I enjoy these challenges, they force me to stretch my culinary comfort zone and I hope it does the same for you. Ultimately, I want to inspire to try new and different things, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Stop and smell the spices and cook a little. OK, I’m done with the clichés, promise.
Last month we got to play with edible flowers, it freaked me out and I loved it! The Kitchen Masochist was chosen as the Top Chef for last month so that means she picks the ingredients for this month’s challenge. I know. I know. The schedule is off. It’s not my fault, life got in the way, but it will be OK. There will be more complications to my schedule this month, soooo, I’m trying to work around it.
For this round the challenge will be open from April 20th to May 21st. If you’re a foodie, submit your recipe by midnight on Friday, May 21st. Remember you must incorporate all 3 ingredients in your recipe. If you’re a reader, you can cast your vote beginning May 22nd.
Here are the ingredients selected by The Kitchen Masochist and some tips when choosing them:
Tofu – firm or soft ( also known as ‘silken tofu’)
Seafood of your choice – fish, shrimp, mussels or clams
Lemongrass
Tips from the Masochist:
-buy your tofu from your local Asian markets instead of those fancy or trendy health food stores like Whole Foods. You’ll pay much less.
-Soft or silken tofu is generally used in desserts and firm tofu in savory dishes.
-The scent of fresh lemongrass dissipates the longer its exposed to air, so chop your lemongrass just right when you’re about to use it.
Don’t be shy, send your recipes this way.
Anamaris
March came and went, but not before it brought us another cooking challenge and a new featured blogger. The challenge was to create a dish using edible flowers, shallots and a meat (lamb, pork, beef). After much deliberation by my readers’, that means you, Kitchen Masochist’s dish reigned supreme and was selected as the favorite.
That means this post is all about her. In order to have an opportunity to get to know her a little better, I asked her a few questions to help us all have a full picture of the goodness that happens in her little corner of the Philippines. And now, here’s the in-depth interview by Anamaris TheNoseyOne:
We all want to know, why did you call your blog Kitchen Masochist?
I was raised by a mother who loved to cook. She was raised the old way in that everything was made from scratch. My mom hated all the instant stuff, TV dinners, Campbell soup cans. She made everything from scratch, from gravy to spring roll and wonton wrappers, mac and cheese, etc. The only things she didn’t make from scratch were noodles, pasta, tomato and oyster sauce. My siblings and I still don’t know what any of those TV dinners or Campbell soup cans taste like to this day.
When I moved out and went off to college, I soon learned how fussy I was when it came to food and couldn’t eat any of the instant stuff so common to college students. They just tasted really foul to me, since I was accustomed to well-prepared, good quality food. I make most of the stuff I cook from scratch and use very few instant, commercially prepared ingredients, just like my mom did. Hence, the name, The Kitchen Masochist, because making everything from scratch is pretty masochist, if you ask me.
You’ve lived in so many wonderful places, how have each of them influenced your cooking style?
I spent the first 12 years of my life in the Middle East, Iran and Kuwait, specifically. I use a lot of herbs and spices, chicken, beef, and fish and grains in my cooking. Since both of these countries are Muslim countries, pork meat is not available, as it’s forbidden for Muslims to eat it. I didn’t start eating pork until we moved back to California. I try to make myself use pork more often, but it rarely makes a blip in my culinary radar since it was just not available during my formative years.Since I’m now living here in Southeast Asia, I use a lot of chilies, tofu and aromatic Asian herbs such as lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, laksa and pandan leaves, etc.
If you were stranded in a deserted island and could only do one thing, what would it be?
That’s easy, I’d draw or paint. I have always loved to draw. With drawing, you don’t need any fancy materials. You can use burnt wood and draw on leaves or rocks, just like the early cavemen did.
What is the greatest cooking challenge you face in the Philippines?
The greatest challenge would be finding the ingredients when I’m craving stuff from home such as Mexican or Tex-Mex food. Those Mexican or Southwestern chilies like chipotle or ancho chilies are simply not available here, so it’s pointless trying to recreate these dishes. Cooking Western food is quite challenging here. Ingredients are either unavailable or very expensive if they are available.
Why do you blog?
I started my blog on Thanksgiving Day of 2009 and realized that I’ve now been living as an expat in the Philippines for 9 years. I couldn’t help but think about how frustrating it was that I couldn’t cook the foods I grew up with, or was accustomed to because I didn’t know where to get the ingredients during my early days.
As exciting and interesting as it is to try different kinds of ‘exotic’ dishes, you always go back ‘home’ to mac and cheese or whatever is considered comfort food in your culture. I figured I’d help out new expats here in the Philippines and point them in the right direction by giving them tips on where to shop and what substitutions to use.
When you’re in a totally new and unfamiliar environment, the most familiar things in your life would be your family and the food you prepare. When you’re a new expat, the only control you have is how you run your home which includes the food you prepare.
What exciting things will we see in your blog in the coming months?
For this month, I’ll be featuring a series I call Culinary Cosmetic Surgery where I take a traditional dish and give it a new appearance. The ingredients won’t be changed, just the shape and presentation.
It’s your turn to be the boss, which 3 ingredients will you pick for the next challenge?
Tofu – firm or soft ( also known as ‘silken tofu’)
Seafood of your choice – fish, shrimp, mussels or clams
Lemongrass
Shopping tips:
-Buy your tofu from your local Asian markets instead of those fancy or trendy health food stores like Whole Foods. You’ll pay much less.
-Soft or silken tofu is generally used in desserts and firm tofu in savory dishes.
-The scent of fresh lemongrass dissipates the longer its exposed to air, so chop your lemongrass just right when you’re about to use it.
Thanks for sharing, KM! Please be sure to stop by The Masochist’s blog, I promise you will enjoy her approach to cooking. As for the next challenge, since I had scheduling complications, I will need to reconfigure the dates, I will keep you posted with the details.
Cookingly yours,
Anamaris
it’s happened again. I’m on Foodbuzz’ front page. I’m a Top 9er again!!! All that sweating and freaking out over edible flowers paid off. Not that the mere enjoyment derived from every bite wasn’t enough. or that your kind words and encouragement doesn’t send me on a swoon fest. But you kinda like me, I’m still perplexed as to why, but I ain’t complaining.
But to be on the top of close to 2,000 submissions daily… That’s not nothing.
Anyway, if you need proof, check it out. You can also click on the picture and buzz me around.
Thanks for your support!
UPDATE:
Instead of sending you to another post, I’m going to include the poll here so you can tell us which of these dishes strikes your fancy. Take a moment to acquaint yourself with the fantastic bloggers that submitted recipes this month. Believe me when i say you won’t be disappointed.
Then think about the 3 recipes, how original they were, would you like to try it? Would you attempt it? Then record your vote for your choice. We’re dying to hear from you. You can read the full post after the jump.
[polldaddy poll=2938726]
Aaah, Spring. It’s beginning to peek around here. The grass is greening, trees have bloomed, allergies have overtaken my body. Yesterday was supposed to be the first da of Spring, but in Houston temperatures dipped into the 30s overnight. Old Man Winter refuses to go quietly; good for him.
Anyway, as last month’s winner of the challenge, Casey chose our ingredients: edible flowers, shallots and a choice of beef, pork or lamb. From reading the posts from those who participated, this was indeed a challenging challenge. Heh. All 3 of us seem to have experienced some palpitations over it, then managed to pull out the stops. I’m really excited about all these dishes, hope you are too.
This was Jenn‘s first time making the challenge, and her dish looks amazing. She made nasturtiums into pesto and infused a sauce with shallots and a mix of edible flowers. YUM! Check out her recipe here.
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Have you ever heard of corkwood flowers? Well, if you were in the Philippines you would. That’s where the Kitchen Masochist lives and where she got the idea for her recipe. She seared beef and served it with a reduction from the flowers and Asian shallots. Gimme gimme! For the recipe, go here.
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Me? I had a meltdown, or close to it. Couldn’t find the flowers, not sure if it has to do with the fact that Spring isn’t quite here, or just Houston limitations. Anyway, I got these yellow ones (I still don’t know what they are, if you do, holla!) I used them as garnish because I didn’t find a discernible taste. I opted for dried lavender and crusted some lamb with it. You can see my recipe here.
I had a great time with these ingredients, living outside the box is cool even when its uncomfy. I hope this will inspire you to try something new too.
Cookingly yours,
Anamaris
Casey, Casey, Casey. I have to say thanks, even if begrudgingly. Edible flowers…, WTH!!! I don’t think I’ve ever eaten any or had any on something I’ve eaten. I mean fresh edible flowers specifically. Nev.Ah. So when you threw those in as one of the ingredients for this month’s Top Chef It Yourself Challenge, you threw me for a huge loop. And that’s exactly what this challenge is about. Stretching comfort zones, thinking outside the boxes. Exploring. Testing. Challenging. So really. THANKS. Gracias, Merci, Grazie, Danka and all other languages I don’t know.
I tried, really I did. I Googled, Yellow Paged, emailed, did all the researching things one does in order to find something. Finally, a contact mentioned they had edible flowers through their organic market association thing and they could get me some. So I got them…, they weren’t labeled. I still don’t know what they are. They didn’t taste like anything *insert VERY pregnant pause here* even remotely special. They just tasted sorta *pause* green.
In the end I feel I copped out a bit, I went with dried lavender. In my defense, I’ve never cooked with it, unless you count Herbs d’Provence. The other ingredients were shallots and our choice of beef, pork or lamb. Since I’m trying to challenge myself, I opted for lamb. I had only cooked it twice and both times I cooked chops. To recap: lavender, shallots and leg of lamb–those were my ingredients.
I had a very clear idea in my head. I once saw Gordon Ramsay prepare lamb chops that he crusted in a parsley-breadcrumb mix. They were beautiful. The green was bright and vibrant. And that’s what I envisioned, except I was hoping for purple. I didn’t quite get that effect. Not sure if it was because my newly purchased food processor didn’t grab the lavender buds or if it’s just because the lavender was dry and thus didn’t spread its lovely hue. No matter. The result was out of this world deliciousness.
Lavender tastes slightly sweet, not minty but slightly so. Maybe like very mild rosemary? There’s a certain smokiness to it. It paired incredibly well with the lamb’s gamey taste, almost spotlighting it. It was divine. I crusted the lamb with lavender and breadcrumbs and served it with a turnip & potato mash with fried shallots and brown butter sauce. That’s a mouthful, and it was oh so good. Here’s the scoop.
Lavender Crusted Leg of Lamb
Serves 4
1 leg of lamb, deboned (approx 2lbs)
2 tsp garlic, crushed (about 2 cloves)
2 tsp sea salt (I used my Mediterranean salt)
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1-1/2 tbsp lavender buds
1 tbsp thyme, fresh
1-1/2 cp panko crumbs
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Mix the garlic, salt, pepper and 2 tsp oil and rub it on the lamb to marinate. Truss the lamb, this will help cook it evenly. Set it aside for now, this is a good time to prep the turnips or whatever side you plan on serving with this. Combine the lavender, thyme, panko and the rest of the oil, set aside.
Heat an ovenproof skillet over high heat and swirl a few drops of olive oil. Sear the lamb on all sides, cooking for about 2-3 minutes per side. Preheat oven to 375°.
Cover the leg with the panko mixture on all sides, pressing it onto the leg of lamb. Put it back on the skillet and pop it in the oven to roast for about 40 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 170°. Once it reaches this temperature (for rare lamb), remove it from the oven and allow it sit for at least 15 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute.
Now let’s talk about the turnips. I’ve only had them twice before this time, I noticed they seem to retain a lot of water. Since I wanted to mash them, I wanted to make sure there was some creaminess, that’s why I added the potatoes. The other thing I did was steam instead of boil them, that kept them nice and dry.
Turnip Potato Mash with Fried Shallots & Brown Butter Sauce
2 cps turnips, peeled & chopped
2 small potatoes, peeled & chopped
Sea salt
3 tbsp butter
I have one of these little steam baskets, I put it at the bottom of a medium sized pan and added enough water to create some steam. The water shouldn’t come through the basket. Combine the turnips and potatoes, add about 1-2 tsps of sea salt and place them on the basket. Cover with the pan’s lid and cook at a medium boil for about 20 minutes or until fork tender.
Once the potatoes and turnips are tender, drain the water and return the turnips to that saucepan (without the basket). Add the butter and mash roughly. Adjust seasoning as desired, set aside and keep warm.
For the Brown Butter Sauce: In a small pan melt 3 tbsp butter over medium low heat.
Continue heating the butter until it begins to change color to a deep golden brown. At this point add 1/4 cp of sherry and flame it to burn off the alcohol. Keep warm.
For the Fried Shallots: Thinly slice 2 shallots. Heat about 2 tbsp of oil on medium high heat. Add the shallots trying to keep them in a single layer. You’ll want to keep your eye on this, as the shallots with brown fairly quickly. Once browned, drain on paper towels.
Bring it all together. To plate it, place a couple medallions of the lamb on a plate. Spoon some of the mash next to it and top the mash with a couple tablespoons of the butter sauce. Top the sauce with the fried shallots. Eat it! Add the shallots last so they’re still crisp when you eat them.
Doesn’t that look just AWESOME?!
Cookingly yours,
Anamaris
Another month, another cooking challenge completed. This was the second round and we had some great dishes, but you, the voter has spoken and the hat’s go off to Casey’s Date and Ginger Couscous Pudding.
Last month we got to know a bit about what got her cooking, so this month I was curious about what’s in the future for her and her blog. Here’s what she’s cooking up:
“The next three months should be quite exciting as Spring is right around the corner. I hope to have some great posts coming up about getting my garden going, plus I am hoping to learn some traditional Bulgarian cheese-making techniques, which I hope to share with my readers.
In honor of St. Patrick’s day, I will be curing my own beef for corned beef and cabbage, plus Irish soda bread and maybe some Irish whiskey cupcakes. The international women’s club that I am a member of will be hosting some French cooking demo’s so I am excited to write about learning some new things.
In April, I will be in be back in the United States, so I hope to be able to sample some great food and find new and interesting stuff to smuggle back in my suitcases!”
That certainly sounds exciting. And to keep our little challenge interesting, I asked Casey to choose the next three ingredients:
Meat (beef, pork or lamb)
Edible Flowers (whatever is available locally)
Shallots
I’ve never eaten my flowers…, this should be interesting. Who’s ready for a new challenge? Here’s a little reminder of how things work:
All recipes must be submitted by the 20th of the month
One recipe will be randomly selected as the TCIY Recipe of the Month
Winning recipe will be announced on the 25th of the month on this blog
So, Top Chef It Yourself Challenge Round 2 is on. The entries are in and the voting has commenced.
There were some flops and vacations and injuries, so only 4 entries were submitted in time for voting. That isn’t to say these aren’t creme de l’creme type entries. So take a moment to cast your vote for your favorite. Voting will be open from today until February 24th, so do it now!
Do your voting here.
[polldaddy poll=2739853]
You’d think this wasn’t a cooking blog, like I somehow schemed you into believing it was then just stopped cooking. My cooking has been placed o hold by a vicious allergy attack. Injections, inhalers and super harsh antibiotics and I’m back. Sorta.
It’s almost time for the next round of entries to be submitted for the Top Chef It Yourself challenge. For a few days there I thought maybe *I* wasn’t going to submit anything. But I’m here, I cooked, I’m posting.
I selected the ingredients. I should’ve picked something easy, familiar, but nooooo. I had to push myself. Go where no Anamaris had gone before. Glad I did.
But first, let me tell you what I found out about couscous. It’s tricky. I had never cooked it before. It was easy enough to prepare, but someone should warn you that it grows and multiplies like, like… I dunno. Like in the cartoons when they drop a droplet of fertilizer and suddenly a whole backyard is full of grass. Like that. I had beucoup couscous! I used the instant-ish kind, no real cooking required (not that I knew there was a different kind).
See? I started out with 4 cps of water and 2 cps of couscous. NOBODY needs that much couscous!
Then there were dates. My only experience with those was from my mom’s fruit cakes, those are usually rum-soaked and generally not my favorite. I found these Medjool dates at my local Middle Eastern grocer. I wasn’t sure how it was going to turn out, but it worked out quite nicely.
Here’s my entry:
Couscous Fritters with Date & Ginger Sauce
For the fritters:
2 cps water
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp salt
1-1/2 cps couscous
1 egg
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tbsp Italian parsley, finely chopped
1-2 tbsp olive oil for frying
In a microwaveable bowl, heat water, garlic and salt for about 2 minutes, then stir in the couscous and cook for about 1 more minute. Remove the bowl from the microwave and cover with a plate or plastic wrap and let it sit for 15-20 minutes or so.
Uncover the bowl and fluff the couscous with a fork. Check the seasoning. Allow it to cool before mixing in the egg, parsley, salt & pepper if necessary. It will be a bit sticky, while still seeming dry at this point. Don’t worry, it works out.
Pat the dough into patties, this is easier if your hands are slightly moist. Make them into patties that are 3-4 inches wide and 1/2-in thick. Put them on a tray or plate and cool them in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Heat a medium-sized skillet and add 1-2 tbsps of oil. Brown the patties on each side, about 2-3 minutes per side if your skillet is over medium high heat.
Date & Ginger Sauce
1 cp dates, peeled and seeded
1/2 cp ginger, coarsely chopped
2 cps water
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Add the dates, ginger, water and salt in a small saucepan bring it to a boil over medium high heat. Once it boils, lower temperature to medium, cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the dates cook down, it will become thick, like a paste. Turn off the heat and pass the paste through a strainer. I added a bit more water to help the paste strain, about 1/2 cup.
Rinse the saucepan, return the strained paste to it and add the vinegar, oil and pepper. Cook it over medium low heat until it thickens, about 10-15 minutes. I have to say I think I needed to cook my sauce a bit longer to keep the liquids from separating (see photos). All in all, it still tasted awesome!
Serve the sauce alongside the fritters and enjoy. I made this for dinner, it was the side for some pan seared salmon. Can you say Yum!?
The salmon is delicious and OOH so easy. Check out the recipe here.
Cookingly yours,
Anamaris
The introductory round was such fun, we’re doing it again. What can you come up with using these ingredients?
Couscous
Dates and…
GINJAH! (can you tell I was using my Top Chef Chairman pizzaz with that one?)
Here’s the deal,
- You must be a foodie blogger to participate
- It is a monthly challenge–one entry per month
- Submit a dish incorporating 3 pre-set ingredients–doesn’t matter if you follow, tweak or create your own recipe. You aren’t restricted to these ingredients, add at will
- All recipes must be submitted by the 20th of the month
- One recipe will be voted as the TCIY Recipe of the Month
- Winning recipe will be announced and featured on the 25th of the month on this blog
- Blogger with the winning entry will receive a special widget to display on their site
- Winning blogger will choose 3 other entries they liked and will link them on their winning post
Who’s in? I’ll tell you
Michelle at 5Forks
Jen at Braise, Boil, Bake
Arlene at Food of Love
Jenn at Sweet Water Cooks
Christine at Vancouver Food & Wine Review
Thas at Cooking with Thas
Casey at E-G-L in Bulgaria
And here they are, the entries for this month’s challenge.
Michelle, dazzled us and her daughter with a sweet recipe: Fruit and Nut Couscous. She also offers up some tips to make this a wallet-friendly snack.
Christine meant serious business when she put this meal together. Her Braised Lamb with Zalouk and Couscous looks divine. I guess that’s appropriate since this is a meal served at dinner parties in a ceremony style entrance that elicits ooohs and aaaahs from the guests.
As for me, dates and couscous were unfamiliar territory. This was the 3rd time I’d eaten couscous and knew I need to do something to help me through its texture. I came up with Couscous Fritters with Date and Ginger Sauce. Hubby and I loved it!
Casey came through with another dessert, this one inspired by Moroccan flavors. Her version of Date & Ginger Couscous Pudding sounds awesome and it doesn’t get in the way of her LCD diet.
You heard it here first, hopefully. The Top Chef It Yourself first challenge ended a few days ago and you voted for your favorite ‘getting to know you’ recipe.
Casey from Eating, Gardening & Living in Bulgaria won you over with her version of a Lavender Creme Brulee. Give her a round of applause as I bestow upon her the TCIY badge for the month!
I’m sure you would like to know more about Casey, so I took the liberty of asking her a few questions. Read what she has to say.
When did your fascination with cooking begin? Tell us what got you started.
My fascination with cooking has existed for some time now. My parents aren’t really culinarily inclined, so almost every year we would go to my Aunt’s house, who is very Martha Stewart-esque. She introduced me to the joys of pie making, so the first thing I learned was how to bake pies and cookies. It wasn’t until I moved to Bulgaria that I really started to cook regularly and experiment with more complicated dishes. Being from New York, I quickly got bored with only have Bulgarian cuisine. I wanted variety, so I worked on replicating things I missed from home.
Kyust-whaat? How does a NY girl end up in Bulgaria?
I ended up in Kyustendil because this is where my husband’s family lives and we moved here to be closer to them as they are getting on in years. I am not going to say it was an easy adjustment, but I do like living here. Everyday is an adventure and that is the attitude that I try to keep.
What have you learned about cooking, growing and living in Bulgaria?
Bulgaria has taught me the value of fresh ingredients and seasonal eating. In the US, we are spoiled by the fact that we can eat what we want when we want. Produce here is only available till it is gone. In the spring you have lettuce and you eat lettuce for two months, then no more lettuce. Plus, there was just one variety, green leaf lettuce, no mixed greens to be found, which was hard to adjust to. Trips to the grocery store were very frustrating. So, I bought some seeds and made my own garden, dedicated to growing what I wanted, so for the past 3 years, I have been exploring gardening as a way to bring my cooking to the next level.
Tell us about an ingredient you don’t like to cook with
I avoid cooking with offal. I just don’t like it! I am adventurous enough that I don’t need offal in my repertoire.
Do you have any suggestions for variations to your Creme Brulee?
Creme brulee is like a blank canvas… you can infuse it with anything. Next up, I have some jasmine blossoms, which are itching to become a dessert. I will keep you all posted on my success!
Aside from yours, tell us which 2 dishes submitted by the other participants you’re most likely to prepare.
All the other entries sounded delicious, but I love custard based desserts so, Jan’s
Choco-Kahlua Flan is right up my alley. Second, Kitchen Masochist
Purple Yam Cardamom Cheesecake is such a bizarre creation that I am willing to hunt down the ingredients to try it!
Doesn’t she sound just awesome? Casey didn’t mention this, but she is currently working/training as a chef at the Hilton Hotel in Sofia, Bulgaria, while juggling her love of food and gardening.
Again, I would like to thank all the participants for January’s challenge and invite you once again to check out the
entries. Remember we will have a new set of ingredients for February, so stay tuned!
