Asian Lettuce Wraps

Disclaimer: I'm married to a Chemist and to him cooking is like chemistry in that you must follow the recipe word for word and MEASURE everything! (I usually just shake, sprinkle and eyeball my ingredients and it drives him nuts.) I must say that he is a fabulous cook, especially when it comes to an intricate recipe that requires patience and lots of work. I on the other hand like to tweak and change recipes as I go along but I don't inform him of this until I see the smile of enjoyment on his face after he has taken the first bite. Tonight's experience was no exception. (*wink*) He loved this recipe! It's an even greater compliment that my husband enjoyed my version of an Asian dish because he lived in Taiwan for two years and he knows what the authentic food really tastes like.

Tonight I really wanted to make Asian Lettuce Wraps because I had a 3-pack of iceberg lettuce I needed to use but I didn't have ground chicken like I used in my previous posting for this recipe. I had a package of ground turkey so I searched online to see if any recipes use this ingredient in place of chicken. (We love the taste of ground turkey and use it often as a healthy alternate to ground beef.)  When I couldn't find a recipe that looked tasty or didn't require ingredients that were not in my cupboard I decided to wing it. To my husband's great pleasure the recipe turned out fabulous! Even better was that my kids LOVED this! It isn't often that my 7 year old is the last one to leave the table but tonight she was. 

Asian Lettuce Wraps

(Who "Dished" it first? Me!)

1 pound ground turkey

1/2 of a red bell pepper (about 1/2 cup), diced

2-3 stalks celery, diced very small

1/2 cup finely grated carrots

1-2 teaspoons garlic

2 green onions, finely diced (I didn't have any so I used a shake or two of onion powder)

Sauce: (I have seen sauce recipes that include sesame oil and hot sauce but I was all out and I wanted to keep the heat out of this recipe for my kids' sake.)

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons rice vinegar (I didn't have any tonight so I used apple cider vinegar)

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger

Brown the ground turkey in a sauce pan drizzled with olive oil. Add the vegetables when the meat is cooked and saute for 1-2 minutes. (You can reserve the carrots to add at the very end. I've done that before but tried this tonight where I add them at the beginning at since they were so finely shredded I didn't taste a noticeable difference. I think the real difference is presentation and preserving the bright orange color.) Add three-quarters of the sauce mixture, reserving the remaining sauce for dipping. Simmer this mixture until the sauce is reduced and there is almost no liquid in the pan. While this is simmering wash, dry and separate your lettuce leaves. When the meat mixture is prepared serve it on individual lettuce leaves dribbling a spoonful of the reserved sauce on top of each. 

**My notes: The soy sauce mixture can be salty so I would use low-sodium soy sauce if you have it. Traditionally lettuce wraps are served with the reserved sauce for dipping but my family is usually happy without the extra sauce. In fact, recently I'm experimenting with adding less than 3/4 cups of sauce to the meat mixture. Leave a comment to tell me if you like it with less sauce.

Hamburger Buns

I made hamburger buns from scratch!! I can't believe it! I'm not a professed baker of breads but with the exorbitant costs here in Hawaii I thought I would give these a try. The best part is they turned out and tasted fabulous! 

Light Brioche Burger Buns

Ingredients:
3 tbsp. warm milk
1 cup warm water
2 tsp. instant yeast
2½ tbsp. sugar
1½ tsp. salt
1 large egg
3 cups bread flour
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2½ tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

For topping:
1 large egg beaten with 1 tbsp. water, for egg wash
Sesame seeds

Directions:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the milk, water, yeast, sugar, salt and egg.  Mix briefly to combine.  Add the flours to the bowl, and mix until incorporated.  Mix in the butter.  Switch to the dough hook and knead on low speed for about 6-8 minutes.  The dough will be somewhat tacky, but you want to avoid adding too much extra flour which will create tough buns.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1-2 hours.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.  Using a dough scraper, divide the dough into 8 equal parts.  Gently roll each portion of dough into a ball and place on the baking sheet, 2-3 inches apart.  Cover loosely with lightly oiled plastic wrap and let rise again, 1-2 hours, until puffed up and nearly doubled. (*I live in a very warm climate and mine were large enough to bake after less than 30 minutes.)

Set a large metal pan of water on the lowest rack of the oven.  Preheat the oven to 400˚ F with a rack in the center.  Brush the tops of the buns lightly with the egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Bake the buns about 15 minutes rotating halfway through baking, until the tops are golden brown.  Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Source: adapted from Smitten Kitchen, originally from Comme Ça via The New York Times

Mango Shortbread Bars

Living in Hawaii we're blessed to eat fresh tropical fruits. We've tried papaya milkshakes for breakfast and pineapple floats for dessert (fresh pineapple juice with pineapple ice cream). The other night I noticed our mangos were getting over ripe so I looked online for a fun recipe to make with them. This mango shortbread had a tasty crust (3 cubes of butter...it better be good!) and the mango flavor was nicely complimented by the nutmeg and cinnamon.

Mango Shortbread Bars

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups butter
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
•  
• 4 cups sliced mango
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In large bowl, cream together butter and 1/2 cup sugar. Blend in 3 cups flour and press 1/2 of mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. In a medium bowl, stir together mango, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup flour, cinnamon and nutmeg until well combined. Pour mango mixture over shortbread in pan. Sprinkle remaining shortbread mixture over mango mixture. Press down lightly.
4. Bake 1 hour, until topping is golden brown. Let cool 15 minutes in dish before cutting into bars.

Calzones

We love Italian food in our house. One of my favorite qualities of Italian cooking is the wide range of ingredients that most often are fail-proof. For instance, pizza is so versatile we love to experiment with toppings.

Our new favorite recipe that is bound to be an outlet in our food creativity is calzones. I found this recipe and I love the creaminess of the ricotta, the sausage is delicious and the dough surprisingly light and flavorful. I can't wait until next time I make this to add some mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, and maybe cook it one or two with pepperoni per the kids' request.

Ricotta Calzones with Sausage
Taste and Tell's slight adaptation from The New Best Recipe

DOUGH
4 cups bread flour
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon warm water

RICOTTA FILLING
1 15-ounce container whole-milk ricotta cheese
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 1/2 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
8 ounces hot or sweet sausage
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Extra-virgin olive oil for brushing on tops
Kosher salt or coarse sea salt for sprinkling on tops

FOR THE DOUGH: In the bowl of a standing mixer, whisk the flour, yeast, and salt to combine. Attach the bowl, and with mixer running on medium-low speed with the dough hook, add the olive oil, then gradually add the water. Continue to mix until the mixture comes together and a soft, elastic dough is formed - about 10 minutes. Lightly spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Place the dough in the bowl and cover. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled - 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

FOR THE FILLING: In a medium bowl, stir together the cheeses, egg yolk, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

Remove the casings from the sausage. Cook the sausage in a skillet, breaking it up into 1/2 inch pieces, until it is cooked through. Stir in garlic and red pepper flakes until fragrant, about 10 seconds and remove from heat. Set aside to cool.

TO ASSEMBLE AND BAKE: Adjust an oven rack to the lowest position and set a pizza stone on the rack. Heat the oven to 500 degrees for AT LEAST 30 minutes. Divide the dough in half, and then divide each half into thirds, giving you 6 pieces of dough. Gently shape each piece into a ball and set on a piece of parchment paper that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for at least 15 minutes, but no more than 30 minutes.

Form the calzones by rolling each piece of dough into a 9-inch circle then placing 1/2 cup of the filling on half of the circle and topping with 1/6 of the sausage. Fold the top half of the dough over, leaving a 1/2 inch border uncovered. Lightly press the dough to seal it. Beginning at one end, place your index finger diagonally across the edge and gently pull the bottom layer of the dough over the tip of your finger. Repeat until the calzone is sealed.

With a very sharp paring knife or razor blade, cut 5 slits, about 1 1/2 inches long diagonally across the top of each calzone. Make sure not to cut completely through the calzone, but to just cut through the top layer.

Brush the top of each calzone with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake until golden brown - about 11 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes before serving. While the first batch is baking, prepare the second batch.

Hawaiian Salad with Grilled Chicken

In honor of our recent move to the Hawaiian Islands I have this tasty and fresh salad recipe to share.

Tropical Salad

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    * 1 head romaine lettuce, torn

    * 3 green onions, chopped

    * 6 slices of bacon, crumbled (I used 8 pre-cooked slices)

    * 1 can pineapple tidbits, drained and reserved for dressing

    * 1/2 cup macadamia pieces

    * 1/4 cup toasted coconut

    * 1/4 cup pineapple juice

    * 3 Tbs. red wine vinegar

    * 1/4 cup olive oil

    * salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, onions, bacon, macadamias, coconut and pineapple.  In a container with a tight fitting lid, combine the other ingredients.  Shake to mix.  Pour over the salad right before serving.

We grilled up some chicken and served it with the salad.

Hawaiian Grilled Chicken

    * 6 boneless chicken breasts 

    * 2 cups pineapple juice

    * 2 T Worcestershire sauce

    * 2 T soy sauce

    * 2 T brown sugar

Combine all the ingredients, except the chicken.  Pour the marinade over the chicken and refrigerate.  The longer the chicken marinates, the better.  Cook them on the grill.  (*Six chicken breasts makes a lot of chicken.  If you serve the chicken with the salad like we did I cooked fewer chicken breasts. Other times I've served the chicken over rice alongside the salad and that was tasty too.)

Chicken Ranch Pizza

I made the PERFECT pizza dough the other night. The recipe made two crusts and this recipe is how I prepared the first pizza. It was delicious!! Unfortunately, the second pizza turned into a complete wreck. First, I grabbed the container of enchilada sauce and not the container of tomato sauce. That pizza quickly became a new Mexican style pizza. To make matters worse I had a hard time transferring the pizza to the stone. In the end everyone said they liked the taste of the pizza but it sure looked a mess with ridges and bumps from the wrinkled transfer onto the pizza stone.


Chicken Ranch Pizza
Ingredients: (These amounts are all approximates and can be adjusted per your preference. Bacon would be a good topping as well but we are trying to limit our pork intake.)

1 pizza crust
1/3 cup Ranch dressing (enough to thinly cover the crust)
¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
½-1 grilled chicken breast, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 tomato, seeded and diced
2-3 green onions, chopped
¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese


Preheat the oven and a pizza stone to 500° F.  Prepare your crust for toppings.  Spread the Ranch dressing in a thin layer evenly over the unbaked crust.  Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella.  Top with grilled chicken, tomato and green onions.  Sprinkle with shredded cheddar.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browned.  Slice, serve, and enjoy!