Irish Beef Barley Soup

I picked up a book at Borders last month--New Soup Recipes or something like that. I love soup as a full meal--it's easy, and it's lovely when the weather is chilly.

I decided to make this soup today. It's not like I've never made Beef Barley Soup before--I love this combination--but it's the first time in forever that I've made it with stock from scratch.

I complained to my friend Leah when we chatted this afternoon and the soup was still cooking after 3 hours about not using packaged stock. But when I tried it about 30 minutes later, it was clear that the homemade stock made so much of a difference.

I hated the recipe though; instead of specifying how long it would take to boil the beef bones, meat & onions in water for the base, the book said "simmer as long as necessary". WTF!

With the lack of precision, I decided to play the recipe. I boiled two meat bones, half an onion, about 3 lbs of sirloin (which I had originally intended for more steak but decided I couldn't bear the smell of beautifully seared meat again this week), some carrots & celery stalks. After about an hour of simmering and skimming scum, I removed the meat, strained the veggies, poured in 1/2 a cup of pearled barley and a cup of yellow split peas. I also added carrots, a finely chopped leek, chopped celery and returned the meat to the pot.

I decided it was done when I was starving and the meat was tender. It's lovely!!

This is also the first meal Teo's enthusiastically received for a while.

MMMMMMM.....

I've tried this recipe for steak twice already, and it's absolutely lovely.

Next time, I might skip the rosemary since it costs so much (unless I have a plan to make roast pork within 2 days). The garlic is lovely, though.

I followed Jaden's advice about letting the steak sit in the salt for 30 minutes since I had thin, girly steaks.

We don't have a grill but we do have a cast-iron grill pan which cooks nicely but is a biotch to clean.

Roast Pork with Rosemary & Garlic

(Hat tip to Mr. Bittman!)

Summer is still too hot for having your oven on for more than 30 minutes but if you're going to get something this yummy, it's worth it! The recipe is practically foolproof.

Preheat the oven to 450.

Take a 2-3 lb boneless pork loin and roll it around in a mix of salt, pepper, crushed rosemary, 3 heads (or more, if you like) crushed garlic, a tablespoon of brown sugar, a qtr teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Place on a rack, in roasting pan, and roast for 15 minutes. Baste the pork with .5 cup of stock or wine and roast for another 15 minutes (lowering the temp to 325). Repeat the basting every 15 minutes till the pork has cooked for at least 90 minutes. (In my experience, another 10 minutes on top of this won't hurt.)

Reduce the liquid at the bottom of the pan and serve with couscous.

(Try to get a piece of pork loin with some fat on one side. The crispy fat is absolutely lovely!)

Sukiyaki

Using this recipe, more or less. (I added vermicelli noodles and lots more "sauce" than called for since I like soupy sukiyaki.)

It's Benjie's new favorite thing! (Teo seemed to like it but he expended an awful lot of energy trying to eat the slippery noodles on his own.)

I would've added a raw egg before eating it, but I didn't want to risk Teo getting salmonella or e coli. I didn't put an egg in Benjie's bowl since he eats 2 eggs a day as it is.

I struggled with the sauce. I saw other recipes that called for seaweed broth but in the end was pleased with the beef broth-sugar-shoyu blend I came up with. I put some mirin in, too.

Pancit Titanic

Nope, not because it was the biggest batch of pancit I'd ever made. I call it Pancit Titanic because it was a complete disaster.

(I've only made pancit twice. The first time it was delicious.)

I was using this recipe again--it served me fine a few months ago!

This time, I found annato seeds and so fried them in the oil for the color.

I think my big mistake with this recipe was the kind of noodle I used. I guess there must be several grades of vermicelli noodles because these were too fine (the last time I made pancit I know I used vermicelli too)--instead of absorbing the stock and plumping up a little, they stuck to each other and made a mushy mess!

Taste-wise, the pancit was still edible, but texture is too important to neglect and the texture of this dish definitely brings the whole dish down by an entire scale.

Hainanese Chicken & Rice

I haven't cooked anything new in ages--been subsisting on standbys (3-hour bolognese, beef & peanut noodles, etc.). This week I had a hankering for Hainanese chicken--though to be honest I think what I most wanted was the gingery concoction typically served with it!

I found a whole bunch of recipes for this dish online and some of them were wildly different. I settled on this one since I had most of the ingredients.

The trickiest part was making the rice--I didn't rinse it in a strainer. Then I only sauted it for 2 minutes before adding the broth! It came out a bit too sticky but still tasty.

I made two sauces--one with just garlic & ginger (used bottled, mashed ginger to make life easier) and some stock, and the other was the chili-ginger-garlic combination from the recipe. (I only used one teaspoon of chili sauce and even that was a bit too hot!)

The cucumbers were also not cooperating. I originally bought what I thought were cucumbers in WF, only to find when I cut them up that they were zucchini! I made a trip to TJ's from the pool to get another cucumber.

I completely forgot to take pictures. I was too hungry to remember the camera after spending the latter half of the afternoon wading after Teo, who insists on wading in full sunlight!

CCH Soup

for Cold Cucumber & Honeydew Soup

This was featured in July's O! magazine. (Which I am loving, especially bec. of the feature on Sarah Jessica Parker's line for Steve & Barry. I can't wait to get to my ideal dress size so I can splurge at this store! All of SJP's clothes cost $25 or less and run all the way to size 22!)

For this soup, you puree a ripe honeydew, a medium cucumber and 3/4 c of light coconut milk. Top with toasted coconut and tada! (I haven't found toasted coconut yet, though.)

Unfortunately Teo wasn't keen on it, and Benjie found it strange, but refreshing. Only my friend Amanda (a vegetarian) really enjoyed it.

It IS a perfect foil to the hot, hot DC summer, and it makes a beautiful picture. Except I forgot yet again to take one!

Otsu

Adam made this during the hot memorial day weekend, and I planned it for today since it's been pretty hot in DC too. Unfortunately the timing was off--it was actually quite cool today!

But this dish is so tasty and lovely that it worked, although I can see how perfect it is for a hot day. It requires a minimum of heat, a bonus in my airless kitchen.

Adam got Heidi Swanson's permission to publish the recipe--as opposed to just summarizing--so you definitely should try it out!

The next time I make it, I'll cut the cayenne down to .5 tsp so that it isn't too hot for Teo.

Also, there's something to be said for using a genuine non-stick pan. I had a heck of a time browning the tofu, and the brown parts mostly stuck to the pan! (I know my pan was non-stick when I bought it 5 years ago. I think I've been washing it wrong and that's what damaged the surface.)

(Benjie loved this...rare for a dish with no animal protein in it! And then he asked me what I was cooking next...nueve?)

Dulce De Leche Brownies

This was a weekend of trying out Adam (Amateur Gourmet)'s recent recommendations.

He links to David Lebovitz's recipe for Dulce De Leche Brownies.

This was my second attempt to make this recipe, as I mistakenly bought caramel instead of DDL last weekend. (BTW, caramel works, just not as wicked as these!)

DDL is I think among my top 3 favorite ice cream flavors, so I was really looking forward to these! Plus I love how you basically just get 2 containers dirty--the saucepan, where you melt the butter & chips, and the brownie pan.

I followed the recipe to a T except I think I didn't use enough DDL. (I used a store brand. Making my own is a pain to the wallet, since a small container of condensed milk in WF costs more than half what one bottle of DDL does--and I can get 2-3 brownie pans out of the bottle!)

These came out beautifully moist, and not too sweet. I'm tempted to try it next time with Splenda instead of sugar.

Postscript to Pasta with Leeks & Peas

Umm, remember I skipped the lemon zest and mint leaves the first time I made this?

DON'T skip them. They make a big difference!

What I Cooked Last Week

I happen to have cooked up a storm last week!! I don't know what possessed me. Except, again, no photos.

A. This meatloaf recipe from Dave Lieberman.

I love how this meatloaf turns out--so moist! I have to fess up, though, that I only had one onion, which went into the meat, and I chickened out about using a pepper for the sauce since it came out a bit too spicy for Teo the last time I made it.

I love too how cheap ground turkey is at Trader Joe's!

B. Mark Bittman's Bolognese

This is a real labor of love, people--it takes about 4 hours in all! (I think Mark Bittman has the timing wrong in his recipe. Or it's because I usually make job lots of this--I usually cook at least 3 lbs worth of meat, to justify the 2 hours of simmering!)

You saute chopped pancetta in olive oil, then add minced carrots, celery and onions; when the veggies are soft, brown the ground meat. (MB says this can be done in 5 mins, but it usually takes me at least 20.) When brown, add the juice from a big can of tomatoes or white wine. Let the liquid evaporate (again, this usually takes at least another 20 minutes), then add the tomatoes. Simmer over low heat for an hour before salting and peppering, and cook for at least one more hour, until the sauce is thickened. (Benjie actually likes the sauce thin, so I don't cook it beyond 2.5 hours.) To make it a real bolognese, add cream or half-and-half at the end. I don't do this though because I feel it shortens the shelf life of the sauce!

I think this is Benjie's all-time favorite dish (plus the family dish) and he is happy each time I make it. Since making this sauce this way, I have a hard time with any meat sauce where the meat isn't downright melting on my tongue!

C. Another Food Network Recipe.

I love this recipe. It's wonderful with the shaved beef steak from Trader Joe's, too.

I think in the future I would not use sweet & sour sauce with the meat, although it came out fine.

D. Pork Braised in Vinegar & Bay Leaves

Another Mark Bittman--lovely, especially because you can leave it "largely unattended" for the 90 minutes or so of cooking time!

Brown a 2-3 lb cut of boneless pork in olive oil over high heat, seasoning with salt & pepper when you turn it. Pour off most of the fat and saute garlic and onions (though I didn't use onions) in the oil over medium-low heat. Add 6 bay leaves, .5 cup of red wine vinegar, .5 cup of red wine or water, bring to a boil and cook for a minute before lowering the heat and returning the pork. Cover and cook over low heat for about 75 minutes. Remove meat and fat and reduce the sauce over high heat/

It was useful to have been possessed, since I was able to feed Raffy, Malou and Maribel a whole range of choices (including the leek-pea pasta which has become a standby) last Friday and I didn't have to cook this week while Benjie was away!

"Red" pork belly

This recipe is from Saveur magazine.

I prepared this today in honor of Teo's Ninang Malou and her sister Maribel.

Malou is visiting from Manila and was killing time at our place until Maribel could pick her up.

I opted to prepare this dish, since I really like it, but the belly (in my case I used pork backs) is just soo good--but so bad, too. At least, with company, we could spread the cholesterol around.

(Instead of using all back, I added cubes of meat from a roast cut.)

You boil 2 lbs' worth of cubes of pork in water (to remove the porky smell?) for 2 minutes. As you drain it, saute scallions and ginger in peanut oil, then add the pork. Saute for two minutes, then add .25 cup of Chinese rice wine vinegar. When the pork has browned a bit, add 5 T of mushroom soy sauce and 2 cups of water. Let it boil, then simmer (covered) for an hour. When the meat is tender, add 3 T of sugar and simmer for 15 more minutes, until the sauce has thickened.

Try to serve with a healthful veggie side!!

No, we haven't been eating take-out

I just haven't had time to take pictures of what I've cooked recently!

Two weekends ago, I made pancit sotanghon for the first time ever. (Recipe here.) It was a big hit with Benjie! (Since I still haven't found annatto seeds, it was much paler compared to the photo.)

The past few days, we've been living off roast chicken--I roasted parts from two chickens with pesto. Also, last week, I made Black Beans & Pork Bits, a recipe in How to Cook Everything.

Teo eats the meats from the Bean recipe (it has bacon, pork and chicken sausage), but he refuses to eat the beans. Which is weird given that he likes the burritos from California Tortilla and other Mexican fast food joints.

(This was a quick-cook recipe using canned black beans--you put 4 cans into a pot with their juice, add a T of cumin, salt & pepper and the peel from one orange, and set the pot on a low simmer. Then you start cooking the meats-- bacon, then the sausages, then the pork loin--and add them to the beans. Then you saute chopped onions and bell peppers in the oil, and add that to the beans, then pour a cup of red wine into the skillet where you cooked the meats & veggies and reduce it by half. Add the reduction and half a cup of orange juice to the beans. Serve, when heated through, with orange segments and cilantro.

(It would've taken me less than the described 30 mins. to make this but I cut myself badly slicing the onions.)

Broiled Steak & Garlic-Butter Spinach

We gobbled this up too quickly for a photo.

I got the recipe from a book I picked up for a buck at a yard sale--Cooking LIght's SuperFast Suppers. (Which I suppose is a healthy Rachel Ray, as most meals in it can be prepped under 30 minutes.)

In the book, this is paired with potatoes, but I opted for a spinach recipe since I'm trying to stay away from carbs.

I switched on the broiler. (I was nervous about cooking it this way, since I've only used the broiler to brown my adobo, never to cook something through.)

I mixed: the juice of half a lime, 3 T of Dijon, salt & pepper and minced garlic. I lay the nearly one-pound sirloin on a cookie sheet (man, I need a broiler pan!) and put half the mustard mix on top. It went into the oven for 4 minutes, came out, flipped, got the rest of the mustard mix, then back into the oven for another 4.

(I ended up cooking the steak for 12 minutes altogether, since I like my meat medium-rare, and for the 7-8 mins specified by the book, the meat still was too red for me. Also, my cookie sheet twisted. But it settled back into its original shape, almost.)


(I also zapped Teo's slice of steak for another 20 secs, to remove the redness from it altogether.)

For the spinach: you zap garlic, salt and butter (in our case, fake butter) for 25 secs in the mic; add a bag of spinach, cover and zap for another 2 minutes. Mix everything together.

(I added grated Pecorino and Padano.)

The meat was a big hit with the boys. Teo wasn't keen on the spinach. I think I should have removed the stems from the spinach. Good thing I also nuked him some corn & peas.

Chicken Adobo & Kare-Kare

Sorry, no photos. I cooked these on Sunday for an Easter lunch for friends and neglected to photograph them before they were attacked.

While I still have leftovers, they do not look appealing at all. (Still delicious, though.)

I never ever cooked these dishes before we moved to Boston! I suppose the distance makes them that much more yummy.

I used a mishmash of recipes for these. To make adobo, I used the basic principles outlined in Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything. I can almost forgive him for claiming that there are no other dishes from the Philippines worth trying, since he does proclaim Adobo the best chicken dish in the world.

Put these in a bowl: fresh black pepper, bay leaves (2), 1 cup soy sauce, .5 cup vinegar (here I used rice wine vinegar, as per the Dorotans'--of Cendrillon in Manhattan--suggestion), water (MB recommends matching the amt of soy sauce but I use a bit less) & crushed garlic (as much as you like, though MB recommends 3 cloves). Once these are all mixed, put chicken in (3-4 lbs' worth). The Dorotans recommend marinating for at least 3 hours. I try to do 18-24!

To cook: put chicken & sauce in saucepan. Bring to a boil then simmer, uncovered, until chicken is cooked.

Pre-heat the broiler. Put chicken (skin-side up) on baking pan and put on rack (which should be on highest level in oven), for about 5-7 mins.

Try to reduce the sauce until it thickens.

The last two steps aren't necessary but make the adobo that much yummier.

I used this recipe for kare-kare. Isn't that funny? But this is actually friendlier than the Filipino cook-authored recipes I've found, so far. It's easy to follow. I haven't managed to find tripe in my supermarkets but I use broiler-quality meat to add substance. Also, haven't found annatto oil (to make the stew a more presentable red, instead of brown) yet, but it doesn't seem to matter!

(Food very well received, by the way. Even Teo enjoys bagoong!)

Lentils with Kielbasa & Asperation

Sausages and legumes are my go-to, can't-figure-out-what-else-to-prepare-for-dinner-meal.

I pretty much Rachel-Rayed this one (no measuring!). And since I had leftover bacon in the fridge (from pasta night) I decided to fry that a little, then saute the onions in them, then added the kielbasa. I let them fry together about 3 mins before putting the lentils in. (I used cheap green lentils, although I was tempted to go with small, French dePuy or black lentils. If I'd shopped at TJ's instead of Whole Foods, I think I might have scored the latter two for a lower price.)

I added the stock to cover, let boil then simmered for about 30 minutes. I added some salt(kosher!--which I only recently tried and like very much!) and pepper.

(Anyone out there who's a firm advocate of boxed broth vs. boullioun broth?--I use the boxed type, but am I losing so much more money that way?? )

When the lentils were still a bit nutty to the bite, but already well on the road to tender, I added the chopped up asperation (AKA broccolini, a hybrid of broccoli and asparagus, I think.) covered completely to steam for 5 minutes, and served on rice.

(I like throwing a veggie of some sort into my one-pot meals. Teo generally has no problems with green, leafy types.)

Benjie likes his lentils soupy, so I served his and Teo's with lots of broth. The photo shows mine--I like my lentils dry, with a splash of balsamic vinegar.

Teo has had issues with sausages before--I think I once served him rather spicy ones, but he enjoyed this meal. As did his father!

Italian Wedding Soup

from Giada de Laurentis' Everyday Italian. Recipe here.

(Giada de Laurentis is so sexy I can't believe she cooks and eats what she cooks. Her head is disturbingly large for her body, though...or is it just her hair that makes it seem that way?)

I followed Giada's recipe except:
*I used a beef-and-buffalo combination instead of beef-and-pork.
*I also used baby spinach leaves instead of escarole
*I cooked the meatballs for a total of about 25 minutes, since I didn't think 8 minutes would be enough to cook them through
*I used orzo to add more carbohydrates, but according to Benjie not enough orzo.
*I skipped the egg-cheese thing at the end. I figured that Teo and Benjie had had enough egg today!!

Results well received. Teo ate about 5 meatballs so he must have been really hungry! And aside from looking for more orzo Benjie enjoyed the soup too.

Orecchiette with Leeks & Peas

From the April 2007 issue of Real Simple magazine.

(I actually cooked this on Sunday.)

Ingredients:

4 leeks (didn't read the recipe thoroughly so only bought 2, which worked out fine)
10 oz frozen peas (though if you can get fresh it's highly recommended; I used Trader Joe's frozen petite peas which were yummy)
2 minced garlic cloves
olive oil (which I skipped; you'll see why on the bottom)
.5 tsp kosher salt
.5 tsp black pepper
.75 c heavy cream
1 cup grated Pecorino (I found "Romano" at my local Safeway and had to keep my fingers crossed that they were the same thing)
2 t lemon zest
.25 c mint leaves
1 lb orecchiette (ear pasta?) or other short pasta, cooked according to package directions

I added 4 oz of bacon--I live with a carnivore who constantly asks where the meat is in what I cook...it makes the recipe seem like Pasta Alla Carbonara, but the resemblance is very slight.

I browned the bacon and when it crisped up I scooped it out and fried the leeks in the bacon fat with the salt & pepper till they wilted. In went the garlic and peas for another 2 minutes, then the cream and cheese, then everything simmered for 4 minutes. I put the cooked pasta in with the sauce, tossed a few times and served with more cheese and crunchy bacon.

(I was too cheap to buy mint leaves and a lemon...I think the recipe worked well without them, though.)

Meal was well-received. Teo preferred the orecchiette on his head (I guess it does look like a hat) so I'd tear them in half to make it easier for him to manage. I worried that the Pecorino was too strong for him but if I do this recipe with parmesan in the future I don't know that the mesh of flavors will be the same.

The taste of leeks was absolutely lovely. Milder than onion but still very distinct and yummy.

Dedicated to Julie Powell & Adam Roberts

--who are the biggest inspirations for this blog.

I luuuurve Adam's blog. He is funny and down to earth and he just makes me want to move to NY so I can eat at all the restaurants he's reviewed. I've cooked two of the recipes he's written about (though not yet the one he made up himself)--I haven't tried more because I'm way cheaper than he is, plus I live with a toddler(who has days when he'll eat anything I put in front of him, and days when he'll eat only cheese) and a husband who would eat the same thing at every meal if I let him.

I just finished Julie's book and love it as well. I have no ambition or time to replicate her project, but I do want to keep a record of what I make in the kitchen and how my boys react to my efforts. (Plus I feel this'll be a good way to store recipes I like from magazines and chuck them without feeling dread about trying to find the damn recipe when I need it!)

This blog is also inspired by other foodies and food writers--Ruth Reichl, Bill Buford, Mark Bittman (although I take umbrage with Mark's assertion that the Philippines has only one dish worth including in his newest book).

The blog name is misleading...I don't cook every day, but I do try to cook at least 4 days of the week.

This blog won't be anywhere as well-written as Amateur Gourmet or Julie & Julia but I'm fine with that. (I'm sure the 3 of you who'll bother to read my entries will be too!)

I do promise to include photos as often as I can!