Split Pea Soup w/ Fuyu Fennel Salad

Dangshin has the palette of an old man. He asked for split pea soup and I made split pea soup. I am not a fan of the puréed baby food consistency so I made it more like a stew. Tailored it from Maya's recipe:

http://www.alaskafromscratch.com/2013/02/03/hearty-split-pea-soup-with-lemon-olive-oil-croutons/

Didn't make the croutons because I didn't make any bread! I know. I can't believe it myself. But I did pick up a small baguette when I got the smoked shanks. They were skinless...what is the point of that?! My butcher, Ramon, at Gelsons on Hyperion informs me that "Americans" don't like or eat the skin. Um, this American does! He then proceeded to tell me where to get the best tacos and mariscos in the world. I smell a food adventure to TJ coming on!

Second alteration to Maya's recipe was the addition of one jalapeño. Never made it spicy before so this was an experiment. It was a success!  Be warned. It was really spicy. Here's my crude photo below:

Then, what kicked things up another notch was my persimmon salad:

Pretty, ain't it? Crappy photo and all. This is my own creation and I look forward to eating this every year. My neighbor always gives me a bunch from her tree. These are the hard, flat fuyu variety that adds sweet and crunch to the salad. Add fennel (I used the stalks sliced thinly across the ribs and the fronds --completely under appreciated IMO), jalapeno (bam!) parsley (I usually use arugula but didn't have any), lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper. By the way, that is the easiest salad dressing to make and it lets your seasonal, fresh ingredients really have center stage. So good!

Sprouted Whole Wheat Flour Fail

Note to self, "Sprouted flour gets moldy." 

This was a very expensive lesson. This bag was not cheap. Now I know. Just like I now know that moths love nuts and whole grains. For some reason, this year was the year my pantry became a big Vegas buffet. Have thrown out a small bag of pine nuts and long grain rice this summer. Oh! They also love stale bread. I had a small stash of stale bread and they were munching away and laying babies. They do not discriminate. They will eat GMO, organic, whatever.

This is a partial solution:

Not sure if it will work. I guess I'll find out. Anyone who has a good solution, please let me know.

Pita Bread: Necessity is the Mother of Invention

I am an impulsive eater, and since we are eating out less these days, I find myself needing ingredients and items last minute.

Today, I made a huge bowl of hummus. Hubby ate it before I could photograph it. Here it is (although not very pretty half eaten):

What do you do with a bowl full of hummus and no yummy delivery system?  Make pita bread, of course. In comes:

http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-homemade-pita-bread-90844

Really easy recipe. Thank you, Emma. Although my pita never attained such great heights as hers in her photos, but still damn tasty. I will never buy pita bread again. See for yourself:

Kimchi, What?!

I made my first jar of kimchi ever today! I feel somehow redeemed for my lack of Korean speaking skills. It was challenging. There's a reason why Korean ladies make this stuff on the floor. My back was a little achy after standing for hours. I'm sure the prep time will decrease once I have the process down, but I need to find a kimchi circle or bee. So much easier with others in your village working together and sharing the bounty. 

Making kimchi also made me think about food in a totally new way. The whole scientific aspect of fermenting is a little crazy. I don't understand how it happens at all. I'll have to research it and get back to you. And WTF sweet rice flour paste? I kind of vaguely remember that it's one of the ingredients (some people don't use it) but how does that work? The idea that someone at some point thought it was a good idea to put all these ingredients together in this particular way is astounding.

Now for the proof. Drum roll please:

Sexy, ain't it? That is a whole lot of kimchi. Let me know if you want some!

No(t Again) Knead Bread

I can't stop making this bread!

Saltado de Pollo w/ Aji Sauce

Mean hankering for some saltado de pollo but on a budget. We've been eating out waaaaaay less. So, needed to figure out how to make it. Pretty much based the meal from:

http://thekremerfamily.blogspot.com/2009/06/saltado-de-pollo-recipe.html?m=1

My aji didn't have the lettuce, but I didn't even miss. It probably makes the sauce thin. I used a hand blender instead of the vitamix. Had a more chunky texture and potent flavor which I preferred too.

This came out wonderfully. Here's the proof after two servings:

Lumpia

Patricio Ginelsa, Director, all around nice guy, needs your help. He's raising the funds for a sequel to his wildly popular movie LUMPIA on kickstarter:

Here's a photo of him at last night's screening:

The original was made on a shoestring budget of $1500 over the course of 6 years. He said it was an excuse to hang out with his friends. It was my first viewing of the film, and let me tell you, it was fucking great!  At first site, you could see how the movie started--bunch of young kids just hanging out. Then, we see older Pat applying his new found film school skills to it and voila!  You have a cult classic that is as layered and deep fried as a well crafted LUMPIA.

Please support. He's half way there to a slim to none amount that he is asking for.

Superfood Smoothie

Want another video? Here's me with devourmedia again. It's my very own creation. Recipe found at devourmi site. Enjoy!

http://youtu.be/YMi0xkPnQiw

No Knead (to Buy) Bread

My first attempt (this not right)

My second attempt

My third

My fourth

My fifth

Sixth

Sadly (depending on how you look at it), the 7th attempt came out the best but got devoured before I could take a photo!

I love making this bread. You will never buy bread again. But, be warned. This is a dangerous thing to have around the house at all times. Good thing though, you will not have leftovers. Cheers!

Original recipe here http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html?_r=0.

Here's a video of me making #4 (above) created by devourmedia in 3 parts:

http://youtu.be/axxJVi_rZWw

http://youtu.be/Usg7Vz3Leh4

http://youtu.be/ygOpAd5J67g