I'm Back...but with a New Blog and a New URL

After a loooong hiatus, I'm back to blogging...but with a somewhat different approach and a whole new blog address. Please check it out at FoodCollage.com and follow my food adventures there!

For more backstory and information on the new blog, check out the About page.  Also, follow me on Twitter.

I will no longer be working on Clara + Food = Love.  Thank you for reading.

Taking a hiatus

It's been tons of fun sharing my cooking and eating adventures on this blog, but I've just been too busy with work lately to keep it up on a regular basis, so I'm taking a brief hiatus. I still have plenty of pictures and recipes to share though, including my newfound obsession with ice cream making (mmm...yum!), and I'll be sure to post whenever I can. :)

Marrakesh Vegetable Curry

I made this for dinner a few weeks ago and boy, was it good! The original recipe called for eggplant, which I can't stand for the life of me, so instead I used an extra sweet potato (yum!) and zucchini. This recipe yielded about 8 servings, so took me a while to finish up :P, but I actually didn't mind eating all those leftovers for an entire week!

MARRAKESH VEGETABLE CURRY

Ingredients:

• 2 sweet potatos, peeled and cubed
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped (I used about 1/2 pound of baby carrots)
  
• 1 onion, chopped
• 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 tablespoon sea salt
• 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
• 1/4 cup blanched almonds
• 2 zucchinis, sliced
• 2 tablespoons raisins
• 1 cup orange juice
• 10 ounces spinach

Directions:

1. In a large Dutch oven place sweet potato, peppers, carrots, onion, and three tablespoons oil. Saute over medium heat for 5 minutes.
2. In a medium saucepan place 3 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, turmeric, curry powder, cinnamon, salt and pepper and saute over medium heat for 3 minutes.
3. Pour garlic and spice mixture into the Dutch oven with vegetables in it. Add the garbanzo beans, almonds, zucchini, raisins, and orange juice. Simmer 20 minutes, covered.
4. Add spinach to pot and cook for 5 more minutes. Serve with rice.
   

Yields: 6-8 servings

Links:
Original recipe

Cherry Tomato Salad

This is one of my favorite salads that's super easy to make. Lord knows I need recipes like this when life gets real busy!

CHERRY TOMATO SALAD

Ingredients

• 40 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup pitted and sliced green olives
• 1 (6 ounce) can black olives, drained and sliced
• 2 green onions, minced
• 3 ounces pine nuts
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a big bowl, combine cherry tomatoes, green olives, back olives, and spring onion.
2. In a dry skillet, toast pine nuts over medium heat until golden brown, turning frequently. Stir into tomato mixture.
3. In a small bowl, mix together olive oil, red wine vinegar, sugar, and oregano. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour over salad, and gently stir to coat. Chill for 1 hour.

Links:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cherry-Tomato-Salad/Detail.aspx

Shrimp Paulista

I've been super busy lately, so I've been attracted to dishes that are relatively quick and easy to make. Here is one I quite enjoyed. I paired it with some rice and veggies and made an easy meal out of it.

SHRIMP PAULISTA

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
• 8 cloves garlic, minced, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, divided
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Place shrimp in a medium nonreactive bowl and toss with lime juice, 1/4 cup cilantro, half the garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, marinade and remaining garlic; cook until the shrimp are just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; add the remaining 1/4 cup cilantro, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper. Toss to combine.

Yields: 6 servings

Links:
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/shrimp_paulista.html

Casa Oaxaca (Washington, DC)

Last week I met up with a couple of friends at Casa Oaxaca in Adams Morgan for dinner. I had never been there before, but suggested that we try it out since it was featured in my eat.shop guide and sounded interesting. Once again, eat.shop didn't let me down. :) Casa Oaxaca doesn't have a big menu, but everything looked so good it took me a long time before I finally decided on the Mole Coloradito:

Light red mole served over grilled beef.

My buddies both got the De Vegetales (which I had also considered):

Squash blossom, zucchini and fresh corn Sauteed in Hierba Santa oil.

I loved the Mole Coloradito, and though I didn't try the De Vegetales, it looked awesome and my friends both thought it was delicious. We had also gotten some guacamole which was great as well. Casa Oaxaca is definitely worth a repeat visit!

Pertinent info:
Address: 2106 18th St NW, Washington, DC 20009
Phone: (202)387-2272
Nearest Metro: Dupont Circle (Red line)

Rosemary Chicken Thigh

This recipe is an old favorite of mine that appeared in the 1998 Milk Calendar. The outside of the chicken thigh is a little crunchy, while the inside is moist and tender. I've always found Milk Calendar recipes to require minor adjustments to bring out the taste, so the recipe below reflects the adjustments I've made.

ROSEMARY CHICKEN THIGHS

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) cornstarch
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) minced fresh rosemary or 1 tsp (5 mL) dried
  
• 1 cup (250 mL) milk
• 3 cups (750 mL) fresh bread crumbs
• 3/4 cup (125 mL) grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) minced fresh parsley or 2 tsp (10 mL) dried
• 1/4 cup (50 mL) butter, melted
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) all-purpose flour
• 8 skinless chicken thighs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
2. In a small saucepan, whisk together egg, cornstarch, mustard and rosemary. Add milk and whisk over medium-high heat until mixture thickens. Remove from heat; set aside.
3. In a bowl, toss together bread crumbs, cheese, parsley and melted butter. Mix well.
4. Scoop flour into a pie plate. Coat each chicken thigh with flour, then dip into the milk mixture covering completely and finally roll well in the crumb mixture. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet.
5. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until crispy and golden. Serve with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, if desired.

Yields: 4 servings

Link:
Original recipe

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Sage Corn Bread Crust

This was the first time I had cooked pork tenderloin, and may even have been my first time eating it, and it turned out delicious so I'm glad I tried it out!

ROASTED PORK TENDERLOIN WITH SAGE CORN BREAD CRUST

Ingredients:

• 1 (1-lb) pork tenderloin
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 corn toaster cakes, crumbled, or 1 cup crumbled corn muffin
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh sage
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Pat pork dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Heat oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown pork, turning, about 4 minutes. Transfer to an oiled shallow baking pan.
4. Add butter to skillet and cook garlic over moderate heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove pan from heat and stir in crumbs, sage, and salt and pepper to taste.
5. Spread mustard over pork and pat half of seasoned crumbs onto mustard, then sprinkle with remaining seasoned crumbs. Roast in middle of oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted diagonally 2 inches into meat registers 155°F, 20 to 25 minutes. (Check after 15 minutes to see if crumbs are getting too dark; if they are, tent loosely with foil.) Transfer to a cutting board, then tent loosely with foil and let stand 10 minutes before slicing (temperature will rise to 160°F).

Yields: 4 servings

Link:
Original recipe

Zucchini Slaw

I may have mentioned that I have been eating a lot of salads since the summer so I've been doing a lot of online searches for salad recipes. This is one I came across a couple of months ago that's super easy to make, which is perfect when things get too busy and I don't have much time to cook! (Which is pretty much all the time!)


ZUCCHINI SLAW

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 medium zucchini, finely chopped
• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons Italian salad dressing
• 1 bunch chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat, and cook the zucchini and onion until onion is very tender. Mix in the Italian salad dressing and parsley, and continue cooking until heated through. Serve warm.

Yields: 4 servings

Links:
Original recipe

Sweet Potato Curry Rice

While visiting R.'s mom last winter, she made a sweet potato curry couscous that was really fantastic. I wanted to semi-replicate her dish with similar ingredients but using rice instead. Add in some ideas borrowed from other online sources, and this recipe was born! Two caveats to bear in mind: 1. I have a rice cooker so my directions for the rice are specific to rice cookers; 2. I get lazy and cook the sweet potatoes in the microwave. I'm sure any other method works too.

SWEET POTATO CURRY RICE

Ingredients:

• Sweet potatoes (3)
• Kale leaves, chopped or ripped into bite size pieces (2 cups)
• Jasmine or any long grain rice (1½ cups)
• Powdered chicken bouillon (1 tbsp) - can skip or substitute with vegetable bouillon for a vegan dish
  
• Raisins (1½ tbsp)
• Curry powder (1 tsp) – I prefer Madras curry powder
• Salt (to taste)
• Bay leaf (1 leaf)
• Oil (1 tsp)
• Onion, finely chopped (½ cup)
• Garlic, peeled and finely minced (3 cloves, divided)
• Ginger, minced (1 tsp)
• Red wine or vegetable broth (just a splash)
• Tamari or soy sauce (2 tbsp)
• Pine nuts (¼ cup)

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, sauté onion and one clove of minced garlic in oil on moderate heat until onions are translucent.
2. Wash rice well and drain. Place rice in rice cooker pan and fill with equal parts water.
3. Add precooked onion and garlic, chicken bouillon, raisins, curry powder, salt (to taste), bay leaf, and pine nuts. Cook rice in rice cooker.
4. Wash sweet potatoes. Puncture a few times with a fork. Place on paper towel on a microwave-safe dish and cook in microwave on high for 4-5 minutes for the first potato, plus about 2-3 minutes for each additional potato (about 8-11 mins for 3 potatoes, depending on the size of the potatoes). Turn over potatoes halfway through cooking. When done, let cool for a few minutes and then scoop out the sweet potatoes and mash coarsely.
5. In a frying pan, sauté two cloves of minced garlic and 1 tsp of minced ginger in a little red wine or vegetable broth. Add kale that has been chopped or ripped into bite size pieces. Add 2 tbsp of tamari or soy sauce and continue cooking for a few minutes, until done.
6. When rice is done, remove the bay leaf and mix all ingredients in the rice well. Mix rice, kale, and sweet potatoes in large skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes. Add salt to taste (though this may not be necessary if you are using Madras curry because Madras curry already has a fairly strong taste).

Yield: 4-5 servings

Links:
How to cook kale
Cooking sweet potatoes in the microwave

Cafe Bonaparte (Washington, DC)

Thanks to Groupon, I got an awesome deal to Café Bonaparte, a cute little Parisian place in Georgetown that's known for its crepes. R. and I love crepes, so this really was the perfect place to dine out for us! We went on a Thursday night and were surprised how packed it was. Like an authentic French cafe, it is fairly small and crammed, but not uncomfortable. The decor is beautiful. We each ordered a "savory crepe" for dinner and a "sweet crepe" for dessert.

For dinner, R. got the Petersburg, with "black forest ham, shallots, parsley & mushroom topped with a dijon mustard cream sauce." What a great combination of ingredients! It was beyond delicious!


I got the Marseille, with "diced marinated chicken, sour cream, onions, and red bell peppers, topped with a red pepper sauce." R. liked the Petersburg better, and although I had agreed with him at first (I do love dijon mustard!), the Marseille really grew on me, and by the end I'd have to say I preferred the Marseille! The sauce was great on the chicken. Mmm...I could go back for more!


For dessert, R. ordered the Montpelier, which consisted of "caramelized apples, topped with creme anglais & whip cream." Need I say more? Yum!


While the Montpelier was good, we both liked mine better, the Last Tango. How could you not? It's "Nutella chocolate, strawberries [warm, I must add], whip cream, & berry melba sauce." The Nutella-strawberry combo was divine.


Great dinner! I'm scheming to go back already! The only downside is that Georgetown being Georgetown, there's no subway stop, and Georgetown being Georgetown, parking is a royal you-know-what. We took the bus there during the tail end of rush hour, which was not fun at all. But Café Bonaparte is worth revisiting even if it's not easy to get to!

Pertinent info:

Address: 1522 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20007
Phone: (202)333-8830
Website: http://www.cafebonaparte.com/
Nearest Metro station: None. Bus from Farragut North or Dupont Circle.

Seared Curried Sea Scallops with Zucchini

I love seafood, and scallops is one of my favorites. I was drawn to this recipe because I'm a huge curry fan, so this seems like curry + scallops would simply be a heavenly combo. :)

SEARED CURRIED SEA SCALLOPS WITH ZUCCHINI

Ingredients:

• 1 pound sea scallops
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• Fresh cilantro sprigs
• Lime wedges

Directions:

1. Remove tough muscle from side of each scallop if necessary. Pat scallops dry and sprinkle with curry powder and salt and pepper to taste.
2. Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sear scallops in 2 batches, adding another 1/2 tablespoon oil if necessary, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes on each side.
3. Transfer scallops to a plate. Add remaining tablespoon oil to skillet, then cook ginger and garlic over moderate heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add zucchini and salt and pepper to taste, then cook, stirring frequently, until crisp-tender, 4 to 5 minutes.
4. Return scallops to skillet with any juices accumulated on plate and toss with zucchini just until heated through, about 1 minute.
5. Garnish with cilantro and lime wedges.
   

Yield: 2 servings

Eat Pink for a Good Cause

In support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, my absolute favorite ice cream place, Jeni's Ice Creams, has created a unique flavor and will be selling it at their stores and online throughout the month of October. For every pint of Rose Petal with Vanilla Bean and Pink Peppercorns they sell, $1 will be donated to the Young Survival Coalition, and for every order of their "Pink Collection," which contains several of their other delicious flavors, YSC will get $5!

My order that included a pint of the Rose Petal with Vanilla Bean and Pink Peppercorns arrived last week and I finally had a taste of it the other night. Mmm...mmm...good! The rose flavor is perfectly subtle, the vanilla flavor pleasing, while the peppercorns make the ice cream pop! Such a neat flavor, and such a great idea for a great cause! Go order some, or read more here!

Sweet and Sour Zucchini Salad

This is one of the salads I've made many times this past summer. It's tasty and easy to make.

SWEET AND SOUR ZUCCHINI SALAD

Ingredients:

• 1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
• 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 7 small zucchinis, thinly sliced

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl, soak onion soup mix in wine vinegar. Let stand 5 minutes.
2. Combine the onion soup mixture with the sugar, salt, pepper, oil, cider vinegar, bell pepper, celery and zucchini. Chill 4 to 6 hours, stirring occasionally. Drain off any extra liquid before serving.

Yields: 7 servings

Grandma's Chiu Chow (Teochew) Style Deep Fried Shrimp Balls

My paternal grandparents are from the Chiu Chow province of China and my grandma makes these really amazing deep fried shrimp balls from her local cuisine that I (and everybody in the family) have loved all our lives. They are always such a special treat! The last time she made her signature shrimp balls for a family feast, I watched and took notes so I could replicate the dish myself. Since Grandma doesn't measure anything, it took a couple of tries to get the proportions right, but I think I have this baby down now. :) I should add that I made a couple of very minor modifications but they do taste just like Grandma's creation. I brought some to work for my buddy Maria and she claimed - twice - that it's one of the best things I've made! Thanks, Grandma!

GRANDMA'S CHIU CHOW (TEOCHEW) STYLE DEEP FRIED SHRIMP BALLS

Ingredients:

• 1 lb uncooked shrimp, peeled
• 8 water chestnuts, chopped (the larger the chopped pieces, the crunchier the shrimp balls will be)
• ¼ lbs ground pork
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 egg
• Salt, white pepper, and Chicken broth mix to taste
• Corn oil or vegetable oil
• ½ cup flour
• A small bowl of water

Directions:

1. Mash shrimp using the flat part of a cleaver.
2. In a large bowl, combine shrimp, water chestnuts, ground pork, shallot, eggs, salt, pepper, and chicken broth mix. Mix well. (My grandma said to stir only in one direcon - i.e., if you started stirring counterclockwise, do not reverse and stir clockwise - but I honestly don't think it makes a difference).
3. Add flour and mix to combine. Do not overmix. (This is how Grandma does it. See an alternative version described in Step 5.)
   
4. Heat oil on high in a wok or a deep skillet. The amount of oil used depends on the size of your wok/skillet and the size of the shrimp balls. In general, use enough oil to cover half the diameter of the shrimp balls – for example, if your shrimp balls are 1” in diameter, then fill wok ½” deep with oil. Once the oil is boiling, reduce heat to medium.
5. Mold the shrimp mixture into rounded tablespoons. Dip a spoon into the bowl/glass of water before scooping the shrimp balls (this prevents the shrimp balls from sticking to the spoon). Optional step: Prepare a small bowl of flour and dip each shrimp ball in flour (this is one thing I do that's different from Grandma).
   
6. Place each shrimp ball into the oil-filled wok. Roll the shrimp balls around so they fry evenly on all sides. Fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
7. Drain shrimp balls before serving.
8. Shrimp balls are traditionally served with a tangerine sauce that is not available in North America. The closest store-bought sauce I have found is a golden plum sauce, though a sweet and sour sauce would work as well.

Yields: About 20-25 shrimp balls, depending on size

Mashed shrimp

Shrimp balls!

Here's a video of my grandma shaping the shrimp mixture into balls and scooping them into the wok. Note that she's been making these for decades so she's quite the pro at it, making the process seem so easy and elegant. Me, on the other hand, can't quite get her technique down, so I cheat and use a melon baller instead. :P