radish rose

thai-style curry mussels :: by radish*rose

thai-style curry coconut mussels with lime and spinach

radish*rose 2 Comments

Love Thai food?  Me too!  The combination of curry, coconut, and lime used in many Southeast Asian dishes is so addictive.  Thanks to Thai curry paste, which is readily available (I got mine from Whole Foods), you can recreate the flavors at home without too much fuss.  And one of the wonderful things about steaming mussels is that a delicious broth is created once the mussels open up and add their juices to the broth base. I like to serve this dish with jasmine rice because once you have finished the mussels, you can stir rice into the broth (which also has greens in it), and eat it like a soup.  And you’ll want to.  It’s so good! Continue reading

tuna steaks with sesame ginger dipping sauce :: by radish*rose

grilled tuna steaks with sesame ginger dipping sauce

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Since we are urban apartment-dwellers, grilling = broiling for us. It’s like an upside down grill! Or at least ours is, because the heat source (flame) points down from the top of the oven – not everyone’s broiler is the same. Check yours out.

We made this on a cast-iron, enameled grill pan (like this) to get a nice sear and the grill marks on it (which serve a purpose – searing protein creates a Maillard reaction which intensifies umami, also known as savoriness). It helps a lot if you heat your grill pan up under the broiler, place your food on it (it will sizzle!) then put it back in the broiler. Nice! These tuna steaks are a hearty treat. We probably could have made them a little less well-done, which we will try next time. The dipping sauce is pretty intense, especially if you add wasabi – you gotta try it. Wasabi nose, whee!!  (That feeling you get when the wasabi heat goes up in your nose! Ever notice how chile heat affects your mouth and lips but wasabi heat affects your nose? Know why? Me neither!) Continue reading

scallops with tomatoes and tamari baked in a packet :: by radish*rose

spicy saucy scallops with tomatoes and tamari, baked in a packet

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Scallops are cute round delicious seafood. Need I say more? Well OK. Here is a scallop primer for total beginners (because I was one, too). There are lots of places giving detailed tips on purchasing scallops, so definitely Google it for more deets, but here are my quick tips.

Get DRY scallops.  This means they are not soaked in brine or water, which is a cheapo way of keeping them preserved, AND increases their weight so you pay more for less. Disapprove.

There are SEA scallops and BAY scallops.  Bay scallops are freshwater, sea scallops are seawater, so sea scallops are naturally saltier. Keep this in mind when seasoning your food.

Get the big ones (size of a poker chip or larger), not the tiny ones (size of a pencil eraser). They are different types, and my research said the tiny ones can be rubbery. It seems most recipes are for the big ones anyway.

Rinse them well. They can be gritty. And obviously like any seafood, make them right away once you buy them!

Got it? Let’s go! Continue reading

moroccan-spiced chickpeas and spaghetti squash :: by radish*rose

moroccan-spiced chickpeas and spaghetti squash

radish*rose 2 Comments

If I’m ever stumped on what to do with a mysterious vegetable, there are a few places I turn for inspiration, and Smitten Kitchen is one of them. I am such a fangirl! I was looking for a spaghetti squash recipe that didn’t pretend the squash was something else, like actual spaghetti, since Mom sprang that one on me as a kid and I haven’t been the same since (sorry, Mom!).  My beloved SK delivered a lovely recipe and here is my spin on Smitten Kitchen’s Moroccan-Spiced Spaghetti Squash.  She suggests adding chickpeas if you want to bulk it up, so I did, since more veg-based protein is this girl’s best friend, and who doesn’t love a chickpea?  We devour this with a few other veg-based dishes for a highly satisfactory dinner. Continue reading