Sauteed Chinese Mustard Greens

I think Mustard Greens are an acquired taste.  I love them now, but as a child, I tried some raw and they tasted very bitter. However, I ate them in many ways without knowing it and my favorite was when they were salted, which we called Pickled Vegetables.  Now that I'm a lot older, I've grown to love all the bitter greens, even when they are raw and I think Mustard Greens are a lot like Arugula - wonderfully peppery and spicy.  I've also learned to cook them with just a pinch of sugar, as that times their bite. They go wonderfully with any fatty meat and are very good for you. They are part of the Brassica family, which are all anti-cancer vegetables and are full of vitamins. In Chinese Medicine, they are considered good for treating bladders and bleeding.  In this recipe, I sauteed them with lightly browned onions for extra sweetness and also some garlic slices. I finished the Mustard Greens with a bit of chicken broth and toasted Sesame Oil.  It's a wonderful vegetable to add to your repertoire!

Sauteed Chinese Mustard Greens

1 big bunch Mustard Greens, washed

1/2 onion, sliced into small pieces

2 large garlic cloves slice)

1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil (I used Safflower)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 cup Chicken Broth

1/2 teaspoon Toasted Sesame Oil

Pull the leafy part of the Mustard Greens off the ribs and tear into small pieces.  Heat a wok or large frying pan and add in the oil.  Put in the onions and garlic slices and stir until the onions begin to brown and caramelize (be careful not to burn the garlic slices).  Add in the Mustard Greens and the salt and sugar.  Stir until the Mustard Greens wilt.  Add in the Chicken Broth and cook a few minutes longer until most of the broth cooks away. Sprinkle with Toasted Sesame Oil and serve.

Five Element Analysis

Mustard Greens are leafy greens so they belong primarily to the Wood Element but the bitterness of this vegetable makes it a Fire food as well.  The onion because it caramelizes and gets sweet belongs to the Earth Element and the sugar adds a little bit more. The garlic contributes the Metal Element and the Sesame Oil contributes just a bit of the Water Element.  This is the primarily a Wood/Fire food and is a good addition to a meal with a main dish that is a Water Element, like pork with some rice for some more of the Metal Element.

Rosti

A few years ago, I spent a lot of time in Switzerland and one of the special Swiss dishes I grew to love was Rosti. Now, to someone from the United States, Rosti looks an awful lot like Hash Browns, but the Swiss deny the similarity and lay claim to this wonderful potato dish.  It's potatoes that are grated and then cooked in a frying pan that ends up forming a big potato cake.  It's a bit tricky to turn over, but if it falls apart, you can push it back together and brown it some more.  Now many people in Switzerland use cold cooked potatoes, but I learned to make it from a Swiss friend with raw potatoes and I like it better.  I cooked it in a cast iron frying pan because it takes high heat well. The only thing that is tricky is to remove some of the starch from the grated potatoes or the Rosti can get a bit gummy.  It takes a while to cook but you don't have to do anything except watch it cook and flip it once.  Then slide it onto a serving plate and cut it into wedges.  It's simply seasoned with just salt, but my sons like to use Aromat, a German seasoning that takes like powdered Hollandaise sauce on top. Ketchup would be allowed if you are from the US, but that makes it more like Hash Browns and I think it is perfect just the way it is - potato wedges that are crisp on the outside and soft on the inside - Yum!

Rosti

4 medium potatoes, peeled and grated

4 Tablespoons vegetable oil (I used High Heat Safflower)

Salt to taste

Place grated potatoes in a mesh colander and squeeze until the juice is released. Then heat a 10" cast iron skillet (or other frying pan) and add the oil.  When oil is hot, put in the grated potatoes. Stir fry the potatoes for a few minutes then pat down.  Cook until the bottom is very crispy and brown - about 10 to 15 minutes.  Then turn over the Rosti with a spatula.  Don't worry if it breaks, just turn it all and then push it back together and pat down again. Sprinkle with salt. Cook that side until the potatoes are also crispy and brown. Slide the Rosti onto a plate and cut into wedges.  Rosti may take up to 30 minutes to cook so plan your other dishes accordingly.

Five Element Analysis

Potatoes belong to the Earth Element and since that's all this dish is composed of, Rosti is best served as a side dish in a meal that incorporates the other elements.  Potatoes are grounding and are considered a cooling food. They strengthen the spleen and stomach and increase qi, so they are considered quite healthy for you too!

Chopped Vegetable Salad

This is one of those salads that is born out of necessity.  I needed a vegetable side to go with a Roast Pork Tenderloin. The pork was marinated in Chinese flavors and the rice was cooking away in the rice cooker. I felt like having a salad but didn't have any lettuce so I  poked through my vegetable bin and found carrots, cucumber and red peppers. I combined them with a vaguely Asian salad dressing made with Seasoned Rice Wine Vinegar and a light flavored Oil and it made a lovely side salad.  The recipe was requested by my son so I decided to post it even though it is incredibly simple.  So if you are looking for an easy and fast salad, try this one.

Chopped Vegetable Salad

2 large carrots, peeled, trimmed and cut into thin slices (cut in half if large carrots)
1 small red onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced fine
1 English Cucumber, ends trimmed and cut into quarters and then chunks about 1/2"
1 large or 2 small Red Peppers, stem and seeds removed and cut into small pieces (1/2")
Optional: 1 Red Jalapeno, stem and seeds removed, minced or 1/4 tsp Red Pepper flakes
2 Tablespoons Seasoned Rice Wine Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil (I used Sunflower)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Whisk together the Seasoned Rice Wine Vinegar and Olive Oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Put all the cut vegetables into a serving bowl and pour dressing over. Toss to coat.  Let salad sit for at least 15 minutes up until several hours, but refrigerate if waiting to serve it.

Five Element Analysis

Carrots belong to the Earth Element and so do the Cucumbers.  The Red Onion and garlic contribute the Metal Element and the Red Peppers bring in the Fire Element.  The Wood Element is represented by the Rice Vinegar and Olive Oil.  Only the Water Element is missing so make some pork as I did or some seafood or serve this salad with soup to make a balanced meal.

Muhamarra - Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Dip

It was my son's birthday today and I decided to make him some of his favorite foods.  He's quite partial to Greek food so we roasted a leg of lamb and made some lemon chicken along with a big Greek salad and some rice pilaf.  But for starters, I made some Hummus, some Eggplant Dip and Muhamarra, which is Roasted Peppers combined with walnuts.  It's a simple preparation that only requires that the peppers are roasted ahead.  Then it's a quick buzz in the Cuisinart and it's ready to go. I adapted this recipe from one I found on Epicurious. I like to make it a little ahead of time to let the flavors meld.  I served it with Pita bread for the wheat eaters and gluten free crackers for me.  This is an amazing dip that if you haven't tried, you need to!  It's incredibly satisfying in some deep primal way. It's one of those foods that you just can't get enough of and I definitely didn't make enough as it was the first to be eaten up.  I'm making it again soon!

Muhamarra

2 large Red Bell Peppers

1 cup Walnuts

3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (reserve a little for drizzling on top)

1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

1 Tablespoon Sugar

1 Tablespoon Paprika

1/2 teaspoon Cumin

1 teaspoon Salt

1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Cut Red Peppers in half and remove seeds. Place skin side out on baking dish.  Put in the oven and cook until the skin is blistered and beginning to blacken.  Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 10 - 15 minutes.  Then remove skin and place the peppers in the Cuisinart.  Add the walnuts, olive, oil, lemon juice, Paprika, Sugar, Cumin, Salt and Cayenne Pepper. Blend until smooth. 

Place in a bowl and drizzle with reserved olive oil and garnish with a few Walnut halves. Serve with Pita Bread, Pita Chips or crackers of your choice.

Five Element Analysis

Red Peppers, Paprika and Cayenne Pepper belong to the Fire Element and Walnuts represent the Water Element so those elements are covered. The Olive Oil and Lemon Juice bring in the Wood Element. The Earth Element is shown in the small amount of Sugar and the Cumin contributes some of the Metal Element. Although all the elements are present, the Earth and Metal Elements need some support so be sure to serve foods from those elements during the meal.

Korean Spinach Salad

I had a Chinese New Year's Party for the Year of the Horse with a few close friends and I served many of my usual lucky foods. But, every year I try to bring in a couple of new dishes to keep it from being too repetitive.  However, like Thanksgiving, many of my friends like to know that they get to have their favorite dishes again. So this year I experimented with the greens. First, I offered more because horses eat greens so they are luckier than usual.  And, second, I brought in some foods from other Asian cultures rather than focusing just on Chinese dishes. I also needed something that was fast and could be made ahead since so many things had to be heated and cooked at the last minute. So, I went with Korean Spinach Salad which has always been a favorite of mine at Korean Barbecue restaurants.  Like many Korean dishes, it combines, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and sugar.  And it literally takes a few minutes to prepare.  It's really that simple and so delicious!

Korean Spinach Salad

2 pounds of Spinach, washed and stems cut off

4 Tablespoons Soy Sauce (I used Tamari + a little extra salt)

2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil

4 cloves of garlic minced

4 Tablespoons of Sugar

2 Tablespoons Sesame Seeds

Bring a pot of water to boil and put spinach in for 30 seconds.  Rinse with cold water and squeeze gently to remove most of the water. Mix together the sauce ingredients and pour over the spinach.  Stir to mix and sprinkles with sesame seeds.  Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Five Element Analysis

Spinach as a leafy green belongs the Wood Element.  The Soy Sauce (or Tamari), Sesame OIl and Sesame Seeds belong to the Water Element. The  sugar brings in a bit of the Earth Element and the garlic contributes the Metal Element. Only the Fire Element is missing and this dish is usually served alongside spicy Kimchi so that creates a balance.

Clams in Thai Red Curry Sauce

For Chinese New Year, it is very important to cook lucky foods and one of the foods I usually forget to cook are clams. Theyy are supposed to increase the ability to hold onto money, primarily because they have such a strong little muscle that keeps their shells closed.  So last night I made Clams in a Thai Red Curry Sauce for the first day of Chinese New Year.  Coconut milk and Red Thai Curry paste makes a beautiful sauce that goes well over rice.   I had a similar version of this dish at Ray's Boathouse and have been thinking of making something like it ever since.  So, here's my attempt and it was the dish we enjoyed the most at our New Year's dinner - we all drank the broth from the shells, it was that good.  And hopefully, this dish will help make us luckier this year too

Clams in Thai Red Curry Sauce

1 garlic clove, minced

1 shallot, sliced

1 Tablespoon Oil

One 14-oz can unsweetened coconut milk

½ cup diluted chicken broth

2 Tablespoons Fish Sauce

2 Tablespoons Thai Red Curry Paste

1 Tablespoon Sugar

2 pounds small clams

2 Tablespoons chopped Thai Basil

2 Tablespoons chopped Cilantro

1 lime, cut into wedges

In a large pot, cook the garlic and shallot slices in oil until the shallots becomes translucent. Stir in the coconut milk, the chicken broth, the fish sauce, the cury paste and the sugar.  Bring to a boil and add the clams. Cover and cook until the clams open – 3 to 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat and sprinkle with Thai Basil and Cilantro.  Serve with steamed white rice and lime wedges.

Five Element Analysis

Clams belong to the Water Element and the fish sauce adds even more, so that element is fully represented.  The lime and chicken broth brings in the Wood Element. The Red Curry Paste represents the Fire Element, whereas the coconut milk contributes the Earth Element.  The Thai Basil and Cilantro along with the rice make sure that the Metal Element is also present.  So, this becomes a balanced bowl of good luck that’s delicious too!