ginger-coconut scones

The base for this scone recipe comes from King Arthur Flour, and then I added in coconut and candied ginger. It made a really nice scone.

ingredients:
2 3/4 cups AP flour (326 g)*
1/2 - 1/3 cup sugar (50-67 g)* depending on how sweet you like it
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup cold butter (113 g)*
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract or the flavoring of your choice
1/2 cup to 2/3 cup half and half or milk (113-152g)**
1/2 cup toasted coconut
1/3 cup candied ginger, chopped

*the gram equivalents are from the King Arthur Flour website
** the difference here depends on how humid it is, if it's dry, winter, use more liquid, if it's humid, use less

1. First whisk together dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, baking powder)

2. Cut the butter into cubes with a knife, then add to flour mixture until the butter is coarsely mixed in. (With a fork or a pastry cutter - it's ok to still have some chunks of butter)

3. Add in coconut and ginger
4. In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients (eggs, vanilla, half and half or milk)

5. Add liquid to dry ingredients and stir until moist and holds together. Form into a rough circle. With this amount of dough you can either make 8 big scones, or 12 mini-scones. If you want to make big ones, make a rough circle with the dough, and with a sharp knife or dough cutter, cut into 8 pieces. For smaller scones, divide the dough into two, and form two circles (about 5-6 inches wide, about 3/4-inch thick). Cut each into 6 pieces. 

6. Place scones on a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

7. To make your scones pretty, brush with egg yolk or milk (I used coconut milk), and sprinkle with extra sugar if you want. 

8. At this point - put the scones in the freezer for 30 minutes and preheat the oven to 425 F. The freezing step helps keep the scones lighter/flakier.

9. Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes, until starting to turn golden brown.

cucumber salad with ginger-garlic dressing (and a fall picnic)

This afternoon we went to a nearby apple orchard just north of Providence. We were hoping to be able to pick apples, but they said their season was over - a bit disappointing, especially since so many of the trees there still had apples! They had a harvest festival going on though, so there were lots of families and kids, which was fun to see. And a burlap maze, and pumpkins, lots of mums and fall flowers. We brought a picnic along, so we camped out in the orchard and enjoyed the sun and some good food. I made the barley salad with cherries and pecans (which really is good), and a cucumber salad (recipe below). Philipp made this beautiful apple cake, almost tart-like with raisins and almonds. And we had fresh fruit and good cheese...and the weather could not have been more perfect. A great way to get out of the city and celebrate fall for a bit.

Recipe: Cucumber salad with ginger-garlic dressing

this is another one from Ottolenghi's Plenty - such a good cookbook!

ingredients:

2 large (or 4 small) cucumbers, peeled, cut lengthwise in half, and then sliced thin

1 small red oinion, shaved thin

1 1/2 inch ginger, grated

2 cloves garlic, pressed

toasted sesame seeds (about 2 T)

cilantro (about 1/3 cup)

dressing: 2 T rice vinegar, 2 T olive oil, 2 tsp sugar, 2 tsp sesame oil

Mix the dressing, and put the onions in it to soak for about 1 hour. Peel and cut the cucumbers (I used a mandolin for the onions and cucumbers - makes this salad super fast and easy). Add the garlic and ginger to the onions/dressing, and mix well. Then add everything else and mix everything. Let it sit at least 10 minutes before serving so all the flavors soak in. 

okonomiyaki - japanese cabbage "pancakes" with shrimp

I took my first bite of these savory pancakes and thought...ummm...what did i just make?! i made this?! It's so delicious! Just from the list of ingredients I had no idea it would turn out this tasty. I found this recipe a while ago while looking for ways to use up cabbage (a common predicament), and had been meaning to give it a try. After making that slaw I still had quite a bit of cabbage left. Still do of the red variety.

The recipe is from Midge from Food52, and I altered it slightly to make just enough for myself for dinner. The good thing is if you have cabbage on hand, you probably have most other ingredients. Okay, maybe not the shrimp. I did buy that for the recipe. But the scallions could be substituted with onion, and you could use another kind of fish.

makes about six pancakes - double for 2-3 people

sauce:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 T soy sauce
1 tsp sriracha, more or less to taste

pancakes:
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 T white flour
1 cup cabbage, shredded with a mandoline or finely chopped
1 bunch scallions, trimmed and chopped

freshly grated ginger
1/3 cup (roughly) baby or chopped shrimp
canola oil for frying
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

1.Mix sauce and set aside: spoonful of mayo, some soy sauce and some hot sauce. 

2. Mix eggs, soy sauce, sesame oil and salt. Slowly whisk in flour, then add in cabbage, scallions, ginger, and shrimp. Mix together. 

3. Heat oil in a pan on medium, fry pancakes. sprinkle with sesame before you flip. Cook about 3 minutes each side, or until brown and crispy.

 recipe from food 52

steak stir-fry with brussels sprouts and carrots

This is a recipe from a recent issue of Bon Appétit. I’m in Providence for a few days and I ripped out some recipes I have been wanting to try and took them with me. The photo in the magazine really got me with the bright colors. This is a good but not great stir-fry. It could have used a bit more sauce. It was tasty, though, and I really loved the colors and the idea of using Brussels sprouts in a stir fry. Fresh ginger and garlic always add so much. Make sure you chop everything before getting started - it goes quickly once you start cooking.

winter to spring? a cheery carrot-ginger soup with orange

Well we're 2/3 the way through April and it is not feeling very spring-like. Minnesota has 30 inches of snow...and here in Michigan we still don't have any leaves on the trees--hardly even visible buds. It's getting old. Although as soon as the warm spring sun comes out, all I want to do is sit and bask like a lizard in the sun, so I guess the unusually cold spring is good for my dissertation.

In fact, my infrequency of posting is correlated to two things: first, I started a new chapter and have been very productive and making good progress in my work; and second, I have jumped on the sandwich-train. Two guys in my office starting bringing sandwich fixings to the office, and having lunchtime sandwich time. It's been a while since I have made sandwiches for lunch...and it seemed super practical, not to mention economical. So I got a good loaf of bread, avocado, cheese, turkey breast, some spreads (humus and a spicy black bean spread), brought in some of our good CSA greens...and that is what I have been eating all week. Rather boring and not too blog-worthy. Although Joy the Baker did a fun sandwich post a while ago: on baguette and bagel.

Anyways, it is the weekend and it's time to cook again. I am feeling very vegetable-hungry and wanted some bright colorful meals.  Carrot-ginger soup is perfect because it feels vibrant and sunny without requiring spring veggies. :)  I posted another variant of this from Sara here, as part of our soup swap. This one forgoes the coconut milk, and adds a little tomato and orange. It feels so healthy and so flavorful - always a good combination. I used quite a lot of ginger (a 2-inch piece), which gave it a nice spiciness.  

fragrant lamb tagine with prunes and almonds

This recipe comes slightly ill-timed...as it's a great hearty, spiced winter stew, and today is the first day in Ann Arbor that truly, truly feels like spring. (Please, be here to stay!) Anyways, it's so fragrant I can't wait to eat it anyways. It's a recipe from David Tanis's Heart of the Artichoke. Tanis describes visiting Morocco and tasting this dish, "on top of the world" in the sand dunes of the Sahara. It's good, but I found that it had a bit too much sweetness. I would maybe reduce the golden raisins and prunes to 1 cup total when making it again, and adding some lemon juice and cilantro.

just a friendly little winter soup swap: black bean and carrot-ginger

This weekend I participated in a little soup-swapping with some friends (thanks so much to Rachel for organizing!). We each made 8 servings of a soup, and then gave 2 servings to each of three friends. So we ended up with 4 different soups - lots of meals! Mine is the ugly one on the top left... a "green soup" gone slightly purple with the addition of purple kale. Going clockwise: Sara did a spicy Carrot-Ginger with coconut, Rachel made a black bean soup, and Jessica a cabbage-borscht.

Keep reading for the recipes for Carrot-Ginger and Black-Bean:

cherry-ginger oatmeal cookies with pecans for Nic

Oh yes, I was thinking about this combination for a long time, and it did not disappoint: candied ginger plus cherries...mmm...The opportunity presented itself when my friend Nic hosted a "dessertavaganza" celebration of being done with his exams this week. Congrats, Nic! :)