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Cooking Monkey

Spaghetti with vodka sauce

Have you tried vodka sauce? I think it's delicious. Naysayers may disagree and even question the point of putting alcohol in tomato sauce, but there's definitely a big difference between a sauce with vodka and one without. If you've never tried it, be reassured by the fact that vodka sauce doesn't actually taste like vodka. Instead, the alcohol enhances the flavours already present in the sauce. Even the 7-year-old pasta fiend in our house adores it.

This is what NYTimes's Food Chain column has to say on the matter: "The alcohol in the vodka enhances the flavor of the tomatoes [in a vodka sauce]. Some flavors are alcohol-soluble, meaning that they will be released only by the addition of alcohol. Vodka can help bring out these flavors without contributing another flavor, as wine or brandy would."


In this simple vodka tomato cream sauce recipe, the alcohol imparts a slightly bitter undertone, lending a complexity to the otherwise straightforward yet tasty sauce. The key to making a good vodka sauce is timing--undercooking will result in a sauce where you will taste the vodka (yuck).

Spaghetti vodka sauce
Spaghetti with vodka sauce


Ingredients (4 servings)
  • 4 oz mild Italian sausage
  • handful of sliced mushrooms
  • uncooked whole wheat spaghetti - 4 servings
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • pinch of Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 14 oz crushed tomatoes
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp vodka
  • 1/4 cup half-and-half cream
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
  • parmesan cheese, grated or shredded, to serve at the table
  • hot red pepper flakes, to serve at the table


Directions
  1. Cook the spaghetti in lightly salted and oiled water, and then drain and set aside on plates. Keep warm. (Or if you're a multitasker like me, do this while cooking the sauce. Up to you!)
  2. In skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Remove casing from sausages and add to skillet.
  3. Cook, breaking up the meat, until brown. Add mushroom, garlic, red pepper flakes, and Italian seasoning, and cook for a few more minutes.
  4. Add tomatoes and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes.
  5. Add vodka, stir, and bring to a boil over medium heat.
  6. Stir in cream, simmer over low for about 2 minutes, and remove from heat.
  7. Serve over spaghetti, sprinkle with parsley, and serve with cheese at the table.
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July 2nd 2009 @ 16:54

Posted By: Irene - Category: No Category
   


Spinach and mushroom quesadillas

I don't know anyone who doesn't like quesadillas. Consisting of cheese and any number of other savoury ingredients wrapped in a wheat or corn tortilla, and then browned to perfection, a quesadilla makes a great appetiser or main dish.

In these quesadillas, I use fresh spinach, but frozen spinach can be used if that is more convenient. In addition, I love whole wheat tortillas, but any kind may be used; sundried tomato, cheese, spinach, ancient grains--these are all available in the stores here and I imagine they'd be great too.

spinach mushroom quesadillas
Spinach mushroom quesadillas, served with sour cream and corn chips on the side

Ingredients (Makes 16 wedges for approx. 4 main course servings)
  • 2 cups shredded light mozzarella cheese
  • 1.5 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 cup sliced mushrooms
  • 4 10-inch whole wheat tortillas
  • 1 pound of fresh spinach, shredded (equivalent to approx. 10 oz frozen*)
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • minced jalapeno peppers, to taste (optional)
  • chopped black olives, to taste (optional)
  • to serve: salsa, sour cream, guacamole, pico de gallo, etc.

Directions
  1. Cook spinach until it is dark and wilted. Drain and pat dry.
  2. Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese over half of each tortilla; set aside.
  3. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in garlic, onions, and mushrooms, and cook about 5 minutes.
  4. Mix in spinach and cumin (and jalapenos and olives, if using), and continue cooking 5 minutes.
  5. Place an equal amount of the mixture on top of the cheese on each tortilla, and then sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese over the filling. Fold tortillas in half over the filling and cheese.
  6. Place quesadillas in dry skillet or a griddle**, and cook a few minutes on each side, until golden brown. Cut each quesadilla into 4 wedges (I use a pizza cutter) and serve with dips or sides of choice.

*If using frozen spinach, cook according to package directions and make sure you SQUEEZE it dry.
**When I make larger quantities of these, I use my large griddle instead of a skillet so I can cook them all at once.
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June 30th 2009 @ 03:12

Posted By: Irene - Category: No Category
   


'Lion's Head' soup with noodles

'Lion's Head' soup is a Chinese soup containing meatballs traditionally made with ground pork. The meatballs, whose rugged shape supposedly resemble lions' heads, sit in a warm flavourful broth with a generous amount of napa cabbage (also known as Chinese cabbage) and other veggies.

In lion's head soup, the meatballs are key. Some people make them with chicken or turkey rather than pork, out of preference or necessity. We don't often have ground pork either, as it is a) hard to come by, depending on where we shop, and b) often pretty fatty when we do find it. But pork is an important meat in Chinese cuisine--chicken and pork were the most common meats at mealtimes when I was growing up--so I don't bother substituting it.

I added noodles to the soup, because we're all noodle fiends here, which made for very filling meals.

Chinese Lion's Head Soupmargin=
Lion's Head soup with noodles--in this bowl, there's also some chopped up leftover char siu (Chinese BBQ pork).

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

  • 1 lb lean ground pork
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp minced ginger root
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 green onions, chopped
  • 1 tbsp canola oil
  • 1/2 a head of napa cabbage, cored and cut into chunks (about 2-2.5 lbs)
  • a handful of snowpeas
  • 4 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
  • 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 3 cups water, or as needed
  • 1.5 tbsp sodium-reduced soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp dry sherry (not cooking sherry)
  • 4 servings of Chinese noodles
  • cilantro to taste

Directions
  1. Mix the ground pork, egg, cornstarch, 2 tsp sesame oil, ginger, salt, and half of the chopped green onions together in a bowl.
  2. Use your hands to mix until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Set aside.
  3. Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. When the oil is hot, fry the napa cabbage, stirring constantly, until cabbage begins to wilt, 2 to 3 minutes.
  4. Pour in the chicken broth, water, and soy sauce. Bring to a boil, and then lower the heat to medium.
  5. Form the meat mixture into 1" balls. Put them carefully (don't DROP them) into the boiling soup. Add the snowpeas and shiitakes. Then, cover and simmer on medium for 15-20 minutes.
  6. While the soup and meatballs are simmering, cook the Chinese noodles and keep them warm.
  7. Taste the soup, and adjust seasoning levels if needed.
  8. Drain the noodles and place them in bowls. Ladle soup with meatballs and vegetables on top.
  9. Garnish each bowl with the rest of the green onions, cilantro, and a drizzle of sesame oil. I like to put a bit of chili oil on mine too.Enjoy immediately.
Some thoughts: I think I'd rather chop the shiitakes finely and put them in the meatballs next time. I think bok choy would be nice too. It is traditional to put carrots in the soup, but I like my carrots crunchy, so I omitted them.
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June 16th 2009 @ 15:58

Posted By: Irene - Category: No Category
   


Moroccan-spiced chicken with couscous

January's issue of Martha Stewart Living has some beautiful pictures of Moroccan-spiced chicken, served with sides of minted carrots and couscous. I like Moroccan anything, so I was dying to use this recipe. Moroccan flavours are often vibrant and spicy --not necessarily 'hot'--and turmeric and cinnamon are pretty much essential.

Although my husband and son like chicken, they're not fans of couscous, so I made some steamed rice for them and couscous for myself. I used whole wheat couscous with chopped dried fruits (prunes, apricots, raisins), olives, and toasted pistachios, and sprinkled a bit of lemon juice on top. I was also wary of serving the carrots to the boys (sigh...the pics of minted carrots looked so good), so I made Brussels sprouts instead


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June 12th 2009 @ 16:59

Posted By: Irene - Category: No Category
   


Cheesecake squares with fresh fruit

I love a good, rich, and dense cheesecake, but it's not something I make often. Most cheesecakes use 16 to 24 ounces of full-fat cream cheese, which in itself is delicious yet sinful; add in the butter and sugar, plus any other fillings, toppings, or sauces, and the base (often a cookie or graham crust), and you've got a heck of a calorie-laden dessert. Not to mention that I usually don't make cheesecake unless I have enough people to serve it to; leftover slices of cake in my fridge are not a good idea.

An alternative to making a full-fledged cheesecake is to use the same basic ingredients to make a smaller pan of cheesecake squares. This is a (relatively) light cheesecake dessert, mildly sweet and creamy rather than dense. Instead of a cookie crumb crust, the squares are offset by a golden, slightly chewy base that incorporates the surprise ingredient of chopped walnuts. A few pieces of fresh fruit makes a delicious and pretty way to serve the squares


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June 9th 2009 @ 08:08

Posted By: Irene - Category: No Category
   


Lemony fresh chicken piccata

Chicken piccata is a simple and tasty way to serve chicken breast. I usually find white chicken meat dry and bland, but in this dish it turns out delicious and moist.

To make chicken piccata, butterfly the breasts, i.e., slice them along their length, and then flatten them (though I admit I don't always do the latter). Then, coat the chicken in an egg/lemon wash, cover them with spices, and brown them. Finally, a lemon and wine sauce adds the finishing touch to the lovely, mild-tasting chicken


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June 4th 2009 @ 12:53

Posted By: Irene - Category: No Category
   


Please don't eat me; I'm just a cute widdle penguin

Help! As you can see, I'm a penguin made of black olives, cream cheese, and carrot. I'm wearing a cucumber scarf. You might think that I'm sad because my body parts are secured with toothpicks. But I'm sad because my brothers are missing.

olive cream cheese penguin with scarf

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June 2nd 2009 @ 17:16

Posted By: Irene - Category: No Category
   


Delicious multigrain seed bread

Mmm, there's nothing quite like the smell of bread baking in the oven. Yesterday I made delicious and healthy multigrain seed bread. The seeds are sunflower and flax, two of my favourites. I always use ground flax seed, as I've read that the system absorbs it better than whole flax seeds.

The result is a very chewy, dense-but-not-too-dense, and moderately moist bread that is great freshly baked (of course!), but is also nice toasted or warmed up briefly in the microwave the day after. It's good with just a bit of butter. My son even eats it plain


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May 28th 2009 @ 17:39

Posted By: Irene - Category: No Category
   


Kid-friendly salmon cakes with dill sauce

Parents know how hard it can be to get kids to like fish (unless, perhaps, they're the battered and deep-fried kind). My son wouldn't try salmon for the longest time until I made salmon cakes, using good old Canadian (Pacific) salmon and cut into cute shapes. These cakes are good for the reluctant fish eater, I find, because they're not too "fishy" tasting. The other ingredients mingle with the fish to produce a mild-flavoured cake.

Salmon cakes

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May 25th 2009 @ 16:45

Posted By: Irene - Category: No Category
   


Moroccan bean and vegetable tagine

Moroccan tagine, or stew, is a hearty and delicious meal that I recently discovered. It is traditionally made in a heavy clay pot called a tagine, which is how the dish got its name. Tagines are often colourful and bursting with nutrients from veggies and legumes. Most of the tagines I've made or tried feature dried fruits as well, but for this meal I left them out. Sweet potato lends its sweetness to this tagine, so I added some dried fruit to couscous as a side dish instead.

Tagine and couscous are delicious and filling; in this meatless version, you get carbs from the grains and protein from the legumes. 'Real' couscous takes very long to make, as well as special equipment. Thus, I used instant couscous, the kind that you add to boiling water, which is absorbed quickly. Everything was made easier by using the stovetop and a skillet


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May 22nd 2009 @ 04:02

Posted By: Irene - Category: No Category
   


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