Entries categorized as ‘Uncategorized’

Penne and Meatballs Stuffed with Mozzarella

March 10, 2010 · 47 Comments

Dear World,

I have only a week and a half left before my trip to Shanghai, yet here I am sitting with a muffin top and a pair of love handles.  Why are they called love handles when I feel anything but love about having them?  If anything they cause me stress and much strife when I wear my low rise skinny jeans or that nice body hugging dress that looked good that week when I bought it (before I bought 2 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies) but now looks horrible.  They should honestly rename them “hate handles” because I HATE THEM.

Also, why do pastries give you a muffin top?  My mother was right, you are what you eat.  I am slowly watching  the edge of my stomach hang over the band of my pants — the muffin top effect is full fledged and ready to attack.  Good thing over the years I’ve learned the tricks of the trade like conveniently tucking in the muffin top underneath the pants, or wearing a loose fitting shirt, or better yet one of those “Spanx” thingys that wraps your fat so tight you can barely breathe.

Either way, the stress that I’m causing myself about losing weight is ironically having the opposite effect and making me gain weight.  As Alanis Morisette would say “Isn’t it ironic, don’t you think?”  Yes a little Alanis, except the irony is far from funny.  Every time I go back, my relatives always comment on how “healthy” I look — grabbing my arms as their eyes widen exclaiming “OOOOooo HENG ZHUAN!” or very fit; it’s pretty much a nice way of saying “Man dude, that is one meaty ass arm you got there.”

But then this weekend I had an epiphany.  Life can be much worse than having meaty arms or not being a size nothing, like not ever being able to experience the perfect bowl of Spaghetti and Meatballs.  Now before you stamp crazy across my face, allow me to explain.  Not just ANY spaghetti and meatballs, but the PERFECT spaghetti and meatballs – picture this with me if you will: a trio of meats veal, pork and beef mixed with herbs and spices then seared off to trap in all the delicious juices, then finishing the meatballs off by slowly simmering them in a fresh basil tomato sauce.  What more do you need?  Though the origins are Italian, spaghetti and meatballs have become a comfort food to every American kitchen – and spaghetti and meatballs were my culinary introduction to the American culture.

My mother never made them; I think to this day she doesn’t really like any food outside of Chinese, she finds American food “heavy” so 7 days a week it was always Chinese for dinner.  So you can imagine my excitement when I slept over at a friend’s house in elementary school and her mother invited me over for dinner, FINALLY something NOT CHINESE.  You must realize now, I fully appreciate my upbringing, but at the time I really hated having to eat Chinese food all the time. My only access to “American Food” were those awful school lunches they would serve in the cafeterias, yes that depressing gray looking food that was either too salty or tasteless.  The only exciting days were Fridays when they would serve really nasty mushy pizza, but it was pizza and when you’re 7 that’s totally awesome.

Remember the cartoon Lady and the Tramp?  Remember that scene when the dogs share that plate of spaghetti?  Well while most people were probably concentrating on the developing relationship of the Lady and the Tramp, I was drooling over the cartoon spaghetti and meatballs. AND NOW I was about to experience my very FIRST “American Dinner” and not just any dinner, but a spaghetti and meatball dinner.  And it was beautiful, it was soul satisfying, and even after almost 20 years I still remember it.

I recently had my love for spaghetti and meatballs renewed when I tasted Chef Thomas’ recipe last week.  It was moist, savory and filled your nose with aromatic herbs and spices – I had to close my eyes as I tasted it, to pay respect to the meatball gods because it was FREAKING delicious.  I threw my arms up in amazement and exclaimed – “CHEF YOU GOTTA TELL ME WHAT THE SECRET IS!!!!” And he didn’t want to tell me.  It wasn’t until an intense ninja battle in the kitchen where I finally had to twist Chef’s arm behind his back and threaten to dump him into a gigantic pot of bubbling bisque that he finally said “Milk and bread, MILK AND BREAD!!!!”

Okay. So the ninja battle and the threatening fight didn’t happen, but Chef was gracious enough to share the secret – Milk and Bread folks.  I’ve never had a yummier meatball, it gives the meat a velvety texture that just melts in your mouth and immersed in a homemade tomato sauce with fragrant garlic and herbs, life doesn’t get any better than this.

Now, before yall get your panties in a bunch, the reason why I didn’t do Spaghetti and Meatballs was because…I’m an extremely messy eater.  Every freaking time I eat spaghetti and meatballs I ruin a shirt with spaghetti sauce — it’s inevitable.  So I used penne here instead, less sauce splatterage, no loose noodles dropping onto my shirt, and instead of the art of fork twirling, it’s simple fork stabbing :)   BUT by all means, use spaghetti, just because I am a slob during spaghetti and meatballs doesn’t mean you have to be. To each it’s own I always say!

Ingredients for Italian Meatballs: (Adapted from Chow)

(makes about 30 meatballs)

  • 2 cups stale bread (I used a baguette), crust removed and torn into large
  • 3/4 cup milk (I used skim but whole can work here too)
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon white pepper
  • 4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 1 pound ground veal
  • 1/2 medium white onion
  • 3 large eggs
  • 6 tablespoon Italian Parsley, cleaned and finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon Thyme, finely chopped
  • 6 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano- reggiano
  • 30 1″ cubes of Mozzarella cheese

In a medium sized bowl, place the bread and cover with milk.  Make sure all of the bread is moistened and let soak until the milk has been thoroughly absorbed by all of the bread, about 20 minutes.

Place the garlic, fennel seeds, salt and pepper on a cutting board and finely chop the mixture until it becomes well mixed and paste like.  In a large bowl, place the meats with the fennel mixture and mix until evenly combined.  Add the bread and any remaining milk until it is fully incorporated with the meats.  Add the onion and eggs along with the parsley, thyme and Parmesan and mix thoroughly until combined.

Take about 3-4 tablespoons of meat mixture between your hands and roll into a smooth compact ball, about 2 inches.  Make a hole in the center of the meatball using your thumb, and tuck a cube of mozzarella cheese in the middle.  Roll the ball closed to envelop the cheese, adding more meat if necessary. Set aside and continue to roll out balls until all of the meat mixture is used, will make about 30 meatballs.

In a large pan heat a tablespoon of olive oil or coat with cooking spray over medium-low heat.  Place the meatballs in the pan, leaving about 1/4 inch between each one — this will probably have to be done in a few batches.  Brown each meatball on both sides, making sure it is well browned on each side, about 4 minutes on each side for about 20 minutes.  Transfer the meatballs to a large heavy-bottomed pot or crock pot and set aside.

Ingredients for Tomato Garlic Basil Sauce:

(serves 6)

  • 1 can (14.5 ounce) whole peeled tomatoes
  • 4 roma tomatoes, cleaned and diced
  • 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
  • 3 cups beef stock
  • 1 medium white onion, finely chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
  • salt pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in large heavy bottomed sauce pan at medium heat.  Once heated, add onions and tomato paste and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and chopped tomatoes and cook for an additional 2 minutes.  Pour in the canned tomatoes, broth, sugar, and half of the basil and bring to a boil, stirring.  Reduce to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes or until thickened.

Once the sauce is a fork consistency, pour over the meatballs and place back on heat.  Bring back to a simmer on medium heat.  Cook uncovered, constantly stirring and allow meatballs to cook through, about 20-30 minutes.  Meanwhile, cook your penne.  Fill a large heavy bottomed pot 3/4 of the way with water, add 2 tablespoon of salt and bring to a boil.  Add 2 cups of dried penne and cook for 8-10 minutes or until el dente (Meaning still firm and almost cooked through).  Immediately strain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process.  Place pasta in a large bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Once meatballs are cooked through add the remaining basil and cheese and remove from heat.  Serve immediately.

When ready to serve, place penne in serving bowls and spoon sauce over noodles and top with 2-3 meatballs.  Serve with fresh basil as garnish and toasted garlic bread if preferred.

Now you can cut this recipe in half if the quantities are too large or you can do what I have done, which is freeze the additional meatballs I didn’t use.  I simply took a quart size bag, laid a piece of cardboard and placed my meatballs on top.  Now you have dinner ready for any day of the week you don’t feel like cooking or if you have unexpected guests coming over.  These also make great appetizers, you can simply roll the meatballs smaller (in bite size portions) and freeze them off the same way.

Price of Items:

  • 1 lb of pork – $5.99
  • 1 lb of veal – $ 7.99
  • 1 lb of beef – $ 5.99
  • 1/2 lb Mozzarella – $3.50
  • 2 cups of dried bread – $.50
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan – $1.25
  • 3 eggs – $1.00
  • 1lb of penne – $1.50
  • 1 can of peeled tomatoes – $1.50
  • 1 can of tomato paste – $.75
  • 4 roma tomatoes – $.67
  • 2 white onions – $.50
  • 1 quart beef stock – $1.99

Total cost per serving: $4.14

Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Epic Indian Feast

February 10, 2010 · 44 Comments

One of the many beauties in life is friendship, we are able to learn so much from each other when we open our hearts and our homes.  I would like to dedicate this meal to one of Collin and I’s dearest friend, Bijeta Chakraborty! She along with Kumar, Aditya and Sanjay lived in Dallas for a year for an engingeering development program with Collin at Texas Instruments.  Back then Collin and I were living out in Wylie,TX in our trailer (I will reserve that story for another day), and seeing that #1 I lived in a trailer, therefore many friends were hesitant to come over and “hang out” and #2 I lived all the way out in Wylie,TX which to many people who live in the city, is in the middle of no where.  It was lonely out there, it literally was just me, Collin and the cows. (If only I had known you Alta back then!)

Then one day Collin told me a few of his coworkers had invited us over Saturday for dinner who recently moved here from India. My eyes instantly lit up, I have never had a home cooked Indian meal before — my tummy could hardly wait.  That week the days honestly seem to creep by, I almost felt weary with (Indian food) craving exhaustion but Saturday FINALLY arrived.  I remembered specifically wearing loose fitting pants that night because I had my game face on and I was ready to CHOW DOWN.  I love Indian food for several reasons: the COLORS — the greens, yellows, reds, and the beautiful smells of the SPICES, it’s as if I could just eat forever and ever.  But the best reason that makes Indian food not only fun to eat, but simply an art,  is the beauty of eating the various flavors on your plate using your hands.  I don’t know why Indian food tastes better when you use your hands but I highly recommend that everyone tries it.

Even before arriving at Bijeta’s door, you could already smell the magic brewing half way down the hallway.  And let me tell you what, the food that night was magical indeed — the crispy potato samosas, curried cauliflower, fried fish curry, chicken curry, paneer (from scratch), chutneys, yogurt, perfectly cooked basmati rice, and ending with a deliciously fragrant kheer.  By the time I was done I could hardly breathe,  but boy was I one happy camper! It was nice to experience a part of their culture through food, it’s definitely one of my favorite ways of learning from people of different backgrounds.  Though our native languages may be different, and at times communication can be hard — food will always be universal, a common ground that all cultures share and understand.

It was nice to learn (and taste) from Bijeta, Aditya and Sanjay, we exchanged stories of our families, our backgrounds, and even battled over a few games of Wii Sports.  By the time we were leaving, I felt as if they’ve been my friends for many years — and for the rest of the time they lived in Dallas we hung out with them often.  We had more dinner get togethers, a music concert, and even grabbed some brewskies to check out to the “American bar scene”.  When it was time for them to leave both Collin and I were really sad to see them go, but happy that we’ve made lifelong friends.  Since then, Bijeta and I keep in touch via e-mail and now Facebook and recently she sent me this amazing Fish Gravy recipe.

I told her I would have to dedicate a post to her featuring her amazing Fish Gravy (Hi Bijeta!!) and made an Indian feast in her honor as well as Aditya and Sanjay’s as well.  Though we are thousands of miles apart, while eating this meal both me and Collin decided you guys were there in spirit :) This was also my first attempt in cooking Indian food – there were so many various spices that my head almost started to spin!  But a fun adventure nonetheless and the end result was a glorious complexity of flavors.

Ingredients for Fried Tilapia with Tomato and Onion Gravy:

(serves 4)

  • 4 Tilapia fillets
  • 1/2 white onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons fresh ginger, coarsely chopped
  • 4 green Serrano chiles, tops discarded
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 tablespoon Tumeric powder
  • 1/2 tablespoon Coriander powder
  • 1/2 tablespoon Mustard Paste
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon corn flour

  • 1/2 tablespoon Cumin seeds
  • 1/2 tablespoon Onion seeds
  • 1/2 tablespoon Mustard seeds
  • 1 Bay leaf
  • 3/4 cup of water

Make a smooth paste of the onion, ginger, chiles, lemon juice, tumeric and coriander powder, mustard paste, salt and cornflour in a food processor.  Place paste in a large bowl and marinate the fish pieces for 15-20 minutes. In a small or medium-sized saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil at medium high heat.  Sear the Tilapia on both sides, about 3 minutes on each and set aside on a plate.  Remember, you do not want to overfry the fish because it will be cooked further in the gravy mixture.  Next you will make the Tomato and Onion Gravy:

Tomato Gravy:

  • 2 medium-sized Roma tomatoes
  • 1/2 tablespoon Tumeric Powder
  • 1 tablespoon Coriander powder
  • 1/2 tablespoon red chili powder
  • salt to taste

Place ingredients into food processor and blend together.  Place in bowl and set aside.

Onion Gravy:

  • 2 medium-sized White onions
  • 1 tablespoon garlic and ginger paste
  • 1 tablespoon fresh Coriander leaves
  • 1 green serrano chile, top removed

Place ingredients into food processor and blend together.  Place in bowl and set aside.

In a large heavy bottomed pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil along with the Bay leaf and Cumin, Onion and Mustard seeds.  Add the onion gravy and fry until it becomes brownish in color.  Add the tomato gravy to the mixture and fry until the two gravies become thick and paste like.  If it becomes too dry add a little more oil.  Add 3/4 cup of water and put the fried fish in the gravy and cook, covered for 10-15 minutes.  Add salt to taste.  Remove from heat and serve with Basmati rice.

For the Indian Feast I made the following items, I am not going to post all of them for the recipes are quite lenghthy, however if any of these sound interesting to you, shoot me an e mail and I will be more than happy to send them to you :) .

  • Mint Sambol (Srilankan)
  • Fresh Coriander Peanut Chutney (Indian)
  • Spiced Cabbage Salad (Srilankan)
  • Cauliflower Dum (North Indian)
  • Katchhi Village Potato Curry (North Indian)

I found all of these recipes above from Mangoes & Curry Leaves – Culinary Travels through the Great Subcontinent by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid.  A very wonderful book indeed, with captivating pictures of not only food but the regions from where they are from.

Ingredients for Spiced Cabbage Salad:

  • 4 cups shredded green or Savoy cabbage
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped shallots
  • 2 to 3 green cayenne chiles, seeded and minced
  • 6 fresh or frozen curry leaves
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons fresh or frozen grated coconut

Wash the cabbage, then put it in a medium heavy pot with the shallots, chiles, curry leaves, salt, turmeric, and cumin.  Place over medium-high heat, cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.  Give the pot a quick stir, cover again, and lower the heat to medium.  Simmer until the cabbage is cooked and tender, about another 10 minutes, depending on your cabbage and how finely it is shredded.  Add the lime juice and coconut and stir to mix well.  Let cook for a minute or two, uncovered, then turn out and serve, mounded on a plate.

Ingredients for Katchhi Village Potato Curry:

  • 2 tablespoons raw sesame oil, vegetable oil, or ghee
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic or garlic mashed to a paste
  • 1 pound potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 1 cup finely chopped shallots
  • 1 cup chopped tomatoes
  • 2 green cayenne chiles, seeded and chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
  • 1 teaspoon round cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Heat the oil or ghee in a wok or wide pot over medium heat.  Add 1 teaspoon garlic and cook for a minute, then add the potatoes and shallots.  Stir-fry for several minutes, until the shallots have softened, pressing the potato cubes against the surface of the hot pan, then add the chopped tomatoes and chiles and stir to blend.

Add the turmeric, mustard seeds, cumin, coriander, and the remianing 1 teaspoon garlic and stir.  Add the water and salt and bring to a boil.  Cover tightly and simmer vigorously until the potatoes are just tender, about 20 minutes.  Check after 10 or 12 minutes to make sure there is enough liquid and that nothing is sticking; add a little more water if necessary.

I deem my first Indian cooking adventure a success!  Next time I would like to cook with lentils and more vegetarian options, it’s great to have so many delicious vegetarian options in Indian food.  Indian food also seems to taste better the next day and even better the second — the flavors of the spices are slowly drawn out by the oils creating a bolder flavor.  Bijeta, I thank you for your wonderful recipe!  It was Collin and I’s favorite dish, you were– right we loved it! Please send our love to Kumar, Aditya and Sanjay, we miss all of you dearly :) .

Let’s do some Food Art!

The End.

Categories: Entree · Fish · Indian · Vegetarian
Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

Mealtime Market

January 29, 2010 · 29 Comments

Last weekend my boss had a wonderful Vegas-themed birthday event at his beautiful home.  I thought I’d do a quick post to show you all the treats and goodies that were passed around (and quickly consumed).

The entire house was transformed to a Vegas casino, they had card tables and life sized dice, a fully stocked bar and a Vegas styled buffet.  If I wasn’t working the event I am pretty sure I’d have a martini in one hand and taking all of then men’s money in the other :)   Oh did I forget to mention I was a card shark?

We started off the night passing around some Saigon Chicken Spoons — pulled chicken topped with a Thai cucumber slaw.  Nice, light and refreshing, it was definitely a crowd pleaser for the night.  I actually had to sneak a couple in myself when no one was watching!

Next were Garlic Crostinis two ways: One with Baby Heirloom Tomatoes and Goat Cheese topped with Fresh Basil and the other was Red Grapes and Tampenade with Goat Cheese.  Both were very good, the red grape and tampenade made a very interesting combination!

Now, onto the vegas styled buffet!  Marco was manning the meat carving station where he served a Salt and Herb Crusted Tenderloin and Chicken Picatta. I did not have the chance to sneak bites of these but they both smelled absolutely delicious!

MY FAVORITE — a potato-tini bar!  I actually had my first potato-tini experience at my friend’s wedding, I thought it was so cute!  I mean who doesn’t love mashed potatoes, but then you shove it in a martini glass?  You are eating mashed potatoes with style my friend…

Oh and let’s not forget to mention all the incredible toppings: fresh bacon bits (not the nasty processed bacos), sauteed mushrooms, green onions, sour cream *gasps* my goodness I wish I had one right now actually…And lovely Becky even elegantly pipes your potatoes into your martini glass!

Unfortunately I was unable to take anyone’s money that night, boys are sore losers anyways so I’ll consider that a good thing :)   Everyone was having a fabulous time, as you can see — the only thing missing were the Vegas styled burlesque dancers!

And here was my station, the bar.  It was a pretty popular station all night to say the least — the signature drink being a “Harry-Bob”, which was a concoction of spiced rum, coconut syrup and a little bit of cherry syrup, all topped off with a little orange juice.  I also served the little kids martinis, VIRGIN martinis that is.  Come on, what kind of bartender do you think I am?  I would simply pour some sparkling water with a shot of flavored syrup in martini glasses, they were getting a huge kick out of this.  I had one little 6 year old boy run up to my table — “EXCUSE ME!!  EXCUSE ME!!!! I need another martini please, strawberry.”  Who would’ve known kids are so sophisticated now and days?

I think after a couple cocktails (or four), the energy of the party definitely got kicked up a notch.  The kids were bouncing off the walls upstairs (perhaps a product of too many martinis?) and the adults were busily chattering and laughing and gambling the night away.

It definitely was a successful birthday celebration.  Towards the end of the night I saw some glazy eyes, at one point there was a live concert outside and I think the children had a bouncy house to play in (I totally would’ve partaked in this but I didn’t want my boss to think I was off my rocker).  People started to switch to water and non alcoholic drinks, which tells me I definitely did my job correctly :) The stronger the drinks the better right?  Or was that just the saying in college?

I think my favorite part of catering events is watching the energy slowly develop.  In the beginning it’s always a little quiet, everyone is sniffing each other out, meet and greets, even body language is a little reserved.  But throw in some alcohol and some darn good food the energy snowballs into an upbeat boisterous party — people throwing their heads back laughing hysterically, others busily chatting while hovering over the good eats (others at the bar).  All awkward feelings of nervousness is left at the door, and all you have left are people being themselves connecting with each other through great conversation, excellent food and yummy drinks.

I would like to thank my friend Kristi Hamilton over at The Geeky Gourmet for giving me this wonderful award. I recently met Kristi over the wonderful world of food blogging and she is an absolute sweetheart.  She show cases her delicious healthy meals that she whips up in her kitchen so you should definitely check it out.

So I guess the rules were to list 10 Honest things about me and pass on the award to 10 other bloggers.  Well I’m going to switch it up a bit and instead of awarding this to only 10 I’d like to extend this award to all my fellow food blogging friends.  I think you are all deserving of this award (and many others) for the time and efforts that you guys put into your work, it is always a pleasure to see other people’s interpretations and creations!

10 honest things

  • I was born in Shanghai and moved to the states when I was 2.
  • When I was 5 years old I flew out of a car, almost drowned in a pool, and had a tendon in my ankle severed in a biking accident.
  • I always challenge people to eating contests but I seldom win.
  • I have vowed to not eat fast food once this year.
  • I have played piano since I was 5 and went to a performing arts highschool for piano.
  • I only play classical.
  • 80% of my friends are guys.  I can count my close girlfriends on a little more than one hand ( A hand and a half).
  • I pass gas in my sleep, not frequently but it definitely happens.
  • I can do one pull-up.
  • I am entering my very first race and it’s called the Warrior Dash.  What convinced me?  You get a viking hat at the end.

Okay guys that’s it, I may have shared a little too much honesty in this one but hey sharing is caring right?  Have a good weekend folks, stay tuned for some of the best EFFIN french macaroons I’ve ever tasted.  (No I didn’t make them)

Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: ,

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

December 30, 2009 · 38 Comments

Glad to be back — I have been out of commission for the past week due to a gallbladder infection…ick.  December has been a riot thus far, first bronchitis then the gallbladder infection — thankfully the new year is only a few days away so I will be leaving all bad ju-ju behind. :)

I reviewed my resolutions from last year and realized that I have again only achieved a little less than half of my goals so this year opposed to making long-term goals (Running a 10K) I’ve made short-term, easier to reach goals (Run 1 mile/day for 5x a week).  One of my main goals for this year is to lead a healthier lifestyle, through exercise, a proper diet, and a peaceful spirit.  Seeing that I am only in my twenties and I frequently deal with malfunctions with my immune system, the only logical response would be to keep my body in better condition –Your body is your temple…


What are some of your New Year’s Resolutions?
I had a wonderful Christmas — I redecorated my kitchen so now it feels more like a real kitchen opposed to a small cramped horrible mess. I’ve been having a BLAST with my favorite present of all — my new Sony alpha 550 dSLR camera, all thanks to my one and only of course :) !! One of the upsides of being sick was being able to spend plenty of time with Collin’s family and grandparents (Hi Pearl!).  We spent time playing cards, watching movies, playing video games and of course, eating.

I did not have much time to cook but I did make this delicious soup from a leftover ham bone that Collin’s dad gave me!  Perfect for the weather we’re having here in Dallas, can you believe that it’s actually snowing? Anyways, the trick to making this soup delectable is making a stock out of the ham bone first — this is easily done by placing the ham bone and scraps in a large pot of water and simmering at a medium low heat for 1 1/2 to 2 hours with some onion, a bay leaf and for this stock I used turnips and carrots as well.

I always love using leftover bones, especially ham bones and chicken carcasses — they always make such a savory broth.  By keeping your broth at a low medium heat (the soup should be at a very slight boil), it slowly draws out the proteins (flavor) from the bones, thus ending in a rich decadent broth.  Because I am using mostly root vegetables in this soup, I simply used the scraps and remains of turnips, carrots, rutabagas and onions and later strained them out of the soup — this will add body and character to your broth as well. After straining your broth, don’t forget to reserve the ham meat for the soup!

Ingredients for Winter Vegetable Soup:

(serves 8-10)

  • 8 cups ham broth (see directions above)
  • 1/2 cup cauliflower, cut into small florets
  • 1/2 cup carrots (I used baby carrots), diced
  • 1 cup cabbage, thinly shredded
  • 1 medium rutabaga, peeled and diced 1″
  • 2 turnips, peeled and diced 1″
  • 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon cream
  • 1 tablespoon parsley, minced
  • 1 tsp white pepper
  • salt and pepper to taste

In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil at medium heat.  Place the onions in the pan once oil is heated and begin the “caramelization” process.  It is important to cook the onions at the prefect heat, do not burn them, it will ruin the flavor completely!  The key to caramelization is gradually cooking the onions down so that the sugar slowly begins to oxidize, producing a nutty and sweet flavor.  The onions will slowly turn a pale yellow, then eventually a rich brownish yellow or caramel color.  Once it reaches this state, remove from heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat your ham stock at medium heat in a large deep bottomed pot.  Add the cabbage and rutabagas and turnips and cook for 30 minutes, or until very soft.  Next add the carrots and cauliflower and cook for an additional 20 minutes.  By adding vegetables in at different times, it will give your soup a range of texture opposed to soft goopey vegetables at the end.  Since cabbage, turnips and rutabagas tend to taste better when cooked very soft I chose to add them first, then kept a slight firmness and crunch through the carrots and cauliflower.

Add the cream and white pepper along with the caramelized onions, and cook for an additional ten minutes — season with salt and pepper to taste.  I cannot stress this enough, always add salt at the end of cooking soups, this helps keep the delicacy of the broth as well as avoiding the common sin of “over-salting” food.  I like to add salt literally pinches at a time, and taste after each addition until I achieve what I feel is the best flavor.  I always say its better to undersalt food than oversalt it! Garnish with some fresh parsley and you are ready to go :)

Aaaah, nothing hits the spot like a good hearty vegetable soup — many thanks to my neighbor Michael for the beautiful cauliflower, it was by far the best one I’ve had all year.  The best part about soup is that it tastes even better after sitting in the fridge for a couple days, all the flavors marinate and develop into full and rich broth.  For once, leftovers taste better than they did initially!

This will probably be my last post for this year, I am looking forward to the New Year — I have good feelings about 2010 :)   I hope everyone has a very safe and Happy New Year, see you next year yall!!!!!

Categories: Easy · Healthy · Holidays · Low Fat · Soup · Uncategorized
Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

Weekly Spread

December 3, 2009 · 24 Comments

I completely forgot to post these pictures, I just wanted to share with my readers what I’ve bought this week for produce.  I got all of these ingredients at H-mart, a gigantic Korean based super market in Carrolton, TX.  It is hard to not want to buy everything there!

So far I have used the Lotus Root, Yucca and Ginger — the recipe I will be posting later today will be featuring the 3 types of mushrooms: King Oyster, Shiitake, and Porcini.  The best way to store mushrooms so they do not become dried out or slimy would be in paper bags.  I also keep ginger in a paper bag along with any dried goods.  They keep condensation from occurring but can still maintain proper moisture levels for your produce.

I would also like to thank the following people for giving me these wonderful awards!

Anncoo, thank you for giving me this wonderful award.  I am happy to have met you and thoroughly enjoy frequenting your site for all the wonderful creations you make, especially your cakes!  Everyone please take the time to visit Anncoo from Singapore, one of the most talented food bloggers I know!  I would like to share this award with all of my fellow blogger friends that take the time and effort to post their wonderful creations and sharing it with the world.  You guys rock :)

Shelly, thank you for passing this award along, it means so much that you thought of me! Shelly and her partner Brian have a wonderful blog that showcases their culinary experiments in the kitchen from the Big Apple.  She is so talented with her creations in the kitchen and her photography is superb as well, please be sure to check out her site!

I think as a rule for this award you’re suppose to list 7 random facts?  This should be interesting…here it goes:

1. When I eat colored candies, I have to organize them by color and then I eat them in order from least favorite to favorite.

2. When I was 5 years old, I flew out of a car, almost drowned in someone’s pool (my dad saved me), and had my ankle almost severed because some kid crashed into me with his bike.  It was a tough year.

3 . I only own two pairs of flats: my tennis shoes and flip flops, the rest are high heels.  (My mother hates this)

4.  I am really loud.  Like REALLY LOUD.  You will never lose me in a crowd–many friends (and probably strangers) can vouch for me.

5.  I hate sleeping with my feet tucked into the covers.  I always have to have them sticking out or else they overheat. No they really do…

6.  I like to break out in random dance in such places like grocery stores, the mall, book store, out at a bar — it depends on my mood. My dances can range from your usual two step or hip hop, sometimes ballet…and my favorite would be the Flap Jack dance.  My honey becomes very embarassed especially when I break out in random song AND dance.

7.  I hate feet.  Almost as much as I hate cockroaches, but feet are gross.  I don’t like touching people’s feet or vice versa, I don’t like smelling people’s feet — all around just no feet would be great.

Well now that you’ve learned all of my weird-isms, I’d like to pass this award on to the following friends so I can learn a little more about you :)

1.  David from Houston Wok- a fellow Houstonian that showcases his wonderful Asian creations at home.

2.  Erin from Fresh365 – a wonderful designer from Boston showcases her talent in photography and love for healthy cuisines on her beautiful blog.

3. Dhale from Dhaleb – a bright and talented blogger from California who takes beautiful pictures in her tiny kitchen in NYC.  You will be amazed at her creations!

4. Mr.P from Delicious Delicious Delicious – a witty and funny guy from the UK who not only showcases his lovely creations at home but includes posts like how to make your own cake stand to hilarious writings on why the term “foodie” is so faux pas.

5.Betty from Betty’s Bites – a delightfully sweet young girl from Liverpool who chronicles her eating adventures through out England as well as her tasty creations at home.

6. Mary from Keep Learning Keep Smiling – originally from Malaysia, Mary makes not only dishes that are soothing to your body and soul but wonderful stories that accompany her healthy creations.

7.Olive from Latest Recipes – a Phillipino food blogger that has a collection of impressive recipes on her site.  She does it all! Anything ranging from seafood to cakes and let’s not forget vidoes too.

Categories: Uncategorized