Miso Ramen

I have an obsession with Ramen. My two favorite places in Pittsburgh to go to are Ramen Bar in Squirrel Hill and Fukuda in Bloomfield (my old stomping grounds!) Just Yelping it now, Fukuda is now closed. RIP best ramen ever with pork belly. 

It's crazy how much the restaurant scene in Pittsburgh has changed since I've left!! So many new places to try. To be honest, I'll probably just continue to go to my favorites like OTB. I do want to try the new Smoke location though.

I haven't had ramen yet in Philly but I heard there's some good hipster Jewish ramen in south philly!! My cousin told me about it!! Can't wait to try.

I have had ramen at Momofuku in NYC and it is fantastic. Also when we had ramen in Japan, there were lots of hungover dudes at the same place as us. Ramen = the best hangover food ever I guess?? Either way I'm all about ramen for breakfast.

I found large packets of ramen noodles (instead of the instant ones) at whole foods. You can also find fresh ramen noodles at certain whole foods or Asian grocery stores.

Sorry in advance for sucky pictures. I was in a hurry to eat. Will replace later.

Thai Coconut Soup

I've been wanting to make this soup as soon as I saw it on My New Roots. The first time I had it was when we were in Iceland in a great Thai restaurant. It blew my mind! Nick and I were amazed at the complexity of the subtle flavors. It was perfect served over rice.
We pulled out the cilantro plants at the farm today and I was able to take all the roots home. They have a great delicate taste. The roots:

I wasn't able to track down the keffir lime leaves, sadly. I left them in the recipe just in case someone out there can track them down. There's actually an article in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette about how you can't buy them in Pittsburgh, even at Lotus. Therefore, I'm investing in a lime tree!!! I was, however, lucky enough to get some gorgeous spring shallots. If you can't find them, just use the shallots themselves.

Ingredients:
2 cans coconut milk (full-fat!)
10 cilantro roots
7 stalks lemongrass
3 spring shallots with greens attached
3 whole thai chilies (I used fish peppers)
50g / 1.75oz ginger root
1/4 cup palm sugar
12 kaffir lime leaves
7-9 shittake mushrooms, sliced
4 cloves garlic
juice of 3 limes
3 Tbsp. fish sauce
1 pound shrimp, deveined
thai basil, to garnish

Prep:

-Wash the cilantro root well in a bowl full of water. Cut the stems off, leaving about a half inch attached to the root.
-Bruise the lemongrass by pounding it with the side of the knife and cut some slits in the stalks.
-Slice the shallots about 1/3 of their greens (use the other greens as you would a green onion).
-Peel and cut the ginger into chunks and pound it until it releases a little liquid.
-Peel and smash the garlic.
-Cut slits into the chilies.
-Slice the mushrooms.
-Cook the shrimp in about 3 cups boiling water for about 1 minute. Reserve the water.

Cooking Directions:

In a soup pot, place the coconut milk, cilantro roots, lemongrass, shallots, chili, ginger, sugar, lime leaves, and garlic. Bring to a very gentle simmer and cook for about 15 minutes, with a lid on.
 

Strain soup through a sieve into another saucepan. I kept the shallots and garlic in the soup to eat. Add the sliced mushrooms, lime juice, fish sauce, and 2 cups shrimp cooking water. Bring soup up to a light simmer again just to cook the mushrooms slightly. Do not boil. Season to taste and serve immediately with thai basil and shrimp. Serve over rice.

Update! Since I went home this weekend, I was able to stop at the asian market with my mom. They had all the ingredients I needed like galangal root and keffir lime leaves. We were also able to use lemongrass and thai chilies from my parents' garden. The coconut sugar was from a neighbor. It was definitely a group effort. We also got some shrimp with the shells on, which makes a much better shrimp broth. Overall, this soup was excellent with all the right ingredients. I also ordered a lime tree so we can make coconut soup whenever we want!

Asparagus and Mushroom Bread Pudding

In the book Animal, Vegatable, Miracle, Barbara Kingsolver lives a year of eating locally from food her family has grown and from local farmer's markets. The book was full of information about growing food and had some great recipes--bonus! I continually make this bread pudding at the start of every asparagus season. It's perfect for a Spring brunch and all the ingredients are available at the same time. My mom liked it so much, she ate about 3 helpings of it.

Bread Pudding

3 cups milk (full fat please!)
1 bunch spring green onions
1 loaf stale multigrain bread
1 bunch of asparagus (about 1 pound)
1 pound local mushrooms (I used crimini)
4 eggs
1/3 cup fresh chopped parsley
3 tablespoons fresh oregano
3 cups grated Swiss/Gruyere cheese

Chop green onions including the root and the greens. Add onions to milk in sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Watch the milk carefully to make sure it doesn't boil over, as that can happen quickly. Then turn off the heat right away and set aside to steep.
Slice the bread into 1 inch pieces and place in a greased 9x13 inch baking pan.
Chop the asparagus into ½ inch pieces drop into boiling water for a couple seconds. Then remove with a strainer and run cold water over it so the asparagus stops cooking.
Cook the mushrooms until softened in some water. Keep their juices. Then mix the mushrooms, 2/3 of the cheese, and asparagus into the bread cubes

Break eggs into cooled milk mixture and beat until smooth. Then add the mushroom juices. Add the fresh herbs and plenty of salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly and pour over the bread. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes (until puffy and golden). Let sit for 5 minutes before cutting and serving. Garnish with extra fresh herbs. Thyme is a good addition to this.

Spinach & Mushroom Quesadillas

Normal cheesy delicious quesadillas don't really need a recipe, but this one is filled with spinach, mushrooms and cheese. They were eaten very quickly tonight. I'm also looking forward to making these ones with kale and mushrooms with cream cheese next time I buy some kale.

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SPINACH AND MUSHROOM QUESADILLAS

Adapted from the Pioneer Woman

1 tbsp butter

8 oz mushrooms, sliced

salt & pepper (& red chili flakes?)

1 bag baby spinach or 1 package frozen spinach

6 medium flour tortillas or about 10 small ones

2 oz fontina or cheddar, grated

2 oz goat cheese

butter for skillet

hot sauce or enchilada sauce (or both, like we did) and sour cream for serving

Mediterranean-ish Veggie Pizza

This is an everything-in-the-fridge pizza, so you can just leave things out if they aren't in your fridge or add in things that are. I happened to have a lot of Mediterranean-y things in the fridge and so they all go together very well! This would also be great just with the garlic, cheese, olives, and roasted red peppers for a much simpler 'za. Maybe with roasted garlic! I love this pizza recipe with roasted garlic and ricotta.

Roasted red peppers are the best. To make roasted red (or any color obviously) peppers, slice a pepper in half longways and clean out the ribs and seeds. Put it on a baking sheet lined with foil and coat in olive oil. Then broil on low for about 7-8 minutes or bake at 450 for 10-15 minutes. Then put the peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let them sit for about 15 minutes. Then peel the skin off and rip into strips or slice with a knife.

"I'm so sick of winter."

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MEDITERRANEAN-ISH VEGGIE PIZZA

1 Pizza dough

1 cup tomatoes, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp lemon zest
olive oil
salt & pepper
1/2+ cup ricotta
1/2+ cup provolone or mozzarella - or feta if you want to go more Mediterranean with this
1/4 cup pitted olives
1/2 cup roasted red peppers, sliced
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup red onions, either raw or sauteed
1/2 cup artichokes
dried basil & oregano

1. Mix the tomatoes, olive oil, lemon zest, garlic and salt & pepper in a small bowl and set aside.

Banh Xeo (Vietnamese Crepes)

When my mom makes these, they are perfectly thin and crispy with the perfect balance of flavors. Traditionally they are made with fatty pork and fried in a caste iron pan with bean sprouts and green onions. In Vietnam, this is the best street food! I got this recipe from a vegetarian cookbook called Plenty that I got for Christmas and this version has a thicker crepe. I made these on Sunday for Nick's family. It was their first time trying this food and I think they liked it!

Makes 4 thick crepes
For the crepe batter:

1 1/3 cups brown rice flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp turmeric
1 3/4 cup coconut milk (from a can)
1 bunch green onions, green and white parts chopped

Mix the dry ingredients with a wire whisk.

Then add the coconut milk slowly, stirring to incorporate. Then add in the chopped green onions.

Mix the batter and set aside to rest. While preparing the filling.

Mushroom & Kale Pasta

I keep forgetting to take pictures of my food. Yesterday I brined and roasted a chicken with brussel sprouts and shallots, and it was so pretty and delicious, but there is no picture to prove it. Oh well. It was really good. This pasta dish is not quite so pretty but it's really simple, quick and tasty. It takes several hours less of your time than the roast chicken. Tonight it took me about a half hour, but most of that was just waiting for the water to boil.

My grandma came over for dinner so I ended up making a lot more of this spaghetti than I was going to originally - it's a good thing to make an easy single serving. This photo is kind of misleading - I promise my grandma did not eat KFC instead of my pasta. The box is full of sand tarts, yay. The lantern box, however, really is a lantern.

I really don't feel like getting this into normal recipe form so:

Get the pasta water going, and do that when it's ready. If you're a bacon person, fry up some bacon, one piece per serving. Save the bacon on a paper towel-lined plate. 

Mushroom Mac & Cheese

I had grand plans of having a mushroom-themed potluck tonight, but it pretty much failed.  I did, however, manage to make mushroom mac and cheese.  I'm not much of a photographer, so you'll have to use your imagination...or visit the website I got this recipe from :)

http://www.icancookthat.org/2011/12/mushroom-mac-cheese.html

Ingredients:

• 1 Package cremini mushrooms (baby bellas)
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 2 Garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• Cooking spray
• 2 Tbs dry sherry
• 2 tsp chopped fresh oregano
• 8 Ounces (1/2 box) uncooked elbow macaroni
• 1/4 Cup all-purpose flour
• 1 Small can evaporated milk 
• 1 Cup shredded fontina cheese (I used cheddar instead)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 450F
2. Combine mushrooms, olive oil and garlic on baking sheet covered in cooking spray. Season with salt & pepper
3. Bake at 450F for 15-20 minutes until mushrooms are browned
4. Cook pasta as directed on box
5. When mushrooms are done cooking, put in a bowl with sherry and oregano
6. Keep oven on, but decrease to 400F
7. Add flour and evaporated milk in a large pot and stir with a whisk; Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly
8. Add the cheese, salt and pepper
9. Remove from heat and stir in the mushroom mixture and pasta
10. Put the pasta mixture into a baking dish and bake for 25 minutes
11. Sprinkle with oregano leaves and enjoy!