Benihana Ginger Salad Dressing

I was making my Crispy Rice recipe and I wanted to add a salad to it. I've always loved the Benihana salad dressing. It's a simple salad but the dressing packs a lot of punch. This recipe has a lot of ingredients in small portions but it really adds up in flavor. 

Ingredients:

Dressing:

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar

1 Tbsp. water

1 Tbsp. chopped ginger root

1 Tbsp. chopped celery

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 1/2 tsp. tomato paste

1 1/2 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

Salad Mix:

4 cups romaine lettuce or mixed greens

1/4 cup sliced carrots

1/4 cup sliced cucumbers

1/4 cup halved cherry tomatoes

Directions:

1. Combine all dressing ingredients into a blender and process until smooth. 

2. Add lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes to a bowl. Add in half of the dressing and toss to combine. Add more dressing if desired. 

3. Serve immediately so lettuce does not wilt. (Dressing can be made ahead 1 day in advance and stored in the fridge. Make sure to bring back to room temp and shake to combine before use.)

Shaking Beef

My husband Brian and I had this dish for the first time at a restaurant near use called Little Sister. It was such a rich marinade but the beef stayed so tender and medium rare I new I wanted to try to make it myself at home. To keep the beef tender you may want to cook it in batches and you definitely want to use a very high heat and quick cooking method like a wok.
 
Ingredients:
Marinade:
2 lb boneless beef rib eye, cut into 1-inch (2 1/2-cm) cubes
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. oyster sauce
1 Tbsp. fish sauce
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
 
Salad:
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. water
1 red onion, sliced into rings
2 bunches mixed greens
3 roma tomatoes, sliced into wedges
2 Tbsp. canola oil
fresh cilantro, for garnish
cooked white rice, for serving
 
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine the beef, garlic, brown sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, and black pepper. Toss to combine. Let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.

2. In small bowl, combine the sugar, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and water. Add the red onion and toss to coat in the dressing. Set aside to soak.

3. On a platter or large plate, arrange the watercress and tomato slices.

4. Preheat a large wok or skillet over high heat, then add the canola oil. When the oil is shimmering, swirl around in the pan to coat evenly. Add half of the marinated beef and sear on all sides, shaking the pan, until the meat is slightly charred and medium rare, 3-5 minutes. Remove the meat from the pan and repeat with remaining beef.

5. Arrange the beef on the bed of watercress and tomatoes. Top with the dressing, red onions and fresh cilantro.

6. Serve with domed white rice.

Din Tai Fung Cucumber Salad Copycat

I was lucky enough to visit the Las Vegas location of Din Tai Fung during the first F1 weekend they brought it back. I realized as I was at this restaurant I was sitting next to Jean George and a culinary team having a meeting (Bucket list moment, I said hi and he was kind enough to give me a quick hello). Anyways, back to the cucumber salad. This was a highlight of the lunch as well as their soup dumplings. Such an easy dish and great as a summer side. 

Ingredients:

1 lb cucumber, Persian or English, cut into ½” thick rounds
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tbsp sugar
2 cloves garlic, grated
1/2 tbsp chili oil
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp sesame seeds, optional garnish

1/2 tbsp kosher salt

 Directions:

1. Slice the cucumbers into 1/2 inch thick rounds and place into a bowl. Add the kosher salt and mix until salt is evenly coated. Allow this to sit in the bowl for 30 minutes so the salt can draw some of the moisture out of the cucumber.

2. While the cucumbers sit, make the sauce. Combine the remaining ingredients in a small container and whisk to combine.

3. After 30 minutes rinse off the cucumber with water until all the salt is removed. Place cucumber slices on a single layer onto a tea towel or linen. Roll up slices so all of the extra water is removed and the cucumber slices are dry.

4. Add dried cucumbers to a bowl and combine with sauce mix. Allow to marinate for about 10 minutes. The longer it marinates the less crunchy the cucumbers will get. Stack in a pyramid shape to copy Din Tai Fung’s plating and garnish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and an extra drizzle of the marinade. Enjoy!

Spring Pasta with Leeks, Peas, and Pistachios

This dish is a creamy pasta but with the flavors of spring with mint and peas. I'm so used to basil in pasta that the mint was a nice change to the sauce. 

Ingredients:
1/4 cup pistachios
12 oz orecchiette pasta
12 oz peas
3 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 medium leeks, white and pale green parts only, cut in half lengthwise, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 small bunch mint, divided
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 oz parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and Black Pepper

 

Directions:

1. Toast pistachios in a small, dry skillet over medium heat. Remove to cutting board and crush lightly.

2. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water following the pasta package directions. Add peas during the last two minutes. Drain pasta and peas and set aside making sure to reserve some pasta water.

3. While the pasta is cooking, heat butter and olive oil in a medium size sauce pan over medium heat. Cook leeks, garlic, red pepper flakes, and 3 mint sprigs stirring occasionally until leeks are softened but not browned.

4. Add cream to pan with leeks and season with salt and pepper. Bring mixture to a simmer and remove mint sprigs.

5. Add the cooked pasta and peas to the cream sauce. Add a sprinkle of parmesan cheese adding a little pasta water if needed if sauce gets too thick. Cook pasta and sauce together for 2 minutes and serve in bowls. Top with extra parmesan cheese, thinly sliced mint, and crushed pistachios.

Creamy Tuscan Chicken

This dish is a great simple weeknight dinner. Everything is made in one pan and it feels slightly healthy with the tomatoes and spinach. You could remit the cream or switch to half and half if you're trying to reduce calories. This is great served with potatoes or rice. I did some potatoes roasted in chicken stock. 

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
3 Tbsp. butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
3 cups baby spinach
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Lemon wedges, for serving

1. In a skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add chicken and season with salt, pepper, and oregano. Cook until golden and no longer pink, 8 minutes per side. Remove from skillet and set aside. 

2. In the same skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add cherry tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook until tomatoes are beginning to burst then add spinach and cook until spinach is beginning to wilt. 

3. Stir in heavy cream and parmesan and bring mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer until sauce is slightly reduced, about 3 minutes. Return chicken to skillet and cook until heated through, 5 to 7 minutes. 

4. Serve with lemon wedges. 

 

Chicken and Sausage Paella

This recipe for Paella came from a Sur la Table cooking class. There are two secrets to this dish - using a paella pan and not stirring the rice while it's cooking. The paella pan is a large, shallow pan that helps evenly distribute the heat so the rice cooks evenly. It'll be tempting to stir the rice as it cooks but resist the urge! The secret to a good paella is the socarrat or the brown bottom that gets crispy as the rice cooks. The socarrat will not form if you keep moving the rice. 

You can not make this dish in advance but it's pretty impressive to make in front of a group of people. It serves about 6 adults so it's great for a crowd. 

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp. olive oil

1 cup finely diced yellow onion

1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

1 cup crushed tomatoes or fresh tomato grated on a box grater

1/2 tsp pimentón (or paprika)

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 bay leaf

3 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 Tbsp. olive oil

10 ounces boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 2), cut into 1-inch pieces

1 generous pinch saffron

2 tsp pimentón (or paprika)

1 tsp turmeric

4 ounces andouille sausage, diced into 1/4-inch pieces

1 1/2 cups Spanish bomba paella rice (or arborio rice)

2 tsp kosher salt

1/3 cup fresh shelled or frozen peas, thawed

2 lemons, cut into wedges

Directions:

1. To prepare the sofrito: To a paella pan or medium skillet set over medium-high heat, add the oil. Add the onion, stirring frequently until tender and lightly caramelized, 5 to 8 minutes. Add bell pepper and garlic and cook, 2 to 3 minutes.

2. Add tomatoes, pimentón, salt, and bay leaf. Reduce heat to medium and stir frequently until the sauce is thick and turns a deep brick red color, about 10 minutes.

3. To a large saucepan, add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer; reduce heat to low and cover to keep broth hot.

4. To prepare the paella: Push the sofrito to the side of the pan and add oil. When oil is shimmering, add chicken to the pan, season chicken with salt and pepper, and sauté until browned, about 5 minutes.

5. Make another space in the center of the paella pan; add the spices and toast for 30 seconds. Add the sausage and stir to combine everything.

6. Ladle 3 cups hot broth into the pan and stir in rice and salt, shaking the pan to evenly distribute the rice grains. Increase the heat to medium-high and boil for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the rice just starts to break the surface of the broth. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer gently, undisturbed, for 10 minutes. During the process, if the rice looks dry and undercooked, drizzle in additional chicken broth.

7. Remove the lid and increase the heat to medium-high; cook for about 2 minutes until the bottom layer of rice starts to crackle and caramelize, creating the socarrat. (At this point, you will need to closely monitor the paella and frequently move your pan around on the burner to evenly distribute the heat.)

8. With a spoon, gently scrape a small portion of rice from the bottom, peeking to make sure the rice is sticking and caramelizing but not burning (the rice should smell toasty, not burnt). If the rice is browned and caramelized on the bottom of the pan and the rice grains are al dente (chewy but with slightly resistant texture), remove from heat; sprinkle peas over the rice and cover, letting the paella rest for 10 minutes.

9. To serve: Garnish paella with lemon wedges and serve family-style straight from the pan.

Focaccia Bread

I made some lobster bisque in my French cooking class and brought home the leftovers. Soup just doesn't feel complete unless you have some bread to dip while you eat so I made a quick focaccia. In total this took about 2-3 hours to make which feels pretty fast for bread. It's also vegan if you leave out the butter. 

 
Ingredients:
 
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. instant yeast
1 cups lukewarm water
butter for greasing
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
flaky sea salt, such as Maldon
1 to 2 teaspoons whole rosemary leaves, optional 
 
Directions:
1. Make the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. In a small measuring cup add the lukewarm water and instant yeast. Allow the yeast to bloom for 5 minutes. Add the water and yeast to the flour. Using a rubber spatula, mix until the liquid is absorbed, and the ingredients form a sticky dough ball.
 
2. Rub the surface of the dough lightly with olive oil. Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel, cloth bowl cover, or plastic wrap and allow to rise at room temp for 1.5 to 2 hours until doubled in size.
 
3. Grease a 6x9 casserole or baking dish with butter. Make sure to get all of the corners and sides so the bread doesn’t stick later. Pour a tablespoon of olive oil into the center of the pan. Gently deflate the dough using the back of your knuckles. Place the dough ball into the prepared pan and spread about halfway across the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise another 30 minutes on the counter.
 
4. Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 425°F. If using the rosemary, sprinkle it over the dough. Pour a tablespoon of olive oil over the dough. Rub your hands lightly in the oil to coat, then, using all of your fingers, press straight down to create deep dimples. If necessary, gently stretch the dough as you dimple to allow the dough to fill the pan. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt all over.
 
5. Bake dough for 25 to 30 minutes, until the underside is golden and crisp. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the focaccia to a cooling rack. Let it cool for 10 minutes before cutting and serving; let it cool completely if you are halving it with the intention of making a sandwich.