Passionate Home Cooking

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Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Shrimp Fettuccine with Mushrooms, Red Pepper, Garlic and Scallions





1 lb. Shrimp, peeled ( can use scallop as well or instead)
1 lb. Cremini Mushrooms 
Four or five scallions, chopped fine
4 cloves garlic, minced
A pinch of Red Pepper ( or more )
1 lb. Al dente fettuccine or thin spaghetti or wide noodles 
1 teaspoon of butter
4 teaspoon Extra virgin olive oil
1 or 2 splashes Dry White wine ( Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay)
2 tablespoons of cream or half and half (optional)
1 teaspoon of lemon juice (optional)
1 teaspoon sugar with a pinch of salt

In large frying pan, over medium heat melt 1 teaspoon of butter, the optional lemon juice and heat the olive oil. When melted, sauté the mushrooms, with the sugar salt on high. When the mushrooms are caramelised, set aside in a bowl. Now fry the shrimp with the garlic and red pepper, turn as they cook until done. Turn out in same bowl as before. Spoon in cooked fettuccine and heat with a splash of dry white wine. When noodle are warmed thought, add back mushrooms, scallions, and the shrimp. Add an optional bit of cream or half and half.
Serve hot.

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

SAVORY TANG YUAN (GLUTINOUS RICE BALL SOUP) in process

 


Prepare the ingredients

  • Rinse the dried shiitakes, dried shrimp, and dried scallops (if using). Add them to a bowl with 2 cups of hot water, cover the bowl, and let rehydrate.
    4-6 dried shiitakes, 2-3 oz of dried shrimp and/or dried scallop
  • (Optional) If adding pork to the soup, slice it into strips, then add it to a bowl with salt, sugar, soy sauce, white pepper, and water. Mix well. Once the water is absorbed, add the cornstarch and mix again. Finally, add the grape seed oil, and do a final mix. Set aside to marinade while you preparation of the other ingredients.
    5 oz pork tenderloin
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  •  1/4 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp soy sauce,
  • 1/16 tsp white pepper
  • 2 tbsp water
  •  1 tsp neutral oil
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • Slice the 2 Chinese sausages( lap Chong) diagonally on a bias
  • Peel the Chinese Daiken radish until you get to the more translucent layer. This removes the tough, fibrous skin. Slice into matchsticks, 2 pounds
  • Slice the long napa cabbage into strips.
    2 lb long napa cabbage
  • Once the shiitakes and dried shrimp are rehydrated, squeeze out all the excess water, and save the soaking water. Remove the mushrooms tough stems, and slice the caps into strips.


Pan fry the fish cake (if needed)

  • If your fish paste isn’t seasoned, season lightly with salt and white pepper.
    Use 6 oz seasoned fish paste.
  • (Optional) Put the seasoned fish paste into a bowl, add a little water and cornstarch, and mix in one direction with chopsticks or your hands until it’s sticky and bouncy like dumpling filling. Doing this will give it a bouncier texture.
  • Add some oil to a pre-heated pan, and flatten the fish cake into a large pancake. Pan-fry one side until golden brown, then flip and repeat until both sides are nicely golden.
    Grape seed oil for cooking
  • Remove from the pan, and slice into strips.


Make the glutinous rice balls

  • In a large mixing bowl, add the glutinous rice flour (save a small handful of flour on the side for dusting the work surface later). Bring the water to a boil, let cool just slightly, and slowly pour in the water in 3 batches, mixing thoroughly with chopsticks in between each pour to let the flour absorb the liquid.
    1 lb glutinous rice flour, 1.5-1.75 cups hot water
  • The dough may still look very dry, but start kneading (be careful, as it will be quite hot!), and the dough will slowly become more hydrated and pick up more flour.
  • If the dough is still very dry and doesn’t pick up the rest of the flour, add a little more hot water. If the dough is still very sticky, add some more flour. Knead for 6-8 minutes or until dough is very shiny and smooth. My mom likes to knead it for a few extra minutes for a chewier texture.
  • Cover the dough with a wet paper towel to keep it from drying out.
  • Take a portion of the dough, and roll it out into a long cylinder that’s about 3/4 inch thick. Peel off thumb-sized pieces from this, and roll each piece into a round ball. Place the rolled balls onto a floured surface or tray so they don’t stick to each other.
  • Repeat until you’ve used up all the dough.


Pan fry the fish cake (if needed)

  • If your fish paste isn’t seasoned, season lightly with salt and white pepper.
    6 oz seasoned fish paste
  • (Optional) Put the seasoned fish paste into a bowl, add a little water and cornstarch, and mix in one direction with chopsticks or your hands until it’s sticky and bouncy like dumpling filling. Doing this will give it a bouncier texture.
  • Add some oil to a pre-heated pan, and flatten the fish cake into a large pancake. Pan-fry one side until golden brown, then flip and repeat until both sides are nicely golden.
    Neutral oil for cooking
  • Remove from the pan, and slice into strips. 

Make the soup and combine

  • Heat up a large pot or wok (that will fit this whole soup) on medium-high heat, and add neutral oil. Add the dried shrimp (and scallops if using), and stir fry for 1 minute to release its fragrance.
    Neutral oil for cooking
  • Add the Chinese sausage, and stir fry for another minute or two to release its fats and flavor.
  • Add the shiitakes, and stir fry for another minute.
  • Finally, add the pan-fried fish cake, chicken broth, and mushroom soaking water. Bring it all up to a boil.

    10 cups of homemade or good quality chicken broth
  • Once boiling, add the sliced Chinese lo bok. Submerge the lo bok and let it simmer just until they become translucent. They should be firm and still be able to hold their shape.
  • Add the napa cabbage and marinated pork (if using), and cook until just cabbage is slightly softened. 
  • Now we’re going to cook the tang yuan in the flavorful broth. First, remove all the ingredients from the soup and set aside, making sure to leave all the broth in the pot. You can do this with a slotted spoon or strainer.
  • Add the tang yuan to the broth, and simmer until the tang yuan floats. This means it’s ready! Don’t cook it for much longer after this, as they get soft very easily.
  • Add the ingredients all back into the soup. Season to taste with salt and chicken bouillon powder (if needed).
    1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp chicken bouillon powder
  • Serve hot into bowls with scallions, cilantro, white pepper, and soy sauce

Wednesday, February 5, 2025

Pot-au-feu (Simmered French Coutry Soup) in process

 

 

 

 

 

Pot-au-feu is a slowly simmered meat and vegetable dish that appears on most home tables in France. Pot au Feu, which literally translates to ‘pot in the fire’, started its life in working-class homes as a way to make less expensive cuts of beef more tender and palatable. Think the original crockpot. The long slow cooking resulted in 2 dishes: a clear nourishing broth and a rich meal of beef and vegetables. There are as many variations of pot au feu as there are cooks. I have eaten pot-au-feu prepared with lamb, chicken, lobster. and even a version that more resembled the ingredient list for a proper cassoulet. The two versions I have included are how my mother cooked it and a more restaurant version from chef Michel Guerard. Whichever recipe you follow, the constants remain the same: The broth is always served first with toasted slices of baguette crowned with morsels of fatty beef marrow, and the meat and vegetables are served second.