NOODLES

When I got married I had never really cooked (unless you count heating up a Boca Burger cooking).  I had the vague idea that I wanted to cook for Erik; you know, be a good wife, but I never expected to discover such a love and excitement for it all.  I think I first started to like being in the kitchen when I realized I had the power to make anything I wanted.  It didn't have to be some boring casserole (though I do love casserole); it could be absolutely anything.  At that time I was really into Thai food (still am), so with the help of Nancie McDermott and her amazing cookbook, Quick and Easy Thai, I discovered that cooking could be an adventure.  We ate Thai constantly for that first year of marriage as I cooked my way through that book and found my love for cooking.  I made an old favorite last night, Chaing Mai Noodles (also called Kao Soi).  It is really delicious and not usually something you find on restaurant menus.  It is best with fresh egg noodles, but I have used regular spaghetti pasta and that is good too.  The fresh cilantro, green onion, and shallot make it, so don't leave these out.  If you don't like spice, ease off on the curry paste (maybe add 1 tablespoon or less).  It is a very yummy and satisfying meal.

Chaing Mai Noodles

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
• 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste or panang curry paste
• 3/4 lb boneless chicken, cut in big bite-sized chunks 
• 2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons curry powder (the regular yellow supermarket kind)
• 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce or soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 lb fresh Chinese noodles or 1/2 lb dried Chinese noodles, angel hair pasta, or spaghetti
• 1/3 cup coarsely chopped shallots
• 1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, and then add the garlic. Toss well and add the red curry paste, mashing and stirring to soften it in the oil, about 1 minute. Add the chicken and cook 1 to 2 minutes, tossing now and then to brown it evenly and mix it with the curry paste.
   
2. Add the coconut milk, chicken broth, curry powder, soy sauce, sugar and salt and stir well. Bring to a gentle boil and adjust heat to maintain a lively simmer. Cook about 10 minutes until meat is cooked through.
3. Stir in lime juice, remove from heat and cover to keep curry warm while you prepare the noodles.
4. Cook the noodles in a large pot of rapidly boiling water until tender but still firm, as little as 2 minutes for fresh noodles and 7 minutes or more for dried. Drain, rinse well in cold water, drain again and divide the noodles among individual serving bowls. Ladle on hot curry, and sprinkle each serving with the shallots, cilantro and green onions. 

Nancie's other recipes are equally excellent.  I also have her Quick and Easy Vietnamese and Quick and Easy Chinese.  Both very good! 

GREEN HILL

We had a little bit of a sad day this week and needed to get away and spend some time together.  I wanted to see something pretty so we drove over to the Marin Headlands and took a couple hikes.  The first hike wound us along a small creek and under sweet smelling eucalyptus trees and hanging Spanish moss.  It was so nice to walk and have a good conversation and enjoy the beauties around us.  The other hike was more in the open and went through the bright green fields of the Tennessee Valley.  I loved seeing so much sky!  This hike ended at the beach and when we got there we climbed up the side of one of the hills (not an easy feat in boat shoes :) and laid out our wool blanket.  We read, enjoyed the January sunshine (!), and watched the water and listened the the waves.  It was a beautiful, relaxing, and much-needed day with my husband.

OH INA

I love Ina Garten's recipes; they are always easy to make and full of flavor.  Tonight I made the warm french lentils out of her new cookbook (it is a good one, though I think Back to Basics is her best).  I served them with a garlic-y sausage and skinny french green beans.  They turned out really delicious, though a little bit on the salty side (Ina ALWAYS makes things really salty...probably something picked up in her catering days).  Enjoy the recipe below!

Warm French Lentils

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 leek, white and green parts, sliced 1/4-in thick
2 carrots, diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup French green Le Puy lentils
1 whole onion, peeled and stuck with 6 whole cloves
1 turnip, cut in half
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat olive oil in medium saute pan, add leek and carrots, and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute and set aside.

Meanwhile, place the lentils, 4 cups water, onion, and turnip in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, add leek and carrots, and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, or until the lentils are almost tender. Remove and discard the onion and turnip and drain the lentils. Place them in a medium bowl and add the butter.

Meanwhile, whisk together 1/4 cup olive oil, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper. Add to the lentils, stir well, and allow to cool until just warm, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve.

The turnip and the onion stuck with cloves might be unnecessary (it was hard to tell if they added anything), and you definitely don't need to add any salt at the end.

CARDIGAN FOR ERIK

After months of work, I finished Erik's cardigan in time for Christmas.  Just barely.  I think it turned out okay, considering it was my first adult-sized knitted project.  I used Plymouth Galway worsted weight wool in Highland Heather and the pattern came from The Ohio Knitting Mills Knitting Book.  He loves it, but I don't see myself knitting another sweater anytime soon. :)

ROAST CHICKEN

The more food writing and cookbooks I read, the more I discover that absolutely everyone has something very good to say about a seemingly simple dish; the roast chicken. Two great books that I acquired recently include such praise.  Simon Hopkinson, in his book Roast Chicken and Other Stories, says that, "Roasting a chicken is a joy for me; if I am pressed to name my favorite food, then roast chicken it must be."  In my new favorite cookbook, Plenty, Diana Henry says, "roasting isn't just about good food, it's a way of living...it is a grand gesture, the pinnacle of home cooking, honoring both the animal and those you are feeding."  I am not usually thinking about honoring my carcass while in the kitchen, but I have to say this statement really resonated with me after roasting two chickens in the past couple weeks.  I can't quite say why, but I really felt connected to what I was doing and it somehow felt very satisfying to my heart and soul (and tummy of course).  I went to a good butcher (whom I had an actual conversation with), then came home and very simply prepared the best food we have had in months.  It is amazing what a few good ingredients and a gas oven can do.    

The top picture is a smoked paprika roast chicken with aioli (served with watercress and a crusty baguette), and the second one is a Malaysian roast chicken (served with rice and greens).  Both came from the cookbook, Plenty: Good, uncomplicated food for the sustainable kitchen.  Each chicken lasted close to three meals and tasted amazing.  Can't wait to make more and more variations!

BOOK SLEEVES

I made some of Erik's Christmas presents this year, and the gift that I ended up being most happy with are these book sleeves. Since he always carries nice books around in his various totes, he has been asking me to make something to protect his treasured readings for awhile now.  So, for Christmas I surprised him.  Using fabric I already had lying around, I made three sleeves of various sizes (to fit paperbacks, hardbacks, art books, etc.)  I added two sew-on snaps to each one so the books won't fall out.  I love them! (and so does he :)  They have already protected his books from some very aggressive Chick-O-Stick crumbs. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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I love this year's Christmas card.  Erik designed them and I letterpressed each one by hand (thanks to a very generous friend who owns a press).  We hope it conveys a bit of the true meaning of the season.