NEW RECIPE: Ginger Congee with Sweet-Chili and Ponzu Pork

Everyone has a dish they made or remember being made for them every time they got sick as a child. For my family, that was congee. My mom would make this traditional rice porridge for me and my sisters anytime we got sick. It was warming and simple in flavor, making it easy to stomach. The ginger inside of it also helped heal us with its antibiotic properties. 

This is still my go-to dish when I am sick, and since I was sick over the past weekend, I made congee for myself. It's incredibly simple to make, and can either be done over a stove or in a rice cooker (as I did). You can add whatever you want to congee; all that's required is getting the ratio of rice to water right.

A 1 to 8 ratio, cooked for 45 minutes, makes the perfect congee. Flavoring it with ginger gives it a great flavor as well as a great remedy for being sick. I served it with a meat that's great for when sick because of the marinade - more ginger, sweet chili (which helps to sweat out some of the sickness), and ponzu, a Japanese citrus that contributes vitamin C. The warm, creamy porridge and the dense but flavorful pork combine together for a warming, comforting dish. 

Recipe serves 4-6 people.

For the Congee:

8 cups stock or water
2 tablespoons minced ginger
1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
1 cup Jasmine or other rice
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
2 cloves minced garlic
Chives/Green Onion and black pepper to garnish

For the Pork:
1 pound pork chops, trimmed and sliced into thin strips
1 1/2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce (Storebought, or make your own with water, cornstarch, sugar, diced chilies, rice wine vinegar, and ginger. Boil all together until you get a syrup or gel-like consistency.)
1 tablespoon ponzu
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon minced ginger

Cooking/Assembling:

1. Combine all of the ingredients for the pork marinade and the pork together in a container or doubled-up plastic bag. Place in the fridge to marinate for at least 20 minutes and up to 24 hours.

2. Mix together the rice, ginger, sesame oil, soy sauce, and garlic in a large pot or rice cooker. Add in the stock/water, then boil for 45 minutes. The porridge should have a thick consistency and support the weight of small objects (like stir-fried pork).

3. Add the pork strips to a frying pan on high heat and cook for 2-3 minutes. Place some strips on top of a bowl of the congee, and garnish with green onion/chives, black pepper, and soy sauce to taste.

Congee is incredibly simple to make, as can be seen with just 1 quick step to make the congee and just 2 to make the pork! It's simple in flavor, but all of the ingredients inside and outside - ginger, chili, garlic, onion - all contribute to healing when sick, and the warmth brings comfort to anyone feeling sick! 

I hope you enjoyed this recipe! Let me know what you think and what you would change. If you make it at home, let me know how it turns out! Enjoy! =) 

NEW RECIPE: Spicy Kidney Bean Arrabiatta

As a college student, I have to be able to make nutritious meals from what comes out of my pantry stores every once in a while. This means not only being able to cook with what's in my pantry, but being smart about what is in there as well. 

Sources of carbs, proteins, and vitamins and minerals all need to be present in my pantry stores so I have a balanced and healthy meal even when on a budget. There are amazingly cheap sources of all of these. Pasta and rice make for great cheap carb sources, beans and nuts are cheap proteins, and canned fruits and vegetables are great for vitamins, minerals, and health. Taking all of these and making them into a feasible dish may be hard, but it can be done!

This dish does exactly that - taking simple pantry stores and giving them a great twist. Cooking kidney beans into a spicy arrabiatta pasta sauce - one of my favorite tomato sauces of all time - and serving it with pasta makes a great, cheap, nutritious, and delicious meal! 

Recipe serves 4 people.

Ingredients:

400g or 1 pound pasta, any shape
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 medium white onion, finely chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp chili flakes
1/2 tbsp dried oregano
1/2 tbsp dried basil
Salt and pepper to season
1 cup water
Fresh Herbs to garnish (Oregano or basil)
1 tbsp olive oil

Cooking/Assembling:

1) Place the pasta in salted boiling water and cook according to package instructions. Make the sauce while the pasta is cooking.

2) Add the olive oil to a sauce pan or large frying pan on medium high heat. Fry off the onions and garlic with salt and pepper to taste, and the chili flakes, dried basil, and dried oregano until they are sweated off, about 3-4 minutes.

3) Add in the kidney beans and fry off for another 2 minutes. Make a well in the center of the pan, and add in the tomato paste. Cook out for 30 seconds before stirring into the vegetables and beans.

4) Deglaze the pan with the crushed tomatoes and water, and bring up to a boil. Turn down to a simmer until the pasta is done cooking.

5) Drain the pasta, and mix into the sauce gently (with tongs as best). Plate, and garnish with fresh herbs.

This meal has a bit of heat, but the tomato offsets it with natural sweetness and acidity and makes for a great, balanced, and cheap meal! The only extra add-ons were some dried herbs and the chili flake. Everything else is ingredients that are easy to keep in a pantry (or in a garden, in the case of the herbs. Growing your own herbs is a great way to save money as a college student, by the way). This is an incredibly simple meal, but it packs a punch and gives you all the nutrients you need!

I hope you enjoyed this recipe! Let me know what you think and what you would change. If you make it at home, let me know how it turns out! Enjoy! =) 

NEW RECIPE: Turkey Meatball Pasta Bake

As a college student, it's important for me to be able to cook cheap but nutritious meals to keep myself going. I also try to put spins on them and make them delicious while keeping myself within a budget. 

With cheaper ingredients like healthy, natural pre-made sauces and cheap wines, I can cheat a little bit while still delivering on flavor and nutrition that I need. A pasta bake is the perfect example of that. While the white sauce on top I used was store-bought, I was still able to deliver a good meal packed full of flavor and the nutrients I need. 

This pasta bake uses a healthier ground turkey meatball, which is incredibly easy to make from scratch and cheaper than ground beef. With a homemade tomato sauce and cooked pasta, this contains a lot of veg, meat, and carbs that a college student needs to function! 

Recipe serves 12 people.

For the Meatballs:

1 pound ground turkey
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon black pepper
2 cloves minced garlic
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon onion powder

For the Pasta Bake:

1 package pasta (400-500 grams or 1 pound), any style
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 glass red wine
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 cups crushed tomatoes
1 cup water
1 cup alfredo or cream-based sauce OR 1/2 cup Parmesean Cheese and 1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese

Cooking/Assembling:

1. Combine all of the ingredients for the meatballs and form into 1-2 oz sized meatballs. Start the pasta in a pot of salted boiling water at this point, cooking based on package instructions.

2. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large pot on medium high heat. Sear the meatballs for a minute on each side, then remove from the pan.

3. Sweat off the onions and garlic in the same pot, along with salt and pepper to taste, basil, and oregano. Cook for about 2-3 minutes until the onions turn translucent.

4. Make a hole in the center of the pan and place the tomato paste in this area. Cook for 30 seconds, then stir into the onions.

5. Deglaze the pot with the white wine and add in the crushed tomatoes and water. Bring up to a boil, then turn down to a simmer.

6. Drain your pasta and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Transfer the meatballs back into the pasta sauce, and remove from the heat and stir in the pasta.

7. Transfer the contents of your pot to a large baking dish, and top with the cream sauce or cheese. Ensure that the meatballs are well-distributed before adding the cream sauce/cheese.

8. Bake for 35-40 minutes, then serve!

This is definitely a hearty dish, but it packs everything you need for a complete meal into a simple easy bake! It's got richness from the cream sauce or cheese on top, savory flavors from the meatballs, and acidic but perfectly healthy tomato sauce packed with onion to boost the flavor of the pasta, which makes a great carb base! This is a great meal to cook in college- and even beyond that!

I hope you enjoyed this recipe! Let me know what you think and what you would change. If you make it at home, let me know how it turns out! Enjoy! =) 

NEW RECIPE: Middle Eastern Coleslaw (Home for the Holidays, Finale)

The winter holiday season is a great time to spend with family and friends with all of the exciting celebrations and get-togethers happening. At most of these events, food has a center point where everyone gathers as they eat and enjoy whatever dish there is. From centerpieces to side dishes, its important to keep things simple and efficient so you're not super stressed. Each of these recipes is an easy recipe to pull off, and will impress your guests! 

A lot of times, holiday dishes can be incredibly rich or dense, as has definitely been the case with each of the dishes I've posted so far in this series. It's important to keep a balance of light dishes and richer ones during meals so you don't overload guests. A simple salad or coleslaw is a quick, easy, and effective light side dish to have for a meal.

This coleslaw is done without mayonnaise, which may come as a controversy. However, I personally prefer coleslaw without mayonnaise, and it would make the slaw too rich in this case when the purpose of the dish is to be light. Instead, it's filled with fresh and aromatic flavors like pomegranate and toasted cumin for a great, Middle Eastern kick! 

Recipe serves up to 12 people.

Ingredients:

1 head Napa/Green Cabbage, cut into strips
1 head purple cabbage, cut into strips
1 white onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
1/4 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
1/4 cup fresh mint, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
1 tablespoon sumac
1 tablespoon cumin seeds, toasted
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to season

Cooking/Assembling:

1) Get a bowl of boiling hot water and placed your onions in it for 5-10 minutes to get rid of the raw flavor.

2) Drain the onions, then combine all of your ingredients for the slaw together to taste. If you're toasting the cumin from scratch, simply place the seeds in a pan on medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes.

This slaw packs a ton of fresh and vibrant flavors into it! From the fresh herbs, the crisp cabbage, and the aromaticness of the cumin seeds, this slaw is all about fresh, clean flavors. The pomegranate seeds add just a hit of sweetness along with the molasses, and the olive oil brings all of the flavors together in a cohesive "dressing". Overall, this refreshing dish will be a pleasure for guests' - and your - stomach after the richness of your holiday meals!

I hope you enjoyed this recipe - and this entire series of holiday dishes! Let me know what you think and what you would change. If you make any of these dishes at home, let me know! Enjoy! =) 

NEW RECIPE: Spiced Roasted Goose (Home for the Holidays, Part 4)

The winter holiday season is a great time to spend with family and friends with all of the exciting celebrations and get-togethers happening. At most of these events, food has a center point where everyone gathers as they eat and enjoy whatever dish there is. From centerpieces to side dishes, its important to keep things simple and efficient so you're not super stressed. Each of these recipes is an easy recipe to pull off, and will impress your guests! 

This goose is definitely more of a posh centerpiece, as it dials in at roughly $6-7 per pound. However, it has extraordinary flavor and pays off big for a lot of future meals because of one thing - the amount of fat you can extract from a goose is extraordinary, and its flavor is amazing as well. One goose can give you enough fat to last for half the year (in the fridge and out of light as much as possible, of course, to prevent spoilage). It's great for roasting potatoes, frying eggs or toast, and many other cooking applications.

Focusing back on the actual goose, though, it makes an amazing centerpiece for a get-together. If you are a fan of duck, you'll love the flavor that goose provides and that they cook very similar. Goose isn't too tricky to cook, making it an easy but interesting choice for a meal centerpiece! 

Recipe serves 12-16 people.

Ingredients:

1 14-18 pound goose, necks and giblets removed from the cavity
2 oranges, halved and zested
1 tbsp Szechuan pepper corns
2 tbsp Chinese Five Spice
1 tbsp sea salt

Cooking/Assembling:

1) Let the goose sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before starting.

2) Preheat your oven to 485 degrees F.

3) Score the skin of the goose all over in very small diamonds, about 1/4 inch in length.

4) Grind the orange zest, Szechuan peppercorns, Five Spice, and salt in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder to form a paste. Rub into the scored skin.

5) Roast the goose for 15 minutes, then turn the heat down to 350 degrees F. Cook for another 15 minutes per kilogram (roughly 7-8 minutes per pound).

6) To ensure the legs cook evenly, cut them open with 15 minutes left of cooking. Not completely off, but cut open.

7) Let the goose rest for at least 45 minutes before carving. Don't forget to store the goose fat in containers!

The goose is carved and in the center of this masterful meal. It is incredibly tender and rich, so a little bit of goose goes a long way for a meal. The extremely fragrant spice rub helps cut through that richness (as does the rendering of most of the fat), making it an extravagant but easy centerpiece for any holiday meal!

I hope you enjoyed this recipe! Let me know what you think and what you would change. If you make it at home, let me know how it turns out! Enjoy! =) 

NEW RECIPE: Mint Chocolate Panna Cotta (Home for the Holidays, Part 3)

Copyright 2015, Constantine William Spyrou. All rights reserved.

The winter holiday season is a great time to spend with family and friends with all of the exciting celebrations and get-togethers happening. At most of these events, food has a center point where everyone gathers as they eat and enjoy whatever dish there is. From centerpieces to side dishes, its important to keep things simple and efficient so you're not super stressed. Each of these recipes is an easy recipe to pull off, and will impress your guests! 

One of the easiest desserts to make on your own from scratch is Panna Cotta. Italian for "cooked cream", this pudding has a unique texture that comes from a perfect balance of milk, cream, and gelatin to make it silky smooth and rich. Mostly just seen in fancy restaurants, these dessert can easily be made at home with little fuss!

The flavors I went with for this panna cotta are a favorite in our household: Mint and chocolate. Most of the family is a huge fan of mint chocolate ice cream. This takes those flavors and transforms it into an elegant dessert worthy of a celebration! 

Recipe serves 5 people.

Ingredients:

600 mL heavy whipping cream
150 mL whole milk
3 tbsp sugar
2 gelatin leaves (or 1-2 envelopes of gelatin powder).
1/4 cup fresh mint
Chocolate for grating
Crushed candy canes for a garnish 

Cooking/Assembling:

1) Bruise the mint with your hand or the back of a spoon to release the flavor better. Add into your cream, milk, and sugar (cream and sugar only if using gelatin powder) and bring up to a boil slowly.

2) Soak the gelatin leaves in cold water. If using gelatin powder, stir into your milk.

3) Strain the mint from the cooked cream, then pour into the milk while whisking (if using geltain powder only). Pour the entire combined mixture into ramekins or 6-8 oz. glasses (ramekins you'll want to turn the panna cotta out onto a dish, glasses look more fancy and don't need to be removed from their mold.

4) Transfer your dishes to the fridge and let set for at least 4 hours. You should have a slightly bouncy texture when touching the cream.

5) If using a ramekin, dip the bottom of it into some water to help warm the dish and release the panna cotta onto plates. Otherwise, simply grate with chocolate and top with some crushed candy canes, and serve!

This dish is incredibly smooth and creamy, which makes adding on garnishes like candy cane and chocolate great because it adds crunch. Additionally, the chocolate complements the panna cotta perfectly while the mint in the panna cotta and the mint from the candy cane cut through the richness to make this an awesomely balanced, elegant, and easy dessert! 

I hope you enjoyed this recipe! Let me know what you think and what you would change. If you make it at home, let me know how it turns out! Enjoy! =) 

NEW RECIPE: Risotto Alla Vodka (Home for the Holidays, Part 2)

Copyright 2015, Constantine William Spyrou. All rights reserved.

The winter holiday season is a great time to spend with family and friends with all of the exciting celebrations and get-togethers happening. At most of these events, food has a center point where everyone gathers as they eat and enjoy whatever dish there is. From centerpieces to side dishes, it's important to keep things simple and efficient so you're not super stressed. Each of these recipes is an easy recipe to pull off, but will impress your guests! 

This holiday season, I decided to go to one of my favorite side dishes/vegetarian main courses to complement the Crispy Roasted Pork Leg - risotto! It's a dish I've played with a couple of times before when experimenting with ancient grains a while back, but I've never truly cooked a legit one. This was my attempt at it, and it went pretty well! 

I went with one of my favorite pasta sauces - alla Vodka - as the inspiration for this risotto to keep an Italian theme on our Christmas meal. It also gives a fancy, alcoholic kick to the risotto. Vodka sauce typically has tomatos and vodka in it, so my cooking liquid was a third tomatoes, two thirds stock. With some vodka spiked in beforehand, this makes a great dish! Make sure to cook it right before you're ready to begin the meal, as the rice can absorb more liquid as it cools and destroy the risotto consistency over time. 

Recipe serves 8-10 people.

Ingredients:

4 shallots, finely chopped
4 cups tomato puree (pasatta)
8 cups vegetable or chicken stock
8 cups uncooked arborio rice
2 oz vodka
2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove minced garlic
1/4 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced
Fresh basil and oregano for garnishing
Salt and pepper to season

Cooking/Assembling:

1) Combine the tomato puree/pasatta and stock in a sauce pan, and bring up to a boil. Turn to a simmer and leave on the back burner to add into the risotto over time. 

2) In a large saute or frying pan on medium-high heat, add in the olive oil, shallots, and garlic. Season to taste, and cook until the shallots soften, about 2 minutes. 

3) Add in the rice and stir until lightly toasted, about 1-2 minutes. Deglaze with the vodka, then stir the rice. 

4) While continually stirring the rice, add in ladlefuls of the tomato stock (roughly 1-2 cups at a time), waiting between each until the liquid is fully absorbed by the rice. Continue for about 45 minutes or until the risotto is lava-like in consistency and fully cooked. 

5) Stir in the sliced fresh basil, then plate, garnishing with fresh basil and oregano. 

This risotto is definitely not as rich as a risotto you would get in a restaurant due to no dairy being present, but it still packs a ton of flavor thanks to the vodka, tomato, and shallots taking the dish to a whole new level. It is a great, acidic, but tasty contrast to a centerpiece meat, and will impress your family and friends! Risotto may seem challenging, but this recipe makes it simple and fun!

I hope you enjoyed this recipe! Let me know what you think and what you would change. If you make it at home, let me know how it turns out! Enjoy! =) 

NEW RECIPE: Crispy Roasted Pork Leg (Home for the Holidays, Part 1)

Copyright 2015, Constantine William Spyrou. All rights reserved.

The winter holiday season is a great time to spend with family and friends with all of the exciting celebrations and get-togethers happening. At most of these events, food has a center point where everyone gathers as they eat and enjoy whatever dish there is. From centerpieces to side dishes, it's important to keep things simple and efficient so you're not super stressed. Each of these recipes is an easy recipe to pull off, but will impress your guests! 

The first recipe I wanted to do for this series is a centerpiece. Our family had this Crispy Roasted Pork Leg as the center of our Christmas dinner, and it was definitely a huge hit. Extremely simple to pull off, it simply requires some altering of temperatures in the oven and early prep work. Other than that, it can be easily just be left in the oven while guests are being entertained or other parts of the meal or being prepped (or if you just want to take a long break, that works too!) 

Pork leg itself is a more relatively cheap cut of meat at a little over 4 dollars a pound, making it perfect for families looking for a great centerpiece on a tighter budget. It is more meat for your money than turkey or poultry as well, so you get more meat out of a pork leg than a turkey of the same weight. 

This pork leg is incredibly tender and juicy, while the crispy skin from the rendered rind makes an amazing topping and looks impressive when scored (which makes the skin even crispier since the oven hits more of it!) 

Recipe serves up to 20 people.

Ingredients:

1 12-18 pound pork leg, skin on
1/4 cup kosher salt
4 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
1 tablespoon dried chopped rosemary
2 tablespoons olive oil

Cooking/Assembling:

1) Let the pork leg sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before starting. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.

2) Use the edge of a sharp chef's knife/santoku/straight-edged knife to score the rind of the pork leg. You want to get diamonds roughly half an inch to an inch thick. Be sure to not cut down to the meat.

3) Combine the salt, garlic, and herbs in a bowl, then rub into the pork rind, ensuring to get some into the score marks you've made. Any leftover can be rubbed onto the actual meat to season it.

4) Coat the skin with the oil to help prevent the rind from burning.

5) Place the pork leg onto a roasting tray and into the oven. Leave it at 450 degrees F for 30 minutes, then turn the heat down to 350 and cook for 15 minutes per pound.

6) Let rest (covered with tinfoil to trap in heat) for a good 30-45 minutes after taking the pork leg out of the oven. Carve up and serve! (You can serve the skin separately and let guests take pork leg pieces and crackling pieces together).

With no marinade or other extra added prep needed, this is a very easy centerpiece that will impress guests because of the tasty pork crackling and the juicy, sweet flesh of the pork. This centerpiece, because of the simplicity of it, also is versatile enough to be paired with any style of menu - from Italian or French-inspired meals to Spanish, Mexican, Carribbean, or even Filipino! Pork is such a versatile meat with great flavor, and this centerpiece really showcases that.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe! Let me know what you think and what you would change. If you make it at home, let me know how it turns out! Enjoy! =)