Last week, I had the most dissatisfying ribs at Citizen Cake.  Tough, and dry, and  crazy numbing and pungent spice only on the surface.  I should have know not to order any thing else but dessert there….let them eat cake should be Ms. Falkner’s mantra, too.

Ribs should be succulent, yet easily fall off the bone. The meat should be well flavored all the way to the bone.  I came home and made this simple Wuxi ribs, and felt a lot better after that.

Chef’s tip: In Japantown, you can get some paper sponge that you place on top of the sauce to soak up the excess oil.  It’s super handy and saves you the time in chilling the sauce.  This dish also works well in a slow pot.

1 rack pork ribs about 2 pounds, cut into smaller 3 inch riblets, or country-style ribs
5 slices ginger
3 whole scallions
1/4 cup black Zhejiang vinegar (sub: balsamic)
1/4 cup dark soy sauce
1 small stick cinnamon
1 piece whole star anise
1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup water

Preparing ribs:
1. Cut the ribs into 4 pieces lengthwise about 3 inches in length, then cut into smaller pieces along each rib.  (Ask butcher to do this).
2. In a large saucepan, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil, drop in ribs, and bring to a boil again. Drain and rinse off scum from ribs in cold water.  Drain well.
Cooking the ribs:
3. Place ginger and scallions in a 6-quart dutch oven over high heat.
4. Add prepared ribs.  Add vinegar, soy sauce, cinnamon, star anise, sugar, salt and water. Bring to a boil.
5. Turn flame to medium low and cover.  Cook for 1 hour, then remove ribs.  Alternatively, place the covered dutch oven into an oven 350F for an hour.
6. Remove ribs and keep covered.  Chill sauce to solidify fat and remove fat, or blot the fat with towels.
7. Bring sauce back to a boil and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes or until the sauce is reduced by half.  Add in ribs and heat through.  Serve immediately with steamed rice.

Serves: 4

Tags: Chinese.

I try to provide recipes that preserve most of the traditional flavors with as little work as possible.  In classic business terms, a high ROI in the kitchen, and in simpler language, making ethnic food accessible.

This is a quick, modern version of the beloved Thai Panaeng beef curry.  Since we have access to quality beef here, the traditional slow simmer turns into a quick stir-fry, and you will have a very tasty curry in a matter of minutes instead of hours.  In addiition, instead of  boiling peanuts, and grinding them down to make the paste base, I reached for freshly ground pure peanut butter that you can find in many grocery stores these days.

Chef’s tip: “Cracking” coconut milk means separating the cream into its oil, and using the oil to fry the spices.  Unfortunately, canned coconut milk is homogenized and is a hard nut to crack (pun!).  And fresh coconut milk is almost impossible to obtain here in the Bay Area. To achieve a similar effects, you can add a tablespoon of coconut oil to the coconut cream.

Sauce:

2 cups unsweetened coconut milk, separate into 2 parts
1 Tablespoon coconut oil
1/2 Tablespoon ginger, peeled and grated
2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon Thai red curry paste
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
2 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1/2 Tablespoon curry powder
1/2 Tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin, toasted and ground
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted and ground
6 kaffir lime leaves, tough middle stem removed, torn into large pieces

2 Tablespoons fish sauce
2 Tablespoons palm sugar

10 basil leaves, whole

2 lbs grass-fed beef steak  – Chateaubriand, NY Strip or rib-eye, trimmed, cut into ½ inch thin strips

1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Garnish:
1 sprig basil
2 kaffir lime leaves, finely chiffonade
¼ cup coconut cream

1.     In a heavy saucepan over medium high heat, add half the coconut milk, ginger and garlic and bring to a boil, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes, until the oil starts to separate aka crack.
2.     Add curry paste, tomato paste, peanut butter, curry powder, paprika, cumin, coriander and kaffir leaves and sauté, stirring, 1 minute, or until fragrant.
3.     Add fish sauce, and palm sugar and remaining coconut milk.  Stir together.  Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes until thick.
4.     Slice the meat at an angle against the grain, about ½ inch thick. Season with salt and pepper.
5.     Raise the heat on the curry sauce to moderately high, add the meat to the pan and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Cook for another 2 minutes for medium rare or longer for more doneness.
6.     Taste for seasoning, adding more fish sauce or palm sugar as needed.
7.     Remove from heat. Stir in the basil leaves.  Transfer to a serving bowl.
8.     Drizzle with reserved coconut milk. Garnish with a sprig basil and kaffir ribbons.

Serves 6

Tags: curry, Thai.

I entered parenthood later in life than most of my friends.  I recall my friends with kids complaining how little time they have to cook, or how they struggle with feeding their kids right, and I naively thought to myself then, hmmm, that sounded a bit exaggerated.  But now that I have two two year old toddlers tugging at me while I am trying to put together a simple sandwich, I finally understood what those mom friends of mine were saying.  And from what I can see from the mothers’ group forum I subscribe to, feeding toddler seems to be a passionate hot topic.  It’s not just the time it takes to cook, but also the shopping, schlepping, prepping, cleaning, scrubbing the food scraps off the floor, and worst, your toddler rejecting the meal you had just spent precious time to prepare.  The routine does get old fast and you longingly look at those fruit puree pouches with the twist off caps they love so much….then your guilty conscience takes over, and you think about how you need to offer a complete and nutritious, organic meal choc full of whole grains, high ANDI, low sodium, fiber, omega-3 etc,. etc…the good stuff to develop those little brains and body.

I know the experts say to serve the colors of the rainbow, and to introduce different types of fruits and veggies early on, don’t offer options, offer but not feed -  we all have heard them before. Perhaps it is my cultural background – fearing the kid would starve that I quietly give in and bring out his favorite food in desperation so that the kid won’t go to bed on an empty stomach (even if he gleefully tells me that would be a trip to where the wild things are.)  I have friends that serve their toddlers brussel sprouts and roasted beets….heck, I can’t even get my vegetarian husband to like them.

Even as a chef, it’s been a huge challenge catering to the needs of my fussy eaters with two very different palates!  How they came out that way when they both started on the same path baffles me.  One likes veggies, not fruits, the other is a fruitman and hates veggies.  One likes Asian flavors, the other likes stuff with cheese.  I was so excited when they started really eating thinking of all the yummy foods they may like – quiche, roasted sweet potatoes, beans but alas, these days, to keep my sanity and the power struggles at bay, I practically only make a handful of items – avocado sandwiches, bolognese sauce or soy ginger pork with pasta or quinoa, zucchini patties, and lasagna.  And of course, pizza!

Now about the pizza, I finally found something that they both love and easy to prepare!   I wouldn’t say this is the healthiest of meals, but at least my boys are eating it!  I use whole wheat lavash bread as the base, and top it with a low sodium pasta sauce, and shredded organic cheese.  Takes 2 minutes to assemble, pop it into your toaster oven for 1o minutes, and viola, dinner is ready.  I have been doing this thin crust “pizza” for years, but always threw in fancy toppings, but now scaling down to basic is a life saver!  Pizza purists would probably pooh pooh over the crust, but hey, with 2 minutes of prep, I am not going to complain.

Here is a recipe for the basic pizza followed by variations for fancier pizza to please the adults.

Chef’s tip: Dave’s Gourmet is significantly lower sodium pasta sauce than most other organic brands, and unlike TJ’s no-salt marinara, it does taste quite good and not too watery.  Of course, you can use that leftover bolognese sauce from dinner, too.  If you make your own sauce and looking for a glass-bottled option, Bio Nature and Middle Kingdom (or something like that) has a no sugar nor salt added tomato sauce that is wonderful.

THIN-CRUSTED QUICK BUT GOURMET “PIZZA”

Basic Ingredients:
Whole wheat Lavash bread – Whole Foods and TJ sell rectangular letter-size lavash bread
1 cup Shredded Monterey Jack (or other cheeses like Mozarella, fontina, cheddar, quattro formaggi mix)

Basic Directions:

Preheat oven: 400F

1. Line baking sheet with parchment paper
2. Place lavash on baking tray
3. For simple cheese pizza only: Smear on a very thin layer of pasta sauce
4. Sprinkle a layer of cheese
5. For fancier versions, omit tomato sauce:  Top with filling of choice (except green herbs/vege or infused oils)
6. Bake until cheese bubbles and is slightly golden, about 10 mins
7. Let cool for 5 mins.  Cut and serve.

Note:
If using green herbs or leafy vegetables, add immediately upon removal of pizza from oven
If using infused oils, such as truffle oil, drizzle just before serving

Fancier variation: Choice of remaining ingredients:

All recipes below is for one pizza

Tomatoes, Garlic and Basil
1 cup of cherry tomatoes, cut into halves
4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced length-wise
A sprinkle of oregano (optional)
½ cup of basil, coarsely shredded

Top lavash with cheese, tomatoes and garlic.  Bake.  When done, add basil.

Potato, Taleggio and Rosemary
1 medium sized red potato, with skin.  Thinly sliced.
2 sprigs of rosemary
2 oz of taleggio cheese
¼ red onion, thinly sliced

Top lavash with cheese, potato and onion.  Dot with chunks of  tallegio, sprinkle rosemary.  Bake.

Wild mushroom and truffle oil
1 cup wild mushroom* – sliced ¼ inch thick (shiitake, hens of the wood/maitake, chanterelle, morels)
1 sprig thyme, leaves only
Drizzle of truffle oil

Top lavash with cheese, mushroom, thyme.  Bake.  Drizzle with truffle oil before serving.

Pecan, Gorgonzla and Caramelized Onion
2 oz of gorgonzola cheese
¼  cup honey roasted pecan
½ red onion, caramelized

To caramelized onion, sauté sliced onion with a little oil and water till golden, about 20 minutes.
Top lavash with cheese and caramelized onion.  Dot with small teaspoons chunks of gorgonzola. Bake.

Asparagus, Chevre Goat Cheese and Garlic Green
1 cup of peeled aspagarus, sliced 1/8^th inch diagonally
3 oz of goat cheese
¼ cup garlic green (or a mix o chives and 1 clove garlic)

Top lavash with cheese, asparagus, and garlic green.  Dot with chunks of chevre.  Bake.

Zuchinni, Ricotta Salata and Pinenuts
1 cup of zucchini. Sliced into ¼ inch rounds
Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
1 cup of shaved ricotta salata
1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
¼ cup of toasted pinenuts

Top lavash with cheese, zucchini, dill, and pinenuts. Drizzle with EVOO. Bake.

Zuchinni blossoms, ricotta and tomato
8 squash blossoms
½ cup ricotta
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup of cherry tomatoes
½ cup basil, shredded

Stuff blossoms with ricotta mixed with salt.  Top lavash with cheese, stuffed blossoms, tomatoes.  Bake. When done, add basil. 

Butternut Squash, Teleme and Sage
1 medium sized butternut squash. Sliced very thinly.  Microwave 1 minute to soften.
2 sprigs of sage, chopped
2 oz of teleme cheese
1 tablespoon brown sugar
½ red onion, caramelized
4 amaretti cookie, crushed

To caramelized onion, sauté sliced onion with a little oil and water till golden, about 20 minutes.
Top lavash with cheese, squash, onion and sage.  Sprinkle with brown sugar.  Dot with chunks of teleme.  Bake.  When done sprinkle with amaretti cookie.

Prosciutto, Arugula and Pecorino
½ cup of thinly sliced prosciutto
1 ½ cup of baby arugula
1 cup of shaved pecorino cheese

Top lavash with cheese and prosciuto.  Bake.  Add arugula and shaved pecorino.

Chicken Pesto
1 cup of cooked / grilled chicken breast
3 tablespoon basil pesto
1 cup of baby arugula

To make pesto, in a food processor, puree 2 cups of basil leaves with 1 clove garlic, ½ cup olive oil, ¼ cup parmesan, ¼ cup of pine nuts and salt and pepper
Spread pesto on lavash.  Top with cheese and chicken.  Bake. Add arugula.

Shrimp and cilantro
1 cup of rock shrimp
½ cup chopped cilantro
1 cup of cherry tomatoes
1 jalapeno
3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced lengthwise

Top lavash with cheese, shrimp, tomatoes, jalapeno and garlic.  Bake until shrimp is bright red.  Add cilantro.

Littleneck clams, oregano, parmigiano & pecorino
1 cup of clams
1 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
½ cup shaved parmesan cheese
½  cup of shaved pecorino cheese

Top lavash with cheese, clams and oregano.  Bake.  Add shaved pecorino and parmesan.

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