The fearless Doristas have met their goal. Last Friday, Mardi of Eat Live Travel Write and Cher The Dabbler cooked and blogged all 300+ recipes of Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table. Most members of the group are a handful of recipes away from reaching this milestone. While my participation in the group was inconsistent (to put it mildly), I rejoice and join the rest of them and toast to this accomplishment. The following four weeks will allow us to reminisce and recap some of the lessons learned in these four years of cooking and friendship. Read More…
October couldn’t wrap up without a pumpkin recipe!
I started dating E ten years ago. During those first months of courtship, he made sure I knew that he could cook. Pastas? Check. Steaks? Check. Composed salads? Oh, please. A whole Thanksgiving feast? That too. This year, E took off most of the month of September off from work, and on several days I came home to find dinner waiting for me. Just when I was getting used to arriving to a tasty meal, it was time for him to head back to the office. Read More…
For today’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe, I did a 180° from last week. While I improvised the steps for making the Cold Melon-Berry Soup, I followed every direction for the Coconut Lemongrass Braised Pork to a ‘T’. The only change I made in the process was to use the Dutch Oven to brown the pork and cook the rest of the dish and I will believe that one doesn’t count. Read More…
Food tragedies come in many forms. Ingredients can be so elusive they are never found. The soufflé stays flat and undercooked. Favorite restaurants close. Sometimes we need to accept these facts, make the best of what we have or know, and move on.
Despite being a vegetable that grows in all the different US Hardiness Zones, rhubarb is not readily available in the Caribbean. I’ve never tried it, but wish I had based on what I’ve read about it (and the onslaught of strawberry rhubarb goodies popping all over the food blogosphere). This week, instead of joining the French Fridays with Dorie crowd in their roasted rhubarb experience, I decided to play catch-up with one of the recipes completed before I joined the group – the spicy Vietnamese chicken noodle soup. Dorie Greenspan’s award winning Around My French Table is a book that doesn’t shy away from modern influences in French cooking, as you can tell by this and last week’s rib recipes. Read More…
Weekdays are hectic by nature, but when coupled with the work busy season and life’s little curveballs, it is hard to picture myself spending much time in the kitchen. At the same time, stress brings out comfort food cravings. This ten-minute veggie stir-fry with whole-wheat thin spaghetti hits the spot: the comfort of pasta and that feel of fast food coupled with whole grains, veggies, and healthy fats. Keeping the preparation meatless makes it even faster to put together. This is not a recipe – more like a method to adapt to your favorite vegetables and Asian condiments.
The Hardware
Wok or large fry pan
A pot to boil pasta – anything 3 quart or larger would do.
Kitchen tongs
Colander
Get your water to boil and place the wok over medium-high heat. Add to the work about three tablespoons of grapeseed oil and a teaspoon of sesame oil for flavor. I’m hooked on grapeseed oil – not only it is great for cooking due to its high smoking point and neutral flavor, it is also higher in omega-6 and vitamin E than olive oil. To the warming oil add a piece of ginger or two (at least 1/2″ thick) and two smashed clove of garlic and let them cook until fragrant.
While that’s taking place, cut an onion in half and chop it in big slices, separating the layers before getting them to hit the oil. Toss the onions in the flavored oil – they will soften while the spaghetti boils. Slice carrot with a vegetable peeler, adding them to the wok as you go. At this point, season the stir-fry with soy sauce and black pepper to taste. Steam about 1/2 cup of edamame (I used frozen) in either a steamer over the boiling pasta or the microwave oven. Rough-chop bok choi leaves and wait to add them until you are ready to drain the pasta so they don’t wilt too much. After draining the pasta, add it to the work, along with the edamame and toss with the cooked vegetables and toasted sesame seeds.
Remember to fish out the pieces of ginger and garlic, unless you don’t mind taking that pungent bite!
Quick Veggie Stir-Fry
