Bun Rieu - Vietnamese Crab Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

5-6 pounds tomatoes
2 tablespoons dried shrimp
2 tablespoons garlic, chopped
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup tamarind paste (dried and condenses with seeds)
1 small can minced shrimp with spices
1 large can minced crab with spices
6 eggs

Directions:

In a small pot, add tamarind and add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. In large (6 or 8 quart) stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add dried shrimp to hot oil and fry for for 2 minutes, then add garlic for another minute. Strain the liquid from the boiling tamarind into the stock pot. (The seeds of tamarind pods are dried with the flesh, but the seeds are bitter so we only want the tamarind flavor in the liquid.) Add more water to the seeds and bring to a boil again. Continue this process of extracting the flavor from the tamarind until the water start to run more clear and you've extracted as much flavor as possible. (This process goes much more smoothly if you have already hot/boiling water on hand, i.e. in a kettle.) When you've finished with the tamarind, dispose of the leftover flesh/seeds. Add more water to the pot until about 3/4 full and bring to a boil.


Quarter the tomatoes making sure each quarter has a part of the head attached to it. This keeps the tomatoes from completely falling apart. When the broth approaches a boil, carefully add the tomatoes. (Don't splash yourself with the hot broth, I've done it once or twice. Not pleasant!) Simmer for an hour.

Empty both cans into a mixing bowl and beat together with eggs. Turn the heat on the stock pot to low and pour the egg/spiced seafood mixture into the pot slowly in circles making sure the mixture has room throughout the pot. Slowly simmer for another 30 minutes. Serve over vermicelli, traditionally accompanies with a spread of Vietnamese herbs, lettuce, lime, bean sprouts, and other unidentified items. So good and a great way to make use of tomatoes when they are in season, ripe, and cheap!

Chinese Watercress Soup

I grew up on soup. My mother made sure we had soup with every dinner. On the days when we wouldn't, dinner seemed incomplete. The slow-cooked taste of simmer low-fire Cantonese, or lou fo tong (老火湯, lǎohuǒ tāng), is a smell and flavor that brings me back to my childhood. Some people have chicken pot pie, others have roast beef. Cantonese soups are my comfort food, this being one of my favorites. 

Ingredients:

1 lb pork neck bones
2 bunches watercress, washed and drained
3 dried honey dates (蜜枣)
6 dried red dates (红枣)
3/4 cups Chinese South Almonds ( 南杏)
Salt to taste

Directions:

Take your soup pot and fill three-quarters (3/4) full with water and put it over high heat. Bring a second (smaller) pot of water to a boil. Put the pork neck bones into the water and let it boil for 5 minutes; this helps get rid of all the bloody water and any excess fat and discharge from the meat. Your end product will be a clearer, cleaner broth.

Turn off the heat and drain the water from the bones. Rinse several times with water until the water runs clear and all the grit is off the bones. Then add the bones to the large soup pot. Add the dried honey dates and the Chinese south almonds to the pot. Wait for the pot of water to come to a boil. If the pot is already boiling, give the ingredients 5-10 minutes in water before adding the watercress.

Lower the flame to a medium/medium-low heat and simmer the soup for 30-40 minutes. The watercress will turn brown and less appealing than the vibrant green when it first enters the pot but the soup you are left with is full of earthy flavor and super delicious!

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Dinic's Oven Roasted Pork

Dinic's Pulled Pork Sandwich with Broccoli Rabe

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Frozen yogurt on a cold day

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Townhall

Whole Wheat Pasta with Arrabiata Sauce

Most people like their spaghetti with normal marinara sauce... tomatoes stewed into a thick sauce with some basil for aromatics and carrots for sweetness. I personally like my sauce with a little more KICK! My go-to sauce for pasta would definitely have to be the fiery spice of arrabiata sauce. This easy sauce can be made with things in most pantries for a quick and easy meal.

According to wikipedia, arrabbiata (the Italian word for angry) is a Roman sauce of garlic, tomatoes, and red chili cooked in olive oil. Basil is sometimes used, although the majority of chefs in Italy do not use basil for this recipe. The dish is usually served with pasta and chopped fresh parsley sprinkled on top. That's how I like! SPICY!



Ingredients:

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
1 large can (28 oz.) whole tomatoes
1 tablespoon Italian parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
1/2 lb whole wheat spaghetti

Directions:

Put a pot of water on the stove over high heat and bring to a boil.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottom pot over medium heat. Add red pepper flakes and garlic and infuse the oil with those flavors for 2 minutes. Watch carefully to not burn garlic or you have to start over. Add onions to the oil mixture and soften for about 5 minutes. Hand crush the whole tomatoes into the pot along with all the juices; this gives the sauce better texture.

Allow the sauce to simmer while preparing the pasta. Salt the pasta water and throw the whole wheat spaghetti. After the spaghetti is al dente (about 10-11 minutes for whole wheat), add pasta to the sauce pot.

Toss the pasta in with the sauce and turn of heat. Give the pasta a few minutes in the sauce and allow it to absorb the flavors of the sauce. (This would be a good time to prepare a salad to accompany pasta.) When ready to serve. Top the sauce pasta with parsley and give it one last toss before plating.

Twist the pasta with serving fork and place a heap of spaghetti on each plate. Top with a little extra sauce and sprinkle Parmesan  cheese over the dish for a extra richness and flavor.

Asian Braised Pork Belly

With my family background and my mother's love of home cooking, I grew up eating all sorts of food and a lot of it became a fusion of what she knew, what she liked, and what we had in the house. This braised pork recipe is my mom's, a mixture between filipino, vietnamese, and chinese maybe? Mostly made with things she always had in the pantry for an easy dish she could throw into a pot and leave for a few hours while she ran other errands.

 

Ingredients: 

1 lb pork belly

2 teaspoon vegetable oil

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 inch piece of brown rock sugar (1 tablespoon brown sugar)

2 teaspoons black pepper

Directions:

Take the pork belly and but into 1 1/2 inch cubes. 

Heat the vegetable oil in a small bottom heavy pan or dutch oven pot (with cover) over medium high heat. When oil begins to ripple, brown the pork belly in the pan for 2 minutes just to get the fat to soften a bit. Add garlic to the pan and continue to brown from another 2 minutes. Keep a watchful eye on the heat; do not like the garlic burn! 

Add the soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar and freshly cracked black pepper to the pot. Let the liquid come to a boil and when the sugar is completely dissolved, add enough water to cover the pork belly. Cover the pot and let the pork belly simmer for an hour. 

After the first hour, check the pork. If the pot looks dry, add more water to the pot and simmer for another hour. Turn off the stove and let the pork cool in the sauce for 5 minutes before serving. Best served on top of white rice with a little of the sauce spoon on top of it and a side of vegetables. 

Italian Meatballs

What comes to mind when you think comfort food? Mashed potatoes. Meatloaf. Fried chicken. Mac n' cheese. And of course the Italian comfort food, spaghetti and meatballs.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs ground beef/veal
1 egg
1 tablespoon whole milk/cream
1 cup onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoon parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 tablespoon lukewarm water (optional)
2 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Put egg and cream into a mixing bowl. Beat the egg and cream together lightly and mix in the onions, garlic, parsley, oregano, salt & pepper. Add the beef into the bowl and fold together until the ingredients look evenly dispersed. Try not to overwork the meat.

Fold in the panko breadcrumbs and add the lukewarm water if the mixture looks dry or overly tight.  Form the meatballs with your hand to the size of your liking. Coat the bottom of a baking sheet and the meatballs with the olive oil and place in the oven for 35-45 minutes (depending on size of meatballs).

Remove from the oven and finish cooking in your tomato sauce for 5 minutes and serve over pasta.