First time dining at Michael Mina. Only 2/3 of what my Chef Ron Siegel sent out…such an awesome meal! So grateful! #mentor (at michael mina)

I’m so proud of myself! Weeks of practice for one perfect loaf! It’s beautiful! #selftaughtbaker #food #foodporn #tartine #wildyeast (at Soup Mama Mel’s Kitchen)

Whole-wheat kalamata olive country loaf with herbs de Provence (that I bought while in France). I’ve been studying Tartine’s bread book for a month now and the results keep getting better! I cultivated a wild yeast starter to create the leaven in the bread (no commercial yeast used!) which also mimics the sour notes notoriously found in a San Francisco sourdough! (at Soup Mama Mel’s Kitchen)

Fifth crow farm always has beautiful produce. (at inner sunset farmers market)

Tri-colored Quinoa Salad with Seasonal Vegetables

At the time, I made this quinoa salad in the summer season when heirloom tomatoes, squashes, and basil were flooding the farmer’s markets.  I keep to the basic technique but switch the vegetables as the seasons change, so for the winter months try roasting butternut squash or adding various kales. This recipe is perfect for potlucks, picnics, or for a veggie packed lunch at home!  AND IT’S VEGAN AND GLUTEN-FREE!!

BASIC TECHNIQUE:

Any amount of…

• QUINOA or other GRAIN (I buy Trader Joe’s tri-colored quinoa. You can use any color of quinoa. Make according to package, a little goes a long way so make about 1 cup of raw quinoa.  Add it to boiling water and cook until tender, about 10 mins, strain out as much liquid as possible, then run under cold water to cool and keep refrigerated until ready to mix.  Alternate grains: farro, wild rice, barley)
• COOKED VEGETABLES (i like sauteed kale, roasted beets, roast zucchini, sauteed mushrooms, blanched peas.  After cooking, let them cool in refrigerator.)
• RAW VEGETABLES (celery, cucumbers, canned garbanzo or kidney beans, tomatoes, red onions, fresh corn kernels)
• FRESH HERBS (chopped parsley, cilantro, dill, basil, mint, tarragon, or all of the above)
• ACID(lemon/lime juice or sherry/champagne vinegar)
• HIGH QUALITY EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL (be creative and try nut oils or citrus oils)
• SALT AND PEPPER (try spices such as cumin or curry powder)
• LEAFY GREENS (a few handfuls of wild arugula or chopped raw kale won’t hurt!)
• NUTS (optional: slivered almonds, crushed hazelnuts)

METHOD: All hot ingredients, cook and let it cool before mixing with cold ingredients.  Then season generously with salt, pepper, olive oil, and acid.  MIX TOGETHER!  The key is to make sure it is seasoned well.  It should have a nice balance of acid as well as salt since quinoa is very bland on it’s own.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

The picture above contains:

• Kale, zucchini, chopped garlic all sauteed then cooled before adding to salad
• Raw celery, drained/rinsed kidney and garbanzo beans, cherry tomatoes
• Fresh chopped parsley, cilantro, mint, and basil
• 2 limes and 1 lemon, juiced (all to taste)
• A generous amount of extra virgin olive oil, lemon oil, and sherry vinegar
• A generous amount of kosher salt
• Black pepper

Toasted banana bread at my favorite brunch spot (at Universal Cafe)

Roasted market beets, wild arugula, pear, toasted hazelnuts, aged balsamic

Red Wine Beef Stew with Buttermilk Cornbread

I’ve had several requests for my beef stew recipe this weekend.  It made for a perfect holiday braise in our new slow-cooker.  Glad you all enjoyed it!

RED WINE BEEF STEW

(makes 1 large crock pot: approx. 20 ppl)

3 lbs. Beef Chuck Roast (large dice) **

1 onion (small dice)

3 stalks of celery (small dice)

4 garlic cloves (chopped)

3 parsnips (large dice)

3 carrots (large dice)

1 lbs potatoes (fingerling or small white potatoes, halved or diced)

1 large can of tomatoes (diced, unsalted)

1 small can tomato paste

1 can of beef broth (unsalted)

thyme sprigs

1 Cup of red wine (merlot or cabernet)

Slowcooker method:

• Season beef generously with kosher salt and pepper.  On high heat in a LARGE PAN or cast iron, brown the diced meat on all sides (5 minutes).  Transfer seared meat into slowcooker.  In the same pan, add onions, garlic, celery and saute on high heat until soft, about 2 minutes.  Add tomato paste and saute for another 2 minutes.  Deglaze with red wine and reduce until pasty.  Reduce liquid by half on high heat.  Transfer everything into a slow cooker.  Add canned tomatoes, beef broth, thyme springs, potatoes, carrots, parsnips.  Set on high for 6-8 hours with the lid on until meat is fork tender.

Stovetop method:

• Season beef generously with kosher salt and pepper.  On high heat in a LARGE POT, brown the diced meat on all sides (5 minutes).  Add onions, garlic, celery and saute on high heat until soft, about 2 minutes.  Add tomato paste and saute for another 2 minutes.  Deglaze with red wine until pasty.  Add canned tomatoes, beef broth, thyme springs, potatoes, carrots, parsnips.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for 2-4 hours with the lid on until meat is fork tender.

Serves well over bread, steamed rice, or cornbread.

** I prefer to buy my meats whole and butcher them myself.  You can do this yourself with this particular cut of meat.  I bought my chuck roast from whole foods.  Chuck is the shoulder blade of the cow and is very tough, full of fat and connective tissues which is great for stews and braises.  You can also look towards purchasing top round.  I try not to purchase “stew meat” since it’s already diced up by the butchers and there is less control over which part of the animal the meat has come from.  This recipe is a great way to learn the standard techniques to braising.  You can play around with switching out types of meat (chicken, pork, lamb), different wines (white vs. red), and different herbs/vegetables to make a different type of stew! ENJOY!

Local butcher (at Hong Kong)

Chinese BBQ (at Hong Kong)

I brew beer 🍻 European amber ale with orange peel and fenugreek. (at Mel’s kitchen)

Stewin’ things.

Fried egg, homemade sourdough, applewood bacon, thyme, maldon sea salt

I make pasta: San marzano tomatoes, basil, garlic, olive oil (at Mel’s kitchen)

Recipe:

Blanch and peel skin from heirloom tomatoes during peak of summer (or canned san marzano).  Remove seeds.  Dice tomatoes.  Sweat chopped onions and garlic until soft.  Add diced tomatoes and stew on medium-low.  Stir with a rubber spatula to prevent burning.  Stew down until the liquid and flavor of tomatoes concentrate and it becomes a jam-like consistency.  Meanwhile, cook your pasta to 80% doneness.  Then add pasta to tomato sauce and a splash of pasta water to continue cooking the pasta on high heat.  As the pasta cooks, it will absorb the tomato sauce.  Add a pinch of salt, pepper, and chili flakes.  When the pasta is just about done, add torn basil leaves, good quality olive oil, and cook until the sauce “sticks” to the pasta.

The butcher is in #7am (at luce)

Katana-ya: union square. Not the best ramen but does the trick for a Wednesday morning. Deep fried chicken ramen w/miso soup, kimchi ramen w/soy soup.

Home-made. Home-grown. By my favorite chef! Heirloom tomatoes, burrata, basil, balsamic, olive oil. Grilled pork chops w/rosemary rub. Beautiful purple thyme flowers.

Ritz Family Meal: Yea Chinese girl knows how to make German food! Grilled In-house sausage braised in local anchor steam beer, herbed spaetzle, bacon potato salad, cornichons, whole ground mustards. Sleepy time!

Hawker Fare: Oakland, SF. “Kao Mun Gai” chicken rice bowl with mung bean sauce, cucumbers, farm egg. Blistered green beans w/bacon, dried shrimp. Chef James Syhabout of Commis’s newest restaurant, south east asian inspired rice bowls under $10. Flavorful authentic food, solid technique.

Farmer’s market BLT: Niman ranch dry-cured bacon, basil aioli, grilled ciabatta, heirloom tomatoes, little gems