Chinese noodles with turkey and bok choy

This week, there was an article in The SF Chronicle about how versatile noodles are and how you can make so many inexpensive dishes with them. They had a few great looking recipes for stir fry, so I modified a little to make this recipe. The original recipe called for ground lamb, but I opted for all white meat turkey because it's January and I am still trying to be good this year;) I had never cooked with 'Mirin' before, but this Japanese rice wine turned out to be the key flavor in the dish. I also picked up baby bok choy at the farmer's market this week. I got a huge bunch for a dollar, so I think this whole meal was maybe ten bucks total. The kids loved the noodles and they also liked the ground turkey a lot. Jacob even went for the bok choy. Dan and I really like these kinds of dishes spicy, so I served ours with some hot chili sauce (like Sriracha-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sriracha) on the side.

Chinese noodles with turkey and bok choy

Timing - 25 minutes

Ingredients
2 T mirin
2 T soy sauce
1 T sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 lbs ground turkey
1.5 T corn starch
2 T ginger, grated or finely minced
1 large or 2 small leeks, white and light green only, chopped into half moons
4-5 heads baby bok choy (about 3 cups, chopped; for baby bok choy, you can use the stems and leaves)
1 lb Chinese rice noodles (wide or thin - you could also use vermicelli in a pinch)
Canola oil

How to Make
Boil the water for the pasta and cook according to package directions for al dente. Drain the noodles and set aside.

Combine the mirin, soy sauce, sesame oil and one of the minced cloves of garlic in a bowl. Pour half of this marinade over the turkey and let sit. Combine the corn starch with 1/4 cup COLD water and combine with the remaining marinade.

Heat a wok or large frying pan to medium-high heat and then add about 1.5 tablespoons of oil. When the oil is very hot, brown the turkey breaking up but leaving in fairly large pieces, until it is nicely browned and cooked through. Remove the turkey to a bowl.

Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan. Stir fry the remaining garlic, ginger and leeks for about a minute until they start to cook and then add the bok choy. Cook until the vegetables are just crisp tender. Remove the vegetables from the pan and add them to the turkey.

Add 1.5 final tablespoons of oil to the pan and then fry the noodles for about 45 seconds. Add the sauce and vegetables/turkey to the pan and cook a few minutes to incorporate and until the sauce thickens slightly. Serve with additional soy sauce and hot chili sauce.

Serves 6

Sweet potato and sausage soup with kale and white beans

The last few weeks have been full of travel, restaurants and a sad break from home cooked food. I did cook on Friday night though, and I have a whole refrigerator full of food for this week! On Friday, there was a chill in the air, so I went for soup. I wanted to fill the bowls with tons of nutrition after way to much junk the last few weeks, so I came up with this 'kitchen sink' recipe that was a hit with everyone across the board. Of course the kids wouldn't try the kale because it was way too green for them, but they loved the beans and sausage and Lucas loved the sweet potatoes as always. I made a very large batch with this recipe so that we'd have enough for another meal. You could definitely cut it in half. The chicken apple sausage wasn't totally intended, but since that's what Dan picked up when he went to the store, I went for it. Actually, it paired really nicely with the sweet potatoes, and I added some hot chili sauce to the finished soup for the grown-ups which was a nice play on the sweet and spicy.

Sweet potato and sausage soup with kale and white beans

Timing - about 30 minutes

Ingredients
olive oil
1 package fully cooked chicken apple sausage (5 or 6), chopped into small rounds
3 small carrots, chopped
2 small ribs celery, chopped
1 large shallot, chopped
3 small sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and chopped into bite size pieces
4 sprigs thyme
1 T fennel seed
2 t cumin
8 cups chicken stock (2 boxes)
2 cans white beans (cannelini), drained
1 bunch kale, chopped

How to Make
Heat a large soup pot over medium high heat and add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Saute the sausage until it is golden brown and then remove with a slotted spoon. Saute the carrots, celery shallots and sweet potatoes for about 2 minutes until they start to brown and then put a lid on the pan for another 3 minutes to soften the vegetables more. Add the cumin and fennel and the thyme sprigs and stir until fragrant. Slowly add the chicken stock, scraping the bits from the bottom of the pan.

Bring the broth to a slow boil and then add the kale and put a lid on the soup for 10 minutes. Finally, add the beans and return the sausage to the pot and warm through for about 3 minutes. Serve with crusty bread for dipping.

Serves 8

Latin-Style Chicken and Rice (Gourmet Magazine)

As I mentioned in my last post, Gourmet Magazine's "gourmet everyday" section is a great place for easy meals. Bon Appetit has its version with Fast and Easy. Tonight, I 'outsourced' this recipe to our cousin who is staying with us. She easily prepared the recipe and we all enjoyed it very much. It takes about and hour, so without her help, it would have been tough on a weeknight.

Lucas doesn't love peas, so we had to fish them out, but other than that, everyone was pleased. The recipe called for bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and indicated to drain most of the fat after browning the chicken. However, I had boneless, skinless thighs, so we didn't need to drain the pan at all.

Latin-Style Chicken and Rice (adapted from Gourmet Magazine)

Timing - 1 hour

Ingredients
2 lb chicken thighs (I used boneless and skinless - see above if you use bone in and skin on)
2 T unsalted butter
1 T olive oil
1 large onion, chopped (2 cups)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup medium or long grain rice (I used brown)
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup water
1/4 t crumbled saffron threads
1 bay leaf
1 cup frozen peas (not thawed)

How to Make
Pat chicken dry and season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Heat butter and oil in a large heavy skillet (at least 2 inches deep) over medium-high heat until foam subsides, then brown chicken, turning once, about 7-10 minutes). Transfer chicken to a plate.

Cook onion and garlic with remaining salt and pepper over medium heat, stirring, until golden, about 6 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add broth, water, saffron, and bay leaf and bring to a full boil. Nestle the chicken in rice, keeping as much rice around, rather than under chicken. Add juices from plate and simmer, covered tightly with lid, over low heat, until chicken is cooked through and rice is tender and most of liquid is absorbed.

Remove from heat and stir in peas. Cover with a kitchen towel and then the lid and let stand until all of liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Discard Bay Leaf.

Serves 4

Broiled Lemon Thyme Cod (Gourmet Magazine)

Friends ask me all the time where I get my recipes. The answer is a lot of places. I read cooking magazines and food articles in the paper obsessively and I have a penchant for Food Network marathons. From there, I often modify recipes or make up my own using ideas from several recipes. But over time, I have found a few go-to places where I can usually use the recipes almost 'as is' or with small changes based on the ingredients I have on hand or to suit the foodie kids' tastes. In the past couple of years, I have seen a real change in some of the more serious foodie magazines to gear at least some of the recipes to quick cooking or family cooking. This has been such a joy for me because I can get my fix of the more intricate recipes for adults only dinner parties and find some easy staples in the process.

Gourmet Magazine has a "Gourmet Every Day Quick Kitchen" section where they have 30, 20 and even 10 (yes 10!) minute meals. This month, I found a simple broiled fish recipe that called for pollock. I used cod, which is a similar fish. You could also use sole fillets if they are on the thicker side. I served the fish with some chard which was very enjoyable for the adults, but the kids didn't go for it. They did gobble up the fish itself though, and the couscous I made as the other side. This is a great Monday meal, because it is almost totally hands off and literally done in 20 minutes.

Broiled Lemon Thyme Cod (adapted from Gourmet Magazine, December 2008)

Timing - 20 minutes

Ingredients
4 (6-to7-oz) pieces cod fillets
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 t grated lemon zest
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 T finely chopped shallot
2 t chopped thyme

How to Make
Preheat broiler. Line a broiler pan or baking sheet with foil (for easy cleanup) and spray with cooking spray. Put fish, skin side down, on pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Whisk together all remaining ingredients an spread evenly over the top of the fish. Broil 5 to 7 inches from heat until just cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes.

Serves 4

Pasta Carbonara (Rachel Ray)

My boys love comfort food and so do I. I do make homemade macaroni and cheese which is a huge favorite, but this simple pasta carbonara gets the same effect with less effort. Admittedly, I have learned a lot from Rachel Ray in terms of using simple ingredients and cooking quick and satisfying meals. However, after one too many episodes of her TV show while I was on bedrest with both kids, she can grate on me on TV. I do love to read her recipes in print though. They are usually easy to follow and she gives great instructions. That being said, here is her pasta carbonara recipe almost exactly as it was written (minus the annoying yum-o's) and with a little tweak to make it not as spicy. I did add more crushed red pepper to Dan and my dish after plating. The recipe calls for Rigatoni but I used penne with lines. You could use any short 'cut' pasta. I made this Sunday night and it was just the thing to make the weekend last a little longer.

Pasta Carbonara (Adapted from Rachel Ray)

Timing - 20 minutes

Ingredients
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 lb pasta (penne with lines or rigatoni)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 lb pancetta, chopped (you could substitute thick-cut bacon if you can't find pancetta)
1/2 t crushed red pepper
4 cloves garlic, shopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

How to Make
Put a large pot of water on to boil. Add a liberal amount of salt and pasta; cook to al dente, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil and pancetta. Brown pancetta 2 minutes. Add red pepper flakes and garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes more. Add wine and stir up all the pan drippings.

Beat yolks, then add 1 large ladleful (about 1/2 cup) of the pasta cooking water. This tempers the eggs and keeps them from scrambling when added to the pasta.

Drain pasta well and add it directly to the skillet with pancetta and oil. Pour the egg mixture over the pasta. Toss rapidly to coat the pasta without cooking the egg. Remove pan from heat and add a big handful of cheese, lots of pepper, and a little salt. Continue to toss and turn the pasta until it soaks up egg mixture and thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Garnish with extra cheese (and chopped parsley), if desired.

Serves 4

Spaghetti and Meatball "Stoup" (Rachel Ray)

It's been kind of a rough few weeks of cooking in terms of the blog. I have turned to staples a lot lately with all of the holidays and then I had to travel last week. I did want to post this soup (or stoup, as Rachel Ray calls it - which just means it's thicker than a soup and thinner than a stew) which I made last week. I have made this one before and it again plays in to my boys obsessive love of meatballs. It's sort of reminiscent of something you might have eaten as a kid and if you love tomato soup, you get that fix from this one too. I made it exactly as written from food network and will give it to you the same way. This is also a great leftover recipe and though it says it served 4, we all ate it twice and there was plenty to go around.

Spaghetti and Meatball Stoup (from Food Network's Rachel Ray)

Timing - 25 minutes

Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
1 carrot, peeled and chopped into a small dice
1 medium yellow skinned onion, chopped
2 small ribs celery from the heart, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 cups tomato sauce or 1 (14-ounce) can plus 1 (8-ounce) can
3 cups chicken stock, available in a box on the soup aisle
1 pound ground beef, pork and veal mix (meatloaf mix) available at butcher counter
1/2 cup grated cheese, Parmigiano or Romano, plus more to pass at table
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs, a few handfuls
1 large egg, beaten
2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
1/2 pound spaghetti, broken in half
1 cup basil leaves, torn or shredded
1 loaf Italian crusty bread, for dunking

How to Make
Preheat a medium soup pot over medium heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, carrots, onions, celery, garlic and saute 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and stock and cover pot. Turn up heat and bring to a fast boil.

While soup comes to a boil, mix the ground meat with cheese, bread crumbs, egg and parsley. Roll into 1 1/2 to 2-inch balls.

Remove lid from soup and slide balls into soup. Bring back to a boil then stir in spaghetti. Reduce the heat and simmer soup 10 minutes more, until pasta is tender and balls have cooked through. Stir in basil and remove "stoup" from the stove. Serve soup with bread and cheese.

Serves 4

Turkey Chili

When the weather starts to get cold in the Bay Area, nothing warms better than a bowl of chili. One of the things I like best about making chili is that you can throw in so many things and it almost always tastes great. Both of my boys really like beans and ground meat, so with those two things, I can even get them to eat a few tomatoes and peppers since they are mixed in. I have been trying lately to stick more to really lean meat, so tonight I made a chili with all white meat super lean ground turkey. Of course you could make this recipe with ground beef or chicken, and feel free to take some license with the add-ins as well. Sometimes I add corn and sometimes I use different kinds of beans. The truth is, I don't usually cook chili with a recipe at all, but tonight I paid attention to what I did so I could share the goodness with all of you. Dan and I like our chili spicy, so we always add hot sauce to our bowls. The little guys prefer it mild and they both cleaned their plates tonight.

Turkey Chili

Timing - 30 minutes

Ingredients
1.5 lbs ground turkey
1 onion, chopped
1 large red pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 T chili powder
1 T cumin
1 large can diced tomatoes (28oz)
1 small can diced tomatoes (15 oz)
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 T tomato paste
2 t salt
shredded cheddar cheese, green onion and sour cream for serving

How to Make
Brown turkey, onions and pepper in a large pot. When brown, add the garlic and cook for about another minute until fragrant. Add chili powder and the cumin and stir to combine. Add the tomatoes and beans, tomato paste, salt, and about a half a cup of water to the pot. Bring to a boil.

Cover the pot and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt to taste and serve with cheese, onions and sour cream.