Category Archives: Recipes

Szechwan Noodles with Peanut Sauce

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  • 1/2 cup warm water
  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp chili pepper flakes
  • 1/2 cup sweet chili sauce
  • 5 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 lb udon noodles
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 1/4 head cabbage
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 2 large carrots
  • 1 spring onion or green onions

Whisk water, peanut butter, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, chili flakes, sweet chili sauce and minced garlic in medium bowl to blend (sauce will be thick; add more water if too thick). Break noodles in half and cook in large pot of boiling water until just tender, about 6 minutes. Drain. Rinse noodles under cold water and cool. Transfer noodles to very large bowl. Toss with sesame oil to coat. Shred cabbage; cut red pepper, carrots and onions into matchstick-size strips. Add veggies to noodles and mix. Toss with peanut sauce to coat. Optional garnish with chopped peanuts, sesame seeds, etc.

Szechwan Carrot Soup

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  • 1 med. onion or leek
  • 1/3 cup chopped celeriac
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 tsp. vegetable oil
  • 1 lb. carrots cut into 1 inch pieces
  • ¾ inch piece fresh ginger; peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1/8 tsp. hot red pepper flakes
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 1 ½ Tbs. soy sauce
  • 1 ½ Tbs. creamy peanut butter
  • 1 tsp. sugar
  • 1 tsp. sesame oil
  • 1 cup milk

Chop onion and celeriac and mince garlic.  Cook in vegetable oil over moderately low heat, stirring, until onion is softened.  Add carrots, ginger, pepper flakes and broth.  Simmer covered until carrots are very tender; about 45 minutes.  Stir in remaining ingredients and in a blender puree mixture in batches.  Return soup to pan and heat over low heat until hot, being careful not to let boil.  If desired, prepare garnish by mixing ¼ cup sour cream with 2 Tbs. heavy cream and drizzle decoratively into soup after serving into bowls.

Adapted from Gourmet.

Swiss Chard with Peanuts and Chiles

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  • 10 leaves Swiss chard, thick stems removed
  • 2 Tbs olive oil
  • ½ onion, chopped
  • 2 tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 jalapeno or other hot pepper, minced
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • ½ cup roasted, salted peanuts, finely chopped

Boil chard in a large pot of water for 10 minutes.  Drain, press out excess water and pat dry.  Puree in food processor.  Add oil to skillet and sauté onion, tomatoes, garlic, chile, salt and pepper for ten minutes over medium heat.  Add pureed chard and chopped peanuts and stir to blend, continue cooking for two minutes then serve.  From Foodday.  Makes 4 servings.

Swedish Cucumber Salad

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  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 2  tbsp. white wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp.  sugar
  • 3 tbsp.  minced fresh parsley
  • 2 tbsp.  minced fresh dill
  • 2 tbsp.  thinly sliced  scallions
  • 4 cups unpeeled cucumbers, thinly sliced
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 small head of lettuce, sliced

In a medium bowl, mix the sour cream, vinegar, sugar, parsley, dill and scallions until well blended.  Add the cucumbers and toss gently.  Add the salt and pepper.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 20 minutes. Serve on a bed of lettuce.

Adapted from The 30-Minute Kosher Cook by Judy Zeidler.

Summer Corn Chowder

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  • 6 ears sweet corn
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 2 cloves of garlic, bruised
  • 1 russet potato cut in ½ inch cubes
  • 2 cups milk
  • salt and pepper
  • 4 slices of bacon diced
  • 4 medium tomatoes cubed
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh basil

Strip corn from ears and set aside.  Simmer the cobs and garlic in the broth for 10 minutes.  Remove the cobs and garlic, stir in the potatoes and half of the corn kernels and simmer for 10-12 minutes.  Puree and set aside in a bowl after stirring in the milk, salt and pepper.  Cook the bacon in the original pot until fully cooked (approx 6 minutes).  Add the onion and sauté for 10 minutes.  Add the reserved pureed soup and the remaining corn then simmer for 8 minutes.  Stir in the tomatoes and basil and serve.

From Culinate.com

Sukomo Wiki

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  • 1 – 1 ½ Lbs greens
  • 1 onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 – 2 lbs tomatoes
  • 2- 3 Tbs. Olive oil

Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil until onions are translucent.  Add diced tomatoes and cook until they have released their moisture.  Add chopped greens and continue cooking until the greens are fully wilted and tender.  Serve over polenta.

Sukiyaki with Red Snapper

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  • 4 cups dashi*
  • 1/2 cup mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine)**
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 2 pounds red snapper fillets, halved lengthwise, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide strips
  • 1 pound firm tofu (bean curd), drained, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 9 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps quartered (about 4 cups)
  • 1 bunch garland chrysanthemum, large stems removed, and/or fresh spinach leaves, coarsely chopped (about 3 cups)

Combine dashi, mirin, and soy sauce in large pot over high heat. Bring to boil; add red snapper, cubed tofu, and shiitake mushrooms. Cook until red snapper is almost opaque in center and shiitake mushrooms are tender, stirring occasionally and reducing heat if liquid begins to boil, about 6 minutes. Add chopped garland chrysanthemum and cook just until wilted, stirring occasionally, about 1 minute. Ladle sukiyaki into bowls and serve. Makes 6 servings.

*Japanese fish broth made with bonito flakes and kombu. Powdered dashi concentrate is available at Japanese markets.
**Mirin is available at Japanese markets and in the Asian foods section of many supermarkets.

Stuffed Squash

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  • 3 medium to large summer squash (zucchini or patty pan)
  • 1 medium onion
  • 4 large cloves garlic
  • 1 medium carrot, diced
  • 4 stalks celery, diced
  • 1 cup mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 cups rice, cooked (basmati gives a nice flavor)
  • 6 oz. cream cheese, cubed
  • Pepper
  • Grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Cut the squash in half and scoop out as much of  the flesh as possible (this can be tricky with the patty pans).  Chop the insides.  Sauté the onion in the oil until it starts to brown.  Add the minced garlic, mushrooms, carrot and celery and cook a few moments more.  Add the squash flesh and the salt and cook on fairly high heat until most of the liquid has evaporated.  Remove pan from heat and stir in the cream cheese cubes.  Cover for a few minutes to soften the cream cheese.   Stir in the rice and pepper.  Taste and add salt if necessary.  Fill the squash shells and place in an oiled 9×14-inch baking pan.  Sprinkle with parmesan.  Add water to cover the bottom of the pan about 1/4 inch deep.  Bake, with the dish covered with foil, for 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake for another 5-10 minutes until filling has browned a little.

Inspired by  New Recipes from Moosewood Restaurant.

Stuffed Cabbage Leaves

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  • 2 lb. green cabbage
  • 4-5 Tbs. butter
  • 1/2 c. finely chopped carrots
  • 1/2 c. finely chopped celery
  • 1/2 c. finely chopped onions
  • 1/2 lb. thinly julienned ham
  • 1 Tbs. chopped garlic
  • 1 c. thinly sliced onions
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 c. fresh bread crumbs
  • 1/2 tsp. rosemary
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 3 c. hot chicken broth
  • 1 Tbs. flour (optional)
  • 1/4 c. sour cream (optional)

Core cabbage, but keep it whole.  Blanch for 6 minutes or steam for 10-12 minutes (see note at end).   Cool slightly.  Remove the 12 best-shaped, largest leaves.  Trim ribs so that they are the same thickness as the leaves and can be easily bent.  Finely shred the rest of the cabbage.   Melt 3 Tbs. of the butter in a sauté pan and cook celery, carrots, chopped onions and 1 cup of shredded cabbage for 10 minutes, until wilted but not brown.  Add ham and garlic; cook five more minutes.  Place in a bowl and let cool.

Meanwhile, in the same pan, melt 1 Tbs. butter and sauté remaining shredded cabbage and sliced onions for 5 minutes.  Strew them in the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.  Beat the egg and combine with the vegetable and ham mixture, the crumbs, and rosemary.  Season with pepper (salt is usually unnecessary because the ham is salty).

Place a heaping tablespoon (or more) of filling on each leaf.  Fold over the ribbed end of the leaf, then fold over the two sides and roll up.  Place in baking dish, the flap side down.  When all leaves are stuffed, pour the hot broth over them.  Cover loosely with parchment paper or aluminum foil, and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 40 minutes, basting occasionally.  Serve with just the pan juices or make a light sauce: melt 1 Tbs. butter in sauté pan, stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes; pour in the pan liquids; bring to a boil, then simmer to thicken lightly; stir in sour cream and reheat without boiling.

You can replace the ham with ground beef that has been lightly sautéed and drained of fat.  Do not sauté with vegetables.

NOTE: I froze the cabbage whole a few days prior to making this dish.  Remove from freezer in the morning and by evening the leaves will peel off as if they had been blanched.  The center of the cabbage can turn brown however, so I used less in the stuffing.

From The Victory Garden Cookbook by Marian Morash.  Tip on freezing from New Recipes from Moosewood.

Stir-Fried Pea Shoots

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Wash the pea shoots and cook, still wet, in a frying pan with a tablespoon of oil.  Season with salt and stir over high heat for a minute until just tender.  Add a splash of water and remove from heat.  The shoots should be bright green and shiny.

Use the following sauce as an alternative to the splash of water called for at the end:

Mapo Sauce:

  • 1/4 cup tamari soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup dry sherry
  • 2 Tbs vinegar
  • 1 1/2 Tbs grated ginger
  • 3 Tbs tomato paste
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 Tbs dark sesame oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed cayenne to taste
  • 2 Tbs cornstarch in 2 Tbs cold water

Whisk together all ingredients, adding cornstarch last.  Pour over sauteed pea shoots and continue cooking, stirring as needed, until sauce thickens.