Winter Green Miso Paste (and Ten Ways to Use It)

Let’s chat about shortcuts! Having a rainbow-colored lineup of homemade curry pastes in the freezer is one of my favorite, slightly cheaty culinary strategies. Tricked out miso pastes fall into this category as well. A few times a year, I take an hour or two, and make a range of favorite pastes. I freeze them in little snack-sized baggies, and stack them flat in the freezer enabling quick thaws for flash-quick weeknight curries, vibrant broths, and noodle bowls. 
A lot of you are familiar with this Lemongrass Turmeric Curry Paste (a long-time favorite), and today’s recipe is a beautiful rosemary spiked alternative. It’s a herbaceous, green miso paste with some garlic bite, rounded out with lots of scallions, cilantro, and ginger. The brothy noodle bowl pictured above is a winter green miso soup along with noodles, winter-miso roasted tofu cubes (notes below), with hemp seeds. Also, lots of chopped chives, and some leafy broccoli (cooked in the pasta water for the last minute). I’m also including ten other ways I like to use it – but, I’m sure you can think of more! 🙂

Ideas & Variations:

– Winter Green Miso Soup: add a big(!) dollop of the miso paste to 4 – 6 cups of hot water (just shy of simmering), for an herby green miso soup. Season with more paste for more flavor, and take some time to salt to taste.

– Winter Green Miso Guacamole: For a twist on guacamole, mash a dollop of the miso paste into a ripe avocado, along with a squeeze of lemon or lime juice, and a pinch of salt.

– Winter Miso Veggie Burger: Stir a big dollop into your favorite veggie burgers

– Winter Green Miso Roasted Tofu: (Pictured here, on noodle bowl) Cut tofu into small cubes and toss with a generous amount of paste. Arrange on a baking sheet, and bake at 375F until tofu is golden.

– Winter Green Miso Roasted Vegetables: Same idea as the tofu. Toss with some paste in a bowl, arrange on a baking sheet, roast at 375F until golden. I love this approach to chubby slices of delicata squash, broccoli florets, and cauliflower.

– Winter Green Miso Vegetable Bowl: Make a broth using half water, half cashew milk, and a big dollop of miso paste. In a separate skillet, cook some sliced onions/shallots, add some favorite vegetables, and some tofu. Combine the cashew broth with the veggie mixture, and finish with a big squeeze of lime juice. Taste, and season with salt, and/or more winter miso paste.

– Winter Miso Mashed Potatoes: You know this is good whisked into your best mashed potatoes, right?

– Winter Miso Lettuce Wraps: Smear a bit on lettuce wraps, they really light up.

– Winter Green Miso Ravioli/Dumpling Bowl: Make a quick miso soup using the paste. Cook your favorite raviolis or dumplings in a separate pot. Drain, transfer to individual bowls, ladle miso over, and finish with some fried, crispy shallots and/or toasted almonds.

Continue reading Winter Green Miso Paste (and Ten Ways to Use It) on 101 Cookbooks

101 Cookbooks https://ift.tt/2zxIg7Y

Instant Pot Minestrone Soup

Making really good Instant Pot minestrone soup with dried, un-soaked beans is possible. I wasn’t sure at first, and it required a few attempts to get the recipe right, but check it out! Deliciousness. Let’s start at the beginning. Like many of you, I love minestrone soup. It’s hearty and filling. It’s healthy, made with a diverse mix of ingredients your body wants more of. And, if you have an Instant Pot, a good minestrone is going to be one of your standbys.

Instant Pot Minestrone Soup: The Strategy

Ok, so most of the IP minestrone recipes I see rely on canned beans, which I was hoping to avoid. Instead, I wanted to develop a minestrone version from dried beans – un-soaked(!) dried beans. Because, that way, you don’t have to plan ahead. Second, I want to avoid that murky, overcooked, canned soup flavor (and texture) we’re all familiar with – it shows up when you use canned beans and then cook them again under pressure. The size you cut your ingredients ended up being important as well, and so was when you add them to the pot. I landed on a specific order here that maintains brightness, acidity, flavor definition, and general deliciousness. More on that below!

A few notes & techniques

Potatoes: I found any potatoes cut too small turn to mush after cooking under pressure for 35+ minutes. Not great. So, I started using big chunks of potato, really big – and they’re incredible! Creamy, perfectly cooked, and nicely structured. Carrots are more dense, and handle the pressure just fine.

Tomatoes & Kale: I think the inclination is to add all the ingredients to the Instant Pot, seal it up, and go for it. The minestrones I attempted to cook this way lost a lot of vibrancy. But not this version! This version has you stir in crushed tomatoes, and kale immediately after releasing pressure. The acidity of the tomatoes brightens the soup immediately, and holding the kale back until the last minute keeps a bit of structure, color, and flavor definition.

Pasta: A lot of people love to add pasta to their minestrone soup. You can certainly add a handful of dried, short pasta before pressurizing, but, quite honestly, it’s much better if you cook the pasta on its own. You can also stir dried pasta into the soup directly after it has pressure cooked, adding a bit more water if things get too thick. In short, on the pasta front, you can be pretty flexible. It’s open to personal preference (and how convenient you’d like the process to be).

Serving Ideas

I like this minestrone straight and simple, and I also like it flaired out with toppings. A few ideas: a dollop of pesto, a drizzle of lemon olive oil, or a big squeeze of bright lemon, some chopped olives. Stir in a couple of handfuls of day old bread for something more like a ribollita.

Continue reading Instant Pot Minestrone Soup on 101 Cookbooks

101 Cookbooks https://ift.tt/2Q7wv2o

The Best Simple Cauliflower Soup

This is the simplest cauliflower soup. And it is so dang good. The ingredient list is shorter than short, and if you have a great yellow curry paste on hand (or even just a good one), it is worth making.

I love the super silky texture you get from blending this soup in a high-speed blender, but a hand-blender is B+ level good as well. So, don’t sweat the equipment side of things too much.

This is the latest in a long-running series of love letter recipes to simple pureed soups, including (get ready 😉 carrot soup, asparagus soup, green soup, tomato soup, also this broccoli soup. What I’m saying is, blender soups forever.

I get a little crazy with the toppings, but the soup is good simple and straight too. Here the cauliflower soup is topped with toasted pine nuts, fried shallots, and hemp seeds, and more of the yellow curry paste whisked with a bit of shallot oil. You could also season this with a favorite Indian spice blend, for another take. Or a simple showering of fresh herbs. Play around!

Continue reading The Best Simple Cauliflower Soup on 101 Cookbooks

101 Cookbooks https://ift.tt/2reBdfv

The Instant Pot Starter Guide for Me and You

This is for everyone who ordered an Instant Pot recently, and also, somewhat selfishly, for myself. It’s an Instant Pot Starter Guide – all the links, references, and resources I’ve collected as I get to know my 9-in-1 Instant Pot. I’ve also compiled 40 Essential Instant Pot Links, and have a (growing!) collection of Instant Pot recipes. Also, If you’re still thinking about purchasing an Instant Pot or Multi-cooker, this buying tool might help. It can help you decide which Instant Pot / multi-cooker / pressure cooker to purchase based on the features important to you: Instant Pot Buying Guide.

Let me start by saying, my road to the Instant Pot hasn’t exactly been straight. I like to think I shy away from of-the-moment appliances, and instead, have collected a good number of donabe, flameware, and other clay cooking vessels that I cherish and cook with regularly. That said, I’ve been increasingly intrigued by sweeping Instant Pot mania (couldn’t be later to the party, I know). Additionally, some of my favorite cooks are making magic, or at least dinner, with them.

What tipped the balance? One of my favorite cookbook authors released Dinner in an Instant: 75 Modern Recipes for Your Pressure Cooker, Multicooker, and Instant Pot. I buy every Melissa Clark book. Every one. So, it seemed like the time to join the Instant Pot tribe, and have a little fun. Also, the newest Instant Pot has a yogurt function! And, furthermore, it has eight other functions – pressure, slow cooker, rice cooker, egg cooker, sauté mode, steamer, and on and on. Oh, and people are baking cakes in them?! Woah.

First impression stepping into this world? It’s a lot. My guess is that many of you are either looking for instruction and inspiration (like me), or you are way ahead, and have your own favorite resources. So that’s what this post is about. I actually needed an Instant Pot Starter Guide, and suspect many of you might as well.

I’m going to include my “best-of” list here, including anything that catches my attention, anything I don’t want to lose track of – and I’ll try to keep this list updated over time. But, please, if you’re seasoned in the Instant Pot arts, with ideas, favorite tricks, inspiration, and whatnot – please (please!) leave a comment. And lastly, as I work on recipes, I’ll link to favorites here:

INSTANT POT RECIPES

– Instant Pot Mushroom Stroganoff with Vodka (make this!)
– Instant Pot Minestrone Soup
– Instant Pot Congee (game-changer)
– Instant Pot Chickpea Cauliflower Korma
– Instant Pot Fiasco Beans
– Instant Pot Brown Rice Bowl with Chickpeas (PIP)
– 10 Minute Instant Pot Mushroom Broth
– Instant Pot Indian-spiced Simmer Sauce
– Slow Cooker Black Bean Chili with Kahlua (Instant Pot slow cook or pressure cook)
– Creamy Four Ingredient Chili Mac
– Instant Pot Dynamite Cold Tonic
– Instant Pot Herbed Chickpea Plov

INSTANT POT STARTER GUIDE BASICS

– This is the Instant Pot I purchased: Instant Pot DUO Plus 6 Qt 9-in-1 Also! Note, there are over 1000 questions answered on this page. A lot of good questions, a lot of good answers.

OFFICIAL INSTANT POT

The official Instant Pot site, it has videos, updated information related to the different models available, FAQs, and a recipe database. There is also a lively Facebook community, and Pinterest page. There is also an official Instant Pot Cookbook: The Essential Instant Pot Cookbook by Coco Morante.

THE GUIDES & REFERENCES

– How To Use an Instant Pot: A Guide by Melissa Clark (NY Times)

– This is How to Become an Instant Pot Whisperer (101 Cookbooks)

– The Instant Pot manual has tables with timing recommendations, this site has more.

– Inside the Home of Instant Pot, the Kitchen Gadget That Spawned a Religion (NY Times)

– Rancho Gordo Heirloom Beans & Pressure Cooking Guide (PDF)

INSTANT POT LOVE STORIES

– Why Do Cooks Love the Instant Pot? I Bought One to Find Out (NY Times)

– The Instant Pot Cult is Real (TASTE)

– Send Help: I’m (Kind Of) Falling in Love With the Instant Pot (Food52)

– I Tried The $99 Kitchen Gadget That Everyone’s Obsessed With (Buzzfeed)

– After Cooking All My Meals in an Instant Pot for a Week, I Get What All the Hype Is About (Self)

MORE INSTANT POT RECIPE INSPIRATION

I want to make amazing thali plates with this thing. That’s my personal holy grail of Instant Potting.

– Ministry of Curry Instant Pot Recipes

– Ten Instant Pot Recipes Ready in 30 Minutes or Less (The Kitchn)

– Detoxinista / Instant Pot Recipes

– Cook With Manali / Instant Pot Recipes

– Five One Pot Indian Stews (Tasting Table)

– I’m excited about the concept of layering (or, pot-in-pot cooking)! For example, you use racks and containers to cook multiple recipes, like this one. – An explanation of PIP (pot-in-pot) cooking. And here’s another one. And a great comprehensive video.

– Instant Pot Hot Sauce (Simply Happy Foodie)

Continue reading The Instant Pot Starter Guide for Me and You on 101 Cookbooks

101 Cookbooks https://ift.tt/2AsWMNO

Vegetable Noodle Soup

This vegetable noodle soup is as simple, direct, and delicious as it gets. Served extra hot and plump with pasta noodles, it’s the kind of soup that comforts minds and bolsters spirits. If you’re vegetarian or vegan looking for an alternative to chicken noodle soup, this should be in your wheelhouse.

I mention it in the recipe, but any short pasta will work here.  If there is a short shape that is easy for you to find. Or a shape you love, swap it in!

Noodle Soup Variations

There are a host of things you can use in place of the pasta noodles here. For example, you can serve the broth over leftover rice, cooked farro, or pearl barley. Or make a ravioli version! You can also stir any of the following into individual bowls of soup to take things in slightly different directions – toasted sesame oil, lemon olive oil, sriracha sauce, miso, or curry paste. Noodle soup is super adaptable, use this as a jumping off point!

Continue reading Vegetable Noodle Soup on 101 Cookbooks

101 Cookbooks https://ift.tt/2FH40DS

Last Minute Red Lasagna

Everyone needs a go-to lasagna recipe. A great one. And, here’s the thing, making lasagna doesn’t have to be an all-day affair. This is a true weeknight lasagna. No pre-cooking sauces, no pre-cooking noodles. You, literally, stir the first five ingredients together into a vibrant crushed tomato sauce, and start layering. Also, it isn’t a cheese bomb. I try to keep things light here. It’s the rare lasagna that is arguably healthful enough to make once a week, and still feel like it is working in your favor. Very light on the cheese front, yet still hitting the lasagna mark. Served alongside a good salad? It’s nice payoff, with minimal effort.

A Few Lasagna Tips

A couple of related tips. If you come across fresh pasta sheets, stock up. You can freeze them, and then you always have them on hand. Alternately, if fresh pasta is hard to find where you are, stock up on no-boil (whole wheat, if possible) lasagna sheets. These are the ones I come across where I live. It’s hard to make the mental leap that they will work out. It seems impossible, because they’re like dense, stale crackers, and…no boil!? But I’m always pleasantly surprised. Try them!

Tasty Variations

Last thing! Sometimes I spice the red tomato sauce with curry powder and a big squeeze of fresh orange juice for a fun twist – I’ll note that variation in the recipe below. I’ll also note a variation that omits dairy altogether. If you use egg-free pasta, it’s a good vegan version.

Continue reading Last Minute Red Lasagna on 101 Cookbooks

101 Cookbooks https://ift.tt/2QgNC0F

Favorites List (11.23.18)

A double dose of links, recipes, podcasts and reading for the long weekend. Enjoy!

– The records John Lennon had in his jukebox (Spotify playlist)

– Reading: Hell’s Backbone Cafe (the New Yorker)

– Not just for Thanksgiving: Rancho Gordo New World Thanksgiving Recipes

– The Best Cookbooks of Fall 2018 (Eater)

– In Marrakesh, One Designer’s Adobe House Is as Colorful as Her Ceramics (NY Times)

– Donate: Chef José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen has served over 75,000 meals in communities impacted by Northern California wildfires.

– Listening to: Narcos playlist (Spotify)

– Sobbing in Starbucks (Eater)

– Movie Night: Kasama Infinity : Coming soon to streaming…

–  Listening to: Nigella on Ottolenghi’s new podcast

– Reading: Little Fires Everywhere

– Lending: Kiva (101 Cookbooks Team – $439k! to date)

– Podcast: Sold in America (Noor Tagouri)

– Lanzhou, China hand-pulled noodle school

– A Grassroots Uprising in Amish Country Begins to Find Meaning in Politics 

– Mumbai is a city of bread: From a Parsi chutney bread to a century-old ‘puriwala’

– “I Panic If I Don’t Have at Least 5 Jars of This Spicy Chili Crisp” (NY Mag / The Strategist)

-Inside a 17th-Century Portuguese and Japanese Cookbook, recipes for caramel, cake, and an early tempura (Atlas Obscura)

– Reading: Is the Second Farm Crisis Upon Us? (Civil Eats)

– Watching: Christiane Amanpour newish interview show (PBS) – or(!) her podcast

– Listening to: Mirah’s new album “Understanding” (streaming)

– Reading: What R.O. Kwon Can’t Live Without (NY Mag / The Strategist)

Continue reading Favorites List (11.23.18) on 101 Cookbooks

101 Cookbooks https://ift.tt/2Agaq6S

Golden Crusted Brussels Sprouts

I thought I’d share my all-time favorite brussels sprouts recipe with you. It’s a slightly extended version of the one I included in Super Natural Cooking, but to be honest, calling it a recipe is a bit of a stretch. It involves a skillet, less than five ingredients, about ten minutes of your time, and minimal culinary skills. You end up with vibrant green, tender brussels sprouts that become deeply golden and crusty where they touch the pan. I then lightly dust them with cheese and serve. This time of year it’s not unusual for us to cook them like this two or three times a week.

Even if you’re a sprout skeptic, this golden-crusted version has the ability to turn the most vigilant brussels sprout loathers around.

Buying the Best Brussels Sprouts

A couple shopping tips before you get started, look for brussels sprouts that are on the small size and tightly closed. The tiny ones cook through quickly, whereas larger ones tend to brown on the outside long before the insides are done. When the weather is mild, I finish them with a lighter, salty cheese, like Parmesan. If it’s stormy and cold, I opt for a heavier, more melty cheese, like a regular or smoked Gouda (or gruyere). Or(!), I’ll skip the cheese altogether, and add a simple finishing shower of chopped nuts.

Cooking Brussels Sprouts:

A couple quick pro-tips. Try not to overcook the sprouts, and eat them as soon as they come of the stove if at all possible. They’re so great this way!

Continue reading Golden Crusted Brussels Sprouts on 101 Cookbooks

101 Cookbooks https://ift.tt/2TD7v0G