korean scallion pancake dipping sauce

1/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp chili flakes
1 tbsp scallions
1 tsp garlic

Mix together and let sit for a while before serving.

korean cucumbers

2 cucumbers
1 tsp salt
1 tsp honey
1 tsp rice vinegar

Slice cucumbers in half moon shapes, mix with salt and let sit ~10 mins, rinse and drain, mix with honey and vinegar

korean scallion pancakes

2 cups flour
2 eggs, beaten
1.5 cups water
1 bunch scallions, sliced 2 inches long
1 tsp salt

Mix everything together and let sit ~10 mins, using ample olive oil pan fry on both sides until crispy.

korean potatoes

1 lb potato, diced large (red potatoes will work best, peel)
3 cloves garlic (miced)
1.5 tbsp soy sauce
1.5 tbsp sugar
1.5 tbsp honey
1 cup water
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion (diced)

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil, add potatoes, saute 30 sec, mix together all other ingredients in a separate bowl, add about 3/4 of the liquid to the potatoes and cook over med-high heat ~10 mins to reduce the liquid into a sauce while cooking the potatoes. If potatoes aren't completely cooked when the sauce is thick, add a little more of the liquid and cover until cooked. Cool and refrigerate, serve cold.

traditional asturian bean stew

Jose Andres tapas cards, copyrighted

spring leeks with mushrooms

Jose Andres tapas cards, copyrighted

castilian garlic soup

Jose Andres tapas cards, copyrighted

basic muffin recipe

2 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter

1 cup of additional ingredients like blueberries, raisin, dates, cheese, ect

Combine dry ingredients, mix in wet, and then add in the nuts, fruit, ect. Bake at 350 ~20 mins until golden.

recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

*really* fudgy brownies

6 tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp melted butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour

1/3 cup chocolate chips or nuts, if desired

Mix it all together and bake at 350 ~30 mins. Recommend using a 4x8 in bread pan, or doubling the recipe and using a 8x8 inch baking pan.

catfish wrapped in fig leaves

2 large fig leaves
~1/2 lb catfish
2 slices lemon
salt/pepper

Season fish with salt/pepper and lay in the middle of the leaves, place the lemon slices on top and wrap the fish up like a package. Bake at 350 for 25 mins

tomato, kale and goat cheese over pasta

1 large tomato (diced)
2 big handfuls of kale (diced)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1/4 of an onion (diced)
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp ground corriander
salt/pepper
~1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese

1/2 of a 1 lb package of pasta shells

Boil water, meanwhile saute onion in olive oil 4-5 mins, add garlic and cook until lightly golden, add tomato and saute 2-3 mins, add kale and cover 5-10 mins. Add pasta to boiling water and cook until done. Add a little pasta water to the kale to help steam and when pasta is done, drain and add to kale mixture. Salt/pepper to taste and add crumbled goat cheese to taste.

mushroom spagetti "risotto"

1 package dried mushrooms
3/4 lb cremeni mushrooms (diced)
~6 cups stock
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1/2 of an onion (diced)
2-3 tbsp parmesan cheese
salt/pepper
1/2 package spaghetti (1/2 lb dried)

Heat stock and dried mushrooms in a separate pot. Meanwhile saute onion and mushrooms in olive oil until softened, add garlic and cook until fragrant. Break pasta into 2 inch lengths and add to pan, saute until toasted. Add ~1.5 cups stock and stir 15-20 secs, wait for it to be absorbed, add 1 cup, stir 15-20 secs, wait for it to be absorbed, ect, ect, until the pasta is tender. Chop the reconstituted mushrooms and add to the finished spaghetti, mix in parmesan, salt/pepper and serve.

Inspired/adapted from Rachel Ray

fruit salsa with cinnamon chips

~3 cups chopped fruit (1 large peach, 4 handfuls of small plums-green and red)
2 tbsp strawberry preserves

4 pita breads
~2 tbsp butter
~1 cup cinnamon

Mix fruit and preserves together and refridgerate 15 mins (can add sugar if desired)

For pita, cut around the edge of the pita bread to separate the top and bottom into individual pieces (each pita will give 2). Spread butter over the top of each round and cut into 8-16 wedges. Dip the buttered side in the cinnamon sugar. Spread on a cookie sheet and bake ~7 mins at 350, until crisp

recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

5 minute ice cream

10 oz frozen fruit (strawberries, peaches, ect)
2/3 cup heavy cream

(optional-I omitted) up to 1/2 cup sugar

In a food processor blend together fruit and heavy cream until smooth and serve. Strawberry/basil and peach/thyme are two good ingredient combinations.

adapted from allrecipes.com

potato and corn soup

~1 lb red potatoes (diced)
3.5 cups chicken stock
1/3 of a medium onion (diced)
2 ears of corn (kernels cut from cob)
salt/pepper
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
2 cups milk

Simmer potatoes and onion in chicken stock until cooked through ~15 mins. In a different pot melt butter, add flour and cook ~1 min, slowly pour in milk and cook until thickened, add to the potato pot. Add corn and salt/pepper to taste, bring to a simmer and serve.

recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

seaweed salad (in progress)

1/3 of a 2 oz package of wakame dried seaweed*
1/3 of a 2 oz package of dried kelp
1/3 of a 2 oz package of unknown thin strand-korean dried seaweed

2 tbsp tamari (or soy sauce)
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp honey
1 tsp mirin
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp olive oil

Soak all the seaweed in luke warm water ~10 mins. *the wakame had a thick center vein that I removed after soaking. Mix together the dressing ingredients in a large bowl. Rinse seaweeds and chop into desired sizes and then toss with dressings. Chill and serve cold.

Syracuse salt potatoes

The extremely high salt concentration makes the water boil at a higher temperature, making the starch in the potatoes cook more completely, resulting in very creamy potatoes with a nicely salted skin.

3 lbs new/baby/fingerling potatoes, (small potatoes w/ the really thin skin, white skin is more traditional than red)
8 cup water
1.5 cups kosher salt
butter

Boil water and salt and then add potatoes. Cover and simmer until cooked ~25 mins. Drain in a colander and serve with plenty of melted butter.

pork bulgogi (dae ji bool gogi)

1 lb pork (asked butcher to slice for a stir-fry)
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp tamari (or soy sauce)
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup red pepper paste (gochu jang)
1/2 of an onion (sliced)
1 green zucchini (sliced)

In a large ziplock bag mix together rice vinegar, tamari, sugar, red pepper flakes and red pepper paste. Mix well then add in pork, onion and zucchini. Marinate in the fridge for at least 3 hours. Heat a cast iron pan til hot, then saute pork mixture in batches. The batch is done when the marinate thickes and carmelizes on the pork, remove and cook the next batch.

Serve with rice. Recipe from allrecipes.com

raw asparagus salad

3/4 lb asparagus
1 ear corn
1/4 of an onion (diced)
1 lemon
1/2 cup grape tomatoes
olive oil, salt, pepper
2-3 tbsp parmesan cheese

Dice onion and add the juice of one lemon to the onion, set aside. Break off the tough ends of the asparagus, then dice into 1/4 inch pieces. Dice tomatoes and cut corn of the cob. Mix together all the veggies, strain lemon juice into the veggies (gives the juice onion flavor, without raw onions in the salad), add cheese, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Let sit 5-10 mins at room temp before serving.

quick pizza crust

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (or 1 packet)
1 tsp sugar
1 cup water @110F
2.5 cups flour
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt

Mix water, sugar and yeast together and let sit 5 mins until foamy, then combine with remaining ingredients and form a smooth dough. Let rest 5 mins, flour a surface and roll/pat out the dough. Transfer to a preheated baking sheet (450C), top with toppings (such as palak paneer and cheese) and bake 20-25 mins at 450.

crust recipe from allrecipes.com

mushroom & tempeh over pasta

3/4 lb cremini mushroom (chopped)
1/4 of an onion (diced)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
3 slices of thick sliced bacon (diced)
olive oil
1/2 of a package of tempeh (diced)
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp flour
~1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water
salt/pepper to taste

1/2 lb linguini

Saute bacon in a little olive oil, meanwhile cook pasta and tempeh in the same pot in salted water. Remove bacon when crisp and add onion to the pan. Saute 1-2 mins, add garlic and saute until fragrant, add mushrooms and saute ~10 mins. Add flour and stir 1 min, add sour cream and pasta water. Drain pasta/tempeh and add to the mushroom mixture. Mix together and let sit ~5 mins so the liquid absorbs (add more cooking water if needed). Top with bacon.

dutch babies (in progress)

1 pear (peeled, sliced)
few shakes cinnamon
1 tbsp sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
1 pinch nutmeg
1 pinch salt
2 tbsp butter

(next time use room temperature ingredients), Preheat cast iron pan in a 475C oven while you prep everything. In a blender combine cinnamon, sugar, eggs, milk, flour, nutmeg and butter and blend until smooth. Remove pan from oven, turn heat down to 425, melt the butter in the pan, put the pears on the bottom and pour batter overtop. Bake 12 mins, serve with maple syrup and jam.

chicken mahkani

1 tsp ground ginger
2 large cloves garlic (skin removed)
1/4 of a medium onion (skin removed)
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp chili powder
1 bay leaf
1/8 tsp cayenne powder
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 8 oz container plain yogurt
1 can chickpeas


In a food processor puree garlic and onion together. Saute this mixture in 1-2 tbsp olive oil for ~4-5 mins, add in cumin, ginger, garam masala, chili powder, bay leaf and cayenne and saute 3-4 mins until spices smoke, add tomato sauce, yogurt and chickpeas and simmer ~10 mins. Serve over rice

date nut bars

3/4 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1 tbsp butter (melted)
1 cup dried figs
1 cup nuts (chopped)

Mix together sugar, flour and baking powder. Mix in eggs and butter until blended, batter will be stiff, add in figs and nuts and mix well. Press into silicone muffin cups and bake at 350 ~20 mins

chicken korma

2 tbsp + 1 tsp biryani paste
1/2 of an onion (diced)
2 cloves garlic
1 cup cashews
2/3 cup shredded coconut
1.5 cups water
1 cup cooked shredded chicken
1 cup green beans (diced)

3/4 cup uncooked rice

Cook rice, meanwhile add 1.5 cups water and 2/3 cup coconut together and let sit 10-20 mins while everything else is being prepped. Saute onion in olive oil 7-8 mins, add in biryani paste and garlic and saute 3-4 mins. Add 1/2 cup cashews to a food processor and add 1 tbsp water, puree and add to onion mixture, repeat with remainin cashews (or do it all at once if you have a big enough processor), strain coconut/water mixture and add the water to the sauce pan, mix together, add green beans and simmer until cooked ~3 mins, stir in chicken and serve with rice.

tahini and yogurt sauce over pasta

3 tbsp tahini
1 8 oz container plain yogurt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp cumin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can baby corn
1 chicken breast
1 lemon

1/2 package linguini

Boil water for pasta, meanwhile saute garlic, cayenne and cumin in a little olive oil, 2-3 mins, add tahini and stir together. Add yogurt, corn and (cooked) chicken, bring to simmer over low heat. Cook pasta and let yogurt sauce simmer until pasta is done. Stir in juice of 1 lemon, add salt/pepper to taste, add 1/4 cup of the pasta water to yogurt mixture, drain pasta and combine with sauce. Let sit 2-3 mins before serving so sauce thickens.

crispy kale (or spinach)

1 bunch of kale (or fresh spinach)
olive oil (1-2 tsp)
salt/pepper

Remove the ribs of the kale, discard the ribs and rip leaves into big pieces. Toss leaves with a little olive oil/salt/pepper and place on a wire cooling rack. Place the rack on a baking sheet and bake at 250C for ~30-40 mins until very crispy and dehydrated

lentil & tomato soup

1 cup lentils
1/2 of an onion (diced)
2 carrots (diced)
1 tbsp ethiopian spiced ghee (or butter)
salt/pepper to taste
1 bay leaf
thyme
sage
cumin
hot italian flakes
1 large clove garlic (minced)
1 cup crushed fire roasted tomaotes
3 cups water

Saute onion and carrot in ghee, add the spices (bay leaf, salt/pepper, thyme, cumin, italian flakes and garlic) and saute a few minutes. Add lentils, tomatoes and water and simmer 1 hr.

ethiopian beef dish (a.k.a. tsebhi sga or key wet)

2 lbs beef (diced, sirlion)
2 medium-large onion (diced small)
1/2 cup ethiopian spiced butter
1 cup crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup berbere spice (add enough olive oil to make this into a paste)
water

Heat up 1/4 cup butter and add the onion, saute until carmelized (~25 mins), add berbere paste and saute 15 mins, adding water as needed to keep from burning, add tomatoes and simmer 30 mins, adding water to keep from burning. Add beef, cover, and cook 20 mins. Add in remaining butter. Can add more water to bring it to the desired consistency

recipe from recipezaar.com

spiced butter for ethiopian cooking

1/2 cup ghee
2 small cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp minced onion
1/8 tsp ground cardamon (half of a 1/4 tsp)
1/8 tsp ground fenugreek (half of a 1/4 tsp)
1/12 tsp tumeric (1/4 of a 1/4 tsp)
1/8+ tsp ground cumin (3/4 of a 1/4 tsp)

1/2 inch of fresh ginger (didn't add this time, the store didn't have any!)

hehe, I didn't want to make 2 lbs worth so I had to improvise on measuring the ingredients.

chocolate souffle

5 oz dark chocolate (70% cocao)
2 egg yolks

2 egg whites (next time use 3)
pinch salt
1/4 cup sugar

2 10oz ramekins

Preheat oven to 375. Coat ramekins with butter and coat with sugar. Melt chocolate in double boiler, meanwhile whip eggwhites and a pinch of salt to soft peak stage, then slowly add sugar and beat until stiff peak stage. Remove chocolate from heat and mix in egg yolks. Fold eggwhites into chocolate and pour into ramekins and bake for 13 mins.

These didn't rise much, but they were great! Adding more eggwhites will make it rise more

carob balls

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup carob powder
2 tbsp coconut
1/4 cup chopped cashews

Melt peanut butter and honey together over the stove, stir until it's all melted together. Stir in (in batches) carob powder and then stir in cashews. Let cool ~5 mins and then shape into balls and roll in coconut. Store in the fridge

chickpea makhani (in progress)

1/4 cup finely chopped onion
~2 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp pureed garlic & ginger (~3 garlic cloves, ~1 inch piece ginger) (next time use 1.5 or 2 tbsp)
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garam masala (next time use 1/2 or 3/4 tsp)
1 tsp chili powder
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp fenugreek
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1 cup half and half
1/4 cup yogurt
1/8 tsp cayenne

1 can chickpeas (drained)

Saute onion in olive oil until soft/translucent, add butter, garlic/ginger, lemon juice, cumin, masala, chili powder, fenugreek and bay leaf, saute 1 min, add tomato sauce, simmer 2 mins, stir in half and half, yogurt and cayenne and simmer ~10+ mins. Stir in chickpeas and heat through

sudanese yogurt and tahini dip

2/3 cup tahini
2/3 cup plain yogurt
1 large clove of garlic (mince and then add a sprinkle of salt and mush with the back of the knife to form more of a paste)
juice of 1.5 lemons (they were very juicy, probably around 1/3 cup)
salt/pepper to taste

Mix the garlic and tahini together and then stir in the yogurt and lemon juice in batches. Add more lemon juice if the tahini seems overwhelming (it should be a very spreadable dip, not a thick paste). Add salt/pepper to taste

adapted from recipezaar.com

quick gumbo

1 can diced tomatoes
1/4 of a large onion (diced)
1 carrot (sliced thin)
1/2 of a green pepper (diced)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp cajun seasoning
1 large clove garlic (minced)
1/4 lb chorizo (the dried spanish kind, sliced thin)
1/4 lb cooked chicken
1/4 lb diced ham
*next time add 1 can of beans
3/4 cup dry white rice

Saute onion in olive oil and butter until translucent ~3-4 mins, add garlic and flour, cook ~1 min. Add diced tomatoes and another half can of water, add carrots, cajun powder, chorizo and pepper and bring to a simmer. Simmer while rice cooks ~15 mins, then add in the chicken and ham, heat through and serve with rice.

sweet potato fries

1 large sweet potato (or maybe it's a yam, I dunno)
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp koser salt (it has bigger salt crystals)
few shakes of freshly crushed pepper

Rinse the sweet potato and scrub lightly (I like it w/skin on), slice into 1/4 inch thick medallions. Toss with the olive oil, salt and pepper and bake at 400 until crisp (turn them once) ~30 mins

oatmeal cinnamon fig almond muffins

1 cup flour
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 cup milk
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
4 tbsp butter (melted)
1/3 cup dried figs (chopped)
1/3 cup almonds (chopped)

Combine oats and milk and let sit while chopping the figs/almonds. Then add flour, baking powder, egg, cinnamon and butter to oats and mix well. Add figs and almonds and spoon into muffin cups. Bake at 350 ~20 mins until golden.

cheddar cheese soup

(adapted from swiss cheese soup recipe #355)

3/4 cup stock
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup white wine
1 tbsp butter
1/4 of a large onion (diced small)
2 large cloves garlic (minced)
3 tbsp flour
1/4 cup cheddar cheese

Saute flour in dry pan until it browns, the remove toasted flour to a separate bowl. Meanwhile add butter to sauce pan, add onion and garlic and saute until onion is translucent ~4 mins. Add toasted flour, mix, and add in stock, water and wine. Simmer ~25 mins. Stir in cheese and serve

cheese souffle

this made 4 10oz and 4 4oz souffles
3 tbsp flour
3 tbsp butter
pinch cayanne
1 cup shredded chedder cheese
1 cup milk
4 eggs (separate yolks and whites)

Grease the ramekins and set aside. Preheat oven to 350. Whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form and set aside. Melt butter in a sauce pan over low heat, wisk in flour, when smooth gradually add milk and and let bubble 1-2 mins until thickened. Stir in cheese until melted and remove from heat. Add a little of the mixture to the egg yolks and then add the egg mixture into the cheese/milk mixture. Mix well and then fold in the egg whites. Pour into the ramekins and bake 20 mins. Remove and serve immediately.

note-the big and small ramekins all cooked evenly, so no need to change cooking time for different sizes.

recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

lamb loin

1 lamb loin (this was ~2 inches thick, had a bone but not the handle, kinda like a T-bone steak, but a lot smaller)
salt/pepper/olive oil
dab of butter

Preheat oven to 350. Heat a cast iron skillet really hot, let lamb come to room temp (~45 mins on the counter), coat with oil, salt and pepper. Sear top, bottom and each side ~2 mins each end. Place a dab of butter on top and place in the oven.

I cooked it about 12 mins but turns out my thermometer skills suck and it was ~160F. Next time probably ~5 mins to get a temp of ~130F.

Subji was an excellent side dish (see best of dinner recipes)