This is a quick and simple dinner that’s bound to please. Loved by sinner, saint, stoner, and sober people alike. You’ll be able to feed 5-8 people easily with this delicious dish. Done in less than 30 minutes.

Ingredients:
1lb ground beef (chuck)
¼ lb ground pork
1 medium can of “light” or “dark red” kidney beans
1 tomato (peeled seeded and chopped or 1 medium can)
32oz tomato sauce (large can or homemade)
5oz tomato paste(1 small can)
4 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ clove garlic minced finely (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
1 ½ teaspoon Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
2 Jalapeño peppers (seeded and chopped)
1 bell pepper (seeded and chopped)
1 onion chopped fine

Directions:
In a large pot brown ground beef, ground pork, bell pepper, onion, jalapeño peppers, garlic, and ½ of the salt and pepper. (Note: At this time it would be a good idea to put on your white or yellow rice)

Drain out the rendered fat. DO NOT RINSE!

Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for at least 20 minutes, but an hour would be better. Add more salt, pepper, and chili powder to taste.

Serve over white rice, yellow rice, or macaroni (for a yummy chili mac!). If not, sprinkle with some sharp cheddar and enjoy spoon-in-hand!

You know those foods that you never liked as a child, and then refused to eat them as you grow up, and then one day you eat them cooked differently, and you’re like “wow, I’ve missed out so much!” Well dill is one of them. I’ve always hated them whenever my mom cooked with them but last winter break, my mom added them into the dumpling filling and she insisted that I try it. I did and it was really good.

Cilantro is another one of those missed out foods. In Chinese, dill (茴香) and cilantro (香菜) both share one character and it means fragrant/scented/spiced. I can smell those two herbs miles away!! I used to runaway from that smell at home because I didn’t like it.

However, there is still one more vegetable that I still refuse to eat: bitter melon/bitter gourd/balsam pear. It is so bitter and I hate it! You can never get the taste out of your mouth! UGH!

猪肉茴香白菜饺子

[100% organic]

• 1 lb ground pork
• 3 bunches dill
• 3 green onions
• 1-inch ginger
• 0.5 lb napa cabbage
• sesame oil
• soy sauce
• salt

1.   Choose fresh pork that is pale pink in color with a small in color with a small amount of marbling and an outer layer of white fat.  If with skin on, the skin must be thin and elastic.  A darker color of the meat is an indication that the source is an older animal

2.   Never cook pork half-done.  It must be thoroughly cooked to prevent infection with the parasite Trichinella spiralis.

3.   Don’t overcook pork because it will become dry and stringy.  Pork is done when its color has changed to white, light brown, or gray.  When pricked, it must be tender and its juice must run clear.

4.   Marinate pork for several hours or even overnight for better flavor.  Place it in a covered container inside the refrigerator.

5.   So you won’t need to turn the pieces of meat every so often when marinating, try putting the meat and marinade in a heavy duty plastic bag, then tie or seal tightly.  Once in a while, shake the bag to coat all the meat pieces with the marinade.

6.   Remember that because of the fat, pork shrinks when cooked.  So be sure you make allowances in the size of patties if using ground pork or in determining the serving portions when cooking roast pork.

7.   To prevent your pork chops from curling when frying, make slight cuts along the edges of the meat.

I’ll be heading home to Kansas this weekend to spend my first Thanksgiving in four years with my wonderful family. I’m loving the fact that my neice and nephew finally understand the concept of time so we can tell them “Aunt Erin will be home next weekend” and they get it. So this weekend, I was video-chatting with them (gotta love technology), and my neice asked “What are you eating?” – she could see my plate on the edge of the screen. I told her I’m eating a favorite Asian dish that’s called “Ants on a Log”. Her face crinkled up (she probably assumed I was eating real ants), but I heard my nephew bust in from the next room. “I KNOW WHAT THAT IS!!!!!!!!! ERIN! I KNOW WHAT THAT IS!” He was out of breath from excitement, and my dad was giggling in the background. “Celery and peanut butter! Are you eating celery and peanut butter?!?!?!?”

I said yes to prevent myself from falling out of my chair laughing, but in actuality this is a delicious main course and has nothing to do with peanut butter. I got the idea from one of my favorite cookbooks. The first time I made this dish for Matt, he gobbled it up in no time…and then proceeded to ask for it…constantly. I had no real qualms with this – it’s incredibly easy and very fast, great for a quick lunch or weeknight supper. The flavors are great, and I can mix it up by adding rice, my favorite scallion pancakes, or other veggies into the pork mixture. The problem is, I just don’t like to make the same things over and over again. Why? Because of you, my lovely readers! But Matt came into the kitchen hautily one day and informed me that I’d never put this recipe on my blog. Ha! He thwarted the system, and I made it again.

Spicy Ground Pork over Sauteed Scallions (“Ants on a Log”)

Served 2.
Leftover Potential: Reheats well, or the raw pork mixture can be used for other meals, as well.

2 Tbsp sesame oil
2 bunches scallions, ends and any wilted pieces removed

1 lb ground pork
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp oyster sauce
2 tsp sriracha, or more to taste

sesame seeds, toasted, for garnishing

1. In a large saute pan, heat the sesame oil over medium heat. Add the scallions and cook, tossing occasionally, until soft and wilted, about 4-6 minutes. Transfer to a dish.
2. In a large bowl, mix the pork, onion, garlic, soy, vinegar, oyster sauce, and sriracha to combine.
3. Add the pork to the hot pan once the scallions have been removed. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pork has browned and cooked through.
4. Spoon the pork and any juices over the scallions, and finish with a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds.

I don’t (generally speaking) order a lot of take out. Ordering take out is sort of a special occasion for me. When I am too busy to cook, which is almost never, I have to admit it is fun to not only let someone else do the cooking for you, but bring it to your door as well.

Recent cravings for Chinese take out soup led me to this incredibly easy recipe. It may not be quite the same as your local take out joint, and it is certainly not traditional, but it was inspired by having several assorted cans of broth and not being sure what to do. I sort of “fortified” the broths with scallions, garlic, and ginger – and the mixture of the three broths was quite delicious and tasted fabulous with my standard wonton/dumpling filling. So, I’m calling it “Quick Wonton Soup”. Sure, it takes a little while to form the wontons, but the opening the can part couldn’t be easier.

Pork Burger Salad with Corn on the Cob

1. Jamie says:  I didn’t think I could top Sunday’s fish dinner, but this bun-less pork burger with corn sure came close!  To make this dinner, I first pan-fried onions with extra virgin olive oil, salt, and ground pepper until browned.  (We’re still working on that bag of onions from Mom and Dad’s trip to Georgia.)  After setting the onions aside, I cooked the corn in the same pan rolling it with some Smart Balance Omega Buttery Spread until it was lightly brown on all “sides.”  I then mixed ground pork with Gourmet Warehouse of Hilton Head Honey Garlic Marinade.  I cooked the pork in a second pan until it was brown.  I then drained the juices and added Publix sharp cheddar fancy shredded cheese on top.  While the food was cooking I chopped lettuce.  I used the lettuce as the base of my bun-less pork burger salad.  I added the pork burger and then the cooked onions on top.  I drew a circle around the pork burger with Publix Greenwise Organic Tomato Ketchup and some lines with Publix Spicy Brown Mustard.  I felt like an artist.  Next, I added Italian seasoned sea salt to the corn.  I enjoyed eating the pork burger as a salad- it wasn’t nearly as messy.  The honey garlic taste was incredibly flavorful and gave the pork burger a tasty kick.  For “dessert,” I had a slice of toasted Pepperidge Farm Oatmeal bread with Smucker’s Natural Chunky Peanut Butter and apple slices on top.  Rachel Ray would be proud of me this week!

Nutrition note:  Aim for a balanced meal by incorporating multiple food groups into your meal.  The food groups are: Grains, Milk, Fruit, Vegetables, and Meat & Beans.

My mom grew up in an Italian neighborhood on Long Island, so even though we lived in a small town in Wisconsin in the land of Germans and Scandanavians, we had our share of Italian-American dinners at home.  I’ve been making some version of this for years, because it’s also my husband’s favorite dinner.  I’d never made meatballs with anything but ground beef before, though, and this recipe (Barefoot Contessa Family Style, pp. 103-104) calls for a mixture of ground beef, ground veal, and ground pork.  It’s darned tasty, and it was easy to make in the early afternoon and reheat for dinner.

Recipe can be found here. I ran out of dried shrimp so there isn’t that in there and I used red chili pepper flakes instead of whole dried peppers.

The clams I used in last night’s bisque.

A touch of Vietnam with a hint of France…

Many years ago, I spontaneously decided to travel to Paris. My goal was to immerse myself in French culture, and learn everything I could about French food, fashion and language. Somewhat unexpectedly however, my journey to France soon became a lesson in Vietnamese culture as during my travels I met a Vietnamese lady who was born and raised in Saigon. In addition to teaching me some Vietnamese, she was kind enough to teach me about the food in Vietnam. As an aspiring chef, I was inspired by every dish she talked about, but one dish in particular stuck in my head. That dish was “Banh mi”. When I received this week’s ingredients, I decided to re-create my French experience through my food: a touch of Vietnam, with a hint of France, like late Julia Child’s always says “Bon Appetit!”…

Pork Meatballs:
1 lb ground pork
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp grated ginger
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp fish sauce

In a large bowl, gently mix the ground pork with all ingredients excluding banana leaves. Using moist hands, roll the pork mixture like a size of a meatball. Set it aside.

Prepare bamboo steamer (if you don’t have a bamboo steamer use a colander cover with lid).

Line the steamer with banana leaves. Place the pork meatballs in the steamer close the lid. Set on medium high heat to boil the water in the wok and steam-cook the pork meatballs for 15-20 mins.

(The use of banana leaves gives a exotic fragrance to the pork).

Quick Pickled Haricots Verts:
½ cup julienned carrots
½ cup julienned steamed green beans
¼ cup distilled white vinegar
¼ cup sugar
Kosher salt

How to Arrange the Sandwich:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. cut the baguette lengthwise. Spread some mayonnaise. Arrange the baguettes and bake until hot and crusty outside for 5 mins. Remove from the oven immediately. Load the sandwich with pork meatballs, drain the pickled haricots verts , generous amount cilantro, cut some camembert cheese top it off with fried quail eggs.

End with Julia Child’s Bon appétit!!

**You can also smear the buns with pâté and sriracha chili

饺子， 锅贴，和 馄饨

I invited Bharat over for dinner and we had pot-sticker jiaozi and boiled jiaozi and huntun.

This is the filling for the dumplings from last night:

• 0.5 lb ground pork
• 0.5 lb Texas white environmentally responsible aquaculture farmed shrimp
• 2 bunches of chopped garlic chives
• 3 diced green onions
• 2-inch diced ginger

[100% organic]

I don’t have any pictures of when they were cooked because we were ravenous!

锅贴

Filling:

• Ground pork (organic)
• Napa cabbage
• Garlic chives
• Soy sauce
• Hoison sauce
• Ginger
• Green onions
• Corn starch
• Sesame oil
• 1 beaten up egg
• 1 tsp five-spice powder

Instructions can be found on the Hun Tun/Wonton post. Basically everything is the same, just different shapes, folds, fillings, and cooking method. When 饺子 (jiaozi/gyoza) are boiled, they are know as the regular name “饺子 (jiaozi/gyoza)” but when they are pan-fried, they are known as “锅贴 (pot-stickers)”.

I saw this recipe in Rachael Ray’s magazine, Every Day with Rachael Ray, and I immediately had to try it. Two of my favorites, lasagna and hamburgers wrapped up into one delight – how could I not try it out?  I came up with my own version which will put a smile on your face without putting an extra hole in your belt.

LASAGNA BURGERS – Anthony J. Caruso

1 pound 96% lean ground beef

1/2 pound ground pork

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 can (14.5 oz) Italian crushed tomatoes

1 handful basil leaves, shredded or torn

2 tablespoons butter spread

2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour

3/4 cup skim milk

A few grates nutmeg

½ cup fat free ricotta cheese

¼ cup parmigiano-reggiano cheese

4 100% whole wheat hamburger or ciabatta rolls

In a large bowl, season the meat with plenty of salt and pepper. Form into 4 patties, thinner in the middle for more even cooking.

In a saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more. Stir in the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the basil.

In a large skillet, heat a drizzle of EVOO over medium-high heat. Add the patties and cook, turning once, until medium-rare, 7 to 8 minutes.

While the patties are cooking, in a small saucepan, melt the butter spread over medium heat. Whisk in the flour for one minute, then whisk in the milk. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the ricotta and parmigiano-reggiano.

Spoon some of the red sauce on the roll bottoms, then top with the patties. Dollop the cheese sauce on the patties and set the roll tops in place.

Here’s the skinny:

First off, I skipped the drizzle of EVOO over the burgers. You’re already cooking them in EVOO, which is a heart healthy fat and adds a ton of flavor. But there is no need to overdo it, either.

I cut out the mixed ground meats, which tend to be high in fat. When you buy them in separate components, you can control the fat content. Ground pork is leaner than most ground beef, but it’s still not a lean cut. But it does add a lot of flavor, so I use just 1/2 a pound, or 2 oz per burger. By combining that with the ultra-lean ground beef, you get flavor and not a lot of fat, which makes for a delicious and healthy burger.

Whenever I make a roux for a cream sauce, I use butter spread and white whole wheat flour. Butter spread has 80% less saturated fat than butter and now they make them with heart healthy oils, meaning it’s good for your system, rather than clogging your arteries like butter does. I also use white whole wheat flour. It has the whole grain goodness of whole wheat flour, a complex carb, but it is softened to taste more like white all-purpose flour.

I used skim milk instead of whole milk. It’s thinner than whole milk, so I used less to help the thickening process. You can always use fat-free half and half if you like as well.

Fat-free ricotta is a great substitute here. You’re mixing it into a sauce – you’ll never know the difference. Why waste all that fat when you can’t tell? If I’m gonna have something fattening, I want to be able to taste it and make it worth it!

For the bun, I used 100% whole wheat hamburger buns. Be sure to get 100% whole wheat – many labels will say “wheat” (which is the same for your body as white bread) or “whole wheat”, which means it can be a combination of whole wheat and white flour. 100% whole wheat gives you all the healthy complex carbs your body needs without any of the unhealthy stuff.

So go ahead – enjoy your lasagna and your burger… all in one!

Gyoza wrapping paste 1 pack

1/2 lb Ground pork

1/4 Cabbage

1/2 bunch of green onion

1 tsp chinese soup base

1 tsp Japanese soy sauce

1tbsp Sesame oil

cut cabbage and green onion very finely

mix ground pork, cabbage, onion, soy sauce, sesame oil and soup base very well

wrap it with Gyoza wrapping paste

boil a lot of water and put Gyoza into it, boil it for a few minutes

make Tare :

1/2 cup Japanese soy sauce

1/2 cup white vinegar

1 tbsp sesame seeds

1/2 tsp chili oil

serve Gyoza into a bowl and put it into Tare, then eat!

This is very famous Japanese Sui Gyoza.

Easy to make and not cost much.

I hope you enjoy it!

click please

Do not use a small food processor. Buy good quality meat to grind. Choose a nice roast beef or pork for about 3 – 5 lbs, or chicken or turkey breast meat that is boned and skinned. Cut the meat into the size of a 1 square inch or approximately the same. Arrange the pieces of meat on a tray bakers, baking paper, or something equivalent. Line the tray with parchment paper before. Place these trays in the freezer for 20-30 minutes. Make sure the meat is completely frozen. The meat should be semi-frozen. Chicken or turkey will not have time to pork or beef so time carefully. Once you've learned the timing Simply set the timer and relax somewhere. Take the pieces of meat out of the freezer and remove them from the trays. Put about 7-8 pieces of meat in your car crusher. At this point, you could also add some herbs and spices if desired. Turn on the blender and pulse until just the right consistency. Put in a large bowl. Continue to develop the rest of the pieces of meat until all the ground up meat. Remember to keep the pieces of meat because of the semi-frozen food processor can not process the meat unless it is semi-frozen. It is advisable to include some new pieces in the freezer for a few minutes. Once all the meat is ground, about 1 / 2 pound of meat and put them in a bag of sandwiches. Do this for all the meat. Put some of these bags in a gallon size freezer bag and freeze until you need a little '. So buy good quality meat and do not buy ground beef again. We know exactly what is in the flesh and quality. No parts unknown, just pure meat. Your recipes will never be the same and the small packets that have no more waste is created. Congratulations, you just made your ground meat. This is so easy, anyone with a food processor can do this. It's easy, quick to thaw and ready to go. You can also make your own ground sausage, once you start doing this. So, have fun.

lion’s head stew is one of those things that i never really  appreciated growing up. in my mind, it was really a rather humble dish that my mom made when she ran out of ingredients in the fridge and had to cobble something together. a bunch of meatballs stewed over napa cabbage. nothing really that special. (although if you really squint your eyes, the meatballs surrounded by cabbage, kinda look like the mane of a lion — hence the dish’s name).

however, in my encounters with the dish later in life, i began to realize that lion’s head stew was a bit more than a throwaway dish.  in college, i recall reading ming dynasty texts, where the dish appeared in many banquet dining lists.  i always thought it odd that a dish as humble as meatballs in napa cabbage would make it onto grandiose chinese banquet tables. i settled on the explanation that electric meat grinders didn’t exist in the ming dynasty and so the meat was in fact chopped by hand.  the amount of work involved with chopping the meat with cleavers, thereby qualified it for the banquet circuit.

many years ago, when i lived in a tiny cramped nyc apartment, my friend F came over and cooked lion’s head stew for Y and i.  Y and i thought his version was rather good.  F revealed himself to be a bit of a lion’s head stew connoisseur.  he critiqued his own dish from a myriad of angles. but, from him i learned that the meatballs were supposed to be both fragrant and tender, and that the soup had to be flavorful and thickened with the starch of the napa cabbage.

the other day, i picked up cecilia chang’s book The Seventh Daughter and flipped to her recipe on page 123.  she makes her version with bean thread vermicelli, something i’ve never seen in lion’s head stew before.  i simplified her recipe quite a bit and replaced the pork with ground turkey. i was delightfully surprised in how it turned out.  for me, the true star of the dish, though, were not the meatballs; it was the napa cabbage — soft, stewed, imbued with the flavours of chicken broth and meatballs — that truly sung. while the dish might not qualify for a place on the tables of  grand banquet halls in this modern age of electric appliances, it definitely qualified for the chinese comfort food prize.

Lion’s Head Stew

Napa Cabbage                                       ~1.5 lbs, cut into 1 inch strips
Ground Turkey                                        1 lb (traditionally, made with ground pork instead)
Scallions                                                    2 stalks minced, white part only
Ginger                                                        1 tbsp minced
Salt                                                             2 tsp for the meatballs, 1 tsp for the cabbage
Soy Sauce                                                  1 tbsp
Rice Wine                                                  1 tbsp
Sesame oil                                                 1 tbsp
Pepper                                                       1 tsp
Veg Oil                                                      2 tbsp
Chicken Broth                                          2 cups

1. Combine turkey, scallion, ginger, salt, soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil and pepper in a bowl.   Mix the ingredients until well combined.
2. With your hands, roll the meat mixture into meatballs about 2 inches in diameter. I got about 7.
3. Heat the oil in a pot ( i used my 5 qt dutch oven) and brown the meatballs on both sides over high heat.
4. Then, remove the meatballs from the pot and set aside.
5. In the same pot, layer in the napa cabbage.  You should place the root ends of the cabbage on the bottom of the pot and the leafier layers towards the top.
6. Arrange the meatballs back on top of the cabbage.  Add the remaining 1 tsp of salt. Pour in the chicken stock.
7. Bring the stew to a boil and then turn down the heat to maintain a simmer until the cabbage has softened, and the stock reduced by 1/3 to 1/2.

干煸四季豆

I love ordering this dish whenever I go out to eat in mainland China. Nothing here in the U.S. compares to what real Chinese people cook and eat in China. Over here, you have to go to many places and find somewhere where they might do a good job at this dish but in China, anywhere makes it perfectly.

When I made this before, it never turned out right… that was until I realized that there is a reason why the Chinese name of the dish starts with the character “干” (dry). So I patted dry the beans after washing and in between cooking the meat.

Next time I’m putting more dried shrimp.

[100% organic]

Ingredients:

• 0.5 lb green/string/French beans
• 0.25 lb ground pork
• 1 TB dried shrimp (rinsed in warm water and diced)
• 1 tsp Shaoxing rice wine
• 0.25 tsp salt
• 0.25 tsp sugar
• 0.25 tsp light soy sauce
• 3-5 dried red chilies (seeded)
• 0.5 inch ginger (finely chopped)
• 2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
• 1 TB oil
• Oil for frying

Instructions:

1. Cut the ends of the beans, wash in cold water, drain, pat dry, and set aside
2. Heat up a wok with enough oil for frying
3. When the oil gets smoky hot (and you smell that burnt oil smell), place the beans into the oil and quickly fry them. The beans are ready once the skin becomes wrinkly, transfer them out and place on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil
4. Heat up the 1 TB oil in a wok
5. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 30 seconds
6. Add in the dried shrimp, ground pork, and dried chilies and stir-fry until aromatic
7. Then add the beans and the remaining seasoning

As I child I though Mabo Tofu was a Japanese dish, why, I’m not exactly sure.  I knew I could get it at Chinese Restaurants, but the sauce you could buy in the stores to make it at home always seemed to look Japanese to me.  Once I went gluten-free, I really wanted this slightly spicy, always delicious, tofu and pork dish.  Of course every bottle and package of sauce that I read contained soya sauce and of course wheat, so I found myself on a mission to find a recipe that I could adapt myself.

During my online searches, I found oodles of recipes, all slightly different AND I discovered that Mabo (or Mapo) tofu is actually a Szechuan dish; given the spice this really is not all that surprising.  I eventually found 2 recipes (about.com and Nook & Pantry) that seemed reasonable and feasible for me to make, and then I worked with both of them to make a recipe that I really enjoy.  I’ve made this quite a few times and tweaked the ingredients each time; I think I finally have it just right, at least for my liking  – feel free to adapt it to your tastes.

This recipe does however call for some ingredients that will require an Asian grocery store and/or a little searching.  First it requires dried and salted black beans and Chili Bean Paste (my research indicated that Broad Bean Chili Bean Paste is the most authentic, but use what you can find); make sure you read the bottles, most of them have soy and wheat.  I have included an ingredient picture for this recipe to help you find these ingredients.

Gluten-Free Mabo Tofu

Marinade Ingredients:

• 3/4 pound ground pork
• 2 Tbsp tapioca starch (cornstarch would be ok)
• 3.5 Tbsp gluten-free Tamari

Ingredients:

• ~2Tbsp vegetable oil
• splash of sesame oil
• 3 green onions, chopped, white and green sections seperated
• 1 tsp minced ginger
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2.5 tsp salted, dried black beans
• 1 heaping Tbsp Chili Bean Paste (adapt to your tastes as necessary)
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 1 package Medium Firm tofu cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 tsp garlic
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 2 Tbsp warm water
• 2 Tbsp gluten-free Tamari
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch

Directions:

• Mix the marinade ingredients together and set aside for about 20 minutes.
• Heat oils in a med-high wok, once hot at the white sections of the green onion and the ginger and saute until fragrant.
• Add the marinated pork to the oil and cook until brown; you will need to use the back of a spoon to push the pork apart into pieces or you will end up with one big lump of ground pork.
• Stir salt into the meat and allow flavours to mix, about 30 seconds.
• Add the salted black beans  and use the back of a spoon to mash them slightly to release the flavours and blend with the meat.
• Add the Chili Paste and mix into the meat.
• Add the stock, tofu, remaining green onion, garlic and sugar.  Mix well and continue to cook until tofu has softened and taken on the colours of the sauce.  Approximately 5-7 minutes.
• Meanwhile mix the warm water, GF Tamari and cornstarch together (add the cornstarch last).
• Once the tofu looks ready to eat, add the cornstarch mixture, stir together gently and remove from heat.  This will thicken your sauce and bring everything together (this step is optional).
• Serve over steaming white rice and enjoy!

麻婆豆腐

Next time when I make this, I’m going to add more peppercorns and less chili powder. I couldn’t finish because I ran out of rice!

[100% organic]

Ingredients:

• 1 package of soft tofu
• 0.25 lbs ground pork
• 3 TB bean paste (it’s really thick so just three intense shakes)
• 2 TB chili powder
• Cooking oil
• 1 TB Sichuan peppercorns (roasted)
• 1 TB soy sauce
• 3 stalks of green onions
• 2 cloves garlic (diced)
• 0.5 cup water

Instructions:

1. Cut the tofu into small cubes; drain the water and set aside
2. Heat up a wok or pan on high heat and pour in the cooking oil
3. Stir-fry the garlic, pork, and bean paste until half-done
4. Then add the chili powder and soy sauce and cook for another 1-2 minutes
5. Add in the tofu and water; be careful not to break the tofu; simmer for 5 minutes on medium-low heat
6. Add in the roasted Sichuan peppercorns with the green onions
7. Mix well and remove from heat

So while I am at work I DVR The Food Network and pick out the shows I like and what recipes I want to watch and if I like them I (of course) go to the Internet and print them out and eventually make them. This Particular Recipe from http://www.foodnetwork.com/ I had to cook right away, When she made this my husbands mouth and mine was drooling. So you should try it out. Pretty easy to make and super yummy!

The food: Individual tourtières

My mother’s background is a little complicated: her family can trace its French lineage in Quebec to the 1700’s, but her father’s French surname, Langlais, means “the English (person).”

At age 20, my bilingual mother left Montreal and moved to Toronto, where she’s lived ever since, and where she mainly cooks and eats food from cuisines that originate in countries far from Quebec – countries like Italy, France and China.

Once in a while, though, she makes tourtière, a classic Quebecois meat pie that was a food staple in her youth. Her version is a contemporary one – it freshens the meatiness of the ground pork and beef with some chopped pear and a sprinkling of fresh herbs, and is served in individual pastry shells for a pretty presentation.

Recently, she called me and offered me some extra tourtières she had made. I eagerly accepted, and ate two for (a delicious) dinner with a little peach chutney and a green salad.

Afterwards, I looked up the origins of tourtière and found a history that said tourtière was once known in Quebec as “Pâté à l’angloise.” I think I see a pattern developing here.

A loaded pastry shell before adding lattice strips and baking

Recipe for Tourtière (à la Mme Langlais):

1 T. olive oil
2 shallots, peeled and chopped
1/2 lb. ground pork
1/2 lb. ground beef
2 pears, cored, peeled and chopped
1 T. fresh thyme leaves
1 T. fresh tarragon leaves
2 T. Italian parsley, chopped
1 tsp. celery salt
1 tsp. ground savoury
1 dozen frozen individual pastry shells (unsweetened) plus 1 large frozen pastry shell.

1. Heat oil over medium heat in large skillet. Sauté shallots until soft and translucent, 2-3 minutes.
2. Stir in fresh and dried herbs and chopped pears.
3. Add ground meats, use wooden spoon to break up, and cook meat until no longer pink and well combined with shallots, herbs and pears, stirring often.
4. Strain off liquid from meat mixture.
5. Thaw large frozen pie crust shell 10 minutes, then cut into 1/2 inch wide strips.
6. Spoon meat mixture into individual pie shells. Top with lattice strips.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 – 30 minutes until crust is golden brown.
8. Serve with chutney, not ketchup. Unless you really like ketchup.

Makes 12 individual tarts.

Prep: 45 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Serves 8

1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon light-brown sugar
6 cups (48 ounces) vegetable oil
1 napa cabbage (about 2 1/2 pounds), thinly sliced
4 medium carrots, coarsely grated
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pound ground pork
6 scallions, thinly sliced
16 egg-roll wrappers (6 to 7 inches square)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
bottled sweet-and-sour sauce and spicy mustard, for serving
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1. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add cabbage, carrots, garlic, and ginger; season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing, until vegetables are tender, 3 to 5 minutes.

2. Raise heat to high; add pork and soy mixture. Cook, tossing, until pork is no longer pink and liquid has evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes; mix in scallions. Transfer mixture to a plate to cool. Lay wrappers flat on a work surface, and assemble egg rolls.

3. In a 5-quart pot, heat remaining oil until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350. Working in batches of 4, and returning oil to 350 for each batch, fry egg rolls until golden, turning occasionally, about 2 minutes; drain on paper towels. Serve with sweet-and-sour sauce and spicy mustard.

4. To Bake, Not Fry: If you prefer, these egg rolls can be baked. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet; place egg rolls on sheet and brush with cup oil. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Serve with sweet-and-sour sauce and spicy mustard. If baking from frozen, bake about 15 minutes.

5. To Freeze: Prepare egg rolls through step 2; freeze in a single layer until firm, at least 2 hours. Transfer to a resealable plastic bag; freeze up to 3 months. To fry from frozen, increase frying time in step 3 by about 3 minutes per batch.

How to Roll an Egg Roll:

1. Filling It Up: Lay 3 or 4 egg-roll wrappers flat on counter. (Keep other wrappers covered with a damp paper towel.) Place 1/3 cup pork mixture in center of each.

2. Folding It Up: Using a pastry brush, wet border with egg. Fold point of wrapper that’s closest to you over the pork mixture, and tuck under the filling.

3. Folding It In: Fold both side corners toward center of wrapper (they won’t meet in the center). It should look like an open envelope.

4. Finishing It Up: Tightly roll up filled pocket to close wrapper, then gently press down to seal the edges.