Recipes

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 small Spinach onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ginger, minced
2 pounds ground pork
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1 large egg, scrambled
¾ cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon fish sauce
2 tablespoon soy sauce
Sriracha (optional, to taste)
Hoisin (optional, to taste)
Canola oil
Sesame oil
2 pounds baby spinach
1 tablespoon white sesame seeds

For the dipping sauce

2 parts soy sauce
1 part lime juice
Red pepper flakes

Directions

In a small sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil up to a medium heat. Add onions and sweat for about 1 minute. Add in garlic and ginger and sweat for another minute. Place onion mix into a bowl and cool. In a large mixing bowl, add pork, cilantro, egg, cooled onion mix, breadcrumbs, fish sauce, soy sauce, and sriracha or hoisin to taste. Mix together evenly. Shape into 20-24 balls and fry them in a pan (6-8 minutes) or bake them in a 400 degree oven (10-15 minutes). In a large sauté pan, heat 2 teaspoons of canola and 1 teaspoon of sesame oil on a medium/high heat. Sauté spinach in two batches. Plate spinach and sprinkle white sesame seeds on top and serve with meatballs.

For the dipping sauce

Mix all ingredients together and use for dipping.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 loaf ciabatta bread
Olive oil
Salt
2 ham hocks, raw or smoked
1 large Spanish onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 leek, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
2 cups white wine
1 bouquet garni (bay leaf, thyme, parsley, Grains of Paradise, or black pepper)
2 quarts stock, vegetable or chicken
2 cups fresh peas

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut the ciabatta into 1″ squares. Toss with olive oil and salt onto a baking sheet and place into oven for about 10 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

In a 1 gallon stock pot, add 1 tablespoon of canola oil. Bring to a medium-high heat and sear the ham hocks until golden brown. If the ham hocks are smoked, you can just go to the next step and add the hocks later. Add to the stock pot the onion and sweat for about a minute. Then add in the celery and sweat for another minute. Now add in your leeks and garlic and sweat again for another minute or two. Try to do this without getting any color on the vegetables. Deglaze the bottom of the pan with the white wine and reduce heat to a medium flame. Reduce wine for about 3 minutes. If using smoked ham hocks, add them now as well as the bouquet garni and stock. Bring stock to a simmer and let cook for about 45-60 minutes. Add in the fresh peas during the last 5-10 minutes of cooking or until soft and remove ham hock. Using an immersion blender, purée soup until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and serve with croutons. Use extra parsley for garnish.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

1 teaspoon vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ pound very lean (94% lean, plus), ground beef
½ cup fresh squeezed lime juice
½ cup of roasted rice powder
½ cup finely chopped Spanish onions
½ cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
½ tablespoon ground Thai chili peppers (or paprika for the less adventurous)
1½ tablespoons fish sauce
½ head Boston lettuce, for serving

DIRECTIONS

In a nonstick saucepan, over medium heat, place oil and add garlic. Saut̩ until fragrant (approximately 1 minute). Turn heat to low and add ground beef until it just cooks Рdo not brown. Stir in the lime juice and immediately turn off the heat. Add the rice powder, onions, cilantro, chili peppers, fish sauce, stirring between each ingredient. Serve with lettuce.

© Recipe Property of John Vang

Serves 4 to 6

INGREDIENTS

For soup

3 pounds winter squash (such as kabocha, acorn, or butternut), peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large or 2 medium Spanish onions, chopped (2 cups)
Sea salt or kosher salt
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 quart vegetable stock, or water
½ cup apple cider or apple juice
Freshly ground black pepper

For bouquet garni

1 small handful celery leaves
3 to 4 fresh sage leaves
One 2-inch piece cinnamon stick
3 whole cloves

For spiced créme fraiche

&frac12 cup créme fraiche or sour cream
Freshly grated nutmeg
Freshly ground black pepper
Freshly ground cinnamon
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Toss the squash with the oil, season lightly with salt, and spread on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast, turning several times, until the squash is tender and lightly caramelized, 25 to 30 minutes.

While the squash is roasting, in a heavy, 3 to 5 quart soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onions and ½ teaspoon of salt and cook, stirring, for a minute or two. Stir in the ginger and garlic, cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook gently for 15 minutes, stirring once or twice and lowering the heat if necessary to keep the vegetables from browning. Pour in the stock or water, and the apple cider or juice, and add the roasted squash.

To make the bouquet garni, bundle the ingredients in a square of cheesecloth and tie it closed with kitchen twine.

Add the bouquet garni to the soup. Raise the heat to bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to as low as possible, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. Discard the bouquet garni and pass the soup through the fine holes of a food mill (or puree using an immersion blender or working in batches in a hand blender).

In a bowl, combine the créme fraiche with 5 or 6 gratings of nutmeg, several grinds of black pepper, and a pinch of salt.

Serve the soup in bowls with a dollop of the spiced créme fraiche, a dash of cinnamon, and a sprinkling of parsley.

Stop and Take Stock.

Making a simple vegetable soup? Take stock of the trimmings, and the other vegetables you have on hand and consider simmering them into a flavorful broth to enhance the flavor and nutrient-content of your soup. In a stockpot, combine 6 cups of any of the following: squash and ginger peels, mushroom stems, cabbage cores, parsley stems, chopped carrots, celery, onions, mushrooms, leeks, parsnips, fennel, and garlic (cut a whole heat in half crosswise, and leave the peels on). Add a couple bay leaves, and some fresh thyme, or sage, cover with water, bring to a simmer, skim off any foam that rises, then simmer gently, uncovered, for an hour. Strain and use right away or refrigerate for up to 2 days.

© Recipe Property of Peter Berley