chili

Market Matters- Sweet on Corn: Grilled with Feta & Lime

22 Aug 2010
Sweet Summer Corn from Sippity Sup

I've got a new sweetheart!

Well, she's not exactly new. She and I renew our vows about this time every year. But before your raise you eyebrows and get all Jerry Fallwell on me, let me just say that my sweetheart is corn.

Sweet, sweeter, sweetest corn We all love her. She's sweet and sexy. But you gotta know a girl that sweet is bound to get around. Still, you don't see me getting all jealous do you? I'm a big boy. I know what's going on. In fact if I were as sweet as corn I'd expect to be slated onto quite a few dance cards myself. Besides, when it comes to sweet summer corn I don't mind sharing– hell I don't even mind sloppy seconds. Corn is plentiful this time of year, and I know she'll be back to woo me again and again.

But you have to be careful when you use the word sweet around corn because in corn's case sweet is a double entendre. Sure sweet is an incredibly accurate descriptor for the flavor. But did you know sweet corn is actually a name for a type of corn? It is the tender type whose kernels we eat fresh, on or off the cob. There is another type of corn too. It's denser, rougher and not nearly as pretty. It probably has a name, but I don't know it. Because this type of corn is used for drying, popping and grinding. Which is not nearly as sexy as fresh and succulent (although the jury is out on grinding)!

Sippity Sup Continues »
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Cucumber and Fennel Meze

Cucumber and Fennel Meze
By jgreghenry Published June 8, 2010
Prep time: 20
Yield:1 ()

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb very young cucumbers or better yet, persian cucumbers
  • 2 very young fennel bulbs
  • 3 thai bird chilis or similar hot pepper
  • 10 clv garlic, peeled and left whole
  • 1 t fennel seeds
  • 1 T coriander seeds
  • 1 cinnamon stick, broken into several pieces
  • 0.5 t red pepper flakes (or to taste) optional
  • 3 c white vinegar
  • 1 c water
  • 3 T sugar
  • 2 T salt
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 t black peppercorns
  • 0 olive oil to taste

Directions

Cut your cucumber into 1/2-inch spears. You may need to quarter or half them. Young Persian cucumbers can often be left whole. You are looking for uniformity, so use your judgment. Trim the fennel bulbs evenly, and cut them lengthwise into quarters. retain the fronds for garnish. Remove some of the core, keeping the layers intact. Slice these into 1/2-inch slices. Put the cucumbers, fennel, Thai chilis and garlic cloves into a low-sided large baking dish. Add all the remaining ingredients to a large, non-reactive, saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool some for about 5 minutes. Then poor the hot liquid over the cucumber fennel mixture, stirring to coat well. The liquid should nearly cover all the ingredients. If not add a bit more water. Let the mixture cool completely. You may then cover the dish and move it into the refrigerator. They will be ready to eat in about 4 hours, but will be at their best if you wait until the next day before eating them. Serve chilled on a family style platter with a bit of the marinade and a good drizzle of fruity olive oil. Garnish with fennel fronds.

Notes:

serves 4

International House of Pancakes! Scallion Pancakes (Cong You Bing)

07 Apr 2010
making scallion pancakes

Today’s international pancake is Chinese. Scallion Pancakes (Cong You Bing) are wonderfully chewy, flaky, and savory. It is one of my favorite Chinese take-out restaurant treats, and a must-have Dim Sum in my book. For these reasons I give these pancakes a Chinese provenance, though there is also a very similar Korean version called Pa Jun (Pajeon??). What the exact distinctions are I cannot say, but it may be minced scallion as opposed to strips of scallion.

So whether you call this Cong You Bing or Pa Jun this pan-fried bread is made from dough instead of batter and has a lot in common with Indian parathas (another one of my take-out favorites) and other simple flatbreads found in lots of cultures.

My version comes from one of my favorite blogs Big, Bold, Beautiful Food. It seems Ninette’s daughter has been making these tasty treats since she was quite young, so I figure it’s a recipe with all the kinks worked out. Which is just perfect in this instance because I have never attempted to make these before.

Sippity Sup Continues »
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Scallion Pancake (Cong You Bing)

Scallion Pancake (Cong You Bing)
By jgreghenry Published April 7, 2010
Prep time: 90
Yield:1 ()

Ingredients:

  • 2 flour
  • 0.75 c boiling water
  • 0.25 t salt
  • 1 T vegetable oil, plus more for pan-frying
  • 0 seasame oil
  • 1 bn scallion, thinly sliced, green parts only
  • 0.5 c soy sauce
  • 0.25 c rice vinegar
  • 2 t toasted sesame oil
  • 0.5 t crumbled dried red chile
  • 1 t sugar

Directions

Stir together flour, salt, hot water, and 1 T vegetable oil. Transfer to a lightly floured surface. Knead dough until soft and smooth, 10 minutes or until satiny smooth. If the dough won’t stay together, add water in small increments. If dough is too wet, slowly add flour. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes. If you're not ready to make the pancakes yet, you can put the dough in the fridge for up to a day or so. Roll dough into a 16-inch log on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 16 pieces. Roll each piece out into a 4-inch circle, keeping remaining pieces covered as you work. Brush with sesame oil; sprinkle with about 1 t scallions. Roll each piece into a tight cylinder; pinch ends to seal. Press to flatten. Wrap each cylinder around itself to form a spiral (seam side in); pinch end. Cover with plastic wrap; let stand 20 minutes (or up to 5 hours). Place spirals on a lightly floured surface. Flatten gently. Roll out to 4-inch circles. Let stand 20 minutes. Meanwhile, for dipping sauce, whisk together all ingredients. (Makes about 3/4 cup.) Heat 1 T vegetable oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Cook pancakes, 2 or 3 at a time, flipping once, until golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side (add oil as necessary). Drain on paper towels. Season with salt. (To keep warm, place in an oven heated to 200 degrees.) Cut into wedges, and serve with dipping sauce.

Notes:

makes 16 Source: Adapted from Martha Stewart and Big Bold Beautiful Food Blog

Pantry Workout- Aloo Gobi from Marc @NoRecipes

09 Mar 2010
aloo gobi

This is the thing about the great big wonderful world of blogs– are you listening? Blogs can open you up to a whole great big wonderful world!

Yesterday I was over at No Recipes. He posted a delicious and very Marc looking Aloo Gobi, which is an Indian dish of spiced cauliflower with potatoes. Something about it hit me just the right way. So I decided right then that I would make it for lunch– immediately.

This is not the type of thing I usually cook. In fact this is the kind of thing I usually reserve for restaurants. It’s not that I can’t cook food like this. I just proved (at least to myself) that I can. But for some reason I just don’t… but I guess that is a question between my pantry and me.

Speaking of my pantry, my pantry gets a lot of the credit for the success of today. I keep my pantry in tip-top shape. You never know when it’s going to get a strong work out from a difficult challenger. This Indian spiced dish is a perfect example of the kind of preparedness I am talking about because I was able to read Marc’s post and look at his pictures and start right in on cooking my version with in a few moments. So I am pretty proud of that fact.

Sippity Sup Continues »
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