Sweet and sour meat balls

Once in a while, I like to pretend I'm on Iron Chef or Chopped :)

I had more beef patties left over after I made this so I checked my pantry and looked at what I wanted to finish off.  I found half a bottle of teriyaki sauce, 1/3 bottle of banana catsup, 1 can of mandarin orange slices in syrup and these: packets of ketchup and chili sauce from previous take out and delivery meals:

So I divided up the beef patties into meat balls and stuck them in a 450 degree oven for 20 minutes to brown.  Into a sauce pan went the teriyaki sauce, banana catsup, the entire can of oranges with the syrup, 1/2 cup of water, 1 tsp of garlic powder, 1 diced onion, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds, several packets of tomato ketchup, and several packets of chili sauce.

I simmered the sauce for a few minutes then threw in the browned meat balls.  Simmered again for 15 minutes or so until all the flavors came together and the sauce thickened up to just the right consistency.

Success!  I love it when I'm able to put a dish together on the fly, made with ingredients just sitting in the pantry.  And using up the chili sauce and ketchup packets cluttering my kitchen...that was the best part :)

Dates, Goat Cheese and Bacon

This picture may not look like much, but trust me on this one.

Grab some pitted dried dates, stuff with good aged goat cheese (I imagine some sort of blue cheese would be lovely too), wrap with half a bacon strip and bake in a 350 oven for 10-15 minutes until the bacon is slightly crisp. I actually did this in my toaster oven!

This goes so well with a glass of bubbly :-)

Black Bean Dip

As requested, A, here's the recipe for the black bean dip :-)

This dip was introduced to me be a Costa Rican friend and it has made many an appearance on our table. The original recipe she gave me called for canned refried beans but when I looked at the label on the can, I was shocked at how much fat and salt it had! So I now make this from plain, unsalted canned whole black beans and I save on all that fat, which I reserve for the chips. Hehe!

Because it's low-fat and healthy, it makes me feel less guilty about indulging in corn tortillas :-)

BLACK BEAN DIP

1 large can black beans, drained
2 tbsp. oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
salt and pepper
pinch of sugar
2 tbsp. lizano sauce

1. Saute the onions in oil over medium high heat until slightly brown.
2. Add the chopped pepper and saute until peppers are also slightly brown.
3. Pour in beans and stir until combined.
4. Puree with a hand blender (or with a normal blender).
5. Season with lizano sauce and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and sugar.
6. Serve with chips.

Lizano sauce or Salsa Lizano is like the ketchup of Costa Rica. It's a condiment made from vegetables and some people liken the taste to worcestershire. I kinda agree, but not quite. Lizano has a distinct latin flair to it that I can't quite put my finger on. Maybe they roast some of the veggies before making the sauce because it has a smoky background that adds to the depth of flavor.

Salsa Lizano has become a mainstay in my pantry. I add it to store-bought salsa, beans and rice, chili, beef for my tacos, etc., etc. Such a great discovery!

Baked Brie

This is my new favorite "fancy" appetizer. It's super easy, looks impressive, and tastes wickedly delicious. There's really no recipe. Just buy a wheel of double cream brie, wrap it in 4-5 layers of phyllo (also store bought), bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes until the phyllo turns golden brown. Serve with flatbreads or crackers with a fruit jam/jelly on the side. Yum-yum.

For our Christmas dinner, we started with a plate of arugula salad with pears and walnuts plus the baked brie with lingonberry preserves (from Ikea...sshhh, don't tell anyone). This was followed by a roast served with rosemary potatoes and asparagus and dessert was cheesecake with blueberries.

Baked Mussels with Butter, Cheese and Garlic

This is the simplest version of Baked Mussels there is.

Son #2 loves it and could probably eat a couple of dozens if I let him!

This dish is exquisite with freshly steamed mussels, but you could definitely use pre-cooked frozen mussels in a pinch (which is what I did today).


BAKED MUSSELS WITH BUTTER, CHEESE AND GARLIC

36 cooked mussels on the half-shell
3 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp. butter
2x2x2 inch cube of sharp cheese
2 tbsp. olive oil

1. Put all ingredients except mussels in a food processor and pulse until you make a paste.
2. Put about 1/2 tsp. of the paste on each mussel.
3. Bake in a 400 oven for 15 minutes until the topping is sightly brown.

Chicken Wings

1/4 cup butter

3 tbsp. tomato ketchup

2 tbsp. bbq sauce

2 tbsp. soy sauce

2 tbsp. sweet chili sauce

2 tsp. sriracha hot sauce (add less or more depending on how hot you want your wings)

1 tsp. worcestershire

salt to taste (amount really depends on whether you're using salted or unsalted butter)

1. Mix everything together in a saucepan over low flame until the butter emulsifies into the rest of the ingredients.

2. In large container with a lid, put cooked wings and pour sauce on top.

3. Shake, shake, shake until all the wings are coated with the sauce.

4. Serve with blue cheese dressing* and celery sticks.

*Mash blue cheese into sour cream. Add a splash of worcestershire.

Traditionally, this recipe calls for deep fried wings but I actually cook my wings in the oven. No fuss, no muss. Plus I can do LOTS of wings without having to slave over a splattering pot of hot oil. For instance, today, I made about 50 wings, which fit nicely in my oven all in one go.

Place wing pieces in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment (to prevent sticking). Bake in a 450 oven for 15-20 minutes. Flip chicken pieces over and bake 15-20 minutes more until nice and golden brown.

Maldon Salt

Sea salt seems to be everywhere these days. From amuse bouches to desserts, this condiment has revolutionized the way chefs have achieved the yin and yang of food. I finally got myself a box of Maldon Salt, a sea salt from the UK. In the beginning, I couldn't decide which salt to buy but this article convinced me.

Maldon salt has an unusual shape. It comes in flakes rather than geometric crystals and I think it's this peculiarity that makes it so special. The flakes provide a rather interesting texture to the food that is finished with the salt. It's also not as aggressive as the usual kosher salt I use. While the kosher salt seems to hit your mouth with full force, the Maldon lingers and gently creeps up on your palate.

They say the best sea salts elevate the simplest of food to a whole new level. Yesterday, a friend gave me some cherry tomatoes that she harvested from her backyard. I popped one in my mouth...good, sweet, intense tomato flavor. I popped another one with a sprinkling of Maldon...wow, what a difference a few salt crystals made! The salt made the sweetness of the tomato come alive and the crisp texture of the salt provided a wonderful contrast to the juiciness of the tomato.

And so I went out and gathered a few basil leaves from my herb planter and made a simple appetizer. Home grown tomatoes and basil, sprinkled with Maldon salt...a taste of summer on a plate.

Ribs and Rolls

Another successful dinner tonight...Korean BBQ beef ribs and Vietnamese rolls. I had originally planned to grill the beef but alas, the weather did not cooperate. It's been raining on and off since 2 days ago. Not a very good start for the summer...

So I used the broiler and the ribs still turned out very well. We just had to contend with the smoke detector. Hehe!



KOREAN BBQ BEEF RIBS

3 lbs beef ribs (Korean style cut)
1 cup light soy sauce
1/2 cup sugar (dark brown, preferably)
2 tbsp. vinegar
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. grated ginger
1/2 tsp. chili in oil (optional)
1 tsp. sesame oil

1. Marinate ribs for a few hours.
2. Grill or broil until charred in a few spots
3. Serve with rice, lettuce leaves and kimchi. The lettuce is used to wrap a small portion of rice topped with some beef, like so...

Now for the VIETNAMESE SPRING ROLLS

For 6 rolls, you will need:

• 6 rice paper wrappers
• 9 pcs. shrimp, boiled/steamed, shelled then cut in half (butterfly style)
• 1 cup shredded lettuce
• a handful of rice vermicelli, soaked in boiling water until soft
• 18 very thin cucumber slices
• 18 thai basil leaves

1. Soak the rice paper wrapper in a bowl of water for several seconds until slightly soft.
2. Wrap all the ingredients.
3. Serve with dipping sauce.

For the dipping sauce, mix:

• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp. fish sauce
• 1 tbsp. water
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. sweet chili sauce
• 3 thai basil leaves, sliced thinly
• 3 slices cucumber, sliced into thin strips

Marinated Goat Cheese

Just got this recipe from a wonderful mentor and friend...Hubby and I had some with slices of baguette from Ace Bakery and a glass (or two) of Chardonnay. Truly wonderful!

Marinated Chevre

1 clove garlic

1 shallot

1 tsp. peppercorns

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 tsp. dried rosemary

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 bay leaf

1/3 cup kalamata olives

1 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

8 oz. semi-soft goat cheese, cut into 4-8 pieces

Pulse all ingredients except goat cheese in a food processor just until spices are ground and mixture comes together. Pour over goat cheese. Let stand a few hours or overnight.

...inspired by a Bonnie Stern recipe

Capelin fish

In Manila, one of regular haunts was a Japanese resto in Makati called Izakaya Kikufuji. They had a dish called shishamo -- grilled whole female smelts bursting with roe. It wasn't exactly a cheap dish (I think it was P200 for 5 0r 6 pieces) so having it was a treat.

Apparently, the smelt or capelin fish is caught off the shores of the Canadian east coast. And so here in TO, they are pretty easy to find. I buy the capelin fish in the asian grocery and fry them up. Frying makes the fish delectably crunchy and allows you to eat the entire thing. Head, fins, tail and all. All the fried fish needs is a sprinkling of kosher salt and a tomato-onion-balsamic vinegar salad on the side...