Lamb Chops with Pomegranate Red Wine Sauce

There are days where I barely have it together to peel a clove of garlic let alone make dinner. But hunger pangs comes like clockwork and I did not feel like getting any take out. Brad had picked up some succulent lamb shoulder chops on the way home from work and I had some sweet potatoes on hand. I sprinkled some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper onto the chops and heated up my heavy bottomed saute pan on medium high with 2 tablespoon of olive oil. I cooked the chops for 5 minutes on each side. The real winner here is the pomegranate red wine sauce that sooth and velvety. This meal was ready in half an hour ( I had to bake the diced sweet potatoes and that took half an hour). But the lamb and sauce took only 20 minutes tops. Not bad for what started out as an uninspiring day!

Pomegranate Red Wine Sauce
This recipe was inspired by Fine Cooking magazine. I had altered some of the measurements for the ingredients. I rather have more sauce than less. This sauce would make 4-5 servings, but again that solely depends whether there are sauce fiends at the table! If you do not have pomegranate molasses on hand feel free to use 1/2 cup of pomegranate juice. Use the pan that the lamb was cooked in as there will be some leftover fat in the pan to saute the shallots and all the delicious brown its from the chops. Feel free to use fresh rosemary if you prefer.

1/2 cup minced shallots
1 tb pomegranate molasses
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 red wine
1/4 stock - I used vegetable stock
1 tb balsamic vinegar
1 tb honey
2 tb cold butter - cubed
a pinch of dried rosemary

Saute minced shallots in the pan for 3 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT butter. Stir and boil until liquid is reduced by half. It will start to get thick. Turn down the heat and swirl in cubed cold butter and adjust seasoning. Take sauce off heat immediately. Transfer lamb chops with sauce.

Lodeh - Vegetables Cooked In Coconut Broth

This is a popular Malay dish that is traditionally served with lontong / rice cakes. I did not feel like going through the arduous process of making rice cakes for the two of us plus it is a week night dinner.

As usual, there are a few variations to this dish. I have used cubed firm tofu instead of using both tofu and tempeh as is the norm. The combinations of coconut milk and glass noodles is just perfect. In Malaysia and Indonesia glass noodles/cellophane noodles are called suun, tanghoon or saifun.

Glass noodles are made from mung bean starch and turns clear when it is reconstituted. It is sold dried. Korean glass noodles are made from sweet potato starch instead of mung bean. Glass noodles are used in Korean, Japanese, Malaysian, Indonesian, Filipino, Vietnamese, Thai and Chinese cuisines. It is prepared in a variety of ways - stir fries, soups, salads, fillings and is a popular stand in for vegetarian version of shark fin soup. It is available in most oriental markets.

Lodeh
Glass noodles and coconut milk is one of my favourite flavour and texture combinations. It does not take the noodle long to cook at all. I soaked the dried noodles for half an hour in warm water and it was ready to go into the pot . I have used dried galangal here. Simply omit prawns to make the vegetarian version.

1/2 lb prawns - peeled
1 cup long beans - cut into 1 inch
7 oz firm tofu - cubed and drained in a colander
25 gm bean thread noodles - soaked in warm water
1 can coconut milk
1 tb vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic - minced
2 slices galangal
salt to taste
4 red chilis - sliced
2 cups cabbage - cut into bite size
2 Japanese eggplant - halved and quartered into 2 inch lengths
6 sliced shallots

Heat oil in a pan and saute garlic and shallots on medium low heat for 5 minutes.
Add prawns, galangal pieces, coconut milk and stir. Cook for 3 minutes.
Add coconut milk, sliced chilis, vegetables, glass noodles and firm tofu.
Cook covered for 5-8 minutes, till vegetables are tender.Uncover and adjust seasonings.
Serve hot with rice or lontong. Quick, delicious and nutritious any time of the week! This makes 4/5 servings.

More on galangal here

Meyer Lemon

Meyer Lemon is a citrus fruit that is a cross between lemon and tangerine or sweet orange. It looks like a lemon but has a thin, soft and smooth rind and has a sweeter and less acidic flavour than regular lemons. Oh - and it cost more. Brad went to pick up a few and was shocked when he had to fork out more than $10.00 for a few lemons ( I did not tell him the price of Meyer lemons at the local grocery store). I think I am better off buying it online. It is cheaper but I discovered that a bit too late. Maybe next year.


I made some preserved lemon with salt, sugar, some Meyer lemon juice, cardamom, chili flakes and whole cloves. It is sitting in the fridge and I can't wait to use it in a few weeks. Then I browsed the web and came across the LA times article - 101 things to do with Meyer lemons. I was inspired by that article to make some lemon confit. It is easy peasy - slice the lemons thinly and cook it low and slow in olive oil for one hour. I had to take it off the stove after 45 minutes because it was starting to overcook and I was afraid that it was going to burn.


What to do with the leftover lemons? I was not in the mood for lemon desserts ( it had been a dessert filled week - too much of a good thing I guess :) I decided to make risotto with some of the asparagus that was languishing in the fridge. I was rewarded with a velvety and luscious risotto....So good!

Meyer Lemon Risotto with Asparagus

I boiled the stock first before even starting the rest of the dish. The stock needs to be added slowly to the rice. I have used dried rosemary here. You could substitute with fresh rosemary. Regular lemons would work as well as Meyer lemons in this recipe. You will notice that I have not specified the amount of freshly grated Parmesan cheese - use as much as your heart desires!

7 cups vegetable stock
1/2 lb asparagus - cut into 1 in lengths
1 tb flat leaf parsley - chopped fine
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tb olive oil
1 cup shallots - peeled and chopped fine
3 cloves garlic - chopped fine
1 1/4 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 tsp Meyer Lemon zest
1 1/2 tb lemon juice
salt and freshly round pepper to taste
2 tb cream
Parmesan cheese - freshly grated
a pinch of saffron

Heat stock and dried rosemary in a pot and bring to a boil Reduce heat to a simmer.

Bring another pot of salted water to a boil and blanch asparagus for 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl of ice water. This would ensure the vegetable retains its colour.
Drain and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a pan on medium heat ( I used a heavy bottomed wide saucepan) and saute chopped shallots and garlic till translucent and soft. Add rice and stir for 4 minutes. Pour wine into the pot, add lemon zest and saffron. This is one dish where constant stirring is required so don't walk away from the stove!

Once the wine is absorbed, add 1/2 cup of stock to the rice and stir . Repeat this until the rice is creamy and tender. It should still retain some firmness in the centre and should not be mushy all through (it took me half an hour).

Remove pot from heat and stir in lemon juice and parsley. Stir and then add cream and Parmesan. Adjust seasoning. Serve immediately or it till glob up. Makes 5 servings ( as a first course).

Mee Siam

Noodles are wonderful anytime of the day for me. Can't beat really beat a spicy plate of mee goreng ( fried noodles) and steaming hot teh tarik ( hot milky "pulled" tea) for breakfast..well maybe nasi lemak. Don't get me going on the plethora of savoury breakfast choices in Malaysia. Speaking of which, I better post some of my pictures from my trip last August !

Back to the noodles. This makes a huge wok of noodles. You could always halve it if you wish. I love the leftovers for breakfast the next day! I made the chilli paste from scratch, it is a cinch to make if you have a blender Or you could do it old school with mortar and pestle if you have one. Just be careful - you don't want any chili paste in your eyes as that would not be a good thing. There a various brands of chili paste that are available in grocery stores. Just check to make sure that it does not contain any vinegar as it would throw off of the taste of this dish.

Mee Siam
The are varying thickness of dried rice noodles. I prefer a medium thickness. The fine noodles tend to go mushy when cooked. Feel free to reduce the amount of chillis if you think this would be too spicy.

15 dried red chillies
6 shallots - chopped
7 stalks of spring onions - chopped
14 oz firm tofu - cubed and fried
4 cloves garlic - minced
400 g packet of rice noodles- dried
2 cups bean sprouts picked over
1 packet fish balls, halved
1/2 lb medium sized prawns - peeled and deveined
4 medium sized squid - cleaned ad cut into rings
1 lime - cut into wedges
2 tsp salt
1 tb light soy sauce
1 tb sugar
3 tb vegetable oil


Soak noodles in warm water for at least 2 hours, drain and set aside.
Soak dried chillis in hot water for 20 minutes till it soften. Drain and puree the chillis with peeled and chopped shallots and 1/4 cup of water. The mixture should be a smooth puree. Set puree aside.

Heat 3 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a wok If you do not own a wok, a large saute pan would work as well. Saute minced garlic till fragrant (it is a lot of garlic but this makes a huge wok of noodles) and then add chilli paste and sugar in the hot oil and saute for 8 minutes on medium heat. Keep stirring the paste or it will burn. Add prepared prawns, squid, fish balls, salt and light soy sauce to the chilli paste. Cook until the prawns are curled tight, around 4 - 5 minutes. Add a few tablespoons of water if sauce appears to be dry.

Add drained rice noodles, bean sprouts and fried tofu to the sauce mixture and mix gently. Add scallions, and soy sauce and mix well. Adjust seasonings and serve with wedges of lime. This makes 6 servings.

Baby Bok Choy With Shiitake Mushrooms

Leafy vegetables are always welcome in my kitchen. My mom would have 2 to 3 kinds of vegetable side dishes prepared to accompany most meals ( not that I was fond of vegetables when I was a wee little thing).

Did you know there are at least twenty varieties of bok choy out there? I had no idea until recently. I have used Shanghai Choi here because that was what caught my eye when I was browsing the vegetable section at the grocery store. I guess it was the apple green leaves and firm and unblemished stalks that caught my eye. You could use any variety of bok choi here - the smaller the cuter! The ones used in this recipe were medium sized. I usually like to halve the medium sized ones but these little guys were gritty. So I picked off the leaves and rinsed them well under running cold water. I have used vegetable stock here, but feel free to use stock of your choice. It takes but a minute ( well, it is quick) to cook, so bring the water to boil first. Then gather your other ingredients and get set to saute the garlic and sliced shiitakes when the water starts to come to a boil.The tender stalks of baby bok choy goes well with the succulent fresh shiitakes. You could always substitute with dried shiitakes or any other mushroom of your choice.

Bok Choy With Shiitake Mushrooms
Feel free to use vegetable oil if you do not have peanut oil handy.

8 baby shanghai choy
1 tb peanut oil
salt to taste
3 cloves garlic - chopped
1/4 cup vegetable stock
1 Tb light soy sauce
3 dried chilis - cut in half
4 fresh shiitake caps - sliced thickly
chives for garnish
sesame oil to drizzle on top

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Blanch the washed vegetables for 5 minutes and drain. Arrange blanched vegetables on a platter and set aside.
Meanwhile heat oil in a pan and saute garlic, dried red chilis, sliced mushroom till the garlic gets fragrant and golden. Add soy sauce and stock. Adjust seasonings and pour over the blanched vegetables. Top with chopped chives and drizzle with some sesame oil. Serve immediately.
The dried chillis are used here to flavour the oil. I would not eat it. Go ahead if it rocks your boat! Serve with hot steamed rice immediately.

Chocolate Valentine

Ever celebrated Valentine's Day without chocolate? Not in this household. I started the day right with a lovely cup of hot coffee and chocolates ..in bed. It was 5.30 in the morning but I do not complain when Brad brings me coffee. It is the best part of my day, everyday and I always look forward to it. That's right - coffee in bed every morning. I know, I know, I am very fortunate.

I made this lovely flourless chocolate cake with meringue topping especially for Brad. Brad is a true chocolate connoisseuer and this recipe looked like it would fit the bill. This recipe is from Desserts By The Yard by Sherry Yard. It is a lovely book and more on that later. Lets get back to the chocolate cake. This cake is very decadent and the fluffy meringue topping makes this cake extra special.

The list of ingredients are not lengthy but it is a two part recipe. The cake has to be completely cooled on a rack before the meringue goes on top. I made the cake a day ahead and topped it with the meringue the next day. It is unbelievably delicious. This cake does not release perfectly from the pan. It was recommended that it be served straight from the pan but I had used a springform pan and did not think that it would make an attractive presentation.I had to at least remove the side of the pan. So I ran my knife gently around the pan before the cake would release. It will be very soft, and could get a little messy when cutting. I ran some very hot water over my knife and that made it easier to cut the cake. I will definately make this again. Maybe next time I will make it in little ramekins instead. But the large cake does make a dramatic presentation.

Flourless Chocolate Cake With Meringue Topping

When melting chocolate, I find it works better if the pieces are chopped finely and are of the same size. When melting chocolate, make sure the bottom of the heatproof bowl does not touch the water, as it could scorch the chocolate. Once the water comes to a boil, I reduce the heat to low to bring the boil down to a gentle simmer before melting the chocolate.

Cake
8 1/2 oz bittersweet chocolate - finely chopped
4 oz unsalted butter - room temperature
5 large eggs
1 cup plus 2 tb granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder - sifted
1 tsp instant coffee
pinch of salt

Meringue
8 large egg whites - room temperature
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 1/2 cup sugar

CAKE
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
You could use either a 9 inch springform pan like I did or a 10 fluted tart pan one inch deep (otherwise the batter would overflow). Butter whatever pan you are using and set aside.

Melt chopped chocolate pieces and butter on a double boiler. Stir until mixture is smooth, take off the heat and set aside.

Use the whisk attachment of your mixer to whip eggs and sugar till mixture is pale and thick. Use medium speed and whisk it for about 5 - 7 minutes. The mixture should form ribbons when lifted from the bowl. Reduce speed to low and and add in sifted cocoa, instant coffee, salt and the melted chocolate. Mix till well combine and pour into the prepared pan. Try to resist licking the whisk attachment. I failed in this department and once I started, I could not stop. What - you never did that before?

Bake it for 15 minutes and rotate pan from back to front and bake for another 15 minutes. The cake till be slightly firm to touch. This would still jiggle somewhat. It will not firm up like cake. It will set once it cools down. Cool on a rack completely.

Meringue
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and place rack in the middle of the oven.

Whisk the egg whites until foamy and then add the cream of tartar. Whisk on medium speed and add sugar a tablespoon at a time. Beat the mixture until it is smooth, satiny and forms stiff peaks. Spoon the meringue over the cake ( cake should still be in the pan) and bake for 15 minutes. I was enamoured with my cake when it come out of the oven with its beautiful golden brown meringue.

You could also feast with:
Mini Cardamom Pavlovas
Chocolate Raspberry Pavlova
Dorie Greenspan's French Chocolate Brownie
Red Velvet Cupcakes

Five Spice Chicken Wings And A Steamy Package

This is a favourite chicken wing recipe of mine. It is on the list of must haves when I visit my brother in PJ. There is this chinese restaurant just a few blocks from his house that serves the best grilled chicken wings. The wings are succulent and sweet. It is imperative that the wings are marinated overnight. A baking sheet lined with foil will ensure the wings are not soggy ( and easy clean up). A grill would be ideal to cook these wings but it has been a tad windy here in New York for the past few days ( 50 miles an hour wind) and I had a serious craving for these wings and just had to have it right away.

I got these treats in the mail from Jaden of Steamy Kitchen. I had volunteered to try them out. The package consisted of one spicy chicken claw, a duck tongue and duck neck. The chicken feet was saltier than it was spicy. I kept thinking about the crispy fried chicken feet smothered in a hot and sweet sauce that I had in Hong Kong a few years ago. I daintily nibbled on one while watching my friend Zarin polish off the whole plate. More about nose to tail eating here

Brad valiantly tried them all. He went off looking for Ritz crackers and cut everything up into neat pieces and arranged them on the crackers. Great to serve them at one of those parties when you have guests who claim they can and would eat anything. I liked the duck neck with its sweet little nuggets of meat and Brad preferred the tongue. The tongue was chewy and not gelatinous as I thought it would be. Thanks Jaden!!! There is a little something for you in the mail.


Glazed Chicken Wings
Five spice powder is available in most oriental stores. It incorporates five elements of Chinese cooking - sweet, sour, savoury, bitter and salty. It typically consists of cinnamon or cassia, star anise, fennel, cloves, and pepper. There are several variations to it. Use it sparingly - it is wonderfully fragrant and has a hint liquorice flavour to it.

10 medium sized wings
1 tsp sesame oil
1 Tb light soy sauce
2 Tb dark soy sauce
2 Tb oyster sauce
2 Tb honey
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp five spice powder

Combine all ingredients and marinate wings overnight.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and arrange wings single layer. Discard marinade. These wings do need any basting. Bake for 45 minutes. Flip the wings halfway through baking.

Chickpea Dip With Roasted Cumin

You can make this dip in a flash. I served it with crudites and pita and it was a hit. It is chunky and is wonderful as a spread too.

I have used roasted garlic here instead of fresh garlic cloves. I often roast several heads of garlic at one time with some pure olive oil and a sprinkling of kosher salt and freeze them. They are quite versatile – I like the sweet and caramelized garlic cloves smeared on toast and topped with some freshly ground pepper!

You could use powdered cumin in this recipe but the roasted cumin seeds would elevate this dish. It is adds a nutty smokiness to this dip. Dry roasting is one of the simplest way to boost flavour of your whole spices . I used a mortar and pestle to grind the roasted seeds.

Chickpea With Roasted Cumin

1 can chickpeas ( 1 ¾ cup) – drain and reserve liquid

1 1/2 Tb fresh lemon juice

2 Tb sour cream

1 jalapeno pepper – chopped

3 cloves roasted garlic

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 ½ cup cilantro leaves ( loosely packed)

1 tsp cumin seeds – roasted till fragrant

Roast the cumin seeds in a pan till fragrant. Let it cool and crush with a mortar and pestle. A rolling pin will do the job as well. I used a food processor to make this dip. If you do not own one, elbow grease is the way to go. Grab that potato masher and get to work....

Add drained chickpeas, cilantro, roasted garlic, lemon juice, crushed cumin, chopped jalapeno and sour cream and pulse 3 times. Add 4 to 7 tablespoon of reserved liquid to the mixture and pulse 4 to 6 times.

Add salt to taste ( if needed). Makes a cup and half. Leftovers are great on toasted whole wheat pita.