Category Archives: Pasta and Rice

FRIED RICE

Posted on by
2

I bought these Chinese foo dogs at an estate sale:

Also known as guardian lions, I hoped they would help protect my palace from harmful spirits and people.  So far, so good.

Foo dogs, which originated in China, are thought to resemble chow chows and shih tzus. They were often found in front of palaces and temples.  They’re meant to be displayed in pairs, one female (representing yin) and one male (representing yang).

After nearly a month of kids and their significant others in and out of the house over the holidays, the last one headed back to college today.  To which I say, “oh foo.”  Inspired by the foo dogs, and the upcoming Chinese New Year, I made fried rice, one of the first dishes I showed my son how to make, and a favorite of his.

This fried rice is easy to make and is best made with leftover rice.  We add whatever protein we have on hand — cooked chicken, Canadian bacon, or, on this occasion, roast pork from a shop in Chinatown.

Other than soy sauce and sesame oil, the only other seasoning is black bean garlic sauce:

Have everything handy, and this comes together in about 15 minutes.

Print
FRIED RICE
Author: 
 
Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided use
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • ½ c. diced chicken, Canadian bacon, roast pork, or any combination
  • 1 small onion, diced (optional)
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ½ cup frozen peas and carrots
  • 2 cups cooked rice
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon black bean garlic sauce
  • ½ teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions
  1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add egg and cook for 1 minute, then flip and cook for 1 minute more. Remove egg from skillet, coarsely chop, and set aside.
  2. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet. Add the chicken, Canadian bacon, or roast pork, and stir fry for 2-3 minutes, until beginning to brown slightly. Add the onion and stir fry for approximately 5 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add the peas and carrots, rice, soy sauce, black bean garlic sauce, and sesame oil, and stir fry for 3-4 minutes, until thoroughly combined and heated through. Stir in the reserved egg and serve hot.

Better than take out
Oh foo, no one to share it with

PASTA WITH MORELS, LEEKS, AND PEAS

Posted on by
Reply

I found this elf at an estate sale:

Not exactly the Elf on the Shelf — more like the Gnome in My Home.

He reminded me of my favorite holiday movie, Elf.  And of my favorite line from the movie, where Buddy the Elf is sent to work in the mailroom, and he says “It’s just like Santa’s workshop, except it smells like mushrooms and everyone looks like they wanna hurt me.” Just like my last job.

I have a mushroom story.  Doesn’t everyone?  When I was getting ready to leave for law school, my nurse friends threw me a surprise party, complete with a stripper dressed like a cop and lots of sex toys.  Because everyone associates lawyers with sex, right?  I gave away most of the sex-related toys, but hung on to this little wind-up pecker because it was just so hilarious and stupid:

I kept the little pecker in a small covered basket on my coffee table.  Isn’t that where everyone keeps their wind-up pecker?  Anyway, my landlord’s little girl used to like to hang out with me every once in a while, and on one visit she reached for the basket, but before she could open it, I grabbed it from her.  This, of course, heightened her curiosity about the contents of the basket, and every time she came by she made a beeline for the basket.  She finally got to it before me one day, and when she opened it she gasped, “Ewww — it’s an ugly mushroom!”  Yes, indeed — an ugly mushroom.

Speaking of mushrooms, I recently bought some fresh morel mushrooms, a first for me.  Talk about an ugly mushroom!

Inspired by the smug little elf and the mushroom-smelling mailroom, I made Pasta with Morels, Leeks, and Peas.  We never indulge in cream-based pasta dishes around here, and this was a real treat.  I loved everything about this dish, but most of all the earthy mushrooms.

Print
PASTA WITH MORELS, LEEKS, AND PEAS
Author: 
Recipe type: Pasta
 
Ingredients
  • 12 ounces fresh morel mushrooms, cleaned, stems trimmed, and very coarsely chopped*
  • 1 medium leek, cleaned and thinly sliced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • ¼ cup diced cooked ham
  • ¼ cup dry white wine
  • ¾ cup whipping cream
  • ½ cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • 1-1/4 cups frozen peas, thawed
  • Salt and freshly-cracked black pepper, to taste
  • 10 ounces fresh pappardelle or linguine pasta
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
  • * If morels are unavailable, you can use shiitake or cremini mushrooms.
Instructions
  1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add morels, leeks, and garlic, and cook, stirring often, until morels and leeks are just tender. Remove to a bowl with a slotted spoon.
  2. Add the ham to the skillet, and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until just starting to brown. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the white wine. Return to heat and cook for 1 minute. Add the cream and broth, and cook, stirring often, until sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, approximately 6 to 8 minutes. Return morels to skillet and add peas. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until peas are just tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  3. Meanwhile, in a large pot of salted water cook pasta according to directions until just al dente. Drain, and add to skillet over low heat, tossing until heated through and well combined. Transfer to serving bowl and sprinkle with parsley. Serve hot.

Morels, leeks, and garlic getting tender

Sauce is ready
No one will have to wind you up to come eat this meal!