Category Archives: November 2011

November 30, 2011 · 7:17 pm

Korean Food at Home: Seaweed Soup

Seaweed is an amazing plant. It’s a silky, virtually guiltless food that works miracles for any type of cleansing diet. Usually green, but sometimes brown or purple, it grows in the ocean. Coastal farmers throughout the world raise and dry them. Although I grew up far away from the ocean, I consumed seaweed quite frequently: whether it was roasted, cooked, or served as a cold salad. You can add some to your noodle soup or simply make an entire meal out of it! Some experts believe compounds found in limited varieties of seaweed called fucoxanthin can even assist in breaking down stored fat cells in your body.

Miyeok guk (Korean seaweed soup) is consumed on four main occasions: A newborn’s 100th day, baby’s first birthday, women’s postpartum diet (consumed with every meal for six consecutive weeks), parents 60th birthday and more generally on every birthday. Pair it with rice and a few side dishes of banchan, and you’re good to go.
Korean Seaweed Soup Miyeok Guk

Ingredients
4 cups water
½ cup sirloin beef, cut into small cubes
1 cup dried seaweed (miyeok), re-hydrated in water for 30 minutes
1 tablespoon dashida (instant beef stock)
1 teaspoon salt

Directions
Rinse re-hydrated seaweed under cold running water.

Place beef cubes in cold water and bring to a boil. Skim impurities.

Add seaweed, dried stock and cook at medium heat uncovered for about 30 minutes.

Season to taste with salt. Enjoy!

TIP: You can substitute 4 cups of real beef stock for the dashida and water: remember the leftover stock I recommended you freeze!

Rina Oh is an artist, writer and chef. This post was originally appeared in Korean Food at Home on Food2.com, a website that is owned and operated by Scripps Networks. These posts are copyrighted material and any photographs, illustrations or written material are forbidden to be used or reposted anywhere without permission. For more information on Meatless Monday, please visit meatlessmonday.com

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November 28, 2011 · 7:08 pm

Meatless Monday: Butternut Squash Soup with Spinach and Cocao Nib Grissini

Growing up, I never imagined I’d be able to eat chocolate with my favorite soup and bread. That is, until I came across the incredible versatility of the cocoa nib. It’s what chocolate looks and tastes like before it is ground into a paste – not quite as sweet, not quite as chocolatey; perfect for savory dishes. For this recipe, I used Pure Dark Caramelized Cocoa Nibs. It’s a pairing you’ll fall in love with, just as I have.
Butternut Squash Soup with Spinach & Cocoa Nib Grissini

Ingredients
For the Soup and saffron potato garnish:
1 butternut squash, oven roasted
1 medium white onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 quart vegetable stock
1 cup water
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon all spice
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup heavy cream
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
a pinch of saffron

For Grissini:
2 cups All Purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 package dry active yeast, proofed in ½ cup warm water
1 cup fresh spinach, blanched and rinsed in cold water
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Cooking spray

Directions
In a large stock pot, place olive oil and onions and allow to cook on a low simmer until onions are translucent for about five minutes. Add garlic and continue cooking for 2-3 more minutes.

Deglaze with vegetable stock, add butternut squash and spices. Season with salt and pepper to taste and continue cooking for 15-20 more minutes. Stir in heavy cream. Blend soup in batches until it’s nice and creamy.

Place potatoes in cold water with pinch of saffron and allow to cook for about 10 minutes in medium heat until they are tender. Set aside.

Place spinach in a food processor and pulse with a tablespoon of olive oil until nice and creamy.

Combine flour, olive oil, salt and yeast mixture and gently knead for about 5 minutes. Add creamed spinach and continue kneading mixture for another 2-3 minutes.

Place dough in a greased bowl, covered for about 20-30 minutes and allow it to rise.

Grease baking sheets with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Section dough into small strips, roll out with fingers and gently twist at one end.

Place cocoa nibs on top, spray cooking spray on top. Place in preheated oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.

Remove and serve with butternut squash soup!

Rina Oh is an artist, writer and chef and a Meatless Monday advocate. For the last year these Meatless Mondays recipes have appeared on Food2.com, a website that is owned and operated by Scripps Networks. These posts are copyrighted material and any photographs, illustrations or written material are forbidden to be used or reposted anywhere without permission. For more information on Meatless Monday, please visit meatlessmonday.com

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November 21, 2011 · 6:49 pm

Meatless Monday: Thanksgiving Dinner Edition

If you’re not in the mood to chow down on a turkey this year, or simply want to, well, trim down a bit on all the trimmings, try going Meatless on Thanksgiving. Worried you’ll miss the meat? I put together a menu replete with super easy, super fast and super delicious vegetarian recipes that won’t have you missing that holiday bird one bit.
Vegetarian Thanksgiving

Herbed Aioli Vegetable Platter 
Serves 4-6 persons as an appetizer

Ingredients
Vegetables:
1 bunch small California carrots, peeled, sliced and blanched
2 cups cauliflower florets, blanched
1 large fennel, trimmed and cut into batons and blanched
1 cup fingerling potatoes, boiled until tender, and peeled
½ cup pickled vegetables (I used pickled peppers)
1 cup white asparagus, peeled, trimmed and blanched
1 cup fresh radish, quartered

Herbed Aioli:
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon of water
1 cup canola oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoons fresh dill
salt

Directions
Make your basic mayonnaise combining egg yolks and lemon juice with a whisk in a large bowl. When the egg yolk emulsifies (turns into a nice pale yellow color), drizzle in canola oil, very slowly. Adjust thickness with a drop of water and stir in garlic and fresh dill. Serve with cooked and fresh vegetables!

TIP: Use the aioli vegetable scraps to cook yourself a nice vegetable stock instead of buying one from the store for the next recipe!

Stuffed Cabbage
Yields 6 Servings 

Ingredients
1 medium head of Savoy cabbage, about 10-12 leaves peeled and trimmed
3 cups vegetable stock
1 cup oats soaked in water for 8-10 hours
1 cup adzuki beans soaked in water for 8-10 hours
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon salt

Directions
In a medium saucepot, place oil and shallots and allow to cook in a low simmer until translucent. Add vegetable stock, oats and beans. Cook uncovered stirring often for about 45 minutes in medium to low heat.
Place two tablespoons of oats and beans mixture inside a cabbage leaf, and fold into an envelope so it looks like an egg roll. Repeat steps for the remainder of cabbage.

Place inside a bamboo steamer and steam until cabbage is tender for about 12-15 minutes.

Creamy White Asparagus with Porcini Mushrooms 
Yields 4-6 servings as a side dish

Ingredients
½ cup dried porcini mushrooms, hydrated in water for an hour
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups white asparagus, trimmed, sliced and blanched
½ cup heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
In a medium skillet, melt butter and add porcini mushrooms and asparagus. Saute for about two minutes in medium heat. Deglaze with heavy cream and allow liquid to reduce by half (about 5 minutes). Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Grape Tomato and Fava Bean Salad
Yields 4-6 servings as a side dish

Ingredients
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup fava beans, blanched and peeled
1 medium avocado, chopped
½ small red onion, finely chopped
juice of ½ lemon
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Combine vegetables in a medium bowl. Stir in lemon and olive oil and season with salt and pepper. You can make a lemon vinaigrette or just spoon in the juice and oil.

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts
Yields 4-6 servings as a side dish

Ingredients
2 cups brussels sprouts, outer leaves peeled and center halved
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Blanche halved brussels sprouts in boiling water and cool in an ice bath. In a medium skillet, place 2 tablespoons of olive oil and brussels sprout leaves. Allow leaves to slightly caramelize, cooking for about two minutes on high heat. Remove, set aside and repeat steps for the halved brussels sprouts.

Mustard Greens and Gruyere Cheese Casserole
Yields 6 servings

Ingredients
2 bunches of mustard greens, blanched
2 cups grated gruyere cheese
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup plain bread crumbs
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh dill, chopped

Directions
Place cooked mustard greens in a casserole dish lined with two tablespoons of heavy cream. Layer in mustard greens, top with grated cheese forming about 4-5 layers of vegetable and cheese. Pour in heavy cream.

Mix bread crumbs with olive oil and stir in dill. Top casserole with bread crumb mixture and sprinkle a little more cheese. Place in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes.

 Rina Oh is an artist, writer and chef and a Meatless Monday advocate. For the last year these Meatless Mondays recipes have appeared on Food2.com, a website that is owned and operated by Scripps Networks. These posts are copyrighted material and any photographs, illustrations or written material are forbidden to be used or reposted anywhere without permission. For more information on Meatless Monday, please visit meatlessmonday.com

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November 16, 2011 · 6:41 pm

Korean Food at Home: Ban Chan Side Dishes

Ever wondered where all the little side dishes come from when you’re out eating at a Korean restaurant? No? Maybe? Well I was, so I embarked on a mini research mission.

It turns out that banchan, the side dishes we’re talking about, originated from the individual tables that were served up many, many eons ago in both the Royal court and upper class homes. At large banquets and feasts, various little tables were featured, one for each guest. Imagine going to a birthday feast where instead of sitting at tables of 8, 10, or 12, you sat alone, with your own small table. It’s because of this now obselete culinary practice that various small dishes emerged and banchan was born.

So Koreans love their ban chan — subbing out full courses in favor of smaller side dishes. The more there, is the merrier they get. Each meal, whether it’s breakfast, lunch, or dinner, always includes some form of ban chan.
In honor of the long-held tradition, I prepared four individual banchan side dishes and Korean pancakes made with Chinese chives. The latter is a form of pajeon, or savory pancake in Korean. The five dishes literally take less than an hour to make. And did I mention they make for great leftovers?

4 Classic Banchan: Korean Side Dishes & a Small Plate

Braised Korean Peppers with Fish Cakes

Ingredients
2 cups Korean peppers
1 cup water + 2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 cup Korean fishcake sliced
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Directions
In a saucepot, add water, soy sauce and peppers. Bring liquid to a boil and reduce to a very low simmer. Cover and cook for about 20-25 minutes until they soften up. Turn off the heat and leave covered for about half an hour. The peppers will continue to steam inside the pot with the burner off.

Heat sesame oil and soy sauce in a saucepan and add fish cake. Saute for about 2-3 minutes in medium heat until the cakes are browned. Remove and serve with sliced braised peppers.

Korean Mustard Greens with Soy Vinaigrette and Daikon Radish

Ingredients
2 cups Korean Mustard Greens uncooked with stems cut off

1 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 garlic clove minced
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons green onions, finely sliced
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1/4 cup Daikon radish, shredded

Directions

Blanche mustard leaves in boiling water for about 2 minutes. Remove and rinse under cold running water. Squeeze excess water with your hands.

 

Place greens inside and mix thoroughly to season each piece.

Stir in shredded Daikon radish.

Crown Daisy with Soy Vinaigrette

Ingredients

1 bunch of crown daisy
1 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 garlic clove minced
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons green onions, finely sliced
1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Directions

Blanche crown daisy in boiling water for about 2 minutes. Remove and rinse under cold running water. Squeeze excess water with your hands.

Mix soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, salt, sesame seeds and green onions in a mixing bowl. Place greens inside and mix thoroughly to season each piece.

Toasted Anchovies

Ingredients
1 cup dried anchovies
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon water

Directions
In a frying pan, heat sesame oil and soy sauce and add anchovies.

Cook for about a minute on high heat and add sugar and continue cooking for another minute. Deglaze with a few drops of water. Remove from heat.

Korean Pancakes

Ingredients
1 cup all purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
pinch salt
pinch sugar
1 cup cold water
1 cup Chinese chives, sliced into 2″ strips
Vegetable oil for pan frying

Directions
Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl. Add water and whisk well until the batter is smooth. Sir in the Chinese chives.

In a saucepan, heat about two tablespoons of vegetable oil and ladle pancake mix.

Cook for about 2 minutes on each side on medium heat. Cut into squares and enjoy with soy sauce on the side.

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November 14, 2011 · 6:25 pm

Meatless Monday: 10-Minute Rice Pudding with Powdered Chocolate Nibs

I love rice pudding, but usually don’t have the patience to wait for the rice to cook. Then a few years ago I discovered Poha rice at a Bollywood video store. Essentially flattened, raw Indian rice flakes, I brought them home and spent a few weeks contemplating what I was going to do with them. When I ran out of medium grain rice, I had no other choice than to take the plunge. Someone had asked me to make rice pudding that very day, so plucked the Poha rice from out of the pantry and got to work.
I never imagined the rice pudding would result turn into such a creamy and delicious dish. I haven’t gone back to the medium grain rice since.

You can top your rice pudding with cinnamon, chocolate bits, dried fruit or anything else you prefer. I paired mine with some chocolate powdered nibs by sprinkling them on at the very end. Also, a little secret I like to share about Poha rice: you can eat it raw by mixing in water or milk and watching it expand to 4 times its size. It’s great for any type of diet, even raw vegan!

Rina’s 10-Minute Gourmet Rice Pudding with Powdered Chocolate Nibs
Yields 4 Servings

Ingredients
2 cups (500ml) milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or ½ vanilla bean, scraped
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 cup flattened rice flakes
1 teaspoon powdered chocolate nibs

Directions
Place milk with vanilla and half of the sugar in a saucepot and bring to a boil. Add flattened rice flakes and cook until tender for about 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.

TIP: Flattened rice cakes cook like instant oatmeal and are great for quick and easy recipes! Try them in a savory application and you’ll be amazed at how fast you can cook up rice!

Place egg in a mixing bowl with the remainder of sugar and whisk until it turns pale yellow and foams. (This is called blanchir in French cooking)

Temper milk and rice mixture into egg and sugar. If you used a vanilla bean, remove before tempering.

TIP: Ladle small portions until the temperature is adjusted and do this slowly. Otherwise your egg will curdle and it won’t look or taste pretty.

When you’re done tempering your egg with milk, return the mixture to the same saucepot and cook at a low heat for about 3-4 minutes until it thickens.

It should look something like this when the pudding is ready.

Get your ramekins ready. Place pudding inside, garnish with cocoa nibs, stir for a few seconds and serve!

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November 9, 2011 · 6:08 pm

Korean Food at Home: Pot au Feu

Growing up, I always loved meat and potatoes, but struggled to appreciate how truly sophisticated Korean food can be. That is, until I became a professional chef.

Korean food extends well beyond traditional tabletop BBQ and kimchi tacos. With ancient culinary traditions that can be traced back at least 3,000 years, seasonal and regional foods dominated most if not all diets. Korean short rib stew is a delicacy that flourishes when fancied up. I prepared mine using both Hansik (Korean food) cooking methods and classic French cooking techniques, and let me tell you it made all the difference. Serve it alongside rice and a pickled side or two like kimchi, and enjoy.
Korean Pot au feu (Soe-galbijim)
Yields 2 servings
Adapted from The Beauty of Korean Food : with 100 Best-loved recipes by the Institute of Traditional Korean Food

Ingredients:
1 cup carrots, peeled sliced on a bia
1 ½ cups yama sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced
1 cup Yukon gold potatoes
2 pounds of short ribs with bone attached
½ cup dried jujubes
2 brown oak mushrooms, soaked in water for an hour
1 tablespoon sesame oil
½ cup jin soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon kosher salt
4 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced

Directions:
In stockpot, place short ribs and cover with cold water. Bring to a simmer (160-180 degrees) but do not let the water boil! Skim off impurities and continue cooking for about 30 minutes.

Remove from heat, strain liquid and rinse short ribs under cold water. Return to a fresh, clean stockpot and cover with fresh cold water.

Add vegetables, mushrooms, jujubees and whole garlic cloves. Continue cooking at a low simmer for about 1 ½ to 2 hours. Remove short ribs and place in a mixing bowl. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Remove vegetables, jujubes, and mushrooms and set aside. Reserve cooking liquid for later use.

Mix marinade in the meantime. In a medium size mixing bowl add sesame oil, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, salt and honey and ginger. Pour over the short ribs. Allow ribs to soak the marinade for about 10 minutes.

Place short ribs and vegetables in a tagine. Add about ¼ cup of the reserved cooking liquid to the tagine and continue cooking in a low simmer for about 20 minutes until the flavors of the marinade are distributed. Adjust seasoning with salt and honey if necessary.

TIP: you can freeze your marmite to make consommé later or use it as beef stock! So do not throw it out if there’s a lot left over! Freezing the stock in pint containers are excellent for flavoring soups later on!

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November 7, 2011 · 4:46 pm

Meatless Monday: Sweet Potatoes in a Nest

I can’t tell you how nice it is to have sweet and savory snack appropriate for any time of the day. Late morning, early afternoon or night; you’ve got sometimes delicious and easy to munch on. Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite foods. In fact, when I’m back visiting the Korean markets in the colder months, there’s usually a man standing outside smoking sweet potatoes, selling them for a few bucks. It’s not just a vegetable side dish — it’s its own phenomenon to Koreans who like to bake pastries with it.

I thought to bring it up a notch and bake my own mouth-watering version. Boy did it result in a tasty, buttery and satisfying snack. Enjoy it with tea, or indulge in morsel all by itself. Just be warned; you’ll likely find yourself coming back for seconds, and thirds.
Sweet Potatoes in a Nest

Ingredients
1 package of 
Kaitaifi (shredded pastry dough) thawed out
2 sticks butter
2 medium size sweet potatoes, oven roasted
1 cup honey
½ cup sugar
1 cup jujubee, chopped
1 teaspoon cinammon
¼ cup sliced almonds
Butter flavored cooking spray

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray muffin mold.

Mash peeled sweet potatoes using a potato masher. Add sugar, jujubes, honey, cinnamon, and mix well.

With the Kaitaifi (shredded pastry dough), make a nest by taking strips and swirling around, then place inside greased muffin tray. Drizzle about a teaspoon of honey on top of each nest. Scoop a tablespoon of sweet potato mixture inside. Brush all edges with melted butter, lots of butter.

Top with more honey and almonds. Brush with butter on top.

Place in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Remove, and serve!

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October 31, 2011 · 4:31 pm

Meatless Monday: Pumpkin Soup

Not only is it October, but it’s Halloween and high-time for pumpkins to come out and play. Before they’re all sacrified to the jack-o-lantern gods, get your hands on a few because boy do they make for some mouth-watering fall soups. Simple, easy and surprisingly good even when warmed up the week after, I’ve got just the pumpkin soup to get you started.
Pumpkin Soup
Yields about 6 cups

Ingredients
For Pumpkin Soup:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium sweet pumpkin
2 tablespoons butter
1 white onion, chopped
1 quart vegetable stock or water
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt

For Garnish:
½ cup shaved pumpkin
½ cup small pumpkin dice
½ cup grated gruyere cheese

Directions
For Pumpkin Soup:
Place pumpkin on an oiled baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour. Remove from heat and scoop out pumpkin chunks with a spoon. Set aside.

In a large stockpot, melt butter and cook onions in low heat for about 5 minutes until they are translucent. Add vegetable stock, salt, nutmeg and pumpkin.

Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for about half an hour and blend in batches. Season to taste with salt.

For Garnish:
Reserve about 1/2 cup of raw pumpkin with skin removed. Using a vegetable peeler or mandolin, shave the pumpkin into strips. 

Heat deep fryer at 375 degrees and immerse pumpkin strips for about 2 minutes. Season with salt immediately.

Use the other ½ cup of pumpkin for the pumpkin dice. Add into salted boiling water, cook until tender for about 2 minutes, remove- immerse into an ice bath to cool and then let air dry.

Pour soup into bowls, add pumpkin dice and top with gruyere cheese and fried pumpkin!

 

Rina Oh is an artist, writer and chef and a Meatless Monday advocate. For the last year these Meatless Mondays recipes have appeared on Food2.com, a website that is owned and operated by Scripps Networks. These posts are copyrighted material and any photographs, illustrations or written material are forbidden to be used or reposted anywhere without permission. For more information on Meatless Monday, please visit meatlessmonday.com

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