Corned Beef and Cabbage: A March Favorite

Well, it's still March, so it's not too late to post this, is it?

simple directions for a simple food. Corned Beef is actually really hard to make from scratch. It is a beef brisket that is preserved in a brine... sometimes salt would form large clumps on the outside of the brisket, and that's why it's called "corned" beef. Not corn like corn-on-the-cob, more like crusty-lump-on-your-uncle's-foot corn. See? now you get it. Heh.

anyhow, here is the how to slide show, and below is the recipe. Enjoy!

serves four (or two with lots of leftovers!)

3 lb corned beef brisket (mine came pre-seasoned, yours may have a seasoning packet included.)

1 onion, quartered

5 or 6 red potatoes, quartered

4 or 5 carrots, cut into 2 1/2" pieces

4 celery stalks, peeled and cut into thirds

1 large head of cabbage, quartered

water for cooking.

place onion, carrot, and celery in a large pot. place beef on top. fill with enough water to cover. bring to a simmer, skim foam from top. cover and simmer for 2 hours. after two hours, add potatoes. cover and simmer 30 minutes. add cabbage. cover and simmer 30 minutes. remove corned beef, allow to rest for 15 minutes before cutting. great with rye bread!

EMU EGG!

Food Report:

Emu Egg!

On occasion i like to picture some of the food oddities i encounter from time to time.

This was left for a co-worker of mine as a gift.

ain't it beautiful?

Macaroni Salad: Simple Side for Tasty Foods

Macaroni Salad
Noodles with Mayo make a tasty combo

Here is my take on my mom's recipe. Just like i had as a kid. super simple.

Macaroni Salad.

2 cups pasta, cooked, rinsed, cooled.

2 hard boiled eggs, peeled, diced

3/4 cups diced dill pickles

3/4 cups sliced black olives

1/3 cup mayonaise

1 tsp whole grain or dijon mustard

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper, more or less to taste

combine all ingredients. garnish with olive bunnies. or parsley. or BBQ ribs.

NEXT RECIPE:

Tempura Soba: Japanese Noodles and Soup

Vegetable Tempura Soba

Buckwheat Noodles with Soup and Fried Veggies

Yay! a super healthy, yummy hot soup. Traditionally served for New Year's in Japan, Buckwheat noodles are healthy and tasty. Today i will show you my method for cooking this with lots of fresh veggies, and a simple tempura. All with things you probably have available to you wherever you are. i promise (see below for substitutions and hints.).

yay! enjoy!

Serves 2

1 green onion, sliced

1 carrot, sliced as shown,

1 broccoli stalk, sliced as shown

1 sweet potato

2 or 3 oz of firm tofu

1 tbs flour for dredging

2 tbs flour+ 2 tbs water for batter

1/4 cup oil for frying, grapeseed, peanut, or vegetable.

1 bundle of soba noodles

1/4 cup soba sauce

1/4 tsp dashi

1 cup water

Shichimi, (optional) -to taste

start by prepping all the veggies and tofu as shown. Hint: Toss out the thick fibrous stem end of the broccoli, but cut up and use the tasty stem. Set Sweet potato chunks in a small strainer, and place in boiling water for about five minutes, till soft, but not mushy. This will quicken the fry time they will need to cook through. Remove from water and drain well. Heat a large pot with enough water to boil noodles. Heat a small skillet or shallow pan on high heat with oil. (about 1/4" of oil, the smaller the pan you use, the less oil you'll need) Sprinkle sweet potato pieces and tofu with flour, toss to coat evenly. Mix tempura batter and coat tofu and sweet potato in batter. Lower heat in pan to medium, and add tofu and sweet potato, spacing evenly apart so they don't stick together. fry for two minutes per side, or until crispy. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Once water for noodles boils, add noodles, and cook according to package directions. When the noodles are cooked, rinse well with very cold water. Drain. place noodles in the serving bowl. Heat soup mix, water and carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, and green onion in a saucepan. bring to simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Pour soup over noodles. Top with your tempura. Garnish how you like, if you can find some i recommend Shichimi powder, a spicy japanese pepper traditionally used for this dish.

if you cannot find soba sauce (don't even really bother looking unless it's super convenient, i.e. asian grocery next door, whatever) you can make your own with simple things you should have in your home, or are easy to find anywhere and is very affordable.

2 tbs soy sauce

2 tbs sake (or 2 tbs mirin and no sugar)

1 tsp sugar

also, if you cannot find dashi (which i highly recommend, it is super tasty) you can try another light soup base, like pork bullion, or even chicken.

yay! enjoy!

Your Kitchen!: Nat Makes Handmade Ravioli!

Yay!

This is Handmade Ravioli, made by loyal fan, Nat O. on Dec. 5th, 2009. Thank you Nat!

Cream of Wheat: Hot Wheat Farina

Hot Wheat Farina Cereal

Cheap! Filling! Delicious!

Hearty, Hot, and inexpensive. Not to mention simple and quick. Prep time = 5 minutes! One 1LB bag From Bob's Red Mill (organic) Costs about $3.50. at 3TBS per serving, That's about $.06 of cereal per serving! This is something grandma made for us frequently, and it was one of my favorite things that she made! i hope you try this yourself very soon!

Cream of Wheat Farina Hot Cereal

Serves One

1/2 cup water

3 tbs Wheat Farina or Cream of Wheat

1/4 cup milk

1/4 tsp salt

Optional toppings:

butter

evaporated milk

Brown sugar

In a small saucepan, add water, salt, cereal, and milk. Turn on heat to medium low. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Simmer till thick. add more or less water for thicker/thinner cereal, experiment to see what you like. Top with butter, milk, and sugar as shown. enjoy!

NEXT POST:

Tempura Soba!