Year of the Noodle: Week 2

The international market is like a candy store for the wannabe chef – every aisle is brimming with foodstuffs just crying out to be sampled.  This week’s recipe required a couple of authentic Thai ingredients I didn’t have on hand, so John and I went to the Pacific Ocean International Market not too far from our house.  We went in with a list of 3 or 4 items; we came out with 3 or 4 bags full of goodies.  I think we’re lucky it ended there.

The following Pad Thai dish combines elements of two recipes I found online.  The marinated tofu ends up a tad salty, but the sweetness of the Pad Thai sauce balances it wonderfully.  Overall, this is a truly flavorful dish that could give any takeout Thai a run for its money.  I highly recommend making this one, and taking a trip to the international market.  Just beware of the butcher section – there are some things a slightly squeamish vegetarian is just better off not seeing :)

Pad Thai with Marinated Tofu

• 6 oz extra firm tofu
• 1 1/2 cups soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
• 4 cloves of minced garlic
• ½ cup of palm sugar
• 1 ½ tbl. white sugar
• 1/3 cup of soy sauce
• ½ cup of tamarind juice concentrate Continue reading »

The Year of the Soup has successfully come to an end, and I’ve decided to continue my culinary education with a new project in 2011.  Despite many, many requests that 2011 be the year of the dessert (mostly from those of you living in town that anticipated gifts of chocolatey leftovers :) ), I’ve decided that 2011 will be The Year of The Noodle!  Sounds odd, I know.  But there are so many dishes that involve noodles or pasta of some sort, and I think it will be wonderful to experiment with them.  I’ll get to try new sauces, fillings, casseroles, soups, making pasta from scratch – all kinds of good things.  I also look forward to styling and photographing a new variety of dishes to up my food photography game.  So you can look forward to the next 52 weeks being filled with delicious noodle-related dishes.

On a side note, I’m anticipating making at least some of the pastas from scratch this year.  Seeing as John and I registered for our honeymoon instead of traditional wedding gifts, we don’t have a wealth of kitchen tools waiting around to be used.  If anyone out there received a pasta maker as a wedding gift, and its primary use over the last few years has been for collecting dust, I would greatly like to take it off your hands :) Continue reading »

52 soups later, 2010 has ended.  Hooray!  At the end of it all, I’ve tried dozens of new recipes, exploded a variety of foods out of my blender, and thrown a number of soups down the garbage disposal.  I’ve also sampled numerous new ingredients, tested my food knowledge, and padded my food repertoire with a few more recipes.  Not a bad year.

For those of you who keep asking me (don’t worry, it’s cute and not annoying), here are my favorite soup recipes from the year: Chickenless Noodle Soup; 44 Garlic Clove Soup; Broccoli Cheddar Soup; Stracciatella; Thai Ginger Sweet Potato Bisque; Wonton Soup; Three Bean Soup; French Onion Soup; Rustic Cabbage Soup; Cheddar Corn and Potato Chowder; Japanese Ramen Noodle Soup; Green Soup with Ginger.  If you make any of the soups I’ve posted this year, start with one of these.  There are other good recipes in there, but they simply weren’t as memorable :)  I won’t mention the worst ten of the year – they’ve already gotten their 15 seconds of fame.

Thanks for your patience with so many soup posts and the somewhat redundant images :)  2011’s cooking project will be a bit more diverse – more on that later!

Year of the Soup: Week 52

I saved dessert for last.  It’s the least nutritious soup I’ve made all year – what do you expect when the name contains the word ‘chocolate’ and the ingredient list includes marshmallow creme?  Perhaps not the hearty and healthy vegetarian fare that preceded this post.  Mmm, but it does make a heavenly dessert, and a delicious ending.  A cross between hot chocolate and pudding, this rich soup is best served as small portions with just a touch of topping.  Or in a huge tureen with a giant dollop of topping and two spoons to share.  You decide :)

Happy New Year!! Continue reading »

Year of the Soup: Week 51

I thought Martha Stewart had led me astray.  I had put my faith in her version of Mushroom Barley Soup, but the smell of the dried mushrooms re-hydrating on the counter made our entire kitchen smell gross.  Even as I cooked the mushrooms on the stove, I had concerns about what this soup would end up tasting like.  I have a love-hate relationship with mushrooms – sometimes they remind me too much of the texture of meat, and sometimes they taste wonderful.  It’s unpredictable.  I feared this soup was destined for the garbage disposal.

But Martha didn’t let me down.  After adding the tasty barley, sour cream mixture, and delicious smelling fresh dill, this soup lost all of its fungi-related weirdness.  It became downright delicious, and quite filling, too.  In Martha I trust.

We’ve nearly reached the end of the soups, which is good because I’ve also reached the end of my stockpile of veggie broth :)  I’ve got a yummy recipe saved up for the Year of the Soup “finale” – coming soon! Continue reading »