Ginger Fried Rice

Fried rice is one of our favourites, be it for lunch or dinner, either cooked at home or when dining at Chinese restaurants. This week, at Cook The Book Fridays, the selected recipe from Dorie Greenspan's cookbook, Everyday Dorie, is Ginger Fried Rice.

Any vegetables can be used, but I've followed the recipe, using cabbage, bok choy and carrots. For the add-ins, I've used Chinese sausages, which I've pan-fry lightly and added to the stir-fry later. I've used more ginger than the recipe calls for, about 1/4 cup, we love ginger, and more garlic, of course. Did not have ponzu sauce, so I've used soy sauce and have also used more gochujang paste.

I've made some crispy fried ginger, which we sprinkled some over our plates of fried rice. After all it is ginger fried rice. And more ginger is always good for you. This ginger fried rice makes a nice filling lunch!

Sheet-Pan Supper : Balsamic Chicken with Baby Potatoes And Carrots

I love the ease of sheet pan suppers. Dorie's Sheet-Pan Supper is simple, easy, quick to put together, with just a few ingredients for flavour ; garlic cloves, rosemary and thyme, salt, black pepper, and balsamic vinegar. The main ingredients are, of course chicken, potatoes, onion and mushroom. But I could not find any brown or white button mushroom on the day that I plan to make this dish for dinner, so I grab a couple of carrots instead.

I did not use thyme, using only rosemary, from my garden pot. And instead of using only 4 garlic cloves, I use all the cloves from one large bulb.  And I have added an extra 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar to the chicken. Mix everything and bake!

Bake for 1 hour at 220C, the chicken was perfectly done, and the potatoes and carrots are tender. We enjoyed this sheet-pan supper very much. Delicious! 

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Cook the Book Fridays
Cookbook Countdown #50

Chickpea-Tahini Salad

Chickpea-Tahini Salad is the recipe selected at Cook The Book Fridays. This very easy and quick salad recipe is from Dorie Greenspan's cookbook, Everyday Dorie.

I've used about less than 2 cups of cooked chickpeas which I had frozen a couple of months ago. Thawed them and refresh in simmering water for a few minutes and they are ready to be used. Time to use up my homemade tahini too.

To make the salad dressing, whisk the tahini with a little warm water until smooth, then stir in lemon zest and lemon juice, finely minced garlic, grated ginger, ground cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder (recipe uses cayenne powder), and salt to taste. I have omitted the honey.  To make the salad, stir into the dressing the following ingredients ; cooked or canned chickpeas, finely chopped red bell pepper, finely chopped red onion, chopped fresh cilantro and fresh dill. I did not have any dill, so I've used more cilantro. Stir everything well and season with more salt and pepper to taste.

I have added two finely chopped jalapenos to the salad. And a sprinkling of sumac over the salad just before serving.

I like this salad. It is very tasty and delicious! I would make this again with other veggies add in ; tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet peppers, olives.... 

Pasta With Cabbage, Winter Squash And Walnuts

This is the second pasta recipe selected this month at Cook The Book Fridays, from Everyday Dorie cookbook. 

The main ingredients are winter squash, green cabbage, dried cranberries, walnuts and pasta. Flavour from this pasta dish comes from cider vinegar. I've used regular pumpkin and napa cabbage.

The squash is first cooked in a little oil, season with salt and pepper until tender, then stir in the vinegar followed by the honey. Dish out and keep aside. The pasta is boiled in salted water, and the dried cranberries are thrown in during the last one minute of the pasta cooking time. Drain the pasta and retain a quarter cup or so of the cooking water. The cabbage is cooked in a tablespoon of oil, season with salt and pepper, with a tablespoon of cider vinegar, stir until it is absorbed. Pour in about a quarter cup of the pasta cooking water, stir for a minute, then add the pasta with the cranberries and a tablespoon of olive oil, Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, topped with walnuts and Parmesan.

We thought this pasta dish was just OK. The cranberries and walnuts added a nice touch and texture to the dish, but this is not in our list of favourite pasta dish. The family prefers the previous pasta we made two weeks ago, Pasta with Shrimp, Squash, Lemon and Lots Of Herbs, of which there's a request to make again. 

Pasta With Shrimp, Squash, Lemon And Lots Of Herbs

The first recipe selected in this new year 2020 at Cook The Book Fridays, from Everyday Dorie is Pasta With Shrimp, Squash, Lemon And Lots of Herbs. 

A delicious and colourful bowl of pasta. I like everything about this pasta; the shrimp which gives a delicious umami taste, the fresh citrus taste of the lemons, the bright colours from the yellow and green squash (delicious too!), and that burst of sweetness from the ripe raw tomatoes. Chopped fresh dill and spring onion greens sprinkled over, makes it complete.

And I love Dorie's take on using the squeezed lemon half, dropping it in the pot of water to cook the pasta. So lemony nice.

There is no heavy sauce for this pasta. It is  simple, fresh and delicious. We love it. Will definitely cook this again. Yum!

Cook the Book Fridays
Cookbook Countdown #49

Gingered-Turkey (Chicken) Meatball Soup

Gingered-Turkey Meatball Soup is one of the recipe selected for this month, from Everyday Dorie, at Cook The Book Fridays. Ground turkey is not an easy ingredient to find, so I have used ground chicken meat instead.

This is a fairly easy dish to prepare. To make the meatballs, mix together egg, yoghurt (I've used sour cream), chopped onion, fresh cilantro, dry bread crumbs, chopped garlic, grated fresh ginger, lemon zest, salt and pepper. This mixture is then scooped (I used a heaping tablespoon )and shape into round meatballs. Drop them into the pot of boiling broth, and add veggies of your choice. I've used spinach and carrots. Then add the drained noodles (which was cooked in boiling water earlier), heat through and ladle into bowls to serve.  

The meatballs are tasty. With it's name Gingered-Turkey Meatball Soup, I cannot taste the ginger at all, and the taste of the lemon is a little strong. I may make the meatballs again, as they are rather tasty, but I'll skip the lemon, perhaps pan-fry them as small patties, to enjoy them with chilli sauce.

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Cookbook Countdown #48

Apple Custard Crisp

A delightful dessert which we enjoyed very much, Apple Custard Crisp. Recipe from Dorie Greenspan's book, Everyday Dorie, the current book we are cooking through, at Cook The Book Fridays. 

To make the streusel, mix flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and butter together, and toss some vanilla to blend. Keep covered, refrigerated for at least an hour before using.

Cubed apples, tossed with some lemon zest and juice,  are placed on a baking or pie dish. Custard is made by mixing together cream, sugar, spice, egg, rum and vanilla, and pour over the cubed apples in the dish. Scatter the streusel over, bake in a preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, until the apples are tender and the streusel is brown. Mine took an extra 15 minutes until the streusel is brown. It was bubbling with the custard, looking very moist and smell so delicious, when I removed it from the oven, but there's almost no custard at all when it was at room temperature. It wasn't dry, it was rather moist, and the apples are tender, but I wish there was more custard. 

Served it with our favourite vanilla ice cream, a David Lebovitz recipe, Philadelphia-Style Vanilla Ice Cream, my go-to vanilla ice cream which I have been making for years. This apple crisp is so delightful served with  the ice cream, and I find that I am not missing the custard, as I thought I would!

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Cookbook Countdown #47

Lightning-Fast Tahini Pork

An easy and quick pork dish, just as it's name, Lightning-Fast Tahini Pork, another nice recipe from Dorie Greenspan's cookbook, Every Day Dorie. This recipe is one of the two selected for this month's cook-along at Cook The Book Fridays. 

Pork tenderloin, cut to cubes then marinated in a spice mixture ; harissa powder or chile powder, ground ginger, ground cumin, ground turmeric, salt. The pork pieces are then browned on all sides with some olive oil, add some honey, stir for a minute, then stir in vinegar and water. A mixture of tahini and lemon juice, is then added in, and cook for a few minutes until the sauce is smooth and the pork are cooked through. Serve immediately with some sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds. I have however doubled the amount of spices, which I'm glad I did, and a little extra water, simply because I wanted a little more sauce. Dorie says that sauteed spinach is delicious with this pork dish, but I have stir-fried some baby kai lan greens instead. We enjoyed this with white fluffy rice. 

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Cookbook Countdown #47

Chicken and Salad Milanese Style

This is the second chicken recipe which we, at Cook the Book Fridays, have made, from Everyday Dorie. And like the first recipe, Sweet Chili Chicken which we've tried back in January, this Chicken and Salad Milanese Style is just as delicious.

Chicken breast halves are pounded with the flat side of a meat tenderizer to flatten them, coat in seasoned bread crumbs, dipped in seasoned beaten egg, then coat again with seasoned bread crumbs. At this point, I placed them in the fridge uncovered, in parchment lined baking tray, for a couple of hours before cooking.

For the salad, veggies used are celery, cucumber, bell pepper, fresh cilantro, a mix of baby greens. The dressing is a mixture of extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss the veggies with the vinaigrette just before serving.

The breaded chicken are fried in a non-stick pan with some butter and oil on both sides until golden brown and chicken is cooked. Serve immediately with the salad on the side.

Both the chicken and the salad are delicious! Perfect pairing!

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Cookbook Countdown #46

Fresh-Off-The-Cob Corn Chowder

This week at Cook The Book Fridays, the selected recipe from Everyday Dorie is Fresh-Off-The-Cob Corn Chowder.

This chowder is so "corny-sweet" and delicious ! We are lucky that corns are available throughout the year. Could not resist nibbling on the sweet juicy kernels when I was cutting the kernels from the ears. The cobs are then used to flavour the soup, which we do all the time when we cook our corn soup, Chinese style. But this is the first time I've made corn chowder, and we like it. 

Half of the vegetables; corn, celery, onion, are sauteed and cooked in stock with potatoes until tender. Fresh rosemary, thymes and bay leaf are added for extra flavour. Half of the potatoes are taken out, cut into smaller pieces and reserved, while the other half and the rest of the cooked vegetables are pureed to a smooth texture. The other half of the raw vegetables are then sauteed in some bacon oil until they have softened a little, and added to the soup together with the reserved cut potatoes. Heat the soup through and serve, scoop into bowls, garnish with crispy fried bacon pieces and some chopped fresh herbs.

Please visit Cook The Book Fridays to see what the others think of this chowder.

This post is shared with Cookbook Countdown #44.

Shrimp Tacos

This week, at Cook The Book Fridays, the selected recipe from Everyday Dorie cookbook, is Shrimp Tacos.

It may look like there's a whole lot of prep work, but they are fairly simple and easy to do.

The cast of characters, that makes the Shrimp Tacos 😉; Salsa, Shredded Lettuce, Shrimps, Yoghurt Cream, Avocado Mash, slices of lime, Toasted Tortilla.

Let's get to know the casts a little better 😃:
Salsa - Grape tomatoes, red onion, red bell pepper, jalapeno, cilantro, and mango. (I have replaced the pineapple and peach with mango). Season with salt and lime juice. Omitted the hot sauce as I did not have any. (I thought I did!).
Lettuce - Well, simply sliced or shred them.
Shrimps - Shelled and deveined. Marinate with some olive oil and old bay seasoning or chile powder. I've used smoked paprika instead. Fry the shrimps in a little oil until cooked through, season with salt and a squeeze of lime juice.
Yoghurt Cream - Mixture of Greek yoghurt and mayonnaise, whisk together with minced chipotles in adobo sauce. I did not have any chipotles, so I've used some sriracha sauce instead.. Season with salt and lime juice.
Avocado Mash - Stir together ; lime zest and juice, minced jalapeno, and mashed avocado, season with some salt.
Tortilla - Toast lightly over the stove in a dry skillet.
Lime - Slice some wedges for serving.

Now that we are familiar with the casts, it is time to bring them together for a grand finale !

 Here's the...... Shrimp Tacos !

Well, everyone's tummy is full and happy. Review time !

Son : Yummy good!
Daughter : Very nice!
Me, me, me! : Burp..... Already thinking of making it again with perhaps, panfried chicken, or garlic, butter and chile stir-fry prawns or fish ....... . One thing for sure, I need to get a bottle of hot sauce!


Please visit the links at Cook The Book Fridays to read the others' review on this recipe.

This post is shared with Cookbook Countdown #43

Mushroom-Bacon Galette

Over at Cook The Book Fridays, the selected recipe from Dorie Greenspan's cookbook. Everyday Dorie, is Mushroom-Bacon Galette. A savoury free-from tart, with mushrooms, leek, bacon, walnuts for the filling.

Dorie's galette dough is a pleasure to work with. I did reduce the sugar to only 1 tablespoon.  The filling is very tasty, cooked using the following ingredients ; bacon, mushroom, leeks, garlic, white wine, heavy cream, walnuts, parmesan, fresh thyme (I've used rosemary), and black pepper. 

I did not sprinkle any parmesan over the baked galette, simply because i have forgotten ! But it was good too without the parmesan. The next time if I were to make this again, I will omit the walnuts, since we prefer the bites where there wasn't any walnuts.

Please visit CtbF to see the other bakers view on this galette.

This post is shared at Cookbook Countdown #42

Salmon Burgers (Patties!)

This month's selection at Cook the Book Fridays where we are currently cooking from Everyday Dorie, is Salmon Burgers. 

Thanks to the feed-back from the lovely ladies at CtBF, that the salmon mixture was very soft, and the burger patty was not holding on to it's shape during frying, I've made some adjustments to the ingredients. The burger mix ingredients are ; chopped salmon fillets, Greek yoghurt, chopped herbs (of which I've used scallions, dill,  and cilantro), Dijon mustard, grainy mustard, capers, lemon zest, salt and pepper.  I've reduced the amount of sour cream (instead of Greek yoghurt as in the recipe), probably using only half the amount, I did not measure. Even then the mixture is still very soft. I added 2 tablespoons of cornflour to bind the mix together. The mix is then refrigerated for at least 2 hours. 

The salmon mix is then formed into burger patties. Even after chilling, it was still on the soft side, I find that it needed more cornflour to firm it up a little. So I've added 2 more tablespoons of cornflour to the mix. I formed them into smaller patties and fry them on both sides until brown. These patties hold their shape and did not fall apart.  I made the onion pickles and cucumber pickles as suggested by Dorie.  But instead of using the patties to make Salmon Burger Buns, we ate the patties as part of our meal with rice. 

This post is linked to :
Cook The Book Fridays (CtBF)
Cookbook Countdown #40

Potato Tourte

This month's selection at Cook the Book Fridays where we are currently cooking from Everyday Dorie, is Potato Tourte. It is a double-crusted pie, with potatoes, herbs and cream for the filling. 

A couple of things which I've simplified, is to zest the lemon using the microplane zester. In the book, Dorie says to use a vegetable peeler to remove the zest, then slice into the thinnest strands. Seems like an extra work for me (I'm lazy!), so I use the microplane zester instead. For the potato, they are to be sliced very thinly, then drop into  a bowl of cold water, drain them and dry them well. I skipped the water and the drying part (told you I am lazy!). I sliced the potatoes using a sharp knife and use them directly. The herbs I've used are a combination of cilantro and scallions. 

I made 4 mini pies instead of one 9-inch pie. I constructed the pies (Dorie says this pie is a construction project) the evening before, keep refrigerated, then the next morning, brush with egg wash and bake. 

The pies are baked for 30 minutes, then pour some warm heavy cream into the vent hole at the top, then bake for a further 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Let the pie sit for about half an hour before serving. 

Yum! Yum!  So delicious! The potato are tender, so tasty with the herbs and cream. Another keeper recipe from Dorie! 

Sweet Chili Chicken Thighs

Cook the Book Fridays, is currently cooking through Dorie Greenspan's latest cookbook, Everyday Dorie. This month's selection is Sweet Chilli Chicken Thighs, pg 114.

I have all the ingredients to make this dish. I don't even need to go to the store, well, except to buy some chicken thighs from the market. Such a simple and easy dish to cook,  and it was delicious. Ingredients used are ; onion, garlic, white wine, pepper, Thai sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, Dijon mustard, Sriracha. I did not expect there will be much sauce, but was really happy when the dish was done, there was a fair amount of sauce, which I knew my sauce-loving family will love. We had the chicken thighs with basmathi rice and a simple stir-fry of green beans. Every piece of thigh was gobbled up including the sauce. This dish goes to my "make-again list"! Yum!

Potato Chowder Lots of Ways

Cook the Book Fridays, is currently cooking through Dorie Greenspan's latest cookbook, Everyday Dorie. This month's selection is Potato Chowder Lots of Ways.

Dorie has given a few different ways (by way of ingredients) of making this chowder, with whichever vegetables and herbs as they come into season. 

Thinly sliced leeks, onions, shallot and garlic are sauteed in the bacon fat or oil until softened, then add the vegetable or chicken stock, together with the potatoes, let it boil, then simmer until the potatoes are tender. (I wonder how many of us actually rinse the thinly sliced onions, shallots and remove the germ of the garlic cloves. I did not.) As suggested by Dorie, I mashed some of the potatoes to add another texture to the soup. I've added some peas, and I actually bought a pack of sweet peas to add along, but completely forgotten all about it! Just before serving, stir in some cooking cream and heat without boiling. Spoon into serving bowls and top with some chopped crispy bacon and some chopped fresh herbs, which I've used cilantro.

We thought that this chowder is delicious and full of flavour! I've tasted with and without the cream, definitely with the cream! Next time I'll cut the potatoes into smaller cubes, instead of bite-sized pieces. I'll be cooking this again, and as Dorie suggested, lots of ways, with other veggie add-ins!

Roasted Squash Hummus

Recipe number 3, Roasted Squash Hummus, from Everyday Dorie, at Cook the Book Fridays.

I love hummus but the only hummus I've ever tried are the ones made from chickpeas. So I was looking forward to make this Roasted Squash Hummus,  using butternut squash. 

To make this hummus, butternut squash are first roasted till tender, mash into a puree, then stir in the tahini, pomegranate molasses (I've used pomegranate concentrate, using only about a teaspoon), za'atar, salt, pepper, cayenne and lemon juice.

To serve the hummus, spread a layer of Greek yoghurt in a small serving bowl, and top with the hummus. Drizzle some olive oil over, and scatter over some pomegranate seeds, of which I have omitted as I did not have any. The hummus can be served with pita or as a dipper for fresh crunchy vegetables. 

This hummus is on the sweet side rather than savoury and I wasn't keen on the flavour.  I'm a fan of savoury hummus, so this is just not for me. 

Maple-Syrup-And-Mustard Brussels Sprouts

Recipe No.2 from Everyday Dorie, selected for this week at Cook the Book Fridays, Maple-Syrup-And-Mustard Brussels Sprouts.

I did not have any maple syrup, so I've used honey because Dorie says we can 😃. Instead of steaming the brussels sprouts, I microwaved them, with a tablespoon or two of water sprinkled over,  along with the sliced shallot, garlic, salt and black pepper, on high for 2 minutes. Meanwhile fry the bacon until crisp, remove and keep aside.  The brussels sprouts are then stir-fry in the bacon fat (I did not remove all of the fat! Ha!) until they are are charred and crisp-tender. I've used a mixture of both smooth Dijon and grainy mustard, mix-in with the honey. These are added to the brussels sprouts, stir until they are coated with the mustard-honey glaze. Stir in the crumpled crispy bacon. And as suggested by Dorie, I added a splash of balsamic vinegar in the final stir. 

This is delicious. Love the flavours of the honey, mustard, bacon and the crisp-tender texture of the brussels sprouts. I actually ate this for lunch on its own! And would definitely make this again as a side dish to a meal. Yums!

Please do visit my friends' links at CtBF and see what they think of "Maple-Syrup-And-Mustard Brussels Sprouts".

My Newest Gougeres

Cook the Book Fridays (CtBF) is cooking through Dorie Greenspan's latest book, Everyday Dorie, starting today! After my long break cooking with the lovely ladies at CtBF, I am back again, this time jumping into the wagon of Everyday Dorie. The first recipe that was chosen is My Newest Gougeres.

Gougeres are French cheese puffs, made with pâte à choux (the dough used for cream puffs), with added cheese, and Dorie's addition of Dijon mustard and walnuts. I have however omitted the walnuts as some of us are not fan of nuts. For the cheese, I've used Cheddar. These little puffs are quite easy to make, did not take much time at all. I've made half a recipe, baked half of it, and freeze the other half, though those would be gone soon!

I use a small cookie scoop to drop the batter onto the baking pan, and I got 25 gougeres for half a recipe.

Smells so cheezy nice while these are baking.

They are quite delightful and yummy! With light crisp crust and chewy soft centre. But I did find them a little salty. That being said, I would gladly made this again, with a lesser amount of salt.

Please do visit my friends' links at CtBF and see what they think of "My Newest Gougeres". 

Green Beans with Snail Butter

It's Cook the Book Fridays, and this week's selected recipe from My Paris Kitchen by David Lebovitz is Green Beans With Snail Butter (Haricots Verts Au Beurre D'Escargot). As David says in the book, "Don't worry, there are no snails in beurre d'escargot,  the name refers to butter mixed with a copious amount of garlic that is used for baking snails."

This is an easy dish with simple ingredients, yet so delicious. 

The green beans I bought were young, tender and very sweet. I removed the pointed ends of the beans, as we always eat them that way. David has left the green beans whole but I have snapped them in two, easier to eat that way! 

One thing I did not follow was to steam the green beans. Instead of steaming, I microwaved them with some sprinkling of water for 3 minutes on high. To cook the green beans, melt butter in a large skillet, add the garlic and cook until they begin to brown, stir in the parsley (I've used fresh coriander leaves), salt and black pepper. Add the green beans and stir until the beans are completely cooked and coated with the garlicky butter. 

One thing I have forgotten to add is the lemon juice! Only noticed the lemon sitting on my kitchen counter when I was clearing up after dinner! Oops... but even without the lemon juice, this dish is still delicious!

All my favourite ingredients in this stir-fry dish ; sweet green beans, garlic, coriander leaves. I could finish a plate all on its own, no kidding!