I love stir-fry and eat it almost once a week because it's a quick and easy meal, but chicken and broccoli gets boring after a while. So last night I made my first foray into Thai cuisine with a Shrimp Pad Thai recipe from Joy of Cooking. I don't have the recipe in front of me right now as I type this, so I'll post it later. It turned out pretty good despite the fact that I used the skinniest rice noodles on the planet. I think I just misunderstood what the recipe called for -- next time I will use flatter noodles like you would be served if you ordered this at a restaurant. Rice stick noodles come in differing widths and thicknesses -- I bought the ones that looked like the noodles at the very top of the page when I should have bought the kind that is in the second picture just below.
I'm not sure why I get these wild hairs to cook on nights when I have no food in my kitchen, but again I found myself going to the grocery store at 7 o'clock. I ended up having to make two stops -- first at Whole Foods and then to Safeway. For some reason Whole Foods had every sprout except for bean sprouts (annoying) and their green onions left something to be desired. This was disappointing considering the main reason I choose Whole Foods over other grocery stores is because of the produce, but whatever. I will keep going because a trip to that grocery store makes me happy. Plus there is always wine and cheese to be tasted if you go at the dinner hour.
While I enjoyed what I made and was definitely pleased with myself for trying something new, this recipe was a little heavy on noodles and bordered on being too spicy. I will adjust accordingly next time. My poor little fingers were burning all evening from chopping two red chilis even after washing my hands several times. (I won't even talk about what happened when I went to take my contacts out later that evening.) It was also a lot of work for a weeknight meal -- I don't think I ate until almost 10! Making Pad Thai is not complicated, but there is a lot of prep involved, which basically all needs to be done prior to putting anything in your wok.
So for next time, I will probably just use one red chili since the recipe also calls for dried crushed red pepper flakes and black pepper on top of it. I will also get the flatter rice noodles, but use slightly less and add more sprouts. One thing I did do right: I paired my spicy din with beer. A little Stella Artois hit the spot! Did you know that Stella was a originally brewed as a Christmas beer in Belgium? It was named Stella from the star of Christmas. Random trivia for you to store away.
Readers of this blog (all three of you), has anyone ever tried making Pad Thai before? I'm interested to know about other recipes.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Penne with Vodka Sauce
This is a favorite of mine and I go by the recipe from my Joy of Cooking cookbook. It's a good date meal or perfect for one. You can make this dish any number of ways -- some like to add things like pancetta or grilled chicken to add more flavor. I personally like the pasta by itself, so that's how I make it. I usually serve this with some kind of arugula or mixed green salad and garlic bread. And, of course, no good pasta dish is complete without a bottle of red -- I like a zin with this, but what do I know? Gnarly Head is one that I sometimes pick up from Whole Foods.
Sorry, no photo. I was too hungry to take a picture the other week when I made this! Anyway, hope everyone is enjoying good eats over their holidays.
What you need:
-3 tablespoons olive oil
-1 onion, finely chopped (I usually just go with a regular, old yellow)
-2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
-1 28 oz. can of crushed San Marzano tomatoes
-1/4 vodka (I used Grey Goose b/c that's what I had on hand, but whatever you have lying around should work just fine)
-1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
-1/2 cup heavy cream (I have used half-and-half for this dish, too, but I'm partial to what the recipe calls for)
-1/2 - 1 box penne (depending on how many you are making this for, you can do a full box of pasta or half; if it's just me I usually just do half and enjoy the leftovers during the week)
-12 basil leaves chiffonaded
-freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
-salt and pepper to taste
So...heat your olive oil over medium to medium-high heat and saute your onion until it softens (say like 6 or 7 minutes). Toss your garlic in for another minute. Then, add to this your can of crushed tomatoes, the red pepper flakes and vodka. Reduce heat and simmer for ten minutes.
Meanwhile, in another part of Gotham (what?), bring a pot of water to boil for your penne. Remember to salt your water before adding the pasta (I usually dump a small palmful in). Cook to whatever the instructions on the box are for al dente pasta -- around 11 minutes I think. Before draining, reserve a 1/4 cup of the pasta water to mix into your sauce. (No, you don't have to do this, but everything I've learned from watching too many cooking shows says that adding a little pasta water to your sauce helps the liquid to stick to the pasta when you add it in, so like a good little lemming, I follow this rule of thumb).
After your sauce has simmered, stir in the heavy cream and heat through. (This is a good time to add in your pasta water if you're gonna.) Add salt and pepper to taste and then your chopped basil leaves. Stir in the pasta. Serve immediately with freshly grated Parmegiano-Reggiano. (Evidently, it is not traditional to grate cheese over this, but I love the flavor that it adds. What can I say, I love cheese!)
Sorry, no photo. I was too hungry to take a picture the other week when I made this! Anyway, hope everyone is enjoying good eats over their holidays.
What you need:
-3 tablespoons olive oil
-1 onion, finely chopped (I usually just go with a regular, old yellow)
-2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
-1 28 oz. can of crushed San Marzano tomatoes
-1/4 vodka (I used Grey Goose b/c that's what I had on hand, but whatever you have lying around should work just fine)
-1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
-1/2 cup heavy cream (I have used half-and-half for this dish, too, but I'm partial to what the recipe calls for)
-1/2 - 1 box penne (depending on how many you are making this for, you can do a full box of pasta or half; if it's just me I usually just do half and enjoy the leftovers during the week)
-12 basil leaves chiffonaded
-freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
-salt and pepper to taste
So...heat your olive oil over medium to medium-high heat and saute your onion until it softens (say like 6 or 7 minutes). Toss your garlic in for another minute. Then, add to this your can of crushed tomatoes, the red pepper flakes and vodka. Reduce heat and simmer for ten minutes.
Meanwhile, in another part of Gotham (what?), bring a pot of water to boil for your penne. Remember to salt your water before adding the pasta (I usually dump a small palmful in). Cook to whatever the instructions on the box are for al dente pasta -- around 11 minutes I think. Before draining, reserve a 1/4 cup of the pasta water to mix into your sauce. (No, you don't have to do this, but everything I've learned from watching too many cooking shows says that adding a little pasta water to your sauce helps the liquid to stick to the pasta when you add it in, so like a good little lemming, I follow this rule of thumb).
After your sauce has simmered, stir in the heavy cream and heat through. (This is a good time to add in your pasta water if you're gonna.) Add salt and pepper to taste and then your chopped basil leaves. Stir in the pasta. Serve immediately with freshly grated Parmegiano-Reggiano. (Evidently, it is not traditional to grate cheese over this, but I love the flavor that it adds. What can I say, I love cheese!)
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