Daring Cooks! Vietnamese Pho

Oops! Better late than never. This month we made pho, which I love. Pho is a Vietnamese dish of broth with rice noodles and meat, and you get to customize it to your taste. Served alongside is usually a plate of sprouts, lime, chilis, basil, and maybe a few other things. I added scallions, cilantro, and onion as well.

The October 2009 Daring Cooks' challenge was brought to us by Jaden of the blog Steamy Kitchen. The recipes are from her new cookbook, The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook.

Vietnamese Pho

Green means my addition

For the broth:

2 T whole coriander

4 whole cloves

2 whole star anise

2 cardamom pods

1 T fennel seeds

8 c chicken broth

1/2 onion

1 3-inch hunk of ginger, peeled and chopped

1-2 T sugar

1-2 T fish sauce

Heat a pan over high heat. Add the spices and toast, shaking the pan so the spices don't burn. When you can start to smell them, they're done. Remove them from the pan, then combine all the ingredients (including the spices) in a pot and cook for 20-30 minutes. Strain the broth, then keep it on a low simmer while you get everything else ready.

For the soup/assembly:

1 lb rice stick noodles

1/2 lb thinly sliced beef

2 c bean sprouts

a handful fresh cilantro

a handful Thai basil

1/2 shaved red onion

1/2 lime, cut into wedges

sliced fresh chilis

3 sliced scallions

Cook the noodles according to your package directions.

Arrange the bean sprouts, cilantro, basil, onion, lime, chilis and scallions on a plate. Divide the noodles between bowls, top with sliced meat, then pour the hot broth over. The broth will help cook the beef. Add whatever additions you'd like, and enjoy!

We were supposed to make a dessert wonton, but I didn't have time and also, us gluten-free people can't use wonton wrappers. I wasn't up to that challenge today.

Daring Cooks! Seafood risotto with sofrito and allioli

I was so close to not making this months Daring Cooks' challenge! Luckily I pulled myself together and pulled through, and I'm glad I did. This challenge was supposed to be 'rice with mushrooms, artichokes and cuttlefish,' but we don't sell cuttlefish at my Wholefoods, and I could only find risotto rice as far as short grain rice went. I used scallops, and squid (Alex ate all the tentacles). I also served it with a small piece of salmon on top, because it was on sale and I just couldn't resist.

The thing that makes this dish really crazy good is the allioli. You may know it as aioli. Allioli is made from four things, pounded together slowly with a morter and pestle until it forms a light, fluffy cream-like thing. I may have quit beating the oil in just a bit earlier than I should have, but I thought it was awesome. Skip this step if you don't like garlic, because whew, it's sharp. Alex and I both could eat cloves and cloves of raw garlic and not mind it on each other, but you might mind.

This month's challenge was hosted by Olga of Olga's recipes and Las Costas de Olga. She chose a recipe by Jose Andres, from his TV show Made in Spain. For the original recipe, check out Olga's blog.

Seafood risotto with sofrito and allioli

In three parts. First, the sofrito, then the risotto, then the allioli.

Sofrito

This is basically a marinara sauce. This recipe makes a whole ton, I'm freezing the rest of mine in serving-size containers to reheat in a pinch.

2 T olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 c mushrooms, diced

2 cans (14 oz) diced tomatoes, or one big can of pureed tomatoes if you prefer smooth (I do)

1 bay leaf

1 t ground cumin

1 t dried oregano

1 t salt

1/2 t chili flakes

Heat the oil in a pan, then toss in the onion and garlic. Cook until softened, then add the mushrooms, and cook until the mushrooms let out their juices. Add the tomatoes and spices and cook for 45 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally.

Seafood risotto with sofrito

2 T olive oil

1 1/2 c mushrooms, sliced or quartered

1/2 c quartered artichoke hearts

1 c arborio rice (or other risotto rice)

1 bay leaf

1/2 c wine

3/4 c sofrito

2-3 c seafood stock (I used shrimp)

1/2 lb bay scallops

1/2 lb squid, cleaned, tubes and tentacles

salt

Heat the olive oil, then cook the mushrooms until starting to brown. Toss in the artichokes and cook 1 minute, then add the rice and cook two minutes, until the rice starts to become translucent. Stir in the wine, add the bay leaf, and cook until the wine is absorbed. Stir in 1/2 c of stock, and cook, stirring often, until the stock is absorbed. Keep stirring, and adding stock 1/2 c at a time, until the rice tastes almost cooked. Stir in the seafood when the rice tastes like it's almost done, like you could eat it but it might need another few minutes. Cook the seafood in the risotto until the scallops and squid aren't translucent anymore.

Allioli

4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

a pinch of salt

1/2 t lemon juice

olive oil (I used a little less than a half cup)

Smash the garlic and salt together with a morter and pestle until the garlic is well-smashed. Smush in the lemon juice, then add the olive oil, a little at a time. Add oil, smoosh in, then add a little more. Keep going. This will take a while. Stop when the allioli is glossy and fluffy. It will happen.

To serve the risotto, scoop into a bowl and serve with a little dollop of the allioli on the side. When you're eating, scoop a tiny bit of allioli onto your fork, then get a forkful of risotto. Delicious and sharp and smooth and seafoody!

June Daring Cooks - Pork Dumplings!

Listen, I know I was supposed to post this a week ago, but I was on my honeymoon. Life was so crazy before the wedding that I didn't get a chance to sit down and write this post even though I meant to. I made the dumplings with Alex's mom while she was here, but I didn't get to write the post.

We went to Maine on our honeymoon, spent a few nights on Monhegan Island, which is this beautiful little island, and then spent a few nights camping. It was awesome, and relaxing, and lots of fun. If you want to see pictures, they're here.

I posted about dumplings in January, when I made tofu vegan dumplings. This Daring Cooks Challenge was to make dumplings - pick out a filling, a wrapper, and a cooking style. I chose pork, since I don't think I've written about meat dumplings before, and pan fried, since that's my favorite way to cook dumplings. I love dumplings when they're crispy!

Pork Dumplings

For the dumpling recipe I used, check out this post. The filling recipe is from Mrs. Chiang's Szechwan Cookbook.

A big handful of scallions (like 10)

1 T minced ginger

3 T minced garlic

1 pound ground pork (I ground my own)

1/4 c gf soy sauce

1 1/2 T sesame oil

1 t chili-garlic sauce (or hot sauce of your choice)

1 egg

Clean the scallions, and then chop them into pieces about the size of a matchhead. Put the pork in a bowl and mush in the ginger and garlic and scallions, then the soy sauce, sesame oil, chili-garlic sauce, and egg. Mix everything all together well, then set in the fridge until the dumpling wrappers are made. Pull the meat from the fridge, and form the dumplings. If you're not going to cook them all at once, line them up on a cookie sheet and freeze them, then stick them in a bag.

To cook the dumplings, heat up a tablespoon of oil in a large pan. Set the dumplings in the oil once its hot, and cook on the bottoms. Once the bottoms are starting to brown, add in a few tablespoons of water and then cover and let steam cook for about 5 minutes, until the dough looks translucent. Remove the lid and let the rest of the water cook out, then cook the dumplings on all sides until brown and crispy.

Serve with dipping sauce of your choice, my recipe is here.

First Daring Cooks challenge- Zuni gnocchi two ways

Last year I joined the Daring Bakers, and am so thrilled to be part of the beginning of a new era. The Daring Cooks! For the first challenge, we made the ricotta gnocchi recipe from the Zuni Cookbook. The gnocchi were unlike anything I've ever had before, like little clouds. I love traditional potato gnocchi, but these little pillows were in a different class entirely. I served them on top of yesterday's spicy sausage ragu, and the creamy gnocchi cut the heat of the ragu perfectly. 

Zuni Ricotta Gnocchi

Source: From The Zuni Café Cookbook.

Yield: Makes 40 to 48 gnocchi (serves 4 to 6)

Prep time: Step 1 will take 24 hours. Steps 2 through 4 will take approximately 1 hour.

Tips:

- If you can find it, use fresh ricotta. As Judy Rodgers advises in her recipe, there is no substitute for fresh ricotta. It may be a bit more expensive, but it's worth it.

- Do not skip the draining step. Even if the fresh ricotta doesn't look very wet, it is. Draining the ricotta will help your gnocchi tremendously.

- When shaping your gnocchi, resist the urge to over handle them. It's okay if they look a bit wrinkled or if they're not perfectly smooth.

- If you're not freezing the gnocchi for later, cook them as soon as you can. If you let them sit around too long they may become a bit sticky. Stick them in the fridge to rest before you cook them if you're not cooking them right away, they'll be fine. 

Equipment required:

- Sieve

- Cheesecloth or paper towels

- Large mixing bowl

- Rubber spatula

- Tablespoon

- Baking dish or baking sheet

- Wax or parchment paper

- Small pot

- Large skillet

- Large pan or pot (very wide in diameter and at least 2 inches deep)

For the gnocchi sauce:

8 tablespoons (227 grams/1/4 pound/4 ounces) butter, sliced

2 teaspoons water

For the gnocchi:

1 pound (454 grams/16 ounces) fresh ricotta (2 cups) I just used supermarket ricotta and it was fine

2 large cold eggs, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) unsalted butter

2 or 3 fresh sage leaves, or a few pinches of freshly grated nutmeg, or a few pinches of chopped lemon zest (all optional)

½ ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated (about ¼ cup very lightly packed)

about ¼ teaspoon salt (a little more if using kosher salt)

all-purpose (rice) flour for forming the gnocchi

Step 1 (the day before you make the gnocchi): Preparing the ricotta.

If the ricotta is too wet, your gnocchi will not form properly. In her cookbook, Judy Rodgers recommends checking the ricotta’s wetness. To test the ricotta, take a teaspoon or so and place it on a paper towel. If you notice a very large ring of dampness forming around the ricotta after a minute or so, then the ricotta is too wet. To remove some of the moisture, line a sieve with cheesecloth or paper towels and place the ricotta in the sieve. Cover it and let it drain for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours in the refrigerator. Alternatively, you can wrap the ricotta carefully in cheesecloth (2 layers) and suspend it in your refrigerator for 8 to 24 hours with a bowl underneath to catch the water that’s released. Either way, it’s recommended that you do this step the day before you plan on making the gnocchi.

Step 2 (the day you plan on eating the gnocchi): Making the gnocchi dough.

To make great gnocchi, the ricotta has to be fairly smooth. Place the drained ricotta in a large bowl and mash it as best as you can with a rubber spatula or a large spoon (it’s best to use a utensil with some flexibility here). As you mash the ricotta, if you noticed that you can still see curds, then press the ricotta through a strainer to smooth it out as much as possible.

Add the lightly beaten eggs to the mashed ricotta.

Melt the tablespoon of butter. As it melts, add in the sage if you’re using it. If not, just melt the butter and add it to the ricotta mixture.

Add in any flavouring that you’re using (i.e., nutmeg, lemon zest, etc.). If you’re not using any particular flavouring, that’s fine.

Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano and the salt.

Beat all the ingredients together very well. You should end up with a soft and fluffy batter with no streaks (everything should be mixed in very well).

Step 3: Forming the gnocchi.

Fill a small pot with water and bring to a boil. When it boils, salt the water generously and keep it at a simmer. You will use this water to test the first gnocchi that you make to ensure that it holds together and that your gnocchi batter isn’t too damp.

In a large, shallow baking dish or on a sheet pan, make a bed of all-purpose flour that’s ½ an inch deep.

With a spatula, scrape the ricotta mixture away from the sides of the bowl and form a large mass in the centre of your bowl.

Using a tablespoon, scoop up about 2 to 3 teaspoons of batter and then holding the spoon at an angle, use your finger tip to gently push the ball of dough from the spoon into the bed of (rice) flour.

At this point you can either shake the dish or pan gently to ensure that the flour covers the gnocchi or use your fingers to very gently dust the gnocchi with flour. Gently pick up the gnocchi and cradle it in your hand rolling it to form it in an oval as best as you can, at no point should you squeeze it. What you’re looking for is an oval lump of sorts that’s dusted in flour and plump.

Gently place your gnocchi in the simmering water. It will sink and then bob to the top. From the time that it bobs to the surface, you want to cook the gnocchi until it’s just firm. This could take 3 to 5 minutes.

If your gnocchi begins to fall apart, this means that the ricotta cheese was probably still too wet. You can remedy this by beating a teaspoon of egg white into your gnocchi batter. If your gnocchi batter was fluffy but the sample comes out heavy, add a teaspoon of beaten egg to the batter and beat that in. Test a second gnocchi to ensure success. I added in a few tablespoons of rice flour instead of more egg. 

Form the rest of your gnocchi. You can put 4 to 6 gnocchi in the bed of flour at a time. But don’t overcrowd your bed of flour or you may damage your gnocchi as you coat them.

Have a sheet pan ready to rest the formed gnocchi on. Line the sheet pan with wax or parchment paper and dust it with flour.

You can cook the gnocchi right away, however, Judy Rodgers recommends storing them in the refrigerator for an hour prior to cooking to allow them to firm up.

Step 4: Cooking the gnocchi.

Have a large skillet ready to go. Place the butter and water for the sauce in the skillet and set aside.

In the largest pan or pot that you have (make sure it’s wide), bring at least 2 quarts of water to a boil (you can use as much as 3 quarts of water if your pot permits). You need a wide pot or pan so that your gnocchi won’t bump into each other and damage each other.

Once the water is boiling, salt it generously.

Drop the gnocchi into the water one by one. Once they float to the top, cook them for 3 to 5 minutes (as in the case with the test gnocchi).

When the gnocchi float to the top, you can start your sauce while you wait for them to finish cooking.

Place the skillet over medium heat and melt the butter. Swirl it gently a few times as it melts. As soon as it melts and is incorporated with the water, turn off the heat. Your gnocchi should be cooked by now. Or, instead of making the butter sauce, just scoop the gnocchi right on top of waiting bowls of spicy sausage ragu. 

Pan fried gnocchi with berry puree

Take the recipe above, and beat an extra egg into it. Then add some sugar, about 1/4 c. Heat up a skillet with a little bit of butter, and plop small (small is important! The batter won't hold up enough to make big ones!) teaspoon sized scoops onto the hot pan. Cook a minute or two on each side, and then carefully flip. Repeat with the remaining batter. 

For the berry puree:

3 c berries (I used craberry and blueberry)

1/4 c water

3 T rum

3 T honey

Heat everything together in a small pan, and then simmer until the liquid is almost gone. Carefully scoop everything into the blender, and pulse until smooth.