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More Savory, Less Sweet

Adventures in Food - Taste, Explore, Inspire and Share

Game Time Spicy Miso Chicken Wings

01/22/2017 by Laura Leave a Comment

All geared up for a Seahawks win last Saturday, I made some extra special snacks for the game.  I love tradional Buffalo Wings, but I really wanted to try something new.  Flipping through Sara Moulton’s Home Cooking 101, I found a Japanese twist on the traditional little drummers.  Hiroko Shimbo shared her recipe from her book Hiroko’s American Kitchen, Cooking with Japanese Flavors for these wings, which are adapted slightly by Sara.  Dave had requested Egg Rolls as well, and the two dishes went together perfectly.  Let’s just say, the snacks were way better then the game.  Next year ‘Hawks!

For the Spicy Miso Sauce

1 cup aged brown or red miso

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon of sugar

3/4 cup mirin

1/3 cup sake

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

Prepare the miso sauce:  Place the miso, sugar, mirin and sake in a medium pot, and whisk until smooth.  Place the pot over medium heat and bring to a simmer.   Cook the mixture about 5 minutes, while stirring constantly.  Add the lemon juice, reduce the heat and let cook another 8-10 minutes.  Add the red pepper flakes and stir.  Keep sauce warm, on the lowest heat possible, while you prepare the wings.  You will have extra sauce, which is also great on grilled steak!

For the Chicken Wings

1 1/2 pounds chicken wings

2 teaspoons onion powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon sake

6 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 cup all purpose flour

2 tablespoons of ginger juice, from a 5 inch knob of freshly grated ginger, divided into 2 – 1 tablespoon portions

(Peel and grate the ginger on a microplane.  Place the ginger in a garlic press to squeeze out the juice.)

1/2 – 3/4 cup Spicy Miso Sauce,  from recipe above

2 teaspoons rice vinegar

1 teaspoon soy sauce

2 teaspoons hot paprika

1 scallion, sliced thinly, green part only

Vegetable oil for frying

Prepare the wings:  Remove the wing tips and cut the remaining wings into 2 pieces at the joint.  Combine the onion powder, salt, egg, sake, cornstarch and flour and 1 tablespoon of the ginger juice in a large bowl.   Add the wings, mix thoroughly to make sure they are evenly coated.

Heat 3 inches of oil in a heavy skillet to 330 degrees.  Fry the wings in small batches, about 6 minutes, turning from time to time.  Remove to a cooling rack placed over a pan, to allow the oil to drain.

Prepare the sauce to coat the wings.  In a small bowl, combine the warm Spicy Miso Sauce, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and paprika.

Heat the oil in the skillet to 350 degrees.  Refry the wings, to ensure crispiness and that they are thoroughly cooked through, about 3-4 minutes.  Drain on rack.  When all wings have been fried the second time, place them in a bowl and pour the sauce over them, stir to ensure they are evenly coated.  Plate the wings and garnish with the sliced scallion.  Serve, with lots of napkins!

I hope you try this recipe, next time you’ve got a craving for wings.

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a great evening.

Laura

Filed Under: Appetizers, Poultry Tagged With: appetizer, game time, miso, spicy, wings

Spicy Sesame Pork and Noodle Soup

03/07/2016 by Laura Leave a Comment

This recipe exemplifies “WHY” I love to cook!  Calling for unfamiliar ingredients and new techniques, all leading me to new discoveries at the Asian market.  I know these are the same things that will prevent many from making this recipe!

Starting as a kid, with the Time Life Foods of the World cookbooks, food has always allowed me to explore unknown places and cultures, without leaving my kitchen.  The pictures, the recipes and finally; the meals, opened me up to new taste experiences.   Luckily, the shrinking world (and Food TV)  has made it easier to find “exotic” spices, seasonings, herbs, fruits and vegetables, that were a struggle to locate 30 years ago.

I am a big fan of warm, comforting bowls of broth, meat and noodles.  They taste especially good after a week on the road, eating the nightly “specials” at some non-descript hotel!  When this recipe showed up in my in box from Food 52, I knew I had to make it.  It was originally posted by a food blogger from Hawaii, Gingerroot.  The three day prep time, an extra trip to the Asian market and using every stock pot I own, were all worth it.  This is absolutely delicious.  I am excited that I have extras in the freezer, waiting for me to return from the next road trip!

Unlike most of my posts, I am not going to include detailed, step by step instructions.   Food 52  did an amazing job, so refer to the link if you need help.

soup spicy sesame pork 053.2

Spicy Sesame Pork with Noodles

adapted from this recipe

For Stock

  • 3 pounds meaty pork neck bones – I used Pork Shanks
  • 1 medium onion, rough chopped
  • 2 medium carrots, preferably organic, scrubbed and rough chopped
  • 1 tablespoon tamarind paste
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 smoked ham hock
  • 5 whole cilantro plants, including roots, well washed – I used one bunch of Cilantro
  • 5 whole scallions, including roots, well washed

soup spicy pork 011.22

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Brown pork bones in a little oil, on both sides, over medium heat,  in a large stock pot, that will fit in the oven.  Cook about 15 minutes.   Add carrots and onions to pan, piling vegetables on top of the bones. Roast for 30-45 minutes, until vegetables begin to char around edges and bones begin to caramelize.  Add 14 cups water. Water should be covering bones by about an inch.  Be sure and scrape up all browned bits from the bottom of pan.

In a small bowl, whisk tamarind paste, tomato paste, and 2 tablespoons water from the stockpot. Whisk this mixture into the stockpot. Heat stock over medium-high heat until nearly boiling, and then reduce to a slow simmer. Continue simmering (uncovered) for 2 hours.

After 2 hours, using a sieve, strain out vegetables, pressing down on solids so liquids go back into stockpot. One at a time, carefully take out bones and put them on a plate near your stockpot. Using small tongs and a fork (or two forks) remove the meat. Transfer meat (should have between 3-4 cups depending on how meaty your bones were) to a container with a tight fitting lid and refrigerate. Return bones, including cartilage and fat, and any liquid that may have accumulated on the plate, to stockpot. Continue simmering for 1 hour. At this point, you can allow mixture to cool slightly before refrigerating overnight.  The next day, remove congealed fat layer from surface of stock before simmering for a final hour, adding the smoked ham hock, whole cilantro plants and scallions. Strain out hock and aromatics with a sieve, pressing down on solids to allow liquids back into stock. Repeat cooling and refrigerating step.

Alternatively, you can make the stock in one day by adding the smoked hock and aromatics after three hours of simmering (skipping the extra overnight in the fridge), and continue cooking for the final hour. Cool stock enough to refrigerate overnight (see above in step 8).

soup spicy pork 033.2

Seasonings For the Soup 

  • 14-16 ounces rice vermicelli (from an Asian market or section of the grocery store – Do not substitute gluten free rice noodles) *Feel free to substitute your favorite Asian noodle instead, such as ramen
  • 1/2 cup chopped green onion
  • 1/2 chopped cilantro
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 4 cups shredded Savoy or Napa cabbage
  • 3 cups reserved pork meat, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons Aka (Red) Miso paste found in the Japanese section of an Asian market or some grocery stores
  • 1-2 tablespoons Gochujang** (fermented Korean chili paste) found in the Korean section of an Asian market or some grocery stores
  • 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1/4 cup Katsuo Furikake (Roasted Sesame Seed and Dried Bonito mix) *found in the Japanese section of an Asian market or some grocery stores

Take stock out of refrigerator and remove congealed fat layer from the surface of soup (stock should be more like jelly than liquid).

Heat stock over medium-high heat until nearly boiling, and then reduce to a slow simmer.

If you have them, use a suribachi (ceramic Japanese mortar with rough grooves on the inside of the bowl) and surikogi (wooden pestle) to grind katsuo furikake into a paste. If you do not, a regular mortar and pestle will also work. Add ½ t sesame oil midway through grinding to help mixture come together.

When almost all of the sesame seeds are mashed, add in 1 T of gojuchang. If you know you love heat, add 2 T. As you turn the pestle around the mortar, the gojuchang will ball up around the sesame seed mixture. Whisk this into the stock and allow soup to simmer for 20 minutes. If there is still a lot of sesame-gojuchang paste stuck in the mortar, add a little bit of stock to the bowl, stir, and pour mixture into the pot.

Turn off heat.

Place miso paste in a small bowl and whisk in enough hot stock (2-3 T) to liquefy the miso. Pour this into stock and stir to incorporate. Allow mixture to cool and refrigerate overnight.

soup spicy pork 035.2

Finishing the Soup

Remove your soup from the refrigerator and slowly heat it up.

In another pot, cook rice vermicelli according to directions on the package, and then drain in a colander, rinsing with some cold water to stop the noodles from cooking.

In a skillet large enough to hold pork and cabbage, heat sesame oil over medium heat.

Add chopped pork and stir to heat through. Add cabbage and stir to take off raw edge. Turn off heat, stir in balsamic and a pinch of salt.

soup spicy pork 043.2

Portion rice noodles into soup bowls.

Top each bowl with pork and cabbage.

Ladle steaming broth over each bowl.

Generously add chopped green onions and cilantro to each bowl and serve immediately. Enjoy!

soup spicy pork 050.2

Thanks for visiting.  Have a wonderful evening!

Laura

**Gochujang – Awesome Korean Spicy condiment. A little sweeter than Siricha.

Filed Under: One Pot Meal, Pasta, Pork, Soft Food Tagged With: cilantro, pork, rice noodle, sesame, spicy

Herbed Shrimp with Spicy Breadcrumbs

08/27/2014 by Laura 2 Comments

This recipe is based on a recent post by Food & Wine Daily Inspirations.  It was contributed by Andrew Zimmerman.  I followed the recipe closely, with only a couple of substitutions.  With most of the ingredients on hand in the pantry, refrigerator or freezer, it was a quick week night meal.  I know we will be making this again soon.  We served it with our heirloom tomato bruschetta.

I have not used bread crumbs in pasta dishes before.  In doing a little research, it is quite common in many Southern Italian pasta dishes.  As with many wonderful, traditional dishes, it was created out of necessity due to the lack of availability of other ingredients.  Pasta with garlicky breadcrumbs is often consumed during Lent.

fair and shrimp 055.1

Herbed Shrimp with Pasta and Spicy Breadcrumbs, Andrew Zimmerman, Food & Wine

for the Bread Crumbs

1/4 pound Italian bread, torn

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

2 tablespoons finely chopped oregano

2 garlic cloves, sliced

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/4 cup of olive oil (I substituted olive oil for 1/2 stick of melted butter)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Kosher salt

Pepper

Heat oven to 350′.  Place the dry ingredients into a food processor and pulse until breadcrumbs are fine.  Drizzle in the oil.  Season with Salt and pepper.  Spread the crumbs on a baking sheet and toast until lightly browned – about 15 minutes.  Stir every 5 minutes or so.  Let cool completely before use.  Breadcrumbs can be stored in an airtight container.

Herbed Shrimp with Spicy Breadcrumbs

fair and shrimp 027.1

for the Shrimp

20 jumbo shrimp (2 pounds), shelled and deveined

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tablespoons minced parsley

2 tablespoons minced basil

1 1/2 teaspoons minced oregano

1/2 teaspoon minced thyme

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving

Kosher salt

Pepper

3/4 pound capellini or angel hair pasta

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Prepare the shrimp and set aside.  Chop the herbs and garlic.  Place in a bowl and add the crushed red pepper, salt, pepper and the 1/2 cup of olive oil.  Add the shrimp to the bowl.  Stir to coat.  Place the shrimp in the refrigerator until ready to broil.

Spicy Shrimp

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Start the pasta water.  Heat the broiler.  Once the pasta has been added to the boiling water prepare to broil the shrimp.  Place the shrimp on a pan with all the marinade.  Broil the shrimp about 5 minutes and turn.  Broil another 4-5 minutes.

When the pasta is done, drain the water.  Return the pasta to the pot.  Add the juices from the broiler pan, the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Toss gently.

Plate the pasta.  Place the shrimp atop the pasta and top all  with a generous sprinkle of bread crumbs.  Serve with bruschetta or a tossed green salad.

bruschetta and niciose 023.2

 

 

Filed Under: Fish and Seafood, Pasta, Quick - Week Night Tagged With: breadcrumbs, pasta, quick, shrimp, spicy, weeknight

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