Crispy Fried Goodness: Egg Rolls!

I was craving some good, crispy egg rolls the other day, but I remember what a production making them was from watching my mom when I was little.  It was a lot easier to just watch someone make the egg rolls and then eat them!  However, since my mom wasn't here to make some for me and I didn't have any classes for a few weeks, I relished the opportunity to spend a few hours making egg rolls.

We have a deep fryer, but the husband (a.k.a. the person who has to clean up after my cooking escapades) requested that I just deep fry on the stove top instead. I agree that was easier for this recipe since the egg rolls fry up so quickly. I can't really see in the window of our deep fryer, and the egg rolls really do require frequent monitoring. It was pretty fun flipping them while they were floating in oil and seeing them get darker!

A few recipe notes:

• If you don't have a whole afternoon to prep and cook, I would recommend making the filling the day before. It's a lot of chopping!  
• The original recipe called for celery, but I didn't have any and didn't miss it.  
• My mom used to serve egg rolls with a vinegar sauce, but I opted for a 50-50 mix of water and soy sauce heated in the microwave.  
• If having a dinner party, I probably would use wonton wrappers and make mini egg rolls!

Chinese Egg Rolls
adapted from epicurious.com

2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
About 4 cups peanut or vegetable oil
2 teaspoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
1 1/2 bunches scallions (about 10), white and pale green parts cut into 2-inch lengths, then cut lengthwise into very thin matchsticks (2 1/2 cups)
1 medium carrot, cut into very thin matchsticks (1 cup)
8 large fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded and caps sliced 1/4 inch thick (3 cups)
1 lb medium shrimp in shell, peeled, deveined, and coarsely chopped
1/4 lb ground pork
1 (1-lb) package Asian egg roll or spring roll wrappers
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Make filling

1. Stir together oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and salt in a small bowl until sugar and salt are dissolved.
2. Heat a dry 12-inch heavy skillet (not nonstick) over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then add 2 tablespoons peanut oil, swirling skillet to coat. 
3. Stir-fry ginger, garlic, and scallions until scallions are wilted, about 1 minute. 
4. Add carrots and mushrooms and stir-fry until vegetables are softened, 4 to 6 minutes. 
5. Push vegetables toward edge of skillet, then add shrimp and pork to center and stir-fry until shrimp are just cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. 
6. Add oyster sauce mixture and stir together all ingredients in skillet until combined. 
7. Season with salt and transfer to a large shallow bowl. 
8. Cool, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.

Make egg rolls

1. Put 1 wrapper on a work surface, arranging wrapper with a corner nearest you and keeping remaining wrappers covered with plastic wrap. 
2. Spread a scant 1/4 cup filling horizontally across center of wrapper to form a 4-inch log. Fold bottom corner over filling, then fold in side corners. Brush top corner with egg and roll up wrapper tightly to enclose filling, sealing roll closed with top corner. Transfer roll, seam side down, to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet and loosely cover with plastic wrap. Make more egg rolls in same manner, transferring to baking sheet as formed (you may have some filling left over).
3. Heat 1 to 2 inches of peanut oil in a wide heavy pot (at least a 4-quart pot) until it registers 350°F on an instant thermometer
4. Fry 2 egg rolls (don't crowd pot), turning with a slotted spoon, until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer with slotted spoon to paper towel-lined colander and drain rolls upright 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Fry remaining egg rolls in batches, transferring to colander.
6. Serve immediately.

Yield: 12 to 14

Total time: About 2.5 to 3 hours

Cream of Zucchini Soup with Shrimp

So, most of my recent cooking has revolved around whatever vegetables we get in our weekly CSA box. The box has been an inspiration to try new recipes.  I've explored all types of squash, radishes, turnips, chard, and kale this summer.  I've found that soup is a wonderful way to use a mixture of the week's leftover vegetables.  Now that the weather is getting a little cooler, I believe veggie soup will be on our home menu more often!

This particular recipe from allrecipes.com uses a can of cream of mushroom soup.  I don't think the recipe really needs it, but I had a can in the pantry to throw into the pot.  Delicious with some seared shrimp!

Cream of Zucchini Soup with Shrimp
adapted from allrecipes.com
4 cups diced zucchini (about two medium squash)

• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 8 medium shrimp, shelled
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups milk
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt

1. In a large stock pot saute zucchini, carrots and onion in butter, until done, approximately 20 minutes.
2. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat.  Sear shrimp, about one minute per side.  Remove from heat and set aside.
3. In a small mixing bowl combine flour and milk. Mix until smooth and then add to stock pot.
4. Cook soup until thickened and then puree with stick blender until smooth and creamy.
5. Add cream of mushroom soup, chicken broth, wine and yogurt. Simmer until heated through and then serve with shrimp on top.

Yield: 4-6 servings

Total time:  45 minutes, half active

Chive and Gruyere Popovers

Wow!  It's been too long since I've posted.  I am still cooking, but finding time to post has been challenging.  I have a bunch of recipes and pictures saved up, so hopefully I'll be able to post a bunch of them before classes start again.

I might have to change the name of this blog to The Perfect Popover as there are now more popover recipes than dumpling ones!  I didn't grow up eating popovers, so I'm not sure why I really wanted to start making them.  The name just makes them sound delicious.  Now I have a popover pan; I need to put it to good use.  I was disappointed with my last popover outing, but I decided to try my hand at popovers again.

This time, I used a basic recipe from Epicurious because one reviewer said her 10-year-old kid made them, and they were delicious.  I added the chives and cheese to make them a bit more interesting, and everything's better with cheese!  I saw that different popover recipes had different egg to flour ratios, so I made this recipe twice in the last two weeks.  My husband voted for the ratio in the source recipe based on his excellent tastetesting skills.

Any suggestions for more popover flavorings?  I think I have to make a bunch more popovers before that pan pays for itself!

Chive and Gruyere Popovers
based on a recipe from epicurious.com


1 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into 6 pieces
2 large eggs, lightly beaten, at room temperature
1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon minced chives
1 ounce Gruyere cheese, shredded

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F for 20 minutes. Place 1 piece of butter in the bottom of each cup of a six-cup popover tin (or six 1/2-cup custard cups). Place the popover pan on a baking sheet.
2. In a smaller bowl, lightly whisk the eggs until they change color. Whisk in the milk.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt until well blended. Gently whisk the egg mixture into the flour mixture until only small lumps are left, and set aside.
4. Place the popover tin and baking sheet in the oven for 4 minutes. At 3 minutes, give the batter a light whisk and add chives. 
5. Using an oven mitt, remove the hot tin from the oven and immediately divide the batter among the prepared cups. Evenly divide shredded cheese and sprinkle on top of each cup.  
6. Bake for 25 minutes without opening the oven door. Serve immediately.

Yield: 6 popovers

Total time: about an hour, half active

I'm back! Pan-Fried Whole Tilapia with Garlic-Ginger Sauce

Okay, it's been over three months since I've posted, but life has been busy.  I really can't remember a time when life was so busy, and yes, that includes residency!  It wasn't the hours so much but how much work bled into my home life.  I was barely cooking over the last few months, but I'm looking forward to spending a lot of time cooking this summer.  In truth, I really missed cooking, but it wasn't fun when I had to do it just to eat.  I love trying out new recipes.  Our vegetable CSA with Farmer Dave's starts soon, and I'll have to stay home and figure out what to do with all those veggies before they go bad.  I'm excited for the challenge.

Last night, I decided to venture back into the seafood section of my local Chinese grocery store.  I've been intimidated by it before.  There are no numbers or any order whatsoever to determine who is next to be served.  You just have to push to the front and get the attention of someone.  Some of the Chinese grandmothers even start grabbing fish that are laid out on the ice and throwing them into bags to hand to the guys to clean.  I've been so frustrated in the past that I've left the counter and decided to get something else for dinner instead.  Luckily, it wasn't too crowded yesterday, and I didn't have to elbow a grandma to get my fish.

Pan-Fried Whole Tilapia with Garlic-Ginger Sauce
adapted from Mark Bittman's "Crispy Sea Bass or Other Small Whole Fish with Garlic-Ginger Suace" in How to Cook Everything

vegetable oil
1 whole tilapia or similar fish, about 1.5 pounds, gilled, gutted, and scaled with head on
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil

1. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add vegetable oil to a depth of 1/4 for an inch and heat for 3 or 4 minutes.

2. Pat fish dry.  Put fish in oil and cook undisturbed for about 8 minutes on first side.  Turn carefully with two spatulas.

3.  While fish is cooking, heat two tablespoons of oil over medium heat in a small saucepan.  Add the garlic and ginger and cook until garlic begins to color.  Keep warm.

4.  Cook fish on second side for 8 to 10 minutes or until flesh offers little resistance to knife or chopstick.

5.  Remove fish to a plate.  Drizzle with garlic ginger sauce, soy sauce, and sesame oil.  Serve immediately.

The Search for Crispy Skin: Stovetop Roast Chicken with Lemon Herb Sauce

I'm surprised I haven't posted about this recipe already. The first time I made this chicken was a revelation to me--even the breast meat was juicy and the skin was crispy.  Of course, there's an extra step or two more than how I would usually pan roast chicken.  You have to crisp the skin then cook the chicken through then crisp the skin again, but the results are definitely worth it!  This makes for a nice weekend dinner that's easier for me than a traditional roast chicken, mostly because I haven't mastered covering a hot chicken.

The key to this recipe as with most roasting is having a good meat thermometer.  I used to use a Polder probe thermometer that would stay in the meat with a separate screen that monitored the meat and over temperatures.  The first one I had was great, and I used it for years.  However, eventually the temperatures became more inaccurate, and the replacement I purchased didn't work.  I spent a few years avoiding roasting altogether, lusting over the Thermapen recommended by Cook's Illustrated (CI).  However, I couldn't justify spending almost $100 on a meat thermometer.  Thankfully, the good people at CI did a kitchen test of inexpensive meat thermometers last year, and I purchased the recommended CDN ProAccurate Quick-Read Thermometer for about $13.  While I miss the convenience of a probe thermometer, the CDN Quick-Read lives up to its name, registering the temperature much faster than my old Polder. While cooking at my sister's this past Christmas, I found out she didn't have a working meat thermometer, and I immediately express shipped her the CDN thermometer!

If you're interested in hearing more about whether a Thermapen is worth the money, check out my former cooking teacher's kitchen test of meat thermometers.

Stovetop Roast Chicken with Lemon Herb Sauce

adapted from Cook's Illustrated

Chicken
3 1/2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken parts (breasts, thighs, and drumsticks, or a mix, with breasts cut in half), trimmed of excess fat
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 - 1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Lemon-Herb Sauce
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 small onion, minced
1 teaspoon unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter

1. Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chicken pieces skin-side down and cook without moving until golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes.

2. Using tongs, flip chicken pieces skin-side up. Reduce heat to medium-low, add 3/4 cup broth to skillet, cover, and cook until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken registers 155 degrees for breasts and 170 degrees for legs and thighs, 10 to 16 minutes (smaller pieces may cook faster than larger pieces). Transfer chicken to plate, skin-side up.

3. Pour off liquid from skillet into 2-cup measuring cup and reserve. Using tongs, wipe skillet with paper towels. Add remaining teaspoon oil to skillet and heat over medium-high heat until oil is shimmering. Return chicken pieces skin-side down and cook undisturbed until skin is deep golden brown and crisp and it reaches 160 degrees for breasts and 175 degrees for legs and thighs, 4 to 7 minutes. Transfer to serving platter and tent loosely with foil. Using spoon, skim fat from reserved cooking liquid and add enough broth to measure 3/4 cup.

4. Heat teaspoon of oil in now-empty skillet over low heat. Add shallot and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 1 minute. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, 30 seconds. Increase heat to medium-high, add reserved cooking liquid, and bring to simmer, scraping skillet bottom with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Simmer rapidly until reduced to 1/2 cup, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in any accumulated juices from resting chicken; return to simmer and cook 30 seconds. Off heat, whisk in lemon juice, parsley, and butter; season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce around chicken and serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 45 to 60 minutes, mostly active

Instant Dinner Party Indeed! Pork Shoulder Ragu

We moved to a new apartment about six months ago, and this place was built for entertaining.  However, finding time to make food for company on top of my full-time job and part-time class schedule is not the easiest.  I've been hunting around the internet for some easy make-ahead recipes for entertaining, and I landed one day at the blog Dinner: A Love Story. Jenny and Andy post recipes that fit into a busy lifestyle, and Jenny is one of the co-authors of the book Time for Dinner and used to work at Real Simple, my favorite magazine. When they posted this recipe under the title "Instant Dinner Party", I was sold.

First, I had to get over my fear of talking to the butcher at my local store since there were only 8-pound pork shoulders out.  I love my pork, but 8 pounds was really going to be too much.  It turns out that he's really a very nice gentleman and cut down a roast to a more reasonable size for me.  On the other hand, he doesn't know how many ounces there are in a pound, but maybe he's more used to the metric system?

Anyway, we'll have to have a group of people over to try this soon because it is ridiculously easy.  Since the roast time is 3 to 4 hours but very little active cooking time is needed, this recipe is perfect for the weekend day you're home but not wanting to spend a lot of time cooking for company coming over later.  For this first time, I tried it out on just the husband and one friend.  I'm going to bet that my sister, who has been blogging up a storm, will be stealing this recipe very soon.

Pork Shoulder Ragu

adapted from Dinner: A Love Story
2 to 2 1/2-pound boneless pork shoulder roast
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small pat butter
1 large can whole tomatoes, with juice
1 cup red wine
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon hot sauce (optional)
Freshly grated Parmesan (optional)

1 to 2 lbs of cooked pasta (fettuccine used in picture)

Preheat oven to 325°F. Pat roast dry and then liberally salt and pepper all sides. Add olive oil and butter to large Dutch oven and heat over medium-high until butter melts. Add pork roast to pan and brown on all sides, about 8-10 minutes in all. 

Add tomatoes, wine, thyme, oregano, and hot sauce (if using). Cover, and put in oven. Braise for 3-4 hours, turning every hour or so. Add more liquid (water, wine, or tomato sauce) so that liquid comes to at least 1/3 of the way up the pork. Meat is done when it’s practically falling apart. 

Pull pork apart with two forks. Serve over pasta with the grated Parmesan on the side.

Yields: 4 to 6 servings

Total time: About 4 to 4.5 hours

Active time: 30 minutes or less

Easy Sunday Brunch: French Toast Casserole!

My husband and I had brunch with our friends Sarah and Jack a few weeks ago, and they introduced us to the fabulous idea of French toast casserole.  It has all the yumminess of French toast without all the work of frying the individual pieces of eggy toast.  

There were a bunch of French toast casserole recipes on the internet, but most of them sounded like glorified bread pudding.  As usual, Cook's Illustrated to the rescue!  This recipe has the bread soaked overnight in eggs, milk, and cream just like regular French toast, and then the topping makes the outside sweet and crunchy. No syrup necessary!

French Toast Casserole

adapted from The Best Make Ahead Recipe

Casserole
1 loaf (16-ounce) supermarket French or Italian bread , torn into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon unsalted butter , softened
8 large eggs
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Topping
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter , softened
1 1/3 cups packed (9 1/3 ounces) light brown sugar
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 cup pecans, chopped coarse

1 cup slivered almonds

1.  Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Spread the bread out over 2 baking sheets and bake until dry and light golden brown, about 25 minutes, switching and rotating the baking sheets halfway through the baking time. Let the bread cool completely.

2. Coat a 13 by 9-inch baking dish with the butter and pack the dried bread into the dish. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl until combined and then whisk in the milk, cream, granulated sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the bread and press on the bread lightly to submerge.

3. Make the topping by first stirring the butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup together until smooth, then add nuts.

4. TO STORE: Transfer the topping to an airtight container and wrap the dish tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the topping and casserole separately for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.

5. TO SERVE: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap the casserole and sprinkle the topping evenly over the top, breaking apart any large pieces with your fingers. Place the casserole on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until puffed and golden, about 1 hour. Serve immediately.

Yields: 6 to 8 servings

Active time: 15-20 minutes

Total time: 15-20 minutes of prep, overnight soak, one hour of baking