Asparagus and White Bean Salad

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Since I've committed to Meatless Mondays, I've been searching for recipes that are substantial enough to serve for dinner and tasty enough to keep a confirmed meat eater happy. That search, and local asparagus selling for less than $2.00 a pound, led me to this light and delicious entree. The recipe first appeared in Gourmet Magazine in April of 2006. The original recipe used this salad as a brushcetta topping. I've carried it a bit farther and use the salad as a filler for flour tortillas, rice wrappers or lettuce wraps. I've changed the presentation because the bruschetta proved to be very messy. There is no binder in the filling and a lot of it ended up on the table or floor. Those of you who try this recipe will be very pleased with its taste and texture. It is next to no work to assemble, but it is important to follow a couple of the directions to a tee. The asparagus must be sliced no thicker than 1/8 of an inch. While it briefly sits in a warm marinade, it is not cooked and anything thicker than that would be tough to chew. It's also important to serve the salad soon after it has been prepared. It loses color as it sits and unless your favorite color is olive drab, it behooves you to get this to the table in a timely fashion. Please note that the cheese is shaved from a brick and that the recipe measurement is for shaved, not grated, cheese. I really like this entree. It is light, bright, different and altogether perfect for a weekend lunch or a light supper. Here's the recipe.

Asparagus and White Bean Salad...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Gourmet Magazine

Ingredients:
1 pound medium asparagus, trimmed
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 (15- to 19-oz) cans white beans, rinsed and drained well
1 (1/2-lb) piece Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Flour tortillas, rice wrappers, or toasted sliced country-style bread

Directions:
1) Cut asparagus on a diagonal into 1/8-inch-thick slices.
2) Bring oil, lemon zest, juice, salt, and pepper to a simmer in a 4-quart heavy saucepan, then stir in beans and asparagus. Remove from heat and let stand, uncovered, 10 minutes. Meanwhile, remove enough cheese from piece with a vegetable peeler to measure about 1/2 cup shavings. Add shavings to beans along with parsley, then toss. Adjust salt to taste.
3) Spoon salad into wrappers or spread on warm toast. Serve immediately. Yield: 4 servings.

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Rice and Red Lentil Pilaf - Kichiri

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is the dish you get when an Irish lass decides to make a wonderful Indian comfort food called kichiri. This is an easy, satisfying and cheap eat. I, however, managed to complicate it with a decision to make ghee, an oil that some call the clarified butter of India. Actually clarified butter and ghee are not the same thing. While there are similarities, ghee is cooked until all moisture is removed and the milk solids in the butter are caramelized. This gives it a rich nutty taste and assures that the "butter" has a long shelf life and a higher smoking point than its counterpart. I have a local source for ghee, but I wanted to attempt making it on my own. My curiosity is now satisfied and ghee is now on my been there, done that list. Vegetable oil or a mixture of one part oil to one part butter can also be used to make this pilaf. As you glance through the recipe you'll see that it is one that you can easily make your own. If you are unable to find red lentils substitute yellow. I will also add some heat the next time I make this pilaf. It is a wonderful accompaniment to curry or eggs. Here's the recipe.

Rice and Red Lentil Pilaf - Kichiri...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons ghee, vegetable oil or a mix of butter and oil
6 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 (1-inch) piece ginger, peeled and chopped
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 teaspoon kosher salt + salt to taste
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup long grain white rice
1/2 cup red lentils (masoor dahl)
3 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:
1) Heat ghee or oil in a large frying pan that has a lid; set over medium-high heat
and warm until oil shimmers. Add garlic and ginger and toss until it is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in onions and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
2) Meanwhile, combine salt, cumin, turmeric, coriander and pepper flakes in a small bowl.
3) Stir spice mixture into onions and cook for 1 minute, tossing to make sure everything is combined. Stir in rice and lentils and cook 5 minutes longer. Add vegetable stock and bring to a rolling boil. Stir well, reduce heat, cover pan and cook for 20 minutes. Do not remove lid. Remove pan from heat. Let sit, covered, for 10 minutes. Uncover pan and gently fluff rice with a fork. Stir in cilantro and serve hot or warm. Yield: 4 servings.

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Yangzhou Fried Rice

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Ten years ago we spent a brief period of time in a loft apartment. It was quite small, but with only three of us and a great deal of planning, it became a manageable, if not luxurious, space. Bob and I had sold our family home and were biding time, waiting for secondary pensions to vest before moving on to Oregon. Our youngest daughter, home following a year in Asia, made her first forays into cooking in that tiny kitchen. Fried rice was her specialty. She and I had discovered Ming Tsai, who was a Food Network star at the time and his style of cooking was perfect for that tiny space. We became wok and cleaver women and began to study, really study, Asian cooking and techniques. Years later in Yangzhou, a city near Shanghai, China I came across a fried rice that would replace the one that we crafted in that loft. No one knows for sure how fried rice became associated with the city Marco Polo once called home. The rice, in different guises, is served throughout China, and Western eyes are drawn to the color of its myriad ingredients. The version I serve is meatless and made with two cups of diced vegetables. If you prefer meat in your rice, substitute one cup of vegetables with a protein you really like. In China, we were served a version that was, most often, made with dried, reconstituted shrimp and fatback or pork belly. It's interesting to note that fried rice was served in the emperor's court, though it was wrapped in egg crepes or lotus leaves. For most of us, however, it will remain a great way to use leftover rice and bits and bobs of previous meals. There are hundreds of ways to make this rice. Here's the one I use for a great meatless meal.

Yangzhou Fried Rice - Yangzhou Chao Fan...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided use
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup finely minced yellow onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup frozen petite peas, thawed and drained
1/2 cup frozen petite corn, thawed and drained
1/2 cup frozen diced carrots, thawed and drained
1/2 cup frozen edamame, thawed and drained
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
4 cups cooked rice

Directions:
1) Heat a wok over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of oil. When hot, pour in eggs and cook without stirring until lightly set, about 30 seconds. Break up eggs and transfer to a plate.
2) Add remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to wok set over high heat. Add onion and stir fry until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant. Add vegetables and stir fry until crisp tender, about 3 minutes.
3) Add sesame oil, soy sauce, salt and sugar to vegetables. Stir in rice and toss to combine. Add eggs and cook until rice is heated through. Serve hot. Yield: 4 servings.

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Truffled Mac n' Cheese

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Tucked along the Rio Grand in the quiet hill country of Texas is Hudson's on the Bend, a restaurant that has fed presidents, Hollywood royalty and a real king or two. The restaurant is known for its preparation of wild game and fish and the big flavors produced by Chef Jeff Blank and his kitchen staff. I received one of Jeff's cookbooks last Christmas. While perusing the book I came across a recipe for truffled Mac n' Cheese and knew I had to try it. I want to share it with you today. Those of you who visit me on a regular basis know that the first time I use a recipe developed by a culinary star, I follow the recipe exactly as it was written. The habit is annoying to some, but I think it's the only fair way to judge the success of the dish and the chef. After that all bets are off. I've been known to completely rewrite some of the creations that find their way to my kitchen. I have not done that with today's recipe, but I have some suggestions for those of you who want to try it. This is a delicious dish, but it's extraordinarily rich. In addition to copious amounts of butter and cheese, the recipe calls for a quart of heavy cream. The second time I made the dish I replaced heavy cream with light cream and added the juice of half a lemon to the liquid as well. I made tonight's version with whole milk. The truffle oil is a must, as is the use of a soft herbed cheese. Even with the revisions, the dish is extraordinarily rich. It is also delicious. If you love mac n' cheese you owe to yourself to give this a try. Here's the recipe as it was originally written.

Truffled Mac n' Cheese ...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Hudson's on the Bend

Ingredients:
1 pound dried pasta (i.e. elbow macaroni, penne, cavatappi)
1/4 cup truffle oil
1 quart heavy cream
4 tablespoon butter
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Dash cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup Boursin cheese
Optional : 1 truffle
Crumb topping
1 cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon truffle oil
3 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons mixed fresh parsley and chives

Directions:
1) Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water, until just tender.
2) Cool pasta with cold water, then drain in a colander.
3) Toss pasta with 1/4 cup truffle oil.
4) Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a heavy bottomed pan.
5) Stir in flour to make a blonde roux. Don't brown.
6) Add heavy cream and simmer mixture until it thickens.
7) Season with cayenne, salt and pepper.
8) Remove from heat and add pasta and cheeses.
9) Stir to combine.
10) Taste mixture and adjust salt and pepper if needed.
11) Pour into a buttered 9 x 9-inch ovenproof casserole dish.
12) In a bowl, combine bread crumbs, melted butter, 1 tablespoon of truffle oil, and herbs.
13) Pour bread crumbs over the pasta cheese mixture.
14) Bake until golden brown at 400 to 425 degrees for approximately 25 minutes.
15) Garnish with optional truffle slices. Yield: 10-12 servings.

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