Sidebar Potluck

The wine society (Sidebar) at Wash U has this semesterly potluck where everyone brings one dish, either charcuterie, appetizer, main dish, or dessert, and we all feast and drink wine together. It really is a fabulous tradition, and a nice amuse bouche, if I may, to the Dine and Imbibe pairing dinner that we've recently started. It's usually the same little group plus or minus a few newbies, and last night was just as fantastic as the last time! Here is a small, very small, sampling of what we had. With the wine flowing we all forgot to take pictures. Whoops.

 Pear slices with mint and prosciutto

 Skirt steak

Paella Marisco

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Chicken in Peanut Sauce

As has been catalogued before, snow day recipes are the best. Despite that fact that it took so much effort to get out in the arctic tundra and get groceries, making peanut sauce from scratch was totally worth it. It's surprisingly easy and to be honest, I think it came out better than peanut sauce from a prepared mix and as good as one from a Thai restaurant! 

So my obsession with making chicken in peanut sauce came from loving the version that my sister-in-law makes. She uses this spice mix and coconut milk, and marinates the chicken in red curry paste (I think) and it's SO DELICIOUS. So every time I go to the grocery store I look for the spice mix but I could never find it in St. Louis. So I decided to put on my sleuthing cap and find my own recipe (because I have this giant jar of unused peanut butter). Anyways, so I find this awesome recipe and add some twists here and there, and voila! PEANUT SAUCE!!

I also should have totally videotaped this for the home cook, but I butchered my first chicken!! It was surprisingly easy and only a little bit traumatic. Whole chickens are a lot cheaper and a lot better in quality, because you can buy an organic chicken, that's free range, and be able to use every single part of it. Literally. After I used the breasts for the dish, I fried the wings and reserved the leg/thigh for another day, then used the carcass to make chicken stock. Yes, that's right, MAKE chicken stock. None of that Swanson store-bought mess. Real, honest-to-goodness, homemade chicken stock. 

I marinated the chicken in red curry powder, ground ginger, garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar, cinnamon, and a little bit of black pepper and salt. It turned out really nicely, the flavor was sweet and a little spicy/slightly tangy because I added lime juice before I cooked it. It mixed really well with the thickness of the peanut sauce, and then the extra chicken leftover was delicious in a little sandwich. Enjoy!

Chicken in Peanut Sauce

now playing: Radiohead - The King of Limbs

now drinking: New Belgium Brewery Abbey Ale

inspired by: snow day recipes part 2

original recipe here

Ingredients:

1 tbsp peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
1/4 cup minced red onion (optional)
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp grated ginger
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce (or extra soy sauce for vegetarians)
1/4 cup water

1//4 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup peas
Sriracha to taste (for heat)

Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add red onion, garlic, and ginger. Cook for 1-2 minutes while stirring (to avoid burning the garlic) until onion is softened. Add rice vinegar & deglaze the pan for 1 minute. Add soy sauce, fish sauce, and water. Bring to a boil. Add coconut milk and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add peanut butter & whisk gently to combine. Add a few squirts of Sriracha for good heat. If the sauce is to thick it can be thinned with additional water. Add chicken and mix well, then add cooked peas to your satisfaction. Serve over stir fry or soba noodles, or jasmine rice.

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Corn and Chevre Ravioli with Thyme Butter

OMG FRESH PASTA IS RIDICULOUS AND AMAZING. 

Thought I should make that clear first. DMM (David Michael Mohl) got a handy-dandy crank pasta roller for valentine's day so we decided to make pasta...omg best decision ever. EVER. 


Also, I'm not a huge fan of Giada De Laurentiis, because I think mostly she's kind of ridiculous and over-pronounces things that are seemingly-Italian (see at 30 seconds, 1:40, and 2:25). BUT I decided to try her Corn Tortelli with Tarragon Butter, and much to my chagrin, she was really onto something with this recipe. It was fresh, delicious, the pasta was al dente, and surprisingly, corn is a great addition to pasta. 

After an awful evening last night, and a crappy morning this morning (complete with my email being hacked and my 75-page final Note draft due Friday AND a moot court practice this morning, PLUS preparing for a Trial class tomorrow at 6 pm on a Thursday...yeah yeah I complain too much...then stop reading my blog...JK...you won't cause you love my recipes :) heh) this fresh pasta dish was exactly what I needed. After making some raviolis we took the rest of the pasta dough and ran it through the spaghetti (Giada voice) and fettucini (Giada voice again) cutters, and this was definitely a good move. There was some corn filling left over and tossing the pasta with the filling and the thyme butter was a good call. It's so amazing what a difference fresh pasta makes. Anyways, enjoy :) 


Also, even though these recipes require a pasta roller, there are some really cheap good ones that you can find at Target or Bed Bath & Beyond, and sometimes, you get 20% off coupons in the mail for Bed Bath & Beyond so it makes it that much more affordable! Also, the original recipe calls for mascarpone but that was way too expensive at the store so cream cheese is a good substitute, also, if you don't have tarragon another good substitute is thyme. 


Corn and Chevre Ravioli with Thyme Butter
now playing: cut copy - zonoscope
now drinking: 2006 chateau franc-cardinal bordeaux, and then, 2007 jean-luc colombo cote de rhones...yeah, two bottles of wine...i know...
inspired by: NEW PASTA MAKER!!!!


Ingredients
Pasta
3 cups all-purpose flour
4 eggs
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon olive oil


Corn Filling
2 (14.75-ounce) cans creamed corn, drained well (about 1 1/2 cups total)
1/2 cup cream cheese (4 ounces)
1/4 cup Chevre (2 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 egg plus a little water, for egg wash


Tarragon Butter
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), room temperature
1/3 cup corn (canned or fresh)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan, for garnish

To make pasta: Place the flour in a food processor. In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Add the salt and olive oil to the eggs and stir to combine. Add the egg mixture to the food processor. Pulse to combine the ingredients, scraping down the sides once or twice. Continue, with the machine running, until the liquid is evenly distributed, about 1 minute. The dough should stick together if pinched between your fingers. The dough will be cornmeal-yellow in color. Some of the dough will be sticking together, but it will not form a single ball.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Press the dough into a ball and knead gently until the dough is smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.

To make the raviolis: Begin by rolling out the pasta dough. Sprinkle a baking sheet with cornmeal and set aside. Cut a piece of the dough off the ball and shape into a rectangle about the size of a deck of cards. Cover the remaining dough with plastic wrap until you are ready to use it. Roll the rectangle of dough through the widest setting of the pasta machine a few times until it is smooth. Then roll it through the remaining settings to the thinnest setting. Sprinkle the sheet lightly with cornmeal, gently fold, place on the cornmeal-lined baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Continue rolling out the rest of the pasta.

To make the filling, in a medium bowl mix together the drained creamed corn, mascarpone cheese, goat cheese, tarragon, and pepper. Stir to combine and set aside. In a small bowl, beat the egg with 1 tablespoon of water and set aside.

To form the raviolis, place a sheet of pasta on a dry work surface. Using a pastry brush dipped in the egg wash, brush the entire sheet of fresh pasta. Place rounded teaspoons (about 1 ounce) of the corn filling on the pasta sheet, about 2 inches apart. Carefully place another sheet of pasta over the mounds, smoothing out any air pockets and firmly sealing the pasta around the filling. Using a scalloped pasta cutter (or a sharp knife) cut the pasta into small squares. Transfer the Tortelli to the cornmeal-lined baking sheet. Continue forming the remaining tortelli.

To make the Tarragon Butter: In a medium bowl, gently mix together all the ingredients.

To serve, place the Tarragon Butter in a large serving bowl. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until they float, about 2 minutes. Drain pasta, using a large mesh strainer or slotted spoon, into the bowl with the Tarragon Butter. Toss to coat. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve immediately.

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Braised Beef Short Ribs

 Mondays I usually have class from 10 am - 6:30 pm...I mean, yes, I have a break from 11-3 but still, being at school that long is really hard. However, due to some impending inclement weather, they cancelled school starting at 3 yesterday! YAY! So I left school, stopped at the grocery store to get some "staples" to prepare for the weather, and when I was in the beef aisle, I saw these wonderfully delicious little short ribs. So I thought, hey, I have time, let's braise up some short ribs.

Now, this was my first time making short ribs, and to be honest, I think it was a success. It was a little stressful at first because I had the pot on too hot so it was smoking, and I definitely think I got some oil burns, but it was definitely worth it. Some people don't sear the beef beforehand, but I think it helps with a nice finish. I didn't sear it fully because parts were getting too brown (again, hot pan) but it came out really nice. And I also took some creative liberties with this recipes, so I don't exactly remember everything I put into it but this is the gist. And today we have another SNOW DAY!! So tonight is going to be part 2 of snow day recipe extravaganza. Stay tuned. 

Braised Beef Short Ribs
now playing: the wire season 1
now drinking: 2005 napa valley cabernet sauvignon
inspired by: snow day recipes part 1


Ingredients:
8 4 oz. pieces bone-in beef short ribs
1 tablespoon olive oil
sea salt
black pepper
4 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes, pureed in blender or food processor
1 1/2 cups dry red wine
2 cups organic or homemade chicken stock
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon all spice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons worcestershire
2 tablespoons orange juice


Preheat oven to 275℉


1. Pat beef dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a dutch oven or 3- to 5-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown beef on all sides, turning with tongs, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate and reserve. 


2. Add chopped onion to pot and cook until brown but not caramelized, then add carrots and garlic and cook for about 1-2 more minutes,  stirring occasionally. Stir in puréed tomatoes, and cook for about 5 minutes. Then add wine, stock, herbs, spices, worcestershire, orange juice, and lemon zest, and bring to a boil over moderately high heat. Reduce to simmer and let simmer for about 10 minutes. 


3. Skim fat or any impurities from surface, then add beef along with any juices accumulated on plate and cover pot with a tight-fitting lid. Transfer to oven and braise until beef is very tender, 2-3 hours. After the first hour, reduce heat in oven to 250℉.


4. Once the braised is finished, remove from oven and place back onto stove. Strain half the liquid into a small saucepan and reduce until thickened. Reserve the other half of the braising liquid in the same dutch oven or pot and leave beef inside to stay warm. Once the sauce reduces, serve over the short ribs. The beef should be so tender it easily pulls away from the bone. Enjoy!

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