijon mustard
3 T extra virgin olive oil

1) Combine shallot, vinegar and sugar in a small bowl and let sit for 30 mins.
2) Whisk in dijon and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper if you want. Toss with your favorite greens.

(sorry, I forgot to take a picture after the glaze)
Naughty Cake
adapted from, The Gift of Southern Cooking
CAKE
1 cup light-brown sugar, packed
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
3 large eggs
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground Ceylon cinnamon**
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 fresh apples (such as Winesap or Granny Smith, I used Cortland), peeled and diced into 1/2 inch pieces
1 3/4 cups not-too-finely chopped pecans
2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
GLAZE
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light-brown sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup heavy cream

1) Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C).
2) Put the sugars and vegetable oil in a mixing bowl, and beat until very well blended. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, and gradually add to the sugar and eggs, mixing just until well blended.
3) Stir in the vanilla. Next, using your hands add apples, pecans and pour into a buttered and 9-by-13-inch baking pan.
4) Bake in the preheated oven until a skewer or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 1/4 hours (begin checking after 50 minutes). Remove from the oven, and allow to cool in the pan while you prepare the caramel glaze.
MAKE THE GLAZE
1) Melt the butter in a saucepan, and add both the sugars and the salt. Stir until blended, and cook over medium-low heat for 2 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream, and boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
2) Use a skewer or toothpick to poke holes all over the top of the cake, and pour the warm glaze over the surface. Serve warm or at room temperature.
**Ceylon is a special type of cinnamon more closely akin to the real deal and not the supermarket brand which can be somewhat "hot" in flavor. If you're looking for it in New York you can find it at this store which is amazing and you should check out if you've never been. If you don't feel like seeking out the good stuff, no worries. Just use half as much as the recipe calls for with the supermarket kind.

Chocolate Stout Cake
adapated from, Bon Appetit, September 2002
1 cup stout (such as Guinness, I used this one )
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

1) Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter or spray a bundt pan well; make sure you get in all of the nooks and crannies.
2) 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.
3) 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.
4) 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.
5) Transfer cake to rack; cool completely in the pan, then turn cake out onto rack for drizzling glaze***
***I used a chocolate and a white chocolate glaze just to provide some contrast in color. Though really, the white chocolate was probably not necessary.

i flaked

Oops, so it looks like it's been about 2+ weeks since I last wrote anything. I wish I could say it's been because I've been cooking so much that there isn't time to catch up. Rather, I've been at the restaurant many many hours a week and have been impressively lazy during my little bit of time off. I've been sitting in this sunny living room room, playing with the dog in the backyard and reading too many cooking magazines-- I've been neglecting the actual cooking part of things.

Nonetheless, I do have a recipe to post that I made about a week or so ago. Ok, I lied, it was probably two weeks ago at this point. It was a recipe I found early in the summer but need to wait for a slightly fall-ish day to make. So at the first inkling of a chill in the air I got to it. Fortunately, it was as tasty as the recipe makes it seem like it would be. Sort of like broth, filled with dumplings, minus the dumpling skin and plus cabbage. Can you keep up with the math? Even if you can't, the recipe is pretty simple. For your early fall pleasure, I present, Lion's Head Casserole. Rumor has it this a fancy dish for a Chinese Banquet dinner, but if you ask me, it's just a good bowl of early fall... in China... not that I've ever been.

Lion's Head Casserole
adapted from, Gourmet, May 2007
8 large dried shiitake mushrooms (3/4 ounces)*
2 cups boiling-hot water
1 pound ground pork butt (not lean)
1 large bunch scallions (white and pale green parts only), finely chopped
6 large fresh water chestnuts, peeled and finely chopped, or 10 canned whole water chestnuts, rinsed, drained, and finely chopped
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine (preferably Shaoxing) or medium-dry Sherry
2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 (2 1/2- to 3-pound) head Napa cabbage
2/3 cup peanut or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (16 fluid ounces)

1) Cover mushrooms with boiling-hot water (2 cups) in a bowl and let stand 30 minutes, then squeeze excess water from mushrooms and reserve 1 cup mushroom-soaking liquid (discard remainder or reserve for another use). Discard mushroom stems and cut caps into very thin slices.**
2) Meanwhile, mix together pork, scallions, water chestnuts, rice wine, sesame oil, sugar, 1 tablespoon ginger, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl with your hands. Gather together pork mixture and throw against bottom or side of bowl 5 or 6 times to firm texture, then chill, covered, until ready to use. This likely won't get as firm as you want it to, but don't lose faith!
3) Remove and reserve 4 large cabbage leaves. Halve cabbage head lengthwise, then cut out and discard core. Cut cabbage halves crosswise into 2-inch-wide pieces.
4)Heat wok (or large skillet) over high heat until a drop of water evaporates instantly. Swirl 2 tablespoons peanut oil to coat bottom and sides of wok, then stir-fry half of cabbage, and remaining tablespoon ginger until cabbage begins to wilt, 1 to 2 minutes. Add remaining cabbage and 3/4 teaspoon salt and stir-fry until all of cabbage has begun to wilt, about 3 minutes. Add reserved soaking liquid (1 cup) and continue stir-frying until cabbage is wilted, about 3 minutes. Transfer mixture to a 4-quart clay pot or a 4- to 5-quart heavy pot, arranging evenly on bottom. Wipe wok clean with paper towels.
5) Stir together cornstarch, pepper, and remaining tablespoon soy sauce in a small bowl until smooth.
6) Divide pork mixture into quarters, then coat your hands with some of cornstarch mixture. Form 4 large meatballs, transferring each as formed to a large plate and then recoating your hands.
7) Heat wok over high heat until a drop of water evaporates instantly, then pour in remaining peanut oil (enough to measure a scant 1/4 inch in wok). Reduce heat to moderately high and gently arrange meatballs in wok. Fry meatballs, turning gently with tongs or a slotted spoon, until deep golden on all sides, about 5 minutes total (if meatballs stick to wok, add more oil). 8) Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain, then arrange on top of cabbage in pot. Add broth, then cover meatballs completely with reserved 4 cabbage leaves. Bring liquid just to a boil, then reduce heat and gently simmer, covered, 1 hour. (Check occasionally to be sure liquid is not boiling vigorously.)
8) Season broth with salt, then move large cabbage leaves around side of pot to resemble a lion's mane (don't be too literal). Serve in individual shallow bowls.

*I didn't have tried shiitake and instead used italian dried mixed mushrooms, which were mostly porcini.
**I reserved only the mushroom water, discarding the mushrooms entirely. This was for two reasons: first, I had the wrong kind of mushrooms and second, I don't really like mushrooms. If you do and wish to reserve them add them to the pot when you add the first round of cabbage.

A not so suiting soup

This weekend marked the official end of summer. Looking around I see nothing to indicate this as truth. I just ate the juiciest nectarine yet this year. Mosquitos are definitely still hanging around (particularly my ankles, but that’s another story). And Monday, at the parade everyone seemed rather comfortable in their semi-nudity.

Nonetheless, something in my soul told me it was time for chili. Actually, it wasn’t my soul, that’s a lie. It was the hunky fireman in the supermarket the other day who bellowed in a deep grumbly voice to a friend “Hey, let’s get some shredded cheese for the chili. That’ll look nice”. Ok wait? More importantly than the fact that this dude was making chili in 85 degree heat was the fact that he was concerned with the proper garnish for his season-incongruous soup. I sorta loved him. So, I figured what better way to express my admiration for the manly Martha in him, than by making some chili myself. Don’t worry, I didn’t tell him I was inspired. I simply stole his ideal.

Like a couple other recipes on here, this one I made up as I went along. I was largely inspired by the fairly comprehensive Mexican aisle at the local market. I knew I wanted to have a number of condiments to be able to play with and then just make a pretty standard chili. It required a fair bit of tinkering and a remarkable lack of precision, but I must say, the finished product was nothing to scoff at. In fact, I would go so far as to say it was mighty fine-- though I must confess, I’m fairly curious to know what the fireman’s chili tasted like.

As a side note, I had been planning to make pulled pork this day. After changing my mind I accidentally still took home a bag of coleslaw mix. I decided to Mexicanify it. Recipe for that follows as well.

The Un-Fireman Chili
1.5-2lbs ground beef
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
2 T tomato paste
2 15oz cans red kidney beans, drained
1 green pepper, coarse chopped
1 yellow onion, coarse chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 T chile powder
1 T oregano
1 t cumin
1 t coriander
1/2 t cayenne
2 bay leaves
2 T pickled jalapeno peppers, minced, brine reserved
2 T olive oil
Garnish: Mexican crema, cotija (dried crumbly white cheese), cilantro, lime, white onion, rice, hot suace

1) Heat oil over medium high heat in large pot. Add ground beef and cook until browned, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove beef from pot and set aside. Drain some fat from pan, leaving about 2-3 tablespoons.
2) Add onion, garlic, pepper and jalapeno and allow vegetables to sweat and soften slightly, approximately 5 minutes.
3) Add all spices, 2 T of tomato paste and bay leaves, stirring to coat veggies well. Cook until aromatic, about 5 minutes.
4) Add diced tomatoes and some of the jalapeno brine (to taste) and simmer for 3 minutes.
5) Return meat to pan, add beans as well. If it looks dry add 1/2 cup of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and partially cover.
6) Simmer on the lowest possible heat for as long as you have patience for, but at least 30 minutes. Add water as necessary if it looks dry, though it should definitely be thick.
6-8 servings

Mexican-ish Coleslaw
1 16oz package shredded coleslaw mix
2 T mayonnaise
2 T rice wine vinegar
1/4 chopped cilantro
2 T pickled jalapeno, minced
1 T lime juice

1) Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well. Allow to sit for at least 20 minutes in the fridge to let flavors mingle.
4-6 servings

A bootleg rainy day.

Enough with all this sun and beautiful weather. I want a gray rainy day so I have an excuse to sit home all day, watch “The Dog Whisperer” and cook. When the rain didn’t come, I settled a few days ago, for an overcast day instead. A gray day-- one out of two isn’t bad. And instead of “The Dog Whisperer” I watched the Democratic National Convention all day. All things considered, this was a pretty solid improvisation for the rainy day I had hoped for.

I was feeling slightly under the weather on my gray day so I wasn’t looking to spend all day in the kitchen. So instead I did the type of cooking where you assemble everything and then just let it sit. And by letting it sit it improves and changes and becomes more interesting (I was hoping to adapt that same strategy for myself as well that day). This was a seriously lazy day.

As I’ve mentioned before, I love all things pickled. So when I came across a recipe for Smashed Cucumbers with Ginger I knew I would have to make it. Pickled in rice wine vinegar they are super fresh and summery tasting. A really nice accompaniment for nearly any Asian dish. And speaking of Asian dishes, when traveling in San Francisco for work last summer I had dinner at a Vietnamese-fusion restaurant near the Ferry Building, called Slanted Door. Dinner was quite good (though not the best of the bunch-- feel free to email about some seriously amazing food in San Fran!) and when Food & Wine published a recipe for Caramelized Black Pepper Chicken from the chef at Slanted Door I figured it was probably worth trying.

I prepped both the chicken and the cucumbers and let them marinate for a number of hours longer than their respective recipes suggest. I figured that pickles can never be too pickley and chicken always runs the risk of being bland, so better to air on the side of caution. The cucumbers were refreshing, sweet and salty all at once-- a complete success. But, it was the chicken that really shocked me. It had a great balance of savory and sweet with a solid dose of salt for good measure. I would make this again in a heartbeat.

And because no rainy day is complete without dessert I decided on Double Chocolate Pudding-- but maybe I was too focused on a recipe that wouldn’t require me to exert much energy and not focused enough on the recipe itself. Now, why would I, someone who isn’t particularly passionate about chocolate choose a double chocolate recipe??? Laziness, sheer laziness I tell ya! Ultimately, it wasn’t bad but I think my lethargy prevented me from adequately whisking, which resulted in a mildly gritty pudding that was a little overkill with the chocolate (and I used less than the recipe called for). No, I wouldn’t call it a bust but certainly not something I would make again. As for me, a couch, some pickles, a flash back to a fabulous trip to California and a rather inspiring speech was the recipe I needed for a fake rainy day. But hey chocolate fiends, the recipe you need is probably for this pudding!

Caramelized Black Pepper Chicken
adapted from, Food & Wine, December 1998
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup fish sauce (nam pla)
1/4 cup water
3 T rice vinegar
1 t minced garlic
1 t finely grated fresh ginger
1 t coarsely ground pepper
2 fresh Thai chiles, halved, or dried red chiles
1 T canola oil
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 cilantro sprigs, chopped 
5 oz baby spinach (optional)*

1) In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, fish sauce, water, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, pepper and chiles. Add chicken, toss to coat, cover and let marinate for 30 mins up to four hours.


2) Heat the oil in a large deep skillet. Add the shallot and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the fish sauce mixture and the chicken and simmer over high heat until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with the cilantro and serve.
serves 4
*when I reheated the dish for lunch the next day I added a container of baby spinach I had laying around. This dish yields a ton of sauce and it would be a shame to have it go to waste. Either when reheating or when initially serving add spinach once chicken is cooked, lid the dish and allow spinach to wilt for two minutes.

Smashed Cucumbers with Ginger
adapted from, Saveur, Issue #113
4 kirby cucumbers

Kosher salt

1  1" piece fresh ginger, peeled

1 T sugar

2 T rice wine vinegar

1 t sesame oil

2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1) Cut cucumbers into irregular chunks about 2" long and 1⁄4" thick. Transfer cucumber slices to a medium bowl, sprinkle with 2 tsp. of kosher salt, mix, and set aside at room temperature to extract excess liquid and let them soften, about 1 hour.
2) Meanwhile, julienne ginger; transfer to a medium bowl and set aside.
3) Drain and gently squeeze cucumbers to extract more liquid, then pat dry with a towel. Add cucumbers to the bowl of ginger along with sugar, vinegar, sesame oil, and garlic. Toss to combine and season with kosher salt, to taste.
4) Let rest at room temperature for at least 15 minutes, up to 24 hours (refrigerated) before serving to allow the flavors to come together.
serves 4-6, as side dish

Double Chocolate Pudding
adapted from, Food & Wine, September 2008
2 1/4 cups whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
2 T cornstarch
3 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
5 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped*
2 T unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 t vanilla extract

1) In a medium saucepan, combine 2 cups of the milk with 1/4 cup of the sugar and the salt and bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat.
2) In a medium bowl, whisk the cornstarch with the unsweetened cocoa powder and the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar until blended. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of milk and whisk until smooth. Whisk this mixture into the hot milk in the saucepan and bring to a boil over moderate heat, whisking constantly. Reduce the heat to moderately low and simmer, whisking constantly, until the pudding is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 2 minutes.
3) In a medium bowl, whisk the whole egg with the egg yolks. Gradually whisk about 1 cup of the hot cocoa pudding into the eggs until thoroughly incorporated, then scrape the pudding back into the saucepan. Cook the pudding over moderate heat, whisking constantly, until it just comes to boil, about 2 minutes.
4) Strain the pudding into a medium heatproof bowl. Add the chopped chocolate, butter and vanilla and whisk until the chocolate and butter are melted and incorporated and the pudding is smooth, about 2 minutes. Transfer the pudding to six 6-ounce ramekins and refrigerate until chilled. (If you’re not in a hurry, press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pudding in the bowl and refrigerate.)
*I strongly believe you can use half as much chocolate, but anywhere from 2 oz to 5 oz should be good.
6-8 servings

**apologies for the lack of photos this time, neither chocolate pudding nor simmering raw chicken is the most photogenic of food items