Red-Cooked Beef

Sort of sichuan beef stew noodle soup.

Red-Cooked Beef over Noodles
4-6 servings

peanut or veg oil
4 Tbsp each minced ginger and garlic
1 large roughly chopped yellow onion
8 thinly sliced green onions
1 tbs Sichuan peppercorns, toasted then crushed
4 star anise
2 tbs Chinese hot chili paste
1.5 pounds of stew beef, cut into 1/2 to 1-inch cubes
1 1/2 tsp sugar
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 can beef broth
~1.5 cups water
1 bunch/pound greens. Mustard, choy, water spinach, etc
Cornstarch Slurry
1.5 pounds of fresh Chinese egg noodles or 1 pound thin dried egg noodles
Handful cilantro, chopped


Heat oil in cooking vessel on high and add ginger, garlic, and onions. Stir-fry for a minute and then add two-thirds of the green onions (set the rest aside for serving). After 10 seconds add the peppercorns and star anise, and after 10 more seconds stir in the pepper/chili paste. Stir-fry briskly for about 30 seconds and add the beef, frying till every piece is seared. Sprinkle sugar and soy over all and stir-fry two more minutes.

Add broth (or bouillon cube and water), along with water, stir well, and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to very low, cover, and simmer until the meat is falling-apart tender, about 2 hours.

Cook noodles in boiling water, blanch the greens. Bring the sauce to a boil and stir in the slurry, a tablespoon at a time, until the sauce is as thick as you'd like. Mix everything together, add in the cilantro.
Top with ground sichuan pepper and serve.

Pasta with Tuna and Olives

Fairly untraditional(?) Sicilian style pasta with Tuna.

Whole Wheat Pasta with Tuna and Olives

Yield: 4 to 6 serving

1 pound whole wheat spaghetti
olive oil
1 diced red onion
4 cloves thinly sliced garlic
1.5 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 mini can tomato paste
1 1/2 cups reserved pasta cooking water
salt and pepper
1 jar calamata olives, pitted and chopped (about 1-1.5 cups)
2 (7-ounce) cans olive oil packed tuna
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
Grated Parmesan

Cook the pasta for 5 minutes before starting the sauce. While the pasta cooks, set a 14-inch saute pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil.
Once the oil is hot, add the onions and garlic to the pan cook the onions, stirring occasionally until soft and slightly caramelized, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes and tomato paste to the pan.
Drain the pasta from the pot and add it to the pan as well as the 1 1/2 cups of reserved pasta cooking water. Season the pasta and add the olives, tuna and parsley to the pan. Continue to cook the pasta, tossing, until most of the water has evaporated, a few minutes.
Serve with Parmesan sprinkled on top.

Or be lazy:
Mix 28oz "tomato sauce" with 2 cans tuna and 1 jar olives and chiles. Mix with pasta, add parsley and cheese.

Somewhat Indian Somewhat Jambalaya

Eh, it's kind of hard to classify.

Coriander-Crusted Sausage Meatballs in Fennel Rice

Serves 4

1 1-pound package raw chicken sausage with fennel
About 1/4 cup ground coriander, to coat sausage
2 medium onions, chopped
2 huge fennel heads, chopped, fronds reserved
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 tsp fennel seed
1 tsp cayenne
2 cups jasmin rice
4 cups chicken stock
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Canola or grapeseed oil for cooking

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Remove sausage from casings and roll into 12-18 balls (2-3 balls per link). Roll sausage balls in coriander to coat.
Place an oven-proof casserole or soup pot over high heat, add oil to coat and sear sausage meatballs until dark golden brown and delicious, about 6-8 minutes. Remove sausage meatballs to a plate.
In the same casserole, add the onions, fennel, celery, and spices. Season and weat until softened and reduced in volume, about 15-20 minutes.
Add rice and stir to combine. Add back the sausage meatballs and pour in chicken stock. Bring to a simmer, cover, and bake in oven for 35-45 minutes, until rice is cooked through.
Let rest 15 minutes covered, garnish with lots of fennel fronds and serve family style.

Char Kway Teow

Singaporean street style noodles. Very comfort foody.

Char Kway Teow
Serves 4

* 1 lbs thick rice stick noodle or flat rice noodle
* 4 tbsp garlic, minced
* 2 red chili, minced
* 1/2 bag bean sprouts (2 handfuls)
* 3 scallions, batons
* 1 lbs Chinese greens, prepared
* 1.5 lbs pre-cooked protein - shrimp, squid, pork, etc
* 3 eggs, beaten
* 2 tbsp fish sauce
* 3 tbsp kecap manis (sweet dark soy sauce)

Directions

1. Cook the noodles. Drain and set aside.
2. Fry garlic and chili until garlic is fragrant and golden brown.
3. Add the greens, and cook halfway. Add the bean sprouts, and cook until the greens are almost done. Remove.
4. Add the noodles, and get them moved around and colored a bit.
5. Add the beaten egg and fry it together with the noodles.
6. Pour the fish sauce and sweet dark soy sauce over the noodles and fry all ingredients together for another minute before adding everything into the pan. Add a bit of water, toss to combine.
7. Serve with cilantro, hot sauce, lime, etc

Feijoada

The national dish of Brazil.

Feijoada Completa
8-10 servings

Olive oil
1 huge onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 habanero pepper, minced
2 tsp paprika
2 bay leaves
Salt and Pepper
1 pound chorizo, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 pound baby back ribs, cut into individual ribs
1 pound carne seca, blade steak, beef jerky, other random stewable meat
1 pound dried black beans
~10 cups water

1 bunch collard or kale greens, sauteed
White Rice
Hot Sauce


In a stockpot, saute the the onions, garlic, habanero, and bay leaves. Season with salt pepper, and paprika. Saute for 5 minutes.
Add the sausage, and cook for 4 minutes. Add the other meats, beans and water.
Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the beans are tender, about 2 1/2 hours. Adding water as necessary to keep the beans covered.
Using the back of a ladle, mash some of the beans to thicken things up some. Reseason with salt and pepper if needed.
To serve, mix in the greens, and spoon over a relatively small amount of rice.

Mee Rebus

Malaysian street noodles with sweet potato gravy.

Mee Rebus
Serves 4

12oz dried asian noodles (chow mein, soba, udon)
5 Cups beef stock
Vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp Chili garlic paste
1 tbsp Coriander powder
1/2 tsp Tumeric
1 Inch fresh ginger, minced
2 Shallots. minced
2 sweet potatoes, peeled, cooked and mashed
Salt to taste
Juice of 1 lime
1 Tbs Fish sauce

For Garnishing:
1 brick tofu, cubed
1 small package bean sprouts
2 Scallions, sliced
1 lb Short Bok Choy or similar
Cilantro

Cooking Instructions:
Heat saucepan on medium flame, add vegetable oil.
Cook paste. garlic, ginger, spices, shallot until quite toasted.
Add beef stock, bring it to a boil. Slowly add the mashed potato to the stock until a gravy-like consistency is reached.
Simmer gently 8 to 10 minutes.
Add gravy to the noodles, and add vegetables as well. Mix and let residual heat cook the vegetables.
Top with extra hot sauce.

Nice Healthy Stir-Fry

Thai/Viet Tofu with Watercress and Pak Choy
Serves...2-3?

5 heads (maybe 1 pound) of small Pak Choy (pale green little choy). Bottoms sliced and tops halved.
1 handful broccoli florets, washed and par-cooked. (I had leftovers)
1 brick extra firm Tofu - drained, cubed and warmed up.
1 small shallot, minced (leftovers!)
1 knob ginger, minced
2 Tbs Sriracha sauce
3-4 Tbs Soy Sauce
1 bunch Watercress, stems trimmed.
2 scallions, thin sliced
Rice

Prep everything. Warm up the tofu.
Stir-fry the broccoli and pak choy, reserve. Dump the tofu on top.
Stir-fry the shallot and garlic for a bit. Add the sriracha and cook for a minute.
Add the hard vegetables and tofu back, and add soy sauce. Add watercress and wilt.
Finish with scallions, and serve over rice.