Empire of the Sun

Thursday, April 14, 2011 Barb and I watched Empire of the Sun (1987) and made Steamed Scallion Ginger Fish Fillets with Bok Choy. We had a lot of fun exploring some cooking techniques we have never used on movie night-or any other night for that matter. We steamed the fish on a dinner plate in a covered pan (who knew fish could be cooked this way?) and we used spring rolls for our dessert (super fun to roll up, although odd in texture...). This dinner was one of those that we just didn't want to stop eating.

Although it was not my intention to watch two prison camp movies in a row, as my first movie choice for this week (Giant starring the late Liz Taylor) was in too great of demand on Netflix, I thought watching a film starring Japan might be appropriate. The young Christian Bale really was the star of this film. The story completely revolves around this young boy's journey as a prisoner of war during the Japanese occupation of China. Heart-wrenching at times, I personally found the drama to become a little overly theatrical and dubious. Let's put it this way, I am often a cryer and this time my eyes were dry. Needless to say, I am glad I saw it and was impressed by the pre-Newsies Christian Bale.

Lets get back to the fish which was the highlight of my night. Here is how we made the Steamed Fish:

First, as per weekly ritual, we cracked open a couple of beers and snacked on some deliciously soft and salty pretzel buns from Whole Foods - a movie night snack favorite.

Then we gathered the INGREDIENTS for the fish:
1/2 cup light soy sauce
2 T sugar
1/2 cup rice wine (we substituted with Sherry, you could also use dry white wine)
1/2 tsp. five-spice powder (a new spice for my spice rack-delicious!)
2 lbs. sole fillet (we used 1 lb. of flounder, any flaky white fish will do)
1 (1-inch) piece of fresh ginger, finely julienned
6 T vegetable oil
8 scallions (white and green parts), cut crosswise in 2-in. lengths, then thinly julienned (we used half as much and would recommend dicing, not julienning)

and INGREDIENTS for the bok choy stir-fry:
1 1/2 lbs baby bok choy
2 T peanut oil
1 (1/4 inch) piece of fresh ginger, minced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
4 cloves of garlic
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp ground white pepper

Fish DIRECTIONS:
In a medium bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sugar, rice wine, and five-spice powder.
Transfer fish to 2 rimmed plates (we only needed one). Drizzle each piece with 1 T soy sauce mixture and scatter with julienned ginger. (set aside remaining sauce for finishing dish.) Cover and refridgerate 15 minutes.
Fit a large saucepan with a steamer basket, fill with 1-inch water, bring to a boil over high heat. WE used a large saucepan, filled it with the 1-inch of water and places a ramekin in the middle to prop up the plate. Reduce the heat to low and transfer one plate to the steamer. Cover and steam 4 minutes. Without lifting the lid, turn off flame and allow residual heat to finish cooking until fish is cooked through, about 1 minute more. Carefully remove plate. Return steamer to boil and steam second plate of fish in the same manner.

While fish is steaming, prepare the bok choy:
Trim 1/4-inch from the bottom of each head of bok choy. Slice bok choy crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Wash bok-choy in several changes of cold water and dry in colander until dry to touch.
In wok or large sauté pan over moderately-high heat, heat oil until hot, but not smoking. Add ginger, scallions, and garlic and stir-fry 1 minute. Add 1 tablespoon water, cover, and cook until wilted, about 30 seconds. Uncover, stir-fry 5 seconds, then cover again and turn off flame, let steam in residual heat until just tender, about 30 seconds more. Serve bok choy and fish.

YUM!

We also made these crazy little Banana and Mango Spring Rolls with Coconut-Chocolate Ganache:

Look at these baby bananas we used! Awe, so cute.

INGREDIENTS
Ganache:
1 (14-oz can unsweetened coconut milk
1/3 c. palm sugar or 1/3 cup, packed, light brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
8 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped (we used chips)

Spring rolls:
8, 8-inch, square frozen spring roll pastry wrappers, thawed (we used round, not frozen ones)
4 small ripe Chinese bananas, peeled, halved lengthwise, or 2 regular bananas, peeled, halved lengthwise, then halved lengthwise
2 champagne mangoes or 1 regular mango, peeled, pitted, cut lengthwise into 3-inch-long, 1/2 inch-wide strips
1 egg, beaten to blend
vegetable oil (preferrably grapeseed for frying)

DIRECTIONS:
For ganache:
Combine coconut milk, palm sugar, and ginger in heavy medium saucepan. Bring mixture to simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and whisk until mixture is melted and smooth.

For Spring Rolls:
Line baking sheet with parchment paper (we used good ol' Silpat). Place 1 spring roll wrapper on work surface. (We followed the dry package instructions and wet the wrappers in warm water to soften)

Place 1 banana piece across center of wrapper, then 2 mango strips. Fold bottom up, then sides in over fruit. Brush unfolded top with beaten egg. Roll up wrapper, enclosing fruit completely. Place on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining wrapper, fruit, and egg. (Can be made 4 hours ahead, covered in plastic and refrigerated)

Pour enough vegetable oil into a heavy deep skillet and heat oil to between 360 degrees and 375. Working in batches, add spring rolls to hot oil and cook until golden crisp, turning often, about 3 minutes per batch. Using a slotted spoon, transfer spring rolls to paper towels to drain.

Place spring roll (or 2!) on each plate, garnish with mint and drizzle with chocolate-coconut ganache.

Voila! I am not sure how i felt about the mango-chocolate combo. I might just leave out the mango next time...

MicMacs

Archive Post: February 2, 2011

MicMacs is a French film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, probably best known for Amélie. I had high hopes of amazing cinematography and it didn't let me down artistically. Quirky, weird, funny and often touching, the storyline follows a drifting man and his motley crew as they try to take down two major weapons manufacturers. I would have to agree with Rotten Tomatoes on this one and give it about a 3.5 out of 5 stars and I am on the fence as far as recommending it to watch, but if you liked Amélie you will probably enjoy MicMacs as well. However, I am pretty confident in recommending this recipe for at-home Big Macs to anyone who likes burgers as much as I do.

Big Macs

INGREDIENTS

(recipe for 1 serving)

1 hamburger bun with sesame seeds

1/2 additional hamburger bun

1/4 lb ground beef

a dash of salt

1 TB thousand island dressing

1 tsp finely diced onion

1/2 cup chopped lettuce

1 slice American cheese

2-3 pickle slices

DIRECTIONS

Toast the three buns.

Divide the ground beef into two thin patties and grill 2 minutes on each side.

Build the burger in the following order, from the bottom up:

bottom bun

half of the dressing

half of the onion

half of the lettuce

american cheese

beef patty

middle bun

remainder of the dressing

remainder of the onion,

remainder of the lettuce

beef patty

top bun

French Fries

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Peel 4 large potatoes and cut them into equal sized sticks, about 1/2 inch wide.

Rinse the potatoes and place them in a large pot of boiling salted water for 2 minutes. Strain the potatoes and rinse them in cold water until they cool. Place potatoes on paper towels to dry them off.

Once dried, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Dribble 1 tsp vegetable oil on top and toss the potatoes with your hands until the oil is evenly distributed. Spread the potatoes out evenly on the sheet to make sure they are not touching each other.

Bake in the middle of the oven for about 30 minutes, turning after about 15 minutes so they get even color.

Mangez!

Papillon/Tropical Mango Coconut Chicken

This movie/dinner combo was spawned by a few things: Eric (who read the book Papillon years ago and loved it--and who I get to go visit in Oklahoma tomorrow!), tropical food (I'm off to Costa Rica in a week and can't stop thinking about it), and an overall desire--or should I say demand--for spring to take hold here in Philadelphia. That 70+ degree day a week and a half ago was such a tease! I can only hope that when I return in a week and a half that Philly will be warmer.

Papillon (1973) is a gritty prison film starring Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman. Parts of the movie reminded us of Life is Beautiful and there was a cameo by Matthew Cuthbert from Anne of Green Gables (Richard Farnsworth)!

Movie rating: 3.75

I searched for mango + coconut dishes and came up with our version after reading comments from others who had made the recipe. This was a really tasty meal and would be good with shrimp, fish, or chicken. It got even better as leftovers the next day!

Dinner rating: 4

Mango Coconut Chicken

adapted from this recipe

Ingredients

1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces

1 TB canola oil

2 TB curry powder

1/2 c thinly sliced onion

1 1/2 lb chicken, cubed

1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into thin strips

1 mango, peeled and cut into thin strips

1 cup light coconut milk

2 TB fish sauce

1/2 tsp sriracha

1 tsp sugar

1/3 c chopped fresh basil

Sprinkle potato pieces with 1 TB water; microwave, covered, until fork-tender. (In my tiny microwave, this took 5 minutes.) Heat oil and curry powder in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook onion until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Push onion to sides of skillet. Add chicken; cook until done, about 8 minutes. Stir in potatoes and bell pepper, cook until peper softens, 1 to 2 minutes. Add mango, coconut milk, fish sauce, sriracha and sugar. Simmer 2 minutes. Remove from heat and serve atop cooked basmati rice. Top with a generous sprinkling of basil.

Animal Kingdom

Here is an archive entry from last month, enjoy!:

February 16, 2011 we watched Animal Kingdom, with Oscar-nominated supporting actress Jackie Weaver. To accompany the movie, we served up something from the 'animal kingdom:" Spicy Sauteéd Shrimp with Olives and Cherry Tomatoes (which tasted a lot better than it looks in this photo! We are working on improving our photography...)

This is the first time I had seen a film written by David Michôd, who is also the director of Animal Kingdom. I thought both were jobs well done. The movie tells the story of a teenage boy who was born to a drug-overdosing mother, nephew to a set of bank-robbing brothers, and grandson of a seriously mentally detached grandmother (kudos to Jackie Weaver for her much-deserved Oscar nod!). The family is being hunted by the police and "J" lays in wait for seemingly the entire movie before making his move... I really enjoyed the subtle directorial links between human and animal behavior which made for really great suspenseful action.

The fish recipe was really easy, which made the depth of flavor spiciness sort of a surprise. I would highly recommend it with any type of white fish:

Spicy Sauteed Fish with Olives and Cherry Tomatoes

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup olive oil

2 lbs tilapia, red snapper, or orange roughy filets - we used tilapia

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/2 tsp dried crushed red pepper

4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

1 cup Kalamata olives, chopped

6 garlic cloves

DIRECTIONS

Heat olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Add half of fish to skillet and sauté until just opaque in center, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer fish to platter. Repeat with remaining fish. Add parsley and crushed red pepper to same skillet; sauté 1 minute. Add tomatoes, olives, and garlic; sauté until tomatoes are soft and juicy, about 2 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper; spoon over fish.

Brussel Sprouts with Buttered Pine Nuts

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup pine nuts

3 TB butter

3/4 teaspon salt

2 lbs brussel sprouts, trimmed

1/2 TB minced garlic

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Toast the nuts in a shallow baking pan at 350 degrees until fragrant, or in a toaster oven as we did.

Cook the sprouts in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water, uncovered, until just tender, 5 to 6 minutes, then transfer to a bowl of ice and cold water to stop the cooking. Drain sprouts and pat dry.

Melt butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, then add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Increase heat to moderately high, then add sprouts and sauté, stirring occasionally, until browned in patches, about 5 minutes. Add lemon juice, pepper, and remaining 1/2 tsp salt, then stir in nuts and serve.

Adapted from this epicurious recipe.

The Secret of Kells

Top o' the mornin' to ya! In honor of St. Patrick's Day we watched The Secret of Kells this week and stirred up something in the Irish spirit: Potato, Green Cabbage, and Leek Soup with Lemon crème fraîche.

Disaster almost struck as I went to the Whole Foods yesterday and found the Green Cabbage bin empty! Luckily the produce guy came through for me with fresh heads from the back-phew.

The Secret of Kells was an animated feature nominated for an Oscar in 2010. In the story the young boy, Brendan, is appointed by the Irish abbey to protect and complete the legendary Book of Kells from the invading Vikings. Barb and I have watched several acclaimed animated features and while the background detail of the Abbey and the forest surrounding it was gorgeously drawn, the more simplistic drawings of the characters was a little jarring for me. The story was flat and thus, while i didn't fall asleep, I won't I will be recommending this one as one to watch.

The soup was delish! I am a big fan of pureed vegetable soups and this one is a great way to get in some fresh greens. The reserved cabbage, chives, and crème fraîche really makes it a winning recipe.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 c. créme fraîche or sour cream

1 TB fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp finely grated lemon peel

2 TB butter

1 TB extra-virgin olive oil

6 c. diced green cabbage (1/2" dice)

3 c. chopped leeks (white and pale green parts only, 3–4 large)

3 large garlic cloves, pressed

3 c., 1/2". cubes peeled Yukon Gold potatoes (about 1 1/4 lbs.)

1, 2" x 2" piece Parmesean cheese rind (optional) - we left this part out

1 bay leaf

6 c. (or more) low-salt chicken broth

2 TB chopped fresh chives (for garnish)

DIRECTIONS

Whisk creme fraîche, lemon juice, and lemon peel in a small bowl to blend. Keep chilled up to 4 hours ahead.

Melt 1 TB butter with 1 TB olive oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add cabbage; sprinkle with salt and freshly-ground pepper and sauté until cabbage is almost tender but not brown, 6–8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer 1 cup cabbage to a small bowl and reserve for garnish.

Add 1 TB butter to pot with cabbage; add leeks and garlic. Sauté over medium heat until leeks soften slightly—about 3 minutes. Stir in potatoes, Parmesean rind (if using), and bay leaf. Add 6 cups broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until all vegetables are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Discard Parmesean rind (if using) and bay leaf. Working in batches puree the soup, return to pot. We just used our handy immersion blender right in the pot. Simmer until heated through, adding more broth by 1/4 cupfuls to thin the soup to your desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper; garnish with reserved cabbage, chives, and drizzle with creme fraiche.

Life is Beautiful/Tuscan Shrimp with White Beans

Inspiration for this week's recipe came from the setting of Life is Beautiful: Arezzo/Tuscany, Italy. While researching, I found so many tempting, rustic possibilities, from Ribolita Stew to Tomato/Bread Soup to Panzanella or maybe Tuscan Kale and Bean Salad... I finally settled on Tuscan Shrimp with White Beans for its light, bright flavors and quick prep/cook time.

The Roxborough Acme actually impressed me with a delightfully crusty yet chewy round loaf of Italian bread, perfect for wiping our bowls clean. A few spears of springtime asparagus, quickly sauteed in a bit of olive oil with fresh lemon and parmesan, and a glass of white wine rounded out the meal.

This meal was extremely pantry-friendly--in fact, most of the ingredients are things I typically have on hand: frozen shrimp, canned beans and canned tomatoes. Pick up some fresh basil, a quick-cooking veg and bread at the market and a healthy dinner is on the table in under 30 minutes.

Other meal ideas and foods that would pair nicely with the storyline: eggs (especially a frittata/omelette), chicken, lobster, salmon with a side salad and glass of white wine, chocolate ice cream, coffee, and pink cake (bonus points if it's iced to say "Buongiorno, Principessa!").

Speaking of bonus points, did I neglect to mention the ever-impressive celebration cake, complete with taxidermied ostrich topper holding a real ostrich egg? 1,000 points straight to you if you can pull that one off.

Tuscan Shrimp with White Beans

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 cans Cannellini beans

4 TB olive oil, divided

20 large shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used frozen)

4 cloves garlic, sliced

1 small serrano chile, thinly sliced

1 can diced tomato, drained

1 cup whole fresh basil leaves

1 TB lemon juice

Salt and pepper

Directions

Drain the beans over a bowl and reserve the liquid. Transfer the beans to a large skillet with just enough of the reserved liquid to moisten. Add 2 TB olive oil and bring to a low simmer. Keep the beans warm while you prepare the shrimp.

Heat the remaining 2 TB olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the shrimp, season with salt and cook until opaque, about 1 minute, tossing frequently. Remove the shrimp with tongs to a bowl. To the hot pan, add the garlic until brown. Add the chile and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomato, basil, and lemon juice until incorporated and basil begins to wilt. Season with salt and pepper. Add the shrimp back to the pot, toss well to warm through.

Spoon beans into serving bowls and top with shrimp mixture.

Hannah and Her Sisters

In an effort to rebuild our archive, here is the entry from March 2, 2011:

Now that the 2011 Academy Awards are over, I thought I would choose an older film this week. A little fact emerged from this years awards; this is the first year since 1987 when the Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor were from the same film. This year it was Melissa Leo and Christian Bale winning the top nod for "The Fighter." In 1987 the awards went to Michael Caine and Dianne West for "Hannah and Her Sisters." This Woody Allen film won Best Original Screenplay and was also nominated for a slew of other awards that year.

The story takes place in NYC where three sister's relationships seem to become intertwined in a love triangle–squared. Hannah (Mia Farrow), Holly (Dianne Wiest), and Lee (Barbara Hershey) can't seem to keep their hands off each other's men. Labeled as a comedy, there were inevitably some dramatic moments. The beginning scene takes place at the family Thanksgiving and ends the following year at Thanksgiving and so we made some turkey for dinner.

Turkey Meatloaf and Wild Rice, Apple, and Dried-Cranberry Stuffing were on the menu for dinner. The meatloaf was tasty and classic, but I really loved this "stuffing," which was mainly a rice dish with all of the smells and taste cues of a traditional stuffing.

Turkey Meatloaf

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups chopped yellow onions (2 large onions)

2 TB olive oil

2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp finely ground black pepper

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (1/2 tsp dried)

1/3 cup worcestershire sauce

3/4 cup chicken stock

1 1/2 tsp tomato paste

5 lbs ground turkey breast

1 1/2 cups plain bread crumbs

3 extra-large eggs, beaten

3/4 cup ketchup

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a medium saute pan, over medium-low heat, cook the onions, olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme until translucent, but not browned, approximately 15 minutes. Add the worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste and mix well. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Combine ground turkey, bread crumbs, eggs, and onion mixture in a large bowl. Mix well and shape into a rectangular loaf on an un-greased sheet pan. Spread the ketchup evenly on top. Bake for 1 1/2 hours until the internal temperature is 160 degrees and the meatloaf is cooked through. Serve hot, at room temperature or cold in a sandwich.

Stuffing

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups water

1 cup wild rice

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 lb crusty bread, cut into 1/2" cubes (6 cups)

1 stick butter, plus 2 TB melted butter

2 cups diced (1/3") onion

2 cups diced (1/3") celery

2 cups diced (1/3") apple

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 TB finely chopped fresh sage (or 1 1/2 tsp dried)

2 tsp finely chopped marjoram (or 1/2 tsp dried)

1 tsp finely chopped thyme (or 1/4 tsp dried)

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup turkey stock or chicken broth

DIRECTIONS:

Bring the water to a boil in a 2-qt heavy saucepan, then add rice and 1/2 tsp salt. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, until rice is tender and most grains are split open, 1 to 1 1/4 hours (not all of the liquid will be absorbed). Drain well in a colander and spread out in a baking pan to cool completely.

Put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat to 350 degrees.

Spread bread cubes in a shallow baking pan and bake in upper third of oven until dry, about 20 minutes – we skipped this and just toasted the bread in a toaster oven.

Melt 1 stick of butter in a large nonstick skillet over moderate heat, then cook onion and celery, stirring, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add apple and cook, stirring until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in herbs, pepper, and remaining teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with rice, bread, and dried cranberries.

Increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees and butter a shallow 3-qt. baking dish (13 x 9).

Spread stuffing evenly in dish and drizzle with melted putter and turkey stock. Bake, covered tightly with foil, for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake until top is browned 10–15 minutes more.