Quick Lettuce Wraps

Thanks to a generous invitation, we enjoyed a long, relaxing weekend in Maine with a great group of friends.  Long days on the beach, plenty of fresh air, and of course lots of seafood!  

Lobster, whether served chilled in a hot dog bun (called a "lobsta roll") or cracked out of a steaming shell, is a classic Mainer meal.  Chowda is another local favorite, which is a delicious combination of cream, potatoes, bacon, and the obvious...clams.  Yum.

Back in Jersey, we were in the mood for some bold flavors, but also something light (lobsta is also served with butta & Mainers also love their blueberry pie).  Cooking Light has a lot of recipes that fit this bill, and are surprisingly tasty despite the reduction in tasty tasty fat. 

We settled on a lettuce wrap recipe that featured tofu, fresh veggies, and a spicy peanut-hoisin sauce.  The watery crunch of the crisp lettuce gives the meal a natural lightness.  

The bold Asian flavors of this dish help you forget about the missing bun bread, tortilla, etc. (or in this case, even the meat).  If you don't like tofu, feel free to swap in finely diced chicken breast.  But give tofu a chance...we're still learning to appreciate it.  One tip is to buy the extra-firm tofu, which improves its texture substantially.

Recipe

Ingredients

Sauce:

1 tsp canola/safflower oil

1 T minced shallot (or sub red onion)

1/3 cup water

2 T peanut butter (preferably the 'natural'/non-Skippy kind)

4 tsp hoisin sauce

Dash crushed red pepper, or more to taste

1 T fresh lime or lemon juice

Filling:

1 (14oz) package extra-firm tofu, drained and crumbled [see note in directions]

1 T. dark sesame oil

6 green onions, thinly sliced in 1" pieces, divided

2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided

3 T soy sauce

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

1 1/2 tsp agave (or 2 tsp white sugar)

1/2 tsp Sriracha, or more to taste

1 cup carrots, julienned

2 cups rice (served hot)

8 lettuce leaves (select fresh, undamaged lettuce; Bibb, Green Leaf, and Romaine are good options)

Directions

1. Cook the rice.  Wash and dry the lettuce leaves.

2. Spread crumbled tofu in a single layer on several layers of paper towels; cover with additional paper towels. Let stand 20 minutes, pressing down occasionally.

3. To prepare sauce, heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add canola/safflower oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add shallots/onions, and sauté for 2 minutes. Add 1/3 cup water and peanut butter, hoisin, and red pepper flakes, and stir with a whisk. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in lime/lemon juice.

4. To prepare tofu sauté, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sesame oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add half of the green onions; sauté 1 minute. Add tofu; sauté for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 2 tablespoons cilantro, soy sauce, ginger, sugar, and Sriracha; sauté 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in carrots and remaining green onions.

Serve with rice, peanut-hoisin sauce, cilantro, and lettuce leaves.  Spoon a little rice onto each lettuce leaf, then top with a couple big spoonfuls of the tofu mixture.  Add the peanut-hoisin sauce and sprinkle with cilantro.

Hope you enjoy this delicious dish just as much as we did.

-Jeff

A little more love for/from Maine:

For the original recipe, check out the Cooking Light recipe link.

Caribbean Cuisine

Jerk-style braised pork, mango-tomato salad, roasted sweet potato with red bell pepper sauce, and mashed plantains

Sometimes a recipe just doesn’t turn out well.  While it is certainly disappointing, and often frustrating, it happens to everyone.  So don’t get discouraged!  Last week, I was in the mood for venturing into a new cuisine, and I thought Caribbean would be fun.  A beautiful combination of sweet, spicy, and savory, Caribbean food brought to mind images of Jerk chicken, grilled pineapple, fried plantains, and rice and beans, not to mention pristine beaches and aqua waters.

While a Google search on Italian, French, or burgers brings up thousands of websites, I struggled to find good Caribbean recipes.  There were plenty of websites featuring Caribbean fare, but many lacked either the credibility or the appeal of a well-crafted recipe.  Eventually, I fell back on my favorite site, Food & Wine, and discovered a nice variety of Caribbean dishes.  My main dish for the meal would be something with pork because I had about a pound of pork stew meat from 8 O’Clock Ranch in NY that I wanted to use.

Avocado-jalapeño salad (sort of a deconstructed guacamole)

The side dishes I found on F&W’s website all looked so delicious, and it was impossible to choose which ones to make.  Ultimately, I gave up and decided to make all four of them.  They were all easy to make, some only requiring ten minutes, so it wasn’t as daunting as it might sound.  Also, Rachel & I love variety in a meal.  Lastly, with all of these recipes new to me, I figured even if one or two didn't knock it out of the park, the others might.

What is unique about Caribbean food is its origins.  While many regions and countries around the world have multiple influences on their modern day cuisine, Caribbean food is the mutt of all mutts.  This fascinating food represents the marriage of African, French, English, Spanish, and even Asian ingredients, techniques, and traditions.  The famous Jerk seasoning is a delicious blend of baking spices, such as allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove, and spice from fiery-hot peppers.  Lime, garlic, rice, beans, chicken, and pork are all commonly used ingredients.  But so are interesting things such as coconut, tomatoes, papaya, goat, and ginger. 

The influences are not hard to see when looking at the region’s dynamic history.  Following Christopher Columbus’s European discovery of the ‘New World’ in 1492, it was only a matter of time before imperialism followed him.  By the 1700s, nearly every scrap of land in the Caribbean (and for that matter, the entire ‘New World’) had been claimed by the European powers, each jockeying for power in the ever-expanding geopolitical arena. 

As far north as Florida and Mexico to the southern countries of Chile and Argentina, the Spanish excelled at colonizing the Americas, to the extreme misfortune of the native inhabitants.  The Caribbean was no different, with the Spanish controlling many of the islands, including Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic.   Meanwhile, the French and British pushed to control many of the smaller islands.  The French controlled the western half of Hispaniola, which later became Haiti (the other half is the Dominican Republic), along with Martinique, Turks & Caicos, and St. Lucia.  The British, being the British, always seemed to push to control key strategic ports and waterways.  They pushed to control large tracks of the Central American coastline, the Bahamas, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, and the modern day British Virgin Islands.

The African roots in the Caribbean, unfortunately, come almost entirely through the slave trade.  In the 16^th and 17^th centuries, and even through the mid-19^th century, millions of enslaved Africans were shipped from their homeland to the ‘New World.’  The slaves made up the workforce for expanding agricultural and mining enterprises.  In the Caribbean, slaves were first brought to work the sugar cane farms.  Later, they were also forced to farm coffee, cotton, and tobacco.

Back to the food.  The jerk pork had excellent flavor, but the pork became kind of dry during the hours of braising (I think I used too much water).  I won’t bother passing on the recipe.  Fortunately, a couple of the side dishes were absolutely delicious.  The mango-tomato salad, avocado & jalapeño salad (essentially deconstructed guacamole), and mashed plantains were all very good.  I posted these three recipes below, all of which came from Food & Wine.

Mango-tomato salad with fresh basil

I hope you enjoy these Caribbean dishes.  They’re the hard work of centuries of different cultures from around the world, all neatly blended into a meal.

Mashed Plantains (based on F&W recipe)

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 large, ripe plantains, peeled and cut into 1” pieces

2 cups water

2 jalapeños, minced

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 ½ T. unsalted butter

¼ cup sweet onion, diced

Salt to taste

Directions:

1. After mincing the garlic and jalapeños, mash into a paste using a mortar & pestle or the back of a spoon.

2. Place the plantains and water in a medium sauce pan, and turn the heat to high.

3. Boil the plantains, covered, for about 10 minutes.

4. Remove the lid, and continue to boil for another 10-15 minutes, or until most of the water has evaporated.

5. While the plantains are boiling, heat a small skillet to medium.  Add the butter.

6. Once hot, add the jalapeño-garlic paste.  Sauté for 1-2 minutes, or until it begins to brown.

7. Add the onions, stir, and sauté for 5 minutes, or until the onions start to brown.

8. When the plantains and onion mixture are both ready, mix together, mashing the plantains much like mashed potatoes.  If you want it even more homogenous or whipped, you could place in bowl and use a hand mixer.

9. Serve hot.

Mango-Tomato Salad (based on F&W recipe)

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 T red wine vinegar

2 T extra-virgin olive oil

1 large shallot, thinly sliced

1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

2 medium tomatoes, sliced ¼” thick

1 large, ripe mango—peeled, pitted and sliced ¼” thick

Salt to taste

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, mix together the vinegar, oil, shallots, and basil

2. On a large plate, mix tomato and mango together, then spread out on the plate

3. Sprinkle with salt

4. Spoon dressing over the tomato and mango

5. Serve immediately

Avocado-Jalapeño Salad (based on F&W recipe)

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 avocadoes, halved, pitted, and cut into ¼” strips

¼ to ½ lime, juiced

1 large jalapeño, thinly sliced

2-3 T cilantro, roughly chopped

Salt to taste

Directions:

1. On a plate, arrange strips of avocado in a circle (or whatever shape you like)

2. Sprinkle with lime juice and salt to your taste

3. Add jalapeño slices, then top with cilantro

4. Serve immediately

Rocoto Relleno (Stuffed Pepper)

Colca Canyon, near Arequipa, in southern Peru

A couple weeks ago, I was in the Union Square farmer's market, picking up some fresh produce, when I spotted some beautiful peppers.  I knew they were not bell peppers by the shape, which was very exciting because I had been seeking the incredibly hard-to-find rocoto for months.  

Arequia, Peru

The rocoto is a red, mid-sized, spicy pepper, primarily grown and consumed in Peru.  During my travels there in May 2008, I stumbled on a dish called rocoto relleno, or stuffed pepper, in the mountain town of Arequipa.  It was particularly cold that night, and the rocoto relleno, with its spicy pepper shell and the warm, somewhat creamy beef mixture inside, was perfect to warm me up.  

Ever since that trip, I have been hoping to recreate that meal.  But rocoto peppers, or even a reasonable substitute (i.e. mid-sized, spicy pepper), were very hard to find.  Bell peppers were big enough, but not spicy.  Almost every spicy pepper I found offered the heat, but they were too small to stuff.

Spicy peppers, prepped for stuffing

Finally, on that fateful day in Union Square over two years later, I found peppers that would work!  While the nice woman working the table didn't know the name of the peppers, I knew they would work for the dish.  About the size of an orange, they were big enough to stuff, and the woman promised the peppers would be spicy.

Back at home, I set to work.  When prepping the peppers, it's key to scoop out all the seeds.  The seeds carry a lot of the spice, and while spice is great for this dish, too much would overpower it.  Also, be careful when cutting the "hats" of the peppers.  Make sure you keep them big enough, allowing you to easily scoop the meat into them, but not too big so that the meat spills out during cooking.

Next, focus on the meat.  I recommend using ground beef, but if you had some ground pork or lamb, it would work.  It might sound odd, but the boiled eggs are key to the meat recipe.  They add an essential creaminess to the dish.  Also, try to find a really smoky paprika.  Follow the recipe (posted below), and let the meat sit for about 5-10 minutes before placing into the peppers.  

Finished Product - Rocoto Relleno, with roasted potatoes and steamed peas

When roasting the stuffed peppers in the oven, keep an eye on the pan.  It should always have about a 1/2" of water.  This will keep the peppers from burning and drying out, giving the pepper a nice steamed texture.  For sides, I served roasted potatoes and steamed peas, but I think almost anything would do, such as rice, other green vegetables, etc.

Enjoy!

To serve two people:

Ingredients:

4 mid-sized rocoto peppers (or other spicy varieties)

1/2 lb. ground beef

2 hard-boiled eggs, shelled, and diced

1 medium onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp paprika (preferably smoked)

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried Ancho chili powder

1/4 tsp cumin

1/2 T. fresh parlsey, minced

1 T. vegetable oil

2 T. cream cheese (optional)

Salt

Pinch of sugar

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350º F

2. Prep your peppers by carefully cutting out the tops (saving for later...these are called the "hats"), and scooping out the seeds.  If you have sensitive skin, you can wear gloves to protect you from the spicy capsicum oil contained inside the peppers.

3. Heat a large sauté pan to medium; add vegetable oil.

4. Once hot, add onions, and sauté until soft, about 5-10 minutes.

5. Add garlic, stir.

6. Add beef, sugar, salt, and all the spices and herbs, except the parlsey.  Stir well, let sauté for about 10-15 minutes, or until the beef is cooked through.

7. Turn heat to low, add the diced eggs and parlsey, then stir.

8. Turn off the heat, and let rest about 5-10 minutes.  Season with additional spices and salt, to taste.

9. Next, place your peppers in an oven-safe roasting pan, far enough apart so they do not touch.

10. Scoop the meat mixture so that it almost fills the peppers, leaving room for the cream cheese (if using) and the peppers' hats.

11. Place a small scoop of cream cheese on the meat of each pepper (if using), then place the hat on top.

12. Add water to the pan so it's about 1/2" up on the sides.

13. Bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes, or until the peppers are slightly browned and a bit shriveled.

14. Serve and enjoy!

Cashew Chicken

One of my favorite American-style Chinese dishes is Cashew Chicken.  A quick sauté of fresh veggies, chunks of meaty chicken, salty cashews, and piercing chili spice makes this meal ideal for impressing your guests.

The best thing about Asian stir-fry recipes is that you can choose any vegetables you have in the kitchen.  Leftover onion?  Throw it in!  Toss in your half-used peppers, mushrooms, or even things such as carrots and celery to the wok.  It's perfect for cleaning out the fridge.

Looking at the origins of my recipe, it's most closely related to the Sichuan dish, Kung Pao chicken.  Based on my research, cashews and peanuts are commonly used in the more authentic recipes (I use cashews because they're a little more indulgent).  The only thing missing from mine is the Sichuan peppercorns (gōng bǎo jī dīng).  These citrus-tasting, mouth-numbing "peppercorns" are a unique fruit of a plant that is neither a chili nor a peppercorn.  Allegedly, these little red spices prepare your palate to better experience the heat of chili peppers.  True or not, you'll definitely notice them in the dish.  If you decide to use them, make sure to toast them slightly (1 to 2 minutes) and grind to a powder.  And only use a small amount.  They easily overpower a dish.

When cooking tantalizing Asian stir-fry dishes, the critical tools are a heavy, well-crafted wok and a gas stove.  Electric stoves will get the job done, but their inability to maintain their heat source (electric stoves typically have heating cycles, heating the surface to the desired temperature and then turning off, repeating as needed) can ruin the efficacy of your wok-style cooking.  The stir-fry is all about flash-frying ingredients for only a minute or two.  If you add your cold chicken to a wok that just went into an "off" cycle on your electric stove, you'll notice the sizzle of your wok stops and only continues once the heating cycle returns the wok to the original hot temperature.

Unfortunately, if you have an electric stove, there's not much you can do about it in the short-term.  While it's not ideal, these stoves are still plenty capable of cooking up a wonderful stir-fry.  I cooked on an electric stove for years.  So don't be too discouraged.  Just something to remember when buying your next stove or signing the lease of a future apartment.  Gas is always better!

Back to the cashew chicken dish.  After gathering your wok and ingredients, the next critical step is prepping EVERYTHING before you start cooking.  A stir-fry, as mentioned, is an incredibly fast recipe.  You won't have time to mince the garlic or chop your onion partway into it.  I like to place all the prepped ingredients in little bowls and dishes, which allows you to toss in what you need at each step of the process.  But you could also leave your diced veggies on a cutting board or place them on a plate.  Another tip is to combine ingredients into each step of the process.  So if you're adding the celery and onion to the wok at the same time, you can mix these two ingredients in the same bowl.

Okay...so you have everything ready to go.  Next, heat your wok to very hot.  When you add the peanut oil, it should be almost smoking.  A very hot wok is critical to a successful stir-fry.  Next, just follow the recipe below and serve with Jasmine rice.  White rice is traditional, but I have been using brown for a couple years now due to its health benefits.


Enjoy!


Cashew Chicken Recipe (serves 4 people)

Ingredients:

¼ cup Peanut Oil

1 ½ lbs chicken breast, cut into 1” pieces

12 dried red chilies

5 slices of fresh ginger, peeled

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, sliced

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 can sliced water chestnuts

¼ cup cashews, roasted

3 scallions, cut into 1” pieces (green parts) and diced (white parts)

   Marinade: 1 T. corn starch, 2 tsp soy sauce, 1 T. sherry, 1 tsp peanut oil

   Sauce: 3 T. light soy sauce, 2 tsp black vinegar, 1 T. dark soy sauce, ½ cup water,

                           2 tsp sugar, 2 tsp corn starch

Prepared white or brown Jasmine rice

Directions:

1. Marinate chicken for 30 to 60 minutes in the refrigerator

2. Heat work, add 1 T. of vegetable oil until very hot

3. Add chicken, stir well, cook about 2/3 of the way through; remove from wok

4. Clean out wok, add 2 T. of vegetable oil, heat again until very hot

5. Add chilies, garlic, and ginger; sauté for 30 seconds

6. Add onion and celery; sauté for 3-5 minutes, until onions begin to soften

7. Return the chicken to the wok, stir.  Sauté for 1-2 minutes

8. Add cashews and chestnuts, stir

9. Add scallions and sauce, stir

10. Serve over steamed rice