BBQ Rib Stir-Fry with Sweet Wild Rice

After 15 years of trying, I can finally say – I made Chinese food at home that is tastier than restaurant and take-out Chinese. Up until now I just couldn’t get it quite right. Well I have got Kevin O’Leary and Helen Cavallo to thank , really, because I used Kevin’s barley stir-fry and Helen’s Tuscan ribs recipes to put this together (since I am saving up my barley for a different experiment, this was made with black-colored sweet wild rice, which tastes naturally sweet indeed, and turns purple after boiling).

Here are their inspiring recipes:

http://www.keviniscooking.com/barley-stir-fry-with-baby-back-pork-ribs-and-steamed-vegetables/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQhpFumAljo

By the way, if you thought it’s impossible to make fall-off-the-bone ribs for just 2 hours in the oven, Helen Cavallo’s recipe would prove you wrong 😉

Open-faced Dry Fruit Baklava Tartelettes

Yet another good use for a muffin tin (I keep looking for such, non-stop)! The phyllo sheets are cut in squares,  laid in each hole of the muffin tin, and buttered with melted butter (each tartelette has three sheets stacked on top of each other). They bake until brown and crunchy at 385F for about 15 minutes, after which you spoon in the stuffing.

The stuffing: I boiled one cup of chopped dried fruits of all kinds (apricots, raisins, cranberries), and 1 cup  grated pumpkin in two cups of water, 3/4 of a cup of brown sugar and the usual spices – cloves, cinnamon, cardamom. After I boiled this for 30 minutes I drained the fruits (saved some of the syrup on the side); mixed them with chopped nuts, 3 tablespoons of coconut sugar and 4 tablespoons of breadcrumbs. Added the stuffing to each tartelette, and then I topped off with 2-3 tablespoons of the  syrup. Returned the tin to the oven and  baked for another 15 minutes.

Not pictured here – some date syrup was sprinkled on top, to much positive effect.

So there, another baklava variation, that’s quite portable and fruity.

Swiss Chard Rolls with Beef, Rice and Leek stuffing

This sloppy looking thing is one of the most flavorful dishes I have ever made. Instead of grape leaves or cabbage leaves, you roll the beef, leek and rice mixture in Swiss chard leaves. I think the reason they came out so good is that I baked them in the marinade from those jars of artichoke hearts preserved in oil. I baked them for an hour, which may have been a tad too long – hence the more wilted look.

Instead of the traditional yogurt dressing, this one has strands of saffron, dry currants, and leaves of fresh mint. In the end, the rolls become sour because of the marinade, the leaves taste a bit like spinach but without the gritty aftertaste, and they are much easier to cut than the more coarse, veiny grape leaves.

My next version of these will be with the stuffing pre-cooked, so I won’t  have to keep them in the oven for too long — that way the leaves will have a more vibrant green and red color.

Watermelon Jelly Bonbons

Finally got around to making the Sicilian Gelo di Melone posted by Manila Spoon – https://plus.google.com/u/0/+ManilaSpoon/posts/TXufidm4CCF

It is remarkably fragrant thanks to the Jasmine essence. Also made a fortuitous discovery in the process – if you don’t have pistachios handy, just blend some soy nuts and fresh mint in a food processor and the taste can be mistaken for pistachios (or as we call it in Bulgarian and in Turkish “Şam Fıstık”).

Used some fancy silicone molds for this, and also, I think the recipe needs a whole lot more corn starch for the jellies to harden.

Sweet potato & Brussels sprouts quesadillas with Greek Goddess dip

Instead of sour cream and salsa as a topping, I went for this Greek yogurt-feta-dill-basil-mint-garlic-lemon dip (this is not the famous GreeN Goddess dip – it’s GreeK as in Zorba the Greek. Recipe here :

http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1013024-greek-goddess-dip). And it’s confirmed – vegetarian quesadillas go really well with dips!

The quesadillas have wild mushrooms, sauteed sweet potatoes, balsamic caramelized onions, smoked Gouda cheese, and stir-fried Brussels sprouts in them.

Grilled Corn, Halloumi and Herb Couscous Salad

The couscous is the pearl variety – whole wheat, hence the brown color. The halloumi cheese and the corn are grilled – and with plenty of fresh mint and basil – it is a winning combination.

Recipe by Kevin O’Leary

https://plus.google.com/u/0/+KevinOLearyKevinIsCooking/posts/Cjm2TX2ZjHw

Blondies with Coffee Caramel Sauce

Blondies are often so much yummier than brownies, and in combination with this coffee caramel sauce – they are simply deadly. The sauce is addictive – one day I will make a vat of it, and just sit and sip it and be happy.

I can’t thank Maria Rivera enough for this recipe:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/+MariaRivera69/posts/2jkK62Yz8xF

Bahn Mi Flatbread

I think the value here is that you still get the fresh Bahn Mi flavors without all the calories of the baguette in the standard Bahn Mi sandwich.

The ingredients are: cheese as a base, thick cut bacon, the whites of the green onions, fresh mint, carrots, and after baking – top off with some thin sliced cucumbers in sweetened rice vinegar, and cilantro. Next time, I will add daikon radish to the cucumber topping. The more fresh stuff on top – the more it will taste like a Bahn Mi sandwich.

Green Bean Beef and Dill Stew and  Feta Bread Pudding with Savory Spice Mix

This is Bulgarian comfort food as I remember it from the times my grandma made me dinner. The stew has chunks of beef, carrots, garlic, onions, green and yellow beans and tomatoes. Liberal quantities of chopped dill too. The beef, garlic, onion, carrots and the tomatoes simmer for over an hour and a half until the meat is fork-tender, and then the beans are added for another 20 minutes. Often, the stew is eaten with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream on top.

And for dipping in the stew  (or just to munch on standalone) – the bread pudding. Old, dry bread pieces are mixed with bits of feta cheese and small cubes of butter. An egg and yogurt mixture is poured over it (you let it soak for 10 minutes), and then bake at 400F for about 25 minutes. On top you sprinkle this traditional Bulgarian spice mix called “colorful salt” (totally lost in translation…. “sharena sol”) which is made of savory (the herb), cumin and sweet paprika. You can make it yourself:

http://thesimpleflavors.blogspot.com/2011/02/bulgarian-sharena-sol.html or even buy it on amazon.com (how the times have changed).

Kale Tabouli/Tabbouleh with Pomegranate Seeds, Apples and Walnuts

I can’t repeat enough about how much better kale tastes than parsley in this tabouli salad. Kale and parsley are neck-to-neck in any nutrition value competition (http://www.heathernicholds.com/nutrition/parsley-health-benefits), so this substitution can’t be a bad thing. I tried the salad with and without apples – and with all the sourness from the sumac pickled onions, the apple’s sweetness is much needed.

http://www.tastingtable.com/cook/recipes/tabbouleh-salad-recipe-kale-apple-walnut-salad-michael-solomonov-zahav-philadelphia