cookbooks, tempeh, and yogurt

Hannah asked me the other day why I have so many cookbooks but I never make the recipes in them. Interesting. Cookbooks are my favorites - I'm still pissed about the box of them I lost a few moves ago. They're more than recipes, they're beautiful and full of regional and personal history - the last two books I read were Marcella Hazan's Amarcord and Julia Child's My Life in France, after all... Cookbooks inspire me to get cooking, but it's the food in my house that determines what gets cooked.

I always buy those huge 2lb. containers of plain yogurt, eat some of it, and throw the whole shebang down the sink once I realize it's growing pink mold. THIS time, I decided to prevent that tragedy by straining it and eating it for dinner, which is really the only meal I consciously cook. I've wanted to strain yogurt since I saw Jeff Smith do it on The Frugal Gourmet (his cookbook was in the box that disappeared), not sure why I haven't attempted it before now.

So this dinner was really inspired by a sudden urge to strain yogurt, my impulse purchases of Asian market herbs and beets purchased for our Russian-themed Halloween party, spiced pecans brought over for the same party by the lovely Karan, and the last slab of tempeh in the freezer. From what my housemates tell me, it was a pretty decent combination.

pink tempeh

1 cup pecans (mine were spiced)
2 TBSP+ toasted sesame oil
2 beets, peeled and sliced
beet greens and stems, cut up
1 lb tempeh, cut into strips
s + p

In a hot, dry, cast-iron skillet, toast the pecans for a minute or two, moving them around constantly so they don't burn. They will begin to sizzle and smell lovely. Remove from the pan and let cool, then chop them briefly in a food processor or with a knife.

Add 1 TBSP sesame oil to the pan and sauté the beets for a few minutes, then add the greens and stems and continue to cook until the greens begin to crisp in a few places. Remove from the pan to a serving bowl.

Add 1 TBSP sesame oil to the pan and sauté the tempeh until lightly browned. Add the pecans and stir around a bit. I used spicy pecans, which seasoned the tempeh on their own, but you might want to add some dry chilies if you have them. Add the beets and greens back to the pan, taste, and add salt and pepper.

Dump back into the bowl, and serve it up with cold herbed yogurt.

herbed yogurt

16 oz. plain yogurt, strained overnight
giant handfuls of cilantro and mint
1 TBSP rosemary
2 cloves garlic
salt

Chop all the herbs and garlic super-fine and stir into the thickened yogurt. Add salt to taste. Let the yogurt sit in the fridge for a few hours to absorb the herby goodness.

If you don't know how to strain yogurt, do this: Get a mesh strainer (mine has a handle) and wedge it on top of a plastic to-go container like the one in the picture above. You want the bottom of the strainer to clear the bottom of the container by a few inches, because you're separating whey, which will collect in the bottom of the container. Line the strainer with a cloth napkin or cheesecloth, dump in the regular, plain yogurt, flip the edges of the cloth over the top, and stick the whole deal in the fridge overnight.

You'll end up with thick yogurt in the cloth, and whey in the container. Don't ask me what to do with the whey, I haven't consulted the cookbooks yet.

hello, pesto

Since this year's garden is little more than a water-starved sand patch, I've had little use for a pesto recipe. Nothing a trip to Orlando's Vietnamese district, where a bag of pretty basil can be bought for $1, can't fix. Usually I make my pesto garlicky, but I just didn't feel like it this time. I know, I can't believe I just wrote that.

sunflower-basil pesto

1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds - get them at the health food store or Publix produce dept.
4 cups basil leaves, loosely packed
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1/2 cup olive oil, to start
salt and pepper

Toast the sunflower seeds in a hot, dry, cast iron pan just until they begin to brown, shaking the pan so they don't burn. Let the seeds cool.

Dump the cooled seeds into a food processor (mine's a little half-sized one and it fits all of this) and puree them a bit. Add the basil, cheese, and about 1/2 cup of olive oil and get to smooshing. Add oil as needed to keep everything moving around - I ended up adding what seemed like a ton of oil, but since I don't measure as I add, who knows?

When the pesto looks like something you could mix into pasta, give it a taste and add salt and pepper, maybe a pinch of chili if you want it.

Leave a bit of the cooking water on your pasta when you drain it, and add a bit of oil if the pesto still seems dry after you mix it in.

This batch made enough for two pounds of pasta, so I'll freeze the leftover half.

pad thai

My recipe is based on this one from Chez Pim, who makes hers one dish at a time.

pad thai

sauce
½ cup tamarind pulp (get the brick, soak a 2" block in hot water to cover, then push through a sieve)
½ cup fish sauce (Pufina Patis is a good one, you want the thin stuff)
½ cup palm sugar (or brown sugar)
1 tsp or more chili pepper

Combine tamarind, fish sauce, and sugar in a small pot over low heat, stirring until the sugar melts. Add the chili to taste. Remove from heat. You want a pretty tangy sauce - the flavor will be diluted by the vast amount of noodles you're cooking.

noodles
sesame oil
½ lb or so boneless chicken, cut up (optional)
1 lb extra firm tofu in 1" cubes
6 cloves chopped garlic
1 pkg extra-wide rice noodle soaked in cool water to cover (get these soaking before you make the sauce)
juice of ½ a lime
a handful of bean sprouts

4 eggs, swished up, ready to scramble

½ - 1 cup ground peanuts (use sunflower seeds if you're allergic)
a second handful of bean sprouts
1 cup or so green onions, sliced into big pieces, about 1" long
a handful of cilantro, chopped

lime wedges, ground peanuts, chili pepper, fish sauce for people to add to their plates

Heat 3-4 TBSP sesame oil in a large wok over high heat until very hot. Add the chicken, stirring to sear the outside, about 1-2 minutes. Add the tofu and garlic and cook until the tofu browns a bit. Add a few tablespoons of the sauce, and cook for another minute to blend the flavors together.

Drain the noodles (they'll be firm, but pliable) and add to the wok. Pour in about half of the warm sauce and cook the noodle until soft, mixing everything well. Add more sauce, a couple of tablespoons of water, or a blob of sesame oil if you think the noodles need it. The pad thai should be dry-ish in the end, not soupy, but the noodles should be covered with sauce.

When the noodle is tender, add the lime juice and a handful of bean sprouts and just mix them in - don't cook longer than a half-minute or so. Dump the wok into a serving bowl, then cook the scrambled eggs quickly in the pan and toss them into the bowl. Top with the peanuts, the second handful of bean sprouts, cilantro, and green onions. Serve whatever sauce you have left on the side.

Yum.