My Little Ratatouille

To prevent having Sammy think I'm referring to him as a rat, I've been calling him my little Ratatouille. But the real reason for the name was that it took me almost all of the meal preparation time to remember Remy's name! Nevertheless, my little Ratatouille was a star last night. He had a front row seat with Chefs Brewer, and he enjoyed nearly every moment of it. Rotating between the baby carrier and the bumbo seat, he was happy to watch the workings in the kitchen. Ratatouille and I manned ingredient retrieval duty, as well as food processor and snow pea trimming duty, to keep the little boy away from anything dangerous, while John took charge of all work involving exposed knives or fire.

Last night we all (since Sammy's help was essential) cooked Barbequed Pork Fried Rice and even prepped ingredients for a couple other meals this week! It was our first time cooking brown rice in the rice cooker. We've rarely had brown rice in the past, but I read that if you double the amount of water that you'd normally use for white rice, the rice cooker can also cook brown rice. We gave it a try, and it worked well. It just takes quite a bit more time for it to finish compared to how long white rice normally cooks.

We enjoyed the flavors in this meal. We were hesitant about adding ketchup to the mixture for the pork but did it anyway, and it helped with the BBQyness of the pork.

Barbecued Pork Fried Rice

(adapted from Gourmet by way of Culinary in the Desert)

INGREDIENTS

Pork Loin:
1/4 C hoisin sauce
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp ketchup
1/4 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
16 oz center-cut boneless pork loin, trimmed

Seasoning Liquid:
3 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Vegetables and Rice:
1 1/2 Tbsp canola oil
3 medium leeks, halved and thinly sliced
8 oz snow peas, trimmed and halved diagonally
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1 1/2 Tbsp Chinese rice wine
5 cups brown rice, cooked and chilled

METHOD
Preheat oven to 350 F.

Prepare barbecued pork loin:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together hoisin sauce, garlic, soy sauce, ketchup, and five-spiced powder. Add pork, turning to coat.
2. Place pork onto a small baking pan lined with foil and coated with cooking spray. Place into the oven and bake until a meat thermometer registers 150 F to 155 F. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
3. Cut pork into bite-sized pieces.

Prepare seasoning liquid: In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, chicken broth, salt, and pepper.

Prepare vegetables and rice:

1. In a large 12 inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high.
2. Add leeks and ginger. Stir-fry until leeks begin to soften, about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 minutes.
3. Stir in snow peas. Add rice wine, and stir-fry until snow peas are crisp-tender, about 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Add rice and pork. Cook, stirring frequently until thoroughly heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Stir in seasoning liquid, tossing well to coat evenly.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

I discussed this recipe here.

Soup and Pasta

It's been awhile since my last post. We've cooked real meals far less in the last year between buying a house, preparing for the baby to come, and now being with Sam in the evenings after work. Despite everything that's going on, we're doing what we can to resume more healthy eating.

To add to some leftover pasta, I decided to make Butternut Squash Soup so we'd have enough food for dinner. I got this recipe and the can of squash from my aunt. She made it while we were visiting in New York, and I really enjoyed it, so she sent me what I needed to make it at home. While Sam was taking a short nap, I was able to chop veggies, and then I finished off the rest of the recipe with him looking on in the sling. It was quick to come together and didn't require too much with two hands, so I was able to finish. I'd say this recipe is baby friendly and tasty, too!

Next time, I may blend the veggies in a food processor after cooking them. Also, I may reduce the half and half a little more and substitute with more milk to reduce the sweetness a tiny bit. This was my first attempt at making soup, and this was a great first recipe since it's so easy.

Butternut Squash Soup

INGREDIENTS
14 oz. chicken stock
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/3 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. pepper
15 oz. can of butternut squash
1 C half and half
1 C skim milk

METHOD

1. In a large pot, add chicken stock, onion, carrots, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pepper. Simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes, until vegetables are soft.
2. Stir in butternut squash, half and half, and milk.
3. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes and then serve.

Yield: 6 servings

I discussed this recipe here.

No Sauce Challenge

I really enjoy eating pasta. Unfortunately, many times with pasta you also get tomato sauce, which doesn't agree with Sam's stomach. So, I've been having to figure out ways to be able to at pasta (and pizza, another favorite) without tomato sauce and still keep it interesting. Thursday night we were in need of a trip to the grocery store but also wanted to have a good meal (without tomato sauce). We found this White Cheese and Sausage Pasta recipe which did the trick to satisfy our stomachs with standard ingredients we have in our pantry, fridge, and freezer even when we don't really have any food around.

White Cheese and Sausage Pasta

(adapted from Cooking Light)

INGREDIENTS
1 lb Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
Cooking spray
2 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 C skim milk
1 lb ziti, cooked and hot
3/4 C grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
1 C shredded mozzarella cheese

METHOD
Preheat oven to 400°F.

1. Place a large skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat.
2. Cook sausage until browned, stirring to crumble. Drain well, and set aside. Wipe drippings from pan with a paper towel.
3. Melt butter in pan over medium heat. Add flour, and stir with a whisk. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Cook until thick (about 8 minutes), then remove from heat.
4. Combine sauce, sausage, pasta, Parmesan, and salt in a large bowl. Spoon mixture into a baking dish coated with cooking spray.
5. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Yield: 6 servings

I discussed this recipe here.