Baci di Dama cookies with homemade nutella

Baci-di-dama cookies with homemade nutella

It sometimes feels as if David Lebovitz is an integral part of our kitchen curriculum. These Baci di Dama cookies are via him except we substituted almond flour for hazelnut flour. Whatever you do, don’t substitute the rice flour out. They imparted a nutty flavor that held up against the vast amounts of butter, chocolate and nuts in this cookie.

I wish we still had the batch of hazelnuts a good friend got us from Oregon. But those hazelnuts had participated in making of homemade nutella based on yet another of David’s recipes. Instead of chocolate, we used the nutella as filling.

Even without the filling, the cookies are amazing. With the filling, the cookies are superlative. If you are facing a weekend where your choice is between home improvement and making cookies, go for these please and  I promise you that you will gain an year of life.

Ginger-y banana bread

I think I am one of those who buy bananas hoping that no one would eat them so I could make banana bread later. My go to recipes for banana bread these days is David Lebovitz’s site. He seems to have a tropical appreciation for this particular fruit. This time, starting with David Lebovitz’s recipe, I made following modifications:

• Whole wheat flour
• Yogurt instead of sour cream
• Ginger syrup instead of sugar from “the ginger people” brand
• Guittard’s white chocolate chips
• Crushed kernels of allspice instead of cinnamon

Needed to be baked for 60 minutes but the result is again a super moist banana bread with overtones of ginger and allspice. Next time, I have to try the upside down banana cake.

Home made kale chips

Clean and dry two cups of kale leaves, cut into large bite size pieces. Place in a bowl and add 1 tsp of olive oil. Use your hands to evenly coat all leaves. Sprinkle salt and ground flower pepper (sichuan pepper). Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment and cook until dry in a 200F oven. A 350F oven will dry in 15 minutes or so. Higher temperature causes the leaves to brown but doesn’t seem to effect the taste. Crowding will cause uneven drying. In my oven, I have to turn the leaves every 10 minutes or so.

Enjoy! At least try. Imagine a marching band of kale superfood molecules going through your blood vessels and sucking up the cholesterol buildup in their wake. I like kale chips. Perhaps not as much as I like potato chips but when the local market is flooded with kale, it is hard to say no. And chips are better that sautéed greens, at least some of the times.

Nettles and eggs

Following recipe serves two. Start with 2 packed cups of greens. In principle you can use a variety of greens including spinach or arugula but I chose nettles because that is what I had at hand. Wash and spin dry.

In your favorite omelet pan on which eggs don’t stick, add 1Tbsp butter and nettles. Sprinkle a pinch of salt. Cook until barely wilted. Break open four eggs, gently.

In a separate saucepan, clarify 1Tbsp butter and fry a pinch of ground spices (seeds of one green cardamom, 4 whole black pepper kernels, 2 allspice kernels). Add this to the cooked eggs and serve.

Redd, memories from an year ago

Oysters with champagne mignonette. Oysters now always remind me of this disturbingly sexy scene in Tampopo where the gangster eats a raw Oyster off a young girl’s hand.

Steamed pork buns with crackly sweet barbecued pork. Aroma of five spices and pork fat, a complete antithesis to the previous dish.

Little piggy is BBQed, steamed and served

This steamed bun is from my local farmer’s market is Mountain View, a little of shop goodies, that serves frozen dumplings and fresh steamed buns. To eat a bun, pop in the microwave for 1 minute and enjoy. A dash of sriracha on the side is neither authentic nor incongruous.

Recently back from a delicious trip to Paris, I am enjoying the bounty of my local farmer’s market more than ever. Food locally is cheaper and far tastier. Heirloom varieties keep increasing every year. And then there is Scream.

Rice with scallion sauce and stir fried tofu

Bamboo rice, fried tofu and scallion sauce

Sometimes you don’t want a fussy meal. This is a simple combination of rice and tofu with tons of flavor. It is easy to put together and nutritionally enhanced by adding some edamame pods on the side. This is great both hot and at room temperature.

Make ahead infused oil:

• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 Tbsp sesame seed oil
• 1/4 cup szechwan peppercorn

Simmer the peppercorn gently for 20 minutes. Cool and strain. The oil can be stored for up to 6 month is refrigerator. Crush the peppers, add to equal amounts of  your favorite salt and store in a tight jar. I use the peppercorn-salt mixture on edamame pods and salads. This infused oil is inspired by Barbara Tropp’s five flavor oil in China Moon Cookbook.