Cilantro savvy in Arizona

I made three key observations on my recent trip to Arizona. First, all the people who told me the dry heat in Arizona wouldn’t be so bad were wrong. 110 degrees is hot. It doesn’t matter if it’s dry, wet or slightly moist. Second, the beauty of the Grand Canyon was everything I imagined it would be. Third, Arizona residents seem to share my affinity for cilantro, and that’s a good thing.

At practically every meal, cilantro made an appearance. I was in the state for a Jostens yearbook workshop, and many of our meals were presented as part of the program. Sunday night we had a banquet which consisted of the usual salad, chicken, potatoes and steamed vegetables and dessert. However, the salad had a great Arizona twist. It was a Southwest salad, complete with cilantro-chipotle ranch dressing.

For one of our lunches, we had burgers, chicken, hot dogs and a variety of salads. The best of these salads was the corn-hominy salad with cilantro vinaigrette. As soon as I tried it, I knew I would have to try to make it once I returned home. I even made a note on my phone so it wouldn’t get lost in all of the other important information that was being crammed in my head during the workshop.

I think I got pretty close to duplicating the recipe. Even my husband who doesn’t really like hominy seemed to like it. Now my next projects are duplicating the corn chowder with cilantro and the yummy cilantro-laden guacamole that I enjoyed during the workshop.

1 can of white hominy, drained

1 can of whole kernel corn, drained

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

1/4 c. diced red onion

1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

2 T. lime juice

1/4 c. white wine vinegar

1 tsp. honey

1/2 c. olive oil

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

Combine hominy, corn, jalapeno and onion in a bowl. Combine remaining ingredients and whisk together until well mixed. Pour over hominy mixture and stir. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

A bowl of something good

After a long break in posting, I’m finally back with a fabulous new recipe. In the past few months, I’ve become enchanted by the travels of chef/writer Anthony Bourdain on his Travel Channel show No Reservations. Frequently on his journeys across the globe, Bourdain finds himself enjoying a hearty bowl of soup, often prepared by a roadside vendor in a developing nation. Bourdain often muses about how some of the best foods on the planet are served in bowls by unassuming folks who have honed the craft of cooking over years of working with what they had readily available. I strongly agree with Bourdain about the unexpected goodness that can often be found in a bowl of soup, which is one of my favorite type of dish to just assemble on a whim.

My recent love of Thai food prompted me to try to make one of my favorite Thai finds, tom yum soup. One of the key ingredients in this tangy soup is lemongrass, which is not readily available in my area, so I had never tried to make it at home. I was happy to discover recently that in the herb section at Kroger, they have lemongrass paste in a tube that I quickly realized meant I could try my hand at tom yum soup.

Another recent find also helped make my cooking task easier. When looking at the Mexican food section at Wal-Mart, I noticed a box of cilantro cubes. I love cilantro, but I hate chopping it up, so I was thrilled to see that someone had cleverly dried chopped cilantro and formed it into little cubes!

After finding a recipe online that I could use as a base for my bowl of something good, I began creating my own version of the soup. One of the things that appealed to me most about this soup and many of the soups that I’ve seen Bourdain sample in Asian countries is the addition of a variety of tangy condiments to individual bowls of soup. My husband always laughs at my inclusion of a “fixin’s bar” when I cook, but I have to admit that I love preparing little bowls of toppings for my dishes whether it’s soup or chili dogs. I have decided that my love of fixin’s is a direct result of the Tupperware salad server my mom used when I was a kid. Today’s fixin’s bar consisted of chopped green onions, chopped tomatoes and chili-garlic sauce. It was delicious!

4-6 c. chicken stock

2 T. lemongrass paste

2 T. fish sauce

2 T. soy sauce

3-5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or 3 T. minced garlic

1/2 can coconut milk

1 cilantro cube or 3 T. chopped fresh cilantro

1 can straw mushrooms, drained

1 T. Asian chili-garlic sauce

2 T. lime juice

1 c. chopped cooked chicken, if desired

Chopped tomatoes and green onions

Additional chili-garlic sauce

Add stock and lemongrass to a large pot and turn heat to medium-high. Boil for 5 minutes, or until fragrant. Add cilantro, soy sauce, garlic, lime juice and mushrooms to broth. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Add chicken, coconut milk, fish sauce and chili sauce. More coconut milk can be added if you wish your soup to be more creamy and/or less spicy. Top individual bowls with onions, tomatoes and chili sauce, if desired.

International Night – Hungary

After a couple of less than stellar results, we were back on track with our most recent international recipes. Still examining the cuisine of European countries, I decided to go with Hungary. The most obvious choice of a Hungarian dish was, of course, goulash or gulyas, as it is known in its native land.

Growing up, I recall goulash being a popular dish, though I don’t think my mother ever prepared it. The goulash I remember from the 70’s, however, was very different from the traditional Hungarian recipes I found online. I remember a dish with ground beef in a tomato sauce with macaroni noodles being passed off as goulash, but traditional goulash is more like a beef stew.

One of the things that makes gulyas unique is the fact that it is seasoned with Hungarian sweet paprika, which is apparently quite different than the paprika we find on our grocery store shelves. If I had planned my meal better, I would have had time to order some real Hungarian paprika, but I had to settle for the standard American version. The end result was still very good, though.

We also had another Hungarian staple, langos. Langos is a deep fried potato-based flat bread that is a popular street food in Hungary. Although sometimes it is topped with a variety of items like sour cream, cheese and onions, langos is most often simply rubbed with a garlic clove and salted. The langos was a big hit as well, and the garlic and salt gave it an awesome flavor.

Here are the recipes for Hungarian gulyas and langos:

Gulyas

1 lb. lean boneless stewing beef

2 T. olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

2 tsp.Hungarian sweet paprika

dash of cayenne pepper

3 c. beef stock or broth

2 c. water

1/2 teaspoon caraway seed

salt and pepper to taste

1 (16 ounce) can diced tomatoes

3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced

2 bell peppers, cut into chunks

2 T. flour

2 T. water

Cut beef into 1-inch cubes. Place oil in Dutch oven and add beef. Brown on all sides. Add onions and garlic to pan and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add paprika, cayenne, stock, the 2 cups water, caraway, salt and pepper. Stir well. Bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low; cook, covered, 45 minutes.

Add tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, and peppers. Stir well; return to boil. Cover; cook 30 minutes or until vegetables are done.

Combine flour and the 2 tablespoons water; stir to form smooth paste. Add slowly to soup, stirring well. Cook over low heat, stirring until thickened.

Langos

1 pkg. dry yeast

1 1/2 c. lukewarm water

3 medium potatoes, peeled and boiled

1/2 tsp. salt

6 1/2 c. flour

kosher salt

2 to 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and cut in half

Dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup of the warm water. Mash the potatoes with a ricer or fork. Add the salt. Mix the potatoes with the flour, adding the yeast mixture and enough additional water to make the dough easy to knead. Knead on a floured surface until no longer sticky. Place dough in oiled bowl, turn over so that the oiled side is up, cover it and let it rise until doubled.

Punch down and divide the dough into 10 or 12 portions. Flatten each piece out with your hands or a rolling pin. Fry the dough, a few pieces at a time, until golden brown, turning as necessary. Remove from oil, sprinkle with kosher salt and rub with a cut clove of garlic.

Summer salad series – spicy Thai beef salad

Until last year, I had never had Thai food. A small Thai restaurant opened nearby, and ever since my first visit for our anniversary last summer, I’ve been hooked on the stuff. Everything I’ve tried there has been wonderful, but one dish in particular has become my absolute favorite, the spicy beef salad. I find myself thinking about the flavorful mix of beef, cucumbers, mint and cilantro quite often, and as a bonus, it’s not covered with a heavy sauce or anything else that would make it taboo for my Weight Watchers plan.

This weekend I was thinking how wonderful it would be to have a bowl of lemongrass soup followed by the succulent spicy beef salad. However, I had my three year-old son with me, and I decided it would be best to forgo the trip. The Thai restaurant is a beautifully decorated, quaint space that I feel is not exactly kid friendly. Some people might feel comfortable bringing toddlers to such a place, but I feared my son might act up. I certainly didn’t want to expose myself to any situation where I wouldn’t feel like I could go back there frequently, so we went to another restaurant instead. For the record, I think it’s great that there are restaurants that aren’t appropriate for young kids, so I’m not complaining. My 11 year-old loves it there, but he is old enough to sit still and enjoy his meal while speaking at an acceptable volume.

Unfortunately, though, my craving for spicy beef salad did not subside, so I decided to pick up some things when I went grocery shopping later to try to make it at home. I knew what the main ingredients were, and I guessed at the rest. When I got home, I looked up some different versions of the dish online and adapted mine according to my own personal taste. I was extremely pleased with the results, but I still plan on frequenting Sai Thai Cuisine whenever possible. Let me just say that I made my version extremely spicy because of my husband’s love of hot food. Feel free to tone down the heat. It will still be awesome. There are some very strong flavors in this dish, but give it a chance.

Here is my version of spicy Thai beef salad:

1 lb.-1 1/2 lb. flank steak
1/2 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. red wine vinegar
6 c. leaf lettuce, torn
1/2 c. fresh mint leaves, torn
1/2 c. fresh cilantro leaves, torn
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2-1 tsp. dried red pepper
4 green onions, finely chopped
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
juice of 3 limes
1 T. vegetable oil or sesame oil
2 T. soy sauce or fish sauce
1/2 tsp. sugar or Splenda

Marinate flank steak in 1/2 c. soy sauce and red wine vinegar for several hours or overnight. Grill or broil over medium heat, 5 to 10 minutes on each side until medium or medium rare, depending on preference. This step can be done a day ahead and flank steak refrigerated, if desired.

Combine lime juice, oil, 2 T. soy sauce and sugar or Splenda in a large bowl and stir until sugar is dissolved. Add mint, cilantro, basil, pepper, onions and cucumber and mix well. Refrigerate 30 minutes if possible to help combine flavors. Thinly slice beef and reheat in a skillet if necessary. Just before serving, add lettuce to salad mixture and mix well. Serve salad mixture with beef and steamed white rice, if desired. Pour any remaining dressing over beef.  Garnish with some additional sliced cucumber, if desired.

Spicy ranch squash

At about 3 pm this afternoon, I decided I wanted to grill some stuff for dinner. After a quick trip to the grocery store, I came home and started prepping. Even though I don’t like squash, my husband loves it. I’ve made several impromptu variations of a spicy baked or grilled squash dish for him over the years, but this time I decided to add a little twist. After spying a folded over, half used packet of ranch dressing mix in my cabinets, I thought it would be a good addition to the squash. This was one of my classic “thrown together” dishes that turned out to be a keeper, according to my husband and son. They both confirmed that it was very good since I’m not a fan of squash. I may try it with some other veggies at some point, though. We put the casserole dish on the grill tonight, but it would work fine in the oven. One of my favorite things about it is that it can be mixed and cooked in one dish! Here is my brand new creation, spicy ranch squash:

2 to 3 yellow squash, thinly sliced
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 T. olive oil
2 T. dry ranch dressing mix
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. ground red pepper
1 tsp. hot sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Spray baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place squash and onion in dish and drizzle with olive oil. Add remaining ingredients, and stir until squash is evenly coated. Cook on grill or in oven until squash is tender. Serve immediately.