Thai Red Curry

Ok, the past couple of months have been crazy busy, to say the least. It's not like I haven't had time to cook, but I've been doing a lot of "fly by the seat of my pants" dinners just to get something on the table after a long day. Now it feels like things have settled down for a bit, so I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things.

I'm going to tell you all the MOST frustrating thing to me from this past month. I checked out a brand new cookbook from the library written by a well-known chef. I was excited. I read this book cover-to-cover, and I dog-eared (yes, dog-eared!) over twenty different recipes I was excited to try. Now, I learned a long time ago that test driving cookbooks from the library before investing in buying them is the way to go. Because there are a lot of big stinker cookbooks out there. They look pretty and glossy and have a picture of someone we recognize from TV, and we trust it! We trust the recipes to work! I know these chefs are amazing and so skilled at what they do, and I also know that there must be some publisher employee changing ingredient amounts and directions, because the first recipe I made was one HUGE flop. Ok, I wrote that one off as a mistake I made. It was a dish I had no prior experience with and didn't know what I should expect texture and flavor-wise. 

So then I tried the roast chicken. I have done roast chicken using so many different methods, I could do it with my eyes closed. I've read about different techniques and the whys of using certain ingredients and the hows of cooking it all to the perfect temperature without drying out the breast or undercooking the legs. Unfortunately for me, I ignored what I already know and followed the recipe in this book to the letter. I was trying to give it a fair chance! And there was flop number two, staring at me from the oven. Underdone, so I cooked it longer. Rubbery and pale skin, so I put it under the broiler to brown it at least a little. 

Long story not so short, I get SO irritated when I waste my time on recipes that don't work. I don't have time for that. You don't have time for that. And it annoys me that there are publishers, websites, and magazines out there that think we do have time for that, or we aren't smart enough to know better, or they just don't care. End rant. 

All of this has reminded me of why I started posting these recipes on a blog in the first place. I wanted a place to archive all the recipes I use that work. The ones that my husband or kids love and would want me to make again. And then I decided to share them for others out there that want to spend time making a recipe that turns out how it should and tastes good. I truly hope that the recipes I have posted have worked for you, if you've tried them. If you only knew the amount of dishes I have been excited to post about, and then didn't because I didn't think they turned out well. I promise to always try to keep it real. :) 

This week's recipe is one I have made more times than I can count. It's another good one from America's Test Kitchen. This Thai Red Curry is so coconut-y and citrus-y, sometimes I want to drink the sauce. ;) I make this one on nights when I don't have a lot of time. It's quick and tasty. Enjoy!

Thai Red Curry
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Ingredients:

• 1 T vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 - 2 T red curry paste (commonly found in a small jar in the Asian foods aisle)
• 1 14oz. can coconut milk (also found in the Asian food aisle, not the coconut milk in the refrigerated dairy section)
• 2 T fish sauce or soy sauce
• 4 tsp light brown sugar
• 1 lb sirloin or flank steak OR chicken breast or thigh, thinly sliced (see note*)
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and stemmed, thinly sliced into strips
• 1/2 lb sugar snap peas
• 1 small head broccoli, cut into small florets
• 1/2 c fresh basil, chopped
• 1-2 T fresh lime juice
• salt
• white or jasmine rice, cooked per package instructions

*Red meat protein: to get 1/4 in thin slices of meat easily, place uncooked meat in the freezer for 20-30 min. Remove from freezer and slice while meat is slightly hardened. Slightly freezing hardens the meat just enough to prevent it from sliding back and forth. The same can be done for chicken, though I find if you use a sharp knife, getting a thin slice on uncooked chicken is easier than red meat.

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a 12 in skillet over medium heat. Add curry paste, stirring and cooking until fragrant, about 1 minute (it will spatter, so take care!). 
2. Add coconut milk, fish/soy sauce, and brown sugar. Whisk over a simmering heat until the sauce thickens a bit, about 5 minutes. 
3. Add your protein and simmer until cooked through, about 3-5 minutes. 
4. Add broccoli and cook for 1 minute. Then add bell pepper and snap peas. Cook until all veggies are tender but still crisp, about 5 more minutes. 
5. Remove from heat. Stir in basil and lime juice to taste. Add salt to taste. 
6. Serve over rice. Be sure to ladle a generous amount of the curry sauce on top. It's the best part!! 

Lemongrass and Chile Crusted Tofu

A big thank you to my friend, Carole, who directed me to another Vietnamese chef with great recipes! She also directed me to this recipe. This is the first of Luke Nguyen's recipes that I have attempted and I've made it several times now, tweaking it here and there. I'm really excited about trying more of his recipes as I go along.

I love the texture and how the tofu takes on the flavor of the marinade/stuffing. It's also a great main protein to pair with stir-fry veggies in my stir-fry sauce! This is a quick and easy weeknight meal.

Lemongrass and Chile Crusted Tofu
Adapted from Luke Nguyen

Ingredients:

• 16 oz Firm or Extra Firm Tofu
• 1 lemongrass stem, white part, diced (if not sold at your local grocer, Whole Foods usually carries it in fresh produce. I've started growing it in a pot since it repels mosquitoes and I can cook with it...two great functions!)
• 1 T garlic, mashed
• 1 Thai or 1/2 serrano chile, finely chopped, adjust to desired heat
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• Vegetable oil (enough to fill a 12 in. skillet to about 1/4 in. deep)
• Cooked white rice (follow directions on package)

Directions:

1. Open package of tofu and drain the liquid. Gently squeeze and pat dry as much as possible. Slice into 3/4 inch rectangles.
2. In a small bowl, mix lemongrass, garlic, chile, salt, sugar, and pepper. Set aside.
3. With the tip of a sharp knife, cut a shallow "x" shape (about half-way deep) into each tofu piece.
4. Using your fingertips and a spoon, gently stuff the cuts with the lemongrass mixture. Spread any excess along the surface of the tofu.
   
   
   
5. Meanwhile, heat oil in skillet over medium-hi heat. Once heated, carefully place the tofu in the oil, cut/stuffed side down (I gently place a slice on a metal spatula and ease it into the oil). Repeat with as many slices as will fit without crowding each other. Allow to fry, undisturbed, until the first side is nicely browned and crispy, about 2-3 minutes. Keep a close eye! Flip and brown the other side as well. Remove with a slotted spoon or tongs and drain on paper towels. 
   
6. Repeat with remaining tofu until all is fried. 
7. Serve over rice and with stir-fried veggies or roasted veggies. Enjoy!

Enchiladas Verdes (Green Salsa Enchiladas)

I'm going to start this by saying that I have grown to truly love San Antonio. However, when I first moved here someone put in front of me a rolled tortilla with glorified Cheez Whiz oozing out of it and called it an enchilada...um, no. I wanted the REAL thing. I missed the real deal that I could order anywhere in Mexico. While I'm sure Cheez Whiz enchiladas have their place, I decided that place wasn't in front of me. :) So through the years, I've learned several different types. I'll write about this one first because it's the simplest one I do and still really delicious. You can make the salsa a day ahead and even buy a rotisserie chicken and shred it ahead as well. That makes dinner time assembly a lot easier. Enjoy!

Enchiladas Verdes (Green Salsa Enchiladas)
Adapted from Pati's Mexican Table

Enchilada Ingredients:

• Cooked green salsa (recipe below)
• 12 corn tortillas
• 3T vegetable oil
• 2 cups shredded pork shoulder or cooked/rotisserie chicken
• 1 c simmered black beans or canned, drained
• 1/2 c sour cream or Mexican crema
• 3/4 c feta cheese or queso fresco
• 1/3 c onion, chopped

Green Salsa Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. tomatillos, husked and rinsed
• 2 garlic cloves, paper removed
• 2-4 serrano chiles, to taste
• 2/3 c onion, chopped
• 2 tsp coarse salt
• 3 T vegetable oil

Directions:

For the salsa-

1. Cover tomatillos, garlic, and serranos with water in a large saucepan. Simmer until tomatillos turn from their bright green color to a pale yellow/green and have softened, about 8-10 min.
2. Remove tomatillos, garlic, and chiles with a slotted spoon. Add tomatillos, garlic, and one chile at a time to the food processor. Add onion and salt. Pulse 3-4 times then puree until smooth. Add more chile until it reaches the heat you want. 
3. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Pour salsa (carefully!) into the saucepan and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7-8 minutes, or until thickened. The salsa will bubble and spit, so take care!

For the enchiladas-

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Keep salsa warm in its saucepan, or reheat it gently in a saucepan if you made it ahead. 
3. On a foil lined baking sheet, spread out 6 tortillas. Brush both sides of tortillas lightly with oil. Place tortillas in oven for 3 minutes (this will make them more pliable and prevent cracking). Place tortillas on a dish and wrap in a clean towel to keep warm. Repeat the process with the other 6 tortillas. Place them in the towel lined dish to keep warm also. 
4. Raise oven temperature to 375 degrees.
5. One tortilla at a time, using your fingers or tongs, dip tortillas in the salsa. Place on a plate, add about 3 T of pork/chicken in a line down the center of the tortilla, then add 1-2 T of beans. Roll up and place the tortilla, seam side down, in a 13x9 in. baking dish. Repeat this process with all 12 tortillas. 
6. Pour the rest of the salsa over the enchiladas and cover the baking dish with foil. Bake for 15 minutes.
7. Drizzle with sour cream or crema and scatter cheese and onions over the top. Serve hot. 

Meatloaf with a Tangy Glaze

Confession: I've never really been a fan of meatloaf...or anything combining a protein and loaf, really. I can trace the roots of this to my summer vacations growing up. My grandmother, Geema as we all called her, liked to ease the cooking load on our yearly vacations by freezing a myriad of "make-ahead" loaves, and bringing them with her to serve for dinners. God bless her. Her heart was in the right place. But those loaves...the memories of being made to eat them and pretend we liked them will never be forgotten. My siblings, cousins, and I have never been able to agree on our least favorite. Salmon loaf? Ham loaf? Meatloaf? And we'll laugh about it forever. Thanks, Geema! I promise we loved the zucchini bread and spice bread (both acceptable loaf-pan uses). :)

So when I was a young newlywed and my husband asked if I knew how to make meatloaf, I pushed back hard. I don't do loaf! And along came America's Test Kitchen to save the day. Again. If I haven't mentioned it before, which I have, their recipes are great. It's now the meatloaf recipe my mom uses too. Changing family history, one loaf at a time. 

The things I like about this particular meatloaf: 

• It's baked free-form, so it doesn't bake in it's own grease and has a fully glazed exterior. 
• It's not spongy from too much bread added to the mix.
• It's not dense, like a brick.
• The glaze is more complex and tasty than just brushing ketchup on top

All that said, if you already love meatloaf I hope you like this one too. If you are on the fence or totally against it, I'm hoping this recipe makes you a believer. Enjoy!

Meatloaf with a Tangy Glaze
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Ingredients:

Glaze:

• 1/2 c ketchup
• 1/4 c packed light brown sugar
• 4 tsp cider vinegar
• 2 tsp Tabasco sauce

Meatloaf:

• 1 T vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 c milk
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp Tabasco sauce
• 2/3 c panko bread crumbs
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 lb ground pork

Directions:

1. With the oven rack in the middle position, preheat to 350 degrees. 
2. In a small bowl, combine the glaze ingredients. Mix until combined. Set aside.
3. Heat oil to med hi heat in a small skillet. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and thyme, stirring until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Set aside to cool for a few minutes. 
4. In a separate large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, mustard, Worcestershire, salt, pepper, and Tabasco together.
5. To the egg mixture bowl, add ground beef and pork, panko crumbs, and sauteed onion mixture. Combine until mixed evenly (honestly, the fastest/easiest way is to just start mixing it with your hands...dig in!) and the mix doesn't stick to the bowl. If it is sticking, add a little bit more milk at a time until it no longer sticks.
6. Empty the meat mixture onto a foil-lined baking sheet and shape into a 9x5 inch loaf shape. Brush top and sides with half the ketchup mixture. Bake for 45 minutes.
   
    
7. Brush the loaf again with remaining half of ketchup mixture and bake for about 15 minutes more, or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees. 
8. Let rest for 20 minutes before serving. 
9. The fat that cooks off during baking and pools around the base of meatloaf is easily pushed away to the edges of the pan with a spatula after baking. Then you can easily slice and transfer meatloaf to a serving platter.

Anna's Chili

I had been making chili for years, tweaking it along the way. Then I moved to Texas and was semi-forced into entering a workplace chili competition...long story. This was pretty intimidating because this is Texas, people! I was blown away when it won and started to believe in my recipe a little bit. It's one of those recipes that I make by "what tastes right" and haven't monitored the amounts I use until I decided to type it up here. I love to make this meal on days when I don't have a lot of time to cook and want to make something filling. Enjoy!

Anna's Chili

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. ground beef (or ground turkey for leaner chili)
• 2 T vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 1-3 jalapenos, deseeded and chopped fine
• Salt
• 1 T chili powder
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin
• 5 garlic cloves
• 2-4 chipotle chiles to taste, diced
• 1 28oz can petite diced tomatoes, with juice
• 2 T red wine vinegar
• 2 15oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 15oz cans pinto or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 c frozen corn
• 2 T adobo sauce from can of chipotle chiles, or to taste

Optional garnishes:

• sour cream
• shredded cheese
• Fritos corn chips (to make the ever-popular regional favorite "Corn Chip Pie")

Directions:

1. In a large stock pot over med-hi heat, brown the ground beef or turkey. Set browned meat aside and drain off fat.
2. Add oil to the pan. Heat over med-hi heat until oil is shimmering. Add onions, jalapenos, and 1/2 tsp salt. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add chili powder and cumin, toast for about 60 seconds.
3. Add garlic and chipotle chiles. Saute for 30 sec or until fragrant. Add tomatoes with juice and red wine vinegar. Stir until combined and beginning to simmer.
4. Add beans and corn. Taste for heat. Add adobo sauce to taste. I used a whopping 2 T of it. We like it spicy around here. :)
5. Add salt at the end to taste and to round out flavor.
6. Spoon into bowls and top with sour cream and shredded cheese. Serve hot.

*Optional: Corn Chip Pie- Place a handful of corn chips in the bottom of a bowl. Spoon chili over top of chips. Top with cheese and sour cream. For those uninitiated, this may sound like a strange combination. I may have even scorned it when I first moved to south Texas. But oh. my. goodness. delicious.

Spicy Pork Congee

First let me say, sometimes it's a miracle when I remember to snap pictures of the different steps of cooking recipes. The number of times I need to leave the cook top to grab a snack, find a toy, break up a fight, wipe some tears, or look at the amazing milk puddle that looks like an elephant (true story)...there's too many to count. All that to say, just getting the meal made and on a plate is a feat. Just know that I understand that if you are cooking with small children around, I get that the struggle is real. 

So today's dish is a kind of rice porridge. There are endless variations of this across countries, and I have been making this particular recipe for a couple of years now. Congee is SO satisfying on cold winter days, not that we have many of those here in South Texas. So if you're looking for an alternative to soup but still want comfort food, this is it. It is a mixture of rich and bright flavors- and bonus! you can make it as spicy (or not so spicy) as you want, depending on your audience. AND it's easy. Can't go wrong with this one. As an aside, this is only the beginning of showcasing my love of all things pork shoulder. Enjoy!

Spicy Pork Congee
Adapted from Food and Wine Magazine

Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients:

• 1 c long grain, white rice (rinsed)
• 7 c chicken stock
• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt, plus more for seasoning at the end
• 1 in of ginger, peeled and chopped fine
• 2 T vegetable oil
• 1 lb pork shoulder, trimmed of thick layers of fat (there will still be fat marbling left behind, also known as deliciousness), cut into 1/2 in cubes
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 T fish sauce (or soy sauce, if preferred)
• Chili garlic sauce, to taste
• Cilantro for garnish, if desired (my husband is among those that think cilantro tastes like soap, so you'll rarely see me actually use this herb. But it is tasty to many of us, so I suggest trying it. :))

Directions:

1. Make sure cubing the pork shoulder and prepping the ginger are the first things you do. This will make the rest of the meal prep easy and quick!
   
2. Start preheating the oil in a non-stick 12in skillet to med-hi heat.
3. While the oil is heating, place rinsed rice, stock, salt and ginger in a stockpot on a separate burner from skillet. Heat on high until boiling, then reduce to a simmer, uncovered.
4. While you wait for the rice to boil, place the pork shoulder cubes and garlic in the preheated oil. Be careful not to crowd the pan, and don't stir the pork until the first side is browned. This seals in flavor and moisture. Then stir to allow other sides to brown. This will take about 10 min. 
   
5. Remove pan from heat and stir in fish sauce. 
   
6. By now your rice should be at a simmer. Now you can add the pork shoulder, drippings/sauce and all to the stockpot with the rice. 
   
7. Allow to simmer, stirring periodically, for 30-45 min. Rice will want to stick to the bottom if you forget to stir every once in a while. 
8. Once the congee has thickened to almost a thick, stew-like consistency and rice is beginning to break up a bit when you stir it, it's ready to remove from the heat. Stir in as little or as much chili garlic sauce as you like. About 2 T worth. We love bold flavors, so I add a lot. Season with extra salt to taste. 

   

   I've used up most of this one, but this gives you an
    idea of what to look for in the Asian foods aisle

9. Serve hot.
10. Optional: Garnish bowls of congee with sprigs of cilantro.

*Congee thickens A LOT once it has cooled. When eating left overs the next day, just mix in a little water until it's as soupy as you want it again.