New town, new tastes

Apologies for the delay. Since we last spoke I've traveled across the world and returned only to move to another state. The good eats have been abundant so there is a lot of catching up to do.

I am recently back from Southern Vietnam where I and the rest of our group provided chiropractic care to the needy. I wish I could say the food was the best part of the trip but I can only say it was an afterthought after many long days of sightseeing, relaxing at a beautiful resort, and of course sweating it out for patients in various hospitals. Some of the food was awesome but most of it not quite as exciting as you'd think. Vietnamese food has never been on the top of my list of preferred cuisines but I did have pho most mornings for breakfast, spring rolls at nearly every meal, fresh seafood, and enough fish sauce to drown in.

The real food highlight of the trip were the fruits. Instead of sweet dessert, every meal was followed with exotic fruits like dragon fruit, rambutan, mangosteen, lychee, and tropical variations of watermelons, oranges, bananas, and pineapple.

I hope to return to Vietnam in the future to truly explore the flavors of the region. Due to the size of our group and the circumstances, I think we missed out on a lot of the good eats of Ho Chi Minh City and Vung Tau.

We have said goodbye to Florida and relocated to Pittsburgh. Unfortunately (or fortunately) the food is so good here (and cheap!) that I find myself not cooking often. Because there is good food on every street, this blog may evolve into something a little different. I hope to share all of our Pittsburgh dining experiences here with you beginning in the days ahead.

Favorite Chicken Curry of the Moment

Unfortunately my downstairs Indian neighbors have vanished. They left as mysteriously as they came. No moving truck, cars, or furniture. Poof. Vanished. Now I no longer come home to the sweet smells of their bustling little kitchen. Indirectly thanks to them, I am now better in the kitchen when it comes to Indian dishes. My new downstairs neighbors may now be tempted with the smells of curry from my upstairs kitchen.

This recipe has been tweaked a little based on my own trials and errors. I've gotten in the habit of pureeing all the base ingredients to improve the texture and richness. Ever since an incredible korma I had in Atlanta, I'm also hooked on adding golden raisins and almonds for a whole different experience.


Favorite Chicken Curry
adapted from My Husband Cooks

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of some fat and veins
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
1 tblsp curry powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp garam masala
3 cloves garlic
1 tblsp fresh ginger
1 serrano pepper (jalapeno works as well)

1 tblsp + 1 tsp curry powder (use a hot curry powder if you like more heat)
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cinnamon

14 oz can coconut milk
1 onion, chopped
2 serrano peppers, chopped (or jalapeno)
5 cloves garlic
1/2 cup dry white wine (or chicken broth)
1/3 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup golden raisins
fresh cilantro

Don't be too frightened by the ingredients list! First marinade the chicken. Put all the pieces in a large ziploc bag and add the yogurt. In a food processor blend the first set of ingredients. Pour the puree into the ziploc bag and mix everything together to coat the chicken thoroughly. Let chicken marinade over night or for however long you have to spare.

When you're ready to cook, take the chicken out of the marinade and shake off the excess. If you have a grill, grill the chicken to simulate the tandoori oven. If not, cook the chicken under the broiler, pouring off excess fat to prevent the future sauce being too oily.

In a small bowl, combine the spice mix. Set aside.

In a large pot, using a neutral oil like ghee or some butter, saute the onion, peppers, and garlic until just soft and slightly caramelized. Once soft, remove the saute and puree in a food processor until you have a nice paste. Return the paste to the pot and stir in the spice mix. Cook for no more than a minute then pour in the wine (or broth) and scrape up the bits on the bottom of the pot. Once the wine reduces, add the can of coconut milk and stir to combine.

Let this simmer for several minutes on low heat so it thickens nicely. After 10 minutes add the raisins, almonds, a little cilantro. If the chicken is done you can either chop it into pieces or place it whole in the pot. Stir around at a low simmer so the flavors come together. Add salt to taste. Serve piping hot over some rice or with naan.

Note: This makes a ton of thick, delicious sauce. Save the leftover sauce for another meal. Serve it over cauliflower, paneer, or whatever other leftovers for a real treat. The raisins will zing as they pop in your mouth.

Tired of Takeout

I'll be honest. I haven't been cooking much lately. It has gotten so bad that our favorite takeout guys recognize me on the street. They know where I live! I'm slowly coming back around. I just had some minor set backs. There was that week long illness that may or may not have been swine flu, the mysterious poison sumac incident, a bit of traveling, and don't forget about the 30 inches of rain.

This simple tofu dish can be made with ingredients you probably already have on hand. Replace the tofu with another protein if you prefer. You can throw this dinner together faster than that familiar takeout boy can make it to your door.


Sweet and Sour Tofu
adapted from Serious Eats

1 package (14-ounce) firm tofu
1 red onion, halved and sliced
1 bell pepper, sliced
1 jalapeño pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
3 tblsp white wine vinegar
3 tblsp soy sauce
1 tblsp honey
1 tblsp brown sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Drain the tofu with a heavy dish on top with paper towels for at least half an hour, changing the paper towels now and then. The drier, the better. Slice the tofu into small cubes and fry them in a bit of oil until browned on all sides. Add the onion, peppers, and garlic and cook until just soft, about 5 minutes. In a small bowl combine 1/3 cup hot water with the vinegar, soy sauce, honey, brown sugar, cornstarch, and red pepper flakes. Pour this sauce over the tofu once the vegetables have softened and let it thicken for a minute or two. Serve with rice.

Four Minute Asparagus

Four minute asparagus. Now that is a little misleading. The four minutes refers to the cooking time but you might add another 5 minutes for prep. Nonetheless I have an easy side dish for you. Perfectly steamed asparagus spears are drizzled with a citrus oregano dressing and dotted with sweet orange segments. Did I mention that there is no cooking required? Just set 4 minutes on your microwave and you're done. The color stays vibrant and the texture still crisp. I may never turn on the oven for asparagus again.

Asparagus with Citrus and Oregano
adapted from Urban Italian

about 1 lb thick asparagus
1 navel orange + zest
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 tblsp lemon juice
4 tblsp olive oil
2 scallions, green parts only, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Zest the orange and set aside. To segment the orange, cut off each end then set on end and slice off the peel and pith. Cut the segments away from the membrane and put in a small bowl. In another small bowl collect any juice and squeeze remaining juice out from the pulp. In this bowl whisk 2 tblsp olive oil, scallions, oregano, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside

Prepare the asparagus by cutting off the bottom 1" from the tough end. Place in a microwave safe dish and sprinkle the orange zest over top. Pour over 1 oz of water and 2 tblsp of olive oil. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and microwave for 2 minutes. Rotate dish and cook for another 2 minutes. Test for doneness. Remove plastic wrap and drain off liquid. Pour the dressing over asparagus and layer with orange segments. Serve hot or room temperature.

Shake the Beef

In my never ending attempt to find new ways to spice up steaks, I have found one that takes the cake. The Vietnamese dish bo luc lac (aka shaking beef) is so good I could eat it 3 times a week. Whenever tenderloin steaks are on sale, stock up so you can make this dish whenever you crave it. Thick flat-iron steaks would also work well for a cheaper alternative.

This version is taken from San Francisco's The Slanted Door. Chef Phan's restaurant was featured in this month's Saveur alongside some other great recipes I hope to try soon. I serve this either with rice or with boston lettuce. It goes wonderfully wrapped up in little lettuce packages and dipped in the heavenly lime pepper sauce.

Bo Luc Lac (Shaking Beef)
from Chef Charles Phan

1 lb beef tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 1" cubes
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic chopped
3 scallions, sliced thick
4 tsp ground black pepper
7 tsp sugar
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tblsp fish sauce
2 limes, juiced
1 tblsp butter

Prepare the beef in a bowl and sprinkle over it 2 tblsp oil, 1 tsp sugar, and 2 tsp pepper. Cover and let set at room temperature for about an hour or refrigerate overnight. In a small bowl mix the soy sauce, rice vinegar, fish sauce, and 2 tsp of sugar. Set aside. In another small bowl prepare the dipping sauce, juice the limes and add 4 tsp sugar and 2 tsp pepper. You will have to work quickly and in batches so have all other ingredients prepared and nearby.

Remove the beef from the bowl and pat dry with paper towels. Heat 2-3 tblsp oil in a wok or large skillet. Heat until smoking. Working in batches, add half of the beef and cook until each side is quite brown, 2 minutes, but still medium rare. Add half of the onions, scallions, and garlic stirring constantly for 1 minute. Pour in half of the soy/vinegar mixture and butter and continue to stir for another few seconds. Pour out onto a platter. Heat some more oil until smoking and repeat.

Teased with Turmeric

I have new neighbors. I think they cook constantly. At breakfast, lunch, and dinner I go outside or open the windows to the smell of Indian spices wafting up toward my nose. I find it terribly unfair that they haven't invited me over for dinner. Little do they know my love hate relationship with Indian food. I love to eat it but hate to cook it because I can never make it nearly as well as my favorite restaurants.

The mouth-watering temptation day in and day out has taken its toll. With no decent take-out place or buffet within a 100 mile radius, I decided to give it yet another try. I admit, things are going well. P has to agree that I'm getting much closer at creating above average Indian dishes.


Mattar paneer is always my go-to dish. Its not the most exciting thing out there but in my mind its a good test of a restaurant's quality. It is quite easy to put together in this version, but my only complaint was the level of spiciness. I need a little heat (or a lot) in a dish like this and I was a little clueless on what to add to achieve that. Cayenne? Red chili powder? A small, hot pepper?

Mattar Paneer
adapted from Cuisine Cuisine

2 medium onions, chopped
1 1/2 tsp cumin
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam marsala

1 lb paneer, cut into cubes
2 cups frozen peas
3 tblsp tomato paste
4 tblsp plain yogurt
1 tblsp grated ginger
1 tblsp minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
cilantro

Ahead of time, lightly fry the paneer cubes in ghee or oil until browned on each side. Set aside.
Heat some ghee or oil in a large dutchoven and fry the onions until nicely browned and charred a bit. Add the spices and stir for a few seconds. Add more oil if it becomes too dry. Remove the contents of the pot to a food processor and puree with the garlic and ginger. Return the paste to the pot and add the tomato paste and stir for a minute. Pour in a scant 1/2 cup of water to deglaze the bottom and scrape up any bits. Stir constantly until it smooths out and then add the yogurt. Let it simmer for a few minutes then add the peas and paneer. Bring to a simmer and put a lid on it to steam the peas for a couples minutes. You may need to add more water if the heat is too high and its not coming together. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in some chopped cilantro and serve with basmati rice or naan.

Spice up your Steak

Normally I'm a purist when it comes to steak. All I want is a nice meaty cut cooked to a perfect medium rare. But alas, beef just doesn't taste like much these days. Could it be the massive amounts of corn, hormones, and who knows what else that gets pumped into our cows? I even find that the organic or free range stuff is pretty bland at best. Where is the beefy tasting beef?

Actually, I'm probably not even old enough to remember a time when beef was flavorful. Until the day comes when cows start to taste like cows (wishful thinking!), I'll just have to come up with creative ways to serve steaks. I came across this recipe in an effort to spice up some filet mignon. This sauce is rich and creamy with a nice spicy kick from the chipotle chiles. I must admit I read this and thought it sounded weird, but after one bite I was in love with the flavors. Try it on any cut of beef or even chicken.


Filet Mignon with Gorgonzola Sauce
adpated from Bon Appétit 2007

2, 1/2 lb filet mignon
8 oz shitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 chipotle chile, finely chopped + 1 tsp of adobo sauce or to taste
1/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream

In a small saucepan, saute mushrooms until slightly soft. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Pour in the cream and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and stir in the Gorgonzola and chile. Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add more adobo sauce if needed. Set aside. In a larger oven safe skillet, sear one side of seasoned steaks, turn and finish in a hot oven. Cooking time will depend on thickness and desired doneness. You could do these on the grill for more smokey flavor. Pour the sauce over the steaks and serve immediately.