Korean BBQ

Old Village Korean, Shoreline

Date - February 6, 2009

Background - Karen, a Korean-American friend of ours, introduced us a few years back to Korean food at a favorite place of hers in Shoreline.  We hadn't been in a few years so we rounded up a crew to hit the burbs for some BBQ.

Atmosphere - Last time we were here, about two years ago, this place had all the atmosphere of a cafe at your local Target, but they've remodeled and it looks much hipper with dark paint and metal accents.  Not bad for a strip mall joint in Shoreline.

Service - Might be okay by Korean standards, but let's just say you don't go to this spot for the service.  Even with a Korean speaker at the table, there was plenty of confusion.  

Drink - Limited (way  better wine selection than our previous trips), but would have been fine had they not been out of the one option us girls wanted.  We ended up with a Chateau St. Michelle Riesling that I liked, but was too sweet for some.

Food - Did not disappoint.  The must here is BBQ.  Usually we cook up our own at the table, but with such a large group they brought it out pre-cooked.  It isn't quite as much fun this way, so I would try to get a table with the built in BBQ.  We ordered a lot of different dishes for the table (too many to keep track) but the sesame noodles were a big hit and I got my favorite dish dish that comes in a very hot stone pot that cooks as you eat it.

Verdict - A great meal, especially when it's cold out, and worth the drive up to the hinterlands.  

Whole Whaet Pasta with Greens, Beans and Tomatoes

I know this may not sound very sexy but it's really good - I promise, I give it 4 stars. While I am not usually a big fan of whole wheat pasta, in this dish it really adds a nuttiness that makes the dish. This is a hearty and healthy dish as well as a great way to eat greens (don't let them intimidate you).

Prep time: 30 minutes.
Total time: 45 minutes

Serves: 6

3 T good olive oil

3 garlic cloves minced

1 medium onion

½ t hot red pepper flakes

14 C loosely packed kale (1-1½ lbs), thick stems trimmed, leaves chopped into 1” pieces and rinsed.

1½ C low sodium vegetable broth

1 can (14½ oz.) diced tomatoes, drained

1 can (15 oz.) cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed

13 ¼ oz whole wheat pasta (Ronzoni Health Harvest is best)

2 oz. parmesan cheese, grated (1 cup or so), use the good imported kind

Heat oil in a 12” straight sided sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan and cook until starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook stirring constantly until garlic is fragrant (30 seconds).

Add half of greens to pan. Using tongs, toss occasionally until starting to wilt – about 2 minutes.Add remaining green, broth, tomatoes and ¾ t salt. Cover (pan will be very full) and increase heat to high and bring to a strong simmer. Reduce heat to medium and cook, covered tossing occasionally until greens are tender, about 15 minutes (mixture will be somewhat soupy). Stir in beans.

Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in a large pan over high heat. Add spaghetti and 1T of salt. Cook until pasta is just shy of al dente. Drain pasta and return to pot. Add greens mixture to pasta and toss to combine. Cook until pasta absorbs most of the liquid – about 2 minutes. Stir in cheese and adjust seasoning. Serve immediately.

Calories/Serving -485
Carbs/Serving - 83g
Fat/Serving - 12g
Protein/Serving -15g

Chicken Empanadas

These are a favorite of the Count - he'd have them every week if he could. We both fell in love with empanads while studying abroad in Chile. In Chile, empanadas generally come in two types, Cheese or meat with raisins, a hard boiled egg, and a couple of whole olives (thankfully those could easily be removed). In looking for a slightly healthier version, I found these a few years ago and they've been in the rotation ever since.

This recipe is for appetizer size, but I make four or five large ones and have some for dinner and stick the extra in the freezer. The filling recipe is courtesy of Martha Stewart and the dough is photo copied from an obscure cook book of my dad's so I can't quote the source (sorry whoever you are), but it is a very authentic dough (at least for Chile) compared to many I've tried out there.

CHICKEN AND CORN EMPANADAS

1/4 cup olive oil (I usually use less)
1 1/2 cups finely-chopped white onion
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp oregano (preferably Mexican)
1 cup finely-chopped red bell pepper
1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels - 5 small ears (This is a Martha recipe, so the rest of us just use frozen corn, defrosted)
1 lb boneless skinless chicken thigh meat, cut 1/4" pieces
2 Tbs dry white wine
Coarse salt, to taste
6 oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 large egg, lightly beaten with
1 Tbs water


=== EMPANADA DOUGH ===
2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder
1 Tbs vegetable shortening

1 egg yolk

3-4 Tbs ice water

Make the Empanada Dough: Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add lard and butter, and pulse until it is the texture of coarse meal. With the processor running, slowly add enough water to form a firm dough. Transfer to a lightly floured work surface, and knead until the dough comes together and is smooth. Wrap dough in plastic wrap, and chill for 1 hour (I've skipped this step when I am in a hurry, but it does make rolling the dough a bit tougher).

Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, red-pepper flakes, and oregano. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Season with salt. Cook for 1 minute. Add red and green peppers and corn. Cook until the peppers soften and any liquid has evaporated, about 3 minutes.

To the same pan, add the chicken, wine, and salt. Cook until chicken is just cooked through and almost all liquid has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Refrigerate filling until chilled; stir in cheese. The filling may be prepared and refrigerated, covered, for up to 2 days.

Fill a small bowl with cold water. Roll out dough to a 1/8-inch thickness. Using a 5-inch plate as a template, cut out 24 circles. Spoon about 1/4 cup chilled filling into the center of a circle, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Brush border with cold water. Fold the dough over, stretching it slightly, to form a half-moon shape. Beginning at one end, press the edges together to seal, while trying to remove any air pockets. Press again to ensure that empanadas are well sealed. Using a fork or your fingers, crimp the edges to form a decorative edge. Repeat with remaining circles.
Brush the empanadas with egg wash, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes (I've skipped this step too, and they've been great) but no longer than 1 day. (Once filled, the empanadas may be frozen and baked later, without defrosting, in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Arrange empanadas on baking sheets. Bake until puffed and browned, and filling is bubbling inside, 15 to 20 minutes (or a bit longer if you are making the large versions). Serve immediately.
This recipe yields small 24 empanadas or 4-6 large ones.

Super Bowl

So just to prove I can do low brow food too, I decided to tackle wings for our Super Bowl party.  I was dissapointed that they didn't look like the day-glow orange version I've seen in bars, but I was told by the several wing connesuers in attendance that they were delicous.  A Barefoot Contessa recipe, they were surprisingly easy - even the cutting wings into pieces wasn't hard if you broke the wings at the joint.

Buffalo Chicken Wings

Makes 32 pieces

For the wings 

16 chicken wings (about 3 pounds) 

1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter 

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 teaspoons Frank's Hot Sauce, or 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce 

1 teaspoon kosher salt

For the dip 

1 1/2 cups crumbled gorgonzola or other blue cheese 

1 cup good mayonnaise 3/4 cup sour cream 2 tablespoons milk 

3/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

Celery sticks, for serving Preheat the broiler.

Cut the chicken wings in thirds, cutting between the bones. Discard the wing tips (or use them to make chicken noodle soup). Melt the butter and add the cayenne, hot sauce, and salt. Put the wings on a sheet pan and brush them with the melted butter. Broil them about 3 inches below the heat for 8 minutes. Turn the wings, brush them again with the butter, and broil for 4 more minutes, or until cooked. 

For the dip, place the blue cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, Worcestershire, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process until almost smooth. Serve the chicken wings hot or at room temperature with the blue cheese dip and celery sticks.

Themed Dinner Party - Latin American

A few of us have been kicking around the idea of a progressive or themed dinner party and Deepa and Erich got us started with Latin American theme.  I was assigned a side dish and volunteered the Count for a cocktail that worked as a mocktail.

I went for an old favorite, Tommy's Rice and Beans from Epicurious.com.  Nothing really fancy (although I like how colorful it is), but black beans and rice feel like a classic Latin America side and this recipe is my version of comfort food.  It paired nicely with the lamb (an extra treat as it was from Erich parent's farm and organic) with mole sauce.  We started off the evening with tasty goat cheese and chorizo empanadas, gourmet nachos and Mexicana cocktails.  The night wrapped up with Mexican wedding cookies and tequila lime budt cake with lemoncello.  

It was a really fun night and a great way to have a low key but gourmet meal with friends.  I hope this becomes a regular event.

Better Bran Muffins

Bran muffins sounded like a healthy way to warm up cold January mornings.  This recipe is out of Cook's Illustrated and even though I didn't quite have all the right ingredients, they were delicious!  I am not a fan of raisins, so I substituted dried cherries which were a great choice.  These will defiantly become part of the regular rotation!

Makes 12 muffins.   Published May 1, 2007.  

The test kitchen prefers Kellogg's All-Bran Original cereal in this recipe. Dried cranberries or dried cherries may be substituted for raisins. Low-fat or nonfat yogurt can be substituted for whole milk yogurt, though the muffins will be slightly less flavorful.

INGREDIENTS

1	cup raisins
1	teaspoon water
2 1/4	cups All-Bran Original cereal (5 ounces)
1 1/4	cups unbleached all-purpose flour (6 1/4 ounces)
1/2	cup whole wheat flour (2 1/2 ounces),
2	teaspoons baking soda
1/2	teaspoon table salt
1	large egg
1	large egg yolk
2/3	cup packed light brown sugar (4 2/3 ounces)
3	tablespoons mild molasses (or light)
1	teaspoon vanilla extract
6	tablespoons unsalted butter (3/4 stick), melted and cooled
1 3/4	cups plain whole-milk yogurt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray standard-sized muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. Combine raisins and water in small microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap, cut several steam vents in plastic with paring knife, and microwave on high power for 30 seconds. Let stand, covered, until raisins are softened and plump, about 5 minutes. Transfer raisins to paper towel-lined plate to cool.

2. 2. Process half of bran cereal in food processor until finely ground, about 1 minute. Whisk flours, baking soda, and salt in large bowl to combine; set aside. Whisk egg and yolk together in medium bowl until well-combined and light-colored, about 20 seconds. Add sugar, molasses, and vanilla; whisk until mixture is thick, about 30 seconds. Add melted butter and whisk to combine; add yogurt and whisk to combine. Stir in processed cereal and unprocessed cereal; let mixture sit until cereal is evenly moistened (there will still be some small lumps), about 5 minutes.

3. 3. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and gently mix with rubber spatula until batter is combined and evenly moistened. Do not overmix. Gently fold raisins into batter. Using 1/3-cup measure or ice cream scoop, divide batter evenly among muffin cups, dropping batter to form mounds. Do not level or flatten surfaces 
   of mounds.
   

4. 4. Bake until muffins are dark golden and toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes out with a few crumbs attached, 16 to 20 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Cool muffins in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

New Years Eve With Warm Black Mission Fig, Walnut Crunch, and Blue Cheese Tart

We spent New Year's with the crew at the Tottens where fun was had by all. Mrs. Totten prepared a great spread including a Tuscan white bean soup that I hope to get the recipe for - it was perfect for a cold winter night.

My cooking bug is still really strong, so I brought a fig, walnut, and blue cheese tart. I thought it was good, but I think it makes a dessert than appetiser. I used dried figs, but think it would have been better looking and tasting with fresh figs earlier in the fall.