A Perfect Meal for When You Don't Want to Cook

There are those days when I just really don't want to cook. No, seriously! Usually they're the days when Atlanta traffic likes to make my afternoon commute an hour instead of twenty minutes, or after seventy-five minutes of sweat inducing bikram yoga... I just don't have it in me to make anything worth eating. That's when the fast food drive thru lights start flashing. Not good.

 

I know it's hard to want to cook for yourself. Especially something that's good for you. I've had my share of popcorn dinners with a side of gummy worms. Whether you're cooking for just yourself, or a bouncing off the walls family of 4, this dish is something easy enough for even the busiest of busy bodies. And with all of the rich iron and veggie protein, it'll fill you up without slowing you down.

KCC Challenge: Pinakbet

This month's KCC challenge is brought to us by Erika @ The Ivory Hut, and to embrace the beginning of Spring, this month's theme is: Vegetables.

This was a bit of a tough one for me. Growing, up I was quite the picky eater. On our trips to the Philippines, one of the first things my mom would have to do would be to buy cereal and milk for me and my brother for breakfast. When going to a Chinese restaurant, I would ONLY eat egg drop soup. I didn't like veggies. I didn't like to try new things.

All of the Filipino dishes that I've grown up loving were either meat, sweet, or starch-based... so I had to consult my mom for this challenge. She threw a couple of ideas in the air... but the one that stuck out most was Pinakbet. Pinakbet is a dish that originates from my mom's hometown in Ilocos Norte. It's a melange of vegetables; tomatoes, onions, bitter melon, okra, green beans, all cooked with garlic, ginger, and bagoong (shrimp paste) until shriveled. It's one of my mom's staple recipes... a dish that she either cooks, or brings home from the Filipino store.

I never wanted to try it because of one ingredient; bitter melon. It is a vegetable that even makes my dad, one of the most adventurous eaters I know, cringe. So if he didn't like it, how could I, a picky 10-or-so year old, have had even the slightest urge to try it?

Now that I'm much older, I'm quite the opposite. I would much rather spend the time to make really delicious scrambled eggs for breakfast than pour myself a bowl of Lucky Charms. When going to a Chinese restaurant, I won't even waste my time on egg drop soup... I go directly for the Peking Duck (or something just as yummy). And I love veggies. I love to try new things.

So this is kind of my ode to how I've changed. It's a dish I've grown up with, but never ate. It's always been around, and now I am finally old enough to appreciate it... and it just so happens (as my mom just told me) that it was my Lolo's favorite dish.

Pinakbet

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
250g pork belly, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tablespoon of ginger, minced
3 coeur de boeuf tomatoes (beefsteak tomatoes), diced
2 tablespoons shrimp paste
3/4 cup boiling water
1 ampalayá, or bitter melon, seeds removed and cut into bite-sized pieces
8 okra, tops and bottoms cut off, and cut into bite-sized pieces
150g haricots verts (green beans), tips removed
1 eggplant, diced
salt and pepper, to taste


In a large heavy-bottom pot, heat oil over medium-high heat and fry the pork until browned. Once browned, remove the pork and set aside.

In the same pot, saute garlic, onion, ginger and tomatoes until softened, about 10 minutes.

In a small saucepan, boil water and add shrimp paste. Stir until dissolved.

Add the pork back into the pot of tomatoes, onions and garlic, and add the shrimp paste/water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add in the rest of the vegetables and cook until the vegetables are done, about 15 minutes.

Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with plain rice. Serves 4-6.

Kulinarya Cooking Club Members:

Kath – http://www.acupcakeortwo.com/
Trisha – http://sugarlace.com/
Trissa – http://trissalicious.com/
Olive – http://www.latestrecipes.net/
Caroline – http://whenadobometfeijoada.blogspot.com/
Ninette – http://bigboldbeautifulfood.blogspot.com/
Peach- http://www.thepeachkitchen.com/
Althea- http://www.busogsarap.com/
Asha – http://forkspoonnknife.blogspot.com/
Malou – http://www.skiptomalou.net/
Cherrie – http://www.sweetcherriepie.com
Acdee – http://acdee.blogspot.com/
Valerie – http://www.acanadianfoodie.com/
Sheryl – http://crispywaffle.com/
Divina – http://www.sense-serendipity.com/
Anna – http://www.anniesfoodjournal.blogspot.com/
Dahlia – http://www.energychef.blogspot.com/
Joy – http://joyjoycreativeoutlet.blogspot.com/
Maribel – http://www.foodgeek.webs.com/
Tressa
Jen – http://www.jen-at-work.blogspot.com/
Pia – http://bisayajudkaayo.blogspot.com/
Malaka – http://thegrandinternational.com.
Mimi – http://lapinchecocinera.blogspot.com
Erika – http://ivoryhut.com/
Kat – http://twitter.com/alanokat
Lala – http://thislittlepiggywenttothemarket.blogspot.com/
Selfie – http://eats.sefiebee.com/
Connie Veneracion - http://homecookingrocks.com/
Oggi - http://oggi-icandothat.blogspot.com/
Katrina - http://lardonmyfrench.blogspot.com/
Rochelle Ryan - http://www.whydiss.blogspot.com/
Marica – http://cuppycreme.blogspot.com
Diona – http://titaflips.blogspot.com/
Rowena - http://saraplicious.blogspot.com
Theodore – http://chefbyday.wordpress.com/
Gianna – http://the-empty-fridge.blogspot.com/
Mireille – http://dirtyicecreaminyourlunchbox.blogspot.com/
Marishka – http://rishka.multiply.com/
Annapet – http://moonglowgardens.wordpress.com/
Boyet – http://reelandgrill.blogspot.com/
Adora – http://adorasbox.net
Yaz – http://whoatemytomato.wordpress.com
Marvin – http://www.eatmarvin.com

Tartine Tuesday: Pan Seared Mackerel & Romesco Tartines

I'm doing pretty well so far with my 2011 resolutions. I woke up this morning and knocked out my yoga routine, and am weening myself off of soda and pasta with sweet, crunchy, fresh-from-the-market carrots.

I'm more than 3/4 of the way through David Lebovitz's The Sweet Life in Paris, which literally makes me laugh out loud, because I swear I'm walking in his footsteps. Book 1 of (at least) 5 almost done!

Continuing on my resolution train, I thought long and hard about today's tartines. My dad has been tossing the idea of doing a "red pepper" related tartine almost every time I talk with him, so these tartines kill a few birds (and resolutions) with one stone.

For my resolution to eat more sustainably, I'm using Spanish mackerel in today's tartine. It is a fish which matures quickly and produces high numbers of offspring, which makes it one of the best choices when it comes to ocean-friendly eating. As an added bonus, it's also fairly inexpensive (about 9 Euros/kilo... about 5 Dollars/pound).

This tartine also test my skills at cooking outside of my comfort zone. Since I'm now a lot closer (literally) to different cuisines, I figured I would start cooking a few things I've never cooked before. Giving a nod to my Dad's request to make a red pepper tartine, I paired the mackerel with romesco, a sauce originating from Catalonia, Spain, which consists of sweet roasted red peppers, tomatoes, garlic, and a few other goodies.

Pan Seared Mackerel & Romesco Tartines

12 slices of rustic bread or sourdough, toasted

8 mackerel fillets, skin-on and deboned

1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil

salt and pepper, to taste

Cut each mackerel fillet into two pieces, removing the reddish/brown blood line down the center of the fillet (where the backbone lies) as this part of the fish can be very strong flavored. Cut the fillets into small 1 inch pieces. Season with salt and pepper. 

Heat oil in a medium sized non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Carefully add the pieces of mackerel, skin-side down and press gently on the fish with the backside of a spatula, which ensures a crispy skin. After about 2 minutes, flip the pieces of fish and cook for another 2 minutes, or until cooked through. Transfer to a plate once cooked.

Romesco Sauce:

6 roma or plum tomatoes, core removed and quartered

1 red bell pepper, quartered

12 cloves of garlic

2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1-2 slices of bread (depending on the size of your bread)

1/2 cup toasted whole almonds

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon Spanish paprika

1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

salt, to taste

Preheat an oven to 425° Fahrenheit (220° Celsius). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Place the tomatoes, bell pepper, and garlic cloves onto the prepared baking sheet. Brush the vegetables with some of the olive oil, then sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake in the preheated oven until the garlic has turned golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool for 10 minutes. 

While the vegetables are cooling, bake the bread slice on one of the oven racks until golden brown. Remove and allow to cool.

Add the vegetables and any juices from the pan into a food processor or blender. Break the bread into pieces, and add to the food processor along with the toasted almonds, vinegar, paprika, and red pepper flakes. Puree until finely ground, then drizzle in the remaining olive oil with the machine running. Salt to taste. 

 

Spread romesco sauce over each slice of toasted bread and top with a few pieces of mackerel. Serves 4-6.

Oven-Dried Tomatoes and My First Pizza in Paris

I'll be perfectly honest... I've seen so many recent blog posts for oven-dried tomatoes that I was hesitating to post this... but ultimately, I figured I should. I mean, I did mention them in my last post. I'll try to make it interesting...
 

With the heat of summer comes the plentiful bounty of the ever delicious tomato. I would have to say that tomatoes are near the top of my list of favorite foods... in a salad, oven-roasted, in salsa, for sauces, or just plain off the vine... I love them any way they come. One of the things I'm really missing at the moment is my little urban vegetable garden that I had back in Atlanta. My tomato plants grew like wildfire during this part of the year, yet, I never could seem to get enough. I made a rockin' marinara sauce with them(which I'll post one day) and since then vowed never to buy canned spaghetti sauce again.

Luckily, tomatoes are just as bountiful here as they were in my garden... and so many more varieties than I'm used to. La Grande Epicerie has a fairly small, but beautiful selection of heirloom and zebra tomatoes, which I have yet to play with... and the markets and local grocery stores always have a big selection of the usual types. We've had a number of picnics recently, where in the tomato often makes an appearance. It's an easy, healthy snack, and it never hurts that I usually end up with a basket or so left over.

So I've been experimenting, as I am with all other foods these days, on new ways to use the tomato. I've roasted tomatoes multiple times before... but have recently come across numerous blog posts for oven-dried tomatoes. Not too much different from roasting... just at a lower temperature, and for much longer. Easy enough, I figured I'd give it a try.

Turns out oven-dried tomatoes are pretty damn good. I'm used to the intense, salty nature of sun-dried tomatoes, and thought that these would be similar, but they are completely different. The tomato flavor when oven-drying becomes very sweet, and the flesh of the tomato is so soft, I would almost even describe it as creamy. It was delicious. I topped my Mascarpone BLT Tartines with them and oh la la... magnifique.

 

Oven-Dried Tomatoes

1 pint of small-sized tomatoes(plum, roma, cherry, etc.)
extra virgin olive oil
salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 225 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with foil and rub extra virgin olive oil on the foil.

Slice the tomatoes in half and remove the seeds. Place tomatoes on the baking sheet and sprinkle salt over top of them. Place in the preheated oven for 2-3 hours, depending on the size of your tomatoes. The tomatoes will be done when the edges are shriveled but the center flesh is still a little soft. Store in plastic bags in the freezer or immersed in a container of extra virgin olive oil.

On another note, I had my first pizza in Paris! Mushroom, cheese, and an egg on top. Yum.

Tartine Tuesday: Mascarpone BLT Tartines

To make my life a little easier, I have decided to implement Tartine Tuesday. The tartine is the epitome of the French open-faced sandwich, usually consisting of a slice of bread topped with a spread or pâté. It is similar to the Italian bruschetta, grilled toasts topped with concoctions of tomatoes, red peppers, olives, herbs, etc... all in all, delicious.

 

So, in honor of this deliciously simple and versatile snack, each Tuesday I will post a new tartine recipe. Doing this helps me in more than one way. First, it lets me spend a little less time on writing a whole story/backdrop for a recipe(gives you more recipes, and me more time to see Paris... he he), and second, it puts an ease on my wallet, since I'll really just be improvising with whatever I already have in my kitchen!

First up to bat:

Mascarpone BLT(Basil, Lardon, Tomato) Tartines

6 slices of baguette, toasted
mascarpone cheese
6 leaves of fresh basil
150g lardons(if you don't have access to lardons, you can always just use bacon that's cut into small strips)
6 sun-dried tomatoes, in oil(I used home-made oven-dried tomatoes, which will be in the next post!)
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat a saute pan on medium to medium-low heat. Add the lardons(or bacon) and slowly render out the fat until they are browned and crispy. Place lardons on a paper towel to soak up any extra grease.

Toast the slices of baguette, and spread mascarpone cheese on each slice. Top with lardons, fresh basil, and sun-dried tomatoes. Salt and pepper to taste. Serves 1-2.

Lentils with Lardons and Tomatoes

In my attempts to eat more healthily, I fell in love with this very delicious, and very versatile lentil salad. I was never really inspired by lentils until recently, as I was flipping through a French cookbook I bought last winter in Paris. In Françoise Bernard's "ma cuisine d'aujourd'hui", there is a recipe for Lentilles en Salade. Now, I am definitely one who eats with her eyes first... and the photo of this recipe caught my attention. It was just a simple bowl of lentils, shallots, tomatoes, a hard boiled egg, and parsley. It looked bright, clean, and refreshing... exactly the opposite of my usual fried chicken and cheeseburgers.

I had some lentils lying around the house, so I figured I'd give the recipe a shot. I didn't have exactly the same ingredients as it called for in Françoise Bernard's recipe, so I improvised with what I had in my kitchen. In place of fresh tomatoes I used sun-dried tomatoes, and instead of hard boiled eggs, I used black olives. The salad was so delicious that I ate it every day for lunch for two weeks straight. Hot or cold, it was good either way. And you want to know the best part? I lost 7 lbs. without even trying!!

So now that I've tried this recipe a few different ways, I figured I would post the most recent combination. This time I used cherry tomatoes and lardons(yeaaaah Lardon My French!!) and it was just as delicious. I made this the other night for Quentin's family, and to fancy it up, we served it with Coquilles Saint-Jacques(Scallops).

Lentils with Lardons and Tomatoes

Adapted from Françoise Bernard "Ma Cuisine d'Aujourd'hui"

2 cups french green lentils, washed
1 pint cherry tomatoes(I used yellow and red ones, but you can just use red ones if that's all you have)
1/3 cup of lardons(if you don't have access to lardons, you can always just use bacon that's cut into small strips)
fresh parsley, for garnish

For the Vinaigrette:

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
zest of half a lemon
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

I first start with the vinaigrette. In a small bowl, add the lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. While whisking, slowly drizzle the olive oil into the bowl until the vinaigrette emulsifies. Set aside.

Rinse lentils in cold water. In a large pot, add lentils with 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then simmer, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes, or until done. Strain in a colander and place back into the pot. Add vinaigrette while the lentils are still hot, and gently stir to combine.

Cut cherry tomatoes in quarters and remove seeds. Then cut each quarter in half cross-wise.

Heat a saute pan on medium to medium-low heat. Add the lardons(or bacon) and slowly render out the fat until they are browned and crispy. Place lardons on a paper towel to soak up any extra grease.

You can either wait until the lentils cool to add the tomatoes and lardons, or add them while they are still hot. Both ways are delicious. Add chopped parsley, and fold to combine. Serves 4 to 6.

This recipe works really well with seafood, hard boiled eggs, or even just on it's own. If you don't have all of the ingredients, feel free to add whatever you want... this really is a "whatever you have in your pantry" kind of recipe.