The Funky Kitchen

Growing up I wanted to be my cousin, Ginger.

She was the greatest thing since they discovered chocolate, I kid you not.

Almost a decade older than me, she did a lot of babysitting in my early years. She was interested in marine biology, so I was going to grow up to be a marine biologist. She liked the Lord of the Rings, so I tackled them too. To this day it surprises me that I made it through them on my own so young, those books are not the easiest reading material, especially when you’re in elementary school. She liked mushroom soup, and even though I was pretty decided that I didn’t like mushrooms, I liked mushroom soup too.

Besides her being awesome, which made her special as it was, I think what made her extra endearing to me was that even though I was so much younger, she took me seriously and wanted to spend time with me. It wasn’t a case of, “Ugh, I have to hang out with my little cousin again?” Or, if it was, I never saw it. She would listen to my much younger ramblings, listening to what I had to say and giving me her sage, decade older, advice.

I don’t see her as often as I’d like anymore, she’s got two little ones that fill up her time, as they should. And while the flat out idolatry is no longer what it once was, she’s still one of the people who I hold as really special in my life. I didn’t have the good fortune to have a sister, but I did have the luck to have a Ginger.

Love you! xoxo

P.S. – Along with mushroom soup, she was also the one who got me to try out olives. Thank goodness!

This recipe is another one for those of you who love to dip, see: hummus, pico de gallo, Thai peanut sauce, or caramel sauce for other lovely things to dip into!

Tapenade

(Recipe adapted from Jo Cooks)

1 Cup of pitted Kalamata olives

6 cloves of garlic

1/2 Cup parsley

2 Tbsp olive oil

the juice of a lemon

1 tsp capers

1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions

• Put all of the ingredients into a blender or food processor and process until almost smooth but still a little chunky.

Tapenade is great to dip veggies, crackers, or pita into. Or, as an awesome spread for a sandwich! A thin layer adds a whole world of flavor. As per usual, the people of Provence were spot on when they came up with this dish.

This time last year: Roasted Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart

And the year before: Apple Pie with Streusel Topping

Hello black rice, nice to meet you. Let’s get to know each other.

You seem so familiar but mysterious at the same time, everyday but exotic.

The purple-gray residue left on my pots wasn’t so cool, but luckily it washed off right quick. Not an  ideal trait to bring into my kitchen, but forgivable.

Black rice is fabulously nutty. I do love a fabulously nutty character or two. And it is friends with shrimp? Black rice and I will get along just fine.

Getting to know a new ingredient is such fun.

Prawn and Black Rice Salad with Vietnamese Dressing

(Adapted from Nigella Lawson’s Forever Summer)

For the  dressing

2 cloves of garlic

2 Thai chilis

1 1/2 inch knob of ginger

3 Tbsp fish sauce

2 Tbsp lime juice

1/2 Cup water

2 Tbsp sugar

For the salad

250 grams black rice

1 Tbsp butter

500 grams raw prawns

2 cloves garlic

2 Tbsp lemon juice

Directions

I’m pretty sure this salad is intended to be eaten cold. When I read the recipe, though, I somehow got the impression you could eat it hot. Cold is definitely the way to go, I think, though it isn’t too shabby warm.

When I first made the dressing/sauce I found it really intensely salty, so my recipe uses a fair amount of water more than Nigella’s version; but I still used a little less than half of what the recipe made. Maybe I was a little salt sensitive that day, but if you just add slowly, you will be able to adjust to how you like it.

Where I was quite enamored with the nuttiness and bite of the black rice, Mr was less enthused than I was. He really liked the prawns, though.

This time last year: Beet Towers with Blue Cheese Mousse

And the year before that: Our First Kitchen

Dip is a beautiful thing, not to be underestimated. Focaccia is fantastic, but it is elevated to extreme levels of goodness when accompanied by a shallow dish of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. A tray of crudités are much more special when given the opportunity to be dunked into the flavorful concoction of goodness that is hummus.

Where would crispy tortilla chips be without pico de gallo; potstickers without tare dipping sauce? French fries without gravy? I don’t think so.

Then, add in the fun tactile involvement of taking your food on a trip from plate to dip to mouth and it is hard to argue against dip. Dip is extra flavor and it gives you a chance relate to your food! Dipping is joyful. Why else would the Swiss have come up with fondue?

This is the newest dip in my arsenal, Thai peanut sauce.

This recipe is going to be used, along with the char siu, in my next post. What could I possibly be making? (And, in case you were wondering; yes, I am feeling mysterious!)

Thai Peanut Sauce

(recipe adapted from Darlene Schmidt)

Ingredients

1 Cup unsalted dry roasted peanuts

2/3 Cup water

3 cloves of garlic

1 Tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp sesame oil

3 Tbsp brown sugar

2 Tbsp fish sauce

2 Tbsp lime juice

1 tsp Thai chili sauce

1/3 Cup coconut milk

Directions

• Call a meeting for the above groceries in a blender.
• Blend them to oblivion; smooth, tasty oblivion.

My dip is almost gone, I’m going to need to make another batch!

As soon as I made this I started dipping everything under the sun in it: the veggies in my take to work lunches, random leftovers from the fridge…. so yummy. I can’t wait to make chicken satay or to have a Polynesian pupu platter party. (Dare you to say that 5 times fast!)

What I really love about this particular recipe for peanut sauce is that it uses peanuts rather than peanut butter as a base. A peanut butter based peanut sauce is quite sublimely smooth, I will give you that, but starting off with peanuts just makes the sauce taste so much more vibrant.

Mr says that this peanut sauce is as good as in the restaurant.

This time last year: Stacked Summery Salad

And the year before: Pomegranate Lemonade Slush