Recipes

Sesame and Ginger Red Salsa

April 25, 2012 by The Partial Ingredients

It has been in my head for a few days to try some tex-mex/Korean fusion dishes. This salsa is a great start because it combines elements of Korean cooking in a standard tomato based salsa. This recipe is anything but standard as the flavors are really dynamic and tasty! It takes a little bit longer to prepare as the tomatoes, jalapenos, and tomatillos roast for about 15 minutes. Gochujang is used in this salsa, giving it a nice spicy/smoky flavor. The garlic, ginger, sesame oil and seeds also provide great flavors in this salsa. After roasting everything, the ingredients are strained and thrown in a food processor or blender to puree.

…

Cilantro and Lime Salsa

April 24, 2012 by The Partial Ingredients

This is a simple and easy condiment that can go on almost any taco, burrito, or tex-mex dish. The salsa is fresh and clean with just a hint of olive oil. It would go great with chips as well.

…

Curried Bread

April 21, 2012 by The Partial Ingredients

Curried bread is a simple yeast bread seasoned with turmeric and aromatic spices. I used a blend of cayenne, ginger, paprika, cinnamon, cumin and turmeric. The turmeric gives the bread its bright yellow color (and will also stain your clothes, counter tops, etc). The bread looks like a normal loaf before cutting into it. After cutting, the beautiful yellow center reveals itself. The bread is light and fluffy and smelled so good when it was baking. It reminded me a lot of the Curried Yogurt Rolls I made recently as it had a similar color and flavor. I chose this bread to go with the Coconut Curry Soup and it tasted great together.

…

Roasted Tomato, Mozzarella and Pancetta Pizza on a Rosemary Focaccia Crust

April 19, 2012 by The Partial Ingredients

When I made Parmesan and Rosemary Focaccia bread a few days ago I looked at the flat dough and I couldn’t help but think of a pizza crust. I kept thinking about how great it would be to make a pizza out of this bread and load it with tasty toppings. I relayed the idea to John and we brainstormed toppings to go on a focaccia pizza. I thought that real tomatoes instead of a sauce would be better since focaccia is traditionally a sandwich bread. John had the great idea of roasting them in the oven for 20 minutes with olive oil and garlic, giving the tomatoes an almost sun-dried flavor. We also decided that pouring a little mixture of olive oil and balsamic vinegar on the crust would be a great way to infuse the balsamic vinegar into the dough. The crust was then pre-baked to get it nice and crispy. To add some smoky flavor I tossed on some pancetta which was sauteed for a few minutes with garlic. The pancetta is fairly salty so I would recommend not adding any extra salt to this pizza. The pizza turned out really well and I can’t wait to make this again!

…

Red Lentil and Coconut Curry Soup

April 17, 2012 by The Partial Ingredients

Soups and curries are two of my favorite things and I knew I had to give this recipe a try. The flavors remind me a lot of Thai curries since the soup’s base is coconut milk. I used an Indian Garam Masala with Turmeric to give it a spicy, aromatic flavor. I toasted the spices with a few arbol chilies and ground them all together. The soup was really easy to make and all it really requires is a few hours for the ingredients to cook together. The result was a delicious and filling soup with nice coconut and curry flavors. The soup is surprisingly filling due to the rich broth and the high protein foods like chickpeas and lentils. I garnished a bowl with a drop of coconut milk, cilantro and sliced jalapeno. Plain yogurt would work great as a garnish as well. The soup goes well with rice, couscous, quinoa, or bread.
…

Parmesan and Rosemary Focaccia Bread

April 16, 2012 by The Partial Ingredients

Focaccia bread is great for sandwiches and as a side dish with dinner. This bread is yeast based and, as always, it requires a little more time to prepare. The result however is a tasty, flat(ish) bread that is flavored with rosemary and olive oil. I topped the bread with a little grated parmigiano-reggiano and the cheese got nicely brown and crispy. I dipped the bread in a little balsamic vinegar and olive oil and it worked great as an appetizer.

…

Garlic and Balsamic Roasted Brussel Sprouts

April 13, 2012 by The Partial Ingredients

I was one of the weird kids who actually liked brussel sprouts (and beets and tofu!) For the majority of kids who grew into adulthood never liking brussel sprouts this recipe might change your mind. It’s a simple preparation of tossing the sprouts in olive oil, balsamic vinegar and garlic. The garlic roasts and becomes from fragrant while the balsamic vinegar caramelizes the brussel sprouts. The outside should be a tiny bit crunchy, not soft. The result is savory and delicious. The recipe would work great with pine nuts, walnuts, or parmesan cheese as well.

…

Creole Crab Cake Sandwich with Remoulade Sauce

April 10, 2012 by The Partial Ingredients

Crab cakes are delicious on their own and even better on a sandwich. I cooked the crab cakes Louisiana-style with a creole seasoning spice blend and tangy creole mustard. For the sauce I went with a traditional Remoulade which is great on seafood. Remoulade is easy to make and the primary ingredients are mayonnaise, ketchup, horseradish and lemon juice. The flavors of the remoulade were really tasty with the flavors of the crab cake. The buns were buttered and toasted for several minutes on the broil setting in the oven. I served the crab cake on a bun with lettuce and tomato and plenty of the remoulade.

…

White Bean, Kale and Pancetta Soup

April 9, 2012 by The Partial Ingredients

I have been trying to eat more “super foods” lately and one vegetable I never think to buy is kale. Kale reminds me a lot of spinach when it’s cooked so I thought a hearty Italian soup with kale would fit together nicely. This recipe is a peasant style soup with white beans, potatoes, veggies, and Italian bacon. I added a little red pepper flakes, fresh herbs, and lemon zest to brighten up the broth and the result was a really tasty, hearty stew! I decided to use chickpeas and cannellini beans but you can use any variety of white bean you like. The soup is garnished with Italian parsley and a few slices of parmigiano reggiano. I served the soup with a couple thick slices of Parmesan Potato Bread and the two together were delicious.

…

Parmesan Potato Bread

April 8, 2012 by The Partial Ingredients

Making yeast based breads is a fun challenge as the bread needs time to rise and plenty of kneading. For me the process of making bread is relaxing and the end result really satisfying! This bread is a potato bread with the added flavor of Parmesan cheese in the dough. The recipe is easy to follow and baking the loaf in the oven produced amazing aromas. The bread is just a tiny bit flaky on the outside and fluffy on the inside. I was looking for a good dipping bread to go with an Italian soup and this was a great recipe for that meal. Dipping the bread in the broth enhanced its flavor even more. I chose to make one extra large loaf which results in long and thin pieces of bread. The size of the slices were perfect for dipping but if you wanted to make more of a sandwich bread cut the dough into two smaller loaves. I can’t wait to make this bread again!

…