Korea in a Hot Stone Bowl: Bibimbap

Working next to a Korean restaurant for most of the workweek, I have – for the past 8 months or so – been under the constant assault of fantastically pungent aromas courtesy of K-Peppers.  My familiarity with Korean cuisine sorely lacking, one dish that always caught my eye – and tongue – is bibimbap.  Translated as “mixed rice”, bibimbap is an extremely simple and insanely popular dish throughout Korea.  Ingredients vary widely from region to region, as does preparation and serving.  By far the most interesting variation of the dish is dolsot (“stone pot”) bibimbap, which is served in a crackling hot stone bowl the acts to crisp the bottom of the rice and cook the egg right at your table.  It’s the Korean take on fajitas, really.  And who doesn’t love fajitas?  That sizzle!  How fun!

After diving in and making bibimbap for the first time at home, I felt compelled to finally head next door and see the authentic dish, prepared by some serious Korean chefs, Eric and Rachel Kim. How it took me 8 months to finally make there last weekend is a crime. 

Quite a spread, eh?  One of the coolest parts of the Korean meal are all of the banchan or small side dishes that come with the meal ranging from pungent kimchi to fried carrot pancakes and coleslaw.  The sizzling bowl was more than just a gimmick, creating a delicious crisp rice crust on the bottom and cooking the runny egg yolk just enough to make for a creamier mixed rice.  My first tango with fern brake and bellflower root was certainly a memorable one.  Don’t call me LeVar Burton and don’t take my word for it.  Go to K-Peppers and see for yourself.  Then go home and make it for yourself.  This is simple comfort food at its best and it is endlessly customizable to whatever you feel like or happen to have on hand.  It has a fried egg on it, people.  Enough said.

Bibimbap

Ingredient Rundown:

• A variety of vegetables (my version, pictured above and absolutely by no means traditional contained spinach, bean sprouts, carrots, cabbage, mushrooms, red, yellow, and orange bell peppers.  More traditional ingredients include daikon, bellflower root, eggplant, zucchini and braken fern stems.  Shockingly I didn’t have most of those on-hand.)
• 1 egg per serving
• 1 cup of prepared rice per serving
• Venison, beef, chicken, tuna or any other protein of your choice
• hot sauce to taste (I made a paste of Sriracha, sesame oil and Szechwan chili sauce
• sesame oil and minced garlic for sautéing vegetables and protein
• salt to taste

How I do it:

1. Sauté vegetables, seperately, in minced garlic, salt and sesame oil until cooked through. (I left the cabbage raw).  Set aside.
2. Cook enough rice (I used white jasmine) for 1 cup per serving.
3. Sauté protein in sesame oil (in my case, venison steak, marinated in rice wine, rice vinegar, ginger, and some leftover La Folie). Slice thin or into small pieces.
4. Lightly fry an egg, sunny side up.
5. To assemble, place rice in the bottom of a large, heated bowl and arrange the vegetables and protein in an interesting way.  Top with the fried egg and hot sauce to taste. 
6. To eat, break the runny yolk and mix everything together.  It’s called mixed rice, so that’s what you do.  Pretty simple.  And delicious. 

Check out this post and plenty of other savory food-related nuggets over at Forkful of News!

For Deer ol’ Mom: Venison Fajitas

The great thing about having parents who are avid hunters is the endless stream of delicious venison that I get sent home with just about every time I visit.  Dad recently returned from an excursion in Colorado with some great mule deer meat that we also happened to grill for his 50th birthday on Friday.  An extra thawed package remained in the fridge, just begging to treat mom to a great Summer-y meal on Mother’s Day.  I was happy to oblige on a beautiful day like today.  And wouldn’t you know it, I drove home with a passenger seat full of venison, a big potted mint plant for my porch (ahem, mojitos), and money for a haircut (clearly, I need some work :/).  I love Mother’s Day!

Venison Fajitas

Ingredient Rundown (serves 2-3):

• 1lb venison steak (Colorado mule deer backstrap steak in this case)
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1/2 medium red onion, sliced
• spicy rub for venison ( if you don’t have any Penzeys Northwoods Fire yet, fix that)
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• plenty of chopped cilantro
• ~1/3 cup of grapefruit juice (optional, happened to be in my parents’ fridge and seemed like a fun way to add some sweetness and acidity in a quick marinade)
• salt and pepper to taste
• tortillas (flour or corn – I ended up using some foo-foo cilantro-jalepeno-flavored, fajita-sized flour ones)
• sour cream and/or fresh pico to garnish

How I do it:

1. Rub venison with spices, chopped cilantro, salt and pepper.  Add lime juice and grapefruit juice and allow to marinate, stirring occasionally, for at least half an hour but up to several hours in refrigerator.
2. Slice bell peppers and onions, sprinkle with rub, salt, pepper, cilantro and citrus and allow to marinate along with venison.
3. Fire up that grill.  Cook over high heat for 3-5 per side or until cooked medium.  You could pan sear the steak as well, but what fun is that?  It’s grilling season, damn it, despite the occasional 35 degree May hiccup.  Let meat rest for 5-10 minutes then slice thin.
4. Saute the veggies with a tablespoon of vegetable oil over high heat until translucent 8-10 minutes.
5. Heat the tortillas (a few seconds in the microwave brings them to life) and assemble with condiments of choice.
6. Take a shot of premium tequila with your mom.  She deserves it for being your mom and you deserve it for whipping up a quick and tasty meal.  Dig in.

Venison Ragu at Quarter-to-Two

You just can’t help when hunger strikes.  My, uhh, eccentric schedule often leads to late-night/early-morning dinners.  Despite being well-past 1AM, a quick perusal of my dismal food stock left me with a meager line-up of ingredients.  The protein that jumped out at me from the back of the freezer being a pound of ground Italian-style venison sausage, courtesy of my father’s hunterly pursuits.  A humble can of tomato sauce,  a small can of tomato paste, an onion, a little garlic, and a few condiments later had me replete with a rich ragu or meat-based sauce fit for topping any matter of pasta or pasta-like applications.  Just because it’s 2 in the morning doesn’t mean you need to resort to frozen pizzas and Hot Pockets.  Real, simple, tasty food can be made with just a modicum of patience and even less formal training.  Just say no to the jarred stuff.  You can do it yourself, and no jar of Prego is going to give you that rich, savory sense of satisfaction that only comes from a home-cooked meal.

Venison ragù

Ingredient rundown:

• 1 lb ground venison (Italian-style, if you will)
• 1 14 oz can tomato sauce (I normally don’t use this and would have made a basic tomato sauce from canned tomatoes myself, but, well, I didn’t have any.  I had this.  So I used it.)
• 1/2 small can of tomato paste
• 1 cup beef stock
• 2 tbsp rendered bacon drippings (venison is a very lean meat and can often use some help in the fat department to avoid drying out with cooking.  I save all my drippings from cooking bacon in a container in my freezer for just such occasions)
• 2 tbsp olive oil, for sauteing onions, but also helps with leanness of venison
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2-3 large mushrooms, diced (I used baby ‘bellas)
• 1 tablespoon of capers and their brine (optional, but I think their brininess worked great here)
• 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
• splash of red wine
• pinch of dried oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, paprika, red pepper flake, garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste

How I did it:

1. Saute onion, mushroom and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until translucent (~5-8 minutes).  I used a medium cast iron skillet that is quickly becoming my favorite kitchen item.
2. Add ground venison and bacon drippings, season, and brown for ~10 minutes
3. Add beef stock, tomato sauce and paste, capers, red wine and parmesan cheese.  Mix well and continue to simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally for at least half an hour, but up to several hours.  It will continue to thicken and develop richer flavors the longer you cook it.  Add more beef stock if it reduces too much.
4. Serve over pasta, in a lasagna or in any other application where a rich, meaty sauce is called for.

Just like Mom used to make, except for, you know, with deer.  I realize everyone doesn’t have access to ground venison, but this is Wisconsin, damn it.  You know someone who hunts and people who hunt always have extra meat unless they’re not very good hunters.  You could make a perfectly serviceable ragu with ground beef or veal, lamb, heck – just about any red meat – but I hold a soft spot for venison and have a nearly endless supply of it, so I try to use it when possible.  You should, too.  It’s good for you.

Pantry Raid: Carbonara Potstickers

My affinity for pasta carbonara has been mentioned here before.  Its simple decadence lends itself to  any situation where comfort food is calling.  My recent foray into the world of potstickers inspired my inner mad scientist to experiment with new combinations of fillings and this gem immediately jumped to the forefront.

The bacon and cheese alone would make a passable filling, but the onions, mushrooms and fresh garlic that usually find their way into my carbonara would do well to flesh it out.  The wrapper of the potsticker made an easy analog for the pasta and the creamy egg, cheese and bacon drippings would make a worthy sauce without the need to dip.  The end result is a kind of carbonara tortellini or ravioli that captures the essence of the original dish in a novel package.  Chopsticks are purely optional here.  I went with a fork.

Dish: Carbonara Potstickers

Ingredient Rollcall:

• 15-20 wonton wrappers
• 3-4 slices of thick-cut bacon, minced
• 1 small onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 mushrooms, minced
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 tbsp Italian breadcrumbs
• 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• Splash of balsamic vinegar
• Italian herbs, ground
• salt and cracked pepper, to taste

How I do it:

1. Saute minced bacon and mushrooms for a minute or two with balsamic until some fat has rendered out, drain and reserve drippings.
2. Mix minced bacon, mushroom, onion, garlic, 1 beaten egg, breadcrumbs, half of grated cheese, salt, pepper and dash of ground herbs in small mixing bowl.
3. Assemble and cook potstickers as instructed in my previous recipe, with help from my main man, Alton Brown.
4. Mix other beaten egg, remaining cheese, and a healthy portion of cracked black pepper.
5. Return cooked potstickers to the the pan over medium heat with a splash of water until water begins to steam again.  Remove from heat and add egg and cheese mixture and a splash of bacon drippings.  Toss and stir until the potstickers are well-coated and sauce thickens.  Serves 2 (or 1 if you’re me).

Pantry Raid: Pineapple-Curry Chicken

The fridge is pretty sparse these days, which always forces me into concoction mode when it comes time to slap together a meal. I had some chicken thighs thawing in the fridge and some leftover couscous from last night’s dinner. Some poking around the pantry found a can of pineapple chunks in juice and and a further search of the fridge found some heirloom cherry tomatoes, mixed hot chiles, fresh ginger root and red curry paste. Not exactly a classic dish, but I knew I could make this work

Dish: Pineapple-Curry Chicken

Ingredient rundown:
– 2 chicken thighs, skinned and deboned
– inch or so of ginger root, minced
– 2 hot chiles (any will do)
– handfull of mixed heirloom cherry tomatoes
– half a can of pineapple chunks in juice
– sprinkling of flour and cornstarch (enough to coat a plate)
– spices (garlic powder, ground chipotle, s+p)
– red curry paste (Trader Joe’s)
– splash each of sesame oil and olive oils

Serves 2(ish)

How I do it:

1. Cut chicken thighs into rough chunks

2. Cut chiles into thin strips, quarter cherry tomatoes, mince ginger

3. Mix flour, cornstarch, garlic and chipotle powders, s+p and sprinkle on a plate. Roll chicken pieces in mixture until well-coated.

4. Heat oils in medium skillet over medium-high heat and sauté ginger with garlic powder for a minute or two. Add coated chicken and sauté until browned and crispy, 3-5 minutes on each side.

5. Remove chicken to drain and add chiles, tomatoes and pineapple with a dash of salt to sauté for another 3-5 minutes.

6. Add chicken back to the vegetables and add a couple tablespoons of red curry paste and the pineapple juice from the can. Sauté for 5-10 minutes until the sauce is thickened to your liking.

7. Serve with jasmine rice or, in my case, leftover couscous spiced with powdered ginger and lemon juice.

Like I said, kind of a goofy composition, but it turned out pretty well. Would have been great with some coconut milk and more diverse veggies, had I access to either in this case. Another more-or-less successful concoction worthy of my first “recipe” here for the masses.

As you will come to find, I don’t really like recipes. That’s not to say I don’t use them, but more often than not they serve as jumping-off points, and they are almost always tweaked bases on what I’m craving and what I have on hand. So consider what I post here a general framework for creating a tasty dish that you can customize extensively in most cases. I would love to hear from anyone who attempts any of these dishes and makes it their own. Happy cooking!