We are not Martha

Monday, February 8, 2010

Grilled Shrimp and Noodle Salad

The other night when I made the brussels sprouts, I knew I couldn’t JUST serve brussels sprouts… though I probably would have been perfectly fine with it. I decided I needed to do something else Asian-inspired and knew I wanted to use Nasoya noodles since I haven’t used them in a while (and love any excuse to!). Shrimp was on sale at the grocery store, so I picked up half a pound (the perfect amount for 2) and found a recipe for Grilled Shrimp and Noodle Salad. I made the full recipe, but cut the shrimp in half. I wanted leftovers, but hate re-heated shrimp! It’s just never the same.

Grilled Shrimp and Noodle Salad:

14 ounces flat rice noodles
1/2 C lime juice
1/3 C fish sauce (I used soy sauce instead)
1/2 C packed light brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1-2 t Asian chili sauce like Sriracha (the more, the spicier!)
1 lb. medium-large shrimp, peeled and deveined (or use 1/2 lb. for two)
1 medium bunch asparagus, trimmed and chopped
5 oz. shiitake mushrooms, trimmed and chopped (any mushroom will do)
1 medium carrot, shredded
1/2 C fresh cilantro

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For some reason I forgot to include the Sriracha in my photo (see the empty spot for it and everything!?), but don’t forget it in your recipe. It’s so flavorful and delicious. And yes, spicy. So, make sure you test out the recipe as you go along and adjust for your particular tastes.

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I used the Nasoya Chinese Style Noodles and they worked perfectly in this dish.

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Start by peeling and deveining the shrimp. I got the peel-and-eat kind, which meant I simply had to pull the peel off!

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Boil the water for your noodles now. Cook as the label directs and then drain and rinse with cold water.

While the water is boiling and noodles are cooking, start preparing your sauce. Whisk the lime juice, fish sauce, brown sugar, garlic, chili sauce, and 1/3 C water in a medium bowl. For some reason, my grocery store had absolutely NO limes in site! It was strange, but I had to squeeze the heck out of one of those lime juice containers instead.

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Transfer 1/4 C of the marinade to another bowl and toss with the shrimp.

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Then toss another 1/4 C of the marinade with the chopped asparagus and chopped mushrooms.

Let everything marinate for about 10 minutes at room temperature.

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Toss the noodles with remaining marinade.

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You can use a grill for the shrimp, but since I didn’t have one, I simply threw them in a frying pan.

Then I threw in the asparagus and mushrooms too until the shrimp was just cooked through, about 3 minutes per each side.

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Divide the noodles into bowls and top with the shrimp and veggie mixture. Put some of the shredded carrot and cilantro on top, too!

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This meal tasted deliciously healthy and was the perfect companion to the brussels sprouts. I definitely don’t cook with shrimp enough, but this recipe may have encouraged me to do so a bit more.

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If you’re only cooking for 2, shrimp can actually be a really cost-effective option, especially when they go on sale! And I honestly feel like there’s not a whole lot better than asparagus that’s browned up a bit. Oh, and noodles don’t hurt either!

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You can even top with more sriracha if you so desire, though this dish was certainly flavorful enough

What’s your favorite shrimp recipe? I need some more inspiration!

[Sues]

Labels: Asian-Inspired, Nasoya, Shrimp

4 Comments »

Friday, February 5, 2010

Sweet Potato and Sausage Soup

I’m the first to admit while growing up I was never a fan of soup for dinner. What can I say? I just didn’t enjoy eating my meals with a spoon! But as time passed I realized a) how simple soups can be to make b) how practical they are c) how economical they are and d-z) just how delicious they can be. And at this age, all of those things are extremely important to me when it comes to cooking! I was looking for a nice hearty soup to make for dinner the other night and found a Sweet Potato and Sausage Soup on Smitten Kitchen. The ultimate deciding factor was that it called for linguica, a Portuguese sausage. I absolutely loooooove linguica. I actually used to request it for my birthday dinner growing up (with lots of rice and lima beans!), hehe. Once the veggies were all cut up preparing the rest of the soup was smooth sailing and pretty quick!

Here’s what you need, serves 8

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 3 10-11 ounce fully cooked smoked Portuguese linguica sausage (or chorizo) cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced (Garlic Zoom tiiiime!)
• 2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 2 large), peeled quartered lengthwise, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 1 pound white-skinned potatoes, peeled, halved lengthwise, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 6 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 1 9-ounce bag fresh spinach

Here’s what you do:

• Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the linguica and cook until brown, frequently stirring for about 8 minutes. Transfer the linguica to a paper towel lined plate to drain. I kept the oil from the linguica in the pot… because, to be quite frank, it’s delicious and why would I want to discard perfectly good linguica oils?!

• Add onions and garlic and cook until transparent, for about 5 minutes.

• Add all of the potatoes and cook until they show signs of softening, stirring frequently, about 12 minutes.

• Add the broth and bring to a boil, making sure to scrape up any brown bits. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and let simmer until the potatoes are soft, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.

• Using a potato masher, mash some of the potatoes in the pot.

• Add the browned linguica to soup.

• Stir in spinach and simmer just until wilted, about 5 minutes. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and season with salt and pepper.

I actually agreed with the Smitten Kitchen that the idea of sausage soup sounded a bit odd at first, but once I continued reading the rest of the ingredients it did sound pretty tasty. The sweet potatoes provided the perfect touch of… sweetness and the linguica added a hint of smokey. Overall, it was such a satisfying and soul-warming soup that I’m excited to make again! As long as Boston keeps serving up this cold, I’ll keep making delicious soups

Stay warm and Happy Friday!

[Chels]

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Thursday, February 4, 2010

Brussels Sprouts With Bacon, Ponzu, Fried Garlic, and Bonito Flakes

If you were at the Foodbuzz Blogger Festival, I’m sure you remember the brussels sprouts we had at the dinner at Greenleaf Produce Warehouse. And if you weren’t at the Foodbuzz Festival, you probably heard about the brussels sprouts we had at the dinner. I don’t care who you are and how much you think you don’t like brussels sprouts; if you tried these, you would fall in love. I knew I had to make these, much to the dismay of Chris who has never been a fan of brussels sprouts. I promised he would like these.

It took me forever to actually make these on my own because I wanted them to be as authentic as possible. So, when I finally found a Japanese grocery store, I snagged as many of the ingredients as I could. And I improvised on the rest.

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Ponzu, Fried Garlic, and Bonito Flakes:

Brussels Sprouts (Chef Lee says most people don’t eat more than 4 heads, but this is a lie. Use more)
1/4 lb guanciale (I couldn’t find this Asian pork, so I used bacon instead. Also, consider pancetta)
Fried garlic
Ponzu sauce (if you can’t find it, consider substituting soy sauce, rice vinegar and lemon juice)
Soy dashi (I couldn’t find this so I used what I thought was the closest thing available: bonito-flavored oigatsuo tsuyu)
Butter
Olive oil
Shichimi or Togarashi spice (I actually found shichimi and togarashi combined in one little bottle)
Bonito flakes

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Admittedly, I spent way too much time wandering Asians groceries searching for what I needed. It’s kind of difficult when you can’t read Japanese/Chinese and nobody in the store understands what you’re looking for!! But when I got to Japan Village Market in Brookline Village, I was thrilled to see “Ponzu” actually written on the bottle. I love me some Kikkoman!

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First things first: fry up your garlic! I just sliced it up and fried it in some olive oil until it started to brown.

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Cut the brussels sprouts into quarters, so that the roots stay in tact.

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Boil water in a large pot with some salt. When it’s boiling, put your brussels sprouts in to blanch. When they turn bright green, remove from water and immediately put them in an ice bath.

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While the brussels sprouts were boiling and sitting in the ice bath, I cooked up the bacon. Use as much as you want. I used 8 slices because I was determined to get Chris to like the sprouts. And I knew bacon would do the trick. I cooked the bacon pretty much all the way, but didn’t let it get too crispy since i would putting it back in a pan. Once it cooled, I crumbled it up.

Now, coat a frying pan in olive oil and put 1 tablespoon of butter in. Toss your brussels sprouts in and turn the heat up to high.

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Let them brown up.

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Then put the bacon in. Add in the ponzu and soy dashi (or whatever you’re using). The pan will probably start sizzling when you add them in. Use as much or as little as you like. I probably added 1/2 cup of ponzu and a little less of the soy dashi.

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Let the liquid reduce as much as you want.

Top with the shichimi/togarashi, fried garlic, and bonito flakes. The recipe says, “The flakes will dance with joy,” which I thought sounded absolutely lovely. And it was true, too! The flakes were literally dancing around.

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I was pretty happy that these turned out to be quite close in taste to Chef Lee’s. And guess what? Even Chris admitted to liking them! I’m telling you, it’s impossible not to like brussels sprouts that taste like this. Take the challenge!

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The best thing about this recipe is that you can totally improvise as much as you want. I think the important things to have are brussels sprouts (duh), some kind of pork, lemon, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and garlic. And these ingredients are all very easy to find! But definitely check out Chef Lee’s recipe to alter it how you want to.

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I served the brussels sprouts as a side dish to an Asian-inspired shrimp recipe that I’ll blog about later. I’m super psyched because now that I have ALL these ingredients in my pantry (besides brussels sprouts and bacon), I can make them absolutely any time I want. Which might just be all the time. These are absolutely to die for!

Thank you Foodbuzz and thank you Chef Lee for showing the world how wonderful brussels sprouts can be (OK, so the bacon doesn’t really hurt, either)!

[Sues]

Related Posts: Brussel Sprouts!, The Best Lentil Soup Ever, Beef, Asparagus, and Carrot Rolls, Mac and Cheese With Bacon, Spicy Asian Lettuce Wraps,

Labels: brussels sprouts, foodbuzz blogger festival

9 Comments »

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Pepperidge Farm Deli Flats and an afternoon with Bethenny Frankel

This afternoon we were invited to enjoy a free lunch featuring Pepperidge Farm Deli Flats along with the opportunity to interview Bethenny Frankel, celebrity chef, author, and Real Housewives of New York City superstar. Bethenny was promoting her new cookbook The Skinnygirl Dish (Easy Recipes for your Naturally Thin Life) and she also created some sandwich recipes using the Deli Flats so we were excited to do some taste testing!

The afternoon started with a car picking us up at my apartment around 11:30ish to take us to the Prudential Center in downtown Boston. Car service is delightful

Once we arrived at the Bridge Court at Prudential, we hung out for a while, talked with Pepperidge Farm’s PR team, and watched them get setup for the event. Carts of the sandwiches were rolled in, people decked in Pepperidge Farm t-shirts were there, and the crowds starting coming in masses! The timing couldn’t have been better. There are tons of offices located at the Prudential Center so everyone was out and about in the mall on their lunch break. I love watching how quickly lines form for free food… people don’t mess around when a free sandwich is involved!

Check out the line! Everyone must have been huuuungry

The Deli Flats come in a few varities, as well. 100% Whole Wheat, 7-Grain, and Whole Grain White.

The Pepperidge Farm Deli Flats are only 100 calories and all of the sandwiches offered were under 200 calories. These weren’t just your little hardly-filled sandwiches either. They were hearty and completely satisfying, filled with heaps of veggies, spreads, and even cheese. The three sandwiches Bethenny created are Pesto Turkey (pesto sauce, mayo, deli turkey breast, tomato, baby arugula), Mediterranean Vegetarian (eggplant, red pepper-flavored prepared hummus, crumbled feta cheese), and Grilled Chicken Club (mashed avocado, refrigerated fully-cooked grilled chicken, bacon, tomato, red lettuce). I got the Grilled Chicken Club, Sues got the Pesto Turkey, and my sister (who is a huge Bethenny fan so I obviously invited her to come along!) got the Mediterranean Vegetarian. We all thought our sandwiches were terrific and the Deli Flats were delicious! My sister and I even went out and bought some after the event

Grilled Chicken Club:

Pesto Turkey:

We were also given coupons for the Deli Flats along with recipe cards with all of the sandwiches Bethenny created, which we will definitely try to make on our own! My sister ran to Barnes and Nobel to pick up a couple copies of Bethenny’s new cookbook, too.

She can’t contain her excitement!

My old co-workers Tarryn and Melanie even came by! They both tried the Mediterranean Vegetarian Sandwich and enjoyed it!

Then it was time to interview Bethenny! Since she is a celebrity-chef, hilarious, and was also on Martha Stewart’s Apprentice we were excited to chat with her and ask some questions.

What was the best thing you learned from Martha Stewart? Martha doesn’t have anyone do anything that she hasn’t already done or tried herself. We thought this was an extremely valuable point… to try everything before you expect others to be able to do it. That way there aren’t any unrealistic expectations and you know the task is doable.

What is your favorite New York City Restaurant? STK

What are your favorite items to serve your guests while entertaining? My crab cakes and my spinach artichoke dip. People rave about it! Also my baked chicken wings. They’re breaded and are great for entertaining since they can sit out for a while. I used to cook them all the time for Dennis Leary. Check out the video of Bethenny making her chicken wings on Access Hollywood!

How do you incorporate healthy living into your entertaining? I only do healthy. I don’t do “taste-free” or “fat-free”. Bethenny explained that there are many ways to make healthy foods without sacrificing taste which is, of course, very great to know. Her new cookbook is filled with flavorful and healthy recipes!

What is your favorite healthy dessert to make? My Not-So-Red Velvet Cupcakes.

How do you incorporate healthy living into your busy schedule? Bethenny explained how she has been on 14 planes in 10 days (woah!) and says a lot of healthy living has to do with planning and making smart decisions. You have to plan ahead and not allow yourself to “starve”. Running in and out of airports and gas stations proves to be a challenge for some, but Bethenny says that you can still eat healthy even in a gas station. You don’t always have to settle for the heavy/greasy/high calorie foods that can often be found on the road. Selecting snacks like pretzels, some crackers and a slice of cheese, nuts, biscotti, or animal crackers are some ways to survive on the road.

After the interview we hung out with the Pepperidge Farm team a little more, chit-chatted, and watched the crowds…

…And made time to goof around a little bit. Sues needed to be a little taller so I gave her a lift

Des posing with her new book!

We are not Martha with Bethenny’s new cookbook!

This was such a fun time! Thank you so much to the Pepperidge Farm team for inviting us out and giving us the opportunity to interview Bethenny! The new Deli Flats proved to be a huge success… all of us Bostonians seemed to love them!

After the lunch and interview my sister and I headed out to do some grocery shopping. Both of our dinners tonight were recipes in Bethenny’s cookbook… we just couldn’t wait to try some out! More to come on that!

[Chels and Sues]

Labels: Bethenny Frankel, Boston, Pepperidge Farm, Pepperidge Farm Deli Flats

13 Comments »

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Dinner at Market by Jean-Georges

The other day my sister turned the big 3-0! Happy Birthday to Beth! 30 is obviously a big year, but considering my sister and I both look a good 8 years younger than we actually are, it seems that the big day wasn’t as traumatic for her as it might be for others. I mean, it’s not like she looks 30 and that’s what really counts, right?

On Friday night, we had a birthday dinner for her and after much deliberation about where to go, we decided on Market by Jean-Georges in the W Hotel. My dad is a HUGE Jean-Georges Vongerichten fan and many of my first culinary memories revolve around family vacations in New York City eating at Jean-Georges restaurants (considering I was a kid going to eat at Jean-Georges restaurants, it’s no wonder I am so into good food as an adult!). It was also Beth and Adam’s first week back in Boston after living in Hawaii for almost 4 months and our friend Rey was visiting from Chicago. Sadly, I had to miss Dustin and Steven’s Asian dinner party, but I guess you know your life is good when you have to choose between two amazing food events!

Market by Jean-Georges (Photo Courtesy of Zagat.com)

The best part about going out to dinner with several people is the opportunity to sample lots of the dishes. There was so much on the menu that I wanted to try, and I got to sample most of it. First, the appetizers.

Seared Shrimp with Silky Pumpkin, Ginger, and Basil. Of course I had to order it; it involves pumpkin and ginger. I’d love to make someone try this who doesn’t like shrimp. I have a feeling this would change their mind!

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Rice Cracker Crusted Tuna with Citrus-Chili Emulsion. Everyone was recommending this before we went. Legitimately the perfect tuna. I could eat this for every meal and be happy.

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Black Pepper Crab Fritters with Pear and Endive. See why you have to go to Market with a bunch of people? How else would you ever decide what to get for an appetizer? I cannot turn down crab cakes/fritters. These ones had the perfect kick!

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I can’t remember what these were called, but our waiter described them as Jean-George’s version of jalapeno poppers and that was certainly enough to get Chris to order them. They disappeared pretty quickly.

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Lobster with Basil Butter and Lemon Spaetzle. Both my mom and my sister ordered this and it was incredibly fresh and delicious. Not to mention, all that lobster for only $28.

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Soy-Glazed Short Ribs with Apple-Jalapeno Puree and Rosemary Crumbs. My dad, Chris, and Adam ordered the short ribs and all proclaimed they were some of the best they’d ever had.

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Market Cheeseburger with Russian Dressing. Rey opted for the cheeseburger. And can’t you tell just be looking at it that it’s amazing? He said he normally doesn’t like pickles, but even the pickles tasted amazing on this burger.

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Georges Bank Haddock with Parsnip Puree and Mint Fragrant Coconut Juice. This is what I ordered and I was so happy I did. I’ve never given parsnips much thought before (they’re good, but nothing to go crazy over, right?). But every bite of the haddock covered in a bit of the parsnip puree had me closing my eyes and mmmm’ing. The coconut was the perfect addition to this delicate fish as well.

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We obviously had to order desserts too; it was a birthday celebration!

Creme Fraiche Cheesecake with Black Cherry Sorbet. Gahhh!! Again, I swear I didn’t think I could ever be in heaven from “plain” cheesecake, but this was melt-in-your-mouth, creamy deliciousness to die for. And the black cherry sorbet? I could have eaten a whole gallon of it.

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Warm Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream. Jean-Georges is known for his molten chocolate cake, so this was a sure thing. Even the vanilla ice cream tasted better than normal.

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Green Apple Crisp with Cinnamon Ice Cream. SO SO good. I really want to try re-creating this one. But I think I need the adorable little cast-iron dishes!

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The birthday girl and Adam; so happy to have them back in Boston! Despite the fact that Friday night was about -2 degrees outside, I hope they’re happy to be here too.

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My mom and dad enjoying dinner!

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Chris and I taking a break from our complete chowing down our chesecake for a photo!

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Rey visiting from Chicago to celebrate Beth’s birthday!

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So, in case you couldn’t tell, I highly recommend Jean-Georges Market. The service was amazing and I think our waiter knew absolutely everything about every item on the menu. He did a fabulous job recommending dishes and telling us why he was recommending them. I can’t wait to go to Market by Jean-Georges again… Has anyone had their brunch?

Market by Jean-Georges
In the W Hotel
100 Stuart St.
Boston, MA 02116
617.310.6790

[Sues]

Labels: Jean-Georges, Restaurant Review

7 Comments »

We are not Martha

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Grilled Shrimp and Noodle Salad

Sweet Potato and Sausage Soup

Brussels Sprouts With Bacon, Ponzu, Fried Garlic, and Bonito Flakes

Pepperidge Farm Deli Flats and an afternoon with Bethenny Frankel

Dinner at Market by Jean-Georges

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