Archive | May, 2011

Rare Beef Summer Salad

30 May

You eat with your eyes first and this is testimony to that theory. This Rare Beef Summer Salad was inspired by one of the most beautiful food blogs out there – What Katie Ate. Her Beef Carpaccio Salad looks just heavenly and I was enthralled by the simplicity of the meal and the idea of a horseradish vinaigrette. I added some fresh herbs from my garden and the most colorful heirloom tomatoes I could find (at the Fresh Market). I also added more horseradish to the vinaigrette because I’m crazy about the kick of horseradish on rare beef.

The trickiest part of this recipe is monitoring the temperature of the beef. There couldn’t be anything worse than overcooking a really nice (and expensive) piece of meat – especially considering my friend bought all the ingredients and asked I bring the salad to his house for a small gathering. I purchased a new meat thermometer that is digital and has a cord long enough to go into the oven.This way, I was able to monitor the temperature the entire time it cooked in the oven (totally amazing).

I brought this salad over to a friend’s house for a small weekend gathering. We dined on his terrace and ate good cheeses and bread along with the fresh, colorful and tender meat salad. The personalities around the table were as colorful as the salad.

Rare Beef Summer Salad

Salad:

  • 3 pounds whole beef tenderloin
  • aruglua
  • heirloom tomatoes
  • radishes
  • spring onions or scallions
  • fresh basil and taragon
  • salt and pepper
  • olive oil

Dressing:

  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons fresh horseradish
  • salt and pepper to taste
Assembly: Bring the beef tenderloin to room temperature. Rub oil on the meat an generously season with sea salt and ground pepper. Bring a dry cast iron skillet to smoking hot. Sear all the sides of the meat in the skillet. Monitor the meats internal temperature with a thermometer (I used a fantastic new digital thermometer). Once seared, put the meat into a 425 degree oven until the internal temperature reaches 120 degrees. Take the meat out and allow to rest about 15 minutes. Slice thin with a very sharp knife.
Layer the meat on top of a bed of arugula. Top with thinly sliced onion, radishes and a sprinkle of basil and tarragon. Then top with colorful heirloom tomatoes – cut into equal sizes.
Mix all the salad dressing ingredients in a mason jar and shake. Sprinkle over the salad.

Summer Starts Here…

29 May

Happy holiday weekend from Mendenhall! Summer recipes coming this week.

Coconut Cupcakes

26 May

This recipe is not a new one to MMoM but it is a fan favorite. I have made these coconut cupcakes every summer for friends on the forth of July and several times for office gatherings. My friend Wendy’s children fell in love with them several years when she took the leftovers home from an office gathering. Since then, Wendy’s household has become a “household name” in Greensboro – and nationally – when her son PJ signed on to play basketball at UNC Carolina next year. To me, he will always be the shy but polite teenager standing over six foot six inches tall waiting quietly for his Mom to wrap up her work. But I giggled to see him walk into Center City Park on Friday night with a posse of teenage girls at his side… yet the same PJ fell into his Mom’s lap to say hello practically ignoring the crowd around him. PJ’s posse and many other’s enjoyed the coconut cupcakes and Wendy brought the rest home to fed the fans over the weekend.

Perfect for Picnic: Portable Jars of Greek Salad with Orzo and Black Eyed Peas

24 May

There is something whimsical about al fresco dining in the summertime. Warm breezes, fireflies, colorful seasonal produce and cold drinks to wash them all down. I adore early evening grilling in my backyard, managing the squishing of butts into the benches of my purple picnic table, lighting of citronella and swatting of mosquitos. But, I also enjoy packing a picnic for other scenic sites around town – the grass is equally green (with fewer holes from doggy digging!) As Center City Park programming becomes increasingly popular I’ve made no excuse but to visit frequently – especially considering my proximity to Downtown from Mendenhall.

I thought these jars of Greek salad in mason jars where particularly charming and perfect for an outdoor picnic at Center City Cinema. The jars are a perfect (and sustainable way) to avoid junky looking and floppy paper plates. Additionally, I made these salads the night before and they remained fresh for two days! I had a leftover salad the following Saturday (which I dumped onto the plate below) and the lettuce was still crisp! I’ll reuse the jars over and over this summer for more portable meals. Invest in a couple of jars and get creative, you’ll feel like a true Southerner (they are great to drink sweet tea out of too!)

Greek Salad with Orzo and Black-Eyed Peas from Gourmet Magazine, August 2008

  • 3/4 cup orzo
  • 1 (15-ounce) can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 large tomato, diced (1 cup)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1/2 seedless cucumber, halved lengthwise, cored, and diced (1 cup)
  • 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, slivered
  • 1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion
  • 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped oregano
  • 2 to 3 cups coarsely chopped romaine
  • 1/2 pound feta, crumbled (1 cup)
  • 4 to 8 peperoncini

Cook orzo according to package instructions. Drain in a sieve and rinse under cold water until cool. Drain well.

Toss black-eyed peas, tomato, and parsley with vinegar, 1 tablespoon oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Marinate, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, toss together orzo, remaining tablespoon oil, cucumber, olives, onion, lemon zest and juice, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.

Divide black-eyed-pea mixture (with juices) among jars and layer orzo salad, romaine, and feta on top. Add 1 or 2 peperoncini to each jar.

 

Center City Cinema Picnic

23 May

The sun is setting later and later these days as summer inches closer. It actually felt like summer this weekend with temperatures in the high 80s. Friday night my “whine and wine girlfriends” and I picnicked in Center City Park for the launch of the Center City Cinema Season. Kids, dogs and tired adults crowded around an assortment of cheeses, dips, salads and sweets before Michael J. Fox came on the big screen. We watched Back to the Future with hundreds of others who snacked on a variety of picnics and pick ups. I’ll post some of our picnic recipes this week.

Center City Cinema Picnic 

  • Greek Salads in Jars with Orzo and Black Eyed Peas
  • Carrots and Pita with Pimento Cheese and Margo’s Green Garlic Dip
  • Ashton’s Sopressata
  • Coconut Cupcakes for the Kiddos

My Most Modern Hoisin Green Beans

13 May

I was the luckiest host on earth when I found out that all I had to prepare was green beans and drinks for our Chinese Cooking night. After hosting a party the night before at Elsewhere, it was a much-needed break for shopping and chopping. Considering the overall arching theme of modern cuisine, I went straight for a recipe in Sara Forster’s cookbook for Hoisin Green beans. I’ve made a variation on this recipe before but liked the addition of orange juice in the sauce. The beans are sweeter than you would imagine but a really unique dish to serve with any dinner – authentic or not!

Sara Foster’s Hoisin Green Beans:

  • 1.5 pounds of green beans
  • 1/3 cup hoisin sauce
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • juice of 1 orange
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • sesame seeds for garnish

Heat the over to 400 degrees. Combine the hoisin, soy, oil and orange juice. Coat over the green beans. Season with salt and pepper (be mindful of the sodium in the soy sauce). Roast for 15 minutes or until cooked though. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Wendy’s Take on Chinese/Cantonese Dumplings

12 May

Without a doubt, Wendy’s dumplings took center stage at our Chinese Cooking Dinner Party. Yes, these little pockets of goodness were delicious, but there is something really magical about making this type of food. It is a labor of love and takes a great deal of patience (or good friends and Ginger Gin & Tonics in our case) to make enough to satisfy our  serious dumpling craving (which was doubled if you include Jacob’s). As we stood around the kitchen filling the pockets of frozen dough with the pork mixture, we realized this practice is universal. Masha, Wendy and I grew up from all parts of the world and still laughed about learning to wrap/fill/mend various traditional family recipes. We agreed that is no fun to do this alone. So find a friend and bond over Wendy’s dumpling recipe as soon as you can!

Wendy’s Take on Chinese/Cantonese Dumplings 

We boiled and fried the same recipe for dumplings. My favorite was the boiled dumpling. It easier to wrap these and easier to cook – so I easy start. But, both are delicious. Don’t me intimidated – it much easier than you think.

Ingredients

1 package of wonton wrappers 
2 tbsp chopped spring onions

Wonton fillings:
150 g pork mince (or 75 g pork mince and 75 g chopped or minced prawns)
Or chicken/turkey mince, basically any type of meat you want.
(Vegetarian option: chopped firm 5-spice tofu to substitute for the meat)
(optional: chopped shitake mushrooms, chopped baby bok choy – the white part works best, chopped cooked glass noodles, chopped water chestnuts, chopped dried shrimp. The first 4 also go into the vegetarian option)
1 tbsp chopped spring onions
1/2 egg, lightly beaten
1.2 tsp grated ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp Shaoxing wine
Dash of white pepper

(at this stage, dont worry too much how much salt and pepper because the sauce is  soy-sauce-based, which is already salty.)

Dipping Sauce:
3 tbsp Szechuan chilli oil
2 tsp minced garlic
5 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp Chinkiang black rice vinegar
1/2 tsp ground Szechuan pepper
1 tsp castor sugar
(optional: thinly julienned ginger and garnish with chopped spring onions)

* And if you don’t want to buy new things for the pantry just to make this dish, you could use regular rice vinegar, chili oil and white pepper.

Either boil these dumplings or pan fry them in a bit of oil and then top with a splash of water to steam the rest. Here is a great tutorial on how to wrap the fried dumplings.

Fried:

Boiled:

Jacob’s Spicy Sichuan Eggplant (鱼香茄子)

9 May

The idea for our Chinese cooking class sprung from the concept of a lunchtime field trip to the Super G. In menu brainstorming, Wendy declared Jacob “THE Sichuan food expert” when he recommended his favorite Spicy Eggplant Dish. We never ended up going to Super G but Jacob surprisingly recreated this authentic dish from ingredients from the Harris Teeter. He used black pepper instead of Sichuan peppercorn and regular seasoned rice vinegar.

After a couple of trips for forgotten ingredients (ginger) and equipment (I don’t own a wok), Jacob put together this tasty dish with out much effort at all. I had zero expectations on what this would taste like and was impressed with how tasty it was! Wendy was impressed by how authentic it was (although she says it is traditionally has meat in it). And our friend Aaron, who has a serious distaste for eggplant (and French wines), actually loved this dish too! So build up that courage you eggplant haters!

Spicy Sichuan Eggplant, or “Fish-Fragrant Eggplant” from Appetit for China

  • 1 1/2 pounds Asian eggplant
  • 1/4 cup chicken stock
  • 2 tablespoons chili bean paste
  • 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons dark rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon yellow rice wine
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon minced ginger
  • 2 teaspoons Sichuan peppercorn, or 1 teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
  • Scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish

Slice each eggplant in half lengthwise, then slice each length into quarters.

In a small bowl, mix together chicken stock, chili bean paste, soy sauce, rice vinegar, rice wine, and sugar. Set aside.

In a wok, heat oil until just smoking. Add eggplants and stir-fry until outsides become golden brown and insides begin to soften, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, and Sichuan peppercorns and stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in stock-sauce mixture and mix well. Allow sauce to simmer for 2 minutes and eggplant to absorb sauce. Stir in cornstarch mixture to thicken sauce. Remove from heat, plate, and garnish with scallions.

Chinese Cooking Class on Mendenhall

8 May

Confession – I’ve been pretty down on Greensboro this past week. That’s a hard thing to publicly admit considering my professional obligation to pass out the Greensboro kool-aid on the street ritually. And while most of the time I sip the kool-aid with the rest of my colleagues, there are moments that we must have doubt. I have concerns over how high the ceilings are for a young, single professional seeking love and bliss in a mid-sized town in the South. Sadly, there are no easy resolutions for these concerns and no remedy for my grief. However, I had a hard time staying in my rut this morning when looking at the photo above and thinking about this post. They remind me of exactly why I hold so tight to my life here in Greensboro -a collection of tangible and intangible things that I have spent so much time and energy seeking and creating – my home, my friends and the flexibility to engage so deeply in a hobby in which I can share with and through. So perhaps I’ll rest on hope, for now. As Meg Ryan said in my favorite movie (second confession), You’ve Got Mail, ”Sometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small life – well, valuable, but small – and sometimes I wonder, do I do it because I like it, or because I haven’t been brave? So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn’t it be the other way around? I don’t really want an answer. I just want to send this cosmic question out into the void. So good night, dear void.”

Last week a small group of old and new friends gathered on Mendenhall to cook Chinese with the instruction of my friends Wendy and Jacob. Wendy is a transplant from Hong Kong who found herself in Greensboro after studying at Guilford College and Jacob, grew up in the nearby metropolis of Reidesville, but spent two years in China after college.  Soon after meeting Jacob he recommended that Mod Meals had a post highlighting his favorite Asian cuisine. And quickly after conversing about the idea of a Chinese cooking class, I jumped at the chance to have everyone over.

We spent the evening drinking ginger gin & tonics, making extra trips for forgotten ingredients, competing over the best dumpling form, testing bites of piping hot dumplings with communal utensils and reminiscing over cross cultural perspectives. Wendy gave a incredibly fun lesson on Chinese Dumplings, Jacob recreated his favorite Spicy Sichuan Eggplant and I cheated making a Southern woman’s (Sara Foster) recipe for Hoisin Green Beans. The meal was more authentic than most on Mendenhall and exceptionally fun and delicious. We stuffed our faces around a crowded dining room table until very late in the evening.

I’ll share the recipes from our Chinese Cooking night this week.

Chinese Cooking Class Menu

  • Ginger Gin & Tonics
  • Wendy’s Pan Fried and Boiled Chinese Pork Dumplings
  • Jacob’s Spicy Sichuan Eggplant served with Rice
  • Cecelia’s Most Modern Hoisin Green Beans

Port Marinated Melon with Country Ham

6 May

One last easy snack for your collection. Melon and prosciutto is beautiful but can we pretty typical and sometimes very pricey! After testing a number of different country hams with my friend Piet, I decided that it could be an easy and inexpensive substitute for prosciutto. Piet gave me a tip saying that soaking melon in port is an easy way to add another layer of flavor. He was right! Try this no cook snack this summer.

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