use real butter

Long hiatus, I know. That’s what happens when you have major surgery. Apologies for the silence. I haven’t been on the blog at all and barely looked at my email in the past week. It’s all piling up and I’m not overly concerned at the moment. Thanks for all of your notes and comments.

I was in the hospital for 5 days with all manner of nurses “caring” for me round the clock while I endured some pretty horrific pain. [Caring is in quotes because I really believe if left in the hands of some of those nurses for more than a 12 hour shift I would indeed be dead by now.] Because it was emergency surgery, I got the surgeon on-call instead of my normal surgeon. Funny how some people have an accountant or an attorney, but me? I have a surgeon. I prefer my normal surgeon, but more than that, I prefer no surgery, no staples down my belly, no incapacitating pain when I sit up or stand.

I had mentioned a while back that we were preparing for a slew of visitors. Our first visitor, my dear friend Mitch, arrived in Boulder the night I went to the ER and flew home to London while I was still in the damn hospital - but we were able to share some QT while I was hooked up to oxygen, IV, O2 monitor, catheter, morphine, etc. I managed to get home right before Jeremy had to go on travel for a very important something or other (mum’s the word still), so my aunt came to stay with me until he returned this weekend. Now my parents are visiting. If ever you wondered how I got to be so hyper and full of energy, I point you to my mom and dad.

Kaweah was confused and a little depressed while I was away, but upon my return she has been quite pleased with all of the visitors and extra attention. Plus, while Jeremy was out of town, she snuggled up next to me on the bed each night, although she nearly killed me on Thursday when she shoved her chin on my abdomen and tried to hoist herself closer.

a puppy heals you faster than any drug

In my stupor of recovery, the weather in our mountain town has begun to flirt with fall. Overnight lows are nearly at freezing and on occasion we are getting those downright chilly, damp, and overcast days. I love it. I’d love it even more if I could get out into it… but I’m trying to keep my patience (or find it… whatever).

now that is what i’m talking about!

I can barely stand up straight for 10 minutes let alone cook right now. Instead, you are getting a guest cook tonight: Dad. Non-food bloggers cook very differently from food bloggers. My parents were surprised when I said that the final plating was in fact, one of the most important shots to get. They find the whole process intriguing and amusing. At least they humor me.

striped bass marinating in chinese sherry, salt, ginger, and green onion

We spent the first half of the day driving around Denver and Boulder to do some grocery shopping for this week’s menu. Shopping for Asian groceries was far easier when we lived in Southern California… My parents are all about cooking. They are both great cooks. Mom tends to be consistent and efficient. Dad almost never produces the same results, yet makes a big splash as well as a huge mess. Tonight, he made Tofu Fish (tofu yu).

sliced firm tofu

three kinds of hot sauce

Typically, my dad will catch his own fish for this dish. He recommends a striped bass or similar fish on the order of 2 pounds (whole fish) because anything larger loses tenderness and sweetness. Of course, the best we could find at the H Mart in Denver was a 5 pound striped bass, so Dad used the mid section.

tree ears, preserved mustard greens, ground pork, garlic, green onions, ginger

The recipe is somewhat involved. I highly recommend reading over the instructions carefully. I say this because when I asked my dad to sit down with me while I went over a previous version of the recipe, he changed about 50% of it. He kept saying, “Where’s the ground pork? You forgot to include that,” or “Not TWO tablespoons!” I nearly split my incision from laughter because he was the author of the previous version and kept wondering aloud who wrote such a stupid recipe…

sauté garlic, ginger, green onions and ground pork

simmering the fish in the sauce

Much of the recipe should be tweaked to taste. Dad likes food to be unbearably spicy. This is not a dish for spice wimps. It is indeed spicy, but amazingly good on a cold evening served along with steamed rice or Chinese flatbread. Much like Mapu Tofu, the flavors are better the next day.

add tofu to simmer

I haven’t yet made this dish myself, but I have watched my dad make it a dozen times by now. It’s one of those special occasion dishes. If you have issues with the recipe - take it up with Dad.

serve hot and spicy

Tofu Fish (tofu yu)

2 lb whole fish (cleaned/gutted) or 1.5 lb mid section of a fish (prefer striped bass)
1 tsp salt
1 stalk green onion, sliced
1 tbsp ginger, sliced
1/4 cup Chinese cooking sherry

2 lb fresh firm tofu or firm packaged tofu, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 tsp salt

4 oz ground pork
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp Chinese cooking sherry
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp water or chicken broth

3 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup green onion, minced
1/4 cup garlic, minced
1/4 cup ginger, minced
3 tbsp Chinese black bean chili sauce
3 tbsp Chinese chili garlic sauce
3 tbsp Chinese chili sauce
1/2 cup tree ears, julienned
1/2 cup preserved mustard green, rinsed and julienned
1 tbsp fermented sweet rice (jo nian) OR 1 tsp sugar
28 oz chicken broth
2 tbsp cornstarch (mixed with 2 tbsp water)
cilantro or green onions, chopped (for garnish)

If using fresh tofu: bring a large pot of water and 1 tsp of salt to a boil. Add the tofu and let cook for 2 minutes, then drain water off and set aside.

Make vertical cuts along the length of the fish on both sides. Mix sherry with salt, green onion slices, and ginger slices. Rub mixture over the fish and let sit for 10 minutes.

Mix the ground pork, soy sauce, cooking sherry, cornstarch, and water (or chicken broth) together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Heat vegetable oil in a large frying pan. When the oil is hot, add ginger, green onions, and garlic. Sauté until fragrant. Add pork and stir-fry until half cooked. Add all hot sauces and cook until pork is done. Then add tree ears and mustard green. Cook for a few minutes then add chicken broth and fermented sweet rice (or sugar). Bring to boil, then place fish in the pan. Cook on high for 4 minutes then reduce to medium heat for 6 minutes. Turn fish over. Add tofu and simmer for 6 minutes. Remove fish and place on a platter. Add cornstarch mixture to sauce. Cook until thickened, then remove from heat and pour over fish. Garnish with cilantro or green onions.

OMG, I woke up at 9 this morning. That is incredibly late for me, especially as I had the intention of waking up at 5:30. I’m trying to be patient and accept that I need to let the side-effects of radiation play out, which means sleeping way more than I ever wanted to (Manggy is gasping with indignation at that, I’m sure!) The other reason I slept in this morning was because I was up late shooting something special. Can you guess what it was? Not something in the sky…

For as long as I can remember, we had these funky, fleshy, gangly plants growing in our house. And whenever I visited a member of my mom’s family, they had one or two or three or more of these plants in their house too! It all started when Grandma came to the States from Taiwan and carried a leaf wrapped in wet paper towels and plastic bag. She gave it to my mom who started a plant in her house. Every time one of us bought our first house, we were given this plant (leaf). They grow into the most unwieldy things that must be trimmed back (give the leaves to your friends to start their own) periodically, and from time to time will grace your house with a bloom.

here is a bloom that will open tonight: it’s almost alien looking

can we get a puppy schnoz for scale? thanks, ‘weah

In my (Mandarin-speaking) family, we always called it tan hua. Then someone said it was called a century plant in English. Whoever said that was wrong, but those were the pre-Google days. I have since confirmed that this is in fact, a night-blooming cereus (aka Queen of the Night).

You know when a bloom is coming, because it takes about 2.5 weeks for the buggers to go from tiny bud to ginormous flower. The flower only blooms at night and it only opens for about 6+ hours and then it’s done - no more blooming action! It’s quite a treat and I remember it was one of the few occasions that my mom would let me stay up past midnight as a kid. My favorite part was the delicate fragrance that the flower would release - almost a floral, tea-like scent that permeated the entire house. Grandma said it was a good omen for the house. Hey! She’s a feng shui expert! Good omens are good…

in profile

fresh face

Not only was it good feng shui, but it was the first time Jeremy had witnessed a Queen of the Night bloom! My mom called in the evening to ask if it had started opening. Then she said, “Can you smell it yet?” I stuck my nose in the flower and couldn’t detect anything (and I have a GOOD nose). I told her no and began to secretly worry that my plant was somehow defective. She assured me it would start to smell in a couple of hours. How did she know?! Well, she was right - that lovely perfume began to release around 10 pm.

It was also a nice opportunity to mess with my flashes. See folks, this is one flower you will not be able to shoot in natural light unless you have a hot house in the Arctic or Antarctic circles and I have my doubts if the plant will survive even then. An argument to learn to use your damn flash ;) You can see the series of pictures on the photoblog. The cool thing is that I have two more buds that are going to bloom tonight! Sweeeet.

speaking of sweet… lychees

Somehow this recipe was forgotten and has been languishing in my archives for a few months. Please, forgive me.

What I love about lychees is that they have a subtle, floral flavor to match the plump and juicy flesh. [There goes Manggy running out the door - he hates lychees!] Since I can’t get fresh lychees very easily around here, I use canned. They are different beasts, yes, but I still enjoy the canned variety as well (just imagine how painful it must be if you’re standing underneath when the cans drop off the trees…)

raspberries for color and tartness

Ah yes, the recipe is lychee panna cotta. Remember when I said that FIL is a chocolate fiend? Most of the people on that side of Jeremy’s family are chocolate fiends. Personally, I think people who limit themselves to chocolate-only desserts are a little close-minded and I have to exercise a lot of patience with them. The true dessert afficionado knows that there are so many wonderful confections out there that don’t involve chocolate. Luckily, MIL loves a lot of the cream-based or fruity desserts that I delight in. When I first met Jeremy, he would wrinkle his nose at non-chocolate desserts. I almost kicked him to the curb except that he loved sushi, so it balanced out in the pros and cons list… But over time, he has surprised me with his matured tastes. He now eats and loves a myriad of vegetables (still working on tomatoes, but at least he eats them), fruits, Asian foods, and… non-chocolate desserts. Imagine my delight when he sang the praises of the lychee panna cotta with nary a drop of chocolate or caffeine in sight.

pour in the precious cream mixture

The dessert is subtle. I use the lychee syrup from the can to flavor the cream. If the syrup is too weak for your tastes, I suggest boiling it with a little sugar and reducing it to a syrup. That will concentrate the flavor. The raspberries and lychees will float to the top unless you fill their cavities with the liquid panna cotta. I think it’s fun.

my favorite way to serve panna cotta: shots

Panna cotta pairs with so many flavors and it is wonderful served any time of year. This summery version is delightful with a little rose syrup served on top (not pictured because we ate it!). The little panna cotta shots are great if you do dessert “courses”, or serve it in a juice glass if it is the main event.

a creamy way to end a meal

Lychee Panna Cotta

1 cup cream
1 cup whole milk
1/2 vanilla bean
2 tsp gelatin
1 cup lychee juice (from the can)
3 tbsp sugar
lychees (canned or fresh if you can get them)
raspberries (fresh)

Bring cream, milk and vanilla bean to a boil over medium-high heat in a saucepan. Remove from heat and cover for 5 minutes. Open the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds out into the cream. Discard the vanilla pod. Sprinkle gelatin over the lychee juice or syrup* and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir the lychee mixture and sugar into the cream. Place fruit in serving glasses or bowls and pour cream over fruit. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

* If you want a more concentrated lychee flavor, you can boil the cup of lychee juice with the sugar and reduce it to a syrup. If you do this, then omit the 3 tbsp of sugar from the cream mixture.

I’ve been busy this weekend with visitors. My aunt (one of my dearest friends) and her family are staying with us. They’re in the Denver area for some business and I am delighted to have our first guests in many many months. It is the first time I have seen her since my diagnosis and we had a tearful, heartfelt reunion on the sidewalk outside of Sushi Tora in Boulder. Yes, we had sushi. She is as much a sushi whore as I am (we are related, mind you).

So I wasn’t able to get online until late last night when to my delight, I learned that beloved Chuck of Sunday Nite Dinner has revved up Food Gawker, a budding replacement for Tastespotting. Good on ya, Chuck, and thank you thank you thank you for stepping up to the plate. A lesser cook could not have done this so quickly, so elegantly. You are superfly, babe.

Now, I have to be quick with this recipe because I need to make brekkie shortly and I am still managing random and annoying side effects (yes, they linger long after chemo - stupid chemo…).

I chose my partner well, this is obvious. Jeremy is never a cause for strife or stress in my life - he always makes everything better. But you can’t be guaranteed the same for your partner’s family. Luckily, my in-laws are incredibly sweet and loving people who treat me as if I were their own daughter. And they love to cook! Every time I see them, MIL and I always wind up exchanging recipes and sharing new dishes. We’ve been doing this for over 15 years and some of my favorite recipes come from the early days.

pasta, chicken, sun-dried toms, pesto, parm, roasted peppers, garlic, pine nuts

A lovely pasta dish that my ILs served us years ago had such fresh and delightful flavors that I had to have the recipe. It is incredibly simple to throw together, incredibly satisfying to eat. They didn’t have a name for it, really - so I dubbed it Darling Pasta. Did I mention everything about Jeremy’s family is just Darling? It’s true - and it’s their surname!

sauté chicken with garlic and oil

While this isn’t a cold pasta to cool off with (sorry, my East Coast friends who are sitting in the heat), it is perfect for any season and I make it year-round. I’ve used rotini of various flavors/colors and cheese tortellini for this dish, but it is flexible - very flexible. Often, we will make the pasta without the chicken for lighter, vegetarian option.

add sun-dried tomatoes and roasted peppers

Many of the ingredients are easy to come by at the supermarket today (this wasn’t always so a decade ago in Ithaca, New York). Of course, the purists can roast their own peppers, dry their own tomatoes, make their own pasta, and make their own pesto. It’s whatever you want to make of it. Considering this is on my list of quick meals, you can hazard a guess as to how I prepare it.

smell the love - add the pesto

Darling Pasta is terrific with a salad and bread, or served as a side pasta at a potluck, or as a one-bowl meal as we hunker down to watch a streaming episode of BSG (Battlestar Galactica, for those unfortunate souls not in the know).

colorful, flavorful, beautiful

Darling Pasta
1/2 lb. chicken breast, diced
1 lb. rotini or cheese tortellini, cooked
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup sundried tomatoes, rehydrated and cut into strips
1 cup roasted red peppers, diced
1 cup pesto
1/2 cup pine nuts
2 tbsp vegetable oil
parmesan, grated

Heat oil over high heat in a large sauté pan. Add garlic when oil is hot and stir until fragrant. Add the chicken and sauté until just cooked. Stir in the tomatoes and peppers. Mix in the pesto and pine nuts. Toss the drained pasta into the pan and stir together. Remove from heat and serve with grated parmesan.