Scallion Ginger Oil @ 7am



Scallion Ginger Oil
To stir into congee with chicken for breakfast.
To drizzle on an omelette, on bok choy, on warm buckwheat noodles, on a steak sandwich.

Chinese Steamed Chicken Casserole

This is soothing and delicious Chinese home cooking. My version is a bit inauthentic but it is inspired by the delicious casseroles at NY Noodletown in Manhattan's Chinatown. The ingredients are gently mixed and then steamed for about 1/2 an hour and eaten with rice and maybe braised bok choy also. I have a big deep pasta pot with a steaming insert into which I place a ceramic bowl, something like a souffle dish, which contains the cassserole mixture. You could put a bowl into a steamer basket in a wok or use a double boiler. The main thing is indirect heat and a tight cover to trap all the cooking juices.

The ingredients are, in no particular order, 4 boneless chicken thighs cut into 1 inch pieces, 1 package of diced firm tofu, 6-8 dried black Chinese mushrooms (soaked in hot water to soften) or fresh shitake mushrooms or any mushrooms you like, 1 slivered Chinese sausage (a delectable addition but leave it out if you don't have it on hand), minced ginger and scallions, 2T soy sauce and the same of sherry and 1 cup chicken stock or water into which 2T cornstarch has been dissolved. Check after 1/2 an hour of steaming to be sure chicken is cooked through. It may need a few more minutes.

Pizza with a Fried Egg on Top

Reheat leftover pizza in the oven.
Top with a fried egg.
Best eaten with a knife and fork.
This is seriously good.

Lamb Chops and Tapenade

I was surfing the TV the other day and caught this on the Food Network on a show about the worst home cooks ever. The poor cooks were hopelessly lost in the kitchen and it seemed unclear why they were subjecting themselves to the humiliation of live high pressure cooking lessons. I guess they were determined to achieve enough skill to be able to make dinner once in awhile, which is kinda sweet. Anyway, this looked good and fast.

They roasted racks of lamb but I'm going to sear seperate chops in a cast iron skillet and finish them in the oven. Then they get topped with a dollop of tapenade into which some crumbled feta has been mixed. A spinach salad and some toasted pita brushed with olive oil should do it.

Smoked Pork Chops and Spicy Asian Squash

I came up with this butternaut squash preparation because I love butternut squash but have been eating it the same way for years, namely, roasted after being tossed in olive oil and s&p. This time I roasted it after tossing it in canola oil then tossed it again with minced ginger, scallion and hot chili flakes once it came out of the oven. This made a significant difference! And it looks so pretty with the flecks of green and red from the scallion and chili.

The squash went exceedingly well with smoked pork chops, simply seared and heated in a cast iron skillet, and so smoky salty sweet. And some braised collard greens too.

Asian Oxtails

To celebrate the snow and my new kitchen I wanted to make something yummy and cozy. David Chang published an oxtail braise in the Times awhile back which I could not find so this is my version. After browning the oxtails and then carrots, celery, garlic and finely diced parsnip all went in the oven with soy sauce, red wine and beef stock. Also a bay leaf, slices of ginger, star anise and a cinamon stick. And about 1/2 cup of kombu broken into small pieces. Kombu adds a subtle sea flavor and thickens slightly it seems. 3 hrs at 250 degrees produced falling off the bone succulent meat and plenty of delicious sauce to eat with rice. We ate platefuls of the stew with braised bok choy.

The leftovers will be even better heated gently in the oven. I went one small step further, pulling the meat off the bones and reheating then serving over bowls of soba noodles with a dash of chili sauce and a sprinkling of scallions.

I've Been Away But I'm Back

The past year has seen a lot of changes in my life, the biggest being my husband's and my decision to live apart. Fall was very busy with apartment hunting, moving, job hunting taking up the main of my time and energy and cooking taking up almost none. Lots of takeout and pasta.



But now I'm settled in a new apartment with a cozy Ikea kitchen. It works so well and has a table to eat at, not an island. This means longer and more leisurely meals and less jumping up and down for me. Hmmm...you learn something new every day. And speaking of Ikea, I bought some of their top line pots and pans and I'm here to tell you that they perform as well as All-Clad. Really and truly.