Ginger Tofu

Yummy yummy. The sweet pickled ginger brightens the entire dish and pairs beautifully with the celery. Plus it looks so pretty, does it not?



First, press the tofu between folded tea towels and a heavy weight to press water from the tofu. After 40 minutes, begin cooking your short brown rice. While the rice is cooking, slice the onions into half moons. Heat a saute pan and once warm, add oil and begin cooking the onions. Once translucent, add batons of celery (preferably peeled). Add salt, pepper, and mint flakes. Slice a wild assortment of mushrooms and add to pan. Cook mixture until mushrooms are firm, not mushy. Deglaze the pan if necessary with just an ounce or so of pickled ginger juice into pan. Add rice wine vinegar, black sesame seeds, freshly grated ginger and minced garlic. Set aside and heat more oil in the pan, add tofu and sear all sides until nicely browned. Add more fresh ginger and garlic, then chives and parsley. By this time, your rice should be done or nearly finished. Last but not least, plate the dish [perhaps like the picture shown here] and EAT EAt eat !

3 T. Canola Oil
1/4 onion
3 stalks celery cut into batons
6 cups fresh, wild mushrooms
1 T. Black Sesame seeds
1 1/2 tsp. mint flakes
few pinches of salt, to taste
pepper to taste
3 T. ginger fresh
2 large cloves garlic
1/8 c. rice vinegar
1 1/3 c. short brown rice
14 oz. extra firm tofu
2 T. fresh chives
2 T. fresh parsley
1-3 ounces pickled ginger juice
pickled ginger to taste

The Art of Sausages

Well, it's not my first time making sausages, but it mind as well. Literally, it's been nearly 6 years since I made sausage. One would think it to be hard, but in fact, it's quite the opposite. The only thing keeping me from making my own from scratch was the time and commitment it takes to prepare them from beginning to end. But after this batch, I know time will no longer stop me.

First and foremost, make sure you have all the necessary equipment, including the sausage stuffer attachment :)
Here's what you'll need:

meat, roughly chopped in 1" (25mm) cubes or smaller
spices [I did two blends, one a classic Italian blend of oregano, toasted fennel and red pepper flakes, and the second with lemon pepper, thyme, pepper, and other mediterranean herbs----I forget]
casings
water
grinder, parts, plus attachments (keep in freezer until ready for assembly)
stand mixer (if necessary)
bowls
scissors
cutting board
knife
camera [optional, don't you want documentation?]

Once you have all your materials and you're ready to start, prepare your meat by evenly incorporating the spices. Put in the freezer so that it nears the point of freezing. This will yield best results and is easier to work. Select your grind (the plate) and assemble the grinder accordingly to the manufacturers instructions. When choosing your plate, it's best to use a coarse size with tender cuts, medium with tough and fine with sinewy cuts of meat.
Before you begin, make sure the threaded retaining ring is snug (not too tight). Now, you're ready. Carefully place the meat inside the grinder using the pushing stick to force and guide the meat through the hopper. And there you have it, freshly ground meat. As you continue, you may encounter a few problems where the sinews wrap around the knife (blade) causing a stoppage. If this occurs, unplug the machine and carefully disassemble. While fixing the grinder, remember to place your meat in the freezer. The cause is usually because of a loose ring or the meat not being cold enough.



Once you are finished grinding, take a small amount of the meat mixture and form into a small patty. Cook thoroughly and taste for texture, spice, and overall taste. Adjust the mixture as you see fit. You may even have to put it through the grinder one more time if the texture wasn't to your liking. Let's say the texture was too tough, then you should put it through once more with a smaller plate/holes.



Alright, you're done mixing the meat. Put in the refrigerator until you've assembled the funnel end for sausage stuffing. It was at this point that I realized I didn't have this attachment and was therefore prohibited from moving any further. I spent the rest of the night making phone calls to all the local kitchen and hardware stores. After two hours of phone calls and being put on hold, I managed to find one. It turns out that sausage stuffing attachments are hard to come by. Most order them on-line. The following day, I had Gil pick up the funnel. We picked up where we left off and went back to work. We were finally able to assemble it properly with all the attachments.

Side note: The casings are sold in concentrated brines of salt water, so I recommend several rinses before using them.



Slide your casings onto the funnel and tie a knot at the very end. WIth your scissors, or a knife, create a hole for air to escape. Turn on the machine (be sure the machine is assembled properly) and place your meat in the hopper. With the other hand, guide the sausage along. When the length is to your liking, twist off right to left (always in the same direction). Continue this process until you've no more meat to stuff. Tie off the end, and there you have it. SAUSAGE!!!

Wasn't hard, right? Just time consuming, but worth it most definitely. Allow to rest in the refrigerator and prepare for a feast centered around your beautiful creation.

Where does the time go?

Hi all,

I'm back..........Lately I have been so crazily busy, and now that I'm done applying to Dietetic Internships, I have more time on my hands. Back to cooking, photographing, blogging and the like, right? Of course! Also, I would like to mention that I taught myself how to knit. Merima was there to guide me a bit, but I can finally knit myself a simple cowl. I'm oh so thrilled!

Today after work, I biked home through the 22 mph winds with 40 mph gusts. It was wretched I tell you. Upon arrival, my hunger became apparent. Instantly I knew what I would prepare for my dinner. Lamb skewers with quinoa and a side carrot salad [cashew yogurt dressing].

I first mixed the lamb skewers:
black cumin
sambar
salt
pepper
dried mint
fresh parsley
minced onion
cumin
bread crumbs
egg
lamb
mustard

After, I let the meat rest and shaped them into balls [refrigerate]. In the mean time, I thawed lamb stock for the quinoa. When preparing grains, I find it more flavorful to use various stocks to give greater depth to the food. Once thawed, I started cooking the quinoa and began preparing the carrot salad.

To save time, I used my food processor to shred the carrots. FIrst, heat the pan and temper the oil with mustard seeds, curry leaves if you have them, and dried chilies. When the mustard seeds begin to pop, add the carrots and saute. Mix in curry powder, cumin, and tumeric. After a few minutes, add a small amount of yogurt and keep at a simmer. Be careful not to heat too much or the yogurt will curdle giving an unpleasant texture and appearance.

In a frying pan, cook your lamb so that each ball has a nice brown coating. [Finish in the oven if necessary.] Lastly, swirl cashew butter into plain yogurt. I prefer to have a ratio of 1 cup yogurt to 3 tablespoons cashew butter. Add salt and herbs of your liking.

Try it at home, and let me know what you think.