Category: Cooking and Recipes

Cheddar and Jalapeno Cast Iron Cornbread

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I’m not a baker. Despite my best attempts, I can’t seem to produce consistent results when it comes to anything doughy, with rare exception. Thankfully, this cornbread is one of those rare exceptions. Gone are the days of dry, cardboard-y cornbread. This has a moist crumb, a touch of sweetness, and a hint of heat thanks to the jalapeno.

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon butter, plus 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 2 cups flour 
  • 1 cup yellow cornmeal 
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups milk
  • 8 ounces aged cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2 cups) 
  • 1 cup fresh or thawed frozen corn kernels (from 2 ears)
  • 1 small jalapeno, chopped
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  1. Preheat oven to 375F degrees. Heat a 10 or 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium. Add butter, and swirl pan until butter is melted and bottom and sides of skillet are coated. Remove from heat and set aside.
  2. Whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Make a well in center of dry ingredients; add milk, cheddar, corn, melted butter, jalapeno, and eggs. Mix until batter is just combined. (Make sure not to overmix.) Pour batter into prepared skillet, and spread evenly. Bake in preheated oven until cornbread is light brown on top and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes.
  3. Cut cornbread into slices and serve with softened butter, if desired.

Italian-ish Ramen

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This is the most comforting soup you’re going to have this winter. If tortellini soup and ramen had a baby, this would be it.

Ingredients:
  • 2 large chicken thighs, preferably skinless and boneless
  • 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
  • 4 cups lower-sodium chicken stock
  • 3/4 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (about 3 tablespoons), divided
  • 8 ounces uncooked thin spaghetti 
  • 10 basil leaves, sliced, divided
  • 4 soft-cooked large eggs, peeled and halved lengthwise
  • Calabrian chile paste, for serving
  1. Pat chicken dry using paper towels; sprinkle with pepper and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high. Place chicken and cook, undisturbed, until crispy and golden brown, about 7 minutes. Flip chicken, and cook until browned on other side, about 4 minutes. Carefully remove and discard all but 2 tablespoons of rendered chicken fat from Dutch oven, leaving chicken in Dutch oven.
  2. Add chicken stock and 1 1/2 tablespoons Parmesan to Dutch oven; bring to a simmer over medium-high. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook about 15 minutes.
  3. While chicken cooks, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high. Add pasta, and cook 1 minute less than package directions for al dente.
  4. Remove chicken from Dutch oven, and let cool slightly, about 10 minutes. Shred chicken (discard skin and bones if using), and set aside. Reduce heat under Dutch oven to low; sprinkle stock mixture with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste. Add shredded chicken and half of sliced basil (about 1 tablespoon) to stock in Dutch oven. Bring to a simmer over medium-high. Drain pasta, and add to simmering stock mixture in Dutch oven. Cook until pasta is al dente, about 1 minute.
  5. Divide pasta, chicken, and broth among 4 bowls. Top evenly with eggs, remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons Parmesan; remaining basil, and a small spoonful of Calabrian chile paste, to taste.

Thai-Style Spring Rolls

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No two spring rolls are alike but what sets a good spring roll apart from a great one is that it must taste delicious on its own, even without dipping sauce. These fried spring rolls are spectacular with or without sauce, and good luck eating just one. (I like one or ten of these with sweet chile sauce, for what it’s worth.)

Ingredients:

  • 2 ounces glass noodles
  • 6 dried wood ear mushrooms
  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil, plus more for shallow-frying
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon minced cilantro stems
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 4 ounces ground chicken
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 8 ounces mung bean sprouts
  • 20-30 spring roll wrappers
  • 3/4 cup sweet chile sauce, for serving
  1. Soak the glass noodles in a bowl of warm water and soak for about 20 minutes, until pliable. Drain and cut into 4-inch lengths with kitchen scissors. Set aside.
  2. Soak the dried wood ear mushrooms in a bowl of hot water for about 20 minutes. Rinse, drain, and squeeze dry. Slice the mushrooms into 1/4-inch wide strips, discarding any hard, knobby ends. Set aside.
  3. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, cilantro stems, and pepper, and fry until fragrant, about 1 minute. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the chicken, mushrooms, fish sauce, and oyster sauce, and saute, breaking up the chicken with a wooden cooking spoon, for about 3 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Add the bean sprouts, glass noodles and water and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute, until the noodles are soft and most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove the pan from heat and allow the filling to cool completely.
  4. To assemble the spring rolls, take 1 spring roll wrapper and lay it on the work surface with one corner pointing toward you. Place 2 tablespoons filling along base of wrapper. Fold bottom over filling, then fold in left and right sides. Tightly roll up to completely enclose filling.
  5. Heat oil (enough to be 1-inch deep) in a frying pan to medium-high. Shallow-fry spring rolls, a few at a time, and cook, turning carefully occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels and serve with chile sauce.

Kimchi Sundubu Jjigae

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This Korean tofu and kimchi stew is the ultimate cold weather comfort food. Of all the jjigaes (Korean stews), this one is my favorite. Briny, spicy, and deeply savory, there’s a reason why it’s one of the most popular dishes at Korean restaurants. This was my go-to order at Pyeong Chang Tofu House in Oakland for ages. These days, I’ve learned to make it at home.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup sour, aged kimchi with juice
  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil
  • 6 green onions, cut into 1-inch segments, green and white sections separated
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 2 teaspoons gochujang
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 3 teaspoons gochugaru
  • 1 quart dashi
  • 1 1/2 pounds soft tofu
  • 1 egg per serving (4, depending on serving size)
  • Cooked rice, for serving
  1. Drain the kimchi in a strainer set over a small bowl, squeezing to remove liquid. Roughly chop the kimchi and reserve the kimchi and juice seperately.
  2. Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan (or similar) over medium-high heat. Add the whites of the green onions, garlic, and chopped kimchi. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  3. Add the kimchi juice, gochujang, and soy sauce. Cook until the vegetables are coated in an even layer of sauce. Add the gochugaru and dashi, bring to a simmer and cook about 10 to 15 minutes. (Optional step: add a handful of cubed daikon radish, enoki mushrooms, or beech mushrooms before simmering at this stage. You could also add a handful of shellfish in the last few minutes of cooking.)
  4. Add the tofu and green tops of the green onions, stir gently, and heat until boiling. Break the eggs directly into the simmering broth. Stir the egg in to make a richer soup, or let them loosely poach int the broth. Serve with rice.

Classic Pecan Pie

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My sister makes the best pecan pie on earth and therefore is the Officially Designated Maker of Pecan Pie for all holiday family gatherings. My pie-making attempts have been mixed, to say the least, but this recipe? It’s solid. Okay, it’s also full of shortcuts (there’s no shame in using store-bought pie crust) and it’s not the most beautiful (broken crust!) but it is reliable and delicious. And while I’m still not-so-secretly looking forward to my sister’s pecan pie at the next occasion, I’m thrilled that I too, have entered the pantheon of ~respectable pie bakers.~

Ingredients:

  • 1 store-bought pie crust
  • 1 cup light corn syrup
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 1/4 cups roughly chopped pecans, plus 1/2 cup halves
  1. Heat oven to 350F degrees. In the meantime, whisk corn syrup, butter, vanilla, salt, and eggs in a large bowl, then fold in chopped pecans. Distribute filling evenly in the prepared pie crust, then arrange pecan halves decoratively around the inside edge of crust. Bake until crust is golden brown and filling is set, about 1 hour. Let cool completely before serving.