Year of the Dragon Feast

This January 2024, ten members of the Gourmet Club of Verandah celebrated Chinese New Year with a second annual feast at my Florida home.

We started the night promptly at 6 pm with cocktails and appetizers. Gerry once again made beautifully green Midori Martinis and Kay made lovely Sticky Asian Meatballs. 

We started with a Dropped Egg, Pork and Vegetable Soup and moved on to Julie's Cashew Chicken, Joanne's Asian Ramen Salad, Pippin's Sauced Vegetables, Linda's Thai Chicken Pasta and Val's Fried Rice. 

Sue and Nancy treated us to the plum wines they brought with them. 

Pam's Three-Ingredient Almond Flour Cookies and a trio of Asian-Inspired Ice Creams* and fortune cookies ended the evening. 

What a great night of food, wine and conversations! The best part was packing up leftovers in the take-out containers!

*Ice creams were Green Tea garnished with Sesame-Honey Almond (Trader Joe's); Ginger-Ginger-Ginger garnished with a half candied ginger in syrup; and Star Anise garnished with a light sprinkle of Five-Spice and a star anise. 

Sticky Asian Meatballs

Kay brought this delicious appetizer to the Year of the Dragon Feast 2024

For Meatballs

• 
  1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1 1/2 lb ground pork
• 1 egg lightly beaten
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tbsp green onion minced
• 3 tbsp carrots finely grated
• 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

For the Sauce

• 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Optional garnishes are sesame seeds and sliced green onion. You can serve these on their own as appetizers,( just make them slightly smaller) and insert toothpicks in them before serving.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. LIne a standard size baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat. Set asie

2.In a large mixing bowl, combine the milk and panko breadcrumbs. Allow to soak for 5 minutes.  Add the pork, egg, garlic, green onion, carrot, soy sauce, ginger, salt and pepper.  Using your hands, mix together just until combined (overworking it will cause the meatballs to be dense)

3. Shape into meatballs and place onto the prepared baking sheet.  Place in the oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes or until

cooked throughout (internal temperature of 165}

4. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan set over medium-low heat, combine the hoisin, vinegar, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, ground ginger, and red pepper flakes,  Bring to a low simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook for 2-3 minutes.

5. Place the meatballs in a large bowl and cover with the sauce.  Toss to coat, serve hot, Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced onions.

Asian Ramen Salad

Joanne sent this recipe for Asian Ramen Salad that we enjoyed at the Year of the Dragon 2024 Feast. It was yummy!

For the salad:

• 1 package ramen noodles (3 ounces)
•  2/3 cup sliced almonds
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1 bag coleslaw mix (16 ounces)
• 1 &1/2 cups shelled frozen edamame thawed
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 4 scallions thinly sliced (both white and green parts)
• 1/2 cup canned mandarin orange segments in light syrup rinsed 

For the dressing:

• 2/3 C Olive Oil
• 4 Tb sugar
• 1/3 C Rice Vinegar 
• 1 & 1/2 Tb Soy Sauce
• 1-2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp black pepper 
• 1 tsp garlic powder

Instructions and Assembly:

Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Crumble the ramen noodles onto a baking sheet and spread them in a single layer along with the almonds. Bake for 5 minutes, remove from the oven, add the sesame seeds, and toss, then bake for 1 to 3 additional minutes until fragrant and golden. Watch closely so that the mixture does not burn. Set aside.

In a serving bowl, toss together the coleslaw, edamame, carrots, scallions, and toasted ramen and almonds. Drizzle the dressing over the top, then toss again to combine.

Sprinkle the oranges over the top.

Dropped Egg, Pork and Vegetable Soup

I made this soup for our Year of the Dragon Feast 2024. It was delicious and made about twice what we needed for our starter in small bowls. Each very hot bowl was garnished with sliced snow peas, cilantro leaves and thinly sliced scallions.

I began with a cut of pork I found in the grocery store which was like a thick-cut bacon - or fresh and unsalted "salt" pork. Any pork cutlet would work. 

I cut the pork into very small cubes, discarding some of the fattiest bits. I probably had a cup of pork bits and added them to a hot pan. Cook on high heat, stirring, until you have enough fat to cook the onion (below.) Discard any pieces that are all fat. 

I diced one medium yellow onion and added it to the cooked meat on medium heat until the onion was golden. I then refrigerated the mix because I was preparing ingredients beforehand and also wanted to start with clean pan.

I prepared small dices of a few fresh carrots and a stalk of celery. I also prepped the garnishes (above)  and whisked six fresh eggs, breaking all the yolks. I had these handy for the last minute preparation of the soup.

An hour before guests were to arrive, I emptied two cartons of organic chicken stock (8 cups) to a small Dutch oven to heat on low (not simmering but hot), adding in the pork/onion mixture.

When the guests were at the table, I raised the temperature to high and tossed in the carrots and celery. I added a bit of salt and pepper and cooked these briefly until the carrots were JUST cooked. I turned down the heat so that the soup was not boiling and gently poured the egg into the soup in a stream.

I immediately ladled the soup into bowls and garnished the bowls with the very hot soup and served. 

Baked Breakfast Tortilla

I saw this Reelz on Facebook and thought it looked like a quick and easy alternative to quiche - and without the extra fat of half and half, butter and piecrust.

It was easy and very good. Cut into wedges (with scissors), it is enjoyable eating without utensils as it is handheld. It's quicker, too. 

It takes 1 tortilla a bit bigger than your smallest pie plate. (You can use 4-5 inch plates with small tortillas. Just halve the filling and bake two (or more) at a time.)

Place the tortilla in the pie plate (use a bit of cooking spray in the plate) and make sure the tortilla goes evenly and slightly up the sides. Press in without breaking the tortilla  

Crack two eggs and whisk them with about 1/4-1/2 cup of cottage cheese and pour those onto the tortilla. I chose to add fresh spinach, feta cheese, sliced scallions, and pepper. I then sprinkled on a combination of shaved Italian cheeses. The combinations you can make are endless.

Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes until egg is cooked and puffs up slightly like a quiche does.

It slips right out of the pie plate. Serve!

Favorite Kitchen Tools 3

 

Left to right:

Chopper - we have loved these choppers, some include smaller garlic choppers inside. I have seen tons of these at Home Goods and TJ Maxx lately. We've had ours for years and use them all the time.

Silicone Pink Pig - indispensible for bacon fat (includes a strainer under the piggy face. It refrigerates and microwaves.

Silicone poachers - We use these for company all the time and have 10-12 in each house. Simply cover the bottom of a pan with 2-12, pour in about an inch of water, put a dab of butter in the cups and crack an egg. Turn the heat on high and then low, cover with a glass cover and wait for the egg while to cook before turning off the heat. Remove and pour off condensation and spoon out effortlessly.

Metal measuring in odd measures - 2 cup, 1-1/2 cup, 3/4 cup

Large glass measurer - this is great when making salad dressings if you need to measure the ingredients. Or have liquids ready to add when cooking or baking. 

Measuring spoons in every measure. I hook them somewhere in the kitchen where I can get to them easily.

Wooden salad or meal hands - we love these.

Stacking covered glass bowls for mise en place cooking. Get everything reading hours beforehand. It makes baking and cooking that much easier. 

Favorite Kitchen Tools 2

 

Left to right:

Graters - we have multiples of these microplane graters and my favorites are these two. The larger is great for cheeses, carrots, etc.  I use the zester for both zesting and fine grating. They both have covers.

Silicone measurers - these are terrific in multiple sizes. They bend and curve so everything is easy to pour, yet the size can be terrific for actually immersion blending sauces, etc. Some fit together perfectly in the drawer or the cabinet. They also are fine with heat - dipping into hot liquids or microwaving.

Rotary whisks - these come in three or four sizes and I use them constantly instead of whisking. 

Ikea garlic press - the best garlic press at a terrific price. 

Favorite Kitchen Tools 1

 

 Left to right:

Citrus squeezers  - these are indispensable and we use the lemon practically every day. We have duplicates in Marion and have the lime squeezer there as well.

Scraper - we have several of these and the beauty of them is the durability and the fact that they get down into any shape container. 

Tongs - if you look closely these have tines and grab things easily. 

Strawberry huller - Perfect for pulling the stem out of strawberries without cutting off some of the fruit. I also have the slicers which are so fast and efficient for slicing strawberries. See photo below.

Glass measuring pitcher with cover - this is great for premeasuring and covering until you are ready to add liquids to your recipe.

Small Anchor measure - we use these constantly. They measure teaspoons, tablespoons, ounces, and even 1/4 cup. I once thought I was purchasing 4 on Amazon for our four daughters' Christmas stockings and ended up with 24! They come in so handy (and I ended up giving away all but 6.)

Silicon pastry brushes - again, we have several of them in both kitchens. I brush egg on bread, butter on the griddles, and other uses.