Apple Galette (easier than pie!)

Rustic and so tasty looking, this is my go-to desert when I am rushed and I know I have some pie dough in the fridge.  Actually, that is how I ended up making my first galette.
  We had to bring pumpkin pie to a gathering and when I made the dough, I made the whole recipe, enough dough for two pies.  Even though I had never made one before, I knew a galette could be made using regular pie dough and a fruit filling. You've heard the term "easy as pie?"  Well, this is way  easier!

Apple Galette

2 baking apples (Granny Smiths are good) peeled, cored and sliced about 1/8 inch thick
1/2 cup white sugar plus more for sprinkling on the crust.
1 teaspoon cinnamon (or more to taste)
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoons butter to dot the pie
1/4 cup apricot preserves*
One recipe pie dough  (followed below)

Preheat oven to 425°F
Mix apples, sugar, cinnamon and salt and set aside.
Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Roll one disc of dough into a circle about 14 inches in diameter and transfer to baking sheet.
Place apple slices in a concentric circle on the dough leaving about 4 inches of dough exposed around the edge.
Dot with small pieces of butter in various places.
Fold the dough in around the fruit.
Brush dough with water and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake for about 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
Heat preserves and brush on exposed apples.

Pie Dough

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup chilled vegetable shortening or lard
Ice water

In the bowl of a food processor, place the flour, sugar and salt and pulse a few times to mix.
Add the butter and shortening and pulse 11 times or until the fat is cut into the flour to resemble the size of small peas.
Add 6 tablespoons of the ice water and pulse several times adding a little more water if needed until the mixture comes together.  (Do not add too much water,)
Remove the dough, divided in half and form each half into a 5-inch disk, wrapping each in plastic wrap and refrigerating until needed.

*I have used various kinds of jams including strawberry and even orange marmalade with great results!

Nasi Goreng

I know I will catch a lot of flack from my friends in Indonesia and Malaysia for this recipe because it is probably not what they would call original, for one thing.  For another thing, both cultures seem to lay claim to this preparation of fried rice and some other dishes that they both share but  prepare in different ways.
This recipe comes from Southeast Asian Food by cookbook author, Rosemary Brissenden.  I am currently cooking my way through this fabulous book starting at the beginning which focuses on recipes from Indonesia.
To make it even spicier (and tastier IMO), I like to add bajak sambal, a sweet, sour, fiery condiment that none of my Indonesian friends seems to have heard about but one which I make at least twice a week to go with my daily breakfast of nasi goreng, the fried rice of Indonesia and Malaysia.

Nasi Goreng

3 tablespoons or more oil
8 oz rump steak or boneless chicken, cut into very thin strips
7 oz shrimp peeled and deveined (optional)
3 cups steamed rice, cooled.  (leftover is best)
1 tablespoon Javanese soy sauce (I use kecap manis)
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
Fried onion flakes for garnish
One egg per person 
Shrimp crackers

Spice Paste

4 medium-length red chilies, seeded and coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon shrimp paste
2 cloves garlic
5 shallots, sliced.

Grind the spice paste ingredients to a rough paste.  Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok or pan and fry the spice paste until fragrant.  Add the beef and shrimp (if using) and stir-fry until they are cooked.   Add the rice and mix well. Add more oil if necessary, and the soy sauces, and keep stirring until the rice grains are coated, everything is warm and the color is even.  Set aside and keep warm.
 In a separate pan, fry the eggs until they are cook but the yolks are still soft. Serve the rice on individual plates, garnished with fried onion flakes and a fried egg on top.  Decorate the plates with the sliced tomatoes and cucumber.  Serve with a side dish of shrimp crackers.

Curry Puffs (Karipaps)

I really have to thank my very dear friend Adam from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for introducing me to this wonderful snack.
He not only told me about them but also sent me a cookbook with a recipe for them.
For a dipping sauce, I like to use the sweet chili sauce that comes in a bottle.  Both Mae Ploy and Dragaonfly make this and is in the asian section of the supermarket.  Anther friend from Malaysia has given me a recipe for it which I have yet to try so I won't include it here.  If you cannot get it, I would use oyster sauce, hoisin or some other sweet sauce.  If you have sweet and sour that would be fine, too.
For the curry powder, I use Oriental curry powder from S&B. Use a little extra if you cannot get curry leaves.
These are best eaten fresh and hot buy can be reheated in the oven on a baking sheet.  DO NOT reheat in the microwave.  It destroys the texture.


Malay Curry Puffs (Karipaps)

Pastry:
3/8 cup oil
2 1/2 tablespoon butter
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt dissolved in 1/4 cup water
1/2 cup water

Filling:
2 tablespoons oil
1 onion, minced
5-6 curry leaves
1 tablespoon curry powder mixed with 5 tablespoon of water
5 oz ground beef
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and finely diced
1 teaspoon salt
water

To make the pastry, heat up oil and butter just until the butter melt and then cool slightly.
Make a well in the middle of the flour and pour in the oil and butter mixture.  Mix well.  Add the salted water and mix well.  Add just enough water to make a pliable dough and knead.  Cover and set aside for half an hour.

To make the filling, heat oil in a skillet and saute onion until translucent.  Add the curry mixture and curry leaves and fry for a few minutes splashing a little water in the pan if it starts to stick and burn.  Add the beef and fry for a few more minutes.  Add the potatoes and salted water and continue cooking adding a little water from time to time to "steam" the potatoes.  Correct for seasoning and set aside to cool.
Roll the dough out thin and cut into 3-inch circles. Fill, fold and crimp the edges.
Fry in oil until golden brown and serve immediately

Lamb Rendang

Lamb Rendang over rice

Frying spice paste

On the Saturday morning before Easter when I decided at the last minute that I wanted to make Abbacchio, Roman lamb, for my dinner the next day, I had no idea that I was getting into a situation that would leave me with more meat than I had counted on.  I called a local butcher shop and was told there was one lamb shoulder roast left.  Excited, I asked the man                                                                      to put my name on it and save it.  I pictured a medium-sized roast like the one I had gotten in Rome during my stay there. When I got there I was surprised at the size of this monster. It wasn't a shoulder of lamb, it was a shoulder of elephant!
The next day I cut the lamb into pieces and started wondering what I would do with the rest. (I had two 1-gallon bags full of cut up lamb.)  My answer came soon after as I was looking through my favorite Malaysian cooking site, Rasamalaysia where I found a recipe for slowcooker Lamb Rendang.  Really?  Slowcooker?  Who knew?  OK, I am chronically western and ignorant with visions of an ancient culture that has remained the same for centuries in spite of the fact that I talk to my Malaysian friends on Facebook and Skype and warn at least one not to become too addicted to the McDonalds' and KFC's in Kuala Lumpur.
But yes, this uses a slowcooker and the results are amazing.  This is some of the tenderest and most succulent lamb I have ever eaten.  And it was not that spicy, either.  I hope you'll give this a shot.
Lamd Rendang

Char Kway Teow

This popular dish from the hawker stalls of Malaysia is my current favorite way to eat fried noodles.  You really get to play with you food from the get-go with this recipe which makes it fun.  You start by opening the package you see on the right, and separating the strands of noodles and putting them on a platter.
(Get your honey to help you and make dinner a collaboration.)
Besides getting tactile with the noodles, I love the silky texture of the mouth-feel you get with these.  These are not like any other noodle I have ever eaten or cooked with.
Look for these up by the register of your local Asian or Southeast Asian market.  (The fresher, the better.)
A word about ingredients:
The original recipe calls for blood cockles and you can usually find them in the frozen food section of your local Asian or Southeast Asian market.  They are precooked and only need to have hot water poured on them to open and then are easily removed.  I however cannot stand the taste of them.  I ended up picking mine out and tossing them.  I may try again if I can find them fresh the next time I am in Chinatown or one of the shops on Clement or (better yet) Irving St.  I just doubled up on the shrimp in the recipe I came across, leaving out another traditional component.
The person who told me about Char Kwey Teow told me that where he lives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, that the dish comes with Chinese beef sausage as opposed to rump steak, which I used. (Malaysia has a large Muslim population and the consumption of pork is forbidden in the religion) which I could not find anywhere.  If you have no opposition to it, you may use Chinese style sausages in your version.  (If you happen to find yourself in Chinatown in San Francisco, a few places make their own barbecue pork sausages which are many times better than the ones you buy pre-packaged.)

Char Kway Teow

1 lb fresh flat rice noodles (available in Asian markets)
3-4 red chilies, sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 oz round steak or rump steak, sliced thin
8 oz prawns, peeled and deveined
Pinch of sugar
2 tablespoons light soy
8 oz fresh mung bean sprouts, cleaned and trimmed
1/2 bunch Chinese garlic chives, chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon kecap manis (or to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste

Unravel noodles and set aside on a plate. Grind chilies and garlic to a rough paste.
Heat oil in a wok or large skillet. Fry paste taking care not to burn. Add meat and stir-fry until cooked. Add shrimp and shrimp and stir-fry until just underdone
Add a pinch of sugar and the light soy and mix well.
Add noodles and stir-fry until coated with the mixture.
Add bean sprouts, chives and kecap manis and toss until everything is mixed. (Do not over-cook bean sprouts; they should have a crunch in them)
Add water or more kecap manis, if you wish.
Serve

Stuffed Artichokes

My inspiration for stuffed artichokes comes from my mom's old neighbor, Tony, a man who, although he has been in The US and Canada since he was 19 years old, still sounds like he just got off the boat from Palermo.  The first time I had one of his stuffed artichokes was a number of years ago when he invited us to his house for dinner.  I was more than a little eager having heard about some of the wonderful things he made.   I was not disappointed.  After snacking on various veggies, bread, cheese and salami, we were ushered into the dining room where we were met with a huge platter of very large artichokes bursting with a stuffing of breadcrumbs, garlic, cheese and peas.  Satisfied and ready for some after dinner chat and wine, I was astonished when Tony and his wife, Jillian, excused themselves to fetch the entree.
Yes, this is the Italian way, or at least the Sicilian way, as I later learned.  When one course is finished, another is brought to the table.  (Several years after, I would encounter the same practice in Sicily and be just as amazed each time it occurred.)
These are big enough to make a perfect luncheon or a light supper.  Anyway you decided to do it, I hope you will celebrate Spring this time around by serving these stuffed artichokes.

Stuffed Artichokes

4 artichokes
1 1/2 cups plain, dry breadcrumbs
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons finely chopped flat leaf parsley
3 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil
2/3 cup cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup Parmesan or pecorino cheese
Chili flakes (optional)

Mix the bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, anchovies and salt and pepper together. Add enough olive oil to moisten.
Holding the stem, smash each artichoke against the counter top to open up the leaves.  With a teaspoon, dig out the inedible choke in the center and discard.
Remove the stems. Peel and finely dice and add to breadcrumb mixture.
Add the peas and cheese.
Fill between leaves and inner cavity.
Drizzle with some olive oil and place upright in the bottom of a pan.
Add enough water to come up about 2 inches.
Sprinkle with chili flakes (if using) in the water and turn on heat. Once the water boils, turn it down to a simmer and steam for 40-45 min adding more water if needed.

Calamari and Pasta

Since I had a crazy cartoon shrimp for my shrimp sauce entry in this week's blog, I thought I'd better add one for my calamari and pasta recipe as well.
By the expression in his eyes, this little squid has an idea about his fate. Ah, no greater love hath a squid then to lay down his life for a tasty plate of pasta.

When you buy squid, you can save yourself some money by cleaning it yourself which is not that difficult.  My sister and I pulled a few calamari cleaning marathons a few months ago in Arizona when we (I?) bought quite a bit of nice looking calamari at a good price.  Some went into fried calamari and some went into calamari and angel hair pasta, one of my favorite ways to have this and very simple as well.

You can cut back (or leave out, if you wish) the red chili flakes if you want to cut down on the heat.



 Angel Hair Pasta with Calamari Sauce



1/2 pound calamari cleaned and sliced into rings, tentacles
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons chili flakes
1/2 cup dry white wine
14 oz can tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1/2 pound angel hair pasta
grated pecorino*

Heat olive oil in large skillet and add calamari, garlic and chili flakes. Cook stirring on medium high heat until calamari firm up and garlic turns a light golden. Add wine and let bubble away for a few minutes. Add tomatoes and mash with back of spoon. Cook at a gentle but constant simmer for about twenty-five minutes mashing tomato until broken up.
Meanwhile, boil pasta in plenty of salted water until al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain well and add to skillet tossing well in the sauce.
Add chopped parsley and toss again. Serve with pecorino on the side.

* Yes, I know that it is considered gauche in some circles to serve  grated cheese with seafood but I would rather be ridiculed than go without.  And, yes, I have asked for grated cheese for seafood pasta in Italy and was graciously obliged without the merest hint of a flinch on my server's face.