Roasted Sunchokes with Carrots

I had never even heard of a sunchoke (or Jerusalem Artichoke) before receiving it in my Full Circle Farm box this past week.  I don't consider myself a picky eater, but this strange-looking vegetable was not doing a good job of looking appetizing to a first timer.  Knobby like a ginger root, sunchokes don't give an immediate "I'm delicious!" vibe.

I read up on them via the handy-dandy internet, and it looks like you can treat them just like a potato.  I also received a bunch of carrots in the box, so I decided to roast them together.

I hardly count this as a recipe...this was so easy.  Some sources suggested peeling sunchokes, but I decided that would take way too long...and was probably less nutritious.  So, I just gave them a good wash with my fruit and veggie scrubber, and chopped them up alongside the carrots.  

Give a drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  

Spread out on a foil-covered baking sheet.  Be sure to give them some breathing room!

I had this for dinner alongside some lemon pepper salmon.  Mmmm...I wish I had more leftover!

Roasted Sunchokes and Carrots
sunchokes
carrots
olive oil
salt
pepper

Cube the sunchokes and carrots into equally-sized pieces.  Toss with olive oil (enough to coat, but don't drown them), and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Spread evenly on a foil-lined baking sheet, and roast in a 400 F oven for 30-45 minutes, depending how small you've cut the veggies--check for fork tenderness.

[Reverb10] Make (Pizza Recipe!)

I think it's obvious that I'm not going to be able to keep up with Reverb10.  However, I -do- enjoy the reflection motivated by the daily prompts, and I'm keen on posting and participating when I can.   


December 6 – Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it?

Thanks to the recommendation of my sister, I am a happy subscriber of Full Circle Farm's produce delivery.  It works like a CSA, but they collaborate with other farms in a multi-state region.  They even collaborate with local dairies, butchers, bakers, etc.   It's fantastic!

This week's loot was deliciously winter-y.  Included were apples, pears, mandarins, a pomegranate (all pictured behind the box), and others.  There were lots of ideas that came to mind for this week's box.  I think I'll use the cilantro to make some cilantro lime rice, roast the sunchokes and carrots together, and the pomegranate would go nicely with the mixed greens that also graced the box.

For today, however, I decided to use the yellow onion and crimini mushrooms that came this week.  How does a pizza sound?  

I didn't quite have time or resources to make my own dough...but I didn't want to resort to the nasty store-bought, already-baked stuff chock full of preservatives.  Where's the compromise? Trader Joe's to the rescue!

I went with their whole wheat pizza dough.  They also have white flour and garlic herb varieties.  I'm thinking about making breadsticks out of the garlic herb dough sometime...

First step is to caramelize the onions.  Be patient--it's worth it!

Other toppings included the sliced crimini mushrooms, prosciutto, and feta.  

In the oven for 10 minutes to let the dough bake.  It looked like it needed a pop of color, so I sprinkled it with some of the mixed greens as soon as it came out of the oven.

Yum!  Not bad for an impromptu dinner.  In retrospect, it could have used another texture/flavor level...maybe some sliced apples or pears?  Some honey for the crust?  Open to suggestions!

Onion, Mushroom, Prosciutto, and Feta Pizza

pizza dough (store bought or homemade)

1 onion, chopped 

prosciutto

feta cheese

Crimini mushrooms, sliced

arugula or mixed greens

olive oil

salt

garlic, minced

Caramelize onions in a large skillet with olive oil.  Cook until dark brown and sweet.  Set aside.  Prepare pizza dough, and either use a roller or hand stretch onto a baking sheet or pizza stone.  Lightly brush with olive oil, and evenly spread minced garlic.  Follow with the mushrooms, prosciutto, onions, and feta.  Bake at 450 F for 10 minutes (or otherwise specified by pizza dough).  Immediately top with mixed greens/arugula and serve.

Homemade Twinkies

It was brought to my attention by Ryan that, at the tail end of 22 years old, I had never, ever, eaten a Twinkie.

The solution seemed simple enough.  For roughly a dollar, I could finally indulge in a childhood staple.  That was too easy.  I decided to make my own, and then do a Twinkie showdown in my kitchen.

The recipe is courtesy of Simple Math Bakery.

First up was to solve the problem of not having a canoe pan.  Per the suggestion of The Internet, I took a piece of aluminum foil, folded it twice, and wrapped it around a spice jar.  This worked perfectly.

I collected the molds in a lipped cookie sheet, and coated them with non-stick baking spray.

The dry ingredients.

Folding in the whipped egg whites with the rest of the batter.

Spooning the batter into my ghetto-rigged canoe pan.

After baking...!

The cakes were easy enough to separate out of the molds.   If any were finicky, I could peel the foil off the sides of the cake.

Using a piping bag, you can mimic the three-point frosting wells that real twinkies have.

Mine certainly aren't as pretty.

...or as evenly distributed.

...but man, were they TASTY.  The final verdict:  There are certain flavors and textures that certainly weren't replicated, but the homemade ones were delicious anyways.  It would be fun to make these in a cupcake, and serve them with fruit.

Vanilla Snack Cakes (Twinkies)
From Simple Math Bakery
Yield: 24 cakes

Snack Cakes:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons corn starch
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup canola oil
3/4 cup cold water
1 teaspoon Princess flavoring (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
7 eggs, separated

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a canoe pan or homemade molds with cooking spray and set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they are very stiff. They should hold their shape when removed from the bowl. Set aside.

Combine the flour, corn starch, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together or beat on low speed for a minute, until combined. Add oil, water, Princess flavoring, and egg yolks. Beat on medium speed until smooth.

Using a rubber spatula, gently scoop 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter. Fold the egg whites in by slicing the spatula through the center of the bowl, gently scooping batter from the bottom and wrapping it over the top. Turn the bowl 1/4 turn and repeat until the egg whites are barely visible. Repeat this process with each remaining 1/3 of the egg whites.

Spoon the batter into the pan, filling the wells 2/3 full. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until cakes are golden brown and just starting to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cakes will puff up when cooking, but will settle as they cool. Cool the cakes in the pan for 5 minutes, then gently remove them from the pan using a rubber spatula. Allow them to cool, flat side down, directly on the cooling rack.

Filling:
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk (I used soy milk)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar

In a small saucepan, heat the flour and milk over medium heat, stirring constantly. When the mixture becomes a paste (about 5 minutes), remove from heat and allow to cool for 1 minute. Stir in the vanilla extract. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming, and set aside to cool completely.

With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the cooled milk mixture and beat for about 5 minutes, until smooth and creamy.

Use the pastry filler that comes with the pan (or a pastry bag with round tip) to fill the cakes. Place the tip about halfway into the cake and squeeze gently. Holding the cake in your palm while filling it will allow you to feel when it is full. Fill each cake 3 times.

Sockeye Salmon Fishing

We made the 6-hour journey to Chitina, AK to fish for Sockeye Salmon at the confluence of the Copper and Chitina Rivers.

The drive out there was long, but very pretty.  With 20+ hours of light, you're able to enjoy the view for the entire way.

Fishing for reds is done by dipnetting.  The nets are huge, and extended into the water using 6-12' poles. Shi's friend Mandy accompanied us, and here she is with Dave and the dipnet for perspective.

Since I am not a resident of Alaska, it was not legal for me to handle the fish or assist in the fishing in any way.  I spent the day perched on my ledge, reading, watching, and enjoying the views.  It was funny to think about how in two months, I had gone from one shoreside lounge to another...but in very different climates and capacities.

Success!

Shiway with part of her loot:

I learned how to properly fillet a fish.  It's harder than I thought...but there's delicious payoff.

A batch is in the smoker, and the rest are making their way to the vacuum sealer and freezer.  Already dug into a fish for dinner, and can't wait for the smoker to be done tomorrow!

Blueberry Picking

Part of the fun of being in Alaska is harvesting your own food.  Shi and Dave are usually kind enough to share their bounty every year when they visit in December.  This includes salmon, halibut, berries, and the occasional large, four-legged animal.

Today, we went blueberry picking.  It was exhausting but fun and rewarding work!  The land was soggy and full of mud, puddles, and round-topped grass clumps called tussocks, which made it extremely difficult to navigate and balance.

Dave has a good eye for berries...and so does Emma.  In the higher grasses, you could see just her tail, bobbing up and down as she happily gobbled down berries.

Here she is, snarfing down a decent batch.   She pretty much plows through the fields with her mouth open, filtering out the berries, feeding like a whale.

Our final harvest for the day.  Emma is staring longingly, hoping that by some off chance, we are harvesting just for her.

We can all attribute the craze of tucking-in-your-pants-into-your-boots to Xtra Tuffs and Alaskan residents.  :)

Reflections on Food and Heritage

I had the realization the other day that my life revolves around food. When I'm eating it, whom I'm eating it with, what I happen to be eating, and what plans I have to alter or postpone in order to eat it. Vacations, dates, reunions...even academic/professional meetings have all revolved around the importance of a meal. At first I thought I was insane (or devilishly gluttonous) for being like this, but then I realized that everyone feels this root-connection with eating. After all, it's a common ground for all of us, isn't it?

Food is one of the few ways for me to connect with my family in Taiwan. As an ABC, I am the "American" cousin to my family, and the "Asian" friend to my peers. It's a bizarre line to straddle. The way I talk, dress, speak, act...these all point to my American upbringing. However, there are a few oddities in my childhood that separate my experience from my friends'. Food-blogger-celebrity Diane of White on Rice pinpointed it exactly: my equivalent of a lazy mac-and-cheese dinner was a bowl of udon noodles. As a kid, the blue box was an absolute treat that made an appearance only sporadically throughout my K-12 years. Most lazy Saturdays and Sundays, my parents would put a steaming bowl of udon noodle soup in front of me, full of bok choy, chicken, and fish. At one point, I enjoyed this dish as much as any other, but after nearly two decades...it grows old; it loses its splendor. As an adult who must feed myself, I can now appreciate the bowl of udon a bit more...but I still don't crave it like I crave Beecher's "World's Best" mac and cheese. I often wonder if this is a reflection upon my poor taste as a food enthusiast. Likewise, cereal was a breakfast food that I didn't fully embrace until college. A cold breakfast that goes soggy never sounded appealing to me, but as the daily rice porridge with pork and seaweed grew old, I wondered what my other options were.

Let's not even delve into the fact that I didn't learn how to eat salad with a fork (and not chopsticks) until I was 20.

My Chinese vocabulary would probably bore a 7-year-old. We'd talk about the weather, the time of day, and the names of our family members. Beyond that, we'd probably sing nursery rhymes songs before growing bored of each others' company (but not before the 7-year-old corrects me on my pronunciation and grammar). This probably explains why I can't converse with my family in Taiwan very well. As a result, Taipei can feel suffocating and restrictive, but I ache to make it feel like home. I should be able to keep pace in a conversation with my hoards of relatives, I should be able to laugh at the same jokes on TV, I should be able to order my own food without completely freezing up in front of the server. Despite these stifling feelings, I still love going back to Taiwan. There is a warmth from family that cannot be found from other sources, and the tropical land of brush paintings, red bean desserts, vespas, and 中文 remains unparalleled in importance to me.

Because language poses its own problems, food offers a whole different mode of communication. I'm not talking about eating my feelings. I'm talking about the nostalgia and welcoming feeling I get from biting into a fresh bellfruit, or catching a whiff of freshly-baked 菠蘿包. I'm not sure if others feel the way I do, but then I meet other second-gen kids like me. One of the first things we discuss is Night Market, quickly followed by a long conversation about hot pot, eating shrimp with their heads still attached, mysterious gelatins, congee, and 油條.

What implications does this have for my future eating adventures? In the past, it's led to my near death (a food allergy is the ultimate curse for the gluttonous). Recently, this has refueled my urge to regain my fluency and literacy in Mandarin. Another project for Summer 2010...

30-Minute Turkey Chili

It's the end of April...which means Boulder sees all seasons. On Friday, a spring downpour instantaneously turned into a winter blizzard. The cold rain has been visiting frequently the past week, and thus, I'm in the mood for some winter goodness.

Most chilis take hours to make. They require slow-cooking, pressure-cooking, or just very, very patient simmering. I found a recipe that takes about 30 min to make from start to finish, and it is one of my favorites. Each time I make it, I have the best intentions to document it...but always fail to. Today, I finally remembered!

The arsenal:
The more colors in your food, the better...for your eyes, and your health...


I love weekends. Paired perfectly with cornbread, recipe from Use Real Butter.

30-Minute Turkey Chili

Ingredients:

• 3 T olive oil
• medium yellow onion, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 t oregano
• 1 lb ground turkey (or other ground meat or meat-sub)
• 12 oz beer or broth
• 28 oz diced tomatoes
• 14 oz black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, and/or corn (or any other veggies, canned or fresh, for that matter)
• Salt to taste
  

1. Saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil. Add salt and oregano, and cook until onions are done all the way through (they've turned slightly clear).
2. Add in the ground turkey, and break up into small pieces. Cook until turkey is no longer raw.
3. Add in the liquid, and simmer for 10 min.
4. Add in remaining ingredients, and simmer for at least another 10 min. Salt to taste.
   

新年快樂! Year of the Tiger!

It's that delicious time of year again...Chinese New Year! This year is the year of the tiger, which is the year of mom, Shiway, and Ryan! No New Year celebration is complete without the Asian potluck littered with New Year goodies.


Amongst the attendees were J.Y., his niece Vicki, and his adorable son, Quan. I've known him since he was born, and I'm pretty sure he's the world's best kid. Ever. As a baby, he never fussed or cried when he was over...as a toddler, he was mild-mannered and well-behaved. Now, as a 3rd grader, he is amazing at piano, eats all his veggies, loves math, and is extremely friendly and still the best-behaved kid I've ever met!

Hard to tell what is there...but I'm sure there's about 9 different animals. Between the Taiwanese sweet sausage (香腸), squid, honey duck, salmon (two kinds!), fish meatballs, bok choy, Chinese broccoli, Kobe beef sliders, tofu, yams, shrimp, rice sausage, noodles, and other-items-I'm-sure-I'm-forgetting, it was difficult to control my eating.


Everyone has to wear red. :) Ryan is an exception, because he has red hair.

Of course, you must have fruit and dessert afterward! Lucky oranges!

Washing it all down with some tea, there was papaya, pineapple, oranges, mango, coconut chocolate cake, muffins, truffles, and my all-time New Year's favorite....年糕 (nian gao)!!!!! Glutinous red bean cake (think mochi), deep-fried in a crunchy, sweet batter. SOOO good...and only made once a year. :)

Not pictured are Morinaga caramels and licorice and fruit gelatins. Needless to say, a food coma ensued.

Spaghetti Carbonara

Attempt at Food Blogging x2!

Back in 2008, I was lucky enough to spend three weeks in Rome for study abroad credit. One of my favorite dishes was Spaghetti Carbonara...honestly, you can't go wrong with noodles and bacon. There are lots of versions out there that add cream and/or peas, but the most traditional version is simply pancetta, eggs, and cheese.

Even with the artery-clogging egg yolks, parmesan, and fatty pork, I decided to use whole wheat pasta to give myself some sort of source of nutrition.


Sauteing the thick-cut Sunflower Market's bacon...

Mixing everything together in an aromatic, melted pile:

A few final touches, and it is ready to devour.


Spaghetti Carbonara
1 lb spaghetti
1/2 lb pancetta or bacon
4 eggs
1 T garlic
1 c Pecorino Romano, grated (or Parmesean)
2 T olive oil
2 T minced parsley
black pepper
extra grated Parmesean

Saute pancetta in olive oil over medium heat, until meat has rendered most of its fat. Add garlic, and cook until brown. Take pan off the heat.

Meanwhile, break eggs into a medium-sized bowl, and whisk until smooth. Add 1 c of grated cheese, and mix. Set aside.

While pancetta is cooking, cook pasta, reserving a cup of pasta water to thin the sauce if needed. Drain and toss immediately in the pan (after it is taken off the heat source), adding cheese and eggs and parsley. Quickly toss, until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth. The residual heat in the pasta should cook (but not scramble) the eggs and melt the cheese.

Top with ground black pepper, grated cheese, and more parsley.