Recipes
Szechuan Crisp Fried Wild Mushrooms
Coming out of such a vast country, authentic Chinese home cooking means different things to different people. This gorgeous Szechuan Crisp Fried Wild Mushrooms recipe from Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees by Kian Lam Kho, is just the thing to expand your understanding of Chinese Cooking. Included with this dish is a recipe for an addictive Szechuan Spiced Salt, which lends itself to endless creative possibilities.From the Author: "The batter used in this recipe is based on Japanese tempura batter. It is light and crisp while having the effect of bringing out the mushroom flavor. But the spicy and numbing flavor of the Szechuan spiced salt, made with dried red chile and Sichuan peppercorns, is all Chinese. This is a great vegetarian finger food for a party."
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Creole Deviled Eggs
Deviled eggs are always a crowd pleaser, even more so when you make them with a twist. Enter our Creole Deviled Eggs. This version is anything but ordinary, packed with flavor from Creole Spice and a dusting of Smoked Sweet Paprika on top.
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Spicy Baked Hominy
We love this easy recipe from Rustic Joyful Food by Danielle Kartes! Danielle's book is chock-full of simple and delicious New American recipes that the author has lovingly collected, prepared and improved. When we read the book, we fell in love with the basic spicing and ease of preparation in this recipe for spicy baked hominy, which can stand alone as a snack or serve as an all-purpose addition to almost any meal. From the Author: "I love Corn Nuts and was trying to make them one day, but all I got were these heavenly, chewy, salty, spicy bits of corn goodness that I ate until they were gone! I imagine they'd be amazing as a topping to salads and soups and even street tacos! Crack a beer, and enjoy this guilt-free snack."
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Sheng Jian Baozi with Chile Oil
We rarely have come across a dumpling that we wouldn't eat, regardless of what cuisine that dumpling is from! We were very happy to find Andrea Nguyen's classic Asian Dumplings: Mastering Gyoza, Spring Rolls, Samosas, and More, which certainly took care of our obsession with all dumplings, and finger food, too! From the Author: "If you like pot stickers and steamed buns, you’ll love these spongy-crisp pan-fried treats from Shanghai, where typically they are cooked in humongous shallow pans (much like large paella pans) with wooden lids. These buns are made of yeast dough that is filled with an aromatic pork mixture and then fried and steamed in a skillet. Cooking under cover with a bit of water delivers plenty of moisture to puff up the buns. Ground beef chuck or chicken thigh can stand in for the pork in this recipe. A bāozi is a mini bāo (bun) and for that reason, I like to keep these true to their name and shape small ones. However, you can elect to form sixteen medium-size (23/4-inch) buns. Roll the dough circles out to 3-1/4 inches in diameter and use about 4 teaspoons of filing for each bun; increase the water and cooking time a tad.Many Asian cooks employ—to great success—a cakey, snowy-white Cantonese-style dough made from low-gluten cake flour or from a quickie flour and baking powder blend. This dough is different; it has more depth, and its loft and resilience comes from combining yeast and baking powder; fast-rising yeast works like a champ. All-purpose flour with a moderate amount of gluten, such as Gold Medal brand widely available at supermarkets, is what I prefer for this dough. Use bleached flour for a slightly lighter and brighter finish.Used in Chinese, Japanese, and Southeast Asian cooking, chile oil is easy to prepare at home, and it’s infinitely better than store-bought. Its intense heat enlivens many foods, especially dumplings, which benefit when chile oil is part of the dipping sauce or used as a garnish. Some cooks add aromatics, such as ginger, star anise, and Sichuan peppercorns, to the oil, but I like to keep the chile flavor pure. While you may use other cooking oils, such as canola oil, my preference is for the kind of peanut oil often sold at Chinese markets, which is cold pressed and filled with the aroma of roasted peanuts. It is texturally light, has a high smoking point, and offers a wonderful nuttiness that pairs well with the intense chile heat. Lion & Globe peanut oil from Hong Kong is terrific. Use just the infused oil or include the chile flakes for an extra brow-wiping experience.
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Tostadas de Higado de Pollo
What's that? Chicken Liver Toasts with Caramelized Onions, Mango and Watercress! This is one of the delicious bites included in Cocina Tropical: The Classic & Contemporary Flavors of Puerto Rico by Jose Santaella. We were excited about this recipe because it looked delicious, and used annatto seed — a spice with which many people are unfamiliar. Annatto is frequently used in Latin American and Caribbean countries to impart a natural color and mild, earthy flavor to foods. If you think you've never had it, it's also what makes some butters yellow and cheddar cheese orange.From the authors: Chopped chicken liver is one of those delicious recipes that is a bit of a throwback to the days of elegant cocktail hours and dinner parties with passed hors d'oeuvres. Pate and terrine are back in fashion, and this dish falls right into step with them. The richness of the velvety liver and the sweetness of the caramelized onions get a tangy tropical hit from the mango with a bit of peppery bite from the watercress garnish. Serve as is for a small plate appetizer or spread the liver on smaller crostini for a perfect party bite.
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Voodoo Pimento Cheese Ball
Looking to bring the appetizer A-game to the next house party? This recipe is the ultimate game-day snack and a real fan favorite of ours. Voodoo seasoning has robust ingredients like Aleppo Pepper, brown and yellow mustard, allspice, thyme, onion, and garlic. These flavors compliment the bright pimento and rich cheese perfectly. Whip this up, set it in the center of the table, and watch it disappear!
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Hawk Wings
These sweet and spicy wings are just the ticket to victory on the table, and we plan to enjoy them by the heaping helping as we cheer on our team. They are easy to make, too, so you don’t have to spend much time in the kitchen. Seattle Salmon Rub is good on all kinds of things - not just salmon - and we’ve taken advantage of that to create this special Hawks-fan fare. Combine the pan-Asian flair of the spice rub with sweet orange and maple and a kick of heat from Aleppo and you’ve got a winner. This recipe is also good using boneless skinless chicken thighs, too! GO HAWKS!!!!
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Heavenly Hawaij Mushroom Soup
This Heavenly Hawaij Soup is the perfect starter for a long holiday feast. Combining aromatic spices, earthy mushrooms and velvety cream, it is as decadent as holiday fare should be. Cardamom, turmeric and saffron are the essential spice elements of the Yemenese blend Hawaij, and they play wonderfully in this exotic mushroom soup. Serve as elegant soup shots to start a meal or by the bowl as a first course. It's a leftover that will have you sneaking back to the kitchen in the middle of the night!
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Voodoo Jalapeño Poppers
We've had a bumper crop of jalapeño peppers from the garden this year, and that means POPPERS! Autumn is chile season, though jalapeños are readily available at the grocery store year round. The flavor buzz from these was well worth the effort of seeding all those little suckers, but do wear gloves! The warm bite of jalapeño with smoky paprika in the cheese and the Voodoo sprinkle on top of these poppers goes down well chased by a rich porter. Enjoy a whole platter by yourself while you watch the game like we did, or serve them up at your next fall fête.
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