Category: Dinner

P’Noot’s Pad Thai

In Koh Tao, Thailand we were taught this recipe from the one and only P’Noot herself. She was by far our favorite street food lady in Thailand, and she made the island’s BEST pad thai!!!

INGREDIENTS: (amounts below for one big serving)

  • Oil
  • 1/2 chicken breast, cut into thin strips
  • 1 egg
  • Rice noodles (a big handful). Noodles appear wet? Are not stiff!
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1tsp garlic powder
  • Big Tbsp + of chili sauce (chili sauce is red, slightly looks like marinara sauce, not the clear chili sauce, looks like it had chunks of red pepper flakes in it)
    • *We now do 1 Tbsp bought chili paste and 1 Tbsp homemade chili paste
      • HOMEMADE CHILI PASTE: 1 garlic clove, 8ish red hot chilis, finely chopped with 1/4 tsp salt. Saute in hot oil, add 1/2 tsp Paprika.
  • Handful of bean sprouts
  • 2 green onions, roughly chopped
  • 1 heaping Tbsp of crushed peanuts
  • 1 slice of lime (optional)
  • Chili flakes to taste

STEPS:

  1. Get wok very very hot! This is key!
  2. Add in about 2Tbsp of oil
  3. Add in chicken breast, stir!
  4. Add one egg, stir vigorously
  5. A big handful of rice noodles
  6. Keep stirring!
  7. Add in sugar, salt, garlic powder, stir
  8. Add chili sauce
  9. Stir stir stir like crazy
  10. Spread out the noodle mix and put bean sprouts on top, then fold them in (not stir!)
  11. Turn fire off!
  12. Sprinkle green onion on top and top with crushed peanuts
  13. Like slice optional, and chili flakes on top to taste :)

 

P’noot’s Fried Rice

A recipe from P’Noot, our favorite lady from Koh Tao, Thailand!

INGREDIENTS (for one large serving)

  • Oil (olive is good)
  • 1/4 onion, big chopped
  • 1/3 chicken breast, chopped in thin strips
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup cooked white rice
  • Soy sauce (~1Tbsp)
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 Tbsp chopped carrot
  • 1/3c chopped cabbage

STEPS (This recipe is for one large serving)

  1. Get a wok really really hot over a good amount of flame. Add about 2 Tbsp of oil
  2. Add in 1/4 of an onion, roughly chopped. Stir with spatula about 30sec
  3. Add in chicken, stir
  4. Crack one egg into wok, stir
  5. Add one large serving of cooked white rice (2/3-1 cup), stir vigorously
  6. Add soy sauce to taste (about 1Tbsp), sugar (1 tsp) and garlic powder (1tsp), stir stir stir.
  7. Add in carrot and cabbage
  8. Stir vigorously for 1-2 mins, vuala!

 

Swordfish Rolls

Ingredients:

  • Thinly sliced swordfish, about 2-3mm thick – easiest if ask butcher or cut when frozen
  • breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 clove chopped garlic
  • big handful of parsley
  • A few capers if desired (Eric thinks not)
  • healthy sprinkle of oregano
  • 3 tablespoons regular olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • Toothpicks

Making it happen:

  • Combine breadcrumbs, herbs and spices in a bowl
  • Put oil in a small dish/bowl
  • Take one piece of swordfish at a time and dip one side in olive oil
  • Then press the oily side of the swordfish in the breadcrumb mixture
  • Fold the breadcrumb side inside and into a square – hold with a toothpick
  • Pat square on both sides in breadcrumbs and pan cook in light olive oil only a couple minutes per side and pressing down with spatula

Good appetizer or for a light meal with salad!

Pesto from Liguria, Italy

Ingredients:

  • 100g basilico (basil)
  • 50g parmigiano
  • 30g pinoli (pine nuts)
  • 1/2 bicchiere d’olio d’oliva (1/2 cup olive oil – not extra virgin!)
  • 1 spicchio d’aglio (1 garlic clove)
  • Sale (salt)

Making those things turn into delicious Italian pesto:

Put all ingredients in a mixer and blend to a smooth cream.

Tricks and Tips:

  • Add about half the olive oil to start, once you see the pine nuts and garlic getting small, add the rest of the olive oil
  • Small leaves of basil are better – not bigger than about 2-3 inch leaves
  • Store in the fridge for about 1 week in a tupperware, but add a layer of EV olive oil on the top so the pesto doesn’t oxidize
  • Can store the same way in the freezer (with olive oil) for a long time
  • Serve creamy as is for bread or meat/fish
  • Add EV olive oil until smooth for pasta
  • Always cook with regular olive oil – not extra virgin
  • Always use EV olive oil for serving directly – for example after cooking over fish or over pasta

Cioppino!

We first made this recipe when in Nerja, Spain. It is delicious! Little did we know, Cioppino was created in San Francisco!

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 large shallots, chopped (optional)
  • 2 Anaheim peppers (or 1-2 green bell pepper)
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
  • 1/4 tsp (a few shakes) of black pepper
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
  • 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
  • 5 cups fish stock
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2-4 shakes of dried oregano
  • 2-4 shakes of dried basik
  • 2 pounds clams, scrubbed
  • 1 pound mussels, scrubbed, debearded
  • 1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1 1/2 pounds assorted firm-fleshed fish fillets such as halibut or salmon, cut into
  • 2-inch chunks

DIRECTIONS

  1. Heat the oil in a very large pot over medium heat. Add the bell pepper, onion, shallots, and salt and saute until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes.
  2. Add the garlic and 3/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, basil, a pinch of black pepper, and oregano, and saute 2 minutes.
  3. Stir in the tomato paste. Add tomatoes with their juices, wine, fish stock and bay leaf. Cover and bring to a simmer.
  4. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the flavors blend, about 30 minutes.
  5. Add the clams and mussels to the cooking liquid. Cover and cook until the clams and mussels begin to open, about 5 minutes.
  6. Add the shrimp and fish. Simmer gently until the fish and shrimp are just cooked through, and the clams are completely open, stirring gently, about 5 minutes longer (discard any clams and mussels that do not open).
  7. Season the soup, to taste, with more salt and red pepper flakes.
  8. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve, yum! Serve with some toast!

The Best Stew of all Stews

Yum! Such good stew, even Amanda likes it! :)

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 pounds beef stew meat (or 2 pounds chuck roast, cut Into 2-inch chunks)
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 4 or 5 large cloves garlic, minced
  • one 6-ounce can tomato paste
  • 4 cups low-sodium beef stock , plus more if necessary
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 large carrots (or a bunch of small ones), roughly chopped into chunks
  • 1 or 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
  • one 15-ounce can white beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 Jalapeno, chopped, seeds too if you can handle the spice (optional, but DO IT)
  • 2 bay Leaves
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

  1. Heat oil and butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat.
  2. Generously season beef with salt and pepper.
  3. Working in batches if you need to, sauté the meat, turning every couple of minutes but not stirring constantly, until nice and brown on all sides (but just on the outside; you don’t need to cook the meat all the way through at this point).  Using tongs, move the seared beef to a plate, keeping all that brown juicy goodness in the pot.
  4. Add the onion garlic to the pot and cook, making sure to scrape up those brown bits and stains from the bottom with a wooden spoon. (in other words: Flavor!) Cook for a couple of minutes, then add your tomato paste again scraping those brown bits. Cook for another minute or two.
  5. Add beef stock to the pot, getting the last bits of brown up from the bottom one last time. Add the Worchestershire sauce and sugar, then return that seared beef to the pot, plus any juices that accumulated on the plate. Cover, reduce heat and simmer on low for 2 hours (this seems like a short time for stew, but there’s another step!)
  6. Uncover and throw in the carrots, celery, beans, jalapeño and bay leaves. Cover again and let simmer for another hour (if you can wait that long), until the vegetables are tender and the meat is totally forkable.  If you prefer a thinner stew, add some more beef stock (or water), a little at a time.
  7. Taste. Add some salt and pepper until you deem it perfect.
  8. Serve over mashed potatoes! Yum!

Stew-Almost-Done-14

Holiday Cranberry Applesauce

A Colleen Nespor original! Delicious addition to a Thanksgiving or Christmas meal, mmmm!

INGREDIENTS

  • 1# apples (granny smiths are great)
  • 1# cranberries
  • 1c sugar
  • 1/4-1/2 c water (start w/ 1/4 then add as needed.
  • Cinnamon (1-2 tsp to taste)HOW TO…
  • Cook over med heat until cranberries pop and apples are soft
  • Mash for chunky, or blend for pureed
  • Cool in fridge, eat!

Eric’s Made-up Spaghetti Sauce

I made this in Nerja and it was pretty tasty:

  • Brown 1 onion in big pot in olive oil
  • Add about 5 garlic cloves finely chopped
  • Add 1 pound of ground meat, I used half pork and half beef because that’s common and cheap in Spain
  • Once the meat is cooked, add 2 large green bell peppers or Anaheim peppers finely chopped
  • Add 2 cans of diced tomatoes with only some of the juice
  • Add 1/2 a small can of tomato paste
  • Add 2 medium sized fresh tomatoes, diced
  • Add 1 cup red wine
  • Add a healthy amount of basil, oregano, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes in to taste
  • Add 1 medium zucchini finely chopped
  • Simmer, stirring frequently for about an hour
  • Add about 1/2 cup almond milk just before serving to add some creaminess if desired

Yum! Served over whole wheat pasta for best effect

 

 

Raggmunk (Swedish Potato Pancakes)

We made some delicious potato pancakes that tasted really similar to the ones we had at the Saluhall Market in Stockholm. We had them with Swedish meatballs we bought frozen from the local market :)

Basically, to make them you make simple pancake batter and you grate potatoes, then… wait for it… you mix them together and cook like regular pancakes.

First, the potatoes

Grate about 3/4 pounds of potato into a bowl of very cold water. Drain the potatoes and press out as much liquid as possible with paper towels.

Then, the batter

Whisk together 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 cup almond milk, and salt & pepper until smooth. Add 1 tablespoon grated onions and 1 egg and continue to whisk.

Combine

Stir the potatoes into the batter.

Cook!

Get a griddle or pan pretty hot, add some oil and then cook like you would pancakes. Flip once when the bottom is golden brown – they will take longer than just pancakes do.

Enjoy :)

Becca’s Killer BBQ Pulled Pork!

Ingredients

  • 2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
  • 4 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup chicken stock or low-sodiumchicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 (4-1/2- to 5-pound) boneless or bone-in pork shoulder (also known as pork butt), twine or netting removed
  • 2 cups barbecue sauce (optional)

Instructions

  1. Place the onions and garlic in an even layer in the slow cooker and pour in the stock or broth. Combine the sugar, chili powder, measured salt, cumin, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Pat the pork dry with paper towels. Rub the spice mixture all over the pork and place the meat on top of the onions and garlic. Cover and cook until the pork is fork tender, about 6 to 8 hours on high or 8 to 10 hours on low.
  2. Turn off the slow cooker and remove the pork to a cutting board. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a medium heatproof bowl. Pour the onion mixture from the slow cooker through the strainer and return the solids to the slow cooker. Set the strained liquid aside.
  3. If the pork has a bone, remove and discard it. Using 2 forks, shred the meat into bite-sized pieces, discarding any large pieces of fat. Return the shredded meat to the slow cooker, add the barbecue sauce, if using, and mix to combine. If you’re not using barbecue sauce, use a spoon to skim and discard the fat from the surface of the strained cooking liquid, and then add 1/4 cup of the liquid at a time to the slow cooker until the pork is just moistened. Taste and season with salt as needed.