Savory Kolaches

Going to the farmer's market every Saturday was one of our favorite things to do in Bloomington. While we certainly enjoyed the produce on offer, we really went for the breakfast options. Whether that was crepes and croques at Le Petit Café, Brown County Coffee, or Aahaa Chai, there was always something tasty to be found. Our all-time favorite, though, was Sweet Claire Bakery, which always had a line around the corner. It is here we were introduced to kolaches: sweet buns with lots of different filling options. More than two years after we left town, we have greatly missed them... until now. Ariel got in touch with the proprietor and got the dough recipe, and I went to work dreaming up some fillings. We were blown away with how good the results were, and I'm excited to share them.

Kolaches originated in Central Europe, like so many other delicious things, made their way to the United States with the immigrants who loved them. Czech communities have made them especially popular in Texas. From what I can tell, the original Czech version has strictly sweet fillings, but creative American cooks have moved them in a savory direction. We came up with two fillings, loosely inspired by what we remembered from the kolaches we had in Bloomington. Both types were delicious.

The first is a braised chicken I've been calling "adobo chicken," not to be confused with the grilled version I posted last summer. This was fairly similar to my pulled pork recipe, but uses chicken thighs and tomatoes. It's a little spicy on its own, but this balances out inside the bun with. The filling is rounded out with half a hard-boiled egg. The chicken turned out very well and would also be great in a taco. Because it is a saucy filling, there were some structural problems on the bottoms, so it's important to make sure they are thick enough to hold up. It wasn't too bad, but it's something to watch out for. The second emulates a classic breakfast sandwich with sausage, egg, and cheese. The main question here was how to do the eggs. I decided to make French-style rolled omelettes and put half an omelette in each kolache. This worked out very well because they hold up well while not drying out. These kolaches turned out great. The only adjustment we would make is adding a little more cheese. 

The dough recipe is reproduced from what we received from Sweet Claire. The original recipe was given in baker's percentages, with this set to make 12 kolaches. As such, the amounts are all in grams - a little unusual for this blog. A good scale is a great addition to any kitchen. We made 6 of each type of kolache. The chicken recipe makes enough for all 12 buns, so I saved half of it for later. All in all, the results were simply fantastic, and we're already looking forward to making them again and trying some different fillings. 

Ham Pasta

Comfort foods and family favorites have always been a major part of No Free Lunch. I've featured quite a few of my childhood favorites, like klub, hotdish, and chow fun, but this one comes from Ariel. It was a staple of her family and has been part of our rotation for years. Although I typically do most of our cooking, she's stepped up lately with how busy I've been. This recipe has been an invaluable go-to dinner for us. It's quick and easy, and perfect for a busy weeknight.

What we call "ham pasta" is a variant of an American-style pasta alla carbonara, which adds cream and vegetables to the Italian classic. This is a great example of how foods change and evolve as they move around the world. There's definitely room for both versions. I've actually only made this dish once, and it didn't exactly go over well when I substituted the ham for turkey ham. That being said, this recipe is pretty loose and most of the amounts listed here can be adjusted to taste. 

Thanksgiving for Two (Stuffing/Dressing Recipe)

2020 has been an unprecedented year in so many ways. Thanksgiving, which typically sees the highest volume of travel all year, has been particularly emblematic of how this pandemic has changed how we live our lives. Yet, there is still much to be thankful for in my life, not the least of which is the resurgence of this blog. With this 75th post of 2020, this year surpasses 2012 as the most productive year of No Free Lunch. Like many people, we stayed home for Thanksgiving but still put together a traditional feast for just the two of us. In a way it was a nice to give Thanksgiving a test run with just us before we host one day. It turned out to be a silly amount of food, but there's nothing wrong with having leftovers for a few days. In this post, I'll talk about what we had with a focus on the most iconic of Thanksgiving side dishes. 

I am, of course, talking about "stuffing," also known as "dressing." Despite the name, it's typically made in a casserole dish instead of inside a turkey. This is both safer and allows for making as much as you want. We definitely overdid it a bit and made enough for a whole family. In retrospect, we could easily have halved it and still had plenty of leftovers. Our version was loosely inspired by Kenji's recipe and Adam Ragusea's video on the topic. 

With just the two of us, I roasted a whole chicken rather than a turkey. It's not something I do often and don't yet have a lot of confidence. The age-old difficulty with a whole chicken (or turkey, for that matter) is that the breast is best at a much lower temperature than the thighs and legs. I tried Ragusea's method of cooking the chicken breast up on the stove before moving it to the oven. This was much simpler than other methods (like spatchcocking) and did the job well. This also makes it very easy to make a quick and delicious gravy in the same pan. 

We rounded out the dinner with Michael Solomonov's kale and apple salad. Ariel first made this to go with our brisket for Rosh Hashanah this year and it quickly became a family favorite. 

Of course, no Wai family Thanksgiving could be complete without party salad! It's a true Upper Midwest treat. Ariel even talked her parents into adding it to their table this year. As I hear, it went over well. I hope everyone was able to make the best of these unusual circumstances and celebrate in a safe way that will enable people to come together next year. Cheers, and happy Thanksgiving!

Steamed Egg with Shrimp (蝦仁蒸蛋)

I'm back today with another take on a Pei Mei recipe, this time from volume II. Steamed egg is a Chinese homestyle classic, but one with which I don't personally have much history. I think I've had it a few times, many years ago. It's certainly unlike anything else I've cooked in recent memory. The texture is silky smooth and the whole bowl jiggles like Jell-O. It's basically a savory custard, which isn't a common thing in Western cuisine. The name of the dish in Chinese is xiaren zhengdan, which translates to "shrimp meat steamed egg." 

As this is unlike anything I've cooked before, I stuck fairly close to Pei Mei's recipe. I did consult a few other sources, including Souped Up Recipes and the Woks of Life. The cooking time is the trickiest part here. Pei Mei says to steam on high for 2 minutes and low for 20 minutes. After about 10 minutes on low, I checked the eggs and they were still completely raw. I then turned it back up, so in the recipe, I'm recommending staying on high for about 9 minutes. I added the shrimp only for the last 3, to make sure they didn't get overcooked.

I used my homemade Chinese shrimp stock to pair with the shrimp on top. This gave the eggs a subtle shrimp flavor, which was quite pleasant. Chicken stock, again in the Chinese style, would also work well, I think. There are many variations to this dish, with different toppings and flavorings. I'm definitely going to try it again and play around with it more. I served with rice and stir-fried broccoli to round out a perfect meal for two.

Sweet and Sour Fish (糖醋魚片)

With how busy things have gotten this semester, I haven't had as much time to blog or even make particularly interesting meals. We are still planning out two weeks worth of meals to minimize exposure, and trips to the Chinese store have been especially rare. Today's recipe is a classic sweet and sour fish that doesn't have any hard-to-find ingredients. Sweet and sour fish is a beloved dish in our household, and this was a request from Ariel. I jumped into volume II of Pei Mei's Chinese Cook Book to see what I could find. This is an adaptation of Pei Mei's "fish rolls in sweet and sour sauce." Pei Mei's dish involves wrapping the fish in tofu skin to make little packages, which are then deep fried. I didn't have the tofu skin, so I adapted this into a more standard sweet and sour fish with dredged fish slices. The original recipe is called tangcu yujuan, or "sweet and sour fish rolls." I'm calling mine tangcu yupian, which means "sweet and sour fish slices."

This dish is superficially similar to the fish slices with tomato sauce recipe I did in 2018. For the fish, we start with an egg-white based marinade, dredge, and quickly deep fry. I continued my experimentation with potato starch this time. No matter what you do, the crunch doesn't last too long in the sauce, but this did retain some, and I was happy with the result. You can always use corn starch instead, but the crust you get from potato starch is nice. The sauce is the classic mix of rice vinegar, sugar, and ketchup. I personally prefer my sweet and sour fish more on the sour side, so I cut the sugar down quite a bit. The sauce did get a little too thick with the full tablespoon of corn starch here, so I think I would cut it to 2 teaspoons next time. Although the fish and sauce are similar to the other recipe, the other ingredients are not. Instead of peas, onions, and mushrooms, this one uses the classic aromatic combination of scallion, ginger, and garlic. This places the fish firmly as the star of the show. Overall, this was another successful Pei Mei adaptation that I would definitely recommend giving a try.

Summer Squash Pancakes

Even as fall sets in, our patty pan squash plant has continued to produce. This will probably my last summer squash recipe of the season. I like winter squash, too, so maybe we'll head there next. These squash pancakes are basically a variant of the potato pancake concept. As summer squash are less sturdy and starchy than potatoes, they are a lot more delicate in texture. They are an easy and tasty side dish and a great way to use up squash in a more interesting way than just roasting them.

Grating the squash opens up new possibilities, like the frittata I made last month. It's important to squeeze the water out, or you won't be able to form cohesive pancakes. I did the same with the onion. The white patty pans we had worked well, but you could definitely use yellow or zucchini squash, as well. Egg and panko bind everything together. This recipe will make about 9 pancakes. Serve with a condiment of your choice. We used sour cream, but you couldn't go wrong with Japanese mayo, either. I rounded out the meal with pan-roasted chicken thighs with a quick pan sauce. 

Jamaican Rum Punch

Through my experimentation with cocktails over the last few months, I've settled into rum as my spirit of choice. There are so many different styles, which are closely tied to the history of the Caribbean. With so many countries of origin and production methods, rum firmly defies categorization, despite the many attempts to do so. It's kind of a perfect storm for a history buff and budding cocktail enthusiast. Rum cocktails are also extremely diverse, from straightforward classics like the daiquiri to the complex Tiki-style drinks that rose to prominence in the 1930s and 40s. This simple punch has become one of my favorite go-to drinks lately. 

This rum punch started out as a variation on a classic daiquiri, by way of Martin Cate's planter's punch recipe. Dashes of both Angostura and orange bitters (both can be found cheaply at Walmart) add a little extra without taking over the flavor profile. This drink is not as clean as a daiquiri, but does let the individual rum shine through in a way that more complicated drinks (see the Painkiller) do not. Demerara sugar appears for the first time since my iced coffee recipe. The fuller-flavored Jamaican rum stands up to it in a way that wouldn't work as well in a traditional daiquiri. If all you can get is regular white sugar, that's also fine. This post is not meant to be overly prescriptive. I usually leave this one ungarnished, but if I'll stick a mint sprig in there if I'm feeling fancy.

Our local municipal liquor does not have a great rum selection, so I typically use Appleton Signature Blend for this. Very much the starter Jamaican rum, it's one of the most accessible and best value bottles out there. If you can get something more interesting, definitely go for it. I've also done this drink with half Appleton and half Smith and Cross. Bottled at "navy strength" (supposedly strong enough to allow gunpowder to light if spilled), it brings a lot to the table in both alcohol and flavor. Ariel picked me up a bottle last time she was in Sioux Falls (where we rarely go since the pandemic started), and I'm looking forward to trying it out in more cocktails.

Spanish Chicken Stew

Braised chicken has become one of my favorite things to cook and eat in recent years. It's pretty hard to mess up, and produces great results for a low cost and mostly inactive cooking time. Recent examples have included a Chinese and a French version, as well as one that sprang from entirely my own brain. I planned out this chicken stew to emulate a Spanish flavor profile, using paprika, chorizo, and sherry vinegar. I don't know if this is something that would actually be made in Spain, but it turned out well. The paprika and chorizo give it a hint of heat and the vinegar lends a subtle, tangy acidity. 

The chicken is the central ingredient here, and I used three leg quarters, which I split apart into legs and thighs for more even cooking. A sharp knife should go easily through the tendon. Leg quarters are one of my top three cuts for braising, along with pork shoulder and beef chuck. They are very economical. Locally, we can get a 10 pound bag for just a few dollars. These particular quarters were quite roughly butchered (probably a reason for the low price), each with a piece of the backbone still attached. I put in the time to take the backbones off, which I froze to be made into stock later. In these crazy times, I found this simple task quite mentally therapeutic. Taking off the backbones also improves the presentation of the thighs.

The chorizo used here is the Spanish variety, which is a firm, cured sausage flavored with paprika. It can be eaten as-is, or as an accent ingredient as I've done here. This differs from Mexican-style chorizo, which is a fresh sausage that is great in tacos or quesadillas, but not appropriate here. I also continue to experiment with potato starch as a thickener, which has been working quite well. It's definitely become a staple in my kitchen for both thickening and breading. I went with roasted potatoes to accompany the stew, but you could definitely use mashed potatoes, rice, or noodles.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cocktail

We were first introduced to Skrewball peanut butter whiskey a few months ago, and Ariel became an instant fan. It's basically a sweet peanut liqueur with an intense aroma. Since then, I've been experimenting with it in cocktails. I quickly got the idea to make an homage to peanut butter and jelly, but struggled with what ingredient could emulate the jelly part. Most wine does not retain enough grape flavor to work, but then it occurred to me that there is one wine that does: Manischewitz. Despite the fact that no one seems to actually like it, every Jewish family seems to have a bottle lying around that makes a brief appearance at holidays. They typically sit open and unrefrigerated for years, quietly oxidizing. Do yourself a favor and a get a fresh bottle for this drink. 

I speculated about trying port instead of Manischewitz, which Ariel said would be a waste of port. I might try it with a younger ruby port. Other Concord grape wines, like Mogen David, could also be an option here. To build the rest of the cocktail, I added a lemon peel for a little aroma. This goes a long way to adding some complexity to this otherwise frivolous drink. Use a good cocktail cherry for the garnish and avoid the bright red kind. I used an amarena cherry from Trader Joe's. While this cocktail isn't something I would drink every day, it is quite pleasant. Sometimes two odd ingredients can come together in surprising ways.

The use America's classic kosher wine made this a fun post for Rosh Hashanah. I used the other half of the 9 pound brisket from Passover (it froze very well) to do a roughly doubled version of my recipe from 3 years ago. The leftovers went in the freezer for a future quick and easy meal. Ariel made a potato kugel for the first time, which is basically a huge potato cake. It was a completely new thing for me, and I enjoyed it. It was one of those things that makes you think "how is this going to work?" when it goes into the pan, but came out perfectly. For both the brisket and kugel, I made a big batch of schmaltz. It's been a real pleasure to delve into Ashkenazi traditions and cuisine over the last several years. There's something to be said about a family with three new years. Shana tova!

Tomato Jam

Today, I'm pleased to present a recipe from Ariel, which serves as a follow up to her strawberry jam from 2012. As I mentioned earlier, our cherry tomato plants have been quite prolific lately. Tomato jam is a great way to use them up while also putting them into something that won't go bad as quickly. The tomatoes for this recipe came from one day of picking. Although I'm generally not a huge fan of cherry tomatoes, this was an interesting and enjoyable application. It was very nice on a warm pita with a little goat cheese.

Ariel used yellow sunburst tomatoes, which resulted in a deep orange-colored jam. Other colors of tomatoes could be mixed for different colored jams. The main discussion we had afterward was about the sugar content. I didn't mind it, but Ariel thought it was much too sweet. I suppose the sugar does obscure the tomato flavor a bit. I tried the jam by itself on toast, as well with goat cheese as shown above. The goat cheese does balance out the sweetness. Dropping the sugar down as low as 1/2 cup could be a good experiment for the future. 

Summer Squash Frittata

As summer gives way to chillier weather, it's a good time to discuss the results from our garden this year. We planted three types of tomatoes (yellow sunburst, black cherry, and mortgage lifters), which all did well. All four herbs (basil, parsley, rosemary, and mint) were dependable producers, with lots of mint fueling my cocktail experiments. The only real failure this year were the cucumbers, which I suspect a rabbit destroyed early in the season. The previous two summers, I was making pickles left and right, so this was a surprise. We had previously never had much success with squash, but we planted two anyway, a yellow crookneck and a white pattypan. The crookneck has done decently, producing several fruit for us, but the for the last month or so, the pattypan plant has been incredibly prolific. I've been trying all kinds of different ways to cook it, but this frittata was one of my favorites.

When I was first learning to cook, I made frittata quite often, because you can put basically anything in it and it turns out fine. The recipe I posted back in 2012 was definitely a "kitchen sink" sort of frittata, while this one is simpler and more refined, allowing each ingredient to be heard. The bacon-onion combination calls to mind the flavors of the classic flammekueche. The pattypan squash I used here has a very mild flavor, but adds texture to the frittata. I usually let them grow to about a 4-inch diameter. Much bigger, and you'll have to dig the seeds out first. To get a little over a pound of grated squash, I used about two pattypans. You could also easily use crookneck or zucchini squash here. 

I'm not typically prescriptive about what kind of pan to use, but a 10-inch cast iron is ideal for this dish. You want something that's both broiler safe but also nonstick enough to allow the frittata to release. This makes cast iron or carbon steel ideal. If you have a different sized pan, adjust the amounts accordingly. For a 12-inch pan, you would probably need another squash and a few more eggs. This particular pan is a Tramontina from Costco. It's a very versatile pan, and is one of the most frequently used in my kitchen. It's great for shallow frying a schnitzel, searing a steak or a hamburger, or just sautéing vegetables. We can definitely add frittata to that list. 

Sliced Beef with Broccoli (玉蘭炒牛肉)

Other than last week's braised spare ribs (a loose adaptation at best), it's been nearly 3 months since I've directly taken on a Pei Mei recipe. Today's dish is sliced beef with broccoli. The Chinese name is yulan chao niurou. This translates to "magnolia stir fried beef," yet another reference to a flower in the name of a dish. I assume this is a poetic flourish, but yu also means jade, which might refer to the green broccoli. Everything in this dish is pretty much classic Chinese, but it's notably one (like egg drop soup) that became a staple of American Chinese takeout. Ariel noted this was very similar to what she grew up eating.

Pei Mei's original recipe calls for gailan, a Chinese broccoli that has leaves at the ends. It's commonly found at Chinese stores, but as we have very limited access during the pandemic, I used regular "western" broccoli instead. Either way works, but if you do have access to gailan, it is delicious. For the beef, she calls for tenderloin (the Chinese just says tender beef), which I think is an odd choice. Since we are using the baking soda tenderizing technique and slicing it very thin, a tougher, more flavorful cut makes more sense. I use flank steak, which is widely available. I previously used the exact same tenderizing (sometimes called "velveting") in the beef chow fun recipe. My recipe roughly doubles Pei Mei's.

The sauce consists mostly of oyster sauce, which is an ingredient I haven't discussed before on the blog. It's another of the many umami-rich Chinese sauces and pastes, but instead of fermented beans, it's made from oysters. This makes it a relative of Hong Kong's famous XO sauce, which is made from scallops. I don't use it all that often, but it's good to have on hand for when it does come up. The sauce in this recipe is enough to coat everything, but is not meant to dominate the dish. The takeout style is definitely saucier, so take that into account if you want to go that route. Overall, this one comes together reasonably easily, and is a very satisfying meal. Additionally, swapping out the gailan for regular broccoli means everything can be found at an average Midwestern grocery store.

Chicken Caprese Sandwich

Chicken sandwiches are a popular lunch choice at our house, and are a great way to use leftover chicken. Since discovering the dish a few years ago, cotoletta alla palermitana has become one of my favorite chicken dishes to make, especially in the summer. Enjoying a daiquiri while tending the grill makes it even better. I usually make extra so we have some for lunch the next day. Although I highly recommend trying the grilled version, any cutlet, such as a chicken schnitzel or katsu, will work for a sandwich. These sandwiches, which combine the chicken cutlets with flavors from the classic caprese salad were one of our favorites.

I made the pesto in a mortar and pestle using homegrown basil. We used most of it for pasta the previous day and had a little left for this. Mixing the pesto with Kewpie mayonnaise makes for a delicious spread. The tomatoes also came fresh from the garden. The buns Ariel made for the Jucy Lucy were such a hit, she made some more, which we used here. Any kind of good bread will work. As with many people, the pandemic has been an opportunity for us to explore homemade bread. 

Sichuan-Style Braised Spare Ribs (紅燒排骨)

This recipe is based on one I meant to post back in May, but I wasn't quite satisfied with how it turned out. The original was my version of Pei Mei's Sichuan-style beef stew. It is a dish in the hongshao (red cooked) style of braised meat, similar to Chairman Mao's pork belly. This time, though, I decided to adapt it to spare ribs, which I had in the freezer. The result was thoroughly enjoyable. Although I still prefer the pork belly version, this is a nice change of pace. The ribs fall right off the bone and the sauce pairs well with rice. While I'm not sure this would be considered an "authentic" Sichuan-style recipe, I do think I've respected the style, and it turned out well.

The main difference in terms of seasoning between this and Chairman Mao's pork belly is that it swaps out the sugar for doubanjiang, the hot bean paste which is a cornerstone of Sichuan flavor. Using just two tablespoons gives the sauce a background heat, but doesn't take over. It is, however, very salty. This makes it effectively immortal in the refrigerator, but can be overpowering. While the rice does balance this out, I might compensate by cutting the soy sauce back a bit next time. Other than the garlic, everything else here has appeared in my previous hongshao recipes. The pork stock I used is the same as in the Chairman's pork. If you like Sichuan peppercorns, they can also be added. With how big the flavors are in this dish, it works well with a simple green vegetable as a side. We had stir-fried snap peas.

Caprese Salad

I recently wrote about making BLTs with garden fresh tomatoes. The other main thing we use our homegrown tomatoes for is caprese salad. Even before we started making BLTs, it was this dish that started converting this tomato skeptic to a regular consumer. To me, caprese salad is emblematic of Italian cuisine in that the preparation is simple and focuses on the quality of ingredients. It's a dish I've been aware of for a long time, but there are a lot of subpar examples out there, and I wouldn't have considered myself a fan until I started making it at home.

The tomatoes are, of course, what makes or breaks a caprese salad. These are more of our homegrown Mortgage Lifters. In the past, I've also had success with using tomatoes from the farm shares we had the past two summers. With the ongoing pandemic, we decided to forgo farm shares this year and just use our own tomatoes. Whatever the tomatoes, it is essential to season them with salt and pepper. The basil is also from the garden. I've always had success with growing basil, but it's important to remember to harvest before the first frost. The only aspect of the salad we've yet to upgrade is the mozzarella. Around here, we can only get BelGioioso in a plastic tube. It's okay, but a bit lacking in flavor. Use the best you can get.

Jucy Lucy

The Jucy Lucy is a cheeseburger with the meat inside the patty, rather than on top. The dish originates in Minneapolis, with the specific establishment (and spelling) being a matter of some debate. As much as this blog tends to focus on international cuisine, I do especially enjoy celebrating foods of the American Midwest. Although the Jucy Lucy hails from my home state, I've only had the opportunity to taste one once, until now. What makes it unique from a normal cheeseburger is the cheese explosion you get when biting in. Since the cheese is concentrated in the center, it's a more heterogeneous experience, with some bites being much cheesier than others.

I did a bit of research, and there was quite a bit of variation in the amount of meat, cheese, and type of cheese used. American cheese is the classic choice, but I think there's room for experimentation. I went with a sharp cheddar (Wooden Shoe brand from Corsica, South Dakota). I used my standard size beef patty, which is 5 ounces (just under 1/3 pound) each. This was plenty big enough to accommodate the cheese. I used rendered bacon fat saved from BLTs to fry the burgers, but go with what you have. Toppings included our homegrown tomatoes.

One thing that really kicked up these burgers were the buns. We had originally planned to use store-bought buns, but ran out of them midweek making other sandwiches. Ariel made these delicious buns based on a recipe from King Arthur Flour, but with bread flour instead of all purpose, and whey replacing the water. I'm not sure how much of a difference the whey makes, but the breads she's been producing with it have been great. For a few of them, we tried sprinkling some everything bagel seasoning on top, which was a good addition.

Live Lobsters

Live lobsters are definitely a luxury here in the Midwest. When I was a kid, lobster was a once a year meal when a friend of grandpa's visited and had lobsters shipped in for all of us. For Ariel, growing up in New England, they were a far more common sight, and not even particularly expensive. We haven't been able to get back to Boston in a while, so it's been quite a while since we've been able to get them. For our anniversary, Ariel's parents generously had a pair of huge, two-pound lobsters sent to us. What a treat they were!

Preparing lobsters is incredibly simple. Just drop into boiling, salted water until done. I made some clarified butter to serve with the lobsters. To do this, I melted butter in a saucepan over low heat and skimmed off the milk solids. I then poured it off into a dish, leaving the cloudy water behind. This didn't take too long, and was much better than just melted butter, which solidifies much faster as it cools. We also had some corn on the cob from the farmer's market.

Fun for the whole family

While I wouldn't do it often, ordering lobster is definitely something I would think about for a special occasion. During the pandemic, going out has become an impossibility, so having a treat like this at home can work wonders for keeping morale up. It's hard to believe it's been nearly five months since I wrote "cooking and blogging are pleasures still available to us in these strange times" back in April. This is still very much true, and writing here has been a great creative outlet these last few months. As the semester picks up, I am leaning more on old standbys for dinner, but more recipes are still to come!

It's BLT Season

The tomato plants we planted at the beginning of the summer are finally coming into their own. This year, we planted black and yellow cherry tomatoes and Mortgage Lifters. There are not a lot of foods I don't eat (which this blog can attest to over the years), but I am not a fan of cherry tomatoes. Ariel loves them, though, so more for her. In general, raw tomatoes are not something I tend to seek out, but growing them at home has slowly brought me around. The Mortgage Lifters have been particularly good. BLTs are one of my favorite use of homegrown tomatoes, and have been a big part of my journey to tomato appreciation. Our BLTs are based on Kenji's "BLT Manifesto," with a couple personal touches.

We've recently been playing around with our bread machine, and one of our house staples has been a crusty loaf made with the whey left from making farmer's cheese. Homegrown tomatoes and homemade bread really upgrade the BLT experience. We don't have access to particularly high-end bacon, but a thick-cut bacon from the supermarket does fine here. Ariel got me a set of Chef's Presses for our anniversary. They are a handy tool to add weight to food in a pan, in this case preventing the bacon from curling up. As usual, we use Kewpie Japanese mayo, which has largely overtaken Hellman's for most uses in our house.

Chef's Presses in action

I'm not posting a full recipe here, and will instead encourage you to read Kenji's excellent article. I do have a few tips. Seasoning the tomatoes with lots of Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper makes a huge difference in bringing out their flavor. Toasting the bread helps the sandwiches keep their shape. Tomatoes are a very wet ingredient to have in a sandwich, and they will be a mess. Lean into it and have a stack of napkins on hand!

Painkiller

Yesterday, while making a batch of of chicken kebabs for dinner, I accidentally cut my finger open with a knife. Luckily, we live only a few blocks from the hospital, and they patched me up quickly. With my injury, I thought this would be the perfect time have a Painkiller cocktail. It's a tropical delight, combining rum with fruit juices for a sweet, satisfying drink. Shaking it up gives it a nice froth, which is then topped with aromatic nutmeg. The Painkiller is not a challenging drink, but it's undeniably delicious, and is perfect porch sipping on a hot day. Even Ariel, who's not much of a rum drinker, gave this one the seal of approval.

Unlike the other cocktails I've posted recently, the Painkiller is a drink with a well-known origin. It was first created at the Soggy Dollar Bar in the British Virgin Islands. It has since become associated with Pusser's rum. According to their website, the founder of Pusser's was a fan of the drink, and developed his own recipe. The name "Painkiller" later became a registered trademark of the company. Pusser's has gotten some bad press for litigation surrounding the trademark, but it doesn't bother me too much. Pusser's is a great rum with a great story. After the Royal Navy discontinued its rum ration in 1970, Pusser's obtained permission to recreate the navy's rum as a commercial product. It's also the only Demerara (Guyanese) rum I've been able to find in South Dakota. 

Although it's delicious, the Painkiller isn't necessarily the best showcase for the rich flavor of this particular rum. The fruit flavors definitely dominate here, with the Pusser's slipping into the background. Ratios could certainly be played with to highlight the rum more. One interesting ingredient appears here that I haven't used before: Coco López cream of coconut. It is basically a sweetened coconut milk. Right out of the can, it's somewhat translucent, but thickens and becomes an opaque white in the refrigerator. I found it at Walmart. If unavailable, it's possible to make a facsimile with coconut milk and simple syrup. The orange juice is fresh squeezed, but I used canned pineapple juice. The official Pusser's recipe uses 4 oz. of pineapple juice, but I reduce it to 3 oz. to conveniently make 2 cocktails from a 6 oz. can. 

Mojito

With classes starting soon, summer in Vermillion is drawing to a symbolic close. It's an appropriate time to celebrate one of the most emblematic drinks of the season, the mojito. Like its cousin, the daiquiri, the mojito originates in Cuba. While everything that's in the daiquiri as also in the mojito, they are quite different in character. Where the daiquiri is an exercise in simplicity and balance, the mojito goes all in on the mint, with a hint of effervescence from the soda. This makes it a terrifically refreshing cocktail for the hot weather. It's a classic for good reason. I enjoyed mine while grilling brats for dinner.

In my opinion, a good mojito should be a showcase for the mint. Otherwise, you may as well have a Tom Collins. As such, I recommend going for a clean, Spanish-style rum. I used the same Flor de Caña Extra Seco from the daiquiri recipe. I've also liked it with Don Q Cristal, which is an even more unobtrusive Puerto Rican rum, similar to Bacardi, but a a little less harsh. Want to go with Jamaican? I'm sure that would be delicious, but it would be a different drink. There seems to be some debate on whether a mojito should be shaken (similar to a Collins) or built in the glass and swizzled. I shake and strain (based on the "Modern Mojito" from Cocktail Chemistry), as I don't care to have a lot of extra vegetation in the glass, which tends to get stuck in the straw. You can even double strain if you want it extra clean. However, I do add some lime rind to the shaker when muddling to get a little extra lime juice and oils in there. 

Crab Pasta

With the start of the academic year quickly approaching, this highly productive period of blogs will likely slow down. I still hope to keep it up as much as I can, and make 2020 the biggest year in the history of No Free Lunch. I am especially glad to feature today's dish, which has been a staple in our house for the last few years. I've been making what we simply call "crab pasta" for a while, but held off on posting a recipe because it's something I generally make by feel with no measuring. Previous attempts to codify it resulted in me overthinking it and producing a substandard result. After a few tries, I've finally dialed it in. Crab pasta is a quick and easy meal that can easily slot in as a weeknight dinner. All the ingredients hold up well in the refrigerator or pantry, so it's also good food for our strange times.

Crab pasta is entirely my own invention, but it was loosely inspired by the classic Neapolitan dish pasta aglio e olio. This is a simple pasta consisting of spaghetti in a sauce made with garlic, olive oil, and the starchy water from the pasta. It was famously featured in the 2014 film Chef, which I heartily recommend for anyone interested in cooking. In Italy, many traditional pasta dishes are meatless, intended to be served separately to a meat course. For me, at home, I usually only want to make one thing, so I added imitation crab to the mix to have the pasta stand on its own as a main dish.

Imitation crab (also known as "krab") is a highly underrated ingredient, and is used in another one of my favorites, crab salad. This pasta also works fine with shrimp and would probably work with real crab, as well, though I haven't tried that myself. You could get away without the fresh herbs, but I think they are important for the color contrast and adding another flavor dimension. Chives are a great choice, as are Chinese chives, if you can get them. Since our Italian parsley plants are thriving, while our chives aren't (possibly due to being covered up by a huge squash plant), I used that this time. This recipe is designed to use a full box (1 lb.) of pasta, and makes enough for us to have dinner and then lunch the next day with the leftovers. This does require quite a large pan to make, but it's easily scaled down to use half a box, if desired.

Egg Drop Soup (木樨湯/蛋花湯)

Egg drop soup seems to be one of the few dishes that made it from actual Chinese food into American Chinese restaurant fare largely intact. This recipe is an adaptation of Joyce Chen's recipe from the Joyce Chen Cook Book. It is a very simple soup that can be thought of as a base to add other ingredients, if you so choose. The most common Chinese name I've found is danhuatang (蛋花湯), which means "egg flower soup." It's one of the many Chinese food names that describes the appearance of the food, since the egg strands are supposed to resemble flower petals. Joyce Chen uses the name muxitang (木樨湯). The word muxi refers to the sweet osmanthus, a plant with small yellow flowers which bear some resemblance to scrambled eggs. Definitely one of the more interesting translations we've had lately!

In her book, Joyce Chen precedes egg drop soup with a recipe for a classic Chinese-style chicken stock, which involves a whole chicken. Instead, I made mine with some thigh bones I saved from the chicken and mushroom sandwiches and wing tips I saved from noble consort chicken. I simmered these with some ginger and scallion for about 2 hours. This can be done well ahead of time, and as with shrimp stock, it can be frozen. As usual, I recommend not salting the stock. If working with salted stock, you'll need to cut back the salt in this recipe. As I did not add any wine to my stock, I added a bit more than Chen recommends in the final soup. 

We had some soup left over, which held up just fine after a few days in the refrigerator and reheated in a saucepan. I assume a microwave would also work, but ours finally died about two years after we discovered it in our basement when we bought the house. Soup is easy, but other leftovers have presented a bit of a challenge!

Daiquiri

It's been an enjoyable summer of learning to make classic cocktails, and the daiquiri has been my drink of the summer. Of everything I've made, it's the one I keep going back to. As cocktails go, it couldn't be simpler: rum, lime, and sugar. It's all about balancing these three ingredients into a tart, boozy, and refreshing drink. The recipe dates back to the Spanish-American War, but has roots much further back in history. It was a favorite of such figures as Ernest Hemingway and John F. Kennedy. Although the drink is traditionally served straight up in a cocktail glass, I prefer sipping it on the rocks, which is perfect for enjoying outdoors.

Rum is the central ingredient in the daiquiri. Of all base spirits, rum has the greatest variance in styles. I've recently enjoyed trying and learning about some of these styles, which vary according to distillation method (column or pot still, or a blend), aging, filtration, coloring, and place of origin. Being a Cuban drink, the classic rum for a daiquiri is a Spanish-style white rum. Since we can't get Cuban rum in the United States, a Puerto Rican or Central American rum is the closest. I used Flor de Caña Extra Seco from Nicaragua. 

That being said, any rum can make a delicious, if unorthodox, daiquiri. The idea of mixing rum with lime and sugar dates back to at least 1740, when "grog," a mixture of rum and water, was introduced in the Royal Navy. Admiral Vernon allowed sailors to purchase lime and sugar to mix into their grog ration. In the spirit of grog, a British-style rum from Jamaica or Guyana also makes for a great daiquiri. I like using a darker simple syrup made with demerara sugar to match the more robust flavors. Pusser's Royal Navy Rum (made in Guyana) is a nice choice, as it is supposedly made according to the Admiralty's recipe. 

Shrimp Toast (麵包蝦仁)

Today, I'm pleased to present another creation from the Joyce Chen Cook Book. Shrimp toast is a Cantonese dim sum item I've had a few times in restaurants, but never thought about making at home until now. Like most of Chen's recipes, it's quite simple, but satisfying, and uses ingredients easily found in American supermarkets. Everything in the recipe stores well, so it's another good "Corona Cuisine" option. The Chinese name mianbao xiaren translates to "bread shrimp meat." Once such a thing is possible again, I think these would be great party food to pass around with some cold beers.

The texture of the cooked shrimp mixture is best described as "springy." It's quite unique to and common in Chinese food. Western recipes for ground meat dishes, like hamburgers or meatballs, often warn against overmixing to maintain a loose texture. Chinese meatballs, on the other hand, are dense and springy. The bacon is a clever shortcut to incorporating some fat into the mixture, while also adding flavor. The minced water chestnuts are a great addition, as you get little pockets of crunchiness every now and then. My only real complaint about the dish is that the bread absorbed too much oil and got a little soggy on the bottom. This could be a combination of the very basic supermarket white bread I used and my decision to rest them on paper towels instead of a rack. As such, I'd recommend the latter.

I have basically reproduced Chen's recipe, but with more detailed instructions. She only says to grind the meat with no technique mentioned. The food processor got this done efficiently. Mincing very aggressively with a knife would probably work, as well. As usual, Chen adds some MSG here, which I don't have on hand. Also notable from the book is that there is a companion recipe for shrimp balls, which use the same shrimp mixture, but formed into balls and deep fried. I didn't try that, but it would provide a gluten-free option, if you're into that kind of thing.

The Breakfast Klub

The best part about making klub is eating the leftovers the next day. The soft, pillow-like dumplings firm up in the refrigerator, making them easy to slice. They can then be fried crispy, and are absolutely delicious. When I was a kid, we always looked forward to breakfast klub. Although we had them for lunch this time, they are equally great.

As part of my usual strategy of "using every part of the buffalo," I fried the klub slices in the rendered bacon fat I saved from the bacon cooked with the initial meal the day before. Any kind of fat, such as lard, bacon, or vegetable oil could be used. There's not much else to say other than to give this simple comfort food a try!

Klub

My grandmother, Irene Storey, was well-known in our family and her community for making a variety of Midwestern treats, including caramel rolls, buns, and lots of different cookies and bars. I've written about a few of her dishes before (red hotdish and party salad), but the most iconic one by far is klub. We only saw them a few times a year, when she visited, and they were always greatly anticipated. Klub is a Norwegian word, which we always pronounced something like "kroob." An article I found suggests this pronunciation is from a regional dialect of Norwegian. Klub are potato dumplings, and are cousins of the various Central European knödel including the famous matzo balls. Perhaps it's no wonder Ariel has quickly become a fan.

As with a lot of traditional foods, there is great variety in how people make klub. The basic formula involves potato, some kind of flour, and some kind of pork. Many recipes involve graham flour or incorporating the pork into the dumplings, such as with a small cube inside. My family's recipe is comparatively simple. The dumplings use only all-purpose flour, and the pork is served on the side. We always had side pork, which as I understand it is essentially unsmoked bacon. I used thick-cut bacon instead. I'm told the potatoes are traditionally processed through a meat grinder, but a food processor is much easier.

Research for this post involved diving into old community cookbooks, including the First Lutheran and Polaris cookbooks from Roseau, Minnesota. This particular recipe is adapted from the 50th Anniversary Polaris cookbook, credited only to "Janet Hetteen's Mom," who a quick Google revealed was Arlene Mekash of Roseau. Her recipe is very close to what I remember eating as a kid. I made a few changes to suit my own style. The original recipe calls for 4 cups of grated potato. I prefer to give this in pounds so that you don't have to guess how many potatoes makes a certain volume. 3 pounds made a little more than 4 cups. We ended up using quite a bit more flour than the original, but this should be done by feel. Once the dumplings can be formed, stop adding flour.

If I were to give one piece of advice when making klub, it is to make more than you intend to eat. The leftovers are even better, so stay tuned for a quick post on that tomorrow.

Guacamole

I love guacamole (who doesn't, really?), and we've made it occasionally over the years, mostly using Alton Brown's recipe. I had been mostly satisfied with that and grocery store offerings, but a video by Kenji Lopez-Alt recently put me onto using a mortar and pestle to make guacamole the traditional Mexican way. Kenji is a big proponent of the mortar and pestle, and explains that it can extract more flavor from the aromatics by crushing them. Ariel got me one for our anniversary, so guacamole was a natural first experiment. There was part of me that wondered how much of a difference it would make, but when I tasted this guacamole, I was blown away by how delicious it was. 

In preparation, I did some research on what should go into a guacamole. Rick Bayless has a good discussion of how he makes it in his restaurant. Douglas Cullen's article on Mexican Food Journal was also helpful. The traditional Mexican style is quite simple, with just onion, hot peppers (serranos seem to be the classic choice), cilantro, and lime being the common additions to the avocado. As far as I can tell, the other typical additions made their way into guacamole north of the border.

My version here is definitely not traditional, but it's still very tasty. I didn't have any cilantro or hot peppers, so I used parsley (from the garden) and garlic instead. This would also be a good route for people who don't like it as spicy or are averse to cilantro. I also added in some diced tomato, which is definitely optional. Tomato adds some texture and color contrast, but doesn't make or break the guacamole. We used the guacamole as an accompaniment to mahi-mahi tacos. 

Tzatziki

We've recently been eating gyros with some frequency. Decent quality frozen gyro meat can be found at both Sam's Club and Costco, and make for an easy dinner. We upgrade the meal with homemade pitas and tzatziki. Tzatziki is not hard to make, and works very nicely both as a topping for gyros and as a dip for chips or crackers. Although our garden failed to produce cucumbers this year, making tzatziki was a good way to use them up last summer. 

My tzatziki is based on one from Wanderlust Kitchen, but I've made a few adjustments. The main thing is that they recommend allowing the grated cucumber to drain overnight, which I find simply does not work. Instead, I recommend pressing the water out by hand. I happen to be out of white vinegar, but had plenty of fresh lemons for cocktails. This works completely fine. Basically, use whatever means available to get some acidity in there. Adding some chopped herbs at the end is nice, if they are available. I used spearmint from the garden this time. Mint and lamb are a classic combination, so this makes sense if using for gyro sandwiches. 

We made our gyro sandwiches with sliced white onion, tomato, and chopped romaine lettuce. For the pitas, we've been using Molly Yeh's recipe. We're still experimenting with how to perfect them and get them to puff up. In any case, they are a lot better than store bought once, which aren't the easiest thing to get around here.

Spicy Potatoes

Over time, I've blogged most of the dishes in regular rotation in our household, including such favorites as adobo chicken, roasted mushrooms, and grilled cutlets. Roasted potatoes have been a core part of my repertoire almost since I started cooking, which was reflected in a very early post. Several years ago, I started adding paprika to them. This version, which Ariel dubbed "spicy potatoes," quickly became a staple. I even made small jars of the spice mix (along with my rib rub) to give to guests at our wedding. 

For years, I've made these potatoes by mixing all the ingredients together and throwing them in the oven. If you're in a rush, that works perfectly fine. Recently, though, I've been experimenting with parboiling them first. This idea was inspired by Kenji's recipe, as well as a video by Adam Ragusea. Although this takes a lot longer, the result is a soft interior with a crispy crust. We usually serve them with a mix of Kewpie mayo and ketchup. Although we call them "spicy potatoes," they aren't actually spicy in the sense of heat, just that they use spices. Try a little cayenne pepper, or some sriracha mixed into the sauce, if you like.

Roasted potatoes are a versatile side dish with a great result-to-effort ratio. With the long shelf life of potatoes, they are also excellent pandemic cuisine. We enjoyed these as part of our anniversary dinner, along with steak au poivre. Steak frites is a classic for a reason, and these potatoes can easily substitute for fries while be much easier and less messy to make.

Upgrade: Pimm's and Lemonade

Today, Ariel and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary. Perhaps not the way we had originally envisioned, but it was special nonetheless. We started off our evening with glasses of Pimm's and Lemonade on the porch. It's a special drink for us as it was the "signature drink" at our wedding, and was a big hit with the guests. My Pimm's recipe back in 2012 was one of my earliest posts. I make it a little differently now, so this is a great time to do an upgrade.

First and foremost, I make the drink stronger now than I used to. Since Pimm's is only 50 proof, it's still quite a low alcohol drink. For comparison, the Tom Collins has almost twice the alcohol in it. I think it's important to make sure the flavor of the Pimm's cuts through the soda. Part of the fun of Pimm's is really going nuts with the garnishes. For this, I cut the cucumber an angle to get a big, wide piece. The sprig of spearmint from the garden completes the summery picture. What I've done here is a traditional Pimm's, but any fruit you want will work just fine.

When I was setting up the wedding plans with our bartenders, it was decided that doing all five garnishes for every glass would be too time consuming. What they ended up doing is infusing the Pimm's ahead of time with all five, and serving it out of a large dispenser, which was a very nice presentation sitting on the bar. Each glass just got the cucumber and orange. We ended up with a few bottles of the infused Pimm's. We did a taste test today, with one glass made with the infused Pimm's, and the other made with an unaltered bottle from the cabinet. They were almost indistinguishable, but non-infused one tasted a little cleaner. So, if you're just making this for yourself, there's no need to get fancy.

This post is also, entirely by accident, a big milestone for No Free Lunch: my 200th blog post! My interest in the project has definitely waxed and waned over the years, and my output has been particularly lean over the last few years. However, I'm pleased to say I've really rediscovered the fun of writing about food lately. A quarter of the 200 posts have come in the last year alone. While my pace will no doubt slow once classes start, I hope to continue posting regularly. It's been a great creative outlet during the pandemic, and one day I will look back at these posts as a real time capsule. 

Breaded Tenderloin Sandwich

Indiana was my home from 2011 to 2018, a period of time which not only birthed my career in academia, but also this blog and my interest in writing about food. Indiana is surrounded by places with famous local specialties, including Cincinnati (chili), Louisville (hot brown, mint julep), and Chicago (pizza, hot dogs, Italian beef, and more). Although it's not as well known in other parts of the country, most Hoosiers would probably tell you the breaded tenderloin sandwich is their state's most iconic food. Versions of this sandwich can be found at restaurants all across the state. There are subtle variations in how they are made, but if the pork cutlet doesn't hang well outside the bun, it's not a tenderloin. I've seen some as big as a few inches on each side. My personal favorite tenderloin was from our local spot in West Lafayette, Dog N Suds, located just around the corner from our old house. A side of cheese curds and root beer in a frosty mug completes the experience. 

The tenderloin has a lot in common with cutlet dishes from around the world, which regular readers know I love. The breading process uses the classic flour-egg-breadcrumb combination, but the breading is usually coarser and more heterogeneous than a Wiener schnitzel. I used crushed saltine crackers to achieve this, and I think it worked very well. Most diners cook the cutlets in a commercial deep fryer, but for the home version, shallow frying in a skillet gets the job done. The pork is meant to be the star of the show, and the supporting players are up to personal preference. The bun is a usually a basic hamburger bun. The classic toppings are ketchup, mustard, and pickles, but feel free to add others. We put in some lettuce and Kewpie mayonnaise. I had some cucumbers that were on their way out, so I made my own pickles loosely based on Kenji's recipe. 

This is a pretty simple recipe, but one that transports me back, much like the Duane Purvis All-American. Tenderloins do show up in Iowa, as well. The only place I've seen them in South Dakota (so far) is Tastee Treet in Yankton, which serves it with a piece of cheese. While that would never be done in Indiana, it's an interesting variation. It reminds me a bit of how Germans like to sauce their schnitzels, to the horror of Austrians, who only garnish theirs with a lemon slice. When it comes to such debates, if it tastes good to you, you did it right.