Recipe: Turkey Pastrami and Root Vegetable Hash

I had a bunch of root vegetables in my fridge that just needed a good recipe to go with them.  I'm fond of "hashes" like corned beef hash & bubble and squeak and thought I'd give this a go.  I used turkey pastrami instead of corned beef or beef pastrami as I wanted a dish full of flavor, but not so full on the waistline.  The process is easy, it just takes some time to cook...

Ingredients:

3 large new or white potatoes, diced

5 large rutabagas, peeled and diced

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

4 large beets, peeled and diced

2 parsnips, peeled and diced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1 large Vidalia onion, chopped

2 red jalapenos, finely chopped

1 1/3 lbs turkey pastrami, diced

2 tbsp Herbs de Provence

2 tbsp minced garlic

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp sea salt

3 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place all of the peeled root vegetables into a large casserole dish. Add the Herbs de Provence, minced garlic, cumin, brown sugar, sea salt, and all but 1/2 tbsp of the olive oil. Mix thoroughly with a large spoon. Place into the oven, covered, for 35 mins then remove the cover for 10 additional minutes to allow the vegetables to start browning.

In a large skillet, heat the remaining 1/2 tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the jalapenos, onion, and turkey pastrami. Cover, and cook until the onions start to become translucent. Remove cover and continue cooking until most of the remaining liquid has cooked out. Add the whole mixture to the large casserole with the root vegetables in the oven and mix thoroughly. Re-cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Serve immediately (preferably with a poached or soft-fried egg on top :)).

Makes 10 servings.

Recipe: Shrimp, Potato, and Scallion Quiche

This quiche was absolutely freakin' amazing. This totally made my Sunday morning!

Ingredients:

5 eggs

1 cup of milk

1 tbsp unsalted butter

1 large potato, diced

1 habanero pepper, minced

1 1/2 tbsp minced garlic

2/3 lb of large shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed, diced

1 bunch of scallions, finely chopped (approximately 2/3 cup)

2/3 cup of lean ham, diced

1 1/2 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped (or 1 1/2 tsp dried)

2 tsp Herbs de Provence

2 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

3 oz Gruyere cheese, shredded (approximately 1 cup)

1 pre-made pie crust (suitable for 9" Pyrex pie dish)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large saute pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the diced potato, habanero pepper, and garlic. Cook, covered, stirring frequently until the potatoes soften and begin to brown. Add the shrimp and cook until the shrimp turns pink. Add the ham, scallions, Herbs de Provence, salt, pepper, and fresh dill. Mix thoroughly and cook for another 2 - 3 minutes. Roll pie crust out into a 9" Pyrex dish that's been coated lightly with cooking spray. Add ingredients from the saute pan into the crust and spread out evenly. Cover evenly with the shredded Gruyere. Whip the milk into the eggs in a mixing bowl. Pour the egg mixture into the crust over the other ingredients. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes until the top browns and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Makes 8 servings.

Recipe: Sirloin Burgers

Ingredients:

1 1/4 lb. ground sirloin (93% lean/7% fat)
1 1/2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. paprika
1 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp. cracked red pepper
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 onion, finely diced (or pureed)
3 tbsp. finely chopped fresh mint
3 tbsp. finely chopped fresh basil

Directions:

Mix all ingredients into a bowl with hands until ingredients are thoroughly combined.  Make 4 equally sized patties from the mixture.  Heat your griddle, grill, or cast iron pan to medium-high heat.  Place patties on the heat and cook up to 4 - 5 minutes on each side to desired doneness (5 mins will cook to medium well).  Serve on whole wheat buns with sharp cheddar, two slices of bacon, lettuce, and tomato.  I do not recommend any other condiments are the burgers will be very strongly flavored.

Makes 4 servings.

Recipe: Pad Kee Mao

Ingredients:

2/3 lb. boneless/skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced
2/3 lb. boneless/skinless chicken thigh, thinly sliced
1 leek, finely chopped
1 bunch of scallions, finely chopped
1 large habanero, finely chopped
3 tbsp. minced garlic
3/4 cup loosely packed holy basil (Thai basil is OK if you can't find holy basil)
1 large red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 large yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips
Juice of 2 limes
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1/4 cup fish sauce
3 tbsp. dark soy sauce
3 tbsp. white wine
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 package (500 g/18 oz) of wide rice noodles, cooked
2 tbsp. canola oil

Directions:

Cook noodles according to package directions, chilling immediately with cold water after cooking.  Heat canola oil in the wok over high heat.  Add leek, scallion, habanero, and garlic.  Cover, cook for 2 minutes until fragrant.  Add chicken, mix vigorously.  Re-cover for about 3 minutes.  Remove cover and continue cooking until chicken is about 2/3 cooked.  Add bell pepper and holy basil.  Cover and cook for about 3 minutes more until the bell pepper is tender and the holy basil wilts.  Once chicken is fully cooked, push all ingredients to one side in the wok.  Add the beaten eggs to the other side.  Once the egg is close to set, vigorously mix all of the ingredients together.  Whisk lime juice, oyster sauce, fish sauce, dark soy, and white wine together.  Add to the wok and mix vigorously.  Add the cooked noodles and cilantro and turn off heat.  Mix all ingredients together completely, coating noodles completely in the mixture.  Serve immediately.

Makes 8 servings.

Recipe: Seafood Enchiladas

Made this last night for a Cinco de Mayo party and it was a HUGE hit!!!

Ingredients:

1 1/3 lbs. lump dungeness crab meat (I got a 3 lb. live crab and had it cracked and cleaned)
3/4 lbs. shrimp, peeled, deveined, coarsely chopped
3/4 lbs. sea scallops, coarsely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 stalk of green garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp. fresh sage, chopped
2 tbsp. fresh oregano, chopped
2 tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped
1 tbsp. cracked red pepper flakes
3 cups of fresh spinach, chopped
2 cups mushrooms, chopped
2 cups good quality red enchilada sauce
1 1/2 cups good quality salsa verde
2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
1/2 stick butter
2 tbsp. olive oil
12 corn tortillas

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400.  Heat the butter and oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.  Add the green garlic, onions, and spices, saute until the onions start to become soft.  Add the mushrooms to the mixture and cook until the mushrooms start to soften.  Add all of the seafood and cook until the shrimp just starts to turn pink.  Add the spinach in a final step and cook until the spinach is wilted.  Remove the mixture from heat.

Prepare a large casserole dish by spraying with cooking spray.  Soften the corn tortillas in the microwave by placing them in on high for 40 seconds.  Put about 3/4 ladle full of the seafood stuffing into each tortilla, roll, and place into the casserole dish.  Pack the rolled tortillas in as tightly as you can.  Pour the enchilada sauce and salsa verde evenly over all of the tortillas.  Top with the shredded cheese in an even layer.  Place into the oven and bake for about 20 minutes until all the cheese is melted and starts to brown.  Serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings.

Recipe: Spicy Chinese Greens

I made this as a side dish on Tuesday night and it was a big hit with the roomie and my date.  It's very simple and cooks really fast.

Ingredients:

1 bunch of collard, mustard, or other bitter greens (I used collard) - chopped, about 4 cups
1 1/2 cups of maitake or other fancy wild mushrooms, loosely chopped
1 leek, finely chopped
2 red jalapenos, finely chopped
2 tbsp. minced garlic
2 1/2 tbsp. oyster sauce
2 tbsp. of canola oil
1/2 cup dry sherry

Directions:

Heat the oil in a wok over medium-high heat.  Add the garlic, leeks, and jalapenos, sauteing until the leeks start to become translucent, about 10 minutes.  Deglaze the wok with the dry sherry and add the mushrooms, cooking until the mushrooms soften, about 3 - 4 minutes.  Add the collard greens and cover the wok to allow the greens to wilt, about 3 - 4 minutes.  Remove the cover and continue cooking until all the greens are fully wilted, but only just past the wilting point (you want the greens to still be a little crunchy).  Add the oyster sauce and saute for another 1 - 2 minutes, stirring everything together frequently.  Serve immediately.

Makes 4 side dish portions.

Recipe: Spicy and Quick Pho Lon (Pork Pho)

Making traditional pho broth can take days... so I cheat mightily to get this recipe down to a more manageable time frame AND add more veggies than would be traditional because, well, it's healthier.  Oh, and I pull the Japanese trick of adding a whisked egg to the soup at the end to add some richness :)

Ingredients:
4 cups low-salt chicken broth
3 cups water
1 cup dry sherry
1 package bonito flake, approx. 4 oz. (available in bulk in Asian markets)
2 tbsp. fish sauce
2 tbsp. chili/garlic paste
1 tbsp. minced ginger
2 tsp. ground corinader
2 star anise cloves
2 tsp. ground white pepper
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. sea salt
1 1/2 lbs. of pork butt, VERY thinly sliced (have your butcher do it)
1 1/2 cups of chopped spring onion or leeks
2 cups of fresh carrots, thinly sliced
1 whole Napa cabbage, cored and shredded
2 cups of chopped rapini (i.e. broccoli rabe)
1 cup chopped shitake mushrooms
1 cup chopped Tokyo turnips or other soft turnip
1 large package (20 - 24oz.) of thin rice noodles (Vietnamese vermicelli)
10 large eggs

Directions:
Prepare the rice noodles according to package directions, shocking with water at the end to chill.

In a large stock pot, combine chicken broth, water, sherry, and all spices and condiments.  Cover and bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes to allow the flavors to fully combine.  Remove the star anise cloves with a slotted spoon before continuing.

Add the pork butt and onion.  Simmer covered for 15 minutes.  Add the carrots, mushrooms, and turnips.  Raise heat to return to boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered for 15 minutes.  Add the cabbage and rapini, return to boil, then reduce heat to simmer again covered for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Place approx. 1 cup of cooked noodles into the bottom of a bowl.  Ladle in 1 1/2 cups of the soup mixture.  Crack an egg into a separate small bowl and whisk with chopsticks then pour into the hot soup bowl.  Mix the egg into the soup with chopsticks thoroughly before eating (this will cook the egg).

Makes approx. 10 servings.