Chunky Artichoke Dip

I am hooked on artichoke hearts and I look for more ways to enjoy them. One day I saw my friend Lindsay wrote a blog entry on Spicy Spinach Artichoke Dip. I knew it was a sign to do a dip. I have roasted artichoke hearts and have also put them in salad many times but have never done a dip before. The interesting part of Lindsay’s recipe was the Greek yogurt substitute for low-fat mayonnaise. I was very intrigued.

My first step was to check what I already had. I found one can of artichoke hearts in the pantry and some left over of frozen ones in the freezer. So I thought I’d just use them all up and do only artichoke dip this time. I also still had two types of cheese in the fridge: shredded Mozzarella and Cheddar—I used a handful of each (the recipe calls for Mozzarella, Parmesan, and Monterrey Jack). Though I deviated a bit from Lindsay’s original recipe, the dip was still pretty amazing. The artichoke hearts, Mozzarella, Cheddar, and the Greek yogurt created a delicious chunky dip. I enjoyed the thick consistency more than the usual creamy one. For once I could really taste the artichoke! The dip was definitely more fragrant due to the yogurt and more flavorful from the artichoke and cheese combo. The cayenne powder definitely kicked and enhanced the dish. I enjoyed using pita chips to scoop. 

Click the link to view the complete recipe: Spicy Spinach Artichoke Dip 

Thanks, Lindsay! What a great recipe!

Harini Riana1 Comment

Easy Side Dish: Caramelized Brussels Sprouts

I think Brussels sprouts are cute. They are also delicious when cooked and spiced well. I like to have them as a side dish to my grilled fish and baked potato plate. Trust me and try it.

Brussels sprouts were another type of vegetable that I used to be curious about. I never tried them until recent years. They looked like tiny cabbages but I was clueless about their taste. I would see them at the grocery store and wonder about ways to prepare and enjoy them. Also, I did not remember to have this vegetable when I was growing up in Indonesia. So, by chance, a friend told me that she was not crazy at all about this vegetable due to its strong taste. I asked her how she prepared them and she said, “Well, I just steamed and ate them plain.” Aha! This confirmed what I’ve always believed about strong-tasting green vegetables: they are more delicious and enjoyable when spiced up well.

I did some recipe search on these little fresh and green vegetable and found a few that focused on caramelizing. After a couple of tries I felt like I got a version that fit my taste preference (and Jeff’s!).

Ingredients:

  • 8-10 Brussels sprouts cut in half
  • 2 Shallots chopped into little pieces
  • 1 Cup of chicken (or vegetable) stock
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 Tablespoon of canola oil

Steps:

  • Heat up a pan and add the oil
  • Saute the shallots until they turn yellow
  • Throw in the Brussels sprouts and let them brown together with the shallots
  • Add chicken stock (you can also add chopped baby carrots if you want more colors in this dish)
  • Reduce the heat, cover the pan with a lid, and cook for 10 minutes or until the stock gets absorbed by the sprouts.
  • Add salt and pepper

The chicken stock takes away the vegetable’s strong taste while the shallots provides natural sweetness and appetizing aroma to the sprouts. The vegetable’s crunchy texture definitely complements a grilled fish plate well. Add either baked/mashed potato or mac and cheese as another side and you get a fantastic combo.

Serve 2

Harini Riana7 Comments

Stuck on My Mind: Chicken Pot Pie

Have you ever thought of one specific thing and all of a sudden you started to see it everywhere?  It could seem like the thought was following you and catching your attention every chance it got. Well it happened to me the other day. On one cloudy morning I thought about how great it would be to have some chicken pot pie. Sure enough when I checked my email I got an update from this food blog I subscribed to about… chicken pot pie. Then when I tuned into Cooking Channel later on that same day I saw two different shows presenting…chicken pot pie! I guess the chicken pot pie goddess must have wanted me to make the dish badly.

So I surrendered to the chicken pot pie calling and found a few recipes online and decided to  follow Rachael Ray’s: (click the link) Creamy Chicken and Mushroom One-Pot with Pie Toppers.

I did a little tweak to the recipe:

  • I used a frozen mixed vegetables (corn, carrots, green beans, and peas)
  • I opted out of using butter, heavy cream, and wine
  • Instead, for the broth, I mixed the poaching liquid, chicken stock, three tablespoons of flour, and a tablespoon of dijon mustard in a bowl. Whisked the broth well (until, as the author said, it “thickens to a light gravy consistency”) and then returned it back to the pot where the vegetables were cooking. Then I added the chicken back to the pot along with some salt and pepper

The meal was delicious, full of flavors, and fragrant. I especially enjoyed the peppery taste that came from the dijon mustard and the sweet aroma of sage. What a perfect winter meal!

So plan a movie night at home with loved ones, cozy up on the couch under a blanket, and enjoy a nice bowl of chicken pot pie. Have a good Monday!

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Oh the Leftovers!

What to do with the Leftover Turkey

A couple of friends invited us to their house this past Thanksgiving for a traditional turkey dinner. And of course what’s Thanksgiving without leftovers, right? Our gracious hosts begged us to take some turkey meat home. Mind you, Jeff and I had a lunch planned and a dinner to host on the following day. So this turkey had to wait in the fridge.

After two consecutive dinner parties our fridge was full of leftovers. One morning I stared at the fridge thinking about ways to transform the extra food into new dishes. Turkey meat got my first priority. I also saw the veggie tray that a couple of friends brought for appetizer on Friday night and I still had some chicken stock.  Aha! A dish came to mind: Turkey and Vegetable Soup. But then I realized that we got quite a lot of the turkey leftovers that I could make another dish. I saw some leftover jasmine rice from yesterday’s lunch and I also found red hot finger peppers, Thai peppers, shallots, and onion too in my fridge—the perfect ingredients for fried rice. Another menu was born: Turkey Fried Rice.

Turkey and Vegetable Soup

I normally do this soup with chicken. But the turkey variation did not disappoint.  I was able to make it very flavorful. The trick was to leave the soup overnight in the fridge to be enjoyed the next day.

  • Heat up two cups of chicken stock and a half of cup of water in a pot over medium heat
  • Add salt, white pepper powder, a half of teaspoon of minced garlic, and a half of teaspoon of nutmeg powder for aroma and peppery flavor
  • Shred the leftover turkey meat and put it in the boiling soup
  • Chop the baby carrots, broccoli, and celeries from the veggie tray and mix them in the pot with the turkey
  • Let it cook together for about 15-20 minutes
  • Turn off the heat and let the soup cool down
  • Put it in the fridge overnight so that the turkey and the vegetables absorb the chicken stock and spices
  • Have the soup for lunch the next day
  • Serve with a bread on the side

Turkey Fried Rice

 First, infuse more flavors into the leftover turkey:

  • Heat up a cup of chicken stock in a pot over medium heat
  • Add salt and white pepper powder and let it simmer
  • Lower the heat and let the rest of the shredded turkey swim in the simmering chicken stock until the liquid is nearly gone

 Second, prepare the sauce for the fried rice:

  • Chop and mix five red hot finger peppers, three Thai peppers, one shallots, a teaspoon of minced garlic, and a quarter of onion in a food processor
  • Heat up a large deep skillet over medium heat
  • Add a half of tablespoon of canola oil
  • Sauté the sauce for a minute or two
  • Mix the cold (cooked) white rice with the red sauce in the skillet. For best result, make two or three cups of rice  the night before and then chill in the fridge
  • Stir until the rice is coated with the red sauce
  • Add salt
  • Drain the shredded turkey from the stock and mix them with the red rice
  • Scramble a couple of eggs in a frying pan and mix with the rice and turkey
  • Serve immediately with cut up lettuce and sliced cucumbers on the side
Note: Toppings for the fried rice may vary. You can also enjoy it with beef, chicken, or shrimp.

Warning: Spicy (Please adjust the number of chili peppers according to your spicy-tolerance level)

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Standing Oven Round Roast Beef with Sweet Potatoes

Standing Oven Round Roast Beef by JNHoliday Dinner Menu (Part 3)

Jeff wanted to do a roast beef dinner with sweet potatoes for the holiday dinner. So he created his own recipe and it turned out to be a huge success. Our guests could not get enough of it. The peppery flavor of the steak went well with all of the side dishes: sweet potatoes, roasted butternut squash with Gouda cheese and pine nuts, and the artichoke, heart of palm, and avocado salad. The roast beef definitely earned its position to be one of our favorite dinner party menus.

A few days later I asked Jeff to tell me the ingredients for the roast beef and the steps to prepare it. I typed the recipe quickly and added it to this blog as another entry to our good cooking “database”.

So here is Jeff’s recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 8 lbs of round bottom round roast beef (cut in half)
  • Salt, freshly ground black pepper, chili powder, dried oregano, and salt-free steak seasoning
  • A cup of your favorite bold red wine (we used a cabernet)
  • Dried sage
  • Water

Steps:

  • Create a brine solution (to keep the steak juicy after roasting) in a large zip lock bag by mixing one or two cups of water with salt
  • Brine and soak the meat completely in the zip lock bag
  • Leave in the fridge for three days
  • Take it out of the brining bag and pat dry the day before the dinner party
  • Brush with canola oil
  • Prepare the steak’s dry rub mix in a bowl: freshly ground black pepper, chili powder, oregano, and a little salt-free steak seasoning (we used Trader Joe’s Steak and Chop Grill and Broil)
  • Massage the dry rub well into the meat
  • Place the marinated meat in a new zip lock bag and keep in the fridge overnight

About three hours before the dinner party:

  • Preheat the oven to 225F
  • Place the meat on an oven rack with a tray below it
  •  Put one cup of water on the tray and then cover it all with an aluminum foil
  • Cook until the steak’s temperature reaches 130F (it took us about 2 hours)
  • Take the meat out and crank up the oven temp to 500F and cook the meet for another 10 minutes
  • Take the steak out and cover with aluminum foil until serving

Prepare the steak sauce by collecting the juices from the cooking steak in the tray into a small pot. Mix with half cup of water, a cup of wine, and a pinch of dried sage. Let it simmer and reduce by half. Strain to make sure that there isn’t any dried sage in the sauce and serve.

Make the sweet potato dish:

  • Peel and cube  3-4 sweet potatoes
  • Boil with chicken stock, add a little salt, and cook until it is fork tender
  • Drain the potatoes and let it cool down before serving

Serve  7-9 people

Happy Holidays!

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Salad Mix: Avocado, Artichoke Hearts, and Hearts of Palm

Holiday Dinner Menu (Part 2)

(See Part 1 : Roasted Butternut Squash with Gouda and Pine Nuts)

The salad that I prepared for the holiday dinner contained three things I loved: artichoke hearts, avocado, and hearts of palm. I found this recipe a while ago from Food Network and saved it in my recipe collection. Please click here to read the original recipe: Avocado, Artichoke Hearts and Heart of Palm Salad served in Lettuce Wraps

A few things I modified from the original recipe were:

-For the dressing, I used apple vinegar instead of white vinegar. I also drizzled a little olive oil and sprinkled some chili powder to give this salad a little kick.

-I added grape tomatoes for more flavor and color.

Canned hearts of palm are available in most grocery stores.

-The author called for butter lettuce as the serving cups for the salad. Unfortunately I did not have the time to do it. So I chopped the lettuce and mixed it with the rest.

The crunchy poblano pepper, cucumber, lettuce, and tomatoes gave a wonderful balance to the tender and buttery artichoke hearts, avocado, and hearts of palm. So delicious!

Note: Next time, I’d like to try another modification using the three main things: avocado, artichoke hearts, and heart of palm. I’d add grape tomatoes into the mix, drizzle all of them with olive oil and apple vinegar, and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. I think this variation would make a great appetizer.

Harini Riana1 Comment

Roasted Butternut Squash with Gouda and Pine Nuts

Holiday Dinner Menu (Part 1)

A few friends came to visit from out of town this past Thanksgiving weekend. Jeff and I got the honor to host a dinner party on Friday. Both of us were very pleased with how the food turned out. Jeff had made this delicious peppery oven roasted beef with gravy along with sweet potato as a side dish. I prepared a salad medley of artichoke, avocado, and heart of palm and a side dish of roasted butternut squash with Gouda cheese and pine nuts.

I’ve always been intrigued by butternut squash and been wanted to learn about the types of dish I could create from it. Though I must admit that I was a bit nervous about cooking this winter squash since I did not grow up with any dish made from it. 

Anyway, I had found a simple roasted squash recipe from Whole Foods that I thought I could use as the base of my dish. I felt like the recipe still needed some dressing up but I wasn’t sure what would work best. So I talked to a foodie and a cooking enthusiast friend, Leena, who shared a recipe she had made a few Thanksgivings ago. The idea was to cube the squash, roast them with a little chicken/vegetable stock for more complex taste, and then add soft cheese and nuts as the topping. It sounded divine and I trusted my friend’s taste in food. And I was so happy with the result.

So here’s how I did mine:

-I preheated the oven to 400F

-I cubed one small butternut squash and then cut the skin off with a knife (I found it to be much easier than trying to peel the whole thing).

-Then I placed the cubes on an oven tray and drizzled them with olive oil

-I also added 1/3 cup of chicken (or vegetable) stock on the tray

-Let the squash roast for 28 minutes

While the squash was cooking in the oven, I grated Gouda cheese in a food processor. (The amount of cheese depends on your preference. I used about two handful of it.) Then I added two tablespoons of pine nuts into the processor to be chopped and mixed together with the cheese. Jeff had chosen Gouda for the soft cheese due to taste preference and I chose to use pine nuts since they complement baked dishes and fruits/salad pretty well. Add chopped almonds for extra crunch.

After 28 minutes, I turned the heat off and took the roasted squash out of the oven. I sprinkled the cheese and nuts mix evenly on top of the hot squash. Then I returned the dish to the oven (with the heat off) for another two minutes to melt the cheese. I removed the tray immediately from the oven and let it cool down for 10-15 minutes before serving.

The dish was full of flavor as I wanted it to be. The chicken stock, smoky Gouda cheese, and chewy and nutty pine nuts gave this roasted butternut squash dish (as a friend described) “a very sophisticated taste.” Sure enough the plate was cleaned in no time. It was definitely a great side dish for a winter dinner party.

Harini Riana4 Comments

Easy Fruit Pastry

A foodie friend and I had a conversation about baking a few weeks back. Both he and I are cooking enthusiasts who are reluctant to bake. He suggested that our reluctance could have been caused by a “trust issue” that we had toward the recipe, measurement, or the oven. I theorized that our disinclination to bake was due to our unwillingness to follow strict orders, which in this case were in a form of exact recipes and measurements. Wherein cooking we felt free to be creative and to use our senses to perfect the dishes we love to make.

After what felt like a little self-evaluation on our issues with baking (or maybe just in general) I thought that I should confront mine. I remembered thinking that maybe there was an art to baking I have yet to uncover. That once I found it I’d enjoy baking as much as I do cooking.

So I started to read more recipes on baking, watched the techniques on Food Network shows, and just basically entertained the idea of baking in my mind. Until one day an easy fruit pastry inspiration came. I think my brain was telling me that it had enough teasing with images of baked goods, that it was time to eat some pastries, and that it did not have the patience to wait for me to bake from scratch. Ha! I remembered the dough sheet I had bought for the topping of my chicken and mushroom pot pie the other day and realized that I had an extra. I also thought of the two fruit preserves that would be perfect to use as the filling for this pastry. So here’s what I did:

(Please keep in mind that this pastry is far from real baking (from scratch). But a girl has to start somewhere. I am planning to like this whole baking thing so I think a simple beginning might be a good idea.)

I prepared:

  • 1 Pillsburry Crescent Seamless Dough Sheet
  • Fruit preserves like Bonne Maman’s Apricot or Four Fruits (Cherry, Redcurrants, Raspberry, Strawberry)or fruit butter like American Spoon’s Strawberry Butter
  • 1 Egg for egg wash (beaten egg with two tablespoon of water)

Steps:

  • Preheat the oven to 375F
  • Spray the oven tray with a non-stick
  • Cut the dough sheet into 10 or 12 small squares
  • Add a half of teaspoon of the fruit preserves to the center of the square
  • Brush the edges with egg wash so they seal well
  • Fold each square’s corner to its opposite
  • Brush the top part of the folded pastry with egg wash
  • Bake for 20 minutes or until the pastries look golden brown

The result was quite satisfying. I hope to try something more complex in the near future. Please let me know if you have any baking-from-scratch recipe recommendation. I’d be happy to receive more inspiration!

Have a happy Thanksgiving!

To Ro who still has to send me his no-knead bread recipe

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Sharp Cheddar Baked Banana

I think most people may have strong preferences over what food to eat. They may also have some reluctance to eat certain things. For an example, a good friend of mine is not crazy about cooked onion at all. But as long as it is finely mashed with the dish, she’d be fine. Another good friend is perfectly happy not eating eggs, especially hard-boiled eggs, while one other friend is content with not eating tomatoes. In my case, I love to eat done-up bananas, but not the plain fruit. Weird, right? I see all these disinclination toward certain food as one of many commonalities my friends and I share.

One of the street food I love back home in Indonesia is Fried Banana (pisang goreng). What these street vendors do with the bananas is basically cut them up into two or four pieces, dip them in a batter made of all-purpose flour, sugar, and egg, and then…deep-fry them. It is insanely good!  I’ve made fried bananas many times and though they’re really good, I wanted to try something else.

So here’s a very simple and good baked banana recipe that I made:

  • Cut four ripe bananas in the middle and halve lengthwise. I usually try to get bananas that still have a little green color on the end of the peel. They tend to be firmer and don’t get too soft after being cooked
  • Preheat the oven to 400 F
  • Place the sliced bananas on an oven dish and bake for 12 minutes
  • Add shredded sharp cheddar on the sliced bananas right after taking them out of the oven
  • Return to bake for another one minute until the cheese is melted

My husband, Jeff, says that the contrasting tastes of the sweet banana and the savory cheddar work so well together. I think this might be our favorite dessert (or even breakfast) yet!

(For JN, thanks for the inspiration)

Harini Riana1 Comment

Seafood and Vegetable Curry

The inspiration came from the Green Curry and the Pad Ped Fish dishes at my favorite Thai restaurant in Chicago, Ben’s Noodle and Rice. This restaurant became like a second kitchen for me when I lived in Andersonville neighborhood.  What I love about Thai curries is the combination of spices and sweetness that come from coconut milk and also the vegetables.

In this dish, my idea is to create a vegetable curry that I’d pour over a crispy and firm baked white fish. I enjoy dishes that involve seafood and vegetables. A mixture of taste, texture, and colors in one dish makes the meal all the more exciting. Another thing I like about Thai curry dishes (in restaurants in the US at least) is the presence of bell peppers and eggplant. The softness of the eggplant and the crunchy bell peppers along with their different colors make the dish far from being boring.

So here’s how I make my curry dish:

(Caveat: I eyeball everything!)

In a food processor, chop and mix the following ingredients:

  • 3 Shallots
  • 5-6 Cloves of garlic
  • 5 Long hot peppers (like cayenne)
  • 1 Red bell pepper
  • ½ Inch of ginger (or 1 teaspoon of ginger powder)

In a medium pot, add:

  • 2-3 cups of water
  • A pinch of turmeric powder and salt
  •  ½ Inch of galangal root
  • 1 Lemon grass
  • 2 Kaffir lime leaves
  • The  chopped and mixed curry ingredients
  • Stay on medium heat until it bubbles
  • Add half a can of light coconut milk (you can do the whole can if you want a thicker and richer broth) and stir to mix

Cut one big eggplant and two bell peppers into small cubes.  Place the eggplants on a plate. Heat them up in a microwave oven for two minutes. This will expedite the cooking process of the eggplant. Want to veg-it-up? Go crazy! Add carrots, broccoli, and tomatoes into the curry.

Add the vegetables into the pot and let it cook for 10-15 minutes. Remove the galangal root, lemon grass, and kaffir lime leaves before serving. Turn the heat off.

Now, let’s talk about the fish:

  • Place two or three fillets of your preferred firm white fish (like red snapper, sea bass, swai, or tilapia) on a plate
  • Drizzle with apple vinegar (or lemon juice) for aroma
  • Brush the surface lightly with vegetable oil (enough to coat the whole surface)
  • Season with ginger powder, hot pepper powder, coriander powder, and salt. Rub evenly on both sides
  • Let them sit and absorb the spices and goodness for about 10 minutes
  • Place the fillets on a baking dish (might want to spray or lightly grease the dish first). Bake in the preheated 400-450 F oven for about 15-20 minutes until the fillets are crisp and firm but flake easily when pierced with a fork. (Broil to brown both sides if necessary)

Top the fish with vegetable curry or serve separately. The dish is perfect to enjoy with …white jasmine rice, of course.

Serve 2-4

Note: This is one of my flexible dishes. I can substitute the fish with other things. Try adding shrimp or chicken fillets into vegetable curry and let them cook together. Have fun and enjoy!

Harini Riana1 Comment