I like to clean when I need a quick dose of control / accomplishment in my life. I recently realized cooking to be a cousin of this concept, except a little better, or maybe just better in its difference but similarity to the original idea. Not only is it more fun & creative, but you get to happily enjoy your labor with others at the end. So while certainly distinct from cleaning, it is equally worthwhile in this category of self-help mini-projects.

So that is when, last Wednesday night, ground turkey kimchi pancakes came to be. I usually make these pancakes with ground pork but we had ground turkey so I said to myself, 'why not?'. About a pound of ground turkey, a 1/2 cup of flour, 2 eggs, scallions, a good handful of cilantro, thinly sliced red cabbage and about 2 cups of roughly chopped kimchi went into the p-cakes. (This is from memory, use your own judgment...) Fried in olive oil until crispy. I'd say I made at least 20.



Oddly enough, they REALLY tasted like crab or fish. It is quite bizarre but perhaps an achievement! I didn't mind that; they were spicy, soft inside, crisp outside and really delicious, if I do say so myself. And made me want to make them with crab (though I guess that's not necessary).




The full meal turned out to be; the pancakes, home-made pad thai with shrimp (brought by a friend), coconut sushi rice, pork and leek dumplings, cucumber & mango salad, green beans with garlic and ginger -- all doused in lime and ponzu.




How romantic.

Afternoon Delight

After a walk home from class in brisk, November weather, I was more than eager to arrive 'home'. My house mate was there, and we pondered lunch possibilities until settling on something quite extravagant for a measly Monday afternoon.

A lightly kimchi'ed broth (kimchi run-off (juice)) with garlic, carrots, sriracha, soy sauce and spinach. Cucumber matchsticks thrown in just before serving.




Simultaneously, soba noodles and pork&leek dumplings were boiling. Roughly chopped kimchi was added in too.

The components were plated; soup first, noodles second, kimchi last. Then sesame oil.




Add one cool spoon and a splash of ponzu and you've got yourself a deal.



(For the record, I would have added ginger but we didn't have any)

break fast

break egg

Nice Rice

A Wah: 5 Catherine Street. The place that many publications (now including this lil one) have insisted is the place to visit in NYC for superior bo zai fan, a Chinese rice-casserole with a multiplicity of protein possibilities. You may wait and you will be overwhelmed but the ensuing pleasure will outweigh everything.


But before the rice, there is no viable option beyond crispy skin duck in a soft bun.




'Perfect' comes to mind with little hesitation, even in this distant recollection of the pleasure I enjoyed this summer when I ate here. Crispy skin meets tender meat in one square inch. A few vegs for balance and a thick sauce so unite each bite. Those pillowy buns are just as soft as they look (trust me, I rubbed one on my cheek).



Next, the bo zai fan. To paraphrase my close friends at the Village Voice, 'bo zai fan are made by depositing cooked rice in a porous and lidded clay pot that's been pre-soaked in water, then dumping two or three ingredients on top, from a catalog that favors frog, pork, preserved vegetables, duck, chicken legs, and aromatics such as scallions and ginger. The pot is then heated on the brazier for 15 minutes, so the flavors fully penetrate the rice.'
Once it arrives at the table, it is up to you to dress it up with thick, house-made soy sauce, a dense, pink vinegar, or spicy, pastey oil. Each layer is a different experience; the softest rice at the top is most imbued with the flavor of the add in, the middle layer is a mushy delight, and the bottom is a cripsy and burnt reward for stretching your stomach.




No matter how full you are, there is always room for an egg white & ginger custard. I'll leave that gelatinous wonder up to the imagination.

Resurrection

It's been so long I no longer remember what font I use, how I format, but I'll figure it out soon.

With a little help from my friends I realized it was due time to come back to this project (omg).
Especially after such a good dinner tonight.

So this is no longer exclusively Turkey -- besides, I eat so many other delightful things.




It's November. Real fall has just set in. Kitchen Kreativity was on the low this week and last... Our senior-status has challenged our engagement in procedural and complex culinary expeditions. But we decided to fight back...


Ricotta gnocchi; made with part-skim ricotta, 2 eggs, and a mixture of whole wheat and white flour.




The dough was gently formed into "babies", rolled out into a tube with excess flour coating the hands, and then segmented, dropped into boil water and removed after they floated, roughly 2-3 minutes. Next, they awaited their true fate in a pot with some butter and fresh sage.




A map of the operation. And the spinach.





The side-project (pretty central though in reality); grated ambercup squash cooked with butter, sage, nutmeg and a bit 'o water.



a + b + c = d licious




& why not complete the occasion by pudding some soft, spiced, bread, banana and pumpkin in my mouth?




Pumpkin & Banana Bread Pudding. Super moist, not quite sweet enough on its own but I am always happy to adjust such things on a case by case basis.

More to come soon.