I have a confession to make. Out of all the different genres of food, Asian cookery is by far my weakest subject. Since I tend to gravitate more towards Mediterranean flavors, that’s what we typically cook at home. But every now and again, you just get that deep craving for the flavors of the Far East – whether it’s complex, bright Thai food; bold, spicy Korean; or even just the classic flavors of good ‘ol Americanized Chinese take-out.
Earlier this week, I had a bag of frozen stir-fry veggies on hand, along with some chicken thighs, so I decided to try making my own stir-fry sauce (the ready made versions at the store are always so sugary!). Here’s the thing I’ve learned about most stir-fry sauce recipes: they’re usually pretty simple, and it’s up to you to add your own preferred flavors to make them shine. In my case, that meant lots of garlic and chili to make it extra spicy, but you can really do whatever you want. Ginger, orange, mushrooms, Chinese black bean sauce — all great routes to go!
This recipe is so perfect for a weeknight meal, because you can throw in whatever veggies or protein you have on hand, and serve it over rice, noodles, or even something like quinoa if you were being extra healthy. Was it the best stir-fry I’d ever had? No. Was it the best I’ve ever made at home? Probably. I’ll keep working on my Asian cookery! Here’s what I did: Read more »
I’m not quite sure when my love affair with amatriciana began. Maybe when I realized that I liked it’s bold, robust flavor more than carbonara’s rich-yet-delicate one? Pronounced ah-ma-treetch-ee-ya-nah (with the middle part said fast!), amatriciana is similar to carbonara with one huge, major difference: the tomato, of course! But, luckily for you, it’s just as easy to make, and in my humble opinion, way more delicious.
You start with some pork — guanciale, traditionally; pancetta, sometimes; though in my case, I totally cheated and used bacon — cook a bit of onion, and add in your tomato. That’s really the essence of amatriciana. Like so many traditional regional dishes, there are many opinions about what’s authentic and what’s not. I say forget all that. Make it so that it’s authentic to you, and probably more importantly, in a way that is quick and easy on a weeknight!
Amatriciana, in Rome at least, is often made with bucatini, which is my personal favorite pasta to pair with the sauce. There wasn’t any bucatini in sight at Whole Foods though, so I opted for some linguini instead. You could use spaghetti, rigatoni, any shape of pasta you like, really! Here’s how to make it: Read more »
Last Saturday night, Joe and I went out to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants in the city. It’s a neighborhood kind of joint, with simple but delicious food and a warm atmosphere. Inevitably, every time we go, we order basically the same thing: a salad of butter lettuce and fried goat cheese croquettes, to start, and then some kind of pasta after. The food was so good (per usual) that come Sunday night — yes, the very next day — we were craving the exact same meal…but this time, I challenged myself to make it at home. I have to say, we came very, very close (Joe, being the good hubs that he is, said it was better).
The first course? Why, salad with fried goat cheese, of course. These little croquettes are the perfect thing to top any salad, or serve as an appetizer or hors d’oeuvres. The best part is that they’re a total fake out piece — so incredibly simple to make, and frying them takes just a couple of minutes, but they seem so fancy!
Next week I’ll share the recipe for the incredible pasta dish I made to follow the salad, but for now, here’s how to make yourself some crispy fried goat cheese croquettes: Read more »
