Hot and Sour Soup

Serves 4 as main dish

Adapted from Made With Lau

Ingredients:

1 can petite diced tomatoes

1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips

1 carrot, cut into thin strips

2 oz seafood mushroom (small enoki), sliced in half lengthwise

2 oz king oyster mushroom, sliced in little strips

3 pieces shiitake mushroom (rehydrated dried or fresh), thinly sliced

1/4 oz dried wood ear mushroom, rehydrated 10 min and thinly sliced

2 eggs, beaten

2 green onions, thinly sliced

2 dried chili peppers

14 oz tofu, cut into thin strips

4 cups mushroom broth

1 cup water

4 T white vinegar (or more to taste)

1 t white pepper

1 T sugar

3 T soy sauce

3 T cornstarch

2 t sesame oil

corn oil

Instructions

1. Mix cornstarch and 2 T water in small bowl

2. In dutch oven, heat oil and dried chili peppers over high heat, stirring occasionally.

3. Remove peppers and add tomato. Add hot broth and water after 1 minute.

4. Add white pepper and stir 30 seconds. Add sugar, soy sauce, tofu, mushrooms, and vegetables. Cover with lid and bring back to boil (3-4 minutes).

5. Once the soup is boiling, slowly drizzle in the cornstarch mixture while stirring constantly.

6. Drizzle in the eggs slowly. Don't stir.

7. Add vinegar and sesame oil. Garnish with green onions. 

Llael and Apollo's Harvest Muffins

Triple batch

Ingredients

Yield:About 7 dozen mini-muffins (or 3 dozen regular muffins)

• 3 1/3 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
• 3 t baking soda
• 1T ground cinnamon
• 3/4 t salt
• 6 eggs
• 1 ½cup olive oil (or slightly less)
• 3 T honey
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2 apples, grated (1½ cup)
• 1½cup grated carrots
• 1½cup grated zucchini (or 2 cups? more is better!)
• 1 cup raisins
• 1½ cups unsweetened shredded coconut (optional)
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease mini-muffin tins.

2. Step 2

   In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

3. Step 3

   In a large bowl, combine the eggs, olive oil, honey, brown sugar, grated apple and juices and grated vegetables.

4. Step 4

   Using a spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined. Gently fold in the raisins and coconut.

5. Step 5

   Fill each muffin cup ¾ of the way up, and bake for 18 minutes for mini-muffins and about 22 minutes for regular muffins.

Nearly flourless chocolate cake

INGREDIENTS
Yield:1 shallow springform cake

1 lb semisweet chocolate (or 50/50 mix of semisweet and bittersweet)

10 T butter (salted or unsalted), softened
1 T all-purpose flour
1 T sugar
4 eggs, separated
Sweetened whipped cream


PREPARATION

1.  Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line the base of an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper.

2.  Melt the chocolate in the microwave.

3.  Stir the butter, flour, and sugar into the melted chocolate. Beat the yolks lightly and whisk into the chocolate mixture gradually.

4.  Beat the egg whites until they hold a definite shape but are not dry and fold into the chocolate mixture. The beaten egg whites should be folded smoothly, quickly and easily into the chocolate mixture. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat; open the oven door, leaving it ajar, and allow the cake to cool completely in the oven.

5.  Serve warm with whipped cream.

Adapted from NY Times

Cucumber Herb Soup

Ingredients

• 1 pound cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise and seeded
• 1 1/2 cups plain whole milk yogurt plus 1/4 cup water
• 1-2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 scallions
• ½ jalapeño, seeded
• ½ cup packed mixed fresh herbs (like mint, parsley, dill, tarragon, basil and cilantro)
• ½ teaspoon sherry or white wine vinegar
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 4 slices baguette or other bread, toasted
• 1 avocado
• ½ lemon
• 2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
•  olive oil for drizzle
• 1 ear of corn, shucked, kernels sliced off
•  Fresh dill, for serving

Instructions

1. In the bowl of a blender or food processor, combine cucumber, yogurt, garlic, scallions, jalapeño, fresh herbs, sherry vinegar and salt. Blend until smooth and adjust seasoning as needed.
2. Smash avocado slices on the toasted bread. Sprinkle with crumbled feta, squeeze the juice of the lemon half over the top and finish each with a drizzle of olive oil and some pepper. 
3. Garnish soup with corn kernels and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve avocado toast on the side.

Gochujang Bibimbap Sauce

Ingredients: 
1/2 cup gochujang 
1/4 cup Sesame oil toasted 
1/8 cup sugar 
1/4 cup water 
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds 
4 t apl Cider vinugr 
4 t grlic

Thai Sweet Potato Chicken Coconut Curry

Thai Sweet Potato Chicken Coconut Curry

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

4-6 T red curry paste (if Mae Ploy, if Thai Kitchen brand, use 2 bottles)

2 T fish sauce

1 cup chicken broth

1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk

1.5 pounds sweet potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

1 onion, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

2 cloves garlic

1 bell pepper (or other veggie like green beans, snow peas, etc), chopped

2 T peanut butter (optional)

⅓ cup dry-roasted peanuts

¾ teaspoon salt

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 teaspoons grated lime zest and lime wedges

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions:

1) Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add curry paste and cook, stirring constantly, until paste begins to brown, 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. 

2) Stir in broth, coconut milk, fish sauce, potatoes, onion, garlic, peanut butter, peanuts, and salt, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to simmer and cook until potatoes are just tender, 12 to 14 minutes.

3) Stir in chicken and peppers and continue to simmer until chicken is cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in lime zest. Serve with lime juice, cilantro, rice.

Recipe tuning in progress.

Smoking bishop

• 6 Seville oranges (or 5 navel oranges + juice of 1 lemon)
• ½ cup Demerara sugar
• 1 bottle red wine (not too dry nor too sweet)
• 1 bottle Ruby port
• 30 cloves
• 5 dried green cardamom pods
•  Orange peel for garnish
• 
  

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare oranges (not lemons!) for roasting: wash and dry them well, and stud each fruit equally with cloves. Roast the clove-studded fruits in the oven for an hour, then transfer them to a large glass or ceramic bowl.
2. Add the sugar and the red wine (do not add the port yet) to the bowl. Cover the bowl and leave it in a warm spot in the kitchen for at least 12 hours, and up to 24.
3. After the citrus-sugar-wine mixture has rested, cut the fruits in half and juice them through a strainer into the wine and sugar mixture. Discard fruits after they have been juiced. Strain the mixture again, this time into a heavy saucepan. Discard solids.
4. Add the port, the cinnamon stick, and the cardamom pods to the saucepan, and heat very slowly—until it “smokes” (the vapors rise), hence the name; do not allow it to boil.
5. Once the Bishop is as hot as you like, turn off the heat. Remove the cinnamon stick and cardamom pods. Serve in warmed, heatproof glasses, garnished with orange peel.