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This recipe is really simple and easy to make, but shockingly delicious - the first time I made it I was trying for something that wasn't too much like American Chinese food but still had elements of sweet and savory. I was surprised how balanced it turned out. It's not overly sweet, nor is it overwhelmingly soy-sauce flavored. It's as easy to eat as it is to prepare. Ingredients Pork or Beef Roast (I used a 3 pound pork blade roast most recently - whatever is cheap) 1/2 c. soy sauce 1/2 c. water 1.5 Tbsp cider vinegar 2-3 Tbsp brown sugar (more if you want it sweeter) 1 Tbsp yellow mustard powder 1 tsp ground pepper 1 2" cube of ginger, cut into slices 2 medium cloves garlic, cut in half 1-2 dried red chilis (to taste) Combine sauce ingredients. Taste for balance. Place roast in crockpot, pour sauce over roast, let cook until it's dinner time. If you're feeling fancy, you can add some veggies to the crockpot at the very end. Make sure it ...

 WHITE BEAN MINESTRONE Adapted from recipe by Martha Rose Shulman (perhaps my favorite chef...She also has a version with squash that I'll have to try some day.) Serves 4-6 2 Tb. olive oil 1 large onion, finely chopped 1 carrot, finely chopped 1 celery stalk, finely chopped 2 Tb. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 4 garlic cloves, put through garlic press, divided in halves 1 can (14 oz.) crushed tomatoes (If necessary, use diced, and then mince them.) 1 1/2 lb. (or one small head) green cabbage, cored and chopped fine 1/2 lb. (1 heaped cup) dried white beans, picked over, rinsed, soaked in water for 6 hours or overnight OR 1 can cannelini beans 8 cups water (Optional: Substitute some broth for water, especially if you’re not adding meat) 1 Parmesan rind (No parmesan rind is fine. But then be sure to serve with Parmesan on top if possible. It adds great flavor!) 1 Bay Leaf Salt and freshly ground pepper 1/2 cup elbow macaroni other small pasta ...

My goal in making this recipe was to explore Asian recipes that would translate well into American holidays. I think this would be a great recipe for Thanksgiving or Christmas, as it has a rich, special-occasion quality to it, as well as spices such as cinnamon which are traditional at the holidays. It turned out great, and really wasn't that difficult. Maybe not an everyday meal, but certainly worth making a few times a year. The pork becomes glazed with a sweet, flavorful sauce, and the meat is fall apart tender, with the fat completely melting in your mouth. There are many versions online, and mine is primarily based on this video . You can add puffed tofu or hard boiled eggs at the end for more variety in texture. Finished product, with stir fried Chinese broccoli and scallion pancake. Towards the end of the cooking time, before you add the sugar and cook down to create the final glaze. The assembled ingredients. The pork has already been blanched and is ready fo...

We had this wonderful, hearty dish during a brief stop for lunch in Mulhouse in the Alsace region during our Europe trip this year. Using a recipe from an actual Alsatian, Hubert Keller , we found that our version actually far surpassed the simple fare we had in Mulhouse. The principle of the Baeckeoffe is similar to the Jewish cholent tradition: make a casserole in a earthenware or enameled dish, seal tightly, and allow to cook untouched for several hours (traditionally, by leaving in a baker's oven Friday before sabbath, then retrieve Saturday after sundown, when you are allowed to pick things up again). I opted not to seal the pot with dough because my lid has no vent (see original if you want to try). The heavy cast iron lid provided a plenty good seal. This dish takes some pre-planning because it should marinate overnight, but it is well worth it. Also, amazingly, I was able to find Alsatian Riesling at Total Wine! Protective and delicious layer of potatoes. The fin...

My wonderful siblings got me a cookbook in Morocco that is both inspiring and idiosyncratically translated. The quantities are along the lines of "heaping coffeespoonful" and "one teaglassful". Many of the dishes have combinations of sweet and savory, fruit and meat, which intimidate me. I should try out more of these recipes than I do, but I thought this relatively simple one would be a good start. Moroccans must be quite fertile, as these recipes often begin with "take 2 whole chickens, add 11 pounds of tomatoes...", so I scaled this one back for our 2-person family. The result was a deeply hearty, warming, satisfying stew, and I am finally reconsidering my dislike of sweetened meat dishes. A thoughtful gift from Alex and Melanie for a food-obsessed person like me! This dish has a wonderfully mellow, warming character. Almonds are supposed to be whole and blanched, but I couldn't find those. 1 whole cut-up chicken 1 stick butter 1 ...

My lovely brother accused me of posting elitist bourgeoise recipes using the steam oven, so here's a recipe for the people--LITERALLY. This is from DDR Kochbuch - Das Original , a cookbook of East German recipes that we got in Weimar. This clearly influenced by the multitude of Russian recipes for shchi , or cabbage soup. Being on the eastward side of the iron curtain, many GDR recipes were influenced by cuisine from within the USSR. I believe this could be made with sauerkraut rather than fresh cabbage. If you use kraut, rinse it a couple of times first, and then don't add vinegar later on. The humble appearance of this soup belies wonderfully rich flavor. For this version we used pork loin, but can be made with other cuts of pork, or with beef or veal. The meat is cooked until tender, but still with some chew to it. 2 lbs.  boneless stew meat: beef, pork, or veal (or 3-5 lbs bone-in) 1 large celery root (celeriac), cubed 1 large leek, separate the leaves, wash tho...

I've been debating whether I should post some of these more niche recipes--now that we have a steam oven and a high powered stove, I am making recipes that not everyone can reproduce with other equipment. I've decided to post some of them 1) for my own records, and 2) because there are very few recipes available online for these devices (especially the steam oven). Perhaps these recipes will be of use to others. I don't have a photo for this one because I decided to post the recipe after the fact. 3-5 lb pork shoulder roast (~3 lb without bone, ~5 lb with) 1 large white onion, 1/4" slices 1 Tbsp. butter 1 chicken boullion cube 1 c. water 2 tsp. dried thyme 1 tsp. dried sage 1 tsp. whole coriander 1 Tbsp. coarse ground salt 1 Tbsp. brown sugar 1 tsp. dry mustard 1 tsp. white pepper 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. cayenne 1/4 tsp. allspice 1/4 tsp. celery seed Saute the onions in the butter in a saute pan over medium for 10 min until the onions are somewha...

Inspired by our trip to Germany and the many wonderful composed salads we had, I created this cauliflower salad. I served it with pulled pork sandwiches, as an alternative to cole slaw, which went well together. Vegetables 1 head cauliflower, in small florets 1 carrot, julienne 1/3 c. red onion, sliced thin 2 stalks celery, sliced thin ~2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves Dressing 1/4 c. red wine vinegar + 2 tsp. cider vinegar 3 Tbsp. olive oil 1 tsp. Dijon mustard 1 tsp. sugar 1 tsp. salt or to taste 1/2 tsp. black mustard 1/4 tsp. cayenne Blanch the cauliflower and plunge into cold water to cool, then drain thoroughly. Combine the cauliflower, carrot, onion, and celery in a large bowl. Whisk together the dressing ingredients, and then pour over the vegetables, then mix. Adjust salt to taste. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes or longer.

This is a wonderfully flavorful dish that can be easily prepared in a pinch. If you cannot find the kaffir lime leaf, omit it (although it adds nice flavor). You can also use standard string beans instead of the long beans. Make sure to cook the dish on as high a heat as possible so that the chicken sears quickly and doesn't dribble out all its juices in the pan. I recommend cooking only 1 lb of chicken at a time so you don't overcrowd the pan. My recipe is based off of the one here at Eating Thai Food . 1 lb chicken breast, cut into 3/4" slices 1/2 c. Chinese long beans, cut into 1/4" slices (or string beans) 3 Tbsp. Thai red curry paste 1 Tbsp. fish sauce 1 tsp sugar 4 kaffir lime leaves, chiffonade 2 Tbsp. peanut oil Heat a flat bottomed wok on medium high and then add the oil. Add the curry paste and stir/chop with a wok spoon or spatula so that it sizzles and softens for 30 seconds. Ensure it does not burn. Add the chicken, fish sauce, and sugar an...

This recipe is a perfect one for summer - it uses yellow summer squash which is always in abundance and ends up tasting very light.  It takes very little time to cook, and there's not really very much prep. The hardest part is getting the spices together, but overall there's not that much chopping or cooking. It was meant to be sort of a one-off recipe, but as soon as we tasted how well it turned out, I started writing it down to keep from forgetting it. Ingredients 1 tsp whole fennel 4 cloves 1 tsp whole coriander 4 green cardamom pods, lightly smashed 1/2 tsp turmeric 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (more if you want it spicy) 1 tsp ground black pepper 1/2 onion, minced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp grated fresh ginger 1 Tbsp cumin seeds 1 heaping tsp black mustard seeds 2 medium yellow squash cut into thin circles or half circles 1 can coconut milk 1/3 c. chicken broth (i.e. one muffin tin cube's worth, optional) 1 chicken breast cut into thin pieces ...

There is a restaurant in Madison, Wisconsin, called "Mediterranean Cafe" aka MedCaf and they have perfected how to do 'fast food' right. They make huge batches of homecooked food, and have such quick turnover that it's always really fresh. Every day they have 4 specials, in addition to some standby items that are always available - it's hugely popular, and at lunch time there's often a bit of a line out the door. One of my favorite dishes that they had, which was a special and so only available certain days, was a chicken apricot pie. I don't think this is an authentic dish in any particular country, but represents the kind of fusiony approach that make MedCaf so popular. This is the recipe from my third time making it, since the first couple just didn't come close enough to what I remember. This recipe requires one unusual ingredient, "Qamar ad-din" paste. It's basically unsweetened apricot fruit leather that is normally used to...

So it turns out making your own mustard is ridiculously easy, though not actually that profitable since mustard powder is not actually that much cheaper than just buying mustard. However, given how easy it is, there's almost no reason not to make it. The main ingredient is yellow mustard seed powder, which you should be able to get almost anywhere. You can also add brown or black mustard seeds (note that they look almost identical), in whole or ground form (I don't see much availability of these as pre-ground, you generally have to grind them yourself). To make the condiment mustard, you'll mix water, vinegar and spices in with your mustard powder/seeds. You then need to wait a couple of days for it to get less bitter - hold in mind while tasting it at first that it's going to be bitter. The main rule of thumb is that the temperature of water you use will play a big role in spiciness - the hotter the water, the less spicy the resulting mustard is. It seems really ...

This is unfortunately a bit of a non-recipe, since I just eyeball the ingredients. However, it turns out delicious every time I've made it, it takes almost no effort, and it makes a lot. Obviously beef and broccoli is normally a stir-fry and doesn't make that long to cook. The advantage to this recipe is that it allows you to use a really cheap roast cut instead of more expensive cuts good for stir frying, and it actually takes even less effort than stir frying. Beef roast (~2 lbs) - my favorite is London Broil, since the grain makes for pieces that are great for picking up with chop sticks 1/2 onion, cut into wedges Sauce: 3-6 garlic cloves depending on size 2-3 slices of ginger Soy sauce (Tablespoons) Oyster sauce (Tablespoon-2 Tblsp) Rice wine/sherry (Tablespoon) Water Cornstarch + cold water (optional) Broccoli Mix up the sauce and taste. I often end up making too little - the roast will contribute less liquid than you think.Adding water actually helps the ...

So I've posted a few bread recipes here, but this post is more about my technique, since I've gotten it down to enough of a science that it makes less mess than most bread recipes, and the results are always really good.  I personally do not find "no-knead" recipes to be any less work than "kneaded" recipes - you usually have some step that involves scattering corn meal across half the kitchen, and dish clothes covered in bits of dough. This recipe requires very little kneading, but a lot of time (really, benevolent neglect). However, if you're gonna be home anyway, it doesn't require much effort, so I often make this on a Saturday while grading. I got the basic idea for this approach from a couple books on bread baking. The main thing is that everyone seems to agree that a wetter dough tastes better, has a nicer crumb, etc in the end, and so my approach aims to make a wet bread dough with almost no interaction with it using my hands, and to...