Roasted Root Vegetables

Fruits are out of season, now it is the time to enjoy our seasonable root vegetables. During fall, we can easily stock up our pantry with a bag of potatoes, carrots, onions and yams. I also went to farmer's market to pick up some additional root vegetables that I never tried before. Celeriac (celery root) and rutabaga are the ones that I picked up. When I'm confronted to a foreign ingredient, I tend to look up in my mini food encyclopedia on how to choose the best and fresh ones. The encyclopedia also explains how to prepare the ingredient, where it is best use for, as well as the way to preserve it. Unfortunately, this book is only available in French as I am aware of.

I'm pretty sure we all love roasted vegetables, who doesn't? The idea of roasting vegetables might not seem obvious to everyone the first time, even for me. Once you read about it, all you really need is a bit of oil to coat the vegetables, sprinkle it with some spices and herbs to add a new dimension of flavours or to keep simple, simply season with salt and pepper. For this recipe, the quantity does not matter, use whatever you have available in your fridge.

Serves 12 for 6-8 lbs of vegetables

Inspired from Epicurious
Preparation Time: 30 mins
Baking Time: 1 hour 15 mins
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 large red onion
1 lb sweet potatoes, peeled
1 lb potatoes, unpeeled and scrubbed
1 lb carrots, peeled
1 lb celeriac, peeled
1 lb rutabagas, wax cut off
4 sprigs of rosemary, leaves removed from stem
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
10 garlic cloves, peeled

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 400F.

2. Cut all vegetables into 1-inch pieces. Place celeriac pieces into a bowl of water with lemon juice, immediately after cutting to prevent from browning.

3. Combine all vegetables and rosemary leaves in a large bowl. Drizzle enough olive oil and toss vegetables to coat.

4. Transfer vegetables to a baking pan. If two baking pans are necessary, place one rack in the center of oven and one in the bottom third. Roast for 30 mins, stirring and turning occasionally.

5. Reverse the positions of baking sheets. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add garlic cloves. Continue roasting for 45 mins until tender, stirring and turning occasionally.

White Bean Potato Purée

What side dishes would you serve along with pork tenderloin or roast beef? This was the question that I asked in my last post on Pork Tenderloin. As I get more experience in cooking and baking, I tend to find new focus and directions which I feel that I am lacking, something that I haven't mastered yet. It is always fun to explore new stuff, otherwise life would so boring. Same goes for science, once we are done with one project, we want to work on new ones with the acquired skills and knowledge from our previous project. This is how science usually advances.

In fancy restaurants and in cooking shows, main dishes are always served with a sauce and a side dish that  the flavors go well together. As you can see, I'm starting to explore different combination of side dishes that would complement well with mains. Since you viewers come from different part of the world, it was very interesting to see how you would respond to this question. There were some basic and quick side dishes that you have mentioned such as mashed and roasted potatoes, rice, pasta and greens. A few of you have mentioned grilled and sautéed asparagus, this is something that haven't tried yet, seems like it is a common side dish for Westerners. Thanks for all your response, I greatly appreciate it.

I would not ask this question for no reason if I haven't made one myself. Mashed potatoes are perfect when they are light and fluffy, even better when milk and butter is added. A good alternative is to use white beans. Since they have a very similar texture to potatoes once cooked, they are excellent sources of fiber! This mashed white bean potato dish complements well with any saucy dishes, a lighter and healthier alternative to mashed potatoes.

Serves 6

Preparation Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: 15 mins
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

2 red-skinned or russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 can (14 oz.) navy or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

2 garlic cloves for garlic paste

1/2 tsp ground rosemary (or any other herbs like thyme and oregano)

Salt and pepper

Procedure

1. In a medium pot, place potatoes and cover with water. Boil until potatoes are tender, about 10 mins.

2. Meanwhile, prepare garlic paste. Check this video for preparation. Garlic paste has a finer and smoother texture than minced garlic.

3. Turn heat to medium-low and add in beans. Simmer for 2-3 mins.

4. Drain until about 1/3 cup of cooking water remains. Add in garlic paste and herbs.

5. Purée mixture with an immersion blender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Guacamole with Baked Tortilla Chips

What is your favorite Mexican dish? When it comes to Mexican night, there is no doubt that guacamole should be in the menu. Guacamole is so versatile that there is a million possible ways to make it.  It can be very spicy or mild, chunky or mashed, and made with lots or little seasoning. I guess that the best guacamole is the one personally made by you, the one that represents yourself. 

As an experimental physicist, I do enjoy playing with flavors and see whether or not they will satisfy my palette. Guacamole is one of these dishes that it is almost impossible to mess up as no cooking is required. It is all about combining fresh ingredients. 

Here is some general facts to remember in making a good guacamole. Always use ripe avocados. For ripeness check, avocado will yield when a gentle squeeze is applied. If not ready, one can quickly ripen the avocados by wrapping it in aluminium foil and place it in a dry and warm/hot spot (Mexican trick). The process can vary between 1-2 days. Tomatoes are essential to provide a fresh and juicy taste. I personally prefer white onion as it yields lots of flavors without overpowering the other ingredients. I don't really like spicy food so no chili peppers are added. Finally, salt is the key to enhance all these flavors.

For a healthier option, don't buy chips at your local supermarket, instead buy some flour tortillas and make your own homemade tortilla chips. Healthy and simple!

Serves 6

Preparation Time: 10 mins

Baking Time: 6-8 mins (tortilla chips)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

8 flour tortillas, cut into 6 triangles

8 ripe avocados, seeded

1 medium tomatoes, diced

1 medium white onion, diced

1 lime, juiced

1 tsp salt

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 375F. 

2. Line aluminum foil on a cookie sheet. Bake tortillas for 6-8 mins until golden brown and crispy.

3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine avocados, tomatoes, white onion and lime juice. Mash it with a fork until desired texture. Add salt to taste.

4. Remove tortilla chips from the oven and cool for 1 min before serving.

Coconut Fish Stew

When I started to learn how to cook other than Chinese food, my first cookbook is The Illustrated Kitchen Bible. Once I opened this book, it already sold me to buy this book as each recipe contains a mouth-watering picture. Great for beginners as all the basic food preparation techniques can be found in the last section of the book. Every recipe I tested so far turns out perfect and I never stop loving this book. I also convince some of my friends to buy this book, even my Taiwanese friend Chris owns a copy of it. 

Since October, Chris attended culinary school. On the first day, he had to learn the basic cutting techniques. In order to put his skills to the test, he chose to make a coconut fish stew. This dish is a traditional Brazilian fish stew which combines fresh bell peppers and tomatoes, and enriched with coconut milk. This can be served with a side of lime-flavored salsa. His knife skills were not too bad, so I'm giving him, just for now, a B+. Also, as a chef, he needs to practice a lot on food presentation. This is also true in my case as a food photographer to see how a dish should be presented and apply correctly the rules of photo composition.

Serves 6
Adapted from The Illustrated Kitchen Bible

Preparation Time: 20 mins

Cooking Time: 30 mins
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

3 tomatoes, skinned and cut into wedges

1 red bell pepper, julienned

1 green bell pepper, julienned

1 cup coconut milk

1 tbsp tomato paste

750g cod (or any white fish), cut into 2-inch pieces

salt and pepper

Salsa

1 tomato, diced

1 small red onion, diced

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp olive oil

Procedure

1. In a pot, heat oil over medium heat. Cook onion until transparent, about 5 mins. 

2. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add tomatoes and bell peppers. Stir occasionally and cook until softened, about 15 mins.

3. Stir in coconut milk and tomato paste. Bring it to a boil. Add in the fish and cook until opaque, about 5 mins. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Make the salsa. Combine all ingredients in a serving bowl.

5. Serve fish stew with the salsa.

My 200th post - The Chinese Feast

Olé! Olé! This is the official 200th post on Random Cuisine. I'm currently writing this post in the bus as I'm heading to Ottawa to visit my PhD superviseur. This is the start of a whole new chapter of my scientific career and an opportunity to explore new branches in nanotechonology, the field of research which I really enjoy doing research on.

In October, I was really pumped to start my new research and I had planned my farewell party three weeks before the departure date. A few days before the farewell party, I received an e-mail from the institute that I can't work due to "security issues" and these issues should be cleared by the month of February. I felt heart broken, but at least my life as a graduate student is not ruined. I can still pursue research at McGill with my Master's superviseur while the institute resolved these bureaucratic issues. Well, the new graduate students of my "old" research group are glad that I can share my scientific know-how. My friends are also glad that I continue organizing weekly cooking sessions which  have been running for over 2 years now. As I can't officially start working in Ottawa, occasional visit like the one right now and e-mail exchange with my PhD superviseur are the only possible solutions. Life is full of ups and downs. We have to live by our choices and let the dice rolls.

Despite these unfortunate circumstances, I didn't want to cancel the "farewell" party after weeks of planning the menu and food preparations. Here is the final version of the menu:

Soup

Ginseng Soup

Appetizers

Vietnamese Rolls

Pork Dumplings

Vegetarian

Mixed Chinese Vegetables

Singapore Noodles

Choy Sum (Chinese Leafy Greens)

Meat

Sweet Glutinous Rice

Curried Pork Chops

Sauteed Beef with Sugar Snaps

Shrimp in Rice Wine Sauce

Stuffed Eggplants in Oyster Sauce

Roasted Turkey

Desserts

Hong Kong Egg Tarts

The menu is a tour of some traditional dishes usually found in real Chinese restaurants. These dishes would not be realized without the help of my brother and my parents. I can guarantee you this Chinese feast can feed up to 50 guests. At the end of the night, everyone was really full and ended up bringing 2-3 large tupperwares of leftovers home.

Warning: the following images can make you drool. I simplify some of the recipes to 4-6 servings, the images might or might not be representative. I don't have all the recipes in hand, they will be updated in the future. Sorry for the incovenience...

Ginseng Soup

A traditional Chinese herbal soup which consists of ginseng cooked in homemade chicken stock. The soup tastes a little bit bitter and provide health benefits (according to my parents).

Vietnamese Rolls

A refreshing appetizer which consists of rice noodles, thinly sliced vegetables, and Chinese mushrooms (wood ear, shiitake, cloud ear) which are then wrapped in rice paper. These rolls can be dipped in either soy sauce or plum sauce. You can find this recipe in one of my past post found here.

Pork Dumplings

This appetizer is suitable for dim sum lovers, my mom loves to make it for breakfast when ground pork is on special. This filling is customizable, you can find alternative ones such as Assorted Mushroom Dumplings and Steamed Gyoza. Here is our family version of the filling:

Serves 6

Preparation Time: 1hour

Cooking Time: 10 mins per dumpling

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1lb ground pork
3-4 shrimp, deveined and deshelled

4 oz. nappa, finely diced

3 shiitake mushrooms, finely diced (optional)

1-2 tbsp Chinese chives, finely diced

1/2 tsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Pinch of sugar

Procedure

1. In a large bowl, combine well filling ingredients. Cover and place in fridge for 30 mins.

2. Place a teaspoonful of filling in center of each wrapper. Moisten edges of wrapper with water. Fold in half to enclose filling and pinch edges to seal.

3. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Arrange dumplings in pan, avoid overlapping. Cook for 2 mins until light golden.

4. Add about 1 cup water to pan, cover and cook for 5 mins. Uncover and let liquid evaporates, about 1 min. Serve hot.

Mixed Chinese Vegetables

This will sure satisfy your vegetarian guests. This dish contains broccolis, carrots, fried tofus, lotus roots and, shiitake mushrooms cooked in a light soy sauce.

Singapore Noodles

Curried vermicelli noodles consist of a blend of vegetables. Meat such as chicken, pork and shrimp can be added to the dish. This recipe will be added soon...

Choy Sum (Chinese Leafy Greens)

A classic Chinese vegetable mainly found in Chinese market. You only need to cook these vegetables in boiling water with 2 crushed garlic cloves. It is fully cooked once it changes from light to dark green. These are usually served with a drizzle of oyster sauce and light soy sauce.

Sweet Glutinous Rice

This rice requires an overnight soaking before employing it. Once ready, the rice is then cooked in a rice cooker. Chinese sausages, dried prawns, shiitake mushrooms and soy sauce are then mixed with the rice to provide a sweet and salty taste.

Curried Pork Chops

This dish is a family favorite, all you need is to marinade the pork chops in curry and it is ready to use for your next meal. The recipe can be found here.

Sauteed Beef with Sugar Snaps

I love my mother's marinated beef. If you need to make a quick dinner, this is it and complement it with rice and vegetables.

Serves 4

Preparation Time: 10 mins

Marinade Time: 30 mins

Cooking Time: 10 mins

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1/2 lb beef tenderloin, thinly sliced

Marinade

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tsp cornstarch

1 tsp rice wine

2 tsp ginger, cut into matchsticks size

1 garlic clove, minced

200g sugar snaps or snow peas, ends removed

1/2 cup beef stock

2 tsp oyster sauce

1/2 tsp cornstarch + 1 tbsp water

Procedure

1. In a bowl, combine marinade with beef. Cover and let it marinate for 30 mins.

2. In a wok, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add beef and sauteed for about 2 mins. Set aside.

3. Add in sugar snaps, sauteed for few seconds. Add oyster sauce and beef stock. Cover and cook for 2 mins.

4. Meanwhile, make slurry by mixing cornstarch and water.

5. Return beef to wok. Add in slurry to thicken. Mix well and serve.

Shrimp in Rice Wine Sauce

A classic Chinese dish which consists of shrimp cooked in a rice wine sauce.

Stuffed Eggplants with Oyster Sauce

This is Japanese eggplants stuffed with grinded shrimp and fish. All is cooked in a rich oyster sauce.

Hong Kong Egg Tarts - Dan Tat

What is the best way to end this Chinese feast? Even with a hyper full stomach, there is always room for desserts. See my post on Hong Kong Egg Tarts - Dan Tat for details.

This is all folks! I hope you enjoyed reading this one in a lifetime 200th post!

Tropical Tabbouleh

Organizing cooking sessions for over two years made me realized that we do not eat enough vegetables. For the past few sessions and the following ones, a salad course is added to the menu along with the usual full course meal. To continue with the letter T theme, my Brazilian friend has chosen to make a tropical tabbouleh, a fresh and fruity salad which can be used as sides to calm down the heat of spicy foods.

Serves 8
Preparation Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: 45 mins
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups bulgar wheat
1/4 cup lemon or lime juice
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper

2-3 spring onions, diced

2 tomatoes, seeded and cubed

1 cucumber, cubed

1 cup pineapple, cubed
2 mangos, cubed

Procedure

1. In a bowl, soak bulgar wheat in boiling water until soft to bite, about 45 mins. Drain with a colander.

2. In another bowl, combine lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Add in cooked bulgar.

3. Stir in spring onions, tomatoes, cucumber, pineapple and mangos. Serve.

Thanksgiving Dinner 2010

Happy Thanksgiving! Finally, this is the time to enjoy great meal with great company. This year, one of my friend was lending his place to cook a full Thanksgiving meal with colleagues. As can be seen on the plate, the meal includes the traditional turkey stuffed with bread and raisin, tofurkey for the vegetarian (and non-vegetarian) and homemade cranberry sauce. We also have candied yams even though it is a dish found in American Thanksgiving. In total, we were 12 people and we had lots of leftovers at the end of the evening. Here are a couple of recipes that are not found in this blog.

For the first time, I made cranberry sauce from scratch and I was amazed how the taste differs from canned cranberries. A hint of orange juice is used instead of water.

Cranberry Orange Sauce

Makes 4 cups of sauce
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 12oz. bag of fresh or frozen cranberries, pale ones removed
1/2 cup sugar
2 oranges, juiced and zested
1 cinnamon stick

Procedure

1. Place all ingredients in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Simmer until cranberries burst and sauce thickens, about 15 mins. Adjust sweetness if necessary.

2. Cool and refrigerate or serve at room temperature. Remove cinnamon stick.


What can I say more about this dish, it was yummy and gooey. You can find a quick Candied Yams recipe from one of my past post. Here is a not-so-long version of candied yams. Thanks to my friend for providing pictures of his dish.

Candied Yams

Serves 12

Preparation Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: 40 mins

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

4 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 1/4 cups margarine
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 cups marshmallows
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Grease a 13''x9'' baking pan.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add sweet potatoes and boil until slightly undercooked, about 15 mins. Drain and cool.

3. In a large saucepan, heat margarine over medium heat. Add in brown sugar, 2 cups marshmallows, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cook until marshmallows are melted, stir occasionally.

4. Mash half of sweet potatoes. Stir in mashed and chunk-sized potatoes into marshmallow sauce. Pour into baking pan.

5. Bake for 15 mins. Remove from oven and cover evenly with marshmallows. Return to oven, bake until marshmallows are golden brown.

This dish is made by a Paraguayan friend. Don't get fooled by its name as it is not a soup, but a Paraguayan version of cornbread. A fun story is found on wiki where this dish is designated as a "solid soup". I think what special about this cornbread is that cheese are mixed with the batter to give a cheesy bite. I'm not sure if that is the case for other variations of cornbread.  

Sopa Paraguaya (Paraguayan Soup)

Serves 12

Preparation Time: 15 mins

Baking Time: 40 mins

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

2 large onions, chopped

1 tbsp salt

6 eggs

2 lb corn flour

4 cups milk

1 can corn kernels

500g mild cheese, grated (gouda, cheddar and/or ricotta)

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook onions until soft but not brown, add a bit of water if necessary. Season with salt. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, beat eggs and mix in onions, corn flour, milk, corn kernels and cheese.

4. The mixture should be liquid. Add milk if necessary. Pour batter to a greased 13''x9'' baking pan.

5. Bake for 40 mins or until it passes the toothpick test.

Tofurkey

When I watch Thanksgiving event on Food Network, it is all about roasting or deep fried the turkey. I was shocked that there is a "turkey" version for vegetarian made out of tofu stuffed with whole wheat bread crumb and wild rice. I really enjoyed it and tasted strangely like turkey. This tofurkey is bought from the Tofurky brand.

Here is how it looks like once cooked, it resembles a lot like a roast.

This is how it looks inside when carved. If you want an alternative to turkey for the next Thanksgiving, this is it!

Finally, for the meatarians, I have to admit that this is my first attempt of roasting a turkey. It is also my first time carving a turkey. Usually, in every Thanksgiving, my mother roasts the turkey and always ended to be very juicy and flavorful. For the first time, Thanksgiving happens at my friend's place, I have to conquer the fear of roasting and carving the turkey. For a fully cooked and tasty turkey, the rule is to roast for 15 mins/pound and baste the turkey every 20 mins. This recipe is inspired from allrecipes.com. To carve the turkey or any poultry, the easiest way is to use a sharp knife and carve along the bones.

Perfect Turkey with Apple Stuffing

Preparation Time: 30 mins

Roasting Time: 3 hours for 12lb turkey
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 whole turkey, neck and giblets removed
3-4 tbsp salt
1/2 cup butter or olive oil
1/2 cup water
Vegetables (carrots, onions, celery), cut in half or in quarters

Stuffing
4 cups sweet apples, peeled, cored and chopped
3 cups sliced almonds
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 1/2 cups chopped celery
1/2 cup margarine
2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp zaatar
6-8 slices whole wheat bread, cubed
2 cups raisins
1 cup apple juice
2 eggs, beaten

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. In a large skillet, sauté apples, almonds, onion and celery in margarine for 5 mins. Remove from heat. Add in salt, cinnamon and zaatar.

3. In a large bowl, combine bread cubes, raisins and apple mixture. Mix in apple juice and eggs.

4. Season turkey inside and out with salt. Rub turkey with butter or olive oil. Place breast side down in a roasting pan. Use half of the stuffing and place it inside the turkey cavity. Pour water and scatter vegetables at the bottom of the roasting pan.

5. Cover with aluminium foil and roast for 3 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 180F. Carefully turn the turkey breast side up at about 2/3 of its roasting time. Baste turkey every 20 mins. Let it rest for 30 mins before carving.

6. Bake remaining stuffing, covered, for 30 mins. Uncover, bake for an additional 10 mins until lightly golden brown. 

This is pretty much all of it. Happy Thanksgiving!