Teriyaki Chicken and Udon (Victory Noodles?)

This past weekend was a free weekend for us in quite awhile.  No obligations, no going to SF to visit the in-laws, no going to Sunday dinner with my side of the family, and the rain was more of a reason to stay in and do nothing.  Not having done grocery shopping for more than a week, it was pretty slim pickings in the kitchen.  Did I wanted to brave the wind and rain and go out to gather more fresh ingredients?  Nahhh... I decided to scrounge up what I can, which resulted in this udon dish.

Thank goodness, the end result was surprisingly good.  I may even dare to dub these "Victory Noodles" because we enjoyed scarfing this down while watching the SF Giants win to go on to the World Series!  For the hubby: Go Giants!!!

Teriyaki Chicken and Udon

Ingredients
Teriyaki Chicken:
- 2 pieces of chicken breast, cut into cubes
- 1/4 yellow onion, sliced
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp teriyaki sauce (I used Soyaki from "Trader Joesan", I highly recommend this sauce!)
- 1 scallion, chopped
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper

Udon:
- 2 packs of udon noodles, frozen (make sure the noodles are frozen when placed into the water to cook, this way the noodles are firm (or "Q Q the") when done!)
- 1/2 tsp Hon Dashi Bonito Fish Soup Base

Tools
- pan or wok

Steps
1. Place chicken, onion, garlic, and Teriyaki sauce in a bowl and mix well.  Put aside to let it marinate for about 20 minutes.  Chop scallions in the meantime.

2. Heat a pan or wok on high heat with 1 Tbsp olive oil.  Saute the marinated chicken for about 10-15 minutes until done.  Salt and pepper to taste.

3. Fill a pot with water and place on high heat.  Once boiling, place the frozen udon noodles and cook for 2-3 minutes.  The water may not be boiling after two minutes, but the noodles are cooking, don't worry!  Take out the noodles and place into a bowl.  Add bonito fish soup base and mix well.  Place udon first on a plate and then teriyaki chicken on top.

Serves 2

Apple Galette - The "Low Maintanence" Apple Pie

Want a simple dessert recipe that can be whipped up in about 20 minutes?  Any cravings for apple pie?  Well, this apple galette recipe from Pinch My Salt is your solution!  So instead of reposting the recipe here, the link provides wonderful instructional pictures and lots of tips for non-bakers (love this site!).

I enjoy making this apple galette from time to time because really, it is SO SIMPLE!  All you need is all-purpose flour, cold butter, a few spoonfuls of ice cold water, salt, apples, and sugar (cinnamon optional, but really adds that extra touch), and you can get an apple pie in less than an hour.  An apple galette is smaller than an apple pie, so you won't feel as guilty eating it for dessert.  Comon, you know you want some...

A slice of apple galette with Honey Lavender ice cream from Bi-Rite Creamery.

Phở (Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup)

I love noodles.  Soup noodles, stir fried noodles, or pasta... yum yum yum!  A few months ago while "toy shopping" at Sur La Table, I found the cookbook Noodles Every Day by Corinne Trang.  It was even on sale, so I had to get it!

This cookbook contains noodle recipes from almost every region of Asia, from Chinese to Korean, Japanese to Vietnamese.  After quickly scanning the book, I knew the first recipe I wanted to try was Phở.

Phở (Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup)
from Noodles Every Day, by Corinne Trang

Beef Stock
Ingredients
- 2 lbs raw meaty beef bones, such as oxtail or short ribs
- 3 quarts of water
- 1/2 large yellow onion
- 4 whole cloves
- 4 whole star anise
- 1 four-inch cinnamon stick
- 3 slices of ginger
- 4 scallions, trimmed and crushed
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp white or black peppercorns
- salt to taste

Tools
- stockpot
- colander

Steps
1. Put beef bones in a large stockpot with enough water to cover.  Bring to boil over high heat and cook for 10 minutes to get rid of bone and blood particles.  Drain, reserve the meaty bones, and rinse the pot well.

2. Return the beef bones to the same stockpot, add 3 quarts of water, and bring to boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to low and add onions, cloves, star anise, cinnamon, ginger, scallions, fish sauce, sugar, and peppercorns.

3. Simmer, partially covered, for 4-5 hours, until reduced to about 1.5 to 2 quarts.  Ocassionally skim off any foam from the surface.  Salt broth to taste.  Strain and discard solids, reserving the meaty bones to pick on if desired.

Yields 1.5 to 2 quarts

Phở 
Ingredients
- 8 oz dried narrow flat rice sticks, soaked in water until pliable (I used the Three Ladies Brand, Rice Stick (S) - small)

- about 1 lb eye of round steak, thinly sliced (in my opinion Japanese supermarkets has a higher quality of meat, so I used shabu shabu meat in this case.  It was the best decision!  The quality of the meat and the spices of the soup was a wonderful combo.)
- 1.5 to 2 quarts of Beef Stock
- fish sauce or salt to taste
- 1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup mung bean sprouts
- 1 lime, quartered
- 1 bunch fresh Thai basil or cilantro
- Hoisin sauce for serving (optional)
- chili-garlic sauce (eg. Sriracha) for serving (optional)

Steps
1. Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the noodles until tender yet firm, about 10 seconds.  Drain and divide among bowls.  Layer a few beef slices over the noodles.

2. Meanwhile, in another large pot, bring the beef stock to a gentle boil over medium heat.  About 5 minutes before serving, add the onions and adjust seasoning with fish sauce or salt, if necessary.  Right before serving, raise the heat to high and bring the broth to a full boil.

3. Place mung bean sprouts, lime, and Thai basil or cilantro in a plate.  Bring to table so that each person can add vegetables to their noodle soup as desired.

4. Ladle the boiling hot broth along with onion slices over the beef and noodles, making sure to cover beef and noodles.  Serve with hoisin sauce and chili-garlic sauce if desired.

Serves 4

Arroz Con Pollo

I know, it's been a loooong while since I posted.  Things (mostly work, argg) have been crazy... so crazy that my kitchen was collecting dust for a few months.  So sad, so sad...

I actually made the below dish awhile back when things were "sane" and just never got the chance to share it.  What I love most about this dish is the chicken flavors and fat cooked into the rice.  If you want a hearty warm meal (really perfect for the fall weather right now...), then give this dish a try!

Arroz Con Pollo
from Simple Recipes

Ingredients
Chicken:
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- Half of a whole chicken (chicken wings, thighs, breast)
- 1/2 cup flour for dredging
- salt, pepper, and paprika for flour
Rice:
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 cups of medium or long grain white rice
- 3 cups of chicken stock*
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste or 1 cup of fresh diced tomatoes or canned tomatoes
- pinch of oregano
- salt to taste

*Check the instructions on the rice package for the proportions of liquid to rice.  They can range from 1:1 to 2:1.  If your rice calls for 2 cups of water for every cup of rice, then for this recipe, use 4 cups of stock for 2 cups of rice.

Steps
1. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet (a skillet that has a cover) on medium high heat. Put the flour in a wide bowl, mix in a generous sprinkling of salt, pepper, and paprika. Dredge the chicken pieces lightly in the flour mixture and put in the pan to brown. Cook a few minutes on each side, just enough so that the chicken has browned. Use a slotted spoon to remove from pan and set aside.

2. Add the rice to the pan to brown. Add a little more olive oil if necessary. Stir first to coat the rice with the olive oil in the pan. Then don't stir too much or you will prevent it from browning. Let it brown and then stir a little to let more of it brown. Then add the onion and garlic. Cook the onion, garlic and rice mixture, stirring frequently, until the onions have softened, about 4 minutes.

3. Place the chicken pieces, skin-side up, on top of the rice. In a separate bowl, mix together the stock, tomato, salt, and oregano. Pour the stock mixture over the rice and chicken. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, and cover. Cook for 20-25 minutes, depending on the type of rice and the instructions on the rice package, until the rice and chicken are done. Fluff the rice with a fork. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 2-4.