baked char siu bao (roasted pork buns).

My weekends are for tackling cooking projects.  Not all of them are labor intensive 48 hour adventures but on occasion I get that itch to tackle an over-the-top project that's been on my to-do list for some time.  

(Like croissants which 3 years later are still on my to-make list. )

Char Siu Bao are one of those weekend long projects.  They aren't particularly difficult (though the length of the recipe may lead you to believe I'm lying) but I find it best to draw the preparation of them out over a couple of days.   It makes the whole thing more relaxing and stressful.   

If you've never had char siu bao (otherwise known as a roasted pork bun) you're in for a real treat. Extremely tender (and very light and fluffy) dough encases shredded a sweet and spicy shredded pork that people find irresistible (I find it seriously irresistible).    I love them for their portability but also because the dough which utilizes a process called tangzhong is super soft which means you can reheat them in the microwave and they stay tender (it's kind of magic).   

So yes, making these is a project, but it's a project that's well worth it.     

Baked Char Siu Bao

Recipe from Crepes of Wrath and Serious Eats

These freeze brilliantly so don't worry if you can't eat them all!   

For the Char Siu Pork

3 pounds boneless pork butt or shoulder, cut into large pieces

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup rice wine vinegar

3 tablespoons honey

3 tablespoons hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon chili oil

1 tablespoon black bean paste

1 teaspoon Chinese 5-spice

1 3-inch knob of ginger, grated on a microplane or finely minced

4 garlic cloves, grated on a microplane or finely minced

For the Char Siu Filling

1 pound of your roasted pork, diced into ¾-inch cubes

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 small onion, finely diced

6 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 tablespoon black bean paste

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1/4 cup minced chives 

For the Tangzhong

3 tablespoons bread flour

1/2 cup water

For the Dough

1/2 cup milk

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1/4 cup granulated sugar

3 cups bread flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 large egg

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Roast your pork - Cut your boneless pork shoulder or butt into 5 or 6 pieces and place it in a sealable back or container. Whisk together all of your marinade ingredients, and pour it over the pork. Marinate for at least 3 hours, or as long as overnight. When ready, preheat your oven to 300 degrees F, place your pork in an oiled baking dish, cover with foil, and roast for 2½ to 3 hours, until the pork is very tender and shreds easily. Remove the pork from the oven, uncover, and let cool slightly. You will only need about ⅓ of your pork for the buns - the rest makes for great leftovers! Toss it with some roasted or stir-fried broccoli and you've got lunch for the rest of the week.

Make your char siu filling - Chop ⅓ of your roasted pork into small cubes and set it aside. Finely dice an onion, heat your vegetable oil in a medium-sized pan over medium heat, and add the onion. Cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Whisk together your water, cornstarch, vinegar, hoisin sauce, sugar, black bean paste, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Add your pork to the onion, and add your sauce to the pan. Stir to combine, and cook for 5-8 minutes, until the mixture has darkened and thickened - be careful not to burn the filling, as the sugar will quickly caramelize. When ready, remove the pork from the heat and set aside until ready to use.  Can be made 1 day ahead and stored in the fridge until ready to assemble.

For the Tangzhong - In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, mix together the water and bread flour. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick and lightly golden. Remove from heat and transfer the tangzhong to a small container. Cover with plastic and chill for at least 1 hour.

For the Dough - Warm 1/2 cup of milk and pour in the yeast. Let stand until frothy, about 10 minutes. Combine the yeast-milk mixture, the Tangzhong, and the remaining dough ingredients in a large bowl, and stir until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl, about 5 minutes. Remove from the bowl and knead on a lightly floured work surface until stretchy, about 10 minutes longer. Spray the dough all over with nonstick spray and return to the bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on top of the dough to prevent it from drying out and set in a warm, draft free area until doubled in size, about 1 hour (or overnight in the fridge).

Remove the dough from the bowl and divide into 16 even pieces. Roll the pieces into balls. Using the palm of your hand, press down each dough ball until flat. Place 2 tablespoons of filling on the center of each round. Pull up the edges and pinch together to seal. Transfer the filled buns, seam-side down, to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Re-cover with the coated plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly brush your bao with your beaten egg, then sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes, then brush lightly with honey and sprinkle with chopped chives. Serve warm. These will keep well for up to 5 days - just heat them up for 15-20 seconds in the microwave before serving. 

roasted broccoli and sweet potato bowl with miso-tahini dressing.

Each week I'm responsible for a lot of meals.   Ensuring two adults and one dog are fed healthy wholesome meals (with some cookies thrown in for good measure) is essentially a full time job - one that requires a lot of foresight and planning.   I've turned Sunday into a kind-of bum around the house/prepare meals for the week day. Doing so has helped alleviate some of the stress that comes from getting home from work, walking the dog, and pondering the age old question "what the heck are we going to eat for dinner?".

I've come to rely on roasted vegetables as the base for many meals throughout the week.   Combine roasted potatoes and beans and you're halfway to a breakfast taco for dinner.   Extra roasted cauliflower?  Toss it with bulger and a lemon dressing and you've got yourself a substantial salad that brings to life the flavors of the Middle-East.   But of all the roasted veggie dishes I make, my absolute favor is roasted broccoli and sweet potato with miso-tahini dressing.  It's incredibly easy, absurdly flavorful, and best of all, it's a salad that doesn't wilt which means leftovers work the next day for lunch.  How's that for winning?   

Roasted Broccoli and Sweet Potato Bowl with Miso-Tahini Dressing

Recipe adapted from Goop.  Dressing adapted from the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

Serves 4

Rice is optional though it makes the whole thing more filling.  Any rice will do though I'm partial to sushi rice since I love sticky rice.   Also some sliced avocado up top makes for a very welcome addition.   

For the Bowl

1 cup sushi rice

1 head of broccoli (about 1.25 pounds) cut into 1 inch pieces

1 pound of sweet potatoes, peeled, and diced into half inch cubes

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 tablepsoons olive oil

Sesame seeds for garnish

For the Dressing

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 small garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons white miso 

2 tablespoons tahini 

1 tablespoon honey (I use Mike's Hot Honey)

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon Sriracha

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place rice and cooking liquid in a rice cooker or on the stove. Cook according to package directions.  Set aside.

Coat one large or two smaller trays with a thin slick of olive oil. Layer sweet potatoes on tray(s) and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, until browning underneath. Flip and toss chunks around, then add broccoli to the tray(s), season again with salt and pepper, and roast for another 10 to 20 minutes, until broccoli is lightly charred at edges and sweet potato is fully bronzed and tender. Toss chunks around one more time if it looks like they’re cooking unevenly. 

While vegetables roast, prepare sesame-miso dressing: Combine everything in a blender and run until smooth, scraping down sides once. Taste and adjust ingredients if needed.

Assemble bowls: Scoop some rice/grains into each, then pile on the roasted sweet potatoes and broccoli. Coat lightly with sesame-miso dressing and finish with toasted sesame seed duo. Serve with extra dressing on the side.

vietnamese steak.

While Tyler and I continue to stare longingly at our neighbors backyard (which he never ever uses except to sit on his door step and smoke cigarettes), I continue to dream up ways that make us feel as if we are eating al-fresco even if all we are really doing is sitting in our kitchen. This means relying heavily on my cast-iron skillet which is the closest thing I have to a grill.

A good well-seasoned cast-iron skillet is the work-horse of the kitchen.  I cook hamburgers and asparagus in it and have made many cakes and cornbreads it as well.  It works brilliantly in many applications but when it comes to searing steaks, that's where it really shines.   It gives the steak a perfectly crusty exterior and that crusty exterior is what makes a steak worth eating.  

This Vietnamese version is absurdly perfect as we head into summer. It's tart and a little spicy and it manages to work with just about any vegetable you pair it with - lettuce (for hand-held wraps) radishes, shaved asparagus, the list goes on. It's also just as happy with rice as it is with noodles which means you can make it and then choose your own dinner adventure which is my favorite kind of dinner.  

Vietnamese Steak with Cucumber Salad
Recipe from the NYTimes

My reading skills are apparently lacking as I dumped all of the marinade over the steak.  Only after re-reading the instructions did I realize my mistake.  I couldn't bring myself to let the marinade go to waste, so when the steak was done marinating I dumped the marinade in a pot and boiled it for about 60 seconds.  I actually think the mistake was to my benefit as the marinade thickened up ever so slightly which helped to coat the steak and the rice.   The choice is yours.  

Serves 4 -6

½ cup fish sauce

1 tablespoon packed lime zest

⅓ cup fresh lime juice (from about 3 limes)

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

2 garlic cloves, grated or minced

1 large jalapeño, seeds and veins removed if desired, minced (or 1 tablespoon of Sriracha)

1 flank steak, about 1 1/2 pounds

1 small seedless English cucumber, thinly sliced (or other vegetable of your choice)

1 large bunch of radishes, thinly sliced (or other vegetable of your choice)

4 scallions, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon vegetable, peanut or olive oil (optional)

Cooked rice noodles or rice, for serving (optional)

Sesame seeds or crushed roasted peanuts, for serving (optional)

Fresh mint leaves or cilantro, for serving (optional)

In a small bowl, combine the fish sauce, lime zest, lime juice, brown sugar, garlic and jalapeño. Pour 1/2 of the mixture over the flank steak and let marinate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes (or refrigerate for up to 24 hours). Let meat come to room temperature before cooking if necessary. 

Combine the cucumber, radishes and scallions. Pour in just enough of the marinade sauce to coat.

Light the grill or heat the broiler to high. Pat steak dry with paper towels.

If grilling, cook until done to taste, about 3 minutes per side for rare. If broiling, heat a 10-inch skillet over high heat for 5 minutes. Add oil to pan and sear the meat for 2 minutes. Flip meat and immediately transfer pan directly to top shelf of oven and broil for 2 to 3 minutes for rare, or longer for more well-done meat. Transfer steak to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes covered in foil.

Thinly slice steak and serve over cooked rice noodles or rice if desired, and top with the cucumber salad. Garnish with sesame seeds and peanuts and plenty of herbs if using and serve with remaining marinade as a sauce.

asparagus with miso butter.

This past weekend was one of those weekends where it felt as if New York had finally awoken from the deep slumber that was known as the epic-ly cold and awful winter of 2015.  Our neighborhood farmers market returned! Windows were opended! Rhubarb was procured!  And the first asparagus of 2015 were purchased and eaten with such abandon that you would have thought I had never eaten them before.   

Asparagus are a beautiful thing and while my preferred way of eating them will always and forever be shredded atop a white pizza - my close second preference involves roasting them until impossibly crisp with a sprinkle of sea salt and black pepper.  I am capable of consuming almost an entire pound like that in under 5 minutes.  

But for the first of the season, I felt it was only necessary that I step-up my game.  And so these asparagus were not simply roasted, they were also coated in miso-butter which may be the greatest condiment that has ever existed.   Miso-butter makes everything it touches impossibly addicting, so it's safe to say these asparagus were gone quickly.  Thankfully asparagus season has only just begun.

Asparagus with Miso Butter

Recipe adapted from NYTimes

The original recipe suggests cooking these in a pan over high heat rather then roasting them.  I am going to try that method next, but I always find roasting easier - it is so hand's off!  I am including both sets of instructions here.  Also - your miso butter will look a little "smoother" then mine does in the picture - I waited a little long to toss them with the asparagus.  Still utterly delicious.   

Oh and if you want to make this a meal?  Put an egg on it.   

Serves 2 as a main for 4 as a starter 

3 tablespoons oil or rendered pork or bacon fat

1 pound asparagus, trimmed and peeled if necessary

Salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoons not-too-salty miso, preferably white (if you use yellow take this down to 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon sherry vinegar

1 teaspoon Mike’s Hot Honey

2 poached (or warm-bath-cooked) eggs (if you choose) 

If roasting the asparagus: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Place the asparagus on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with pepper (and a very very small amount of salt since the miso is salty).  Roast for about 20 minutes or until the asparagus are shriveled and blackened in spots. 

If cooking the asparagus via stove-top: Put oil or fat in skillet and turn heat to medium-high. Add as much asparagus as will fit in a layer, add salt (small amount of salt!) and pepper to taste, and toss and stir until browned and shriveled, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, over low heat in a small saucepan, warm and whisk together miso and butter, so they combine, and butter softens but does not melt. Whisk in vinegar and keep warm. Warm a serving plate.

When asparagus is done, put some miso butter on bottom of serving plate. Blot excess fat from asparagus if you like, put on top of the miso butter (or you can be lazy like me and just pour the miso butter over the asparagus), and top with poached eggs (if you choose). Serve immediately.

vietnamese chicken salad.

One of my personal goals this year has been to figure out a way to take all the odd's and end's leftovers we seem to possess at the end of each week and turn them into AN ACTUAL MEAL.   Not hodge-podge of assorted bites but rather something new and different and special.

Nothing like being forced to think creatively.

This new goal has forced me to Google things like "What to do with leftover INSERT ITEM HERE" because by Friday my head hurts, I am exhausted, and thinking about making dinner involves more work then I am capable of at that moment .  This is why I need the good people at Google to tell me what to do with leftover cabbage, some roasted chicken, and any other pantry items they think I should use.  My faith in them proved to be a good thing as my search led me to Vietnamese Chicken Salad.

I generally shy away from shredded foods (to this day I refuse to order sandwiches with shredded lettuce) but as I am nearing 30, I feel it's time I branch out a bit more.  What's life without trying something new? And you know what - this was one of the best (and easiest) things I've made all month.

Leftover roast chicken is tossed with shredded cabbage and carrots (and some peanuts for crunch!) and dressed in a funky dressing that is both sweet, spicy, tart, and bright.  It's the perfect dish for January when the winter doldrums have hit and you are craving something bright.

Vietnamese Chicken Salad

Serves 2 Generously

For the Salad
1 1/2 cups roasted chicken, diced (white, dark, or a combination of both works!)
1/2 head green cabbage, thinly sliced (shredded)
2 carrots, shredded
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1/3 cup roasted salted peanuts
2 Thai chiles, minced

For the Dressing
2 tablespoons sugar
Juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil

In a small bowl, combine all of the dressing ingredients and stir to combine.

Toss all of the salad ingredients in a large bowl.  Pour the dressing over the ingredients.  Toss to combine. Eat immediately.

pork and chive potstickers.

If there is a way to enclose something in some kind of little bun, wrapper, bread filled pocket, you can pretty much guarantee I am going to be obsessed with it.

I'm looking at you calazones, empanadas, bao, and (now) gyoza aka potstickers.

Gyoza are pockets of porky goodness.  Or in this case pork and chive which is one of those quintessential Asian pairings that I can't seem to get enough of.

But of course we couldn't leave this to just include pork and chives!  We need a little flavor boost and that means lots of minced garlic and ginger and a generous pour of soy sauce, rice vinegar, and (hot) sesame oil.  And then that filling gets stuffed into gyoza wrappers to be boiled and pan fried where they come out hot. crispy, impossibly juicy, and rather addicting.

Pork and Chive Potstickers

1 cup minced chives
3 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon ginger minced
1/2 pound ground pork
1 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1 1/12 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon hot pepper sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
10 turns of black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons water
24 gyoza wrappers
Additional oil for frying

In a large bowl, combine all filling ingredients.

Place a couple of teaspoons of filling in the center of a gyoza wrapper.  Wet the edges of the wrapper with water and then fold over the wrapper to seal the edges.  Set aside on a baking sheet covered with a dish towel.  Repeat with the remaining wrappers.   

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium high heat. Next to it, heat a few tablespoons of oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Boil dumplings for 4 minutes, remove with a slotted spoon (allowing excess water to drip off), and then transfer them to the frying pan (step back because this process could get spitty). Once the bottoms of the potstickers are browned, pat off any excess oil with a paper towel and then enjoy with soy sauce/sriracha.

chinese steamed buns.

I want to preface this post by saying these are better, way better then what you can get in your neighborhood Chinese restaurant. I've spent weeks thinking about them, analyzing recipes, buying the ingredients, only to be distracted and taken away from the kitchen (this wedding has really taken over). Finally, this three-day weekend allowed me the luxury to conquer the steamed pork buns that have eluded me for weeks now. 

These buns are insanely fluffy (I would happily rest my head on a pile of them) which makes them perfect for cradling a sweet and salty ground pork filling.  I love how perfectly portable they are.  How dainty they look from the outside and how surprisingly flavorful and spicy the inside is (especially when served with extra Sriracha on the side).  We are obsessed with them which is why Tyler and I polished off half a dozen during our awesomely lazy day-off.    

Chinese Steamed Buns

Recipe adapted from Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads

Makes 12 Buns

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour

1 package (2 ¼ teaspoons) dry yeast

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup nonfat dry milk

1 cup hot water (120 – 130 degrees)

1 tablespoon shortening or butter

½ teaspoon baking powder

By Hand or Mixer: In a mixing or mixer bowl measure 2 cups flour and add the dry ingredients, except the baking powder.  Stir to blend, and fashion a well in the flour.  Pour the hot water into the well and drop in the shortening or butter.  Let stand for a moment to soften the shortening or butter.  With a wooden spoon or mixer flat beater, stir vigorously for 2 minutes.  Sprinkle in the baking powder.  Add flour, ¼ cup at a time, mixed into the body of the dough until it forms a rough but elastic mass that can be lifted from the bowl.  If using a mixer, attach the dough hook.  Be careful not to overload the dough with flour as it needs to be soft to stretch over the filling. 

If by hand, lift the dough to a floured work surface and knead with a strong rhythm of push-turn-fold.  Add sprinkles of flour if the dough is sticky but keep it on the moist side rather than making a hard ball.  If under the dough hook, the dough will clean the sides of the bowl and form a ball around the hook.  If it sticks to the sides, add small portions of flour.  Knead for 10 minutes. 

By Processor: Attach the steel blade.  Measure 2 ¼ cups of flour into the work bowl and add the dry ingredient except the baking powder.  Blend.  With the processor running, pour the water through the tube; add shortening or butter.  Stop machine and sprinkle in the baking powder. 

Add flour, ¼ cup at a time with the processor on.  The amount of flour is sufficient when the dough cleans the sides of the bowl and rides on the blade.

Process with the machine running for 50 seconds.  The dough will be somewhat sticky when taken from the machine but a dusting of flour will make it possible to work.

Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and put aside at room temperature to double in volume, 45 minutes.  

To Prepare: Punch down the dough and divide into 12 equal pieces.  Form each into a ball and then flatten each into a 4” circle.  Place a spoonful of filling (recipe below) in the center of each circle; gather the dough over the filling, make small pleats, and twist the dough tightly closed. 

Place each ball on a circle or square of wax or parchment paper on the steamer rack.  Let the balls rest for

10 minutes but no longer.  Be precise about the timing. 

While the buns are resting, bring the water in the wok or conventional steamer to a boil.  Lower the rack into the steamer.  Cover and steam for 15 – 20 minutes.  Be certain the water does no boil away during the process. Lift the rack out of the steamer.  Let cook for a minute or two and take out the rolls.  Serve warm. 

To reheat the buns, cover with foil and place in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. 

Char Sui Pork

Recipe adapted from Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads

1 teaspoon sesame oil

½ pound ground pork

¼ cup minced chives

2 ½ tablespoons sugar

4 teaspoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons grated ginger

1 tablespoon Sriracha

½ teaspoon Szechuan pepper (optional)

2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cornstarch

¼ cup water

Salt and pepper to taste

In a saucepan, heat the oil and stir-fry the ground pork until cooked through, about 3-4 minutes.  Add the chives, sugar, soy sauce, ginger, Sriracha, and Szechuan pepper.  Stir to combine.

Mix the flour and cornstarch with the water.  Stir into the pork mixture.  Cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes until the mixture thickens.  Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired.  Put aside to cool.  

coconut milk and miso creamed kale with salmon.

I waited until the end of the month to make the statement that this is the best thing I ate during the month of January.  It was a dish that was created on a whim without a recipe or anything more then a "let's try this and hope it doesn't taste like garbage like some of your other experiments".  It doesn't involve any of my most favorite things (namely dark chocolate! bread! or cheese!!).  It can qualify as health food and yet it it's the dish we've eaten three times this month and have found utterly satisfying each and every time (which usually only happens when I am eating avocado toast and scrambled eggs followed by a chocolate almond croissant).  

This is a 5 ingredient (mostly pantry items) meal that basically cooks up in well under 15 minutes making this the single best thing you can make during the week when you have minimal time but are looking for something utterly amazing to eat.  The combination of coconut milk and miso may be my new favorite pairing especially when simmered together with chopped kale.  As the kale cooks and the coconut milk and miso simmers it thickens up to create a creamy base that is similar to a umami-bomb creamed spinach.  Paired with wild salmon that cooks atop the creamed kale and emerges from the pan perfectly flaky gives you have the best dinner ever.  

Coconut Milk and Miso Creamed Kale with Salmon

Serves 3 or 4 depending on how much salmon you buy.  

1 large bunch of kale, stems removed and chopped (about 12 cups) 1 can (13.5 ounces) of full-fat well-shaken coconut milk
2 tablespoons white miso
3/4 - 1 pound wild salmon fillet cut into or 4 pieces
Salt and pepper to taste
Lime wedges to serve
Sesame seeds for sprinkling (optional)

Heat a large saute pan over medium heat.  Pour the coconut milk into the pan and add kale.  (It will look like A LOT of kale but it will shrink down quickly.)  Stir to combine with the milk.  Allow kale to wilt and coconut milk to thicken, stirring on occasion, for about 5 minutes.  Stir in the miso.  

Salt and pepper the salmon to taste and place the salmon, skin side down over the kale.  Turn the heat down to low and cover the pan.  Cook until the salmon is cooked through and beginning to flake, about 5 minutes.  To serve place 1/3 to 1/4 of the kale mixture on the plate and top with the salmon.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired. Serve with wedges of lime.  

miso glazed salmon.

A lot of what we eat for dinner each evening stems from me Googling random ingredients and seeing what recipes come up.  This is not always conducive to having a successful dinner (blue cheese, tortillas, and cucumbers surprisingly doesn't come up with much).  Usually, this method leads to absurd meals but some days you need meals like that in an effort to clean out the fridge before things go bad.  (I know I can't be the only one who has this issue.) On occasion I stumble upon a recipe that has me questioning why I don't try cooking like this every night especially once I discover a recipe like this miso glazed salmon that is absurdly good (and easy!).  

This recipe search came about because I have the tendency to buy ingredients that I use for a specific recipe and then sometimes forget about (I have a terrible memory).  The boy likes to remind me of these tendencies every time I have us searching for some obscure item and every time he does that I like to remind him it will get used (I just don't specify exactly when it will happen).  So when I was searching through the fridge and saw the container of miso languishing in the back, I figured it was time to use it again before I heard him give me an earful.  A quick search for salmon (on sale at Whole Foods!) and miso led me to this recipe and I couldn't be happier with the results.  Miso is flavor-bomb ingredient (also known as a umami ingredient) and when paired with ginger and salmon you have one of the most flavorful glazes for fish ever (or for anything else you may find yourself pairing it with, I strongly suggest green beans and sugar snap peas).  

Miso Glazed Salmon
Recipe adapted (barely) via Bon Appetit

Serves 4

The original recipe calls for bone in salmon steaks but I find that salmon fillet works just as well (if not better).  Feel free to use either because really you could put this glaze on anything and people will devour it and you will have extra miso mixture which I strongly suggest using on vegetables.  White miso can be found at Asian supermarkets in the refridgerated section.  There are many types of miso but I suggest white miso the first time you buy it since it the mildest one.  

1 side, skin-on wild sockeye salmon fillet, about 1 1/2 pounds (pin bones removed)
1/3 cup white miso
2 tablespoons mirin (Japanese rice wine)
2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger (or grated on a microplane)
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
4 lime wedges for serving
Sesame seeds and cilantro for garnish (optional)

Line a rimed baking sheet with parchment paper or tin foil.  Lightly brush with vegetable oil.  Place salmon filet on the baking sheet, skin side down.  Whisk miso, mirin, rice vinegar, ginger, and sesame oil in a bowl to blend.  Spread the miso mixture over the salmon fillet so the whole thing is evenly coated.  Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes or in the fridge for up to an hour.  

Position an oven rack 6"-8" from broiler and preheat. Broil salmon, turning once, until golden brown and just opaque in center, 10-12 minutes total (or until an instant read thermometer reaches a temperature of 131 degrees.  Let salmon rest 5 minutes.  Top with minced cilantro and sesame seeds if desired. Serve with lime wedges.  

warm glass noodles with edamame.

We are at t-minus 36 hours until we arrive on the west coast which means we are at my least favorite part of getting ready for vacation which is the "I can't buy anything new at the supermarket and can only make dinner using things I have in the fridge and freezer".  I somehow always end up with bits of things in the fridge  as a result of week long random cooking adventures and somehow this problem always exacerbates itself right before we leave on any trip.  My way of dealing with this issue is to make pasta.  I have yet to find a food that you can't combine with pasta. (Pasta is kind of like eggs.  You can eat any food with eggs, that's why they are so perfect.)  This particular pasta dish is a favorite because of it's Asian influence.  There is something about an Asian sauce and the combination of sweet, tangy, salty, and spicy.  The melding of different flavors excites your taste buds  This noodle and edamame dish is unexpected and light and uses basic pantry items which makes it perfect for those nights when you don't know what to make for dinner.  

Warm Glass Noodles and Edamame
Recipe adapted from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi

This is one of those dishes that really should just be used as a starting point.  I added in some leftover diced chicken and avocado to this dish as that's what we had in the fridge, but it would also be wonderful with diced carrots and pepper or leftover steak.  Really you can throw anything in.  (But I highly recomend avocado, it's wonderful here.)  

Serves 4

For the Sauce

2 tablespoons hot sesame oil
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
Juice of 1 - 2 limes
2 tablespoons pure rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon peanut butter (chunky or creamy)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
1 - 2 teaspoons Sriracha 

For the Pasta

7 ounce glass (cellophane) noodles
2 cups shelled cooked edamame
1 fresh chile, finely chopped
1 cup leftover protein or vegetables (if none replace with an extra 1/2 cup of edamame)
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
3 tablespoons shredded fresh mint

Soak the noodles in a bowl of hot water for about 5 minutes, or until soft (don't leave them in the water too long or they will get soggy).  Drain and leave to dry.

To make the sauce, in a small bowl whisk together all of the sauce ingredients and set aside.  

In a large bowl, add the noodles, edamame, leftover protein, vegetables, mint, and cilantro.  Pour the sauce over the noodles and toss to combine ensuring all the noddles are sufficiently coated.  Serve garnished with more herbs.          

scallion pancakes.

The scallion pancakes I had discussed earlier this week were made again last night (when I like something I become obsessed to the point that I eat it until I find something new to obsess over).  There is something about the simplicity of this pancake that I find irresistible (simplicity seems to be the current name of the game since I am finding that preference being extended to my wardrobe as well!).  They are chewy and light with the most wonderful onion flavor dispersed throughout.  I could eat these plain any day of the week but they are best dipped in a mixture of soy sauce and Sriracha and served with Sriracha scrambled eggs (can you tell I love Sriracha) or fried rice made with the leftover Korean marinated beef!  Simple and utterly satisfying and best consumed while watching Homeland! (Halfway through Season 2!  I am obsessed with this show.)   

Scallion Pancakes

Recipe from The Sophisticated Gourmet

Makes 6-8 pancakes

1 ½ cups/180 grams all-purpose flour

1 ¼ teaspoons fine grain sea salt

3 green onions or scallions, green parts only, trimmed and cut into small rounds to yield 1/3 cup

½ cup boiling water

Oil, for frying (any neutral-oil but no olive oil!)

In a large mixing bowl (or in the bowl of your electric mixer), whisk together the flour, salt, and scallions.  Slowly add the boiled water to the flour and scallion mixture.  Briefly knead the dough until it’s no longer sticky.  If the dough is too dry, keep adding tablespoons of hot water until a soft dough forms; it should be similar in consistency to chewing gum. 

Remove the dough from the bowl and knead on a clean, lightly floured surface until soft and smooth, about 10 minutes. (You can also beat this in the electric mixer for about 4 minutes.) 

Cover the dough with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes, or up to a day in the refrigerator. 

Once rested, divide the dough into 8 equal sized pieces.  Using your palm, roll each piece of dough into perfect rounds (avoid adding flour when shaping the pieces of dough.)

Once all the pieces of dough are shaped into perfect rounds, lightly dust the tops and bottoms of each round of dough with some flour.  Then slightly flatten each dough round. 

Using a rolling pin, roll each round of dough into discs , starting from the center-out, into 5 ½ inches to 6 inches in diameter.  When rolling out the dough rounds, avoid adding too much flour to the work surface as this results in hard, greasy pancakes.  To get perfect discs, give the dough ¼ turn each time you roll. 

Once all the discs are rolled0out, heat a dry stir-fry pan, cast-iron skillet, or heavy bottomed skillet over medium-high heat.  Pour in about ¼ inch of oil into the pan or skillet.  Working quickly, dust any excess flour off of the dough disc and shallow fry each side of the pancake until light golden brown (about 1-minute for each side), pressing down around the edges of the pancake with a large spoon or spatula.  The pancake should slightly puff up in places.  Add more oil to the skillet, and repeat for the remaining pancakes, always making sure to dust off any excess flour before placing the discs in the pan.  Serve immediately.