FoodTrek: Exploring Origin and Flavor at Cafe Juanita

When you're invited for an opportunity to sample dishes featuring smoky Italian ham and savory Asiago cheese prepared by Chef Holly Smith and her team at Cafe Juanita, you say... YES. Along with a beautiful meal, it was a good reminder for developing a healthy awareness of food origins and appreciating the places from whence they came.

Simple joys of ham and cheese, Speck Alto Adige and Asiago at Cafe Juanita - Photo by Wasabi Prime

When you buy certain regional ingredients, you'll of course notice things like it's not just Parmesan cheese, it's Parmesano-Reggiano, or if you're getting a bottle of bubbly, labels will make the distinction that it's a sparkling wine made in the Champagne style and not actual Champagne, or it's actually the real thing, coming from that particular region of France. Why is this important? Well, some will say it's all about marketing, creating a certain cachet around a region and an additional level of authenticity (and price) because it was made in the original style or location the ingredient had originated from. And I don't think that's a bad thing. In a global economy where we can buy our cheese from Italy, our wine from France, and more likely, the items are made in places unfamiliar to its historic origins, why shouldn't there be a little bit of a premium over provenance? Knowing an ingredient passed a set of quality standards to earn its name, it speaks to the growing mentality of food awareness, that we're actively thinking about what we're eating and wanting the ingredients themselves to have a degree of accountability. Does it mean I'll turn down a Twinkie if offered to me? No, but at least I accept it willingly with the knowledge that I roll the dice of Fate with a mystery cream filling.

This was the overall theme behind the meal prepared with loving hands at Cafe Juanita. The featured items were the smoky Speck or smoked ham from the Alto Adige region of Italy, stamped with the IGP standard (Indicazione Geografica Protetta or Protected Geographical Indication), and Asiago cheese with the seal of DOP - Denominazione di origine protetta, or Protected Designation of Origin. It sounds very official, and not something that adds a lot of flourish to a menu, but what it basically comes down to is that this is how the European Union both recognizes and protects the agricultural community, a practice our own domestic agriculture industry could benefit from. There's no shame in aware they have something special, and they want to be sure everyone knows it. Pat McCarthy from DeLaurenti Specialty Food and Wine in Seattle was there to present the Speck Alto Adige, explaining what a beautiful and culturally rich ingredient it is, as its origin lies in both Northern Italy and Germany, and its use is widely popular throughout Europe, as well-loved like our own beloved American bacon. Speck Alto Adige is a slowly cured ham, where the thigh of the animal undergoes special selection and several steps over a period of 22 weeks to push and pull the levels of fat, moisture and PH levels that develop. The smoking of the meat is done in cool wood temperatures just under 70 degrees, and it tends to have a more savory, hearty flavor than something unsmoked and more delicate like proscuitto. It can be used to flavor a dish by rendering its fat, much like what we would do with bacon, or it can be sliced thin for charcuterie platters. I liked what Pat said when describing how to slice Speck when serving: "the thickness of two sheets of paper."

Cafe Juanita, you complete me - Photos by Wasabi Prime

The dishes served were artful renditions of both the Speck and Asiago, appreciating it in different ways, from the simplicity of tasting them on their own in charcuterie platters, served with an intense huckleberry preserve, or in main courses where the flavors have a chance to mingle with other ingredients. Chef Holly Smith presented several dishes, including a winter citrus salad of Belgian endive, grapefruit slices and a crisped piece of Speck, sitting on a creamy bed of avocado, all drizzled with a smoked pork fat vinaigrette. This was followed by a rich and hearty risotto made creamy with Asiago, cooked with Barbera wine, giving it a ruddy burgundy blush. It was a skilled pairing of ingredients, showing how the savory smokiness of the Speck can stand out against the richness of avocado and cut through the citric bite of grapefruit. And the risotto was all creamy, dreamy comfort food heaven, with the warmth of the infused wine flavor making it a welcome repast to contrast the light snow you could see falling outside (yes, there was snow!), yet the Asiago didn't disapear, its salty, lightly musty aged flavor distinctively balancing out the richness. It was a really elegant lunch with an equally elegant finish -- no Speck/Asiago infused ice creams or flavored foams. They like to keep it real at Cafe Juanita and that's one of the reasons why I've loved them for years. We were treated to one of their springtime favorites, a vanilla panna cotta with Dr. Pescia's Heather Honey and platters of cloud-like meringue cookies. Their panna cotta is dreamlike, it's so light and smooth, as if somehow the air around it has been trained to suspend the vanilla custard in that little formed shape. A spoonful of that, with the honey that has a little crystalized sugar bite to it, and you're in Blissville for the day. I was in Blissville for an extended stay, as they served up cups of coffee from Herkemer (love their name), which saved my soul as I was on extreme caffeine withdrawal all week. Cafe Juanita, I salute you!

Beautiful day to scare away the winter blah's? Absolutely. And aside from getting a chance to finally meet Chef Holly Smith in person and being able to peek at some of the cool things they're doing at the restaurant, like pressing whole sage leaves in their pasta, it was a memorable reinforcement of the importance of choosing ingredients wisely. We can always use substitutes or default to lesser-caliber things, but if you're looking for genuine flavor that really speaks through the dishes, using quality ingredients is the foundation for a celebrated taste experience.

Winter blues chased away by beautiful food - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Mixed Plate: Test Kitchen Musings and the Gauntlet of Tasters

I'm extreeeeeemely fortunate to have the opportunity to develop recipes for publications now and then, which is a really nice combination my favorite things: creativity, food, and EATING. I  usually try to make the recipe a couple of times, making modifications and adjustments, and if I'm under the gun, as is the way of most deadlines, I'll do a Test Kitchen Tasting day, inviting a couple of friends over who will sample and provide immediate input. They're also there to just help eat because you can never make just a little of anything and food somehow always tastes better when shared. On a recent TKT, the Gauntlet of Tasters gathered, and yes, there were Milanos to be had.

Test Kitchen Tasting session and scrapbook mania at Casa de Wasabi - Photo by Wasabi Prime

The dangerously addictive entity known as Pepperidge Farm Milanos aren't just for bad breakups and Molly Ringwald movie marathons anymore! Their oblong sandwich cookie-ness were a welcome guest at the latest Test Kitchen session. Which I realize is a little redundant, since the subject of the Test Kitchen Tasting was a dessert dish. But whatever! Consider it the sweet amuse-bouche for the main course of sugary tooth-rotting!  We even had some bacon chocolate, care of a Vosges bar -- gotta have the savory, right? Generally, these days are set up to where the recipe is tested and sometimes a food photography session takes place if the mood is right. I was particularly pleased with the latest recipe, a special bread pudding that will be featured in an upcoming magazine, which I promise to give more details on when it's published. I knew this was a good recipe because the Gauntlet of Tasters indulged in seconds, and this was after we had a full lunch (and Milanos).

Along with eating, the gathering also included a bit of cut-and-paste activity. I know it sounds kind of juvenile, but I scrapbook. And I don't mean I spend $400 on pre-cut shapes, stickers and prefab decorative doo-dads that are a choking hazard waiting to happen. I really do collect scraps of things that I like or that inspire me and slap them in big, crazy collages with the ol' glue stick. I'm a big fan of miscellaneous ephemera and likely a borderline hoarder, so I'll keep ticket stubs for events I've gone to, wine and beer labels and tons of things from magazines. I have a big book that's full of different themes, whether it's fully-formed ideas, color palettes, or often times -- food. I've got a whole layout just devoted to pizza. It may look like a junior high nightmare needing a shot of Proactiv, but it makes sense to my brain when I look at it.

Peer into the twisted mind (and stomach) of The Prime - Photos by Wasabi Prime

These periodic gatherings of the Gauntlet of Tasters and our stacks of old magazines become a flurry of cut paper and food. For what seems like chaos, this is where the seeds of inspiration are sowed for future projects. The epicenter of blogging, as the Gauntlet are bloggers as well. Having a gathering of like-minded creatives and sharing our thoughts, likes and latest gossip helps get the post ideas going. I'm sure everyone has different sources for getting the creative spark, but this is a peek into one of my favorite ways to brainstorm, plus copious amounts of carbohydrates are often consumed to much food coma pleasure. Win/win, right?

Even when I don't get a chance to run a dish past the Gauntlet, it will still evolve in different ways. Some of the things I tend to focus on if I'm developing a recipe are: level of complexity, obscurity of ingredients, and just the basics of will people actually want to eat this thing? Desserts are often an easy sell -- who doesn't want sweet? But I don't like making something so sweet you just feel the grit of sugar between your choppers. In terms of complexity, I've changed ingredient lists out to use simpler items or include shortcuts for finding prepared items to save on time. I know this is kind of a "duh" thing, but when you have the luxury of time to develop something from scratch you have to realize that the rest of the world has other crap they're dealing with and not everyone wants to fuss around in the kitchen. They probably don't want to make their stock from scratch or gather fresh eggs from their backyard chicken coop. I don't have a chicken coop, mind you, but you get my drift that sometimes concessions are made for the sake of making a recipe approachable.

I'm definitely no expert in recipe development, these are just some of the things that go through my head when I'm working on new things. I also find that there's recipes and methods that really break the Mach-10 eating barrier, and the ones that just modify the familiar or update the old-fashioned favorites. While I completely respect and admire the former, my speed is is more the latter. I'll never be the one to reinvent the wheel, just figure out ways to pretty it up with a bit of parsley, but that's fine by me. I recently worked on a risotto dish which wasn't so much about bedazzling it with different ingredients, but trying to dial it back further and further until a single ingredient could be the featured taste. I was removing instead of adding in that case. Sometimes you have to go to Vegas first before you realize you should be in Kansas... if that even makes any lick of sense.

At the end of the day and lots of barely legible chickenscratch in my recipe notebook, I'm reminded I still need to eat the thing and periodically present it to friends just looking for a good nosh and ample table space to scrapbook.

A "Round One" version of a basic risotto recipe - Photo by Wasabi Prime

FoodTrek: Wine, Pizza and Memory Lane

I revisited the Columbia Winery in Woodinville recently, to admire their recent renovations as well as sip some of their wines and sample the new flatbread pizzas they're serving in their tasting room. As I was heading home, I realized that Columbia Winery was my first introduction to the world of wine when I moved to Washington. I left California before coming of age to really appreciate the wineries up north, and living in Arizona, I wouldn't say the desert heat and soil is particularly viticulture-friendly. It was a visit to Columbia Winery over a decade ago for a wine tasting event that started it all. While I've been back several times since that first visit, this post does have a sentimental feeling of coming full circle.

Newly renovated wine club room at Columbia Winery in Woodinville - Photo by Wasabi Prime

Oenophile I am not, I'm simply a great enjoyer of wine and not always knowing the right descriptive beyond, "Yum. Another glass, please." But I do appreciate how experiential wine can be, not only in the drinking of it, but seeing where it's made and meeting the people involved in the process. Columbia Winery is the "old soul" of Washington wine, producing distinctive vintages since 1962, and growing into the state's largest winemaker. Even if you don't live in the area, chances are you've heard of them or seen their wines at your local stores. The winery is a favorite among the locals for weddings -- even in the chill of winter and our recent storms, it's still a popular place to hold a special event. I was told that over the previous weekend, a wedding was taking place at 6, and the power was knocked out hours before, but clearly Bacchus the God of Wine was smiling down upon the lucky couple -- the power managed to come back on at 5:30. I know they can't promise miracles in their event brochure, but apparently Columbia Winery has the good mojo working for it.

Follow the good advice of the wine barrel -- Enjoy! - Photos by Wasabi Prime

I remember back when the Spirit of Washington train still ran, where you board a train in Renton and make your way out to Woodinville and wind up at the Columbia Winery. The train delivered you right in front of the picturesque Queen Anne-style building, you could tour the grounds, sample the wine, and get a glimpse of the winemaking process itself. I always took visitors on the winery train tour, and even when the train sadly had to shut down, I still took friends to Columbia Winery because they did such a lovely job of presenting the story of their wine with a really beautiful experience. Times have continued to change, and the wine production has moved closer to their grapes, out to Sunnyside in Eastern Washington. Yet the distinctive building remains and they're still doing the good work of being wine ambassadors, providing ample space to sidle up to the wine bar for a glass and a good story.

Hanging  out with Kerry Norton and Bill Collins shows how to charm the ladies - Photos by Wasabi Prime

I have to say, they crafted a truly cozy space to sit and just enjoy the evening with something delicious. A centerpiece fireplace, comfy leather chairs and sofas, and a blazing hot oven outside producing crispy flatbread pizzas are among the additions to the winery's tasting room. And really, as our college days have taught us well -- you can't beat pizza and wine. I was fortunate to be introduced to the gentlemanly charmer that is Bill Collins, one of their wine experts and keeper of wonderful wine tales. He gave a tour of the new Cellar Club tasting room with a beautiful copper ceiling -- a nice private tasting room that's a perk of being a wine club member. And he did a wonderful job of pairing wines with the pizzas. I was also very lucky to be there on a night that Director of Winemaking Kerry Norton was on this side of the state. Normally he's at Wine HQ in Sunnyside, but I was lucky to get a chance to talk with him and hear his thoughts on the winemaking process, and how the wine embodies the soul of the vine. He was describing how as a viticulturist, it's so much about the fine art of developing the vine, how depth of soil, amount of sunlight exposure and the push/pull of those (among other factors) can balance out the flavor of the finished grape. While different varietal blends can help balance out flavor, it always comes down to the grape itself and the care that went into it.

We sampled several wines, going from their 2008 Unoaked Chardonnay, to a sweeter Chenin Blanc and Riesling. A long line of red wines were sampled as well, with the 2003 Syrah from the Red Willow Vineyard being one of my favorites of the night. Bill Collins has a story for every type of wine, from how he learned the meaning behind "Malbec," to a memorable way of checking the true color of a wine, holding it against the light and letting it cast its hue on a white surface, but he put it best by saying the descriptive terms always sound better when using terms for gemstones and precious metals. Wiser words never spoken.

TGI Wine and Pizza Wednesdays - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Chef Jeff Lantz is the man behind the new food menu. A lawyer turned chef who's always had his heart set on the appreciation of wine and food, he's come up with flavor combinations that are both traditional and creative. The popular and perennial choice is their Margherita, the traditional pizza with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and a sprinkle of chopped basil. The ones to try are definitely their seasonal pizzas, which change out about every three weeks. I was able to sample the Great American Pie, a meaty combination of beef and bacon finely minced and spread over the thin crust, and the Apple Pie Columbia Style, with cinnamon apples, blue cheese, pecans and caramelized onion. Both were delicious, but I have to say the sweet/savory Apple Pie was my favorite, with its nice balance of ingredients, plus it paired so nicely with the wines Bill poured -- the Riesling and Chenin Blanc. The Great American Pie was wonderful with the hearty reds; I wouldn't normally drink a Sangiovese on its own, but paired with the pizza, it mellowed nicely and really became part of the meal.

It feels a little like revealing a secret, sharing this little gem of a hangout spot, but that's exactly what Columbia Winery has done with renovating their interiors and making it a place that's as much for the locals as it is for visitors. The place gets busy, so go early! The tasting room is open daily (except on Mondays) and on Wednesdays, they offer their wines by the glass and flatbreads at half off from 5 to 7pm, so even more of a reason to duck out of work a little early during the middle of the week. You can see their hours and contact information here on their site.

Many Wasabi Thanks to Bill Collins, Kerry Norton and the whole team at Columbia Winery for giving the grand tour and a lovely evening with such fine company!

Mixed Plate: I'll Get You, Valentine... and Your Little Dog, Too!

It's just a quickie post for today, but I had to ask -- how was everyone's Valentine's Day? Broke-as-a -joke from paying $50 for roses that are now a quarter of the price? Stuffing your face with 60% off chocolates shaped like little hearts? Ahh.... l'amour!

Indy says: Won't you please be my Valentine...? I'm ever so pitiful-looking - Photo by Wasabi Prime

If you spent your February 14th in Western Washington, you're likely cleaning up the crud from the latest winter storm. Pouring rain one second, howling wind the next and LOOK OUT -- falling tree crashing into roads, homes and whatever else is foolish enough to get between that century-old Douglas Fir and terra firma. Stay frosty, Marines -- this week ain't over yet. Amid the flickering lights, I hastily cooked up a simple meal of lamb chops in a red wine sauce, served over a potato galette. Which is to say, meat n' potatoes. It was a noteworthy first as I've never really prepared lamb up until recently and these were the first chops I'd cooked. My thoughts on preparing lamb? Delicious. Searing in a hot pan for a few minutes and then letting the oven finish off the cooking -- with a meat thermometer probe inserted to prevent any over/under cooking, of course. This seems simple to so many others, but this was my first tussle with lamb chops, so I was especially glad they turned out tasty.

Hot damn, it's lamb! And I didn't ruin it, so Happy Valentine's Day to ME - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Proving yet again that taking photos of red meat is difficult to have it not look like a fresh kill, I instead ply the fair readers with the humiliation of our dog, Indy, who was good enough to pose for Mr. Wasabi's Valentine's Day card this year. I assure you that she was not harmed in any way and she was compensated for her time and emotional suffering with her favorite Peanutter doggie treat. I was also blessed with several Valentine cards from friends, most of them handmade, so as to make me feel even more of a slacker for not making any this year. Thanks, guys. But I will say the sweetest thing this Valentine's Day was feeling more at ease with cooking something new, and sometimes newfound confidence with unfamiliar ingredients and not destroying a special occasion dinner the best gift of all.

Mixed Plate: I'm Just a Love Machine

The Prime has never been one to fully embrace Valentine's Day as a full-on holiday, but maybe being around a lot of restaurants and food-related work, it's hard not to get swept up in the lace-trimmed, pink hearted wonderland of L-O-V-E. This year, I found myself making homemade sweets for friends using a recipe from Alexandra Hedin's sweetheart of a book, Entertaining at Home,  and trekking around Woodinville, to get some sweet and savory inspiration at the seasonal chef's demos at Willows Lodge.

These peanut butter and chocolate treats should come with a warning: Highly Addictive - Photo by Wasabi Prime

Getting straight to dessert first, Alexandra's book is a great mix of both lifestyle and recipes, which I think they should almost have a new category for books simply called Hostessing with the Mostessing. Is it grammatically correct? Heck no, but it kind of covers it all, as her book, Entertaining at Home, is one of those where you really take in the full experience of each meal, not just the individual dishes. You look at where a meal is held, how the food is presented, and the little decorative details that aren't necessarily edible, but provide a satisfying experience for the whole occasion. I have to give mad props to a local food and lifestyle talent having a book published and much mad propitude to her peanut butter and chocolate squares recipe, which I made a double-batch of. When I was done stuffing my face with the irregular-shaped end pieces, I cut everything down into little bite-sized rectangles and put into Valentine-themed candy cups, stacked in celo bags and decorated with a strip of red and white polka dot fabric. It's not the typical heart-shaped box of chocolates, but it was a little sweet thing to give to friends to let them know how sweet they are. The book is available at bookstores, or you can order directly through Alexandra's site - I'm sure she'd love to hear from you!

Barking Frog's Chef Bobby Moore cooking up savory dishes at Willows Lodge chef demos - Photos by Wasabi Prime

You know what goes really well with peanut butter and chocolate squares? Sea bass with carrot ginger beurre blanc and oysters! Maybe not. But switching gears and puttering over to the Willows Lodge hotel in nearby Woodinville, there are chef demos the hotel graciously hosts at seasonal times of the year. I went to the holiday demos, which included presentations on cocktails, appetizers and desserts. They hold these events midweek, right in the Willows Lodge lounge area, past their big fireplace as you walk into the main entrance. They usually start around 5 or 5:30, but you really have to get there as early as possible -- 4:30 is adviseable, as the lounge area becomes standing room only. It's like the best kept secret in sleepy Woodinville-town... and I just let the cat out of the bag!!

Flourless chocolate cake, flavored with raspberry by Pastry Chef Matt Kelley - Photos by Wasabi Prime

It's a really nice treat, as you're sitting there with a happy hour glass of wine, maybe one of their tasty appetizers (I love their lamb burger with sweet potato fries), while Chef Bobby Moore or Pastry Chef Matt Kelley at the neighboring restaurant, the Barking Frog, prepare something right in front of you, recipe cards are passed out, and you get to sample everything they make. For the Valentine-themed presentations, Chef Moore prepared an appetizer of oysters topped with an herbed mascarpone and brioche crumbs, a lighter twist on the typical Oysters Rockefeller, and then seared bass with a sweet carrot ginger sauce over a fennel risotto. Pastry Chef Matt Kelley made a rich flourless chocolate cake with a raspberry truffle center, topped with raspberry chantilly cream -- divine, no? On the night of Chef Moore's savory demo, there was the added treat of sampling wines from Dusted Valley Winery, who co-hosted the presentation. While they don't have these every week, they generally hold these special cooking demos around holidays, and I believe there's another one coming up in March - check the Willows Lodge events page for updates.

Whatever you decide to do for Valentine's Day, whether it's going out for a special dinner, staying in and making a special meal, or getting one of those heart-shaped pizzas from Papa Murphys, have a heart-shaped day, and hugs n' kisses to all!

Sweet and Savory Valentine Wishes to ALL - Photos by Wasabi Prime

OMG a Recipe: Beefcake 4000 Protein Bars

Beefcake! BEEFCAKE!! This is an addendum to the Disorganized Kitchen Chaos post, as friends were asking about my foray into baking with protein powder and making DIY protein bars. I'm not a nutritionist, nor do I play one on television, so I can't really attest to the validity of any health claims over eating these. They will not make you strong, they will not taste better than a real meal, and hopefully not turn you into a giant d-bag like Eric Cartman from South Park. These homemade Beefcake 4000 Protein Bars were just a result of necessity, to keep me from om-nomming on something naughty like a bag of Flamin' Hot Cheetos or a candy bar when I'm on the run.

A snack that even Eric Cartman, Fitness God, could appreciate - Photo by Wasabi Prime

Head over to a health food store and you can find protein powder. I used whey-based protein powder, but I believe there are soy-based ones as well. Try to find ones that don't have added sugars, otherwise it kind of defeats the purpose. Many will have artificial sweeteners in it -- not ideal, but sometimes you just have to work with what you have. Do the same label-searching on dried fruits -- it's surprising how much extra sugar or corn syrup is added to prepackaged dried fruits to "enhance flavor." Natural or specialty food stores should have a bulk section that offers dried fruits, so those would be the best resources to find both the fruits and nuts for this bar. I went with dried apricots and apples, just because they have plenty of natural sugars and flavor, but use whatever you prefer. The same with choosing the type of nuts used; almonds are easy to find, but if you like pistachios or something else, go for it. Try not to get a pre-salted nut, as that will throw off the flavor balance as well as the salt content.

At the end of the day, is this a delicious treat that you will crave fortnightly like the Kentucky Colonel's chicken? Negative, Ghost Rider. It's a bit on the dry and crumbly side, but if you're looking for a source of fuel during a busy day, this is a good way to make something with ingredient control and have an alternative when a doughnut is calling your name. I can say with experience that keeping these in my car or my camera bag has been a blessing, because the weeks of late have literally been spent on the run.

Beefcake 4000 Protein Bars
(makes about 12-16 small bars)

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup whey protein powder
1 cup canola/vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots (unsweetened)
1/2 cup chopped dried apples (unsweetened)
1/2 cup slivered raw almonds (unsalted)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix until fully incorporated -- should look like a thick oatmeal cookie batter. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place sheets of parchment paper in a criss-cross fashion in a rectangular baking pan -- this will help remove the finished protein cake when it's fully baked. Pour in the batter, spread/smooth evenly in the pan and bake for 20-15 minutes until everything is set and browned along the top. Remove from pan and let it cool on a rack. It will be firm, but slightly chewy when you cut it into little bars. Once the cut bars are fully cooled, wrap in plastic wrap and pack in your work bag or keep in your car for an on-the-go snack. They should keep for about two weeks.

OMG a Recipe: Tasty Lunar New Year Wishes

Last Thursday was the kickoff of the Lunar New Year, and I'm sure there were many feasts to be had. I didn't grow up celebrating Chinese New Year, beyond knowing what gung hay fat choi meant, and that the Chinatown in Los Angeles always threw a big, loud party. I'm also not Chinese, but that's beside the point, because in the end, isn't it nice to have another reason to celebrate a new year? Our edible ode to this Year of the Rabbit was less grand, more simply Asian-inspired, but I thought I'd share the little things that kicked off the new year, from January on through now.

Leftovers never looked so fancy - Photo by Wasabi Prime

One of the first things I made was more out of necessity than the Year of the Rabbit -- I used the ju bao or baked bun recipe from Andrea Nguyen's Asian Dumplings cookbook.  This has become one of my new favorite recipes, for its simple ingredients and versatility with different fillings. I've used the dough to stuff cooked meats and vegetables before baking, and also just baked it un-filled as little buns, then split to make it into rolls for Asian-style barbecue sliders. This time, I used it in a more traditional way, stuffing it with defrosted barbecue-style pork that I'd had in the freezer since the holidays, originally used for an Asian barbecue-style twist on a bahn-mi sandwich. I've been snacking on these little pork-filled buns, dipping in spicy chili paste and soy sauce to my heart's content. Or possible discontent, as I just got a cholesterol test done last week, so we'll see if this kind of eating will be the end of me.

Before February even strolled in, back in January I celebrated the new year Japanese-style, with typical shogatsu accoutrements like having mochi on the first day of the year and having soup with noodles. I didn't have the traditional mochi soup, a savory and simple broth that has a single plain rice cake set in the bottom of the bowl, but I do like the idea of starting out the first breakfast of the year with something a little lighter than fried eggs and bacon. I had my mochi as dessert and admittedly, I cheated, buying it ahead of time and cracking open the hermetically-sealed package on January 1st. But happy new year, nonetheless. Maybe it means 2011 will be wrapped in shrink wrap. And made in Taiwan.

Celebrating the new year with tasty family favorites - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Last week, it was less Lunar New Year and more mom's cooking that got me craving sweet and sour pork. I'm fairly certain this dish is about as traditional as General Tso's Chicken, but I do remember my mom making sweet and sour pork as one of her weekly mainstays. It was quick, not a lot of ingredients, and tasted good with rice -- the last item being a must in our household when I was growing up. Rice makes it nice. And yes, along with my cholesterol test, I had them test my blood sugar levels as well. Oy.

I did a more complicated twist on my mom's sweet and sour pork UnRecipe. I say UnRecipe because this was one of her usual dinners and after so many years of making it, I don't think she ever bothered to measure or keep track of exactly what was going in her version of the dish. I used pork shoulder and slow-cooked it for a day to help break down the fat and sinewy bits, as it's not a tender cut on its own. This adds extra cook time and the prep time can be cut down considerably by substituting with using a better cut of pork that cooks quickly, but I do like how the shoulder shreds up once it's slowly braised for hours. I used all dry powder seasonings just because when it's cooking for such a long time in the slow cooker, I don't really notice the difference between the fresh ingredients since it's all simmering away for so many hours and the flavors sort of run together.

Wasabi's Riff on Mama Wasabi's Sweet and Sour Pork

Ingredients for braising the meat - yes, you'll need a slow cooker/crock pot, it's just easier that way
2-3 lbs pork shoulder meat, cubed into large chunks
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons coriander powder
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon ginger powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon ground white pepper

Ingredients for the final cooking of the dish
2 green bell peppers, seeded and chopped into large bite-sized chunks
1 large onion, sliced
3-2 cups of fresh pineapple, cut into large chunks
1/4 cup of fresh pineapple juice
1 tablespoon of canola oil

Take your slow cooker and add the cubed pork shoulder and all the seasonings into the crock, both wet and dry. Toss to coat evenly, cover with the lid and let it cook on the highest setting for 6 to 7 hours until meat is tender and can easily be cut with a fork. This is good to do first-thing in the morning or the night before.

When the pork is cooked, skim off excess fat, remove the pork and the sauce formed from the cooking and set aside. Get a large skillet or wok  heated to medium high on the stove. Add the canola oil (or some of the skimmed pork fat) to coat the pan and start to saute the onion and bell peppers. Just cook until onion is starting to become translucent. Add the pork and the cooking sauce, toss to combine. Cook just until bell peppers are softenend, but not overcooked.

When everything is heated through, add the fresh pineapple chunks and pineapple juice. Turn off the heat so the pineapple chunks stay firm. Taste the sauce and add more rice wine vinegar or honey to modify the sweet or sour-ness of the dish to your taste. If the sauce is too loose, thicken by adding a cornstarch slurry, or leave it loose and serve over rice.  

Mixed Plate: Disorganized Kitchen Chaos - I Ain't Lazy, Just Crazy

Meals sometimes get a little crazy at Casa de Wasabi, so I apologize for the lack of ooh-la-lah foods. You know what I'm talking about -- there are weeks where meals get planned out on time, groceries purchased, and everything runs like clockwork. And then there are some weeks where you just have leftover stuff from previous meals and you just want to clean everything out before you buy anything new. The solution for those weeks look like this: Kitchen Sink Frittata, Bag o' Broccoli Soup, and for dessert, Beefcake 4000 Oatmeal Cookies.

Everything but the kitchen sink... wait, is that a spigot over there? Photo by Wasabi Prime

I get zero credit on the name, Kitchen Sink Frittata -- gotta give it up to my homeskillet, Radish and Rose, who would tell me about her Kitchen Sink Omelettes, wherein the refrigerator would be scoured of all random scraps of leftover vegetables and made into a large, hearty omelette. I made something similar with the frittata, throwing in spinach, leftover chicken and random bits of cheese, placed in a baking pan with a custard of eggs and milk, and then baked. Slices served up on a bed of greens for dinner and packed away for lunches at the office, it takes care of several meals for part of the week.

Soup is the answer, because no one knows what went in it - Photo by Wasabi Prime

Paired with the frittata or fine on its own was literally the Bag o' Broccoli soup. As in, I found a random bag of broccoli sitting in our box freezer from some forlorn Costco trip where I thought a frozen bag of broccoli would be a nifty idea. This logic is flawed! Don't ever buy frozen broccoli thinking it won't defrost into a giant pile of mush. Ain't. Gonna. Happen. Plus it was a giant bag that's so intimidating, you never want to open it in fear of trying to somehow wrestle it into a meal. It spent a night defrosting in the fridge and then I spread the entire contents of the bag across two baking sheets and roasted them with a bit of oil to help remove some of the water and concentrate the flavor down. The broccoli was transferred to a pot of simmering chicken stock and the stick blender made quick work of the florets, turning it into a murky, green stew that looked like I cooked Oscar the Grouch. However, with the help of a bit of seasoning and milk to both loosen and make the texture more creamy, the broccoli soup came together nicely. Garnished with crumbled feta and extra pepper, it would be totally fine to serve guests, and they probably wouldn't think to assume the ingredients came frozen, out of a bag. From Costco, no less. Broccoli de Ghetto Soup, anyone?

Spring Cleaning the fridge and freezer - Photos by Wasabi Prime

As for the Beefcake 4000 Oatmeal Cookie, yep, you guessed it, by the power of Eric Cartman, I used protein powder in a cookie recipe. Beefcake! BEEFCAKE!! This was less of a pantry-clearing exercise and more of a "what would happen if I did this..." experiment. I took a chewy oatmeal cookie recipe and substituted half the flour for whey-based protein powder. This is a good idea: Y/N? Well... it wasn't awful, and they actually were a pleasant enough treat to have around with the lie hanging in the back of my brain saying, "it's protein powder, so it's healthy, right??" How does it feel be going down the River of Denial, Wasabi?

Beefcake 4000 Oatmeal Cookies, better than Cheezy-Poofs. Photo by Wasabi Prime

The protein powder we use has a flavoring added to it, so it made the cookies a little on the malty side, which I think is mostly to tone down the fact that it's protein powder. Any hopes of making it healthy were quickly dashed when I added some white chocolate chips to it, plus the original recipe called for quite a bit of sugar. If I were to remake it with energy bar intentions, I would probably nix the sugar and use just a little honey as the sweetener, and add more nuts and dried unsweetened fruit. The protein powder seemed to hold up in the baking process, so I could probably replace the flour completely with it, were I to attempt this bizarre baked good again. I know it sounds like a weird thing to make, since protein bars are never something wonderful to eat. Chalk this one up to too much time and too much weird crap in the pantry.
Fine, so meal options aren't always pretty when you're home-cookin' it most of the time. But it can't be all champagne wishes and caviar dreams -- life happens, you can't always go out for meals, and sometimes you just have to get a little crazy.

No whey?  Whey. Photos by Wasabi Prime