Beef and Shrimp Patties

Beef and shrimp patties is a dish I really enjoy making for my dad and he loves them! It is made with ground meat, fresh shrimp, shredded carrots, eggs, and cellophane or glass noodles (in Vietnamese, the noodles are called bún tàu or miến). It has origins from spring rolls, called chả giò, because the filling in the rolls are seasoned ground meat. These patties, especially if seasoned with a saltier flavor, go well with steam rice.

INGREDIENTS: 4 servings

1 package of ground beef (about 1 pound)
15 medium to large shrimps, de-shelled and finely chopped
1 dried bundle of cellophane/glass noodles (also called bean threads)
1 medium carrot, finely shredded
1 medium onion, finely diced
4 scallions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons or more of fish sauce
1 teaspoon of sugar
2 eggs
salt
black pepper
garlic powder
vegetable or canola oil



The fish sauce with the "three crabs" label is one of the best brands of fish sauce



The noodles soaking in hot water until they soften


DIRECTIONS:

1) Soak the noodles in hot water until they soften, then drain. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl using a fork. Season the fish sauce and salt according to taste. I like to fry a small patty to make sure the seasoning is just right before I cook the whole batch.

2) In a pan, pour in a generous amount of cooking oil. Using a fork and spoon, scoop a peach size amount of meat into the pan and press into a patty shape. Fry on both sides until golden brown, about 3 minutes or more on each side.



The ingredients in a bowl



Frying the patties

Fresh pasta

Enjoying an espresso with grappa after a seven course meal in Venice, Italy

In the summer of 2000, I lived and worked at a museum in Venice, Italy on a fellowship. I came to Italy to experience the art and culture, eager to see up close the magnificent David that Michelangelo had sculpted and all the other wonderful masterpieces that I had fervently studied in art history. I didn’t anticipate leaving Italy twenty four pounds heavier (and I’m not talking about my luggage), rich in so many experiences. I met friends from all types of backgrounds and we had a blast sharing our histories and passions in life, and of course all of these over dinner parties and food.

My flat mates were Italians, and I picked up a few cooking tips that I use quite often nowadays when I’m cooking pastas. One of these tips includes incorporating anchovies in my pastas, and the other tip, although rather quite surprising and odd, is adding soy sauce. Hmmm…who would have thought that I had to travel to Italy to discover that the secret ingredient is one that already exists in my kitchen?

This fresh pasta recipe is a great summer dish because it is light and refreshing. Although it looks like a gourmet dish that took hours to make, it is actually quite simple and easy to cook. The key is using fresh quality ingredients. Using fresh pasta (especially if you can make it yourself, but if not, it can be found in any grocery store) and ripe plum tomatoes will give this dish a clean and hearty taste. Try this recipe if you want to be adventurous for a change.

INGREDIENTS: 4-6 servings

fresh linguine pasta (2 packages, choose one egg pasta, one spinach pasta)
ground beef (one package, 90% lean)
6 medium plum tomatoes
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large onion, diced
6 strips of bacon, chopped into small pieces
2 carrots, finely shredded
1 medium zucchini, finely diced
1 teaspoon or more dried oregano
3 tablespoon or more soy sauce
1 teaspoon of paprika
1 tablespoon of tomato paste (optional, for extra tang in flavor)
sugar
salt
black pepper
handful of fresh basil, coarsely chopped
olive oil



DIRECTIONS:

1) Cooking the pasta:
In a large pot, bring water to a boil. While you are waiting, start the tomato sauce (step 2). Once the water boils, add in a pinch of salt, olive oil, and cook the pasta until desired taste (it is best to follow the package instructions). Reserve about 1 cup of pasta water.

2) Cooking the tomato sauce:
In a medium pan, add olive oil and saute half the amount of onion and garlic until they are slightly golden. Put in the tablespoon of tomato paste and stir. Then add in the tomatoes and saute on high heat for a few minutes. Season the sauce with a pinch of salt, sugar, and oregano. Let the sauce simmer on low heat, continuously adding small amounts of pasta water so as to not let the tomatoes burn.

3) Cooking the meat:
In another pan, add olive oil and saute the bacon until golden. Then add the rest of the onion and garlic, saute until they are slightly golden, add in the ground beef and stir until the meat is brown. Add in the carrots and zucchini, stirring until the vegetables soften. Season with salt, sugar, black pepper, oregano, basil, and soy sauce, adding the amount according to taste.

4) Putting it all together:
Place the pasta on plate, put tomato sauce, then top with the sauteed ground meat. Garnish with fresh basil and enjoy.

Eggs for Breakfast

Eggs are so great for breakfast, especially fried eggs with soy sauce. Although soy sauce on eggs sounds odd (well, ketchup on eggs is just as odd), this unlikely pairing is surprisingly tasty.

This breakfast dish is actually inspired by my little sister Annie. She concocted this recipe using Italian herbs bought from a specialty store in New York City (another post on specialty food stores coming in the near future). It is comprised of fried eggs topped with sauteed onions, plum tomatoes, Italian dry herbs, and soy sauce.

My dish is a simple version of this, taking only a few minutes to make. They go so well with whole wheat toasts. Try them out for a breakfast change.



INGREDIENTS: servings of 2

butter
olive oil
4 eggs
1 tablespoon or more of soy sauce
1 or 2 medium size plum tomatoes
2 slices of whole wheat toasts
half of an onion diced (white or red)

DIRECTIONS:

1) In a non-stick pan, pour in olive oil and butter.

2) Fry the eggs over easy. Season with dry parsley, a pinch of chili flakes and half a tablespoon of soy sauce (or more, according to taste).

3) Transfer the eggs to a plate.

4) Pour in a little more olive oil, saute the onions and tomatoes. Season with the rest of the soy sauce.

5) Pour the tomato chutney over the eggs, add a pinch of pepper (and salt if needed) and serve with whole wheat toasts.

Fried Chicken

My husband's favorite dish is my fried chicken, a very simple, savory dish that is crispy on the outside and moist and tender on the inside. It took quite a few trials and errors before I was able to simplify it to this point.

When I was living in New York City, one of my close friend's mom used to make these amazing pork chops marinated with fish sauce and ginger powder. She explained that the fish sauce gives the dish depth, kind of like how the Italians use anchovies in a pasta dish, and the ginger decreases the pork smell.

I am Vietnamese, so using fish sauce is second nature. In my fried chicken dish, I have incorporated these two special ingredients, fish sauce and fresh ginger juice, which really amps up the flavor. Not only will you enjoy eating more than one piece of chicken, it tastes great with steam rice and a side dish of steam veggies, such as broccoli.

INGREDIENTS: Servings of 4-6
6-8 lbs of chicken wings and drumsticks (at the store, one package of each)
1 cup of all purpose flour
2 tbsp of sugar
1 tbsp of salt
black pepper
paprika
garlic powder
3 tbsp of fish sauce
1 knob of fresh ginger root (puree and squeeze out juice, about 3 tbsp)
6 cups of vegetable or canola oil

DIRECTIONS:

1) Marinating the chicken:
Put the chicken pieces in a big metal bowl or pot.
Pour in the fresh ginger juice and fish sauce. Using your hands (or tongs), mix the chicken so the juice gets fully incorporated. Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, sugar, paprika, garlic powder and mix. Let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator for a few hours.



2) Seasoning the flour:
In another bowl, pour in the flour. Using a fork, stir in a teaspoon of sugar, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper. Cover each piece of chicken with this mixture.



3) Frying the chicken:
In the medium size frying pot, pour in the cooking oil so that it covers two-thirds of the pot. On high heat, bring the temperature to 375 degrees or basically until the oil sizzles if you sprinkle a pinch flour. Place 4 to 5 pieces of chicken (pick the same size pieces for even cooking). Cover the pot with a lid and fry on med high heat for about 8-10 minutes, turning the chicken once (so about 4-5 minutes on each side). The chicken is done by the light brown color and it will tend to float.



Enjoy your crispy fried chicken with steam rice and veggies. For an Asian flare, you can dip it with crushed chilies and lime juice.