Vegetarian pad thai

I've recently became a tofu eating freak. Don't get me wrong, thre's nothing wrong with eating tofu, or with being a freak for that matter. The wierd thing about my tofu eating habit is that I have loathed tofu for so long, I was actually famous for campaining against "that cardboard-like crap". I would tell to everyone that listened to me that never would I dream of ruining a perfectly good dish by putting tofu in it. And so on.

The problem, if you are wondering what my problem was, is that the only way I had ever had tofu was in miso soup and, let's be honest, when you eat it like that it doen't taste like much. And I find that the broth makes it kind of slimey too, which is not my favorite consistency in the world.

I had to go to a Japanese restaurant in Milano to change my mind. There, because of a mistake, they brought me a noodle dish with tofu instead of chicken. What a revelation. Because it was sauteed in spices and condiments, it was actually yummy. There and then I decided that tofu would become part of my diet. I bought it shortly afterward and tried my first tofu recipe at home, adapting a Cooking Light pad thai recipe. Success!

VEGETARIAN PAD THAI

Sauce:

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons apple vinegar

1 to 2 tablespoons hot sauce

1 tablespoon honey

Noodles:

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

2 cups thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps (about 5 ounces)

1 cup matchstick cut zucchini 

1 garlic clove, minced

8 ounces extra-firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 cup light coconut milk  

1 cup (1-inch) sliced green onion tops

1 cup chopped fresh basil

1/3 cup dry-roasted peanuts

8 ounces uncooked wide rice stick noodles (Banh Pho), cooked and drained

5 lime wedges

To prepare sauce, combine first 4 ingredients, stirring with a whisk.

To prepare noodles, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, zucchini, and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add sauce and tofu; cook 1 minute. Stir in coconut milk; cook 2 minutes. Stir in green onions and next 3 ingredients (lettuce through noodles); cook 1 minute.

Serve with lime wedges.

Thai style fried rice

"Let's make Thai (or French/Chinese/Moroccan/etc.) food this weekend."

You often here me announcing such things on Monday or Tuesday night, as I enjoy a post-work drink at my favorite new bar, the Borromini Art Caffè. I won't lie to you: I announce such things at the beginning of the week because I can't wait for the weekend already. As much as I love my job, I still love cooking and doing nothing all day a little better. Waking up at 10... going dowstairs to have coffee with my friend Samy... taking my sweet time to make it to the pool... what's not to love?

And, of course, having time to cook for 8 or 10 people ROCKS. That is probably my favorite part of the weekend. I cook, they bring the wine/beer. It beats going to the restaurant, both because of the price and the quality of the food.

Every week I come up with a theme, then go with it. My friends are adventorus eaters, thank God, so they never turn down the opportunity to try something new. This past weekend I had my heart set on Thai food, so I made my green curry and also fried rice. As much as I love curry, I have to say that the rice was my favorite part of the meal.

THAI STYLE FRIED RICE

Adapted from Cooking Light

• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon lower-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon sambal oelek (ground fresh chile paste), divided
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 bunch green onions
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil, divided
• 2 1/2 cups cooked and cooled brown rice
• 1/4 cup vertically sliced onions
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1 cup julienne-cut bell pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• Cooking spray
• 2 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
• 4 lime wedges

Preparation

• Combine first 4 ingredients, 1/2 teaspoon sambal oelek, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine eggs and remaining 1/2 teaspoon sambal oelek in a bowl. Separate green tops from green onions, and diagonally chop; set aside. Cut green onion bottoms into 1-inch pieces; set aside.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons oil to pan, swirling pan to coat evenly. Add rice; stir-fry 1 1/2 minutes, stirring constantly. Transfer rice mixture to a large bowl. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in pan. Add onions to pan; stir-fry 30 seconds or until tender. Add brown sugar mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 1 minute or until liquid thickens slightly, stirring occasionally. Add to rice mixture.
• Wipe pan clean with a paper towel; return pan to medium-high heat. Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil to pan, swirling to coat. Add broccoli and bell pepper; stir-fry 3 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, green onion bottoms, and garlic; stir-fry 1 minute or until fragrant. Add rice mixture to pan, cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
• Add egg mixture to pan, swirling to coat pan; cook 30 seconds or just until egg is set. Top with green onion tops; garnish with lime wedges.

Thai green curry

I'm back. I didn't actually go anywhere, but I have barely posted anything in January and I haven't really read any of your blogs... so I guess that I'll spend the rest of the day doing that, catching up with what has been going on with you in the past three weeks. See, the thing is that I haven't felt very well since the beginning of the month and both cooking and writing about it seemed like a chore instead of the fun activities I've always considered them to be. But I feel better now, and cooking and writing about it once again sound like a great idea. So here's a recipe I've made last week for the first time, although I have eaten it hundred of times at Thai restaurants: green curry with chicken.

THAI GREEN CURRY

1 teaspoon of sesame seed oil
2 onions, sliced
1 zucchini, sliced
3 tablespoons green curry paste
2 pounds chicken breast, cubed
4 tablespoons of shredded fresh basil
2 1/2 cups coconut milk
2 tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla)

Heat up the oil in a wok and saute the onion for a couple of minutes. Add curry paste, stir well and let cook for two more minutes.

Add zucchini, chicken, basil, coconut milk and fish sauce and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked and the sauce has thickened. Garnish with fresh basil and serve.