Comfort Snacks

oven roasted japanese yam

fresh pinenuts

Autumn is my favorite season. While the weather begins to turn cold, the air crisp, and heavy jackets come out of the closet; warm, comforting dishes make a comeback as well. Even fall fruits and vegetables evoke a sense heartiness and familiarity that wrap your soul. Persimmons, apples and pumpkins make there way into grocery produce sections. The following two fall time snacks each come from my Grandmothers, and will make your Fall time palates crave for these simple, wholesome offerings:


Whole Roasted Japanese Yam

Rinse yams and pat dry, poke a few air pockets with fork, bake in oven at 400F for about an hour depending on size of yams.





Pan roasted Fresh Pinenuts

Rinse pinenuts, add to pot and cover with water by half and inch. Bring to boil and simmer about 20 minutes or until cooked through and soft and tender. Drain, dry roast in a pan (with no oil) until crackling can be heard- about 3-4 minutes.

Spicy Mouth Watering Mouthfuls

Last week I made a very good vegetarian pumpkin chili from this website.
http://delicioustv.com/2007/05/pumpkin-and-bulgur-chili/
It has inspired me to try and cook more non meat dishes, and not only use veggies as the side fiber, green component of our meals. I must say that there is quite a stigma out there about vegetarian foods. Like, OMG too healthy or it must be bland and not filling enough because there's no meat. In my eyes, no-meat dishes are intriguing and enticing because you know the flavors must be true to their character because the flavor's not coming from the meat in the dish.
I thought it would be fun to try making a vegetarian version of Ma Po Tofu.
Here's a good posting about what MaPo Tofu is from another blog here:
http://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-ma-po-tofu/
I thought that I would simply chop up all my veggies nice and small to mimic the sensation of the ground pork that's supposed to be in the dish. The final outcome? Quite similar, but calling it Vegetarian MaPo Tofu wouldn't do it any justice. So here's my recipe for:

Spicy Sauteed Minced Fresh Veggies with Soft Tofu

Ingredients:
carrots, celery onions, cremini mushrooms, tomato, green bell pepper- all minced to small dices
serrano chili, ginger, garlic- all minced fine
soft tofu- cut into small dice
hot bean paste
s&wp (white pepper)
sriracha
soy sauce
water

Once you've completed all the prep for this dish, it comes together very quickly.
Heat a little oil in a large pan and add chili, ginger and garlic to allow flavors to come out
add carrots, celery, onions, and bell pepper, s&wp and saute
add mushrooms and tomatoes, season with s&wp and saute more
add chili paste, sriracha, and soy sauce, mix about and add water,
let simmer for a few minutes
Enjoy over some hot steamy rice!

Simple Inspiration

On a recent trip to Seattle, I had the most lovely pasta dish at the Pink Door restaurant. It was so simple it's hard to describe how it could've been so good, but it was. It was listed on their menu under the pastas as this: "occhi di lupo caprese: a “room temperature” sauce of mozzarella burrata, heirloom tomatoes, trampetti olive oil & basilico"
The pasta was lusciously coated with the cheese and juice from the tomatoes and was just divine. I recreated the dish at home last night, and it was superb. Just barely cooking the tomatoes, basil, and cheese together makes for a dish that is at once refreshing and comforting, as all the flavors are kept pure. I also added some chopped garlic for good measure. Really good stuff.
In addition, I made some small pork meatballs on the side, for extra protein for my boyfriend.
Together with a side of salad, it made for a perfect quick meal. Thanks to the Pink Door for the inspiration~

the Pink Door's pasta

my pasta

Pasta with Moz, Tomatoes, and Basil

Ingredients:
pasta of choice- I used rotini- cooked minutes before sauce is ready- with about a cup and a half of pasta water reserved
fresh tomatoes- chopped in big chunks- or you can halve grape tomatoes
one big ball of mozzarella- cut up into cubes- usually can be found in the specially cheese area along with the brie
basil- chopped
garlic- minced-
S&P, pinch of sugar

Heat some olive oil in a pot, add the garlic, and saute a minute.
Add the chopped tomatoes, S&P and pinch of sugar
Let it come to a bubble- about another minute
Add the basil & stir about
Add pasta & some pasta water
Stir together- Add cheese and combine till just beginning to melt and serve

Tips:
#1 Add the pasta water to adjust the moistness of the pasta- there should be some creamy, tomatoey pinkish sauce in the bottom of the pot when you're done.
#2 I used Vietnamese basil because it was all I had, but it worked out wonderfully- it seems the basil flavor is more intense than regular basil.


Italian baked Pork Meatballs

Ingredients:
lean pork
egg
bread crumbs, italian seasoning, S&P, garlic powder, more dried basil and oregano, Parmesan cheese, touch of Worcestershire

Heat oven to 375F convection bake
Combine ingredients, and form small balls- I used a small cookie scoop
Place on pan and bake- less than 10 minutes depending on size of meatballs